#epidemiology — Public Fediverse posts

Comparison of the gut microbiota of people in France and Saudi Arabia https://www.diningandcooking.com/2799185/comparison-of-the-gut-microbiota-of-people-in-france-and-saudi-arabia/ #bacteria #ClinicalNutrition #Diabetes #Epidemiology #francais #france #French #FrenchDiet #general #InternalMedicine #Medicine/PublicHealth #MetabolicDiseases #PolicyAndPublicHealthInMicrobiology

Comparison of the gut microbiota of people in France and Saudi Arabia https://www.diningandcooking.com/2799185/comparison-of-the-gut-microbiota-of-people-in-france-and-saudi-arabia/ #bacteria #ClinicalNutrition #Diabetes #Epidemiology #francais #france #French #FrenchDiet #general #InternalMedicine #Medicine/PublicHealth #MetabolicDiseases #PolicyAndPublicHealthInMicrobiology

Comparison of the gut microbiota of people in France and Saudi Arabia https://www.diningandcooking.com/2799185/comparison-of-the-gut-microbiota-of-people-in-france-and-saudi-arabia/ #bacteria #ClinicalNutrition #Diabetes #Epidemiology #francais #france #French #FrenchDiet #general #InternalMedicine #Medicine/PublicHealth #MetabolicDiseases #PolicyAndPublicHealthInMicrobiology

Case-control study shows trauma may raise zoster risk:
🔥 Recent trauma increases zoster risk by 8x
📈 Adjusted 12x risk with trauma at rash site
🔍 Study conducted with 243 cases
https://tnyp.me/XXCzc1WL/m #HerpesZoster #Epidemiology #PublicHealth

Idyllic rural NSW is a hotspot for motor neurone disease

"Our recent mortality paper shows that if you live in rural and regional Australia, you are 40 per cent more likely to die from motor neurone disease. This cannot be genetic."
"Much attention will be focused on MND hotspots which include regional centres such as Griffith, Leeton, Wagga Wagga and Narrandera in the Riverina where rates of the degenerative illness are estimated to be five to seven times the national average. Other areas of concern include Tamworth, Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-01/mnd-notifiable-disease-starts/107097432
#environment #diseases #MDN #NSW #CoffsHarbour #PortMacquarie #RuralNSW #MidNorthCoast #water #pollution #ExtremeHeat #runoff #HABs #pesticides #epidemiology

CIDRAP Op-Ed: "Most people in our comment sections during the pandemic weren't arguing in bad faith, though some clearly were, particularly the ones implying the deaths wouldn't have mattered if the people who died were old or immunocompromised. The rest were doing something more ordinary. They were trying to locate themselves relative to a threat, which is what all of us do when we hear about a death from an infectious disease. Asking who died is a way of asking whether this is about me. We've made it too easy to answer no. …

"The risk factor staring us in the face isn't age. It’s vaccination status."
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/measles/cidrap-op-ed-how-we-can-hear-high-risk-measles-and-write-it

#PublicHealth #epidemiology #HealthReporting

Editorial handover at Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric #Epidemiology. Outgoing Craig Morgan's editorial about "Time for Change"
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00127-026-03166-5

"[...] scientific journals are the products, and therefore the intellectual property, of scientific communities."

"There are many calls for the concept of statistical significance to be retired. I regret not implementing this in SPPE."

All the best to Uli Reininghaus and the new team!

#AcademicPublishing #NightshiftEditor

"In general, the number of measles cases is believed to be vastly underreported, in part because some communities experiencing the most severe outbreaks have less contact with public health agencies."
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/measles/conflicting-information-continues-measles-associated-death-pennsylvania-newborn

#measles #PublicHealth #epidemiology

Took me a while to really get the important message of this paper
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/26335565261477731
#SorrySlow 😅

The team assumes that their register offers a TRUE estimate of the prevalence of #multimorbidity for everyone living in Stockholm since 2017.
[plausible, but could have been clearer for me]

Based on this, they separate different data sources and can show that without #PrimaryCare data, prevalence would be underestimated by around 20%.

