COVID-19 patients from more socially vulnerable areas were sicker when they got to hospitals, but did just as well by the time they left — suggesting the importance of early and equal access to care. But those differences disappeared by the time their stays were done — whether they left the hospital alive or dead.…

Can Switzerland, as planned, cut its CO2 emissions to zero by 2050? Researchers have investigated what measures would be necessary to achieve this reduction and how much it might cost per person. In August 2019, the Swiss Federal Council decided on an ambitious target to limit climate change: From the year 2050 onward Switzerland should,…

Study reveals the unintended and negative consequences of policies designed to reduce the supply of opioids in the population for overdose. «Literature from public health to social sciences has presented mixed and contradictory findings on the impact of opioid policies on various opioid adverse outcomes,» said Byungkyu Lee, assistant professor of sociology at IU and…

States that issued water shutoff moratoria ensuring low-income households had continued access to clean water experienced significantly lower daily COVID-19 infection and death rates, researchers report. During the COVID-19 epidemic, 34 states enacted moratoria on water shutoffs from most water utilities so that people could access clean water. Among the 34 states, 20 states imposed…

Scientists studied the biomechanics of swimmer ‘kickstarts’ using force sensors and motion-capture cameras. They found that force exerted by the hands on the starting platform is significant, which may assist in training. As people watching the recent Summer Olympics are well aware, the time interval separating a Gold medalist from a non-medalist can be a…

In a study of the nine largest U.S. cities, researchers found stark racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic inequities in COVID-19 vaccination rates across neighborhoods. The study showed that high vaccination neighborhoods had more white residents, fewer people of color, higher incomes, and lower poverty rates. These high vaccination neighborhoods also had lower historical COVID-19 death rates,…

Web-based analytics have demonstrated their value in predicting the spread of infectious disease, and a new study indicates the value of analyzing Google web searches for keywords related to COVID-19. Strong correlations were found between keyword searches on the internet search engine Google Trends and COVID-19 outbreaks in parts of the U.S., according to a…

The rise in firearm violence has coincided with an increase in the severity of injuries firearms inflict as well as the cost of operations. «Taken together, our findings suggest that gun violence has increased in numbers, at least for the sector that meets surgical criteria, and that these injuries result in a substantial financial burden…

Sports cardiologists offer guidance for athletes’ return to play after they have recovered from COVID-19, in a new article that addresses the most common questions posed by the media, in clinics and athletic training rooms, and during discussions among cardiologists who care for athletes. The article addresses the most common questions posed by the media,…

A one-year increase in alcohol consumption in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic is estimated to cause 8,000 additional deaths from alcohol-related liver disease, 18,700 cases of liver failure, and 1,000 cases of liver cancer by 2040. A sustained increase in alcohol consumption for more than one year could result in 19-35 percent additional mortality.…