Bus drivers in Massachusetts school district strike for new contract
May 8 (UPI) -- School bus drivers in Marlborough, Mass., went on strike Monday leaving hundreds of parents to find rides to school for their children, while a work stoppage was avoided in Farmington and Westborough.
Teamster Local 170 negotiators talked with transportation vendor North Reading Transportation Bus, Inc. through Sunday night in hopes to reach a deal, but efforts fell short in Marlborough.
"We are physically on strike in Marlborough," Local 170 business manager Jim Marks said. "We will be on strike until we resolve the contract. We are hoping NRT brings an offer back to the table that will be responsible and good for the drivers, and we will go from there."
Drivers in Westborough, though, opted to come to work on Monday without a contract, but Marks declined to give an update on their negotiations other than to say the union members are "not on strike at this time."
There was a breakthrough in Farmington, with Teamsters and NRT settling on pact details there.
"Potentially, we could have had thousands of students not come to school for the duration that the strike may have lasted," said Framingham Public Schools Superintendent Robert Tremblay.
"And there might have been steps taken from there. Fortunately, as we understand it and heard it all together, in real time, that is not the case. But we were prepared for the worst, hoping for the best. And as it turns out, the best has come to fruition."
NRT said in a statement it is working to get contracts with Marlborough and Westborough drivers resolved as quickly as possible.
"The attention now shifts to the Marlborough and Westborough contracts, where the dedicated NRT team continues to focus on their number-one priority: transporting children to and from school safely every day," the bus company said.
Monday, May 08, 2023
Billions of dollars in healthcare costs tied to oil and gas, researchers believe
Authors of a peer-reviewed study urged the federal government to move quickly on regulations meant to curb some of the emissions coming the oil and gas sector. More than $70 billion in health-related costs are associated with these emissions, they said. File photo by Ryan Tong/EPA-EFE
May 8 (UPI) -- Pointing to the billions of dollars of what they said are health-related costs associated with pollution from the oil and gas industry, researchers called on the federal government to hurry up with new regulations to prevent further ailments in a study released Monday.
"Curbing oil and gas emissions is one of the fastest, most cost-effective ways to reduce methane and other air pollutants, which improves air quality, protects public health and slows climate change," said study co-author Ananya Roy, a senior researcher at the Environmental Defense Fund, in a news release.
Roy was joined by scientists at Boston University and the University of North Carolina in writing details abut their study in the journal Environmental Research: Health, which suggests air pollution from the oil and gas sector has a "substantial" impact on public health.
The federal government early last year outlined a global plan along with the European Union that aims to reduce methane by 30% from a 2020 baseline by 2030.
Part of that effort includes $1.15 billion to clean up abandoned oil and gas wells, and another $1 billion to modernize the existing natural gas pipeline network.
The Environmental Protection Agency, meanwhile, introduced proposals in November to strengthen existing regulations on methane emissions. Roy said it was "critical" that the EPA finalizes its rules as soon as possible.
Methane is a potent energy carrier, but as a greenhouse gas, it has a greater warming potential than carbon dioxide.
Elsewhere, scientists said nitrogen oxide, fine particulate matter and ozone from the oil and gas sector contributed to more than 7,500 deaths and 2,200 new cases of childhood asthma. The health challenges alone account for $77 billion in costs each year, they wrote.
"The health impacts are not just from the combustion of oil and gas," said Boston University's Jonathan Buonocore, a corresponding author of the study.
The Energy Information Administration, the statistics arm of the Energy Department, estimated in its monthly market report for April that energy-related emissions of carbon dioxide decline by 3% relative to 2022 levels, but then increase "slightly" in 2024.
The EPA, meanwhile, shows that emissions for most major greenhouse gases, including methane, most likely peaked in 2007, based on 2020 data.
Authors of a peer-reviewed study urged the federal government to move quickly on regulations meant to curb some of the emissions coming the oil and gas sector. More than $70 billion in health-related costs are associated with these emissions, they said. File photo by Ryan Tong/EPA-EFE
May 8 (UPI) -- Pointing to the billions of dollars of what they said are health-related costs associated with pollution from the oil and gas industry, researchers called on the federal government to hurry up with new regulations to prevent further ailments in a study released Monday.