#Epidemiology #LongTermConditions #LTC

New post in the Active Living Lab newsletter: What is the denominator problem, and what does it have to do with rope swings? https://activelivinglab.com/2026/08/31/what-is-the-denominator-problem-and-what-does-it-have-to-do-with-rope-swings/ #science #epidemiology #safety

Operational #epidemiology of the early phase of the 2026 #Bundibugyo virus disease #outbreak in the #DRC and #Uganda, https://etidiohnew.blogspot.com/2026/08/operational-epidemiology-of-early-phase.html

Researchers evaluated two experimental Zika virus vaccines to understand the roles of antibodies and T cells, discovering that long-term viral protection requires a coordinated immune response from both components rather than relying on T cells alone.
#Immunology #Virology #Epidemiology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/08/imgy08262601.html

It is a uniquely humbling experience to realize that the microscopic apex predators of epochs past are merely sleeping beneath the ice, wholly indifferent to the passage of human history. The concept of a "zombie virus" might initially sound like the sensationalized plot of a science fiction novel, but—
#Paleovirology #StructuralMicrobiology #Biogeochemistry #Paleoecology #Epidemiology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/08/wi08252601.html

Dietary intake of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and the risk of obesity in the French E3N cohort

Study popul…
#dining #cooking #diet #food #Frenchdiet #Epidemiology #francais #france #French #frenchdiet #general #HealthPromotionandDiseasePrevention #InternalMedicine #Medicine/PublicHealth #MetabolicDiseases #obesity #publichealth #Riskfactors
https://www.diningandcooking.com/2783207/dietary-intake-of-polybrominated-diphenyl-ethers-pbdes-and-the-risk-of-obesity-in-the-french-e3n-cohort/

Dietary intake of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and the risk of obesity in the French E3N cohort https://www.diningandcooking.com/2783207/dietary-intake-of-polybrominated-diphenyl-ethers-pbdes-and-the-risk-of-obesity-in-the-french-e3n-cohort/ #Epidemiology #francais #france #French #FrenchDiet #general #HealthPromotionAndDiseasePrevention #InternalMedicine #Medicine/PublicHealth #MetabolicDiseases #obesity #PublicHealth #RiskFactors

Goddammit--*another* round of layoffs today. Not me, thank god, but still--5 good people who must now look for new jobs.

F*ck this administration with a rusty chainsaw.

#NIH #AmericanScience #Epidemiology

Researchers have identified a new set of rapidly spreading genetic variants in malaria parasites that significantly reduce their susceptibility to the most common front-line antimalarial treatments.
#Genetics #Genomics #Parasitology #Pharmacology #Epidemiology #InfectiousDiseases #PublicHealth #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/08/gen08172601.html

@bettycjung.bsky.social

Last time someone did virus function tests.
The luddites got a real hardon.
And fast tracking vaccines is now equal to literal genocide.

Its almost as if someone is making counters to custom made viruses a no-go zone.

#epidemiology

Receiving the shingles vaccine to prevent the reactivation of the Varicella zoster virus is associated with a significantly reduced risk of developing dementia in older adults. An epidemiological study observed up to a 24% lower risk of dementia over four years among vaccinated nursing home residents.
#Epidemiology #Immunology #Neurology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/08/epi08112601.html

The Bourbon virus is an emerging, rare viral pathogen transmitted by the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) that causes severe, influenza-like illness in humans.
#Epidemiology #InfectiousDiseases #Virology #Entomology #Immunology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/07/epi07212601.html

The Powassan virus (Orthoflavivirus powassanense) is a highly pathogenic, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus endemic to North America that causes severe, rapidly progressing neuroinvasive disease and encephalitis in human hosts.
#WhatIs #Virology #Epidemiology #VectorEcology #Immunology #Neuropathology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/07/wi07122601.html

Understanding Akureyri Disease and Its Link to ME/CFS

https://sahanasa.wordpress.com/2026/06/29/understanding-akureyri-disease-and-its-link-to-me-cfs/

Cochliomyia hominivorax (the New World screwworm) is an obligate parasitic blowfly whose larvae require living tissue from a warm-blooded host to complete their developmental cycle, resulting in a severe, rapidly destructive condition known as myiasis.
#WhatIs #Entomology #Epidemiology #EvolutionaryBiology #Veterinary #Screwworm #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/06/wi06102601.html

Ebola (Orthoebolavirus zairense) is a highly sophisticated filovirus that relies on complex molecular evasion, the exploitation of immune-privileged sanctuaries, and the induction of societal disruption to ensure its survival and propagation, challenging its traditional, simplified classification as merely an agent of acute hemorrhagic fever.
#Ebola #Epidemiology #EvolutionaryBiology #Immunology #Virology #WhatIs #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/05/wi05312601.html

State-level #abortion bans have inadvertently degraded the quality of medical care for miscarriages, driving a reduction in evidence-based clinical interventions.
#Obstetrics #Gynecology #PublicHealth #ReproductiveMedicine #Epidemiology #Medical #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/05/med05182601.html

For anyone nervious or with health anxiety: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMSv3zTFF1Y. It's Rebecca Watson's video, "No, Hantavirus is Not the Next Pandemic".

