Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: Cancer; Covid; Obesity; Marijuana; Preemies
The home death rate among cancer patients in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic increased 8.3% at the same time as the provision of specialized palliative care (SPC) declined 5.3%, with a smaller increase in home deaths among socioeconomically deprived patients given no SPC, according to a Canadian study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. (Van Beusekom, 2/28)
All study participants were followed for up to 1 year after infection, and clinical symptoms were noted. "Completely vaccinated and patients with booster dose of vaccines did not incur significant higher risk of health consequences from 271 and 91 days of infection onwards, respectively," the authors wrote. Unvaccinated and incompletely vaccinated patients, however, continued to have a greater risk of clinical symptoms (sequelae) for up to a year following SARS-CoV-2 infection. (Soucheray, 2/27)
Inspired by the design of space shuttles, researchers have invented a new way to synthesize a key component of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), the revolutionary delivery vehicle for mRNA treatments including the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, simplifying the manufacture of LNPs while boosting their efficacy at delivering mRNA to cells for medicinal purposes. (University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2/26)
Marijuana use has increased nationally and is the most common federally illicit substance used during pregnancy. This study aimed to describe hospital practices and nursery director knowledge and attitudes regarding marijuana use and breastfeeding and assess the association between breastfeeding restrictions and provider knowledge, geographic region, and state marijuana legalization status. We hypothesized that there would be associations between geography and/or state legalization and hospital practices regarding breastfeeding with perinatal marijuana use. (Chang et al, 1/22)
Bayley-III assessments performed at 21–24 months’ CA were more likely to diagnose a significant developmental delay compared with 18- to 20-month assessments in extremely preterm children. (Garfinkle et al, 1/8)
