Associations between mercury exposure with blood pressure and lipid levels: A cross-sectional study of dental professionals.

Mercury (Hg) exposure is a public health problem worldwide that is now being addressed through the Minamata Convention on Mercury. Fish containing methylmercury and dental amalgam containing elemental Hg are the major sources of exposure for most populations. There is some evidence that methylmercury impacts cardiovascular and metabolic health, primarily in populations with high exposure levels.

Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 in air and on surfaces and estimating infection risk in buildings and buses on a university campus.

Background: Evidence is needed on the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in various types of environmental samples and on the estimated transmission risks in non-healthcare settings on campus.

Objectives: The objective of this research was to collect data on SARS-CoV-2 viral load and to examine potential infection risks of people exposed to the virus in publicly accessible non-healthcare environments on a university campus.

Methods: Air and surface samples were collected using wetted wall cyclone bioaerosol samplers and swab kits, respectively, in a longitudinal environmental surveillance program from August 2020 until April 2021 on the University of Michigan Ann Arbor campus.

Bayesian inference of dependent kappa for binary ratings.

In medical and social science research, reliability of testing methods measured through inter- and intraobserver agreement is critical in disease diagnosis. Often comparison of agreement across multiple testing methods is sought in situations where testing is carried out on the same experimental units rendering the outcomes to be correlated. In this article, we first developed a Bayesian method for comparing dependent agreement measures under a grouped data setting.