Advocate & vote for better conditions for working, parenting & disability.

Join or start a union at your work. You need no-fault sick leave, esp when local infections break out.

Do managers want:

Only ONE person this week out sick?
Or else a half-dozen in coming weeks?

#Hantavirus #Hantaan #Rodent #Rodents #Zoonosis #Zoonoses #Doctor #Doctors #Medicine #Medical #Sick #Sickness #ill #illness #Disease #Diseases #infect #infection #infectious #Virus #Viruses #Viral #Pathogen #Pathogens #Pathogenic #WHO #WorldHealthOrganisation #WorldHealthOrg #Science #Scientific #Experiment #Test #Tests #Testing #Epidemiology #Epidemiological #Public #Health #PublicHealth

Also wear masks or respirators. (Except the snood type ones. The rest are all better than nothing or *way* better than nothing.) Don't travel or commute to work when ill.
Advocate and vote for better conditions when working, parenting, and disabled. Join a union or start one at your workplace. Push for no-fault sick leave, especially when local infectious outbreaks flare up.
Check what air filtration systems are installed where people gather, mainly indoor spaces. Consider public transport, at work, schools, public buildings, and manufacturing. Ask some organisations what their air quality data and upgrade plans are.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZncfH7nKX74

#Hantavirus #Hantaan #Rodent #Rodents #Zoonosis #Zoonoses #Doctor #Doctors #Medicine #Medical #Sick #Sickness #ill #illness #Disease #Diseases #infect #infection #infectious #Virus #Viruses #Viral #Pathogen #Pathogens #Pathogenic #WHO #WorldHealthOrganisation #WorldHealthOrg #Science #Scientific #Experiment #Test #Tests #Testing #Epidemiology #Epidemiological #Public #Health #PublicHealth

Zoonotic spillover is the successful transmission of a pathogenic entity—such as a virus, bacterium, or parasite—from a non-human animal reservoir into a human population. This rare but consequential event occurs when a pathogen successfully crosses the strict biological boundary between species.
#WhatIs #Zoonotic #Epidemiology #Virology #Biology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/03/wi03162601.html

Astroturfing Is Pretty Pointless When Social Subgraphs Are Fragmented (e.g., the Fediverse)

I am seeing astroturfing in the fediverse again, by AT Protocol developers implicitly trying to shill their products. I think it is stochastic behavior by developers with too much time on their hands. Honestly, I do not care. I like the people on ActivityPub more, but I like the AT Protocol better, and I have developed for both. Astroturfing on ActivityPub networks is fascinating to me because it is so pointless.

I am actually a Computational Biologist and Computer Scientist whose specialty is combinatorics, social graphs, graph theory, etc. Specifically, I use this to create epidemiological models for the memetic layer of human behaviors that act as vectors for diseases, using the SIRS model. I do not just study germs; I study human behaviors.

The models I construct extend into a “memetic layer,” in which beliefs, norms, and behaviors (such as risk-taking, compliance with public health measures, or susceptibility to misinformation) spread contagiously through social networks. These behaviors function as vectors that modulate biological transmission rates. As a result, the spread of ideas can accelerate, dampen, or reshape the spread of disease. By running computational simulations and agent-based models on these graphs, I study how network structure, influential nodes, clustering, and platform-specific dynamics affect behavioral contagion. I also examine how these factors influence epidemiological outcomes.

To say it very concisely, I study how the spread of bat-shit insane beliefs, shit posts, and memes influences whether or not there is a measles outbreak in Texas. Ironically, this is an evolution of my studying semiotics, memetics, and chaos magick in high school. I got a job where I can use occult, anarchist techniques professionally.

I think a large reason why I do not care about astroturfing in the fediverse is that it’s so pointless, lol. Astroturfing to manipulate the narrative would actually work better on Bluesky to keep people there than trying to recruit from the fediverse. Furthermore, big instances are relatively small. Some people on Bluesky have follower lists larger than an entire large instance in the fediverse.

