Epidemiology Research Articles

Biomedical

A Physics-Informed Neural Network approach for compartmental epidemiological models

Compartmental models provide simple and efficient tools to analyze the relevant transmission processes during an outbreak, to produce short-term forecasts or transmission scenarios, and to assess the impact of vaccination campaigns. However, their calibration is not straightforward, since many factors contribute to the rapid change of the transmission dynamics. For example, there might be ...
3 months ago

Biomedical

Attributable risk from distributed lag models

Background

Measures of attributable risk are critical in epidemiology, particularly for planning and evaluating public health interventions. Current definitions, however, often overlook temporal relationships between exposure and risk. This study proposes extended definitions of attributable risk within the framework of distributed l...
4 months ago

Biomedical

The Uncertain Science of Predicting Death

The study by Seow et al. explores the development of a patient-oriented prognostic tool to help patients with cancer understand their mortality and disease trajectory. It aims to improve end-of-life (EOL) care by empowering patients to make informed decisions aligned with their goals. The study highlights the importance of prognosis awareness, functional decline, and symptom monitoring in improvin...
5 months ago

Biomedical

Tobacco Use in High-Risk Populations

The study by Akhtar and colleagues highlights the high rate of tobacco use (over 90%) among rural individuals who inject drugs, revealing the ongoing smoking epidemic in high-risk populations. Tobacco use is linked to social stressors like Medicaid insurance and homelessness. The study suggests that smoking cessation interventions have not effectively reached this group, and advocates for integrat...
5 months ago

Biomedical

Spatial Epidemiology of Diabetes and Tuberculosis in India

In the study by Hernandez et al., the spatial distribution of diabetes in India was examined, revealing a concentration in southern and eastern regions. The study also explored the potential overlap between diabetes and tuberculosis prevalence, but found no significant spatial correlation between the two. This work highlights the importance of spatial epidemiology in understanding disease patterns...
5 months ago

Biomedical

Is the Environment Associated With Preterm Birth?

The study by Zhang et al. explores the link between preconception exposure to phthalates and an increased risk of preterm birth. Phthalates, commonly found in food and consumer products, are endocrine disruptors. The research found that higher concentrations of specific phthalate metabolites in maternal urine were associated with a 50% increased risk of preterm birth. The findings suggest that int...
5 months ago

Biomedical

Wastewater and the Elimination of Bias

The article discusses the advantages of wastewater sampling for monitoring drug use in communities. It highlights how wastewater surveillance avoids biases seen in other drug monitoring methods and offers valuable insights into drug consumption patterns. The paper also addresses the potential for wastewater sampling to identify novel psychoactive substances (NPS) and warns about the stigmatization...
5 months ago

Biomedical

Smoking and Melanoma Outcomes—Another Reason to Quit

Summary: The study by Jackson et al. shows that smoking significantly increases the risk of melanoma-associated death (MAD) in patients with clinically localized melanoma. Smokers had a 48% higher risk of death from melanoma compared to nonsmokers, with heavier smokers facing an even greater risk. The study highlights that smoking may reduce blood flow and impair immune responses, contributing to ...
5 months ago

Biomedical

Using Nonprobabilistic Surveys to Measure COVID-19 Incidence

Summary:

The article discusses the potential of nonprobability online surveys as an efficient and timely method for measuring COVID-19 incidence. These surveys, when integrated with wastewater surveillance data, provide useful estimates of disease spread, particularly in the absence of precise official case counts. They offer demographic insig...
5 months ago

Social Science

Integrating data within watershed management and public health

Summary

The study, Integrating Data Within Watershed Management and Public Health by Lars K. Hallstrom (2024), explores the critical interplay between water resources, ecosystem health, and public health. It emphasizes the importance of integrating data from diverse sources to address challenges like climate change, water scarcity, and their ef...
5 months ago

Epidemiology

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