Epidemiology News and Research

RSS

Emergency diagnoses of medical conditions predict worse patient survival

Patients diagnosed with conditions after an emergency hospital admission or an emergency room visit face a higher risk of death than those diagnosed in non-emergency settings, according to a large population-based study by Emma Whitfield and colleagues from University College London, UK, published August 25th in the open access journal PLOS Medicine.

25 Aug 2026

NIH grants support research on whether PFAS exposure increases risk of liver and endometrial cancers

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center have received two grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) totaling $7.5 million to study whether exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the synthetic compounds known as "forever chemicals," increases the risk of liver cancer and endometrial cancer.

25 Aug 2026

PAHO/WHO assists Colombia with recovery following major earthquake

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO), is providing technical cooperation to Colombian authorities to support the health response following the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck western Colombia on August 10.

25 Aug 2026

What decades of wine research can, and cannot, tell us about health

A narrative review found that moderate wine intake has repeatedly been associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, with proposed mechanisms involving ethanol and grape-derived polyphenols, but the evidence remains largely observational and cannot establish causation. The authors argue that drinking pattern, beverage type, age, cancer risk, and risk-modeling choices all influence how the J-shaped association should be interpreted and how alcohol guidelines are developed.

25 Aug 2026

Tick-borne alpha-gal syndrome poses potential risks during blood transfusions

A new multi-institute study led by researchers at Dartmouth Health and Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth suggests that alpha-gal syndrome, the tick-borne disease that can result in a chronic allergy to meat and animal byproducts, also may complicate certain patients' ability to safely receive a blood plasma or platelet transfusion.

24 Aug 2026

Study maps rising lifetime risk of digestive cancers in China

The global landscape of oncology is shifting, and nowhere is this transition more complex or consequential than in China.

24 Aug 2026

California landscapes linked to differing rates of Valley fever

Researchers from University of California San Diego and University of California, Berkeley have found that certain landscapes surrounding California communities are associated with differing rates of Valley fever, a fungal respiratory infection caused by inhaling spores carried in windblown dust.

24 Aug 2026

Blood protein biomarkers predict future disability risk in very old adults

Japan has one of the world's fastest-aging populations, but maintaining independence into very old age remains a growing public health challenge.

21 Aug 2026

New model measures social drivers behind infectious disease outbreaks

Influenza spreads in a crowded barracks or prison. Ebola proliferates when per-capita hospital beds plummet below the typical levels in developed countries.

19 Aug 2026

Special journal issue highlights precision prevention in cancer epidemiology

Cancer epidemiology is not merely about counting cases; it is a dynamic field that informs screening policies, resource allocation, and clinical trial design.

19 Aug 2026

COVID-19 mortality gap between men and women narrowed sharply as the pandemic progressed

Men experienced higher absolute excess mortality than women across many high-income countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly during pre-vaccine mortality peaks. Relative differences were much smaller, showing that sex disparities depended strongly on baseline mortality, age, country, and pandemic phase.

19 Aug 2026

Leisure-time exercise linked to lower dementia risk

For years, scientists have known that regular physical activity can help lower the risk of dementia. But new USC research suggests that it's not only the amount but also the activity's context - for work or for leisure - that makes a difference.

18 Aug 2026

Prenatal exposure to higher water fluoride levels associated with lower child cognition

Pregnant mothers who lived in neighborhoods where public drinking water fluoride levels were near or above the current U.S. recommended levels tended to have children who scored lower on tests of fluid reasoning as fluoride levels increased, according to a new study supported by the National Institutes of Health's Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program.

18 Aug 2026

A New York skincare survey found mercury where consumers might not expect it

Targeted surveillance of 197 skin-lightening and skincare products purchased in New York City from 2009 to 2022 found detectable mercury in 29%, with 18% exceeding the FDA’s 1 ppm limit and concentrations reaching 27,000 ppm. All mercury-positive products were manufactured abroad, mercury was rarely disclosed on labels, and the findings highlight regulatory, health-equity, and environmental justice concerns.

18 Aug 2026

TB preventive treatment delivers real-world gains for people with HIV

Tuberculosis (TB) is responsible for about a quarter of all AIDS deaths. In 2024, it was also the leading cause of death among people with HIV. This is despite TB being a preventable and curable disease.

17 Aug 2026

Beauty tutorials in social media increase use of hormone-disrupting products by teens

Personal care products are among the largest everyday sources of exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and high schoolers who follow social media influencers or watch beauty tutorials seem to use considerably more of them, according to Rutgers researchers.

17 Aug 2026

Opening the black box of biological aging clocks

What do "epigenetic clocks" actually measure? These lab tests have become popular tools for studying biological aging, or how the body's cellular function changes at a faster or slower rate than expected.

14 Aug 2026

Prenatal appointment scheduling increases dental care during pregnancy

Prenatal visits might include bloodwork, discussions of due dates and vitamins, and ultrasounds. What if these visits could also improve oral health care among pregnant patients?

13 Aug 2026

Superstorm Sandy reshaped indoor fungal communities, with an unexpected asthma result

and lower fungal diversity than non-damaged homes. Despite these persistent but variable fungal changes, researchers found no statistically significant increase in asthma morbidity, impaired lung function, or airway inflammation among children with relatively mild asthma.

13 Aug 2026

Contaminated soil can bring hazardous lead dust into homes

Lead contamination in soil tracked inside homes can cause dangerous indoor lead dust levels even in residences with no interior lead-based paint, according to researchers with the Rutgers Environmental, Occupational and Health Sciences Institute in collaboration with community scientists from the East Trenton Collaborative.

11 Aug 2026