Patterns in mortality associated with heart failure and lung cancer among older adults in the United States: An analysis of 20 years.

Background: Despite an established association between heart failure (HF) and lung cancer (LC), there is limited evidence available regarding mortality patterns among the older (≥65 years) population in the United States.

Methods: The mortality data, spanning 1999 to 2019, was surveyed using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) database with HF and LC identified as underlying or contributing causes of death. Crude and age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) were calculated per 100,000 individuals.

Trends in stroke-related mortality in atrial fibrillation patients in the United States: Insights from the CDC WONDER database.

Background: Stroke associated with atrial fibrillation (AF) is a significant cause of mortality. This study analyzed demographic trends and disparities in mortality rates due to stroke in AF patients aged ≥25 years.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted to acquire death data using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention database from 1999 to 2020.

Unveiling End-of-Life Disparities in Chronic Rheumatic Heart Disease: A 22-Year Analysis of the CDC-WONDER Database.

Background This research examines mortality patterns and the place of death in individuals with chronic rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in the United States, aiming to identify demographic predictors for home or hospice death. Additionally, the study aims to uncover trends in mortality due to RHD and provide a predictive forecast. Methods The study utilized data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) database, which spans 22 years (1999-2020), and was categorized based on place of death, including home or hospice care, inpatient, outpatient, or emergency room deaths, and nursing home facility deaths.

Google Trends and Syphilis.

Objective: This study aims to assess the correlation between Centers for Disease Control-reported syphilis incidence rates and case burden and public interest in syphilis as indicated by Google search trends.

Methods: This study utilized Google Trends data to analyze popular syphilis-related search terms from 2013 to 2023. The latest Centers for Disease Control-reported syphilis incidence rates for 2022 were compared to Google Trends data to identify patterns or correlations.

Assessment of modeled serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances concentrations from exposure estimates for pregnant women in the general population in comparison to previously measured serum concentrations.

When drinking water is uncontaminated, exposure to PFAS is thought to occur primarily via ingestion of food and indoor dust. To understand the background exposure during prenatal periods, this study examined whether published estimates of PFAS exposure rates from dietary and dust ingestion provide reasonable predictions of PFAS serum concentrations among pregnant women in the general population. This study estimated serum concentrations of four PFAS during pregnancy based on published PFAS intake rates for food and indoor dust reported in the peer-reviewed literature, a pharmacokinetic model using two different sets of parameters, and Monte Carlo simulation to account for variability/uncertainty.

Estimating the time-varying emission rate of peracetic acid.

The use of peracetic acid (PAA) as a general disinfectant has seen increasing usage in recent years, and although it is a strong irritant, exposure monitoring for PAA may often be difficult due to relatively high costs and the potential for interferences by other co-occurring chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide. These issues with exposure monitoring make modeling a potentially useful tool in exposure assessment of PAA if model parameters can be accurately determined. This study estimates the time-varying mass emission rate of PAA for use in exposure modeling by using the small spill model and examines the effect of various environmental conditions on the PAA evaporation rate, including surface roughness/substrate, general ventilation rate, and local wind speed.

Anti-neuraminidase and anti-hemagglutinin stalk responses to different influenza a(H7N9) vaccine regimens.

Introduction: Pandemic influenza vaccine development focuses on the hemagglutinin (HA) antigen for potency and immunogenicity. Antibody responses targeting the neuraminidase (NA) antigen, or the HA stalk domain have been implicated in protection against influenza. Responses to the NA and HA-stalk domain following pandemic inactivated influenza are not well characterized in humans.

Risk of severe maternal morbidity and mortality among pregnant patients with chronic kidney disease: Renal disease and severe maternal morbidity.

Background: Chronic kidney disease is a significant cause of adverse obstetric outcomes. However, there are few studies assessing the risk of severe maternal morbidity and mortality among patients with chronic kidney disease and no studies assessing the association between individual indicators of severe maternal morbidity and chronic kidney disease.

Objective: To evaluate the risk of severe maternal morbidity and mortality among pregnant patients with chronic kidney disease.

A framework for monitoring RSV prevention product effectiveness in the United States.

During 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended the first respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunizations intended for widespread use in the United States to prevent severe RSV illness in infants and older adults. CDC, in collaboration with federal, public health, and academic partners, is conducting evaluations of real-world effectiveness of recommended RSV immunization products in the United States. Similar frameworks for evaluation are being applied to RSV vaccines and nirsevimab, a long-acting preventative monoclonal antibody, to estimate product effectiveness.

Trends in Iatrogenic Error-Related Mortality in the US From 1999 to 2020: Age-Period-CohortAnalysis.

Introduction: There is a noticeable lack of information on iatrogenic error (IE)-related deaths in the United States. To address this, we conducted a retrospective analysis examining temporal, regional, urbanization, and age-related trends in IE-related mortality from 1999 to 2020.

Methods: Utilizing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research database, we identified crude and age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) per 100,000 persons.

Age-related disparities in national maternal mortality trends: A population-based study.

Objective: An upward trend in maternal age has been observed in the United States (US) over the last twenty years. The study objective was to examine the association of maternal age with maternal mortality in the US and examine temporal trends in mortality by maternal age.

Methods: A retrospective population-based analysis in the US between 2000-2019 was conducted using records from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Mortality Multiple Cause" and "Birth Data" files.

