Genomic surveillance reveals dynamic shifts in the connectivity of COVID-19 epidemics.

The maturation of genomic surveillance in the past decade has enabled tracking of the emergence and spread of epidemics at an unprecedented level. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, genomic data revealed that local epidemics varied considerably in the frequency of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lineage importation and persistence, likely due to a combination of COVID-19 restrictions and changing connectivity. Here, we show that local COVID-19 epidemics are driven by regional transmission, including across international boundaries, but can become increasingly connected to distant locations following the relaxation of public health interventions.

Industry-specific prevalence of elevated blood lead levels among Pennsylvania workers, 2007-2018.

Objectives: To use industry-specific denominators to more accurately examine trends in prevalence rates for occupational cases of elevated blood lead levels (eBLLs) in Pennsylvania.

Methods: We used adult (aged ≥16 years) blood lead level data from Pennsylvania (2007-2018) and industry-specific denominator data from the US Census Bureau's County Business Patterns to calculate prevalence rates for eBLLs, defined as ≥25 µg/dL.

Results: Of the 19 904 cases with eBLLs, 92% were due to occupational lead exposure, with 83% from workers in the battery manufacturing industry.

Implementation of Practical Surface SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance in School Settings.

Surface sampling for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection has shown considerable promise to detect exposure of built environments to infected individuals shedding virus who would not otherwise be detected. Here, we compare two popular sampling media (VTM and SDS) and two popular workflows (Thermo and PerkinElmer) for implementation of a surface sampling program suitable for environmental monitoring in public schools. We find that the SDS/Thermo pipeline shows superior sensitivity and specificity, but that the VTM/PerkinElmer pipeline is still sufficient to support surface surveillance in any indoor setting with stable cohorts of occupants (e.

Wastewater sequencing uncovers early, cryptic SARS-CoV-2 variant transmission.

As SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread and evolve, detecting emerging variants early is critical for public health interventions. Inferring lineage prevalence by clinical testing is infeasible at scale, especially in areas with limited resources, participation, or testing/sequencing capacity, which can also introduce biases. SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration in wastewater successfully tracks regional infection dynamics and provides less biased abundance estimates than clinical testing.

Comparison of heat-inactivated and infectious SARS-CoV-2 across indoor surface materials shows comparable RT-qPCR viral signal intensity and persistence.

Environmental monitoring in public spaces can be used to identify surfaces contaminated by persons with COVID-19 and inform appropriate infection mitigation responses. Research groups have reported detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on surfaces days or weeks after the virus has been deposited, making it difficult to estimate when an infected individual may have shed virus onto a SARS-CoV-2 positive surface, which in turn complicates the process of establishing effective quarantine measures. In this study, we determined that reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) detection of viral RNA from heat-inactivated particles experiences minimal decay over seven days of monitoring on eight out of nine surfaces tested.

Prevalence of Diagnosed Diabetes Among Employed US Adults by Demographic Characteristics and Occupation, 36 States, 2014 to 2018.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes among employed US adults from 36 states by occupation group using data from 2014 to 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Methods: Prevalence of diabetes was calculated by 22 broad and 93 detailed occupation groups among a sample of 366,633 employed respondents. Wald chi-square values were used to determine the significance of associations between diabetes and occupation groups after adjusting for sex, age, and race/ethnicity.

Development of Job Exposure Matrices to Estimate Occupational Exposure to Solar and Artificial Ultraviolet Radiation.

Objectives: Job exposure matrices (JEMs) are important tools for estimating occupational exposures in study populations where only information on industry and occupation (I&O) are available. JEMs The objective of this work was to create JEMs for solar and artificial ultraviolet radiation (UVR) using a US standardized coding scheme.

Methods: Using U.

Using mobile multimedia platforms in teaching dental diagnosis.

Objective: Mobile Multimedia Platforms (MMPs) are prolific tools that can be used by individuals and corporations to share content. However, few studies have shown the effectiveness of MMPs as educational tools. Through this study, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of MMPs in improving basic dental diagnostic skills.

Availability of and Participation in Workplace Health Promotion Programs by Sociodemographic, Occupation, and Work Organization Characteristics in US Workers.

Purpose: To examine how the availability of and participation in workplace health promotion programs (WHPPs) vary as a function of sociodemographic, occupation, and work organization characteristics.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: 2015 National Health Interview Survey and Occupational Health Supplement.

Type II Restriction of Bacteriophage DNA With 5hmdU-Derived Base Modifications.