Within ActivityPub networks, astroturfing rarely propagates far, because whether information spreads depends on properties of the social graph itself. Dense connectivity, short paths between communities, and a sufficient number of cross-cutting ties support diffusion. ActivityPub’s architecture tends to produce graphs that are fragmented and highly modular. This limits the reach of coordinated activity.

ActivityPub is a system where each instance maintains its own local user graph and exchanges activities through inboxes and outboxes. This makes it autonomous and decentralized. The network consists of loosely connected subgraphs. Cross-instance edges appear only through explicit follow relationships. The ActivityPub protocol does not provide a shared or complete view of the network. Measurements of the fediverse consistently show uneven connectivity between instances, clustering at the instance level, and relatively long effective path lengths across the network. Under these conditions, large cascades are uncommon.

Instance-level clustering means that in ActivityPub networks, users interact much more with others on the same server than with users on different servers. Because each instance has its own local timeline, culture, and moderation, connections form densely within instances and only sparsely across them through explicit follow relationships. This creates a network made up of tightly connected local communities linked by relatively few cross-instance ties, which slows the spread of information beyond its point of origin.

However, with the AT Protocol, global indexing and aggregation are explicitly supported. Relays and indexers can assemble near-complete views of the social graph. Applications built on top of this infrastructure operate over a graph that is denser and easier to traverse. There are fewer structural barriers between communities. The diffusion dynamics change substantially when content can move across the graph without relying on narrow federated paths.

Astroturfing depends on coordinated amplification, typically through tightly synchronized clusters of accounts intended to manufacture visibility. Work on coordinated inauthentic behavior shows that these tactics gain traction when they intersect highly connected regions of the graph or bridge otherwise separate communities. In networks with strong modularity, coordination remains local. ActivityPub’s federation model produces this kind of modularity by default. Coordinated clusters stand out clearly within instances. Their effects remain confined to those local neighborhoods.

Astroturfing on ActivityPub therefore tends to stall on its own because of the underlying graph topology. Without dense inter-instance connectivity or any form of global indexing, coordinated campaigns have a hard time moving beyond the immediate regions where they originate. Systems built on globally indexable social graphs, including those enabled by the AT Protocol, expose a much larger surface for viral spread. Network structure and connectivity account for the divergence where that is independent of moderation, cultural norms, ideology, or intent.

It’s just really funny to me how these stochastic techbro groups waste so many resources. I personally don’t want to go viral, which is why I avoid platforms where I can. The fact that it’s harder to achieve high virality on ActivityPub is exactly why I prefer the fediverse over the Atmosphere. One way to think about it is that you can change the ‘genetics’ of a system with a retrovirus, where memetic entities act as cultural retroviruses to reprogram the cultural loci of a space. That is their end goal. They are trying to hijack cultures memetically. You see this a lot with culture jamming.

Basically, the astroturfing on ActivityPub networks is designed to jam and subvert the culture. But, as I have already said, the topological structure makes memetic virality stall. They cannot achieve that kind of viral spread in the fediverse, which is why I cannot understand why they do this every year.

Two articles on the role of #MedicalStatistics in #HealthSciences which are a good #CPD read for both #QuantitativeMethods experts as well as health content experts:

Medical statisticians: Always on tap, but never on top?
https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/211342/

And this paper aims to provide guidance on why, when and on what to consult with statisticians when setting up a research project
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-advances/article/statistical-consulting-guidelines-for-new-researchers-in-psychiatry-and-mental-health-beyond-chatgpt/22BD35892A1760918B5BFBC0EBE5D7C4

#ECR #ProjectDesign #RCTs #Trials #Epidemiology

Two articles on the role of #MedicalStatistics in #HealthSciences which are a good #CPD read for both #QuantitativeMethods experts as well as health content experts:

Medical statisticians: Always on tap, but never on top?
https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/211342/

And this paper aims to provide guidance on why, when and on what to consult with statisticians when setting up a research project
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-advances/article/statistical-consulting-guidelines-for-new-researchers-in-psychiatry-and-mental-health-beyond-chatgpt/22BD35892A1760918B5BFBC0EBE5D7C4

#ECR #ProjectDesign #RCTs #Trials #Epidemiology

Two articles on the role of #MedicalStatistics in #HealthSciences which are a good #CPD read for both #QuantitativeMethods experts as well as health content experts:

Medical statisticians: Always on tap, but never on top?
https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/211342/

