Epidemiology News and Research

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Study finds increased risk of serious complications in children taking oral steroids

Children who take oral steroids to treat asthma or autoimmune diseases have an increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and blood clots, according to Rutgers researchers.

17 Sep 2020

Testing settled solids in sewage for SARS-CoV-2 more sensitive approach than testing influent

Many studies on the containment of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have dealt with the possible role of wastewater in predicting and detecting future outbreaks and understanding the epidemiology of COVID-19 disease. A recent study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in September 2020 shows that solid waste in sewage is a better substrate for testing than influent.

17 Sep 2020

Blood pressure control has worsened in the U.S.

A new study has revealed that uncontrolled blood pressure among Americans is on the rise compared to a few years back. The study by the researchers from the University of Alabama was published this week on the JAMA Network.

16 Sep 2020

Study: 1 in 10 COVID-19 patients require hospitalization after being discharged from ER

Roughly 1 in 10 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 needed to return to the hospital within a week of discharge from an emergency department visit, according to data from the first three months of the COVID-19 outbreak in the Philadelphia region.

16 Sep 2020

Digital phenotyping and machine learning can help assess severe mental illness

Digital phenotyping approaches that collect and analyze Smartphone-user data on locations, activities, and even feelings - combined with machine learning to recognize patterns and make predictions from the data - have emerged as promising tools for monitoring patients with psychosis spectrum illnesses, according to a report in the September/October issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry

16 Sep 2020

Climate change could shift the spread of West Nile virus

West Nile virus spreads most efficiently in the US at temperatures between 24-25 degrees Celsius (75.2-77 degrees Fahrenheit), a new study published today in eLife shows.

15 Sep 2020

New document discusses how to prevent staphylococcus aureus infections in critically ill infants

Neonatal intensive care units (NICU) should balance prevention of Staphylococcus aureus infections in critically ill infants with the need for skin-to-skin contact with parents and siblings, according to a Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) white paper published in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.

15 Sep 2020

NIH awards $26.56 million grant to create new Framingham Heart Study Brain Aging Program

Since 1976, the Framingham Heart Study (FHS)--the longest running multi-generational epidemiological study in the world--has followed participants for incident dementia.

14 Sep 2020

Researchers receive $2.5 million grant to develop and analyze breast tumor organoids

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed in women in the United States after skin cancer, and women with comorbidities (the presence of more than one condition/disease) often fare worse in terms of their breast cancer.

14 Sep 2020

Are children more likely to be SARS-CoV-2 asymptomatic than adults?

he frequency of children carrying asymptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has been suggested to be higher than among adults. It is also suggested that asymptomatic children enhance viral spread. A new study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics in September 2020 explores the truth of this common belief.

14 Sep 2020

Should a COVID-19 vaccine be mandatory for children?

As the search for a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine continues, with some candidate vaccines nearing the completion Phase III clinical trials, a trio of experts weighs in with some sound reasoning as to whether any future vaccine should be considered mandatory for children. The viewpoint article is published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics in September 2020.

14 Sep 2020

NIH provides additional support for large scale study of Alzheimer's disease biomarkers

To meet the pressing need to better understand the prevalence, progression, and clinical impact of Alzheimer's disease among Mexican Americans, the National Institutes of Health has added funding for more biomarker measures, including positron emission tomography imaging, to the ongoing Health and Aging Brain Among Latino Elders Study.

14 Sep 2020

Kids are missing critical windows for lead testing due to pandemic

Families skipping or delaying pediatric appointments for their young children because of the pandemic are missing out on more than vaccines. Critical testing for lead poisoning has plummeted in many parts of the country.

11 Sep 2020

Seroconversion marks recovery from COVID-19

Nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists are still seeking to understand the protective immunity that develops against the causative agent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Despite the increasing need for serological tests in epidemiology, their clinical value has not been fully established. A new paper published in the Journal of Medical Virology in September 2020 describes the relationship of COVID-19 disease symptoms with the serological status over time.

11 Sep 2020

Study shows how the pandemic unfolded across the world

A new study combines evolutionary genomics from coronavirus samples with computer-simulated epidemics and detailed travel records to reconstruct the spread of coronavirus across the world in unprecedented detail.

11 Sep 2020

New book gives overview of viruses and how they emerge to cause pandemics

Since the novel coronavirus SARS-Cov-2 emerged late last year, it has been virtually impossible to consume any news without encountering stories about the virus and how it spreads, potential treatments, and the development of new vaccines.

11 Sep 2020

Strict social distancing associated with lower chances of coronavirus infection

Using public transportation, visiting a place of worship, or otherwise traveling from the home is associated with a significantly higher likelihood of testing positive with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, while practicing strict social distancing is associated with a markedly lower likelihood, suggests a study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

10 Sep 2020

What is the risk of catching the coronavirus on a plane?

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tried to alleviate fears of flying during the pandemic at an event with airline and rental car executives.”The airplanes have just not been vectors when you see spread of the coronavirus,” DeSantis said during a discussion at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Aug. 28. “The evidence is the evidence. And I think it's something that is safe for people to do.”

10 Sep 2020

Are micro and nanoplastics accumulating in human organs and tissues?

A team of researchers spoke to News-Medical about their latest research investigating whether micro and nanoplastics are accumulating in human tissues.

10 Sep 2020

Singapore's first Prehospital Emergency and Research Centre launched

Emergency care covers a range of services that span the care provided by laypersons at the scene, pre-hospital care by SCDF's Emergency Medical Services, to the medical care provided in a dedicated trauma facility - between these stages lie the transportation systems, health centres and first-level hospitals that respond to the emergency.

9 Sep 2020