Structural Racism As A Mediator Of Disparities In Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Black and Hispanic individuals with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in greater Chicago were more likely to die from the disease than their non-Hispanic white counterparts, with a 59% and 25% greater risk, respectively, according to a new study led by University of Illinois Chicago researchers that was published online January 21, 2022 in the journal Blood. Researchers examined how structural violence, neighborhood disadvantage, perpetuated by social, economic and political systems, can set the stage for poorer outcomes in patients with AML. Strikingly, census tract measures accounted for nearly all of the disparity in leukemia death. Treatment patterns, including induction intensity and allogeneic transplant, as well as treatment complications, as assessed by ICU admission during induction chemotherapy, were additional mediators of survival disparities. The study highlights the need to investigate mechanisms by which structural racism (e.g., segregation) interacts with known prognostic and treatment factors to influence leukemia outcomes.
Suicide Mortality In The United States, 2000–2020
In 2020, suicide was the 12th leading cause of death for all ages in the United States, changing from the 10th leading cause in 2019 due to the emergence of COVID-19 deaths and increases in deaths from chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. As the second leading cause of death for individuals aged 10–34 and the fifth leading cause in the age group 35–54, suicide is a major contributor to premature mortality according to a March 2022 data brief from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Suicide rates increased from 2000 to 2018, but recent data have shown declines between 2018 and 2020. The leading means of suicide for females in 2020 was firearm-related, a change from previous years, while rates for males have continued to increase. This report presents final suicide rates from 2000 through 2020, in total and by sex, age group, and means of suicide, using mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS). This report updates a provisional 2020 report and a previous report with final data through 2019.
HEALTH TECHNOLOGY CORNER
Exposure To Adverse Lead Levels In Early Childhood
Lead is a developmental neurotoxicant in wide industrial use that once was broadly distributed in the environment. The extent of the US population exposed in early life to high levels of lead is unknown, as are the consequences for population IQ. Little evidence is available on the harms past lead exposures continue to hold for yesterday’s children, who are victims of what is termed legacy lead exposures, according to an article published on March 7, 2022 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. Investigators estimate that more than 170 million Americans alive today were exposed to high-lead levels in early childhood, several million of whom were exposed to five-plus times the current reference level. These estimates allow future work to plan for the health needs of these Americans and to inform estimation of the true contributions of lead exposure to population health. The researchers estimate population-level effects on IQ loss and find that lead is responsible for the loss of 824,097,690 IQ points as of 2015.
Ants Can Detect Cancer Cells Through Volatile Organic Compounds
Cancer detection is a major public health challenge. Methods, such as MRIs and mammograms available to achieve it often are expensive and invasive, which limits large-scale use. An alternative method being explored by scientists from the CNRS, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Institut Curie involves the sense of smell of the species of ants, Formica fusca. As described in a paper appearing in the March 18, 2022 issue of the journal iScience, after a few minutes of training, these insects, which use smell for daily tasks, were able to differentiate healthy human cells from cancerous human cells. Cancer cells are characterized by an altered metabolism, producing unique patterns of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can be used as biomarkers. Each cell line had its own smell that could be used by the ants to detect them. The efficacy of this method must now be assessed using clinical trials on a human being, but this first study shows that ants have high potential, are capable of learning quickly, at lower cost, and are efficient.