The latest medical research on Public Health

The research magnet gathers the latest research from around the web, based on your specialty area. Below you will find a sample of some of the most recent articles from reputable medical journals about public health gathered by our medical AI research bot.

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Targeted metagenomics reveals association between severity and pathogen co-detection in infants with respiratory syncytial virus.

COVID 19

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of hospitalisation for respiratory infection in young children. RSV disease severity is know...

How sustainable is resilience? A mixed-methods study on the COVID-19-pandemic as a challenge to resilience resources of older adults who previously recovered from depression.

COVID 19

Despite expanding knowledge about the internal and external resources that contribute to resilience among individuals who have experienced depression, the long-term accessibility and protectiveness of these resources across different stressors is unknown. We investigated whether and how the resilience resources of individuals who previously recovered from late-life depression remained protective during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We used a sequential explanatory mixed methods design. Quantitative data were derived from two psychiatric case-control cohorts and included twelve repeated measures during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 465, aged ≥ 60). Qualitative data included two sequential interviews held in 2020 (n = 25) and 2021 (n = 19). We used thematic analysis to determine the protective resources after depression and during the COVID-19 pandemic and linear mixed models to examine the effect of these resources on change in depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While resources of 'Taking agency', 'Need for rest', 'Managing thought processes' and 'Learning from depression' remained accessible and protective during the pandemic, 'Social support' and 'Engaging in activities' did not. 'Negotiating with lockdown measures', 'changing social contact' and 'changing activities' were compensating strategies. Quantitative data confirmed the protectiveness of social contact, social cohesion, sense of mastery, physical activity, staying active and entertained and not following the media.

Many of the resources that previously helped to recover from depression also helped to maintain good mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Where accessibility and protectiveness declined, compensatory strategies or new resources were used. Hence, the sustainability of resilience is enabled through adaptation and compensation processes.

The impact of COVID-19 on school nursing: A qualitative survey of stressors faced by school nurses.

COVID 19

As students returned to school, school nurses were responsible for infection control, communication, and the preparation of supplies and facilities. School nurses in the Pacific Northwest US demonstrated a higher prevalence of mental health symptoms in the years since the pandemic began, suggesting that their experience may have been unique.

This study aimed to explore the stressors of school nurses in the Pacific Northwest at two time points.

Participants completed open-ended survey questions designed to elicit their experiences during the pandemic.

Four themes emerged from the data: (1) isolation from administration and the school community, (2) COVID-19-related workload, (3) disorganized and inconsistent communication, and (4) concern for students, themselves, and others.

School nurses played a vital public health role during the pandemic. However, their effectiveness may not have been fully utilized and sometimes undermined. Lastly, our findings highlight the difficulties encountered in implementing the changing scientific and public health guidance during the pandemic.

Characteristics of neutralizing antibody titers of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in maintenance hemodialysis patients.

COVID 19

Hemodialysis patients have high COVID-19 severity and mortality rates. For this high-risk group of hemodialysis patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, early SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is recommended to prevent infection and severe disease. Thus far, few reports have evaluated COVID-19 antibody titers in hemodialysis patients. In this study, we investigated the time course of antibody titers acquired by vaccination in patients on dialysis.

The anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein S1 IgG (anti-SP-IgG) antibody titers were compared between 33 outpatient maintenance hemodialysis patients and 32 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. Antibody tests were performed at five time points: 6 months after the 2nd vaccination, immediately before the 3rd vaccination (8 months after the 2nd vaccination), and 2 weeks, 1 month, and 3 months after the 3rd vaccination.

The dialysis patient group had significantly lower values of anti-SP-IgG antibody titers than the control group 6 months after the 2nd vaccination (433.7 ± 36.24 vs. 650.2 (427.2 - 759.4) (AU/mL), p = 0.006) and immediately before the 3rd vaccination (219.3 (129.4 - 423.4) vs. 443.3 (267.1 - 600.4) (AU/mL), p = 0.034), but no significant differences were observed after the 3rd vaccination (19,000.0 (11,000.0 - 3,6000.0) vs. 23,500.0 (20,250.0 - 29,000.0) (AU/mL), p = 0.538).

This study confirmed that patients undergoing hemodialysis were proven to have acquired sufficient antibody titers after the vaccination.

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection in a cohort of hospitalized kidney transplant recipients: Risk factors of severity.

COVID 19

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron is a major coronavirus variant, which was prevalent in China at the end of 2022 and caused widespread infection. As an immunosuppressed group, renal transplant recipients with SARS-CoV-2 infection are prone to developing serious pneumonia or an adverse outcome event if the infection is not treated in time. Here, we analyze the possible risk factors of infection severity.

92 cases of moderate and severe SARS-CoV-2 infection after renal transplantation were collected. Statistical methods, including Fisher's tests, F test, Spearman relative values, and multi-parameter logistic regression models, were used to analyze the risk factors for severe SARS-CoV-2 infection in renal transplant recipients.

44 cases complicated with hypertension were observed in the study cohort, among whom 30 were severe (OR: 4.63, p < 0.001). Out of 51 male patients infected with Omicron, 30 male patients presented with severe SARS-CoV-2 (OR: 2.45, p = 0.039). In renal transplant patients, hypertension comorbidity was closely correlated with clinical presentation (R = 0.369, p < 0.001). Blood routine test, chemistries, and additional indices showed increased neutrophils and C-reactive protein in patients with severe disease compared with the moderate group according to one-way analysis of variance (p = 0.004), while CD3 (p = 0.02) and CD4 (p = 0.04) showed lower expressional levels. We also observed meaningful correlations between neutrophil levels and hypertension comorbidity (R = 0.222, p = 0.034) and between interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels and diabetes comorbidity (R = 0.315, p = 0.011), with IL-6 considered a key factor in the context of coronavirus disease.