And this paper aims to provide guidance on why, when and on what to consult with statisticians when setting up a research project
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-advances/article/statistical-consulting-guidelines-for-new-researchers-in-psychiatry-and-mental-health-beyond-chatgpt/22BD35892A1760918B5BFBC0EBE5D7C4

#ECR #ProjectDesign #RCTs #Trials #Epidemiology

Two articles on the role of #MedicalStatistics in #HealthSciences which are a good #CPD read for both #QuantitativeMethods experts as well as health content experts:

Medical statisticians: Always on tap, but never on top?
https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/211342/

And this paper aims to provide guidance on why, when and on what to consult with statisticians when setting up a research project
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-advances/article/statistical-consulting-guidelines-for-new-researchers-in-psychiatry-and-mental-health-beyond-chatgpt/22BD35892A1760918B5BFBC0EBE5D7C4

#ECR #ProjectDesign #RCTs #Trials #Epidemiology

Judith Rosen is opening The First International Conferencia on Anticipatory Systems #bio #biology #philsci #complexity #Rosen #comp #phy #sci #science #theory #TheoryOfMind #theory #mind #psy #psychology #epidemiology #medicine #ecology #evo #evolution #evolutionarybiology #evo

Embracing Community Psychology: Connecting Lives Through Shared Experiences

#CommunityPsychology #Collectivism #SocialJustice #CompassionFocus #MentalHealth #Individualism #Epidemiology #PublicHealth #Altruism #HumanConnection #CompassionateMind #MentalWellbeing #SharedExperiences #PsychologicalWellness #CommunityHealing

https://youtube.com/shorts/mhwCtC_Xt74?feature=share

Is Red Meat Healthy? Multiverse Analysis Has Lessons Beyond Meat
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/red-meat-healthy-multiverse-analysis-has-lessons-beyond-meat-2024a10008qv
#ycombinator #CV_risk #cardiovascular_risk #CV_risk_factors #cardiovascular_risk_factors #cardiovascular_risk_management #diet #epidemiology #evidence_based_medicine #EBM_evidence_based_medicine #evidence_based_practice #EBP_evidence_based_practice #statistics #healthcare_and_medical_technology #health_and_medical_tech #health_and_med_tech #health_and_medical_technology

We visited #RijksmuseumBoerhaave in #Leiden today and I met a relative of #JohnSnow’s #CholeraMap

In 1866 #Utrecht was faced with a #cholera epidemic. In less than a month no fewer than 61 residents of the Gasthuissteeg fell prey to the disease, 38 of whom died.

The map shows deaths, cholera illness and other illness, and pumps. #DataViz #epidemiology #HistSci

📕 Chuffed to pick up hardcopy of new @springernature Scabies book. Includes my chapter on managing institutional #scabies outbreaks from care homes to refugee camps: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-26070-4_29. Abstract + more info➡️

Middleton et al. Scabies Management in Institutions

Abstract
Scabies is a particular problem in semi-closed institutions such as residential settings for elderly people, children and those with learning disabilities; refugee camps and other settings for displaced persons; prisons; schools; hospitals and hostels. What many of these diverse places have in common is a range of transmission drivers which enable scabies to reach very high prevalence including: high densities of potential hosts, social behaviours involving prolonged contact, bed and clothes sharing, manual handling, reduced access to laundry facilities and immunocompromise. We describe the epidemiology of institutional scabies outbreaks across settings, and based primarily on recent and longstanding evidence from adult health care, we draw out general strategic priorities for case management and outbreak control. The tools and information necessary to carry out an epidemiological assessment of an institutional scabies outbreak are provided, along with guidance on control measures. A summary checklist of the key steps to take in responding to an institutional outbreak concludes the chapter.

Thank you to @nihrresearch for funding support.

This is part of the first comprehensive book on scabies, written by experts from across the world. You can order the full 31 chapter ebook and hardback for your uni/clinical library here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-26070-4

#NTDs #Scabies #Refugeehealth #carehomes #outbreakcontrol #epidemiology #publichealth #medicalacarology #acarology #prisonhealth #parisitology #globalhealth #parasites

TIL about the annual Pumphandle Lecture of the #JohnSnow Society celebrating use of #epidemiology and #microbiology 🦠#science to #shutdown the 1854 #cholera outbreak in the Soho district of #London. 👉 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumphandle_Lecture

John Snow used #PublicHealth data to convince officials to remove the handle of the Broad Street pump above a well that was later found to be contaminated with infected fecal matter.

#ScienceDeniers were ignored then, and should be ignored now. ✅