(Press-News.org) Nearly half of the nation’s National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers required universal masking in key clinical areas during the winter 2023-2024 COVID-19 surge, according to a study by Tulane University researchers.
Overall, 41.8% of these 67 centers required some universal masking, according to the study, which published in JAMA Network Open. Further, 12 NCI-designated centers (18%) required universal masking in all areas. Masking policies were even more common in northeastern states and in centers with longer NCI designation, more funding and higher care rankings.
Those with cancer face higher risks from COVID-19 infections, long COVID, infection-related delay of treatment and mortality, and these findings illuminate the divide that remained about COVID masking policies as the U.S. saw its second-largest COVID wave last winter.
Still, Tulane researchers said the numbers were higher than expected and an encouraging sign that the nation’s top cancer centers continue to work to limit the transmission of COVID among patients.
“Requiring universal masking is a new marker of healthcare quality,” said lead study author Michael Hoerger, PhD, MSCR, associate professor of psychology, psychiatry and oncology at Tulane University School of Medicine. “These numbers were higher than expected, but we were surprised that even among this prestigious group, centers with higher care rankings or longer tenures with NCI designation had even greater rates of universal masking policies – about 80%.”
Hoerger’s research team used viral wastewater surveillance data to forecast when COVID would peak last winter.
“That allowed us to review websites and call cancer centers near the exact day of the peak to get up-to-date information on their current masking policies, if any,” said Brenna Mossman, PhD, a Tulane health psychology graduate and postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University.
The study also found that some center’s websites (12%) lacked up-to-date COVID-19 policy information.
“Many people would prefer to believe that Covid is over. They refer to it in the past tense. We are entering a ninth Covid wave right now, with Americans getting infected an average of about once a year,” Hoerger said. “People undergoing cancer treatment are extremely vulnerable to serious outcomes of Covid, as are many others with known and unknown medical vulnerabilities. Well-fitting, high-quality masks in healthcare protect our communities. We need to get more resources to hospitals so they can monitor transmission, explain it to people, and fund personal protective equipment.”
The research was conducted as a part of the Tulane University Psycho-Oncology Research Program’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day writing retreat on health disparities. The article is the fourth in a series of publications in JAMA journals by the research team since 2023 to explore policy perspectives on how to improve equity, inclusivity, and quality in healthcare.
The research team also included Tristen Peyser, Dulcé Rivera, Taylor Alcorn and Birney Sherard from Tulane.
END
Study finds nearly half of top cancer centers required universal masking during last winter’s COVID-19 surge
The study found a correlation between the highest ranking NCI-designated cancer centers and the prevalence of universal masking policies during last winter's COVID-19 wave
2024-07-31
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
This protein does “The Twist”
2024-07-31
Proteins are constantly performing a kind of dance. They move and contort their bodies to fulfill specific functions inside our bodies. The NMDAR protein executes an especially hard dance routine in our brains. One wrong step can lead to a range of neurological disorders. NMDAR binds to the neurotransmitter, glutamate, and another compound, glycine. These bindings control NMDAR’s dance steps. When their routine is over, the NMDAR opens. This open ion channel generates electrical signals critical for cognitive functions like memory.
The problem is that scientists couldn’t figure out the last step in NMDAR’s routine—until ...
Gut microbes implicated in bladder cancer
2024-07-31
At any given time, over 10 trillion microbes call our guts their home. From breaking down nutrients in our food to strengthening our immunity against pathogens, these microbes play an essential role in how we interact with the world. This includes – as shown in a new study by EMBL researchers and collaborators at the University of Split, Croatia – the way the body responds to carcinogens and develops cancer.
Carcinogens are chemicals that can cause ordinary cells to transform into cancer ...
Trust in physicians and hospitals declined over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic
2024-07-31
BOSTON– A cross-representative survey of adults in the United States showed decreasing levels of trust in physicians and hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic—and the lower the trust, the less likely an individual was to get vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 or influenza. The findings come from a survey study of more than 400,000 U.S. adults published in JAMA Network Open by a team co-led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system.
“Trust in ...
Unraveling a key junction underlying muscle contraction
2024-07-31
The connections between the nervous system and muscles develop differently across the kingdom of life. It takes newborn humans roughly a year to develop the proper muscular systems that support the ability to walk, while cows can walk mere minutes after birth and run not long after.
University of California San Diego researchers, using powerful new visualization technologies, now have a clear picture of why these two scenarios develop so differently. The results offer new insight into understanding muscle contraction in humans that may help in developing future treatments for muscular diseases.
“In this study we set out to understand ...
New method recovers phosphorus from wastewater to power the future of lithium-iron phosphate batteries
2024-07-31
In a recent study published in Engineering, a research team from the Shenzhen Engineering Research Laboratory for Sludge and Food Waste Treatment and Resource Recovery has introduced a pioneering method to tackle the critical global issue of phosphorus (P) scarcity. Their innovative approach leverages municipal wastewater to produce phosphorus vital for the manufacture of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries, a key component in the rapidly growing electric vehicle market.
