Medical and Research Library News

Medical and Research Library News               
October 2024

Training opportunities
Websites and reports on trending topics
Journal articles of note

Training opportunities

The webinars and online classes listed here are shared solely as opportunities to learn more information of interest to public health personnel. All times listed are in Central Time.

October 3, 2024; 12–1 p.m. Food as Medicine in Pediatrics: A Necessary Responsibility.
This lecture from the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living will explore the pivotal role of "food as medicine" in promoting community health and well-being. Keynote speaker Dr. Kofi Essel will emphasize the importance of a holistic, family-centered approach that extends beyond adults to include the individual child and the entire household. He will highlight how food-based interventions, such as medically-tailored meals and produce prescriptions, hold immense potential to prevent and manage chronic conditions, particularly when leveraging the reach of large healthcare organizations.

October 17, 2024; 1-2 p.m. Visionary Technology: Exploring Eyeglasses and Impairment in the NLM’s Collections.
Join Dr. Rachael Gillibrand as she explores the connections between eye impairments and the creation of eyeglasses, using the collections of the National Library of Medicine (NLM). The talk will highlight items from her 'ocular impairment' resource collection, accessible through the Medical Heritage Library, as well as materials used in her forthcoming book on premodern disability. Together, we will dive into the pages of historical texts, including Guy de Chauliac's Chyrurgia, Bartholomeus Anglicus' De proprietatibus rerum and the writings of Ambroise Paré, to explore how ocular health has influenced the design of eyeglasses throughout history.

October 30, 2024; 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Zoonotic Tuberculosis.
This webinar is offered by the DSHS Office of Practice and Learning
Grand Rounds program. DSHS Grand Rounds explores the science
and practice of population health and awards continuing education credits/contact hours for various disciplines. Visit the Grand Rounds calendar to see information on upcoming sessions. Held monthly on the fourth Wednesday, sessions last 90 minutes with the final 20 minutes reserved for Q&A.

October 31, 2024; 12–1 p.m. From Problem to Prevention: Evidence-Based Public Health.
Curious about evidence-based public health (EBPH) but not sure where to start? This class from the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) will explain the basics of EBPH and highlight essentials of the EBPH process such as identifying the problem, forming a question, searching the literature, and evaluating the intervention. The purpose of this class is to introduce the world of evidence based public health and to give those already familiar with EBPH useful information that can be applied in their practices.

Websites and reports on trending topics

Gale Academic OneFile – This TexShare resource lets you access millions of articles from thousands of scholarly and authoritative sources in the humanities, science, social science, business, and more. The Topic Finder feature is an easy visual to help explore sub-topics of your initial search. Please email the library for remote access to this resource.

MedlinePlus - Produced by the National Library of Medicine, this resource has extensive information from the National Institutes of Health and other trusted sources on over 975 diseases and conditions. There are directories, a medical encyclopedia and a medical dictionary, health information in Spanish, extensive information on prescription and nonprescription drugs, health information from the media, and links to thousands of clinical trials.

Launching Lifelong Health by Improving Health Care for Children, Youth, and Families – This report from the National Academies  examines how the health care system can be better positioned to address the needs of all children and families and leverage community supports. This requires transforming key components, such as health care financing, public health investment, community partnerships, and accountability strategies, to encourage team-based care delivery models and attention to and health promotion, prevention, and root causes of health disparities.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month - Each year in the United States, more than 240,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and 42,000 women die from the disease. This website from the CDC will help you recognize symptoms, identify risk factors, and lower your risk.

Toxic Substances Portal from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s (ASTDR) makes it easy for researchers and individuals to find information about toxic chemicals, understand how these chemicals can affect health, and learn how to prevent exposure. It features a search engine that facilitates finding substances by substance name, Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) registry number, synonym, or trade name.

