Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study Shows Forever Chemicals Upset Youngsters' Key Biological Processes
Exposure to 鈥渇orever chemicals鈥 interferes with several critical biological processes 鈥斅爄ncluding the metabolism of fats and amino acids 鈥斅爄n children and young adults, a new study has found. The disruption of these processes can increase susceptibility to a variety of illnesses, such as developmental disorders, cardiovascular disease, cancer and metabolic diseases like diabetes, according to the study, published on Wednesday in聽Environmental Health Perspectives. (Udasin, 2/22)
Pancreatic cancer rates are rising faster among women than men, according to a new study by researchers from Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles, California. The findings were published recently in the journal Gastroenterology. (Rudy, 2/22)
A randomized controlled trial in four European nations found that implementing a multifaceted antibiotic stewardship intervention safely reduced antibiotic prescribing for urinary tract infections (UTIs) in frail older adults, researchers reported today in The BMJ. (Dall, 2/22)
Research presented at this week's Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) suggests that the use of doxycycline after sex to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) may not significantly increase resistance to the antibiotic. (Dall, 2/22)
Electronic health records do not accurately reflect some social determinants of health, a new study published in JAMA found. Screenings of food insecurity, housing instability and financial strain in adult primary care were found to reach varying levels of accuracy. (Burky, 2/22)
In research relating to covid 鈥
A recent meta-analysis in the Lancet compared protection conferred upon individuals by prior infection from COVID-19 and vaccination against the virus and found protection from a prior COVID infection to be on par with the shot. But one expert argued that this interpretation misses the nuances in the meta-analysis, which looked at 65 studies from 19 countries published up until Sept. 30, 2022, and therefore could not fully take into account how prior infection fared against the omicron variant and its growing list of subvariants. (Diamond, 2/22)
COVID-19 outpatient treatment information on US state public health department websites is difficult to read and access, especially for people with low literacy or limited English language proficiency and in states with Republican governors, according to a research letter published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. (Van Beusekom, 2/22)
