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Background: Older adults are at higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 with comorbidities increasing such risk. Much less is known about the outcomes of young adults with COVID-19 despite their having had high infection rates. Objectives: Our objective was to determine outcomes of hospitalized young adults with COVID-19 infection including rates of oxygen use, mortality, ICU admission, intubation, duration of hospitalization, and factors associated with adverse outcomes. Study design: This retrospective cohort study included EHR data from 21 health systems in the United States on 18–29-year-olds hospitalized with COVID-19 from March 1, 2020 – January 31, 2022. Oxygen need was used to identify symptomatic COVID-19. Rates for mortality, ICU admission, and intubation were calculated for the symptomatic and asymptomatic groups. Effects of demographic and health characteristics on outcomes were assessed as were changes in hospital outcomes over time. Results: Our sample included 9871 young adults hospitalized with COVID-19; 35% required oxygen. Of those who required oxygen, 53.5% were female, 23.7% had an anxiety disorder, 2.6% died (n = 89), 27.7% were admitted to the ICU (n = 955), and 15.8% were intubated (n = 547). A past-year history of any cancer was associated with a 2.1 times increased odds of death. Vaccination was associated with a >40% reduction in the odds of ICU admission. Mortality rates did not change significantly across the study period. Conclusions: COVID-19 caused significant morbidity and mortality in hospitalized young adults who required oxygen. A cancer history was associated with increased risk of death. Vaccination appeared to have had a protective effect on illness severity.

Background: Research investigating the association between cigarette smoking and COVID-19 outcomes has yielded mixed results, often overlooking cannabis use. This study examined the association between cigarette smoking and COVID-19 hospitalization with consideration of cannabis use. Methods: We used electronic health record data from adult patients with COVID-19 (2/1/2020 to 2/3/2022) at a northern California academic medical center. The outcome was COVID-19 hospitalization. We conducted three multivariable logistic models to examine the relationship between cigarette smoking and hospitalization. Model 1 included cigarette smoking status and other covariates; Model 2 added cannabis use status to Model 1; Model 3 added interaction term of cigarette and cannabis use to Model 2, followed by a post-hoc analysis. Results: Of the 14,440 patients, 8.5 % had COVID-19 hospitalization, 4.9 % and 24.1 % currently and formerly smoked cigarettes, respectively; 7.2 % currently used cannabis, 62.8 % had unknown cannabis use status. Both current and former cigarettes smoking were associated with hospitalization (Models 1–2). In Model 3, the cigarette-cannabis interaction was significant. Former cigarette smoking had higher odds for hospitalization (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.36; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.09–1.70) only among people who did not currently use cannabis. Current cigarette smoking yielded higher odds of hospitalization (AOR = 1.47; 95 % CI 1.02–2.12) among people whose cannabis use was unknown. Cigarette smoking status was not associated with hospitalization among people who currently used cannabis. Conclusions: Cigarette smoking’s associations with COVID-19 hospitalization varied by cannabis use. Future research should include both cigarette and cannabis use in understanding risk factors for COVID-19 outcomes.

People who are incarcerated use tobacco in high numbers before incarceration and the vast majority resume tobacco use soon after release despite institutional smoking bans. Nine years of surveys collected at a correctional facility in the Midwest, U.S., were analyzed to identify the needs of this high-risk population and suggest future directions for research and intervention development. For the most part, survey respondents considered themselves no longer addicted to tobacco and intended to remain tobacco free after release. They increasingly expected support to remain tobacco free from their home environment despite no change in home tobacco use. Over this nine-year period, significantly fewer respondents wanted materials and help to remain tobacco free, suggesting they have become more challenging to assist. Implications for intervention development and future research are discussed.

Novel therapeutics for the treatment of leishmaniasis are of interest as the disease not only is becoming more prevalent, but drug resistance is increasing in certain regions of the world. Reported here is the use of Bi3+-doped strontium aluminum oxyfluoride phosphors and protease inhibitors to test in vitro inhibitory activity against cultured promastigote Leishmania tarentolae and effects on L. tarentolae secreted acid phosphatase (SAP) activity. Cell viability did not significantly decrease in the presence of 50 μM anti-perovskite compounds, implying limited cytotoxicity. Yet SAP activity did increase in the cell free preparations with time in the presence of strontium compounds. Of interest was the observation that cell free SAP activity did not increase in the presence of protease inhibitors with or without added strontium compounds. Since secreted proteases may play a role in the maturation of Leishmania SAP and thus be involved with parasite-host infection establishment, this is in further need of evaluation. Nitric oxide production on day 4 post-addition of the strontium compounds was evaluated and showed an approximately 50% decrease in NO production in the presence of two test compounds relative to DMSO control cells. This is the first report of anti-perovskite compound inhibition of NO production by Leishmania.

In July 2018, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) implemented a new Public health Agency rule prohibiting the use of tobacco in and within 25 feet of HUD housing. A convenience sample of 574 residents living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin multi-unit HUD complexes completed a survey from May through July 2019, designed to assess their perceptions of the new policy and its impact. Knowledge of the policy was strong, although continued educational efforts are needed. Attitudes about the policy were generally positive, although smokers held more negative attitudes than non-smokers. Some residents desired more and fairer policy enforcement. Most residents reported that smoke incursions were reduced post policy compared to pre policy, although such incursions still occurred. The policy has had a favorable health impact on smokers; over 80% made at least one positive change in their smoking, including 6.4% who said the policy motivated them to quit. There was no evidence that residents with mobility challenges were differentially affected by the policy. Overall, the HUD smokefree policy was well received, reduced self-reported exposure to smoke and led most smokers to make positive changes in their smoking behavior. Additional education on the policy, improved enforcement, and cessation services are needed.