Journal articles of note

Adekanmbi V, Sokale I, Guo F, et al. Human papillomavirus vaccination and human papillomavirus-related cancer rates. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(9):e2431807. Published 2024 Sep 3. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.31807
Abstract
Importance: To inform the design and implementation of targeted interventions to reduce the future burden of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers in Texas, it is necessary to examine the county and health service region (HSR) levels of (1) the proportion of children and teenagers aged 9 to 17 years who initiated and were up to date for HPV vaccination series and (2) HPV-related cancer incidence rates (IRs).
Objective: To evaluate temporal trends and geospatial patterns of HPV vaccination initiation and up-to-date status as well as HPV-related cancer rates at county and HSR levels in Texas.
Design, setting, and participants: This population-based cross-sectional study used data from the Texas Immunization Registry, the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program database, and Texas Department of State Health Services annual population counts from 2006 to 2022. The analysis of HPV vaccination rates was conducted among children and teenagers aged 9 to 17 years; the analysis of HPV-related cancer rates was conducted among adults aged 20 years and older. Data were extracted between June and July 2023 and statistical analysis was performed from February to April 2024.
Main outcomes and measures: HPV vaccination initiation and up-to-date status rates and HPV-related cancer IR at county and HSR levels.
Results: A total of 32,270,243 children and teenagers (65.8% female individuals and 34.2% male individuals) and 22,490,105 individuals aged 20 years and older (50.7% female individuals and 49.3% male individuals) were included. The mean 2021 to 2022 county-level HPV vaccination series initiation estimates ranged from 6.3% to 69.1% for female and from 7.0% to 77.6% for male children and teenagers aged 9 to 17 years. County-level vaccination up-to-date estimates were generally lower compared with those of initiation estimates and ranged from 1.6% to 30.4% for female and from 2.1% to 34.8% for male children and teenagers. The pattern of HPV vaccination rates stratified by sex were similar across counties and HSRs. The age-adjusted annual HPV-related cancer IR by county for years 2016 to 2020 ranged from 0 to 154.2 per 100,000 for female individuals and from 0 to 60.1 per 100 000 for male individuals. The counties located in North Texas, HSRs 2/3 and 4/5N, had lower HPV vaccination rates and higher IRs of HPV-related cancers for both female and male individuals compared with other regions.
Conclusions and relevance: In this study, the incidence of HPV-related cancers varied widely across the counties and HSRs of Texas. More counties in North Texas, HSRs 2/3 and 4/5N, had higher IRs of HPV-related cancers and a lower proportion of HPV vaccination rates than counties in other regions. Designing and implementing targeted interventions to increase uptake and completion of HPV vaccination series across counties with low HPV vaccination rates may help to reduce future the burden of HPV-related cancers.

Forestieri NE, Olshan AF, Oster ME, et al. Survival of children with critical congenital heart defects in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Birth Defects Res. 2024;116(9):e2394. doi:10.1002/bdr2.2394
Abstract
Background: Critical congenital heart defects (CCHDs) are associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. This study estimated survival of children with nonsyndromic CCHDs and evaluated relationships between exposures of interest and survival by CCHD severity (univentricular or biventricular function).
Methods: This analysis included 4380 infants with CCHDs (cases) born during 1999-2011 and enrolled in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, a multisite, population-based case-control study of major birth defects. Cases were linked to state death files. Nonparametric Kaplan-Meier survival functions were used to estimate 1- and 5-year survival probabilities overall and by severity group (univentricular/biventricular) stratified by demographic and clinical exposure variables of interest. The log-rank test was used to determine whether stratified survival curves were equivalent. Survival and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were also estimated using Cox proportional hazards modeling adjusted for maternal age, education, race/ethnicity, study site, and birth year.
Results: One- and five-year survival rates were 85.8% (CI 84.7-86.8) and 83.7% (CI 82.5-84.9), respectively. Univentricular 5-year survival was lower than biventricular case survival [65.3% (CI 61.7-68.5) vs. 89.0% (CI 87.8-90.1; p < 0.001)]. Clinical factors (e.g. preterm birth, low birthweight, and complex/multiple defects) were associated with lower survival in each severity group. Sociodemographic factors (non-Hispanic Black race/ethnicity, <high school education, smoking, and lower household income) were only associated with survival among biventricular cases.
Conclusions: Mortality among children with CCHDs occurred primarily in the first year of life. Survival was lower for those with univentricular defects, and social determinants of health were most important in predicting survival for those with biventricular defects.