"Curbing oil and gas emissions is one of the fastest, most cost-effective ways to reduce methane and other air pollutants, which improves air quality, protects public health and slows climate change," said study co-author Ananya Roy, a senior researcher at the Environmental Defense Fund, in a news release.
Roy was joined by scientists at Boston University and the University of North Carolina in writing details abut their study in the journal Environmental Research: Health, which suggests air pollution from the oil and gas sector has a "substantial" impact on public health.
The federal government early last year outlined a global plan along with the European Union that aims to reduce methane by 30% from a 2020 baseline by 2030.
Part of that effort includes $1.15 billion to clean up abandoned oil and gas wells, and another $1 billion to modernize the existing natural gas pipeline network.
The Environmental Protection Agency, meanwhile, introduced proposals in November to strengthen existing regulations on methane emissions. Roy said it was "critical" that the EPA finalizes its rules as soon as possible.
Methane is a potent energy carrier, but as a greenhouse gas, it has a greater warming potential than carbon dioxide.
Elsewhere, scientists said nitrogen oxide, fine particulate matter and ozone from the oil and gas sector contributed to more than 7,500 deaths and 2,200 new cases of childhood asthma. The health challenges alone account for $77 billion in costs each year, they wrote.
"The health impacts are not just from the combustion of oil and gas," said Boston University's Jonathan Buonocore, a corresponding author of the study.
The Energy Information Administration, the statistics arm of the Energy Department, estimated in its monthly market report for April that energy-related emissions of carbon dioxide decline by 3% relative to 2022 levels, but then increase "slightly" in 2024.
The EPA, meanwhile, shows that emissions for most major greenhouse gases, including methane, most likely peaked in 2007, based on 2020 data.
Oregon State University leading $5M effort to accelerate robotics research via standardized robot
IMAGE: BILL SMART AND NAOMI FITTER WITH A QUORI ROBOT. PHOTO BY SHIVANI JINGER. view more
CREDIT: BILL SMART AND NAOMI FITTER WITH A QUORI ROBOT. PHOTO BY SHIVANI JINGER.
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Researchers at Oregon State University are part of a $5 million National Science Foundation effort to accelerate robotics research by making standardized humanoid robots available to the scientific community.
Bill Smart and Naomi Fitter, who study human-robot interaction in the OSU College of Engineering, will lead the project, part of the NSF’s Computer and Information Science and Engineering Community Research Infrastructure program.
The NSF’s goal for the program is to drive discovery and learning in computing and communication foundations, computer and network systems, and information and intelligent systems.
The Oregon State investigators will partner with researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s GRASP Laboratory and a Los Angeles-based software company, Semio, that specializes in robotics applications.
The project involves building and distributing 50 Quori robots to serve as a standardized hardware and software platform for researchers. Quori robots have an expressive face, gesturing arms and a bowing spine and are designed for experimentation in the lab and also “in the wild,” i.e. real-world types of settings.
“A big hurdle in robotics research has been the lack of a common robot to work with,” Smart said. “It’s tough to compare results and replicate and build on each other’s work when everyone is using a different type of robot. Robots come in many shapes and sizes, with different types of sensors and varying capabilities.”
Oregon State’s primary contributions to the project will be setting up and maintaining a network of resources surrounding the use of the Quori robot and helping to beta test the robot and the resources.
“The team will build on the success of an earlier NSF-funded project by the University of Pennsylvania, Semio and the University of Southern California that designed, built and tested 10 prototype Quori robots and awarded them to research teams,” Fitter said. “The current work will incorporate the lessons learned to improve the robot’s design, making it easier to manufacture at scale, and to distribute it to a broader set of research groups.”
Fitter and Smart say the project team will connect students and researchers using Quori through online collaboration tools, events and opportunities to work together – building a community of roboticists that can learn from one another and advance the pace of research.
“Part of the focus is bringing new teams into the community and helping them get up to speed by pairing them with more experienced researchers,” Smart added. “This will increase the diversity of people involved in robotics research in the United States and accelerate progress, especially in the field of human-robot interaction.”
