COVID Impact On Employment Status Of LGBTQ+ Individuals
COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on employment for minority population sub-groups resulting in higher unemployment rates and health care concerns, according to a study from Rutgers University that was published on November 13, 2021 in the journal Sexuality Research and Social Policy. The aim of the investigation was to identify the specific effects of job loss trends on LGBTQ+ individuals in the U.S. The results indicate that employment of members of this group has been undermined by COVID-19, but as with all population segments, those individuals with multiple minority identities, such as Black or HIV+ and LGBTQ+, have been affected most severely. This study highlights the need for national data collection on sexual orientation and gender identity for unemployment as well as the need for substantive policies, such as expanding unemployment to assist in the economic recovery for population groups most affected by COVID-19, along with the Equality Act to offer further workplace protections.
Trends In Adolescent Cannabis-Related Hospitalizations By State Legalization Laws, 2008-2019
The impact of cannabis legalization on adolescent cannabis-related hospitalizations remains unknown. An investigation described in the December 2021 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health sought to assess whether state cannabis legalization is associated with adolescent cannabis-related hospitalizations. The study involved states with no legal use to medical cannabis laws (MCLs) and states with MCLs to nonmedical (>21 years old) cannabis laws (NMCLs). Of 1,898,432 adolescent hospitalizations in 18 states and Washington, DC, there were 37,562 (2%) hospitalizations with a cannabis-related diagnosis, with 8,457 (23%) in states with no legal use, 20,444 (54%) in MCL states, and 8,661 (23%) in NMCL states. Among the conclusions reached, cannabis-related adolescent hospitalizations at children’s hospitals are increasing, with a disproportionate increase post-legalization in states with NMCLs. Interventions are warranted to increase cannabis use identification and treatment among at-risk adolescents in the hospital-based setting.
HEALTH TECHNOLOGY CORNER
Factors Involving 10-Year Declines in Physical Health and Function Among Women During Midlife
Women in midlife often develop chronic conditions and experience declines in physical health and function. Identifying factors associated with declines in physical health and function among these women may allow for targeted interventions. As reported in a cohort study described on January 10, 2011 in the journal JAMA Network Open, the objective by investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital was to examine factors associated with clinically important 10-year declines in the physical component summary score (PCS) of the Short Form 36 (SF-36), a widely used patient-reported outcome measure, in women in midlife. The findings reveal that clinically important declines in women’s physical health and function were relatively common between ages 55 and 65 years. Several variables associated with these declines were identified as potentially useful components in a clinical score identifying women at increased risk of physical health and functional declines.
How Skin Cells Form A First Line Of Defense Against Cancer
A study published on January 11, 2011 in the journal Cell Reports reveals important insights into the molecular mechanisms that underpin the body’s natural defenses against the development of skin cancer. The findings offer new clues into the behavior of skin cancer at the cellular level, paving the way for potential new therapeutic targets to treat the disease. The investigation by researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology in Spain, indicates that the protein CSDE1 coordinates a complex chain of events that enable senescence in skin cells. The senescent cells act as a firewall against cancer, suppressing the formation of tumors. The findings are surprising because CSDE1 previously has been linked to driving the formation of cancers. The study is one of the few to examine the role of RNA-binding proteins in establishing cell senescence, which is an important new frontier in cancer research.