Messiah SE, Abbas R, Bergqvist E, et al. Factors associated with elevated SARS-CoV-2 immune response in children and adolescents. Front Pediatr. 2024;12:1393321. Published 2024 Aug 15. doi:10.3389/fped.2024.1393321
Abstract
Background: Understanding the distinct immunologic responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection among pediatric populations is pivotal in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and informing future public health strategies. This study aimed to identify factors associated with heightened antibody responses in children and adolescents to identify potential unique immune dynamics in this population.
Methods: Data collected between July and December 2023 from the Texas Coronavirus Antibody REsponse Survey (Texas CARES), a statewide prospective population-based antibody survey among 1-to-19-year-old participants, were analyzed. Each participant had the following data available for analysis: (1) Roche Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Immunoassay for Nucleocapsid protein antibodies (Roche N-test), (2) qualitative and semi-quantitative detection of antibodies to the SARS CoV-2 spike protein receptor binding domain (Roche S-test), and (3) self-reported antigen/PCR COVID-19 test results, vaccination, and health status. Statistical analysis identified associations between participant characteristics and spike antibody quartile group.
Results: The analytical sample consisted of 411 participants (mean age 12.2 years, 50.6% female). Spike antibody values ranged from a low of 6.3 U/ml in the lowest quartile to a maximum of 203,132.0 U/ml in the highest quartile in the aggregate sample. Older age at test date (OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.35, p < .001) and vaccination status (primary series/partially vaccinated, one or multiple boosters) showed significantly higher odds of being in the highest spike antibody quartile compared to younger age and unvaccinated status. Conversely, fewer days since the last immunity challenge showed decreased odds (OR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.96, 0.99, p = 0.002) of being in the highest spike antibody quartile vs. more days since last immunity challenge. Additionally, one out of every three COVID-19 infections were asymptomatic
Conclusions: Older age, duration since the last immunity challenge (vaccine or infection), and vaccination status were associated with heightened spike antibody responses, highlighting the nuanced immune dynamics in the pediatric population. A significant proportion of children/adolescents continue to have asymptomatic infection, which has important public health implications.

For more information, employees may email the Medical and Research Library at library@dshs.texas.gov to receive research assistance, learn how to access electronic materials, or to obtain the full text of articles mentioned in this month’s news.

The Medical and Research Library News is sent out once a month or when important library news or events occur. Recent issues of the MRL News are online. If any of the links do not open for you, please email library@dshs.texas.gov and we will send you what you need. Thank you!

If you would like to subscribe, please send an email to library@dshs.texas.gov with Subscribe in the subject line.

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Medical and Research Library News               
September 2024

Training opportunities
Websites and reports on trending topics
Journal articles of note

Training opportunities

The webinars and online classes listed here are shared solely as opportunities to learn more information of interest to public health personnel. All times listed are in Central Time.

September 4, 2024; 2–3 p.m. Global Lessons on Greening School Grounds
The Greening School Grounds & Nature Based Education project engages global leaders and practitioners to build networks of like-minded organizations and individuals to identify and deliver scalable strategies to support the worldwide movement of school ground greening. In this webinar from Texas Children in Nature, you will hear from three different municipalities from across the globe and how they've scaled greening school ground efforts that support learning, playing, community engagement, and climate resilience.

September 11, 2024; 10–11 a.m. Mosquito and Vector Control Awareness: Bridging the Gaps Between Mosquito and Vector Control Programs, Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Professionals, Politicians, and the Public.
Many places around the country have mosquito and vector control programs. There are typically no legal requirements for these programs, nor is there a standard for where they are housed, how they are set up, who is involved in the activities, or the services they provide. Little standardization among programs contributes to a lack of understanding of their purpose and awareness among various levels of public health, medical, and veterinary communities, politicians, and the public.