Wakefulness-promoting agents effective for excessive daytime sleepiness but patients may discontinue due to side effects
Embargoed News from Annals of Internal Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication1. Wakefulness-promoting agents effective for excessive daytime sleepiness but patients may discontinue due to side effects
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M22-3473
URL goes live when the embargo lifts
A systematic review and analysis of 14 trials found that solriamfetol, armodafinil–modafinil, and pitolisant reduce excessive daytime sleepiness (ESA) for patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) already using conventional therapy. However, patients may be more likely to discontinue the use of these medications due to adverse events including headache, anxiety, and insomnia. The review is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Symptoms of EDS are often improved with standard treatment of OSA, but it may persist in up to 18 percent of OSA patients despite ongoing conventional therapy. EDS is associated with neuropsychological impairment and decreased quality of life, and treatment is a continued priority for clinicians. Pharmacological interventions for OSA include solriamfetol and armodafinil–modafinil, which are approved for OSA treatment in the U.S., and pitolisant, which has been studied in previous trials but is not approved for treatment of OSA.
Researchers from McMaster University, Dalhousie University, and the University of Toronto conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 14 trials enrolling 3,085 patients and included the use of armodafinil, modafinil, solriamfetol, and pitolisant–H3-autoreceptor antagonist. The authors found that solriamfetol, armodafinil–modafinil and pitolisant reduced daytime sleepiness for patients with OSA already on conventional therapy, and solriamfetol was likely superior in effectiveness. However, adverse events including headache, insomnia, and anxiety were associated with an increased risk for discontinuation in several trials. According to the authors, future research should address potential long-term and rare harms that may be associated with these drugs and potential differential effects of these drugs in patients who are not adherent to conventional OSA treatment.
Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org. To speak with corresponding author Dena Zeraatkar, PhD, please email Veronica McGuire at vmcguir@mcmaster.ca.
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2. GLP1RA, but not SGLT2i, associated with reduced hospitalizations for heart failure, stroke, and death compared with DPP4i
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M22-2751
Editorial: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-0958
URL goes live when the embargo lifts
A cohort study of older persons without heart disease found that the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1RA) reduced major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and heart failure (HF) hospitalization compared with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4i). However, the use of sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) was not associated with similar reductions. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
More than 30 million adults in the United States have diabetes mellitus and it’s a condition that carries a high risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Previous trials have demonstrated benefits for using GLP1RA and SGLT2i to reduce MACE risk in persons with diabetes and preexisting CVD, but the use of these medications in preventing complications among persons with CVD remains unclear.
Researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Veterans Health Administration Tennessee Valley Healthcare System conducted a retrospective cohort study of older veterans with diabetes and without heart disease who received care between 2001 and 2019. The authors found that compared with DPP4i, the addition of GLP1RA to baseline diabetes therapy was associated with reduced MACE and HF hospitalization events. However, the addition of SGLT2i was not associated with reduced MACE and HF hospitalizations compared with adding DPP4i. According to the authors, their findings in aggregate suggest that GLP1RA may have a role in CVD prevention. Diabetes and its complications represent an enormous health care burden and prevention of heart disease for those who are at highest risk is an important goal of doctors, scientists and patients.
An accompanying editorial by Steven S. Nissen, MD of the Cleveland Clinic discusses the limitations of using observational studies for clinical decision making. This type of research may overemphasize its value or applicability. He highlights that large observational studies can be useful and informative, but the choice of outcomes measured, and the study method must be carefully considered, and the results interpreted within the context of the study’s limitations.
Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org. To speak with corresponding author Christianne L. Roumie, M.D., MPH, please email Paul Govern at paul.govern@vumc.org.
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3. At the right cost, screening for 3 selected genetic disorders could be cost effective
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M22-0846
FREE Summary: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/P23-0002
URL goes live when the embargo lifts
A cost-effectiveness analysis of screening tests for three common genetic disorders found that conducting these tests in adults under the age of 40 could be cost-effective at a population level if test costs are sufficiently low. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) designated three genetic tests as having evidence-based guidelines and recommendations to prevent morbidity and mortality associated with genetic risk. These genetic conditions include Lynch syndrome (LS), which is associated with a higher risk for colorectal cancer, hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC), and familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), which is associated with a greater risk for early heart disease and stroke. However, modeling studies to date have suggested that screening for these genetic conditions independently is not cost-effective.
