The COVID-19 lockdown increased obesity disparities; will the increases in type 2 diabetes continue?

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of the increases in pediatric obesity during the COVID-19 lockdown with the annual increases in obesity in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Methods: This study compared two reports of increases in the prevalence of obesity in youth during the COVID-19 lockdown with the annual rate of increase in obesity in NHANES.

Results: When expressed as multiples, the changes in prevalence among elementary school children observed in two population-based surveys were 28 to 63 times greater than the annual changes in the prevalence of obesity observed in NHANES.

Effects of COVID-19 on paediatric cardiac centres in low-income and middle-income countries: a mixed-methods study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on paediatric cardiac services in critical access centres in low-income and middle-income countries.

Design: A mixed-methods approach was used.

Setting: Critical access sites that participate in the International Quality Improvement Collaborative (IQIC) for congenital heart disease (CHD) were identified.

'The baby will have the right beginning': a qualitative study on mother and health worker views on point-of-care HIV birth testing across 10 sites in Zimbabwe.

Background: The survival of HIV-infected infants depends on early identification and initiation on effective treatment. HIV-exposed infants are tested at 6 weeks of age; however, testing for HIV sooner (e.g.

Making the Case for Accelerated Withdrawal of Aducanumab.

The controversial approval in June 2021 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of aducanumab (marketed as Aduhelm), Biogen's monoclonal antibody for patients with Alzheimer's disease, raises significant concerns for the dementia field and drug approval process, considering its lack of adequate evidence for clinical efficacy, safety issues, and cost. On 15 December 2021, an international group of clinicians, basic science experts, psychological and social science researchers, lay people with lived experience of dementia, and advocates for public health met to discuss making a recommendation for whether aducanumab's approval should be withdrawn. Attendees considered arguments both in favor of and in opposition to withdrawal and voted unanimously to recommend that the FDA withdraw its approval for aducanumab and to support the Right Care Alliance's filing of a formal Citizen Petition to this effect.

Chronic Disease Management Service Opportunities for Community Pharmacists During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Health system disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic prompted public health professionals to reevaluate potential barriers and opportunities to community pharmacist provision of chronic disease management services and to identify opportunities for maximizing community pharmacists' impact. Researchers conducted semistructured interviews with representatives from chronic disease prevention and pharmacy practice and policy organizations to identify key themes across multiple interviews and novel responses of interest. Interviewees described a lack of payment models to support pharmacist-provided chronic disease management services but noted opportunities for community pharmacists to demonstrate their value in offering services they are uniquely positioned to provide and to implement better workflow solutions.

Problems with evidence assessment in COVID-19 health policy impact evaluation: a systematic review of study design and evidence strength.

Introduction: Assessing the impact of COVID-19 policy is critical for informing future policies. However, there are concerns about the overall strength of COVID-19 impact evaluation studies given the circumstances for evaluation and concerns about the publication environment.

Methods: We included studies that were primarily designed to estimate the quantitative impact of one or more implemented COVID-19 policies on direct SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 outcomes.

Yoga for Preventive Health: A Holistic Approach.

Yoga has been prevalent for over 5000 years; it originated in India and has become an essential lifestyle ingredient for achieving optimal health. The goal of this article in lifestyle modification is to increase awareness about the benefits of yoga and how its practice can reduce the overall risk of chronic diseases. Yoga has been proven to be therapeutic for enhancing immunity and support management of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine disorders, obesity, cancer, and metabolic syndrome.

The association of Step-based metrics and adiposity in the Hispanic community Health Study/Study of Latinos.

Objective: Examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of accelerometer measured step volume (steps/day) and cadence with adiposity and six-year changes in adiposity in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL).

Methods: HCHS/SOL's target population was 60% female with a mean age of 41 years. Cross-sectional (n = 12,353) and longitudinal analyses (n = 9,077) leveraged adjusted complex survey regression models to examine associations between steps/day, and cadence with weight (kg), waist circumference (cm) and body mass index (kg/m).

Polymicrobial native valve endocarditis due to and .

We present a case of polymicrobial subacute bacterial endocarditis and bacteremia with and in a 72-year-old man with pre-existing mitral valve disease and prior mitral valve repair who presented with renal failure and glomerulonephritis. is often a contaminant in blood cultures but has been rarely implicated in patients with invasive infections such as endocarditis. Intravenous drug use, prosthetic heart valves, valvular heart disease and venous catheters are the most frequently described risk factors for bacteremia and endocarditis in the medical literature.

Using EEG in Resource-Limited Areas: Comparing Qualitative and Quantitative Interpretation Methods in Cerebral Malaria.

