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COVID-19 was the first pandemic of the internet age. Beginning at a time of great societal division in the United States (and globally), pandemic responses were further beleaguered by the viral proliferation of information, disinformation, and propaganda-collectively, an "infodemic." Polarized, blinkered views of the crisis precluded a balanced consideration of objectives, opportunities, and ineluctable trade-offs between the risks of actions and corresponding inactions. The results were lapses in both directions, greatly amplifying the pandemic toll. Persistence of this costly fractiousness is now spawning monocular critiques of the pandemic response, with neglect of essential nuance. There is a better pandemic that might have been, and the chance for far better responses to the next- but only if the follies of this history are lessons learned and applied. Failing that, the risk looms that having been amply forewarned of our liabilities, we will fail to be forearmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We had earlier reported estimates of any conditions affecting risk for complications from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) (hypertension, cancer, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease) on the basis [...]

Data for China indicate that 81% of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients had mild cases, 14% had severe cases, and 5% had critical cases (1,2). The overall case-fatality rate (CFR) in [...]

Objective: School-based nutrition education can promote the development of skills, such as food label reading, that can contribute to making healthier food choices. The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of a Russian language version of the previously validated Food Label Literacy for Applied Nutrition Knowledge (FLLANK) questionnaire and also to evaluate the impact of school-based nutrition education programmes on nutrition knowledge and food label-reading skills in Russian adolescents and young adults. Methods: Two nutrition education study programmes were administered to two separate groups of students--at a middle school (n?=?23) and a university (n?=?17). The study programmes consisted of a single 2-hour classroom session and emphasised basic nutrition and food components. The FLLANK questionnaire was administered to both groups of students before and after the intervention to assess change in food label-reading skills. Cronbach's a was calculated for the post-test scores to assess the instrument's internal consistency. Results: Middle school students increased their mean FLLANK scores from 54% to 95% (p?<0.01). University students increased their scores from 46% to 91% (p?<0.01). In the school group only, there was an interaction between time and gender, with boys improving significantly more than girls (p?

Like every other emergency physician in the country, I occasionally needed to treat epistaxis - a severe nosebleed, or nasal hemorrhage. Like every other emergency physician in the country, I had recourse to a 4% solution of cocaine and cotton swabs for that purpose. Episodically and for years, I have railed against the inconsistences, and even overt illogic, that ensue when we humans make decisions, and policy, independently of principle. In an age where quite fundamental change in prevailing practice is driven by private sector activity, such as the burgeoning array of digital therapeutics[16] - CME sanctimony that precludes education in this watershed is a threat to the standard of care. [Extracted from the article]

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a nutrition education program designed to teach elementary school students and their parents, and to distinguish between more healthful and less healthful choices in diverse food categories. Methods: Three schools were assigned to receive the Nutrition Detectives[TM] program and 2 comparable schools served as controls. A total of 1180 second, third, and fourth grade elementary school students were included, with 628 students in the intervention and 552 in the control group. The program, delivered by physical education instructors over several sessions totaling less than 2 hours, taught the children how to read food labels and detect marketing deceptions, while learning to identify and choose healthful foods. Parents were introduced to the program through written materials sent home and at school functions. Assessments included a food label quiz, dietary pattern, and body mass index (BMI). Results: Students in intervention schools showed a significant increase in nutrition label literacy (p less than 0.01). Third grade students showed the most improvement, 23% (p less than 0.01). The parents of intervention group students also showed a significant increase in nutrition label literacy by 8% (p less than 0.01). Total caloric, sodium, and total sugar intake decreased nonsignificantly among students in the intervention group (p greater than 0.05). BMI did not change over the short duration of the study. Conclusions: Nutrition Detectives effectively enhances the ability of students and their parents to identify more nutritious food choices. Further evaluation of the program and its potential to influence dietary pattern, BMI, and health outcomes in students and their families is warranted. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)