Renal transplant recipients were generally susceptible to infection with the Omicron variant, with a more pronounced incidence of severe illness observed in the group with hypertension comorbidity.

Examining Excess Mortality Associated With the COVID-19 Pandemic for Renters Threatened With Eviction.

COVID 19

Residential evictions may have increased excess mortality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

To estimate excess mortality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic for renters who received eviction filings (threatened renters).

This retrospective cohort study used an excess mortality framework. Mortality based on linked eviction and death records from 2020 through 2021 was compared with projected mortality estimated from similar records from 2010 through 2016. Data from court records between January 1, 2020, and August 31, 2021, were collected via the Eviction Lab's Eviction Tracking System. Similar data from court records between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2016, also collected by the Eviction Lab, were used to estimate projected mortality during the pandemic. We also constructed 2 comparison groups: all individuals living in the study area and a subsample of those individuals living in high-poverty, high-filing tracts.

Eviction filing.

All-cause mortality in a given month. The difference between observed mortality and projected mortality was used as a measure of excess mortality associated with the pandemic.

The cohort of threatened renters during the pandemic period consisted of 282 000 individuals (median age, 36 years [IQR, 28-47]). Eviction filings were 44.7% lower than expected during the study period. The composition of threatened renters by race, ethnicity, sex, and socioeconomic characteristics during the pandemic was comparable with the prepandemic composition. Expected cumulative age-standardized mortality among threatened renters during this 20-month period of the pandemic was 116.5 (95% CI, 104.0-130.3) per 100 000 person-months, and observed mortality was 238.6 (95% CI, 230.8-246.3) per 100 000 person-months or 106% higher than expected. In contrast, expected mortality for the population living in similar neighborhoods was 114.6 (95% CI, 112.1-116.8) per 100 000 person-months, and observed mortality was 142.8 (95% CI, 140.2-145.3) per 100 000 person-months or 25% higher than expected. In the general population across the study area, expected mortality was 83.5 (95% CI, 83.3-83.8) per 100 000 person-months, and observed mortality was 91.6 (95% CI, 91.4-91.8) per 100 000 person-months or 9% higher than expected. The pandemic produced positive excess mortality ratios across all age groups among threatened renters.

Renters who received eviction filings experienced substantial excess mortality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

How much should we sequence? An analysis of the Swiss SARS-CoV-2 surveillance effort.

COVID 19

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, many countries directed substantial resources toward genomic surveillance to detect and track viral variants. There...

Application of MALDI-TOF MS and machine learning for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 and non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory infections.

COVID 19

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) could aid the diagnosis of acute respiratory infections...

A Poly Aptamer Encoded DNA Nanocatcher Informs Efficient Virus Trapping.

COVID 19

Broad-spectrum antiviral platforms are always desired but still lack the ability to cope with the threats to global public health. Herein, we devel...

The experience of the rigid lockdown in the dental emergency room and urgency care during COVID-19 pandemic: a transnational multicenter observational study.

COVID 19

The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on our lives all over the world. Changes have occurred in daily life as well as in all medical services. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the emergency accesses in four universities' emergency services during the lockdown period from March to June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A cross-sectional study was carried out on 44,787 patients to evaluate the emergency services of university centers. The medical data of Medical Emergency Service Data (MESD) were assessed by five independent operators considering the epidemiological findings for statistics methods.

A lower level of emergency access was reported in March-July compared to the pre-COVID period. The epidemiological data confirmed that female pathologies were more frequent compared to male patients. A fluctuation for almost all urgent healthcare centers was detected, showing one/two peaks per year during the years 2017-2019. The COVID-19 pandemic period did not influence the variety of pathology detected.

After the lockdown period, the emergency services slowly increased in cases. The pre-COVID period showed an overlapping of the most frequent pathologies compared to the post-COVID period: periodontitis (Bari and Tirana), dental fractures (Bari and Bucharest), odontogenic abscess (Bari, Cluj and Tirana).

High expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor (ACE-2), transmembrane protease serine (TMPRSS), and P-selectin in platelets lead to thrombosis formation in COVID-19 patients.

COVID 19

The purpose of the present study is to see if the presence of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2), transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS), and P-selectin in platelets increases the risk of thrombosis in COVID-19 patients.

This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the COVID-19 isolation center between January and September 2021 and comprised 61 COVID-19-infected patients, 21 of whom were in the intensive care unit (ICU) and 40 of whom were non-ICU patients (non-ICUP) in the isolation center. The coagulation profile, as well as the ACE-2, TMPRES, and P-selectin receptors, were all assessed in addition to the complete blood count (CBC). A questionnaire was also utilized to collect social and demographic data.

All platelet indices and coagulation profiles were significantly altered in COVID-19 ICUP and non-ICUP in this research; additionally, there is a significant association between the presence of ACE-2, P-selectin, and TMPRRS2 in COVID-19 patients with coagulation profile and platelet indices leading to hypercoagulable state.

In summary, the interaction of ACE-2, TMPRSS, and P-selectin in platelets appears to be a key element contributing to COVID-19 severity via their impact on thrombus development. Further investigation into these pathways may provide possible treatment targets for reducing the severe consequences of the COVID-19 infection.