Inflation is ‘always going to be a risk’ with the U.S. economy now fundamentally changed, ADP chief economist says

Inflation is “always going to be a risk” in the U.S. due to structural changes in the labor market, according to Nela Richardson, chief economist at payroll processing firm ADP. International: Top News And Analysis

Warming Oceans May Raise Risk of Bacterial Infections

As oceans warm, pathogenic bacteria are turning up more frequently in northern regions, scientists say. NYT > Health

Young people are at risk of harsh respiratory problems after 30 days of e-cigarette use, study says

Researchers urged drug regulators to consider the study findings and work to minimize the negative impact of electronic cigarette use on young people. U.S. News

Testosterone Therapy Does Not Raise Heart Risk in a Group of Men

New results from a large study are reassuring, but questions remain about long-term safety, and about use by men without medical conditions. NYT > Health

Researchers Identify Possible New Risk for Breast Cancer

Women’s breasts become less dense with age. Cancer may be more likely in breast tissue that is persistently denser over time, a new study suggests. NYT > Health

Covid May Increase the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Researchers Find

Men and people with severe illnesses were more likely to develop the condition within a year. But the data does not prove that the coronavirus causes diabetes. NYT > Health

Surgical risk persists for patients who’ve had COVID

  by Paul Govern When patients undergo any type of surgery after having had COVID, their odds of significant postoperative problems diminish with elapsed time from COVID diagnosis. Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center now report that this trend of decreasing risk persists longer than previously known, for as long as 13 months after COVID. Their report appeared Dec. 14 in JAMA Network...

Food allergy linked to lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection

  by Nancy Humphrey People with food allergies are surprisingly less likely to become infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, than people without them, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and co-led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Tina Hartert, MD, MPH, has found. In addition, the Human Epidemiology and Response to SARS-CoV-2 (HEROS) study published...

These Small Businesses Face the Biggest Risk in a Recession

Smaller brands selling big-ticket appliances and apparel face the biggest risk if a recession is on the horizon. This is just one of the takeaways from The Brand Balancing Act from NielsenIQ. The global study focused on how the new inflationary marketplace is affecting consumer perspectives on SMBs. “When inflation or a recession hits, consumer spending naturally goes down. With the tightening...

Every home in America now has a wildfire threat score, and some areas see a 200% jump in risk

Wildfire risk is increasing, likely due to global warming, and its destruction is becoming ever more expensive. U.S. News

Gene variants increase risk of kidney failure in Black veterans with COVID-19: study

  by Leigh MacMillan Gene variants increased the risk of acute kidney injury and death in veterans of African ancestry who were hospitalized with COVID-19, according to a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. A team of Vanderbilt investigators led the study as part of the VA Million Veteran Program COVID-19 Science Initiative. The findings may explain some health disparities associated...

Long-acting antibody combo developed at VUMC reduces COVID-19 risk and symptoms

  by Bill Snyder The global biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca announced more good news about its long-acting combination of two monoclonal antibodies against COVID-19 that were discovered at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. In a prevention trial, one prophylactic, intramuscular injection of the antibody combination, called AZD7442, reduced the risk of symptoms occurring after exposure...