Researchers from the University of Washington, Geisinger, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis of multiple cohorts aged 20 to 60 that reflect the current U.S. population. The authors found that if all three conditions are bundled together in the same test, which was assumed to cost $250 and confirmed with a second test, one-time screening of US adults age 40 and under was cost-effective according to commonly used thresholds. For every 100,000 individuals screened with genomic testing, 101 cancers and 15 cardiovascular events were prevented compared to testing based on family history alone, which translated to 495 quality-of-life-adjusted years of additional survival. To address considerations beyond cost-effectiveness, the authors recommend that a policy analysis be conducted that considers budgetary impact, availability of trained genetic counselors and other resources, longitudinal follow-up in primary care settings, and assessment by clinical guidelines and reimbursement policymakers.
Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org. To speak with corresponding author Josh F. Peterson, M.D., MPH, please contact josh.peterson@vumc.org.
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JOURNAL
Annals of Internal Medicine
METHOD OF RESEARCH
Literature review
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
People
ARTICLE TITLE
Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Wakefulness-Promoting Agents for Excessive Daytime Sleepiness in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
9-May-2023
THE LANCET: An estimated one million stillbirths and newborn baby deaths could be prevented each year by implementing low-cost pregnancy interventions in low- and middle-income countries
IMAGE: SMALL VULNERABLE NEWBORNS—A NEW DEFINITION FOR IMPROVING GLOBAL NEWBORN AND MATERNAL HEALTH view more
CREDIT: THE LANCET
Eight low-cost and easily implementable proven interventions for pregnant women in 81 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) could prevent an estimated 566,000 stillbirths and 5.2 million babies a year from being born preterm or small for gestational age—some with low birth weight—the impacts of which would also affect long-term health and economic output, says a new four-paper Series published in The Lancet.
Additionally, the eight interventions,
- multiple micronutrient supplements
- balanced protein energy supplements
- aspirin
- treatment of syphilis
- education for smoking cessation
- prevention of malaria in pregnancy
- treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria
- progesterone provided vaginally,
along with two proven interventions that can reduce the complications of preterm births,
- antenatal corticosteroids
- delayed cord clamping,
have the potential to prevent 476,000 newborn baby deaths. The Series estimates the cost of implementing these interventions at $1.1 billion in 2030.
In a new analysis, the Lancet Series on small vulnerable newborns estimates that, of the 135 million babies born alive in 2020, one in four (35.3 million) were born preterm or small for gestational age —some with low birth weight. The Series brings this group together under a new term: small vulnerable newborns (SVN). These babies were born in every country, with the majority in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia.
The authors highlight that, in every region, progress for reducing preterm birth and low birthweight is a flat line and off track of targets—the Global Nutrition Target calls for 30% reduction of babies with low birthweight by 2030 from a 2012 baseline, however the estimated annual rate of reduction is only 0.59%.
In a global call to action, the Series argues for a higher quality of care for women during pregnancy and at birth, and specifically for the scale-up of pregnancy interventions in 81 LMICs, which the Series estimates could prevent approximately 32% of stillbirths, 20% of newborn baby deaths and 18% of all SVN births in those countries.
Given over 80% of births are in facilities, the authors underline that better data collection and use of data is possible now, ensuring that every pregnancy is dated with accurate gestational age and all newborns—as well as all stillbirths—weighed and classified by SVN type. In addition to helping ensure good quality care, the Series says better data collection is essential to inform progress and drive accountability. Counting stillbirths is important to capture the full burden, since new analyses in the Series highlights that 74% of stillbirths were born preterm for a subset of countries.
Prof Per Ashorn, Tampere University, Finland and a lead author on the Series, says:
“Despite several global commitments and targets aimed at reducing SVN outcomes since 1990, every fourth baby in the world is 'born too small' or 'born too soon'. Our Series suggests that we already have the knowledge to reverse the current trend and save the lives of 100,000s of babies a year at a cost of $1.1 billion, a fraction of what other health programmes receive. We need national actors, with global partners, to urgently prioritise action, advocate and invest.”
