Infectious addictions: Geographies of colliding epidemics

Medical geography and health geography have made significant contributions to studies of human health by addressing the spatial patterns of disease exposure, location of health care services, and place-specific processes producing health and wellbeing. Human geography and human-environment geography have also contributed with emerging attention to the body, uncertainty, and health and environment interactions. What remains understudied are the co-occurrence of multiple disease patterns, including the relationships between infectious disease and addiction. We review geographic research on infectious disease and addiction to advance a theoretical framework that emphasizes the centrality of complexity, uncertainty, difference, and care in shaping human health.

COVID-19: the first pandemic of the 21th century. A review of the literature

The new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) was recognized in December 2019 as a cause of severe pneumonia and has now led to a global pandemic [1, 2]. Respiratory illnesses caused by COVID-19 cover a whole range of severities. Identifying the risk factors and protective factors for the severity of COVID-19 disease is essential to direct the development of new treatments and infection prevention strategies. The first large series of cases identified several risk factors for severe forms of the disease, including advanced age, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, exposure to tobacco, and obstructive pulmonary chronic disease [1, 3]. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention published a significant case series study of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (72 314 cases, updated through February 11, 2020) [4, 5]. The authors of this paper summarized key findings from this report and discussed emerging understanding of and conclusions from the COVID-19 epidemic.

Epigenetic Regulatory Dynamics in Models of Methamphetamine-Use Disorder

Methamphetamine (METH)-use disorder (MUD) is a very serious, potentially lethal, biopsychosocial disease. Exposure to METH causes long-term changes to brain regions involved in reward processing and motivation, leading vulnerable individuals to engage in pathological drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior that can remain a lifelong struggle. It is crucial to elucidate underlying mechanisms by which exposure to METH leads to molecular neuroadaptive changes at transcriptional and translational levels. Changes in gene expression are controlled by post-translational modifications via chromatin remodeling. This review article focuses on the brain-region specific combinatorial or distinct epigenetic modifications that lead to METH-induced changes in gene expression.

Cardiovascular Effects of Particulate Air Pollution

Inhalation of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), produced by the combustion of fossil fuels, is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Exposure to PM2.5 has been linked to increases in blood pressure, thrombosis, and insulin resistance. It also induces vascular injury and accelerates atherogenesis. Results from animal models corroborate epidemiological evidence and suggest that the cardiovascular effects of PM2.5 may be attributable, in part, to oxidative stress, inflammation, and the activation of the autonomic nervous system. Although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, there is robust evidence that long-term exposure to PM2.5 is associated with premature mortality due to heart failure, stoke, and ischemic heart disease. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Medicine, Volume 73 is January 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

The promise of transformed long-term care homes: Evidence from the pandemic

A combination of factors during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic led to a disproportionately high mortality rate among residents of long-term care homes in Canada and around the globe. Retrospectively, some of these factors could have been avoided or minimized. Many infection control approaches recommended by public health experts and regulators, while well intended to keep people safe from disease exposure, threatened other vital aspects of health and well-being. Furthermore, focusing narrowly on infection control practices does not address longstanding operational and infrastructural factors that contributed significantly to the pandemic toll. In this article, we review traditional (ie institutional) long-term care practices that were associated with increased risk during the pandemic and highlight one transformational model (the Green House Project) that worked well to protect the lives and livelihood of people within congregate care settings. Drawing on this evidence, we identify specific strategies for necessary and overdue improvements in long-term care homes.

