The effect of COVID-19 on cancer incidences in the U.S.

Fundamental data analysis assists in the evaluation of critical questions to discern essential facts and elicit formerly invisible evidence. In this article, we provide clarity into a subtle phenomenon observed in cancer incidences throughout the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed the cancer incidence data from the American Cancer Society [1].

Examining the Effect of Contactless Intergenerational Befriending Intervention on Social Isolation Among Older Adults and Students' Attitude Toward Companionship: Content Analysis.

Background: Intergenerational friendship, a mechanism of social support, is an effective intervention to reduce the increasing risk of social isolation (SI) and develop companionship in the older adult population. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to examine the psychosocial intervention of befriending via technology use as a primary form of contactless socialization.

Objective: The study aims to explore the effectiveness of the befriending intervention through a contactless, intergenerational service-learning project on older adult emotions, especially boredom and loneliness as the key attributes of SI, and on students' attitude toward companionship.

Mechanism of fungal remediation of wetland water: as promising fungal species for the development of biofilters to remove clinically important pathogenic and antibiotic resistant bacteria in contaminated water.

Mycoremediation uses mushroom forming fungi for remediation of sites contaminated with biotic and abiotic contaminants. The root-like hyphae of many fungi, the mycelia, have been used to remediate soil and water. In this study mushroom mycelia biofilters were evaluated for remediation efficacy of wetland water polluted with crow feces containing antibiotic resistant (AMR) bacteria.

An Exploratory Analysis of the Association Between Hospital Labor Costs and the Quality of Care.

Introduction: The competent healing touch of a caregiver is a critical component to the care patients receive. The more skilled the provider, the higher the likelihood outcomes will be delivered in a safe and effective manner. Unfortunately, in recent years, hospitals in the United States have faced immense financial pressures that are threatening their economic sustainability and patients' access to care in the future.

Leveraging mHealth and Virtual Reality to Improve Cognition for Alzheimer's Patients: A Systematic Review.

Background: Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a global problem affecting 58 million people, expected to reach a prevalence of 88 million people by 2050. The disease affects the brain, memory, cognition, language, and motor movement. Many interventions have sought to improve memory and cognition.

Assessing the Effectiveness of Intergenerational Virtual Service-Learning Intervention on Loneliness and Ageism: A Pre-Post Study.

Background: Service-learning is an effective intervention to solve social issues. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of intergenerational virtual service-learning on loneliness and ageism.

Method: This study used a pre-post design.

Mechanisms of Social Interaction and Virtual Connections as Strong Predictors of Wellbeing of Older Adults.

Socially engaged older adults are less likely to decline in health and happiness and have a higher quality of life. Building upon this premise, examination was conducted on the domains of social determinants of health, specifically the social and community context per Healthy People 2030 objectives. These mechanisms of social interaction, in the form of group activities, community engagement, and virtual interactions via email or text message, were assessed using hierarchical regression analysis to find out their association with wellbeing, depression symptoms, and cognition of older adults.

The use of digital technology for social wellbeing reduces social isolation in older adults: A systematic review.

This systematic review emphasizes the need for technology use in older adults to reduce social isolation. With the advancement of technology over the years, the effectiveness of interventions based on its use can be examined to see how these can address the problem of social isolation and enhance social wellbeing. We focus on identifying how older adults can most benefit from affordable and accessible technology use and how the training and implementation of such interventions can be tailored to maximize their beneficial effect.

Genotypic analyses and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Campylobacter jejuni from crows (Corvidae) of United States and India reflect their respective local antibiotic burdens.

Aim: The study examined the hypothesis that crow-borne Campylobacter can function as environmental reservoirs and indicators of antibiotic resistance (AR) determinants circulating in a human population.

Methods And Results: Two species of crows from Washington (WA), United States, and Kolkata, India, respectively, were examined for their ability to carry antibiotic resistant Campylobacter. Campylobacter jejuni was the only species isolated by selective agar plating from crow faecal samples.

American Crows as Carriers of Extra Intestinal Pathogenic and Avian Pathogenic-Like and Their Potential Impact on a Constructed Wetland.

The study examines whether crows are carriers of extraintestinal pathogenic (ExPEC) and avian pathogenic (APEC)-like strains, and if wetland roost areas contribute to their spread. A total of 10 crow feces ( = 71) and 15 water isolates ( = 134) from a wetland area could be characterized as potentially ExPEC based on the presence of ≥2 of the five cardinal genes and while six fecal and 14 water isolates could be characterized as potentially APEC-like based on the presence of plasmid associated genes: , episomal and . A total of 32 fecal and 27 water isolates tested carried plasmids based on incompatibility typing.

