New research from Emory University reveals that even seemingly small lifestyle improvements decreased one’s risk of developing heart disease, and these decreases also translate to lower risk of subsequent conditions, such as cancer, dementia, type 2 diabetes, and eye, liver, and kidney diseases. The study also links heart health to vision, hearing, and dental health. The study analyzed more than 450 peer-reviewed studies, assessing the overall impact of implementing the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7™ metrics, a series of preventative measures, which include: not smoking, healthy eating, regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, and managing blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.  Even a 1-point improvement on Life’s Simple 7™ scale, which ranges from 0-14 points, translates to critical health gains for the heart and other organs. 

The R package rcssci offers an intuitive solution for visualizing Restricted Cubic Splines (RCS) in regression analyses. It automates the generation of spline plots for outcomes like odds ratios (OR), hazard ratios (HR), and risk ratios (RR), facilitating the identification of non-linear relationships in data. Supporting Cox, Logistic, linear, and quasi-Poisson models, rcssci aids researchers in interpreting complex data relationships before delving into advanced machine learning techniques.

 A first-of-its-kind global-to-local study has found that COVID-19’s impact varied remarkably across 920 locations worldwide, even within the same country. By analyzing data on cases, deaths, and healthy years lost between 2020 and 2021, the researchers revealed that broad national or regional averages may mask substantial local disparities. The study calls for more detailed, location-specific data to guide better public health decisions in future pandemics.