Social network characteristics of COVID-19 vaccination and preventive health behaviors: Cross-sectional findings from the US northeast during the early COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The link between individuals' vaccine attitudes and their social networks has been widely studied, but less is known about how these networks impact broader health behaviors like precautionary measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Egocentric social network data were collected from June 7-21, 2021, via an online survey by researchers based at the Brown University School of Public Health. The sample (n = 173) was recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.

Linking alcohol use to Alzheimer's disease: Interactions with aging and APOE along immune pathways.

Although it is known that APOE genotype is the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease, development is a multifactorial process. Alcohol use is a contributor to the epidemic of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in the US and globally, yet mechanisms are not fully understood. Carriers of the APOE ε4 allele show elevated risk of dementia in relation to several lifestyle factors, including alcohol use.

Alcohol-associated liver disease and behavioral and medical cofactors: unmet needs and opportunities.

Chronic liver disease is a leading cause of death in the US and is often preventable. Rising burden, cost, and fatality due to liver disease are driven by intensified alcohol use in the US population and the contributions of comorbid conditions. This mini-review focuses on the topic of liver health in the context of chronic, behavioral cofactors of disease, using research-based examples from the Brown University Center for Addiction and Disease Risk Exacerbation (CADRE).