This problem has been recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and has led to grant funding intended to help improve regional capacity to address vector-borne diseases known as Strengthening Training, Evaluation, and Partnership in the Prevention and Control of Vector-Borne Diseases. Funding has been awarded to the Gulf South VECTOR collaborative. This webinar from the Network of the National Library of Medicine will review issues caused by the lack of standardization among these programs and the goals of Gulf South VECTOR to mitigate these issues.

September 19, 2024; 12–1:30 p.m. Improving the Health and Wellbeing of Children and Youth through Health Care System Transformation: Report Release Webinar
The Committee on Improving the Health and Wellbeing of Children and Youth through Health Care System Transformation will host a virtual briefing to present the findings and recommendations from its report Launching Lifelong Health by Improving Health Care for Children, Youth, and Families. The ad hoc committee was assembled by the National Academies to conduct a consensus study to examine promising mechanisms and levers for innovations that can be implemented in the health care system to improve the health and wellbeing of children and youth.

September 25, 2024; 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.  Rural Telementoring Training Center.
This webinar is offered by the DSHS Office of Practice and Learning
Grand Rounds program. DSHS Grand Rounds explores the science
and practice of population health and awards continuing education credits/contact hours for various disciplines. Visit the Grand Rounds calendar to see information on upcoming sessions. Held monthly on the fourth Wednesday, sessions last 90 minutes with the final 20 minutes reserved for Q&A.

Websites and reports on trending topics

Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Efforts through State and Local Health Departments – This special supplement from the Journal of Public Health Management & Practice, sponsored by the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), seeks to advance work in cardiovascular health by highlighting core strategy areas that include the expansion and strengthening of community-clinical linkages, clinical quality measures, and team-based care to improve cardiovascular health and disease mortality. The high-quality articles contained in the supplement will be of interest to anyone working to decrease the burden of cardiovascular disease in the populations they serve.

The Community Guide: The Guide to Community Preventive Services is a collection of evidence-based findings of the Community Preventive Services Task Force. It is a resource to help you select interventions to improve health and prevent disease in your state, community, community organization, business, healthcare organization, or school.

CAB Direct is the most thorough and extensive source of reference in the applied life sciences, incorporating the leading bibliographic databases CAB Abstracts and Global Health. CABI's bibliographic databases, including the world-renowned CAB Abstracts and Global Health, contain over 11 million bibliographic records, full-text articles, news items and reports across the applied life sciences.

Proquest Health Research Premium – In the medical field, access to the latest health care information is always essential, whether it's for students, researchers, medical professionals, hospital administrators, or even for patients and their families. Proquest Health Research Premium addresses these diverse needs by offering a central access point to a variety of essential content. This database serves a wide range of users with a broad collection of journals, evidence-based resources, and full-text dissertations, and includes the top ProQuest health and medical databases. This database is available through the TexShare portal.

Journal articles of note

Ham DC, Li R, Mitsunaga T, et al. Clusters of emerging multidrug-resistant organisms in US health care facilities during the initial months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Am J Infect Control. Published online July 30, 2024. doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2024.07.013
Abstract
Background: Outbreaks of emerging multidrug-resistant organisms (eMDROs), including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, and Candida auris, have been reported among severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) patients. We describe eMDRO clusters in SARS-CoV-2 units and associated infection control (IC) practices early in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic
Methods: We conducted a retrospective survey of a convenience sample of health departments in 11 states to describe clusters of eMDROs that began before November 1, 2020, and involved SARS-CoV-2 units. Cluster characteristics and IC practices during the cluster period were assessed using a standardized outbreak report form, and descriptive analyses were performed.
Results: Overall, 18 eMDRO clusters (10 carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, 6 C auris, 1 carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and 1 carbapenem-resistant A baumannii) in 18 health care facilities involving 397 patients were reported from 10 states. During the cluster period, 60% of facilities reported a shortage of isolation gowns, 69% extended use of gowns, and 67% reported difficulty obtaining preferred disinfectants. Reduced frequency of hand hygiene audits was reported in 85% of acute care hospitals during the cluster period compared with before the pandemic.
Conclusions: Changes in IC practices and supply shortages were identified in facilities with eMDRO outbreaks during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and might have contributed to eMDRO transmission.

