Impact of weather extremes on the spatiotemporal dynamics of visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil.

Background: Vector-borne diseases are highly sensitive to environmental and climatic conditions, which can directly affect vector behavior, parasite development, and transmission dynamics. Identifying the key meteorological drivers of these diseases and understanding the timing of their impacts is crucial for enhancing public health preparedness. This study focuses on visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Brazil; a parasitic vector-borne disease spread by the bite of infected sandflies whose distribution is heavily influenced by environmental conditions.

Spatial de-concentration of fatal and nonfatal firearm violence in Boston, MA, 2007-2021.

Background: It is a "law" of criminology that urban crime chronically recurs at the same microplaces (i.e., street segments and intersections).

Algorithm development for the automation of death certificate analysis and coding.

Purpose: We developed an open-source, rule-based algorithm to automate cause of death coding for analyzing mortality in understudied populations, such as people experiencing homelessness, and dynamic public health crises including overdoses and climate-related deaths.

Methods: Death categories of immediate public health concern were selected and keyword lists representing each category were developed in consultation with a domain expert. A rule-based keyword matching algorithm was built to assign death records into the selected death categories.

Firearm Experiences, Behaviors, and Norms Among Rural Adolescents.

Importance: Rural adolescents are at high risk for firearm-related injury, yet most existing prevention efforts are informed by research conducted in urban areas. Despite the need to account for rural perspectives, few studies have investigated the unique social ecological context of firearms for rural adolescents or have directly engaged with rural adolescents to understand their views on firearm use.

Objective: To describe rural adolescents' firearm behaviors and perceptions of firearm-related social norms within their communities, peer groups, and families.

Generalizability of Heat-related Health Risk Associations Observed in a Large Healthcare Claims Database of Patients with Commercial Health Insurance.

Background: Extreme ambient heat is unambiguously associated with a higher risk of illness and death. The Optum Labs Data Warehouse (OLDW), a database of medical claims from US-based patients with commercial or Medicare Advantage health insurance, has been used to quantify heat-related health impacts. Whether results for the insured subpopulation are generalizable to the broader population has, to our knowledge, not been documented.

Exposure to Ambient Heat and Risk of Spontaneous Abortion: A Case-Crossover Study.

Background: Few epidemiologic studies have examined the association of ambient heat with spontaneous abortion, a common and devastating pregnancy outcome.

Methods: We conducted a case-crossover study nested within Pregnancy Study Online, a preconception cohort study (2013-2022). We included all participants reporting spontaneous abortion (N = 1,524).

Community-Academic Partnership to Assess the Role of Physical Disinvestment on Firearm Violence in Toledo, OH.

Reversing physical disinvestment, e.g., by remediating abandoned buildings and vacant lots, is an evidence-based strategy to reduce urban firearm violence.

Warm season ambient ozone and children's health in the USA.

Background: Over 120 million people in the USA live in areas with unsafe ozone (O3) levels. Studies among adults have linked exposure to worse lung function and higher risk of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, few studies have examined the effects of O3 in children, and existing studies are limited in terms of their geographic scope or outcomes considered.

Racial and ethnic differences in the association between depressive symptoms and cognitive outcomes in older adults: Findings from KHANDLE and STAR.

Introduction: Depressive symptoms are associated with higher risk of dementia, but how they impact cognition in diverse populations is unclear.

Methods: Asian, Black, Latino, or White participants (n = 2227) in the Kaiser Healthy Aging and Diverse Life Experiences (age 65+) and the Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans (age 50+) underwent up to three waves of cognitive assessments over 4 years. Multilevel models stratified by race/ethnicity were used to examine whether depressive symptoms were associated with cognition or cognitive decline and whether associations differed by race/ethnicity.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Association between Depressive Symptoms and Cognitive Outcomes in Older Adults: Findings from KHANDLE and STAR.

Introduction: Depressive symptoms are associated with higher risk of dementia but how they impact cognition in diverse populations is unclear.

Methods: Asian, Black, LatinX, or White participants (n=2,227) in the Kaiser Healthy Aging and Diverse Life Experiences (age 65+) and the Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans (age 50+) underwent up to three waves of cognitive assessments over four years. Multilevel models stratified by race/ethnicity were used to examine whether depressive symptoms were associated with cognition or cognitive decline and whether associations differed by race/ethnicity.

Electroacupuncture for Pain Outcomes in a Trauma Center's Acute Pain Service: A Retrospective Observational Study.

Background: Evidence for acupuncture to treat pain is growing. Electrostimulation of acupuncture needles (electroacupuncture) is common for pain and is thought to augment the therapeutic effect.

Objectives: To examine the association of pain outcomes after a single acupuncture session with electrostimulation included (EA) compared with no electrostimulation included (NEA).

Effect of the Communities That Care Prevention System on Adolescent Handgun Carrying: A Cluster-Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: There is little information on upstream community-based interventions that reduce the prevalence of handgun carrying among adolescents, especially those growing up in rural areas.

Objective: To test whether Communities That Care (CTC), a community-based prevention system focusing on risk and protective factors for behavioral problems early in life, reduces handgun carrying prevalence among adolescents growing up in rural areas.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Community-randomized trial of 24 small towns in 7 states assigned randomly to the CTC or control group with outcomes assessed from 2003 to 2011.

School Handgun Carrying Among Youth Growing Up in Rural Communities.

Purpose: To characterize school handgun carrying and violence risk factors among rural youth.

Methods: Using a sample of rural youth (n = 1995), we quantified the proportion who carried a handgun to school, carried but not to school, and did not carry across grades 7-12 and endorsed risk factors for violence in individual, peer, school, and community domains.

Results: Overall, 3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2%-4%) of youth ever carried to school; 15% (95% CI: 14%-16%) carried but not to school; and 82% (95% CI: 80%-84%) never carried.

Analysis of Daily Ambient Temperature and Firearm Violence in 100 US Cities.

Importance: Firearm violence is a leading public health crisis in the US. Understanding whether and how ambient temperature is associated with firearm violence may identify new avenues for prevention and intervention.

Objective: To estimate the overall and regional association between hotter temperatures and higher risk of firearm violence in the US.

King-Devick testing and concussion recovery time in collegiate athletes.

Objectives: To assess whether the King-Devick (KD) test is useful as a prognostic test for prolonged concussion symptoms by examining the relationship between a) change in performance on KD test from baseline to within two days post-injury and b) the absolute KD time at post-concussion testing, with an outcome of time to return to play (RTP).

Design: Prospective Cohort Study.

Methods: Collegiate varsity athletes in the Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education (CARE) Consortium completed baseline and post-injury King-Devick tests from 2014 to 2018.

Survey of Washington clinicians' willingness to use and preferences related to extreme risk protection orders.

Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) temporarily restrict access to firearms if an individual is deemed a significant risk of harm to themselves or others. Some states allow clinicians to initiate ERPO petitions for their patients and a new Justice Department model statute recommends clinicians should be eligible petitioners. Washington clinicians cannot currently file ERPOs independently.