Births: Provisional Data For 2019
A report from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in May 2020 reveals that the provisional number of births for the U.S. in 2019 was 3,745,540, down 1% from 2018. The general fertility rate was 58.2 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44, down 2% from 2018 to reach a record low for the U.S. The total fertility rate was 1,705.0 births per 1,000 women in 2019, down 1% from 2018 to reach another record low for the nation. Birth rates declined for nearly all age groups of women under 35, but rose for women in their early 40s. The rate for women aged 35–39 was essentially unchanged in 2019. The birth rate for teenagers aged 15–19 declined by 5% in 2019 to 16.6 births per 1,000 females; rates declined for both younger (aged 15–17) and older (aged 18–19) teenagers. The cesarean delivery rate decreased to 31.7% in 2019; the low risk cesarean delivery rate decreased to 25.6%. The pre-term birth rate rose for the fifth year in a row to 10.23% in 2019.
Effects Of The COVID-19 Pandemic On Routine Pediatric Vaccine Ordering And Administration
The Morbidity and Mortality Report from the CDC on May 15, 2020 shows that Vaccine Tracking System data indicate a notable decrease in orders for Vaccines for Children Program (VFC)-funded, ACIP- recommended non-influenza childhood vaccines and for measles-containing vaccines during period two (1/6/20-4/19/20) compared with period one (1/7/19 and 4/21/19). The decline began the week after the national emergency declaration by President Donald Trump on March 13, 2020. Similar declines in orders for other vaccines also were observed. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is a reminder of the importance of vaccination. The identified declines in routine pediatric vaccine ordering and doses administered might indicate that U.S. children and their communities face increased risks for outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. Parental concerns about potentially exposing their children to COVID-19 during well-child visits might contribute to the declines observed.
HEALTH TECHNOLOGY CORNER
Non-Invasive And Reversible Modulation Of Neuronal Activity To Diagnose And Treat Brain Disorders
About one in eight individuals over the age of 12 take antidepressants for mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety. A quarter of those have done so for 10 years or more according to a 2017 study by the National Center for Health Statistics and the use of antidepressants increased 65% from 1999 to 2014. New research indicates that treatments of brain disorders possibly may not have to require drugs or invasive surgery at all, just sound waves. As reported in a paper that was published on May 20, 2020 in the journal Science Advances, low-intensity ultrasound can be applied to the brain non-invasively to modulate neural activity with spatial specificity superior to other non-invasive methods, such as transcranial electrical or magnetic stimulation. Sound waves of high frequencies (ultrasound) have shown promise in this respect, combining the ability to modulate neuronal activity with sharp spatial focus. No pain, discomfort, or surgical technique are involved.
Cracking Nature’s Most Common Chemical Bond To Improve Drug Effectiveness
As reported in the May 15, 2020 issue of the journal Science, the most common chemical bond in the living world -- that between carbon and hydrogen -- has long resisted attempts by chemists to crack it open, thwarting efforts to add new exciting features to old carbon-based molecules. Now, after nearly 25 years of work by chemists at the University of California, Berkeley, those hydrocarbon bonds, two-thirds of all the chemical bonds in petroleum and plastics, have yielded fully, creating a possibility of synthesizing a large range of novel organic molecules, including drugs based on natural compounds. A potential application is altering natural compounds to improve them. Biologics, i.e., organic molecules, such as proteins, used as drugs also could be altered with this reaction to improve their effectiveness.
More May 2020 TRENDS Articles
RESEARCH AND EDUCATION AFTER THE PANDEMIC
Indicates the importance of recognizing how “confounding” as a source of bias threatens the process of causal inference in research practice. Read More
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
ASAHP President Phyllis King presents information about the Association’s five strategic objective areas and associated success measures. Read More
HEROES ACT PASSED IN HOUSE
Contains details about a proposed piece of legislation to furnish additional financial assistance to deal with economic consequences resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More
HEALTH REFORM DEVELOPMENTS
Points out how the federal-state Medicaid program is being augmented to provide insurance coverage and paid sick leave benefits for individuals negatively affected by job loss. Read More
DEVELOPMENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Describes how Mad magazine’s Alfred E. Neuman’s motto of Quid Me Anxious Sum serves as a motivational factor for enjoying life once governmental lock-down provisions are relaxed and also how coronavirus stimulus funding is being distributed to colleges and universities. Read More
QUICK STAT (SHORT, TIMELY, AND TOPICAL)
Births: Provisional Data for 2019
Effects Of The COVID-19 Pandemic On Routine Pediatric Vaccine Ordering And Administration
Non-Invasive And Reversible Modulation Of Neuronal Activity To Diagnose And Treat Brain Disorders
Cracking Nature’s Most Common Chemical Bond To Improve Drug Effectiveness Read More
AVAILABLE RESOURCES ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONICALLY
What COVID-19 Epidemiologic Models Can And Cannot Tell Us
Supporting Student Health And Mental Well-Being
Caregiving In The United States 2020 Read More
RETHINKING THE “BENCH” AND “BEDSIDE” DICHOTOMY
Mentions how research activities might be understood better in the context of “discovery-invention” cycles rather than a basic/applied dichotomy that translates loosely to notions of bench and bedside research. Read More
ADDRESSING THE 60-30-10 CHALLENGE
Refers to a study that discusses how 60% of health care adheres to guidelines; 30% is represented by care that is waste, duplication, or low value; and 10% accounts for iatrogenic harm or adverse events. Read More