Tulane University

About: Tulane University is a education organization based out in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Blood pressure. The organization has 24478 authors who have published 47205 publications receiving 1944993 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Louisiana.

Community Outbreak Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission Among Bus Riders in Eastern China.

Abstract: Importance Evidence of whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), can be transmitted as an aerosol (ie, airborne) has substantial public health implications. Objective To investigate potential transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2 infection with epidemiologic evidence from a COVID-19 outbreak. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study examined a community COVID-19 outbreak in Zhejiang province. On January 19, 2020, 128 individuals took 2 buses (60 [46.9%] from bus 1 and 68 [53.1%] from bus 2) on a 100-minute round trip to attend a 150-minute worship event. The source patient was a passenger on bus 2. We compared risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection among at-risk individuals taking bus 1 (n = 60) and bus 2 (n = 67 [source patient excluded]) and among all other individuals (n = 172) attending the worship event. We also divided seats on the exposed bus into high-risk and low-risk zones according to the distance from the source patient and compared COVID-19 risks in each zone. In both buses, central air conditioners were in indoor recirculation mode. Main Outcomes and Measures SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction or by viral genome sequencing results. Attack rates for SARS-CoV-2 infection were calculated for different groups, and the spatial distribution of individuals who developed infection on bus 2 was obtained. Results Of the 128 participants, 15 (11.7%) were men, 113 (88.3%) were women, and the mean age was 58.6 years. On bus 2, 24 of the 68 individuals (35.3% [including the index patient]) received a diagnosis of COVID-19 after the event. Meanwhile, none of the 60 individuals in bus 1 were infected. Among the other 172 individuals at the worship event, 7 (4.1%) subsequently received a COVID-19 diagnosis. Individuals in bus 2 had a 34.3% (95% CI, 24.1%-46.3%) higher risk of getting COVID-19 compared with those in bus 1 and were 11.4 (95% CI, 5.1-25.4) times more likely to have COVID-19 compared with all other individuals attending the worship event. Within bus 2, individuals in high-risk zones had moderately, but nonsignificantly, higher risk for COVID-19 compared with those in the low-risk zones. The absence of a significantly increased risk in the part of the bus closer to the index case suggested that airborne spread of the virus may at least partially explain the markedly high attack rate observed. Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study and case investigation of a community outbreak of COVID-19 in Zhejiang province, individuals who rode a bus to a worship event with a patient with COVID-19 had a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection than individuals who rode another bus to the same event. Airborne spread of SARS-CoV-2 seems likely to have contributed to the high attack rate in the exposed bus. Future efforts at prevention and control must consider the potential for airborne spread of the virus.

Genetic Epidemiology of Obesity

Abstract: Obesity has become a global epidemic and contributes to the increasing burden of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, some types of cancer, and premature death worldwide. Obesity is highly heritable and arises from the interactions of multiple genes, environmental factors, and behavior. In this paper, the authors reviewed recent developments in genetic epidemiologic research, focusing particularly on several promising genomic regions and obesity-related genes. Gene-gene and gene-environment interactions of obesity were also discussed. Published studies were accessed through the MEDLINE database. The authors also searched the Obesity Gene Map Database (http://obesitygene.pbrc.edu/) and conducted a manual search using references cited in relevant papers. Heritabilities for obesity-related phenotypes varied from 6% to 85% among various populations. As of October 2005, 253 quantitative trait loci for obesity-related phenotypes have been localized in 61 genome-wide linkage scans, and genetic variants in 127 biologic candidate genes have been reported to be associated with obesity-related phenotypes from 426 positive findings. Gene-gene interactions were also observed in several genes, and some genes were found to influence the effect of dietary intake and physical activity on obesity-related phenotypes. Integration of genetic epidemiology with functional genomics and proteomics studies will be required to fully understand the role of genetic variants in the etiology and prevention of obesity. body mass index; genes; obesity; overweight Abbreviations: LOD, logarithm of the odds; SNP, single nucleotide polymorphism; WHO, World Health Organization; WHR, waist/hip ratio. Obesity is characterized as an excess of adipose tissue. The most commonly used measurement to assess weight status is body mass index, defined as weight (kg)/height (m) 2 . The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the following body mass index cutpoints to classify weight status in adults 20 years of age or older: <18.5 kg/m 2 (underweight), 18.5‐24.9 kg/m 2 (normal weight), 25.0‐29.9 kg/m 2 (overweight), 30.0‐39.9 kg/m 2 (obese), and 40 kg/m 2 (extremely obese) (1). Although it is by far the most commonly used index for classifying general obesity in an adult, body mass index cannot distinguish obese from muscular individuals, such as athletes, who have more lean muscle than body fat. Body fat mass and percentage body fat, which are measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, can provide a more accurate estimate of obesity status. Percentage total body fat is calculated as fat mass/(fat mass 1 lean mass 1

Techniques for Analyzing Focus Group Data.

Abstract: Focus groups are widely used in the field of public health as a quick, low-cost means of obtaining information from selected groups in the target population for programmatic purposes. Much has been written about techniques for conducting focus groups, but there is limited practical information on systematic analysis of the results. The current article outlines three methods of recording information from focus groups onto paper, as well as three techniques for condensing hours of free-flowing discussion into a readable article that accurately reflects the main points of the focus group discussions. The value of using microcomputers in organizing the focus group information is also discussed.