Scientists at the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) have uncovered key insights into how T cells – the body's frontline immune soldiers – respond to infections like COVID-19. These findings could help scientists refine immune response strategies to improve long-term protection against diseases. Furthermore, these insights could contribute to more precise treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases.

About The Study: In this cohort study, over the time period including the COVID-19 pandemic, primary care practices reported a decline in access to care, while average practice capabilities improved. Integrated practice ownership and accountable care organization participation were both associated with better access and capability scores, suggesting that value-based payment and integrated care delivery support the development of higher-quality primary care. Variations across practices point to large opportunities for improvement overall and underscore the importance of incentives and structures as levers to improve primary care delivery.

About The Study: The results of this study show that the COVID-19 pandemic caused a notable drop in the number of common ophthalmic procedures among Medicare beneficiaries, especially in laser peripheral iridotomy, while eye drug injections saw minimal changes. The Northeast experienced the largest reductions, highlighting the pandemic’s association with changes in eye care and indicating a need for focused recovery efforts in the hardest hit areas. 

Researchers at University of Tsukuba observed a decline in breast cancer screening participation rates in Japan during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic according to the data of the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions. They also identified groups that experienced a greater decline, including women aged 45-49 years and those covered by employee insurance (dependent person).

About The Study: Drug overdose deaths have increased exponentially since 1979. This rate of increase accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic but has since waned. When comparing recent drug-related mortality rates with their pre-2020 trajectory, the vast majority of states remained higher than expected. In the 4 years between 2020 and 2023, nearly all states had higher drug-related mortality rates than their 2019 rates.

A new Dartmouth-led study finds that pregnant individuals who were unable to have their desired emotional support persons present during childbirth were more likely to have higher levels of perceived childbirth stress than those who were not missing their support people. The findings are published in Evolution, Medicine, & Public Health.

About The Study: In 2023, post–COVID condition (PCC) continued to affect U.S. children at similar levels as 2022 and to have similar sociodemographic patterns. The large proportion of children experiencing PCC with any activity limitation highlights the need to examine the severity of activity limitation, functional outcomes, and days lost from school.

Alcohol-related deaths increased 18% during the pandemic, as did hospitalizations related to alcohol use, according to new research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.241146.

New research from the University of Minnesota and Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) shows that death rates for early adults, or adults aged 25-44, rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic and remain higher than expected post-pandemic. Heightened death rates during the COVID-19 pandemic intensified an already negative trend for early adults, which began around 2010. As a result, early adult death rates in 2023 were about 70 percent higher than they might have been if death rates had not begun to rise about a decade before the pandemic. 

About The Study: This cross-sectional study found that compared with trends from the early 2000s, early adult (ages 25-44) mortality in the U.S. has risen substantially in 2 stages: 2011 to 2019 and 2020 to 2023. Although mortality rates decreased after the core pandemic years, excess mortality remained higher than expected based on pre-pandemic levels. The largest portion of 2023 excess mortality was driven by drug poisoning, but many other external and natural causes exceeded what prior trends would have projected.

The study found that the rates of patients leaving before medically advised increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were 721 million emergency department visits from 2016 to 2021, of which 194 million (26.9  percent) occurred after March 2020. Patients left before medically advised in 5.9 million emergency department visits during the study period—especially in the second, third and fourth quarters of 2020 and fourth quarter of 2021—for a 53.6 percent increase over pre-pandemic levels. The researchers noted that the increase could be the result of concern about COVID-19 infection and dissatisfaction with longer waiting times and other factors triggered by the surge in pandemic-related demands on hospitals.