Epidemiology News and Research

RSS

Study reveals a previously undetected repertoire of cancer driver genes

A new study, led by researchers from the University of California, Irvine, has deepened the understanding of epigenetic mechanisms in tumorigenesis and revealed a previously undetected repertoire of cancer driver genes.

12 Nov 2020

Common spike mutation may make SARS-CoV-2 more susceptible to a vaccine

A new study published in Science confirms that SARS-CoV-2 has mutated in a way that's enabled it to spread quickly around the world, but the spike mutation may also make the virus more susceptible to a vaccine.

12 Nov 2020

Time to discuss potentially unpleasant side effects of COVID shots? Scientists say yes.

Drugmaker Pfizer is expected to seek federal permission to release its COVID-19 vaccine by the end of November, a move that holds promise for quelling the pandemic, but also sets up a tight time frame for making sure consumers understand what it will mean to actually get the shots.

12 Nov 2020

Study examines the impact of natural disasters on suicide rates

Disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes are occurring with increasing frequency and severity across the globe. In addition to impacting local communities, infrastructure and the economy, these disasters also can lead to severe emotional distress and anxiety for those living in their paths.

11 Nov 2020

Models of “mindful self-regulation” can help make healthy behavior changes

A growing body of evidence supports the effectiveness of mindfulness approaches to promote positive changes in health behaviors.

11 Nov 2020

NAU researcher leads international effort to study and track brucellosis

Northern Arizona University researcher Jeff Foster is leading an international effort to study and track the spread of one of the most important infectious diseases in humans and livestock worldwide.

10 Nov 2020

HBCUs offer pronounced benefits for African Americans

African Americans who attend Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs) may be at lower risk for health problems later in adulthood compared to African Americans who attend predominantly white institutions, a new study suggests.

10 Nov 2020

Using wastewater epidemiology to monitor SARS-CoV-2 in Houston

Now, a team of researchers at Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine, and the Houston Health Department show SARS-CoV-2 RNA wastewater levels to be a strong predictive of trends in the nasal positivity rate two weeks in advance. This could help track the positivity rate for populations, speeding up the isolation and treatment of infected people.

9 Nov 2020

Patient-physician racial, ethnic concordance linked to maximum patient experience scores

Patients who shared the same racial or ethnic background as their physician were more likely to give the maximum patient rating score, according to a new analysis of 117,589 patient surveys from 2014 to 2017.

9 Nov 2020

Study sheds light on the high burden of late effects among young survivors of acute myeloid leukemia

Adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients treated for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have a high risk of developing several long-term health complications, a study led by UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers has found.

9 Nov 2020

Social distancing policies had little effect on lower income people

A new Boston University School of Public Health study of the first four months of America's coronavirus epidemic, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, shows that physical distancing (also called "social distancing") policies had little effect.

9 Nov 2020

Genomic surveillance of yellow fever outbreak in São Paulo

Yellow fever virus is normally confined to the Amazon region, but the virus circulated in the Southeast of Brazil between 2016 and 2018, causing the worst epidemic and epizootic outbreaks there for decades.

5 Nov 2020

Climate change linked to higher rates of cancer

Climate change will bring an acute toll worldwide, with rising temperatures, wildfires and poor air quality, accompanied by higher rates of cancer, especially lung, skin and gastrointestinal cancers, according to a new report from UC San Francisco.

5 Nov 2020

An analysis of genetic diversity of D614G mutation in SARS-CoV-2

A new study published in the preprint server bioRxiv in November 2020 reports that the effect of the mutation is minimal, in terms of pathogenicity or altered response to neutralizing antibodies elicited against the native virus strain.

4 Nov 2020

Chikungunya can infect central nervous system and impair cognitive, motor functions

A study conducted by an international team of researchers with FAPESP's support shows that infection by chikungunya virus can produce even more severe manifestations than the typical symptoms of the disease, such as acute fever, headache, rash, and intense joint and muscle pain.

4 Nov 2020

Extreme levels of serum uric acid linked to substantial reduction in patient survival

Extreme values of serum uric acid levels in the blood can markedly reduce a patient's chance of surviving and reduce their lifespans by up to 11 years, according to a new study by researchers at University of Limerick's School of Medicine.

4 Nov 2020

Lions and tigers and anteaters? US scientists scan the menagerie for COVID

As COVID-19 cases surge in the U.S., one Texas veterinarian has been quietly tracking the spread of the disease — not in people, but in their pets.

4 Nov 2020

16 new lineages of SARS-CoV-2 emerge in South Africa despite lockdown

Published in a recent medRxiv* paper, researchers from South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Brazil found that these mutations in SARS-CoV-2 lineages are localized to South Africa. These unique strains, not found elsewhere in the world, are thought to have contributed around 42% to the country's total infection rate.

3 Nov 2020

Study estimates the proportion of COVID-19 deaths due to air pollution

Long-term exposure to air pollution generated by human activity is linked to about 27 per cent of COVID-19-related deaths in East Asia and 15 per cent mortality in South Asia and worldwide. These deaths could be largely prevented by adopting air quality regulations, says a new study.

3 Nov 2020

Limiting gatherings could significantly reduce the number of infections

There have been many documented cases of Covid-19 "super-spreading" events, in which one person infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus infects many other people.

3 Nov 2020