Being married may protect late-life cognition. Less is known about living arrangement among unmarried adults and mechanisms such as brain health (BH) and cognitive reserve (CR) across race and ethnicity or sex/gender. The current study examines (1) associations between marital status, BH, and CR among diverse older adults and (2) whether one’s living arrangement is linked to BH and CR among unmarried adults.

Cross-sectional data come from the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project (N = 778, 41% Hispanic, 33% non-Hispanic Black, 25% non-Hispanic White; 64% women). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers of BH included cortical thickness in Alzheimer’s disease signature regions and hippocampal, gray matter, and white matter hyperintensity volumes. CR was residual variance in an episodic memory composite after partialing out MRI markers. Exploratory analyses stratified by race and ethnicity and sex/gender and included potential mediators.

Marital status was associated with CR, but not BH. Compared to married individuals, those who were previously married (i.e., divorced, widowed, and separated) had lower CR than their married counterparts in the full sample, among White and Hispanic subgroups, and among women. Never married women also had lower CR than married women. These findings were independent of age, education, physical health, and household income. Among never married individuals, living with others was negatively linked to BH.

Marriage may protect late-life cognition via CR. Findings also highlight differential effects across race and ethnicity and sex/gender. Marital status could be considered when assessing the risk of cognitive impairment during routine screenings.

Scalable methods are required for population dietary monitoring. The Supermarket Transaction Records In Dietary Evaluation (STRIDE) study compares dietary estimates from supermarket transactions with an online FFQ.

Participants were recruited in four waves, accounting for seasonal dietary variation. Purchases were collected for 1 year during and 1 year prior to the study. Bland–Altman agreement and limits of agreement (LoA) were calculated for energy, sugar, fat, saturated fat, protein and sodium (absolute and relative).

This study was partnered with a large UK retailer.

Totally, 1788 participants from four UK regions were recruited from the retailer’s loyalty card customer database, according to breadth and frequency of purchases. Six hundred and eighty-six participants were included for analysis.

The analysis sample were mostly female (72 %), with a mean age of 56 years (sd 13). The ratio of purchases to intakes varied depending on amounts purchased and consumed; purchases under-estimated intakes for smaller amounts on average, but over-estimated for larger amounts. For absolute measures, the LoA across households were wide, for example, for energy intake of 2000 kcal, purchases could under- or over-estimate intake by a factor of 5; values could be between 400 kcal and 10000 kcal. LoA for relative (energy-adjusted) estimates were smaller, for example, for 14 % of total energy from saturated fat, purchase estimates may be between 7 % and 27 %.

Agreement between purchases and intake was highly variable, strongest for smaller loyal households and for relative values. For some customers, relative nutrient purchases are a reasonable proxy for dietary composition indicating utility in population-level dietary research.

Neurological involvement associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection is increasingly recognized. However, the specific characteristics and prevalence in pediatric patients remain unclear. The objective of this study was to describe the neurological involvement in a multinational cohort of hospitalized pediatric patients with SARS-CoV-2.

This was a multicenter observational study of children <18 years of age with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection or multisystemic inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) and laboratory evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children, admitted to 15 tertiary hospitals/healthcare centers in Canada, Costa Rica, and Iran February 2020–May 2021. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed and logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with neurological involvement.

One-hundred forty-seven (21%) of 697 hospitalized children with SARS-CoV-2 infection had neurological signs/symptoms. Headache (n = 103), encephalopathy (n = 28), and seizures (n = 30) were the most reported. Neurological signs/symptoms were significantly associated with ICU admission (OR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.15–2.55; p = 0.008), satisfaction of MIS-C criteria (OR: 3.71, 95% CI: 2.46–5.59; p < 0.001), fever during hospitalization (OR: 2.15, 95% CI: 1.46–3.15; p < 0.001), and gastrointestinal involvement (OR: 2.31, 95% CI: 1.58–3.40; p < 0.001). Non-headache neurological manifestations were significantly associated with ICU admission (OR: 1.92, 95% CI: 1.08–3.42; p = 0.026), underlying neurological disorders (OR: 2.98, 95% CI: 1.49–5.97, p = 0.002), and a history of fever prior to hospital admission (OR: 2.76, 95% CI: 1.58–4.82; p < 0.001).

In this study, approximately 21% of hospitalized children with SARS-CoV-2 infection had neurological signs/symptoms. Future studies should focus on pathogenesis and long-term outcomes in these children.

In this study, we aimed to capture perspectives of healthcare workers (HCWs) on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and infection prevention and control (IPAC) measures implemented during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A cross-sectional survey of HCWs.

HCWs from the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.

A self-administered survey was distributed to HCWs. We analyzed factors influencing HCW knowledge and self-reported use of personal protective equipment (PPE), concerns about contracting COVID-19 and acceptance of the recommended IPAC precautions for COVID-19.

In total, 175 HCWs completed the survey between March 6 and March 10: 35 staff physicians (20%), 24 residents or fellows (14%), 72 nurses (41%), 14 respiratory therapists (8%), 14 administration staff (8%), and 14 other employees (8%). Most of the respondents were from the emergency department (n = 58, 33%) and the intensive care unit (n = 58, 33%). Only 86 respondents (50%) identified the correct donning order; only 60 (35%) identified the correct doffing order; but the majority (n = 113, 70%) indicated the need to wash their hands immediately prior to removal of their mask and eye protection. Also, 91 (54%) respondents felt comfortable with recommendations for droplet and/or contact precautions for routine care of patients with COVID-19. HCW occupation and concerns about contracting COVID-19 outside work were associated with nonacceptance of the recommendations (P = .016 and P = .036 respectively).

