Ambient fine particulate matter in Latin American cities: Levels, population exposure, and associated urban factors

UC BERKELEY AUTHORS: Iryna Dronova, Daniel Rodriguez DATE OF PUBLICATION: January 2021 REGION: Latin America DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145035 SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: Exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5) is a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality. Yet few studies have examined patterns of population exposure and investigated the predictors of PM2.5 across the rapidly growing cities in lower- and middle-income

Bridge the Gap: Reducing Inequity in Hospital Readmissions for African American Patients with Heart Failure Through Quality Improvement Initiatives

UC BERKELEY AUTHORS: Carolina Ornelas, Raj P Fadadu, Morrise A Richardson, Omonivie H Agboghidi DATE OF PUBLICATION: January 2021 REGION: North America DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/heq.2020.0082 SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: Purpose: Heart failure (HF) disproportionately impacts African Americans. We evaluated existing quality improvement (QI) initiatives and patient and provider perceptions of barriers to HF care to develop equity-centered QI recommendations. Methods: We performed

Assessing Upstream Determinants of Antibiotic Use in Small-Scale Food Animal Production through a Simulated Client Method

UC BERKELEY AUTHORS: Zachary Butzin-Dozier, Jay Graham DATE OF PUBLICATION: December 2020 REGION: South America DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics10010002 SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: Small-scale food animal production has been celebrated as a means of economic mobility and improved food security but the use of veterinary antibiotics among these producers may be contributing to the spread of antibiotic resistance in animals

Distinguishing Pathovars from Nonpathovars: Escherichia coli

UC BERKELEY AUTHOR: Lee W Riley DATE OF PUBLICATION: December 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/microbiolspec.AME-0014-2020 SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: Escherichia coli is one of the most well-adapted and pathogenically versatile bacterial organisms. It causes a variety of human infections, including gastrointestinal illnesses and extraintestinal infections. It is also part of the intestinal commensal flora of humans and other mammals. This

Dioxin exposure associated with fecundability and infertility in mothers and daughters of Seveso, Italy

UC BERKELEY AUTHORS: Brenda Eskenazi, Jennifer Ames, Stephen Rauch, Nina Holland, Marcella Warner DATE OF PUBLICATION: December 2020 REGION: Europe DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/deaa324 SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: In animal studies, maternal exposure to TCDD is associated with decreased fertility in offspring. Effects of TCDD are mediated by activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) pathway. Consistent with previous findings

Boiled or Bottled: Regional and Seasonal Exposures to Drinking Water Contamination and Household Air Pollution in Rural China

UC BERKELEY AUTHOR: Kirk R Smith, Isha Ray, Yong Tao DATE OF PUBLICATION: December 2020 REGION: East Asia DOI: https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP7124 SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: Inadequate access to safe drinking water remains a global health problem, particularly in rural areas. Boiling is the most commonly used form of point-of-use household water treatment (HWT) globally, although the use of bottled

Recent advances in understanding the adaptive immune response to Zika virus and the effect of previous flavivirus exposure.

UC BERKELEY AUTHOR: Eva Harris DATE OF PUBLICATION: November 2018 REGION: South America REFERENCE: Andrade DV, Harris E. SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: Zika virus (ZIKV) caused explosive epidemics across the Americas, starting in Brazil in 2015, and has been associated with severe manifestations such as microcephaly in babies born to infected mothers and Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults. As the

Seroepidemiological Studies of Arboviruses in Africa.

UC BERKELEY AUTHOR: Eva Harris DATE OF PUBLICATION: November 2018 REGION: Africa REFERENCE: Gudo ES, Ali S, António VS, Chelene IR, Chongo I, Demanou M, Falk K, Guiliche OC, Heinrich N, Monteiro V, Muianga AF, Oludele J, Mula F, Mutuku F, Amade N, Alho P, Betsem E, Chimbuinhe Z, Cristovam AJ, Galano G, Gessain A, Harris E,

Change in household fuels dominates the decrease in PM2.5 exposure and premature mortality in China in 2005-2015.

UC BERKELEY AUTHOR: Kirk Smith DATE OF PUBLICATION: November 2018 REGION: Asia REFERENCE: Zhao B, Zheng H, Wang S, Smith KR, Lu X, Aunan K, Gu Y, Wang Y, Ding D, Xing J, Fu X, Yang X, Liou KN, Hao J. SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: To tackle the severe fine particle (PM2.5) pollution in China, the government has implemented

Community collective efficacy is associated with reduced physical intimate partner violence (IPV) incidence in the rural province of Mpumalanga, South Africa: findings from HPTN 068.

UC BERKELEY AUTHOR: Ahern J DATE OF PUBLICATION: November 2018 REGION: Africa REFERENCE: Leddy AM, Lippman SA, Neilands TB, Twine R, Ahern J, Gómez-Olivé FX, DeLong SM, MacPhail C, Kahn K, Pettifor AE. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2018 Nov 19. pii: jech-2018-211357. doi: 10.1136/jech-2018-211357. SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a human rights violation and is associated with a variety of

Epidemiological Evidence for Lineage-specific Differences in the Risk of Inapparent Chikungunya Virus Infection.

UC BERKELEY AUTHOR: Bustos Carrillo, Burger-Calderon, Eva Harris DATE OF PUBLICATION: November 2018 REGION: North America REFERENCE:  Bustos Carrillo F, Collado D, Sanchez N, Ojeda S, Lopez Mercado B, Burger-Calderon R, Gresh L, Gordon A, Balmaseda A, Kuan G, Harris E. DOI: 10.1128/JVI.01622-18. SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: In late 2013, chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was introduced into the Americas, leading to widespread epidemics. A

Resurgence of infectious diseases due to forced migration: is planetary health and One Health action synergistic?

DATE OF PUBLICATION: October 2018 REGION: Global REFERENCE: Flowra MT, Asaduzzaman M. Lancet Planet Health. 2018. doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(18)30203-1. ACCESS: Link