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COVID-19 amplified hardship for many Harvey victims

A recent study by Rice University, Notre Dame, and Environmental Defense Fund reveals that COVID-19 exacerbated the economic and mental health consequences of Hurricane Harvey. The research, which analyzed data from over 3,000 participants, found a distinct distinction between acute effects and secondary stressors.

SourceRice University·JournalEnvironmental Research·TypeSurvey·DateSep 13, 2022

Study: Minority, immigrant populations faced misinformation, hostility when seeking COVID-19 information online

A new study from the University of Kansas found that racial and ethnic minority populations in the US faced unique challenges while seeking COVID-19 information online, including misinformation, harassment, and hostility. Younger and healthier individuals were more resistant to vaccination due to lower perceived risk and benefit.

SourceUniversity of Kansas·JournalConvergence The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies·TypeSurvey·DateSep 8, 2022

Gamers can have their cake and eat it too

A study by Kyoto University and BonBon Inc found that complex games like Potion can measure distinct cognitive skills such as stealth behavior and abstract thinking in young players. However, older players did not exhibit the same level of engagement, challenging existing beliefs about gaming's impact on cognition.

SourceKyoto University·JournalScientific Reports·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateSep 8, 2022

Dedicated women’s heart centers can improve accurate diagnoses and outcomes

A prospective study in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology found that dedicated women's heart centers can significantly improve clinical and psychological outcomes for women with myocardial ischemia. The study, which followed 154 patients, showed a significant decrease in chest pain frequency and improved quality of life after attending...

SourceElsevier·JournalCanadian Journal of Cardiology·TypeObservational study·DateSep 7, 2022

High folic acid supplementation associated with higher rates of COVID-19 infections and mortality

A new study found that people taking high doses of folic acid were 1.5 times more likely to get COVID-19 and 2.6 times more likely to die from the virus compared to those not on folic acid supplements. Methotrexate, an antifolate drug, mitigated this negative impact when given with folic acid.

SourceUniversity of California - Davis Health·JournalBMJ Open·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateAug 31, 2022

Hospitalizations for unintentional cannabis poisonings among Canadian children surged after legalization, particularly in jurisdictions where the sale of cannabis edibles was allowed

A unique Canadian study found a 6.3 fold increase in hospitalizations for unintentional cannabis poisoning among children under 10 since legalization. Provinces with edible sales saw an increase 7.5 times higher than those without, highlighting the risk of allowing edibles

SourceThe Ottawa Hospital·JournalNew England Journal of Medicine·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateAug 24, 2022

Historical rates of enslavement predict modern rates of American gun ownership

A study by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers found a strong correlation between historical rates of enslavement and present-day gun ownership in the US. The study suggests that American attitudes towards guns are shaped by historical events, such as the legacy of slavery, and are influenced by social transmission of beliefs.

SourceUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison·JournalPNAS Nexus·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateAug 18, 2022

Benefits of pre-surgical immunotherapy were independent of race in patients with aggressive breast cancer

A phase I/II clinical trial found that treatment outcomes were similar between Black and non-Black patients with triple-negative breast cancer who received neoadjuvant durvalumab plus chemotherapy. The study's results suggest that improving healthcare access and delivery could mitigate some of the existing disparities in healthcare.

SourceAmerican Association for Cancer Research·JournalClinical Cancer Research·DateJul 29, 2022

LSU Health New Orleans analysis highlights importance of including demographic data in human research papers to reduce health disparities

A recent study published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery found that only 35.9% of articles reported patient race, 15.4% reported ethnicity, and 8.3% reported income. Including demographics in multivariable analyses is crucial to determine the applicability of study results to diverse patient populations.

SourceLouisiana State University Health Sciences Center·JournalJournal of Bone and Joint Surgery·TypeMeta-analysis·DateJul 26, 2022

Black patients found six times more likely to have advanced vision loss after glaucoma diagnosis than white patients

A new study found that Black patients are six times more likely to have advanced vision loss after a glaucoma diagnosis, highlighting the need for early eye screening in this population. The research analyzed nearly 210,000 participants and used artificial intelligence to identify visual field loss patterns.

SourceThe Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine·JournalTranslational Vision Science & Technology·TypeImaging analysis·DateJul 25, 2022

New Hampshire and Northeast U.S. region’s high childhood cancer rates re-examined

A new study from Dartmouth Cancer Center re-examines claims of high pediatric cancer rates in New Hampshire, revealing the Northeast region has a statistically significantly higher incidence of cancer compared to all other U.S. regions. Within the Northeastern states, no single state is an outlier, with significant variations in incide...