Moorhead B, Shrestha N, Newman-Caro AB, et al. Determining barriers to submitting antimicrobial-resistant isolates among hospitals in Texas Public Health Region 8. J Infect Prev. 2024;25(4):120-125. doi:10.1177/17571774241235101
Abstract
Background: The Antimicrobial Resistance Laboratory Network (AR Lab Network) was developed by the CDC to detect emerging antimicrobial-resistant (AR) threats and prevent outbreaks. However, low submission rates of AR isolates limit the potential of the AR Lab Network to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate barriers to submission of AR isolates in acute care hospitals (ACHs) and critical access hospitals (CAHs) within Texas Public Health Region 8 (PHR8) counties.
Methods: A survey was designed and emailed to laboratory professionals to identify barriers to AR isolate submission. Responses were analyzed using 2-sided Fisher's exact tests to identify associations between responses and respondent characteristics.
Results: Of the 33 hospitals within PHR8 invited to participate in the survey, responses were received from 21, a response rate of 63.6%. Lack of awareness of the AR Lab Network was the most frequently cited barrier to submission (65.4% of respondents). Other reported barriers to submission included lack of laboratory staff time (57.7%), lack of training with the submission process (34.6%), lack of personnel certified to ship infectious substances (23.1%), and lack of laboratory/shipping supplies (23.1%).
Discussion: Regardless of the respondent's role, time in that role, or
type of hospital in which they worked, the most common barrier to isolate submission was lack of awareness of the AR Lab Network. In the future,
we will address the identified barriers by implementing educational outreach programs about AMR and the AR Lab Network for hospitals and other healthcare facilities within PHR8.

Petkov VI, Byun JS, Ward KC, et al. Reporting tumor genomic test results to SEER registries via linkages. J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr. 2024;2024(65):168-179. doi:10.1093/jncimonographs/lgae013
Abstract
Background: Precision medicine has become a mainstay of cancer care in recent years. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program has been an authoritative source of cancer statistics and data since 1973. However, tumor genomic information has not been adequately captured in the cancer surveillance data, which impedes population-based research on molecular subtypes. To address this, the SEER Program has developed and implemented a centralized process to link SEER registries' tumor cases with genomic test results that are provided by molecular laboratories to the registries.
Methods: Data linkages were carried out following operating procedures for centralized linkages established by the SEER Program. The linkages used Match*Pro, a probabilistic linkage software, and were facilitated by the registries' trusted third party (an honest broker). The SEER registries provide to NCI limited datasets that undergo preliminary evaluation prior to their release to the research community.
Results: Recently conducted genomic linkages included OncotypeDX Breast Recurrence Score, OncotypeDX Breast Ductal Carcinoma in Situ, OncotypeDX Genomic Prostate Score, Decipher Prostate Genomic Classifier, DecisionDX Uveal Melanoma, DecisionDX Preferentially Expressed Antigen in Melanoma, DecisionDX Melanoma, and germline tests results in Georgia and California SEER registries.
Conclusions: The linkages of cancer cases from SEER registries with genomic test results obtained from molecular laboratories offer an effective approach for data collection in cancer surveillance. By providing de-identified data to the research community, the NCI's SEER Program enables scientists to investigate numerous research inquiries.

