Of lives and life years: 1918 influenza vs COVID-19
(Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.) We must not assume that we will be able to replicate a vaccine within 12 months during the next pandemic. Even if this was accomplished, other interventions would be required to control and mitigate well before the availability of a vaccine. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 19, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Novel autoantibody adds fuel to COVID-19 'firestorm' of inflammation, blood clots
(Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan) Researchers at Michigan Medicine have discovered another functional autoantibody in COVID-19 patients that contributes to the disease's development and the " firestorm " of blood clots and inflammation it induces. The autoantibody makes it much harder for the body to degrade neutrophil extracellular traps, the toxic webs of DNA and proteins produced by overactive immune cells at heightened levels in COVID patients. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 19, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

New study examines commuter characteristics and traffic pollution exposure among commuters
(George Mason University) New research examines commuter characteristics to better understand how factors such as departure time, frequency, and commute length are associated with exposure to air pollution. Using personal air pollution monitors, the research clustered commuters to determine whether these clusters were associated with traffic pollution exposures. The study reveals that commuters that travel during rush hour have higher overall exposure to traffic-related air pollution compared to sporadic commuters, though the difference was not statistically significant. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 19, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

A new, inexpensive way to heal chronic wounds
(Michigan State University) A Michigan State University researcher is leading an international team of scientists to develop a low-cost, practical biopolymer dressing that helps heal chronic wounds. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 19, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Preparing for the next pandemic: Harmonize vaccinations in Canada
(Canadian Medical Association Journal) To prepare for the next pandemic and provide a coordinated approach to vaccination across the country, Canada should create Canadian Immunization Services based on the Canadian Blood Services model, authors propose in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.210670. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 19, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Discrimination and safety concerns barriers to accessing healthy food for food-insecure young adults
(Elsevier) University of Minnesota School of Public Health researchers recently completed a study to determine how food-insecure young (emerging) adults (18-29 years of age) adapted their eating and child feeding behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers also sought to identify barriers to food access and opportunities to improve local access to resources for emerging adults. Their study results are published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 19, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Mathematical models and computer simulations are the new frontiers in COVID-19 drug trials
(University of Waterloo) Researchers are using computer models to simulate COVID-19 infections on a cellular level which allows for virtual trials of drugs and vaccines, opening the possibility of pre-assessment for drug and vaccine efficacy against the virus. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 19, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

More bullying of LGBTQ+ students in politically conservative districts
(Washington State University) Students who identify as LGBTQ+ in Washington state school districts with conservative voting records reported experiencing more bullying than their peers in more politically liberal areas, according to a new study. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 19, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Using technology to help informal caregivers manage medication for patients with dementia
(Regenstrief Institute) Regenstrief Institute, Indiana University and University of Wisconsin are creating, with caregivers as co-designers, Helping the Helpers, an application (app) to support informal caregivers (often family or friends) of people with dementia. These caregivers are often under-trained, under-resourced, and under-supported to perform medication management. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 19, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Words matter: Language can reduce mental health and addiction stigma, NIH leaders say
(NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse) In a perspective published in Neuropsychopharmacology, leaders from the National Institutes of Health address how using appropriate language to describe mental illness and addiction can help to reduce stigma and improve how people with these conditions are treated in health care settings and throughout society. The authors define stigma as negative attitudes toward people that are based on certain distinguishing characteristics. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 18, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

How micro-circuits in the brain regulate fear
(University of Bern) The brain mechanisms underlying the suppression of fear responses have attracted a lot of attention as they are relevant for therapy of human anxiety disorders. Despite our broad understanding of the different brain regions activated during the experience of fear, how fear responses can be suppressed remains largely elusive. Researchers at the University of Bern and the Friedrich Miescher Institute in Basel have now discovered that the activation of identified central amygdala neurons can suppress fear responses. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 16, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

RUDN University biologists prove the anticancer potential of macrophages
(RUDN University) RUDN University biologists discovered the way how macrophages (the cells of the " first line " immune response) respond to inflammation and identified how the immune response depends on their origin. It turned out that when exposed to an inflammatory stimulus, two opposing mechanisms are activated in macrophages simultaneously -- inducing and inhibiting inflammation. These data can potentially be useful in the treatment of cancer, as targeted activation of macrophages will strengthen the immune response of the organism in the fight against a tumor. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 16, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Evaluation of India's 'Mission Indradhanush' finds improvements in vaccination outcomes
(Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics& Policy) Washington, DC / New Delhi, India - Researchers at CDDEP recently published 'Improving vaccination coverage and timeliness through periodic intensification of routine immunization: evidence from Mission Indradhanush' where they evaluated the performance of India's Mission Indradhanush (MI) child vaccination campaign -- a periodic intensification of the routine immunization program. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 16, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Psychiatric patients at increased risk of COVID-19 hospitalization and mortality
(European College of Neuropsychopharmacology) In the largest systematic review and meta-analysis to date on COVID-19 outcomes in individuals with psychiatric disorders, the odds of dying or being hospitalized following COVID-19 infection were determined to be twice as high in comparison to persons without mental disorders.* (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 16, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Revolutionary mosquito researchers receive $2.7 million grant
(Virginia Tech) " Mosquitoes are sometimes described as the deadliest animal on Earth, " said Cl é ment Vinauger, principal investigator on the project and assistant professor from the Department of Biochemistry in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 16, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news