As the demand for LiFePO4 batteries ...
SwRI awarded $35.7 million to support cryptologic systems for U.S. Navy
2024-07-31
SAN ANTONIO — July 31, 2024 —Southwest Research Institute will provide engineering and equipment support for advanced cryptologic technology for shipboard and airborne platforms as part of a $35.7 million contract with the U.S. Navy. The five-year contract will deliver services from June 2024 through June 2029, with the option for the U.S. Navy to add $14 million and extend the contract through 2031.
SwRI develops electronic warfare (EW) technology to detect, intercept and disrupt a range of signals on the electromagnetic spectrum, supporting efforts to thwart ...
With biodiversity under threat, scientists suggest the need for a new biorepository—on the moon
2024-07-31
With numerous species facing extinction, an international team of researchers has proposed an innovative solution to protect the planet's biodiversity: a lunar biorepository. This concept, detailed in a recent article in the journal BioScience, is aimed at creating a passive, long-lasting storage facility for cryopreserved samples of Earth's most at-risk animal species.
Led by Dr. Mary Hagedorn of the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, the team envisions taking advantage of the Moon's naturally cold temperatures, particularly in permanently shadowed regions near the poles, where temperatures remain consistently below –196 degrees ...
Strong El Nino makes European winters easier to forecast
2024-07-31
Heavy rain and flooding in Brazil in November could tell forecasters whether December, January and February in Britain will be cold and dry or mild and wet.
This is because forecasting European winter weather patterns months in advance is made simpler during years of strong El Niño or La Niña events in the tropical Pacific Ocean, a new study has found.
A strong El Nino or La Nina in the Pacific Ocean can bring big changes in temperatures, wind patterns and rainfall patterns to South America. When ...
MD Anderson and collaborators to launch project studying T cells on International Space Station
2024-07-31
HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and collaborators are initiating a research project that will send T cells to the International Space Station (ISS) to study the effects of prolonged microgravity on cell differentiation, activation, memory and exhaustion. These results will be further analyzed on Earth to uncover signaling pathways and identify potential immune targets that can improve treatment strategies for patients with cancer and other diseases.
To accomplish this work, MD Anderson researchers ...
Chameleon testbed secures $12 million in funding for phase 4: Expanding frontiers in computer science research
2024-07-31
Chameleon, led by Senior Scientist Kate Keahey from Argonne National Laboratory, has been a cornerstone of CS research and education for nearly a decade. The platform has served over 10,000 users, contributing to more than 700 research publications. Chameleon has now secured an additional $12 million in funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to roll out its next four-year phase. With this new funding, Chameleon will continue to innovate and support its growing community, enabling groundbreaking discoveries in CS systems research.
ABOUT CHAMELEON: A PLATFORM FOR INNOVATION
Chameleon is a large-scale, deeply reconfigurable experimental ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Endophytic fungi from halophyte Sesuvium portulacastrum enhance maize growth and salt tolerance
Quality of kids’ diets linked with dad’s eating habits as a teen
Alliance trial shows dual immunotherapy improves progression-free survival in advanced squamous cell skin cancer
Insights from immunotherapy trial inform new approaches to treating advanced skin cancer
Genome breakthrough reveals secrets behind rapid growth and invasiveness of tropical vine Merremia boisiana
Transforming the certification process of 3D-printed critical components
UC Davis clinical trial shows biomarkers hold clue in treating aggressive prostate cancer
UT Health San Antonio researchers discover new links between heart disease and dementia
AADOCR announces new SCADA/Dentsply Sirona Research Award
Mass General Brigham researchers present key findings at ASCO
Student researchers put UTA on national stage
Hertz Foundation and Breakthrough Energy partner to advance climate and energy solutions
New study reveals how tiny insects detect force
New 3D genome mapping technology sheds light on how plants regulate photosynthesis
Dinosaur eggshell study confirms biogenic origin of secondary eggshell units
Transforming immunotherapy design
New book with a global view of men’s experiences with partner violence
New research recovers evidence for lost mountains from Antarctica’s past
Scientists discover new evidence of intermediate-mass black holes
Predicting underwater landslides before they strike
What will it take to reduce primary care doctor burnout?
Small currents, big impact: Satellite breakthrough reveals hidden ocean forces
Single-atom catalysts change spin state when boosted by a magnetic field
Integrated metasurface for quantum analog computation: A new scheme to phase reconstruction
PolyU research reveals rising soil nitrous acid emissions driven by climate change and fertilisation accelerate global ozone pollution
The EU should allow gene editing to make organic farming more sustainable, researchers say
At-home heart attacks and cardiac deaths on the rise since COVID-19 pandemic
Projected outcomes of removing fluoride from U.S. public water systems
Parental education, own education, and cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults
Sacred moment experiences among internal medicine physicians
[Press-News.org] Study finds nearly half of top cancer centers required universal masking during last winter’s COVID-19 surgeThe study found a correlation between the highest ranking NCI-designated cancer centers and the prevalence of universal masking policies during last winter's COVID-19 wave