Stephens SB, Benjamin RH, Lopez KN, et al. Enhancing the classification of congenital heart defects for outcome association studies in birth defects registries. Birth Defects Res. 2024;116(8):e2393. doi:10.1002/bdr2.2393
Abstract
Introduction: Traditional strategies for grouping congenital heart defects (CHDs) using birth defect registry data do not adequately address differences in expected clinical consequences between different combinations of CHDs. We report a lesion-specific classification system for birth defect registry-based outcome studies.
Methods: For Core Cardiac Lesion Outcome Classifications (C-CLOC) groups, common CHDs expected to have reasonable clinical homogeneity were defined. Criteria based on combinations of Centers for Disease and Control-modified British Pediatric Association (BPA) codes were defined for each C-CLOC group. To demonstrate proof of concept and retention of reasonable case counts within C-CLOC groups, Texas Birth Defect Registry data (1999-2017 deliveries) were used to compare case counts and neonatal mortality between traditional vs. C-CLOC classification approaches
Results: C-CLOC defined 59 CHD groups among 62,262 infants with CHDs. Classifying cases into the single, mutually exclusive C-CLOC group reflecting the highest complexity CHD present reduced case counts among lower complexity lesions (e.g., 86.5% of cases with a common atrium BPA code were reclassified to a higher complexity group for a co-occurring CHD). As expected, C-CLOC groups had retained larger sample sizes (i.e., representing presumably better-powered analytic groups) compared to cases with only one CHD code and no occurring CHDs.
Discussion: This new CHD classification system for investigators using birth defect registry data, C-CLOC, is expected to balance clinical outcome homogeneity in analytic groups while maintaining sufficiently large case counts within categories, thus improving power for CHD-specific outcome association comparisons. Future outcome studies utilizing C-CLOC-based classifications are planned.

For more information, employees may email the Medical and Research Library at library@dshs.texas.gov to receive research assistance, learn how to access electronic materials, or to obtain the full text of articles mentioned in this month’s news.

The Medical and Research Library News is sent out once a month or when important library news or events occur. Recent issues of the MRL News are online. If any of the links do not open for you, please email library@dshs.texas.gov and we will send you what you need. Thank you!

If you would like to subscribe, please send an email to library@dshs.texas.gov with Subscribe in the subject line.

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Medical and Research Library News               
August 2024

Training opportunities
Websites and reports on trending topics
Journal articles of note
New ebooks

Training opportunities

The webinars and online classes listed here are shared solely as opportunities to learn more information of interest to public health personnel. All times listed are in Central Time.

August 6, 2024; 1-2 p.m. Open Tools for Data Deidentification
This presentation from the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) will introduce data science topics and terminologies. Presenters will cover AI in healthcare, explain what natural language processing (NLP) is, and discuss HIPAA privacy requirements and define PII.

August 8, 2024; 12-1 p.m. Growing Healthier Communities: Exploring the Health Impacts of Community Gardens
Join this webinar from the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living in an exploration of the links between community gardens and farms and health, from treating patients to improving nutrition in different communities. Learn about different efforts of community gardening and farming and their health impacts in the Houston area.

August 14, 2024; 7-8 p.m. Performance Management Techniques for Successful Decision Making
This session presented by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) will equip participants with practical insights and strategies that can be immediately applied to operationalize performance management (PM) effectively. It will delve into the concepts and uses of a performance management system and the crucial role of developing meaningful goals, objectives, and measures to monitor program performance and success in your public health initiatives.

August 28, 2024; 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Hospitals and Public Health
This webinar is offered by the DSHS Office of Practice and Learning Grand Rounds program. Dr. Ukert will provide an overview of how system ownership of hospitals impacts operations using multiple combined data sources from over 100 independent hospitals that have entered system ownership. Visit the Grand Rounds calendar to see information on upcoming sessions. Held monthly on the fourth Wednesday, sessions last 90 minutes with the final 20 minutes for Q&A.

Websites and reports on trending topics

CDC Wonder – The CDC Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiological Research (CDC WONDER) provides access to a wide array of public health information. You can search for and read published documents on public health concerns, including reports, recommendations and guidelines, articles and statistical research data published by CDC. It also has reference materials and bibliographies on health-related topics. You can query numeric data sets on CDC's information systems, via fill-in-the blank webpages. Public-use data sets about mortality (deaths), cancer incidence, HIV and AIDS, TB, natality (births), census data and many other topics are available for query, and the requested data are readily summarized and analyzed.

