Month: March 2024

About 6.9% of adults in the US, or around 18 million Americans, and 1.5% of children, or roughly 1 million kids, reported ever having long COVID, while about 8.8 million adults and about 360,000 children said they are currently suffering from the condition, according to data published by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Data showed women, residents of rural areas, adults ages 35 to 49 and Hispanic people were more likely to have had long COVID-19 compared with their counterparts.

Researchers link new-found protein to early dementia: A novel protein known as TAF15 has been added to the list of proteins known to aggregate in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. Researchers reported in the journal Nature that TAF15 forms aggregated structures in patients who have frontotemporal dementia, which normally develops at an earlier age than Alzheimer’s disease. The findings could serve as a basis for diagnostic and treatment advancements.

University to study how health, climate change are linked: The University of Arizona’s school of public health is using $3.8 million in NIH funding to study the intersection between public health and the response to climate change. Researchers will examine the health implications of extreme weather, forecasting, early warning models and the built environment. Professor Kacey Ernst noted that Arizona is an appropriate location for the research as its population is growing rapidly, and it can serve as a model for other regions with dry climates.

AI shows promise for diagnosing autism: Researchers at Duke University have developed an app for smartphones or tablet computers that uses computer vision analysis to evaluate children’s responses to brief videos designed to elicit autism-related behaviors. Meanwhile, researchers in Korea reported in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) Network Open that they have developed a deep learning algorithm that screens for autism spectrum disorder based on retinal images.

Food plant inspections reveals high lead contamination: An FDA inspection of a food production plant in Ecuador uncovered lead levels more than 2,000 times above proposed standards. Contaminated cinnamon in applesauce products that were made there and sold under three (3) US labels have been linked to at least 65 cases of illness in children younger than 6 years.

Stemming from an apparent mishandling of the Philips Respironics recall, two (2) prominent Senators suggest that it is time for a new probe examining Agency oversight

Using smartwatches for heart issue detection in children shows promise: A study published in the journal Communications Medicine found that using smartwatches to detect arrhythmias in children is feasible, and medical records show the tools were able to detect heart issues that were not spotted using traditional monitoring approaches. Researchers wrote that it may be useful for children to have smartwatch technology with heart-tracking algorithms designed for their age group.