JOURNAL
The Lancet
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
Not applicable
ARTICLE TITLE
The Lancet Small Vulnerable Newborns Series
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
8-May-2023
Can tiny brain tissues legally be a person? Researchers say not yet
IMAGE: SHOULD A "BRAIN ORGANOID" BE TREATED AS A PERSON BY LAW? view more
CREDIT: LAIMAN-ARIGA/KYOTO UNIVERSITY THE INSTITUTE FOR THE ADVANCED STUDY OF HUMAN BIOLOGY
Grown in labs, human brain organoids are cultivated from stem cells, feed on nutrient broth and serve as a model of human brain development in miniature. Their growth and structure mimic portions of real brains, allowing scientists to better investigate the origins and potential treatments of neural diseases. How similar are they to actual human brains, though? Are they close enough to be considered people in their own right?
The question is complicated in myriad ethical and moral ways, but researchers based in Japan and Taiwan propose that the legal lens may prove critical when understanding the potential personhood of human brain organoids.
They published their argument for a legal framework to guide the conversation on April 3 in the Journal of Law and Biosciences.
“The moral status of human brain organoids has often been discussed, but their legal status has rarely been discussed,” said corresponding author Tsutomu Sawai, associate professor in the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Hiroshima University. “To clarify the legal status of human brain organoids will illuminate issues such as what information should be informed to the cell donor, to what extent the donor’s consent justifies the research, and what uses are acceptable.”
Legal person refers to any entity that holds legal rights and obligations — it can be human or not, according to Sawai. Human legal persons are called natural persons, and they are defined by being born of a womb and whether they can be considered legal dead once their heart or brain stops working. Nonhuman legal persons are called juridical persons and can include corporations and governmental agencies.
In their paper, Sawai and his team explore how the legal definition of what it means to be a natural or a juridical person applies to human brain organoids. Currently, the organoids do not fulfill basic requirements of what it means to be a natural person, Sawai said, but research may bridge the existing gaps.
“Although human brain organoids do not constitute natural persons at present, the likelihood of their potential to become natural persons in the near future requires more thorough consideration in advance of that reality occurring,” said first author Masanori Kataoka, researcher in Hiroshima University’s Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences. “Research on linking human brain organoids with bodies is expected to advance rapidly in the coming years, whereas the conditions of natural personhood, especially viability and birth are becoming increasingly flexible and contentious.”
The researchers noted that previous discussions on this topic have focused almost exclusively on natural personhood, overshadowing questions about the potential juridical personhood of human brain organoids. Corporations, for example, are considered juridical persons so that they can participate in legal matters, such as entering contracts. According to Kataoka, whether this applies to human brain organoids would depend on what legal purposes such consideration may have, and the matter should be considered separately from whether they are natural persons.
“Current brain organoid technology is in many ways quite limited, and it has not yet reached a stage where human brain organoids could become natural or juridical persons,” Sawai said. “However, as we have emphasized, this issue will soon become urgent once brain organoid technology has been further developed. In preparation for that time, it is essential to examine the accompanying questions thoroughly and in advance; we have taken the first step in that direction.”
##
Sawai is also affiliated with Kyoto University’s Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology. Tsung-Ling Lee with Taipei Medical University’s Graduate Institute of Health and Biotechnology Law also co-authored this paper.
The Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the Uehiro Foundation, the Mitsubishi Foundation, the Japan Science and Technology’s Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society funded this work.
About Hiroshima University
Since its foundation in 1949, Hiroshima University has striven to become one of the most prominent and comprehensive universities in Japan for the promotion and development of scholarship and education. Consisting of 12 schools for undergraduate level and 5 graduate schools, ranging from natural sciences to humanities and social sciences, the university has grown into one of the most distinguished comprehensive research universities in Japan. English website: https://www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en
JOURNAL
Journal of Law and the Biosciences
ARTICLE TITLE
The legal personhood of human brain organoids
Southwest Rural Health Research Center identifies key health challenges of rural America
Mental health, substance use disorders, access to quality health care and economic stability top the list of concerns of rural health stakeholders.
Peer-Reviewed PublicationThe Southwest Rural Health Research Center at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health has published a peer-reviewed paper detailing Healthy People 2030 priorities that will be most critical for rural America in the upcoming decade. These priorities were identified by rural health stakeholders across the United States. This publication comes ahead of the center’s release of Rural Healthy People 2030 — a continuation of a long-standing tradition of the Southwest Rural Health Research Center in which multidisciplinary authors discuss identified priority areas in light of existing scientific evidence and best models for practice.