Compounding Disasters in Gulf Coast Communities 2020-2021: Impacts, Findings, and Lessons Learned – Traditionally, the impacts of disasters are quantified individually and often in economic terms of property damage and loss. In this case, each of these major events occurring in the Gulf of Mexico during this time period subsequently earned the moniker of "billion-dollar" disaster. However, this characterization does not reflect the non-financial human toll and disparate effects caused by multiple disruptive events that increase underlying physical and social vulnerabilities, reduce adaptive capacities and ultimately make communities more sensitive to the effects of future disruptive events. This report explores the interconnections, impacts, and lessons learned of compounding disasters that impair resilience, response, and recovery efforts.

Learning Express Library – This resource, available through TexShare, offers interactive training modules. It covers topics like math and writing skills, but also includes training on computer software like the Microsoft Office programs, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop. Please email the library if you need assistance accessing TexShare.

ProQuest Public Health – This database is also available through the TexShare databases. It is designed to be the ideal starting point for public health information and research. With journals, news, trade publications, reports and more, ProQuest Public Health covers a wide variety of disciplines ranging from social sciences and biological sciences to business. Journal results are indexed from core literature collected from a variety of publishers using appropriate public-health terminology.

Journal articles of note

Abedin A, Zane DF, Lawson KA, Johnson MB. Disparities in unintentional drowning fatalities in Texas, USA, 1999-2020. Inj Prev. Published online July 13, 2024. doi:10.1136/ip-2024-045323
Abstract
Background: Drowning is the third-leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide. Although the USA as a whole bears a heavy burden, with approximately 4000 drowning fatalities annually, Texas stands out as a high-risk state for drowning due to its large population, suitable climate for year-round aquatic activities and availability of water-related recreational opportunities.
Methods: Using mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research online database, this retrospective, cross-sectional study overviews the magnitude and patterns of fatal unintentional drownings among Texans from 1999 to 2020.
Results: Over the 22-year period, 7737 Texans died from unintentional drowning. An average of 352 drowning deaths occurred annually, with a rate of 1.4 deaths per 100 000 population. The highest proportion of unintentional drownings occurred in natural water settings (e.g., lakes, ponds or rivers), accounting for 40% of fatal drownings. Children aged 1-4 years had the highest drowning death rate compared with all other age groups. Male Texans had a drowning death rate three times higher than that of female Texans. Black Texans had a higher drowning death rate than White Texans and Asian or Pacific Islander Texans.
Conclusions: Drowning remains a significant public health issue in Texas. Data on high-risk groups and settings should be used to strengthen drowning prevention efforts and policy initiatives and encourage more research to address the multifaceted factors contributing to drowning.

