Social vulnerability is associated with increased morbidity following colorectal surgery.

Introduction: Neighborhood measures of social vulnerability encompassing multiple sociodemographic factors can be used to quantify disparities in outcomes. We hypothesize patients with high Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) are at increased risk of morbidity following colectomy.

Methods: We used local 2012-2017 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) data to study colectomy patients, examining associations between SVI and postoperative outcomes.

First known trace fossil of a nesting iguana (Pleistocene), The Bahamas.

Most species of modern iguanas (Iguania, Iguanidae) dig burrows for dwelling and nesting, yet neither type of burrow has been interpreted as trace fossils in the geologic record. Here we describe and diagnose the first known fossil example of an iguana nesting burrow, preserved in the Grotto Beach Formation (Early Late Pleistocene, ~115 kya) on San Salvador Island, The Bahamas. The trace fossil, located directly below a protosol, is exposed in a vertical section of a cross-bedded oolitic eolianite.

Characterizing environmental asthma triggers and healthcare use patterns in Puerto Rico.

: Asthma carries a high burden of disease for residents of Puerto Rico. We conducted this study to better understand asthma-related healthcare use and to examine potential asthma triggers.: We characterized asthma-related healthcare use in 2013 by demographics, region, and date using outpatient, hospital, and emergency department (ED) insurance claims with a primary diagnostic ICD-9-CM code of 493.

National unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning estimates using hospitalization and emergency department data.

Unintentional non-fire-related (UNFR) carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is a leading cause of poisoning in the US and a preventable cause of death. We generated national estimates of accidental CO poisoning and characterized the populations most at risk. UNFR CO poisoning cases were assessed using hospitalization and emergency department (ED) data from the Healthcare Costs and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample and Nationwide Emergency Department Sample databases.