Researchers asked 1,475 health care professionals, government officials, researchers and others working to improve health and quality of life in rural communities questions about their views on the 62 Healthy People 2030 priorities. Each respondent listed the 10 most crucial goals and priorities for their communities and ranked the three most critical issues in order of importance.
The priority that survey respondents noted most frequently was mental health and mental disorders, with more than 75 percent of respondents including this area in their top 10 list. In second place, included in more than 60 percent of the top 10 lists, was addiction. In contrast, findings from the Rural Healthy People 2020 survey put these two priorities as the fourth and fifth most commonly cited.
“We were thrilled to once again be funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy within the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to conduct this once-in-a-decade survey. While clinicians, public health practitioners and other stakeholders across the U.S. will be working toward all Healthy People 2030 goals, faced with resource limitations, those working with rural populations will have to implement right-sized and effective programs that will be most impactful in their unique contexts,” said Dr. Alva Ferdinand, director of the Southwest Rural Health Research Center and Interim Director of the Department of Health Policy and Management.
Around one-fifth of respondents listed health care access and quality as the most important priority. This priority was the most frequently cited in top 10 lists in Healthy People 2020, indicating that mental health and addiction may be rising concerns in rural areas, but access to quality health care remains a serious public health issue.
It may be that there are actual increases in mental health disorders and substance use in rural populations. At the same time, problems with access to care may also exacerbate these issues. A lack of mental health and substance abuse practitioners in rural communities, stigma toward treatment and a greater proportion of uninsured people could act as barriers to treatment.
Healthy People 2030 also includes priorities related to social determinants of health. A new priority in this category is economic stability, which featured highly in the survey’s responses. This reflects the ways higher rates of rural poverty may affect access to health care through limited insurance coverage and financial issues such as rural hospital closures.
“With approximately 60 million people living in rural areas that are sparsely populated, have low housing density and are far from urban centers, providers, public health practitioners and other stakeholders have had to find innovative ways to promote and protect the health of rural residents in the places where they live, learn, work and play,” said Ferdinand. “Our work helps to inform rural stakeholders on which population health goals are of particular concern and could use some additional attention and strategizing.”
The survey results shed light on the views of public health professionals and can serve as a starting point for additional research. Further study into the views of urban public health professionals could further highlight differences between these populations. Additionally, studies comparing populations in different parts of the country and those that include the views of residents outside of the public health professions could yield further insights.
The findings of this study point to changes in rural public health priorities over the past several years and highlight the need for renewed and continued efforts toward reducing disparities in health outcomes between rural and urban areas. Findings on mental health and substance use disorders, access to quality health care and economic stability point to areas where practitioners and policy makers can make significant improvements toward improving population health in rural America.
By Rae Lynn Mitchell, Texas A&M University School of Public Health
JOURNAL
Preventive Medicine Reports
ARTICLE TITLE
Rural healthy people 2030: New decade, new challenges
TikTok hosts the latest dance moves and bad information on liver disease
Nearly 40% of posts about liver disease are false or misleading, study finds
Reports and ProceedingsCHICAGO (May 9, 2023) — Four in 10 posts about liver disease on TikTok contain misinformation, with most pushing inaccurate claims about fad diets, “detox” drinks and herbal remedies, according to a study being presented today at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2023. Results suggest that liver disease patients who seek medical information on TikTok may need help separating good information from the bad.
“People should always consult their doctor first for guidance on their specific medical condition, but we also know that getting health information and tips from social media is extremely common these days,” said Macklin Loveland, MD, the study’s lead author and an internal medicine resident at University of Arizona College of Medicine. “When the average person sees a post about liver disease on social media, they may have no idea that the claims are entirely inaccurate.”
For this study, Dr. Loveland identified 2,223 posts with the terms “cirrhosis” and “liver disease” on TikTok between Oct. 1 and Nov. 25, 2022. Comparing the posts against established practice guidelines for making patient care decisions from the current American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association and American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, he found 883, nearly 40%, contained misinformation. The most common inaccurate posts had claims about herbal products reversing liver disease. Other posts falsely claimed that consuming various mushrooms, eating beef liver or doing a parasite cleanse would heal the liver.
