Epidemiology News and Research

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Children and young adults have greater potential to transmit SARS-CoV-2 virus

A study of more than a half-million people in India who were exposed to the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, or COVID-19, suggests that the virus' continued spread is driven by only a small percentage of those who become infected.

1 Oct 2020

Scientists discover bacteria linked to post-infectious hydrocephalus in infants

Scientists at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health have discovered bacteria linked to post-infectious hydrocephalus (PIH), the most common cause of pediatric hydrocephalus worldwide.

30 Sep 2020

VA Boston and BU researchers use machine learning to streamline the diagnostic tool for PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects eight million adults in the US, including hundreds of thousands of veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

30 Sep 2020

Study reveals how subanesthetic ketamine is effective in treating adult amblyopia

In a new study, published in Current Biology, researchers from the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine reveal how subanesthetic ketamine, which is used for pain management and as an antidepressant in humans, is effective in treating adult amblyopia, a brain disorder commonly known as "lazy eye."

30 Sep 2020

NIH awards $5 million grant to reduce COVID-19-related health disparities

To help reduce COVID-19-related health disparities in vulnerable populations in Texas, a multi-institutional team of researchers led by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston will identify disease hotspots and testing deserts in three racially diverse areas, and then develop and evaluate intervention strategies to increase COVID-19 testing.

30 Sep 2020

Study shows delirium as a possible warning sign of COVID-19 in frail, older adults

A new analysis of data from researchers at King's College London using information from the COVID Symptom Study app and patients admitted to St Thomas' Hospital in London, has shown that delirium - a state of acute confusion associated with a higher risk of serious illness and death - is a key symptom of COVID-19 in frail, older people.

30 Sep 2020

Persistent-poverty counties face high risk of cancer mortality

Residents of counties that experience persistent poverty face a disproportionately high risk of cancer mortality, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

30 Sep 2020

New research supports evidence of airborne transmission of COVID-19 in enclosed spaces

New research from the University of Georgia supports growing evidence for airborne transmission of COVID-19 in enclosed spaces.

30 Sep 2020

College football crowds could impact COVID-19 spread

The observed increase in COVID-19 cases coinciding with the reopening of college campuses all over the US has drawn intense scientific attention. A recent paper, by Washington State University researchers, published on the preprint server medRxiv* in September 2020 reports that this threat is directly linked to the holding of in-person sporting events on these campuses.

29 Sep 2020

Generalized epilepsy patients have higher OSA risk than people with focal epilepsy

People with generalized epilepsy who have seizures arising from both sides of the brain simultaneously, have a higher risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) compared to patients who have focal epilepsy where seizures emanate from one area of the brain, according to a Rutgers study.

29 Sep 2020

Corralling the facts on herd immunity

For a term that's at least 100 years old, "herd immunity" has gained new life in 2020.

29 Sep 2020

Study pinpoints heating element in vaping devices as cause for lung injuries

Early results of an experimental vaping study have shown significant lung injury from E-cigarette (eC) devices with nickel-chromium alloy heating elements.

28 Sep 2020

Case Western Reserve researchers receive $2.3 million to study COVID-19 spread in nursing homes

Almost from the moment COVID-19 reached this nation's shores, nursing homes have experienced some of its most devastating effects.

28 Sep 2020

BAT study analyzes the toxicological impact of nicotine pouch products

New research by BAT indicates that modern oral products (MOPs) showed lower toxicity responses in certain assays than traditional cigarettes.

28 Sep 2020

Study identifies genes linked with abdominal aortic aneurysm

A veteran's study identified more than a dozen genes associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) that could be used to better identify people at risk for the often-deadly condition, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's flagship journal Circulation.

28 Sep 2020

Study may explain why hormone therapy slows progression of heart disease

As one of the most common treatments for effectively managing menopause symptoms, hormone therapy (HT) is also known to provide multiple health benefits, including slowing the progression of atherosclerosis.

28 Sep 2020

New study links 160 genes to brain shrinkage

A new study implicates 160 genes in brain shrinkage seen on MRIs of 45,000 healthy adults. The shrinkage is in the cortex, the dimply outer layer of the brain that gives rise to thinking, awareness and action, and largely consists of gray matter.

25 Sep 2020

Study: 2020 presidential candidates Biden, Trump likely to be "super-agers"

In a paper published in the Journal on Active Aging, University of Illinois Chicago longevity researcher S. Jay Olshansky and his colleagues conclude that both 2020 presidential candidates - former Vice President Joe Biden, 77, and President Donald Trump, 74 - are likely to maintain their health beyond the end of the next presidential term.

25 Sep 2020

UMass Amherst epidemiologist receives NIH grant to develop new tick surveillance method

A University of Massachusetts Amherst infectious disease epidemiologist has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a new surveillance method to better identify specific locations with the highest risk for tick-borne disease transmission.

25 Sep 2020

Study compares homicide rates involving firearms among various age groups

In the United States, individual state laws barring 18- to 20-year-olds from buying or possessing a handgun make little difference in the rate of homicides involving a gun by people in that age group, a new University of Washington study has found.

25 Sep 2020