Background: Our goal was to compare the strength of association and predictive ability of qualitative and quantitative electroencephalographic (EEG) factors with the outcomes of death and neurological disability in pediatric cerebral malaria (CM).

Methods: We enrolled children with a clinical diagnosis of CM admitted to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (Blantyre, Malawi) between 2012 and 2017. A routine-length EEG was performed within four hours of admission.

Theta-Alpha Variability on Admission EEG Is Associated With Outcome in Pediatric Cerebral Malaria.

Purpose: Pediatric cerebral malaria has high rates of mortality and neurologic morbidity. Although several biomarkers, including EEG, are associated with survival or morbidity, many are resource intensive or require skilled interpretation for clinical use. Automation of quantitative interpretation of EEG may be preferable in resource-limited settings, where trained interpreters are rare.

Plasmodium falciparum clearance time in Malawian children with cerebral malaria: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Standard treatment for both uncomplicated and severe malaria is artemisinin derivatives. Delayed parasite clearance times preceded the appearance of artemisinin treatment failures in Southeast Asia. Most worldwide malaria cases are in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where clinically significant artemisinin resistance or treatment failure has not yet been detected.

Machine learning approaches in predicting ambulatory same day discharge patients after total hip arthroplasty.

Background: With continuing financial and regulatory pressures, practice of ambulatory total hip arthroplasty is increasing. However, studies focusing on selection of optimal candidates are burdened by limitations related to traditional statistical approaches. Hereby we aimed to apply machine learning algorithm to identify characteristics associated with optimal candidates.

Challenge of food allergy testing and avoidance in children with atopic dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common presenting complaint by children and their caretakers to their primary care providers. On testing, children with AD frequently exhibit positive food-specific IgE levels in the absence of immediate allergic reactions. Misinterpretation of these false positive tests can lead to unnecessary food avoidance, which can have tremendous psychosocial, economic and nutritional consequences and, in some cases, facilitate the development of an immediate hypersensitivity to the food.

Aortic Elasticity and Arsenic Exposure: A Step Function rather than a Linear Function.

While the dose-response relationship for the carcinogenic effects of arsenic exposure indicates nonlinearity with increases only above about 150 μg/L arsenic in drinking water, similar analyses of noncarcinogenic effects of arsenic exposure remain to be conducted. We present here an alternative analysis of data on a measure of aortic elasticity, a risk factor for hypertension, and its relationship to urinary arsenic levels. An occupational health study from Ankara, Turkey by Karakulak et al.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of Penner serotype prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni in low- and middle-income countries.

Introduction: While Campylobacter jejuni is a leading foodborne bacterial pathogen worldwide, it poses a particular risk to susceptible populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A capsule-conjugate vaccine approach has been proposed as a potential solution, but little information exists on circulating C. jejuni capsule types in LMICs.

Association between varying cut-points of intermediate hyperglycemia and risk of mortality, cardiovascular events and chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the updated evidence regarding prediabetes for predicting mortality, macrovascular and microvascular outcomes.

Research Design And Methods: We identified English language studies from MEDLINE, PubMed, OVID and Cochrane database indexed from inception to January 31, 2020. Paired reviewers independently identified 106 prospective studies, comprising nearly 1.

Post-Malaria Anemia Is Rare in Malawian Children with Cerebral Malaria.

Artesunate therapy for severe malaria syndromes has been associated with post-treatment hemolysis and anemia. We defined post-malaria anemia as any decrease in hematocrit between the index hospitalization for severe malaria and 1 month after. We determined the incidence and severity of post-malaria anemia in Malawian children surviving cerebral malaria (CM) by analyzing hospital and follow-up data from a long-standing study of CM pathogenesis.

COVID-19 infection among emergency department healthcare providers in a large tertiary academic medical center following the peak of the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread through the US during the last few months exposing healthcare providers to possible infection. Here we report testing of emergency department (ED) healthcare providers (HCP) for exposure to COVID-19 through lateral flow point of care (POC) and lab-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and RTq-PCR for evidence of acute infection. 138 ED HCP were tested between May 26th (approximately one month after the peak of COVID-19 first wave of cases) and June 14th.

Ensuring Equitable Access To COVID-19 Vaccines In The US: Current System Challenges And Opportunities.

There has been a worldwide effort to accelerate the development of safe and effective vaccines for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2. When vaccines become licensed and available broadly to the public, the final hurdle is equitable distribution and access for all who are recommended for vaccination. Frameworks and existing systems for allocation, distribution, vaccination, and monitoring for safety and effectiveness are assets of the current immunization delivery system that should be leveraged to ensure the equitable distribution and broad uptake of licensed vaccines.