As part of their pandemic response plans, healthcare institutions should have ongoing training for HCWs that focus on appropriate PPE doffing and discussions around modes of transmission of COVID-19.

Traditional dietary assessment methods in research can be challenging, with participant burden to complete an interview, diary, 24 h recall or questionnaire and researcher burden to code the food record to obtain a nutrient breakdown. Self-reported assessment methods are subject to recall and social desirability biases, in addition to selection bias from the nature of volunteering to take part in a research study. Supermarket loyalty card transaction records, linked to back of pack nutrient information, present a novel opportunity to use objective records of food purchases to assess diet at a household level. With a large sample size and multiple transactions, it is possible to review variation in food purchases over time and across different geographical areas.

This study uses supermarket loyalty card transactions for one retailer's customers in Leeds, for 12 months during 2016. Fruit and vegetable purchases for customers who appear to shop regularly for a ‘complete’ shop, buying from at least 7 of 11 Living Cost and Food Survey categories, were calculated. Using total weight of fruits and vegetables purchased over one year, average portions (80g) per day, per household were generated. Descriptive statistics of fruit and vegetable purchases by age, gender and Index of Multiple Deprivation of the loyalty card holder were generated. Using Geographical Information Systems, maps of neighbourhood purchases per month of the year were created to visualise variations.

The loyalty card holder transaction records represent 6.4% of the total Leeds population. On average, households in Leeds purchase 3.5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day, per household. Affluent and rural areas purchase more fruit and vegetables than average with 22% purchasing more than 5 portions/day. Conversely poor urban areas purchase less, with 18% purchasing less than 1 portion/day. Highest purchases are in the winter months, with lowest in the summer holidays. Loyalty cards registered to females purchased 0.4 portions per day more than male counterparts. The over 65 years purchased 1.5 portions per day more than the 17–24 year olds. A clear deprivation gradient is observed, with the most deprived purchasing 1.5 portions less per day than the least deprived.

Loyalty card transaction data offer an exciting opportunity for measuring variation in fruit and vegetable purchases. Variation is observed by age, gender, deprivation, geographically across a city and throughout the seasons. These insights can inform both policymakers and retailers regarding areas for fruit and vegetable promotion.

Supermarket transaction data, generated from loyalty cards, offers a novel source of food purchase information. Data are available for large sample sizes, over sustained periods of time, allowing for habitual purchasing patterns to be generated. In the UK, recommended dietary patterns to achieve a healthy diet are pictorially illustrated using the Eatwell Guide. Foods include: Fruit and vegetables; starchy products including potatoes, bread, pasta, rice; dairy or dairy alternatives; proteins such as beans, pulses, fish, eggs and meat; oils and spreads; and advice to limit foods high in salt, fat and sugar. Through mapping of foods purchased to the categories of the Eatwell Guide it is possible to review population performance against these national recommendations.

All loyalty card transaction records for purchases made in a UK supermarket chain, by residents of Yorkshire and the Humber during 2016 were included in this research. Customers who purchased foods from 7 or 11 Living Cost and Food Survey (LCFS) categories on ten or more occasions throughout the year were included in the sample, as these customers were considered to be purchasing the majority of their foods from the supermarket. All foods purchased were mapped to the Eatwell Guide food groups via the LCFS categories.

Households purchased: 25% of their total spend on fruits and vegetables, compared with 39% recommended; 13% on starchy products compared to 37% recommended; 23% of protein rich foods compared with 12% recommended; 12% dairy and alternatives compared to 8%; oils and spreads 2% compared to 1% recommended; and 25% foods that should be limited compared to 3% (recommended, but not pictorially illustrated on the plate).

Supermarket transaction data is a novel source of food purchase information which can be used to illustrate dietary behaviours in the UK population. However, it represents foods purchased, not consumed and is at a household level, not individual. Food purchases outside the home are not included. That said, it is arguably an objective measure for dietary assessment. From this study, it is clear to see that food purchases do not match the recommendations. Purchases of high sugar, high fat and high salt snacks constitute a significant proportion of spending, when they should in fact be limited. Protein rich products are also over-represented. Fruit and vegetables and starchy products are under-represented. This insight can benefit both retailers and policy makers for understanding the food purchase behaviours of our society.

Recognition of seasonal trends in hospital infections may improve diagnosis, use of empirical therapy, and infection prevention interventions. There are very few data available regarding the seasonal variability of these infections. We quantified the seasonal variation in the incidences of hospital infection caused by common bacterial pathogens and estimated the association between temperature changes and infection rates.

A cohort of all adult patients admitted to the University of Maryland Medical Center during the period from 1998 through 2005 was analyzed. Time-series analyses were used to estimate the association of the number of infections per month caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and enterococci with season and temperature, while controlling for long-term trends.

There were 218,594 admissions to the index hospital, and analysis of 26,624 unique clinical cultures that grew the organisms of interest identified increases in the mean monthly rates of infection caused by P. aeruginosa (28% of isolates recovered; P < .01), E. cloacae (46%; P < .01), E. coli (12%; P < .01), and A. baumannii (21%; P = .06). For each 10°F increase, we observed a 17% increase in the monthly rates of infection caused by P. aeruginosa (P = .01) and A. baumanii (P = .05).

Significantly higher rates of gram-negative infection were observed during the summer months, compared with other seasons. For some pathogens, higher temperatures were associated with higher infection rates, independent of seasonality. These findings have important implications for infection prevention, such as enhanced surveillance during the warmer months, and for choice of empirical antimicrobial therapy among hospitalized adults. Future, quasi-experimental investigations of gram-negative infection prevention initiatives should control for seasonal variation.