Haas CB, Shiels MS, Pfeiffer RM, et al. Cancers with epidemiologic signatures of viral oncogenicity among immunocompromised populations in the United States. J Natl Cancer Inst. Published online July 2, 2024. doi:10.1093/jnci/djae159
Abstract
Background: Immunosuppressed individuals have elevated risk of virus-related cancers. Identifying cancers with elevated risk in people with HIV (PWH) and solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs), two immunosuppressed populations, may help identify novel etiologic relationships with infectious agents.
Methods: We utilized two linkages of population-based cancer registries with HIV and transplant registries in the United States. Cancer entities were systematically classified based on site and histology codes. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were used to compare risk in PWH and SOTRs with the general population. For selected cancer entities, incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated for indicators of immunosuppression within each population.
Findings: We identified 38,047 cancer cases in SOTRs and 53,592 in PWH, yielding overall SIRs of 1.66 (95%CI = 1.65-1.68) and 1.49 (95%CI = 1.47-1.50), respectively. Forty-three cancer entities met selection criteria, including conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (PWH SIR = 7.1, 95%CI = 5.5-9.2; SOTRs SIR = 9.4; 95%CI = 6.8-12.6). Sebaceous adenocarcinoma was elevated in SOTRs (SIR = 16.2; 95%CI = 14.0-18.6) and, among SOTRs, associated with greater risk in lung/heart transplant recipients compared to recipients of other organs (IRR = 2.3; 95%CI = 1.7-3.2). Salivary gland tumors, malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH), and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma showed elevated risk in SOTRs (SIR = 3.9; SIR = 4.7; and SIR = 3.2, respectively) but not in PWH. However, risks for these cancers were elevated following an AIDS diagnosis among PWH (IRR = 2.4; IRR = 4.3; and IRR = 2.0, respectively).
Interpretation: Elevated SIRs among SOTRs and PWH, and associations with immunosuppression within these populations, suggest novel infectious causes for several cancers including conjunctival SCC, sebaceous adenocarcinoma, salivary gland tumors, MFH, and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Lupo PJ, Archer NP, Harris RD, et al. Newborn screening analytes and structural birth defects among 27,000 newborns. PLoS One. 2024;19(7):e0304238. Published 2024 Jul 5. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0304238
Abstract
Background: Emerging evidence suggests newborn screening analytes may yield insights into the etiologies of birth defects, yet no effort has evaluated associations between a range of newborn screening analytes and birth defects.
Methods: This population-based study pooled statewide data on birth defects, birth certificates, and newborn screening analytes from Texas occurring between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2009. Associations between a panel of thirty-six newborn screening analytes, collected by the statewide Texas Newborn Screening Program, and the presence of a birth defect, defined as at least one of 39 birth defects diagnoses recorded by the Texas Birth Defects Registry, were assessed using regression analysis
Findings: Of the 27,643 births identified, 20,205 had at least one of the 39 birth defects of interest (cases) as identified by the Texas Birth Defects Registry, while 7,438 did not have a birth defect (controls). Among 1,404 analyte-birth defect associations evaluated, 377 were significant in replication analysis. Analytes most consistently associated with birth defects included the phenylalanine/tyrosine ratio (N = 29 birth defects), tyrosine (N = 28 birth defects), and thyroxine (N = 25 birth defects). Birth defects most frequently associated with a range of analytes included gastroschisis (N = 29 analytes), several cardiovascular defects (N = 26 analytes), and spina bifida (N = 23 analytes).
Conclusions: Several significant and novel associations were observed between newborn screening analytes and birth defects. While some findings could be consequences of the defects themselves or to the care provided to infants with these defects, these findings could help to elucidate mechanisms underlying the etiology of some birth defects.

Oluwafemi OO, Agopian AJ, Benjamin RH, Gimeno Ruiz de Porras D, Shumate CJ, Patel JR. Demographic differences and potential bias from automated occupation coding among mothers of babies born with or without cleft lip and/or cleft palate in the Texas Birth Defects Registry. J Occup Environ Med. Published online July 16, 2024. doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000003189
Abstract
Objective: To compare maternal demographics based on occupation coding status and evaluate potential bias by excluding manually coded occupations.
Methods: This case-control study assessed cases with clefts obtained from the Texas Birth Defects Registry. The NIOSH Industry and Occupation Computerized Coding System automatically coded occupations, with manual coding for unclassified cases. Maternal demographics were tabulated by occupation coding status (manual vs. automatic). Logistic regression examined associations between major occupation groups and clefts.
Results: Automatic coding covered over 90% of all mothers. Building, grounds cleaning, and maintenance occupations, and office and administrative support occupations were significantly associated with cleft lip with or without cleft palate, even after excluding manually coded occupations.
Conclusion: We found consistent associations before and after excluding manually coded data for most comparisons, suggesting that machine learning can facilitate occupation-related birth defects research.

New eBooks in the Library

Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions - Julian P. T. Higgins, ed.

Essentials of Health Behavior: Social and Behavioral Theory in Public Health. by Mark Edberg.

Human Molecular Genetics by Tom Strachan & Andrew Read.

Introduction to Health Promotion by Anastasia M. Snelling.

Language Development and Social Interaction in Blind Children by Miguel Perez Pereira & Gina Conti-Ramsden.

Oxford Handbook of Public Health Practice - Ichiro Kawachi, ed.

Plain Language, Please by Janet C. Arrowood.

The Wellbeing of Children Under Three by Helen Bradford.

For a complete list of all library titles, visit the Library’s Online Catalog.

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