Elder Care in Iran: A Case with a Unique Demographic Profile.

Iran will encounter rapid population aging, resulting from increased life expectancy and fluctuating fertility rates during its eight-year war with Iraq (1980-1988). The need for long-term care in Iran is expected to increase dramatically. The purpose of this paper is to examine Iran's health care system and informal care upon discussing its demographic profile.

Emergence of Genetic Diversity and Multi-Drug Resistant From Wild Birds in Beijing, China.

() is considered as an opportunistic zoonotic pathogen that may cause gastroenteritis in humans and other animals. Wild birds may be as potential vectors of around urban and suburban areas. Here, 520 samples were collected from 33 wild bird species in urban and suburban areas, Beijing.

Antibiotic Resistance of Isolated From a Constructed Wetland Dominated by a Crow Roost, With Emphasis on ESBL and AmpC Containing .

Information on the dissemination of antibiotic resistance mechanisms in the environment as well as wild life is needed in North America. A constructed wetland (where ∼15,000 American crows roost) was sampled on the University of Washington Bothell Campus for the presence of antibiotic resistant (ARE). Crow droppings from individual birds and grab samples of water were collected in 2014-2015.

Campylobacter jejuni Colonization in the Crow Gut Involves Many Deletions within the Cytolethal Distending Toxin Gene Cluster.

spp. are major causes of gastroenteritis worldwide. The virulence potential of shed in crow feces obtained from a roost area in Bothell, Washington, was studied and compared with that from isolates from other parts of Washington and from a different crow species 7,000 miles away in Kolkata, India.

Ubiquity, diversity and physiological characteristics of Geodermatophilaceae in Shapotou National Desert Ecological Reserve.

The goal of this study was to gain insight into the diversity of culturable actinobacteria in desert soil crusts and to determine the physiological characteristics of the predominant actinobacterial group in these crusts. Culture-dependent method was employed to obtain actinobacterial strains from desert soil samples collected from Shapotou National Desert Ecological Reserve (NDER) located in Tengger Desert, China. A total of 376 actinobacterial strains were isolated and 16S rRNA gene sequences analysis indicated that these isolates belonged to 29 genera within 18 families, among which the members of the family Geodermatophilaceae were predominant.

Development of a sensitive detection method for stressed E. coli O157:H7 in source and finished drinking water by culture-qPCR.

A sensitive and specific method that also demonstrates viability is of interest for detection of E. coli O157:H7 in drinking water. A combination of culture and qPCR was investigated.

Effects of prolonged chlorine exposures upon PCR detection of Helicobacter pylori DNA.

The effect of low doses of free chlorine on the detection of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) cells by qPCR in tap water was monitored. Detection of sequences targeted to the ureA gene from preparations containing 107 cells/ml decreased about 2-4 logs by days 9 and 14, respectively.

Development of an internal control for evaluation and standardization of a quantitative PCR assay for detection of Helicobacter pylori in drinking water.

Due to metabolic and morphological changes that can prevent Helicobacter pylori cells in water from growing on conventional media, an H. pylori-specific TaqMan quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay was developed that uses a 6-carboxyfluorescein-labeled probe (A. E.

Importance of flagella and enterotoxins for Aeromonas virulence in a mouse model.

A genetic characterization of eight virulence factor genes, elastase, lipase, polar flagella (flaA/flaB, flaG), lateral flagella (lafA), and the enterotoxins alt, act, and ast, was performed using polymerase chain reaction with 55 drinking water and nine clinical isolates. When 16 Aeromonas hydrophila strains, seven Aeromonas veronii strains, and seven Aeromonas caviae strains exhibiting different combinations of virulence factor genes were tested in immunocompromised mice by intraperitoneal injection, only those strains that had one or more of the enterotoxins flaA, flaB, and either flaG or lafA showed signs of being virulent. The correlation was seen in 97% (29/30) of the strains, which included strains from drinking water.

Development of a rapid identification method for Aeromonas species by multiplex-PCR.

Existing biochemical methods cannot distinguish among some species of Aeromonads, while genetic methods are labor intensive. In this study, primers were developed to three genes of Aeromonas: lipase, elastase, and DNA gyraseB. In addition, six previously described primer sets, five corresponding to species-specific signature regions of the 16S rRNA gene from A.