Liver disease has been steadily increasing in the U.S. with 4.5 million adults diagnosed and more than 85 million people estimated to have liver disease but not know it. Treatment for liver disease varies depending on the diagnosis. Some liver issues can be addressed with lifestyle modifications, such as stopping alcohol use or losing weight, as part of a medical program that includes careful monitoring of liver function. Others may be treated with medication or surgery.
The inaccurate posts had far less engagement than accurate posts, with the misleading posts getting an average of 1,671 “likes” and 140 “shares” compared to an average 14,463 “likes” and 364 “shares” on accurate posts. Posts that were strictly informational contained far more misinformation than those with patients sharing personal experiences.
“Even though inaccurate posts were less popular, they still represent a high volume of misinformation on the platform, leaving people with liver disease susceptible to false claims,” Dr. Loveland said. “Given the high mortality associated with liver disease, the impact of spreading inaccurate claims on such a popular social media platform could have serious clinical ramifications.”
Loveland said his results make a case for better monitoring and regulation of the platform and for medical professionals to engage.
“It’s clear that more needs to be done to flag misinformation on TikTok, including doctors becoming more heavily represented on the platform to combat misinformation with accurate, science-based information,” Dr. Loveland said. “In general, TikTok and social media platforms are great sources to disseminate health information. However, we need to put more guardrails in place against false or misleading claims.”
DDW Presentation Details
Dr. Loveland will present data from the study, “Analysis of liver disease misinformation & accurate information within the social media platform, TikTok,” abstract Tu1523, on Tuesday, May 9, at 12:30 p.m. CDT. For more information about featured studies, as well as a schedule of availability for featured researchers, please visit www.ddw.org/press.
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Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. Jointly sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT), DDW takes place May 6 – 9 in Chicago and virtually. The meeting showcases more than 3,500 abstracts and hundreds of lectures on the latest advances in GI research, medicine and technology. More information can be found at www.ddw.org
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria contaminates whole ICU - study
Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) was brought into the ICU, in Hangzhou, on multiple occasions as patients were admitted, creating a large ‘reservoir’ of the bacteria which contaminated beds and equipment.
Of 35 CRAB-positive patients in the study, 14 acquired CRAB during their ICU stay. Samples of the drug-resistant bacteria were found more frequently in bed unit environments (54·6%) than patients (24·1%), with ventilators (27·9%) and dispensing trolleys (25·6%) most likely to yield samples of CRAB.
Publishing their findings today (Date TBC) in The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, the international group of researchers led by the University of Birmingham calls for urgent measures to help prevent hospitals becoming infected with the bacteria.
Study co-author Professor Alan McNally, from the University of Birmingham, commented: “CRAB poses a serious risk to hospitalised patients and can cause severe disease including pneumonia, urinary tract infection, bacteraemia, meningitis, and soft tissue infections – all of which can be very difficult to treat due to the bacteria’s multidrug-resistance.
“The quantity of CRAB found in this ICU highlights the urgent need for targeted infection prevention and control measures in healthcare facilities where such large accumulations of the bacteria are likely, so that we can stem the global spread of this pathogen.”
The study highlights the environment’s important role in CRAB persistence and eventual acquisition by patients. Researchers call for build-up of the bacteria to be tackled with infection prevention and control measures, including:
- Thorough and regular deep-cleaning of surfaces touched by patients and staff;
- Isolation of patients known to carry CRAB;
- Minimisation of patient relocation between beds; and
- Enhanced staff hand-washing protocols.
Researchers sampled the entire ICU, including staff, patients, and the environment, to reveal a remarkable diversity of CRAB in this setting - introduced to the unit as patients were admitted and driving the bacteria’s spread within the ICU.
CRAB can persist for prolonged periods on hospital surfaces and medical equipment, and colonise patients within 48 hours of admission - facilitated by hospital staff, shared equipment, airflow and plumbing. Outbreaks of CRAB can require interventions or changes to infrastructure that impose clinical, logistical, and financial burdens.
