Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Role Of Demographic And Clinical Characteristics On Risk Of Covid-19 Related Infection And Mortality, A. O'Shea, M. Youssef, M. Connolly, A. Al Lawati, S.I. Shah, S. Walsh, D. Mccartney, J. Faul

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Since the emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) which causes Covid-19, global health systems have struggled to cope with the rising number of related infections, acute admissions and mortalities. Poorer clinical outcomes have been observed amongst older patients with Covid-19 and males, and in those who are obese or who have darker skin(1) . Additionally, poorer outcomes including increased mortality have been associated with low vitamin D status(2,3) . The current observational study aimed to elucidate the association between patient demographic, anthropometric, clinical and biometric characteristics and Covid-19 disease severity and mortality.

Mortality Risk Attributable To Wildfire-Related Pm2·5 Pollution: A Global Time Series Study In 749 Locations, Gongbo Chen, Yuming Guo, Xu Yue, Shilu Tong, Antonio Gasparrini Antonio Gasparrini, Michelle L. Bell, Joel Schwartz, Jouni J K Jaakkola, Antonella Zanobetti, Eric Lavigne, Paulo Hilario Nascimento Saldiva, Haidong Kan, Dominic Royé, Ai Milojevic, Ala Overcenco, Aleš Urban, Alexandra Schneider, Alireza Entezari, Ana Maria Vicedo-Cabrera, Ariana Zeka, Aurelio Tobias, Baltazar Nunes, Barrak Alahmad, Bertil Forsberg, Shih-Chun Pan, Carmen Íñiguez, Caroline Ameling, César De La Cruz Valencia, Christofer Åström, Danny Houthuijs, Do Van Dung, Evangelia Samoli, Fatemeh Mayvaneh, Francesco Sera, Gabriel Carrasco-Escobar, Yadong Lei, Hans Orru, Ho Kim, Iulian-Horia Holobaca, Jan Kyselý, João Paulo Teixeira, Joana Madureira, Klea Katsouyanni, Magali Hurtado-Díaz, Marek Maasikmets, Martina S Ragettli, Masahiro Hashizume, Massimo Stafoggia, Mathilde Pascal, Matteo Scortichini, Micheline De Sousa Zanotti Stagliorio Coêlho, Nicolás Valdés Ortega, Niilo R I Ryti, Noah Scovronick, Patricia Matus, Patrick J. Goodman, Rebecca M Garland, Rosana Abrutzky, Samuel Osorio Garcia, Shilpa Rao, Simona Fratianni, Tran Ngoc Dang, Valentina Colistro, Veronika Huber, Whanhee Lee, Xerxes Seposo, Yasushi Honda, Yue Leon Guo, Tingting Ye, Wenhua Yu, Michael J. Abramson, Jonathan M. Samet, Shanshan Li

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Many regions of the world are now facing more frequent and unprecedentedly large wildfires. However, the association between wildfire-related PM2·5 and mortality has not been well characterised. We aimed to comprehensively assess the association between short-term exposure to wildfire-related PM2·5 and mortality across various regions of the world.

Visualizing The Impact Of Europe’S Slow Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout, Mathias Beck, Gail Sheppard

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On 31 March 2021, the WHO Regional Office for Europe issued a formal statement of concern regarding the slow vaccine rollout across Europe [1]. The WHO noted that the “Region remains the second most affected by SARS-CoV-2 of all the world’s regions” which was worrying, especially because the more transmissible B.1.1.7 was now dominant in the region [1]. It further contrasted this with the experiences of the UK, by noting that according to data from Public Health England, “COVID-19 vaccines have saved, at the very least, over 6,000 lives among people over 70 since vaccination started in December 2020”. Beyond …

A Web-Based Dietary Intervention In Early Pregnancy And Neonatal Outcomes: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Rachel Ak Kennedy, C.M.E. Reynolds, S. Cawley, E. O'Malley, D.M. Mccartney, M.J. Turner

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Background Maternal nutrition is a determinant of pregnancy outcomes. Few studies have evaluated the potential of online nutrition resources to modify behaviour. This randomized controlled trial aimed to determine whether access to a customized evidence-based nutrition website in pregnancy improved neonatal outcomes.

Methods Women <18 weeks gestation were recruited at their convenience. The control group received standard care. In addition to standard care, the intervention group received access to an evidence-based nutrition website, customized to the preferences of pregnant women.

Results Of the 250 women, there were no differences in characteristics between the two groups. Of the women, 91.0% reported they make a conscious effort currently to eat a healthy diet. However, only 19.6% met dietary requirements for calcium, 13.2% for iron, 2.7% for folate and 2.3% for iodine. The most popular website section was pregnancy …

E-Cigarettes: Effective Cessation Tools Or Public Health Threat?, Luke Clancy, Kate Babineau

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In a short time, electronic cigarettes have become a multi-billion dollar industry. Since their introduction to the market, prevalence of ever-use among smokers in the USA appears to have increased from 2% in 2010 to >30% in 2012, and the rate of increase appears to be similar in the United Kingdom, Ireland and other Western countries according to a special Eurobarometer survey in 2014.1 The e-cigarette market is estimated to be worth over $3 billion. However, there is no consensus on the role of e-cigarettes and their contribution to the provision of smoking cessation (SC) services, nor to global tobacco …

Tax-Exempt Hospitals, Community Health Needs And Addressing Disparities, Mary Crossley

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The Affordable Care Act (ACA) imposes a number of new requirements on hospitals seeking to maintain their tax-exempt status under federal law. One requirement is that hospitals must conduct a “community health needs assessment” (CHNA) at least every three years and then develop and implement a strategy to address the needs identified in the assessment. This essay explores the potential this provision may offer for identifying, understanding, and reducing health care disparities. By calling on hospitals to focus less on individuals and more on communities, the CHNA requirement may offer a valuable addition to the toolkit for combating disparities. Thinking …