US State Public Health Agencies' Use of Twitter From 2012 to 2022: Observational Study.

Background: Twitter (subsequently rebranded as X) is acknowledged by US health agencies, including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as an important public health communication tool. However, there is a lack of data describing its use by state health agencies over time. This knowledge is important amid a changing social media landscape in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Comparison of two interferon-gamma release assays for pediatric tuberculosis infection.

Introduction: Identifying tuberculosis infection (TBI) using interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) is a primary component of clinical and public health efforts to prevent pediatric tuberculosis. Pediatric data comparing the two IGRAs in the United States are very limited. We compared the performance of the two IGRAs among a large pediatric cohort tested for TBI and assessed whether discordance might be due to quantitative results close to test cut-off values.

Assessing Mental Health Effects of Eastern Kentucky Households After the State's Deadliest Flood: Using a Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER).

Objectives: On July 28, 2022, eastern Kentucky experienced the state's deadliest flood in recorded history. In response to ongoing mental health concerns from community members who survived the flood, local health department directors in affected communities requested technical assistance from the Kentucky Department for Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Methods: Two simultaneous Community Assessments for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPERs) were conducted 6 weeks after the flood.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis estimated prevalence cases from 2022 to 2030, data from the national ALS Registry.

To estimate the projected number of ALS cases in the United States from 2022 to 2030. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and fatal neuromuscular disease with no known cure. Because ALS is not a notifiable disease in the United States, the accurate ascertainment of prevalent ALS cases continues to be a challenge.

SARS-CoV-2 Diversity and Transmission on a University Campus across Two Academic Years during the Pandemic.

Background: Institutions of higher education (IHE) have been a focus of SARS-CoV-2 transmission studies but there is limited information on how viral diversity and transmission at IHE changed as the pandemic progressed.

Methods: Here we analyze 3606 viral genomes from unique COVID-19 episodes collected at a public university in Seattle, Washington from September 2020 to September 2022.

Results: Across the study period, we found evidence of frequent viral transmission among university affiliates with 60% (n = 2153) of viral genomes from campus specimens genetically identical to at least one other campus specimen.

Blood Culture Contamination and Diagnostic Stewardship: From a Clinical Laboratory Quality Monitor to a National Patient Safety Measure.

Laboratory analysis of blood cultures is vital to the accurate and timely diagnosis of bloodstream infections. However, the reliability of the test depends on clinical compliance with standard operating procedures that limit the risk of inconclusive or incorrect results. False-negative blood culture results due to inadequate volumes of blood can result in misdiagnosis, delay therapy, and increase patients' risk of developing or dying from bloodstream infections.

Colorectal Cancer Screening and Social Needs.

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. While patient-reported barriers have been previously described, few studies have analyzed how patients' social needs affect screening rates.

Methods: This cross-sectional study includes 3,443 Kaiser Permanente (KP) patients ages 50 to 75 years who completed the 2020 KP National Social Needs Survey.

Prevalence of Diagnosed Diabetes Among U.S. Adults Aged ≥18 Years With Disabilities, 2021-2022.

Objective: To compare the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes among U.S. adults with and without disabilities, overall and by subgroups.

Acquisition of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae) by Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) nymphs during interrupted feeding.

A previous laboratory study using Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann (Acari: Ixodidae) ticks of North American origin showed that larvae could acquire the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.) (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae) while feeding to completion on infected mice.

Association of binge alcohol use with functional outcomes among individuals with COVID-19 infection.

Aims: Alcohol consumption along with negative sequelae from excess alcohol intake increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the association between binge alcohol use and long-term functional outcomes among COVID-19-positive individuals.

Methods: Using a prospective, longitudinal, multisite cohort study design, we evaluated the association between binge alcohol use and mental and physical functional outcomes using Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)-29 scores three and six months postinfection.

Accounting for local incidence when estimating rotavirus vaccine efficacy among countries: a pooled analysis of monovalent rotavirus vaccine trials.

Rotavirus vaccine appears to perform sub-optimally in countries with higher rotavirus burden. We hypothesized that differences in the magnitude of rotavirus exposures may bias vaccine efficacy (VE) estimates, so true differences in country-specific rotavirus VE would be exaggerated without accommodating differences in exposure. We estimated VE against any-severity and severe rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) using Poisson regression models fit to pooled individual-level data from Phase II and III monovalent rotavirus vaccine trials conducted between 2000 and 2012.

Serum fatty acid profiles in systemic lupus erythematosus and patient reported outcomes: The Michigan Lupus Epidemiology & Surveillance (MILES) Program.

Introduction: Despite progress in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) treatment, challenges persist in medication adherence due to side effects and costs. Precision nutrition, particularly adjusting fatty acid intake, offers a cost-effective strategy for enhancing SLE management. Prior research, including our own, indicates that increased consumption of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) correlates with improved outcomes in SLE patients.

Impacts of the US CDC recommendation on human papillomavirus vaccine uptake, 2010-2015.

Objectives: As one type of vaccine policy, the effectiveness and spillover effects of the US CDC vaccine recommendations are inadequately evaluated. This study aims to fully evaluate its impacts on male adults, in addition to children, using better data.

Design: A before-after study design to examine the CDC's 2011 HPV vaccine recommendation for men aged 11-21.