Antibiotic-resistant infections are a major threat to global public health. CRAB infections are found worldwide with severely limited treatment options prompting the World Health Organisation to designate CRAB a priority organism for which novel therapeutics are urgently required.
Professor McNally added: “In the absence of new therapeutic agents, effective CRAB IPC strategies are vital, if we are to limit the morbidity and mortality caused by the bacteria in hospitals. We must develop a thorough understanding of the persistence, transmission, and evolution of CRAB populations in such environments.”
ENDS
For more information, please contact Tony Moran, International Communications Manager, University of Birmingham on +44 (0)782 783 2312 or t.moran@bham.ac.uk. Out-of-hours please call +44 (0)121 414 2772.
Notes to Editors
- The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions, its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers and teachers and more than 8,000 international students from over 150 countries.
- ‘Endemicity and diversification of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in an Intensive Care Unit’ - Emma L. Doughty, Haiyang Liu, Robert A. Moran, Xiaoting Hua, Xiaoliang Ba, Feng Guo, Xiangping Chen, Linghong Zhang, Mark Holmes, Willem van Schaik, Alan McNally, and Yunsong Yu is published in The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific.
- Participating institutions include the Universities of Birmingham and Cambridge, UK; and Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
JOURNAL
The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific
METHOD OF RESEARCH
Observational study
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
People
ARTICLE TITLE
Endemicity and diversification of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in an Intensive Care Unit
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
9-May-2023
Multidrug-resistant bacteria: New report from Veterinary field, Osaka, Japan
Risk of cross-species transmission between humans and companion dogs and cats
Peer-Reviewed PublicationIMAGE: ANTIMICROBIAL-RESISTANT BACTERIA TRANSMIT NOT ONLY AMONG HUMANS BUT ALSO BETWEEN HUMANS, ANIMALS AND ENVIRONMENT. WHILE LIVESTOCK ANIMALS ARE CONSIDERED RESERVOIRS OF ANTIMICROBIAL-RESISTANT BACTERIA, THE ROLE OF COMPANION ANIMALS IN CROSS-SPECIES TRANSMISSION REMAINS UNCLEAR. view more
CREDIT: MAYO YASUGI, OMU
The emergence and global spread of antimicrobial resistant bacteria among companion animals (e.g., dogs and cats) pose a risk of the animals being reservoirs for cross-species transmission because of their close contact with humans.
In Japan, for the first time, a research team led by Associate Professor Mayo Yasugi from the Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Veterinary Science discovered Escherichia coli resistant to both colistin and third-generation cephalosporin antibiotics in a companion dog. Outside Japan, both colistin and third-generation cephalosporin-resistant E. coli isolates have already been discovered in companion animals. However, the number of reports is still low, and knowledge of the trends and in-depth analysis of the bacteria is limited. Therefore, there are still many unknowns regarding the nature and host-to-host transmission of the bacteria.
This study investigated 678 bacterial strains isolated from 428 dogs and 74 cats with suspected infectious diseases that were presented to the Veterinary Medical Center, Osaka Metropolitan University. Researchers discovered two E. coli strains carrying both a mobile colistin-resistant mcr gene and a third-generation cephalosporin-resistant blaCTX gene. One of these strains isolated from a dog was found to be resistant to both colistin and third-generation cephalosporins.
According to Professor Yasugi, “From the perspective of ‘One Health’, studies on antimicrobial resistant bacteria should be performed among not only humans but also surrounding animals and environment. We hope to contribute to elucidate the role of companion animals in cross-species transmission of antimicrobial resistant bacteria.”
Their findings were published in Veterinary Microbiology.
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About OMU
Osaka Metropolitan University is the third largest public university in Japan, formed by a merger between Osaka City University and Osaka Prefecture University in 2022. OMU upholds "Convergence of Knowledge" through 11 undergraduate schools, a college, and 15 graduate schools. For more research news visit https://www.omu.ac.jp/en/ or follow us on Twitter: @OsakaMetUniv_en, or Facebook.
JOURNAL
Veterinary Microbiology
METHOD OF RESEARCH
Experimental study
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
Animals
ARTICLE TITLE
Genetic and phenotypic analyses of mcr-harboring extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing Escherichia coli isolates from companion dogs and cats in Japan
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