SourceDartmouth Health·JournalCancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention·TypeLiterature review·DateJul 21, 2022

Widely-used kidney function tests underestimate scale of kidney disease in Africa

A study found that widely-used kidney function tests are inaccurate for predicting kidney disease in African populations, suggesting a significant underestimation of kidney disease prevalence. The creatinine-based test was shown to be less effective due to unique biological characteristics in African populations, while the cystatin C t...

SourceUniversity of the Witwatersrand·JournalThe Lancet Global Health·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 13, 2022

Safety first: How stigma may impact health

A new theory suggests that lack of perceived safety in marginalized communities can have a direct impact on physical and mental health. This concept challenges decades-old thinking that minority stress is the primary cause of health disparities in the LGBTQ community.

SourceUniversity of Utah·JournalNeuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews·TypeLiterature review·DateJul 6, 2022

Women achieving childbearing desires drives contraception use

A new study found that 85-90% of the increase in contraception use is due to meeting demand for reproductive control, not avoiding pregnancy. Women are successfully carrying out their preferences and achieving what they want, refuting the idea that decreased desire for children is driving the rise in contraception use.

SourceOhio State University·JournalStudies in Family Planning·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateJun 23, 2022

Hormones are linked with sleep apnea, snoring in postmenopausal women

A study published in PLOS ONE found an association between reduced estrogen and progesterone levels and increased risk of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea in postmenopausal women. Low estrogen levels were linked to a 19% decreased odds of snoring, while low progesterone levels were associated with a 9% decrease.

SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS ONE·TypeSurvey·DateJun 22, 2022

Preventing adverse birth outcomes could boost education, income

A new modeling study found that reducing excess prevalence of low birthweight, preterm birth, or small-for-gestational-age birth in low- and middle-income countries could lead to substantial long-term human capital gains. The study estimates potential gains of 20.3 million school years and $68.8 billion in lifetime income per birth coh...

SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS Global Public Health·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateJun 8, 2022

Study finds conversion messages effective in reaching vaccine-hesitant populations

Researchers found conversion messages to be more effective than one-sided messages in convincing vaccine-hesitant individuals to get vaccinated. The study showed that messages sharing a personal story of someone changing their mind about vaccines increased pro-vaccine attitudes and behavioral intentions among high hesitancy participants.

SourceUniversity of Kansas·JournalHealth Communication·TypeSurvey·DateMay 31, 2022

New study from IU researchers finds strong association between the race of fellowship directors and the racial demographics of their programs

A recent study published in JACC: Advances has discovered a significant correlation between the racial demographics of cardiovascular disease fellowship programs and the race of their program directors. The study, led by Indiana University researcher Ankur Kalra, found that fellows from diverse backgrounds are more likely to be accepte...

SourceIndiana University School of Medicine·JournalJournal of the American College of Cardiology·DateMay 24, 2022

Demographics, not bias, best predict traffic stops

Research from Washington University in St. Louis found that counties with a higher proportion of white residents have stronger anti-Black/pro-white attitudes, leading to larger disparities in traffic stops. The study suggests that racial demographics are a more reliable predictor of traffic stop discrepancies than racial biases.

SourceWashington University in St. Louis·JournalPsychological Science·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateMay 13, 2022

Skeptics of welfare schemes don’t increase with more immigrants

A recent study by Norwegian University of Science and Technology found little evidence to suggest that diversity or antipathy towards ethnic others affects attitudes towards equity or public action aimed at reducing inequalities. People who are already skeptical of immigrants do not increase in skepticism about welfare schemes, but rat...

SourceNorwegian University of Science and Technology·JournalInternational Journal on Minority and Group Rights·TypeSurvey·DateApr 29, 2022

Long COVID associated with different clinical trajectories and characteristics depending on severity of initial SARS-CoV-2 infection

A large study found that over a third of ICU patients developed long COVID, compared to 6% of hospitalised patients and 1% of outpatients. Long COVID is associated with different clinical trajectories and characteristics depending on the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection severity.

Population-wide study of COVID-19 vaccination shows that mix-and-match approach to booster vaccination offers the best protection

A population-wide study in Chile shows that a mix-and-match approach to booster vaccination provides the best protection against COVID-19. The study found that heterologous booster vaccines, such as Pfizer-BioNTech or Astra Zeneca, were more effective than using the same vaccine for all three doses.