Evidence of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in domestic cats living with owners with a history of COVID-19 in Lima, Peru

SARS-CoV-2 can infect a variety of wild and domestic animals worldwide. Of these, domestic cats are highly susceptible species and potential viral reservoirs. As such, it is important to investigate disease exposure in areas with active community transmission and high disease prevalence. In this report we demonstrate the presence of serum neutralizing antibodies against the receptor binding-domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 in cats whose owners had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Lima, Peru, using a commercial competitive ELISA SARS-CoV-2 Surrogate Virus Neutralization Test. Out of 41 samples, 17.1% (7/41) and 31.7% (13/41) were positive, using the cut-off inhibition value of 30% and 20%, respectively. Not all cats living in a single house had detectable neutralizing antibodies showing that heterogenous exposure and immune among cohabiting animals. This is the first report of SARS-COV-2 exposure of domestic cats in Lima, Peru. Further studies are required to ascertain the prevalence of SARS-COV-2 exposure among domestic cats of Lima, Peru.

Zoonotic Disease Management and Infection Control Practices Among Veterinarians in the United Arab Emirates

This study was conducted to assess zoonotic disease management and infection control practices (ICPs) among veterinarians in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A questionnaire was developed in SurveyMonkey, an online tool, and was distributed by email during February–May 2020 to 470 veterinarians practicing across the UAE. A total of 110 individuals completed the survey, giving a response rate of 23.4% (110/470). Results indicate that reported hand hygiene, sharps management, barrier or isolation practices, and personal choices for personal protective equipment (PPE) in common practice scenarios varied among practitioners. The majority (>75%) of veterinarians in all practice types reported always washing their hands before eating, drinking, or smoking at work. The survey revealed that 19% and 10% of large and small animal veterinarians indicated they sterilized and reused disposable needles. Veterinarians among all practices indicated high rates (75% to 80%) of recapping needles before disposal. When handling an animal suspected of having a zoonotic disease, most (90%) of small animal veterinarians reported always using practices such as isolating the animal and removing outwear before contact with other animals. However, only half (55%) of the large animal respondents reported always isolating the animal or sterilizing all equipment used on the animal of concern. Fewer than half of the large animal (35%) and mixed practice (44%) veterinarians indicated they would always be limiting human contact with the animal of concern. All of the small animal respondents reported full compliance with PPE while performing surgery and necropsy. Among large animal veterinarians, 44% reported not using respiratory or eye protection when aiding with parturition or handling conception products. Failure to use appropriate PPE when handling blood samples was the second most common noncompliant practice among large animal (39%) veterinarians and mixed practice (41%) respondents. Our study indicates a need for continuous education regarding ICPs in the veterinary community in the UAE. Better awareness of the risk of zoonotic disease exposure and options for managing this risk and liability issues could drive the adoption of infection control practices.

Shift work is associated with positive COVID-19 status in hospitalised patients

IntroductionShift work is associated with lung disease and infections. We therefore investigated the impact of shift work on significant COVID-19 illness.Methods501 000 UK Biobank participants were linked to secondary care SARS-CoV-2 PCR results from Public Health England. Healthcare worker occupational testing and those without an occupational history were excluded from analysis.ResultsMultivariate logistic regression (age, sex, ethnicity and deprivation index) revealed that irregular shift work (OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.92 to 3.05), permanent shift work (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.95 to 3.19), day shift work (OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.55 to 2.6), irregular night shift work (OR 3.04, 95% CI 2.37 to 3.9) and permanent night shift work (OR 2.49, 95% CI 1.67 to 3.7) were all associated with positive COVID-19 tests compared with participants that did not perform shift work. This relationship persisted after adding sleep duration, chronotype, premorbid disease, body mass index, alcohol and smoking to the model. The effects of workplace were controlled for in three ways: (1) by adding in work factors (proximity to a colleague combined with estimated disease exposure) to the multivariate model or (2) comparing participants within each job sector (non-essential, essential and healthcare) and (3) comparing shift work and non-shift working colleagues. In all cases, shift work was significantly associated with COVID-19. In 2017, 120 307 UK Biobank participants had their occupational history reprofiled. Using this updated occupational data shift work remained associated with COVID-19 (OR 4.48 (95% CI 1.8 to 11.18).ConclusionsShift work is associated with a higher likelihood of in-hospital COVID-19 positivity. This risk could potentially be mitigated via additional workplace precautions or vaccination.