To counteract bacterial defense systems, bacteriophages (phages) make extensive base modifications (substitutions) to block endonuclease restriction. Here we evaluated Type II restriction of three thymidine (T or 5-methyldeoxyuridine, 5mdU) modified phage genomes: phage M6 with 5-(2-aminoethyl)deoxyuridine (5-edU), phage ViI (Vi1) with 5-(2-aminoethoxy)methyldeoxyuridine (5-emdU) and phage phi W-14 (a.k.

Trust in the Work Environment and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Findings from the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index.

This study examined associations between trust, an important aspect of workplace social capital, with seven cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (American Heart Association Life's Simple 7 (LS7)): smoking, obesity, low physical activity, poor diet, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Data are from the U.S.

Lymphedema following breast cancer: The importance of surgical methods and obesity.

Background: Breast cancer-related arm lymphedema is a serious complication that can adversely affect quality of life. Identifying risk factors that contribute to the development of lymphedema is vital for identifying avenues for prevention. The aim of this study was to examine the association between the development of arm lymphedema and both treatment and personal (e.

Integrating Childhood and Adult Blood Lead Surveillance to Improve Identification and Intervention Efforts.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collects information on blood lead levels (BLLs) in the United States through the Childhood Blood Lead Surveillance (CBLS) system (<16 years of age) and the Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES) program (≥16 years of age). While both of these state-based national programs share the mutual goal of monitoring and reducing lead exposure in the US population, blood lead data for children and adults are maintained in separate data collection systems. This limits the ability to fully describe lead exposure in the US population across these 2 distinct population groups from sources such as take-home and maternal-child lead exposure.

Codability of industry and occupation information from cancer registry records: Differences by patient demographics, casefinding source, payor, and cancer type.

Introduction: Industry and occupation (I&O) information collected by cancer registries is useful for assessing associations among jobs and malignancies. However, systematic differences in I&O availability can bias findings.

Methods: Codability by patient demographics, payor, identifying (casefinding) source, and cancer site was assessed using I&O text from first primaries diagnosed 2011-2012 and reported to California Cancer Registry.

Restriction and modification of deoxyarchaeosine (dG)-containing phage 9 g DNA.

E. coli phage 9 g contains the modified base deoxyarchaeosine (dG) in its genome. The phage encodes its own primase, DNA ligase, DNA polymerase, and enzymes necessary to synthesize and incorporate dG.

Cystathionine: A novel oncometabolite in human breast cancer.

In this study, we have identified cystathionine (CTH), a sulfur containing metabolite, to be selectively enriched in human breast cancer (HBC) tissues (∼50-100 pmoles/mg protein) compared with undetectable levels in normal breast tissues. The accumulation of CTH, specifically in HBC, was attributed to the overexpression of cystathionine beta synthase (CBS), its synthesizing enzyme, and the undetectable levels of its downstream metabolizing enzyme, cystathionine gamma lyase (CGL). Interestingly both CBS and CGL could not be detected in normal breast tissues.

Precautionary Practices of Respiratory Therapists and Other Health-Care Practitioners Who Administer Aerosolized Medications.

Background: Respiratory therapists (RTs) and other health-care workers are potentially exposed to a variety of aerosolized medications. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Health and Safety Practices Survey of Healthcare Workers describes current exposure control practices and barriers to using personal protective equipment during administration of selected aerosolized medications.

Methods: An anonymous, multi-module, web-based survey was conducted among members of health-care professional practice organizations representing RTs, nurses, and other health-care practitioners.

Role of cystathionine β-synthase in human breast Cancer.

Cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) is an enzyme in the transulfuration pathway that can catalyze the condensation of homocysteine (Hcy) and cysteine (Cys) to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and cystathionine (CTH). CBS-derived H2S is important in angiogenesis and drug resistance in colon and ovarian cancers, respectively. However, the mechanisms by which cancer cell-derived H2S is utilized by cancer cells as a protective agent against host-derived activated macrophages are not yet investigated.

Risk of cancer among firefighters in California, 1988-2007.

Background: Most studies of firefighter cancer risks were conducted prior to 1990 and do not reflect risk from advances in building materials.

Methods: A case-control study using California Cancer Registry data (1988-2007) was conducted to evaluate the risk of cancer among firefighters, stratified by race.

Results: This study identified 3,996 male firefighters with cancer.

Acute myeloid leukemia risk by industry and occupation.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common type of leukemia found in adults. Identifying jobs that pose a risk for AML may be useful for identifying new risk factors. A matched case-control analysis was conducted using California Cancer Registry data from 1988 to 2007.