Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: Gun Violence, Antibiotics, Opioid Use And More
American Academy Of Pediatrics: National Instant Criminal Background Check And Youth Gun Carrying
Adolescents in states that require U/BCs on all prospective gun buyers are less likely to carry guns compared with those in states that only require background checks on sales through federally licensed firearms dealers. The NICS was only effective in reducing adolescent gun carrying in the presence of state laws requiring U/BCs on all prospective gun buyers. However, state U/BC laws had no effect on adolescent gun carrying until after the NICS was implemented. (Timsina et al, 1/1)
The New York Times: Antibiotics May Raise The Risk Of Allergies
Giving antibiotics to infants may increase their risk for developing allergies, a new study suggests. Researchers used records of 798,426 children in the Military Health System database from 2001 to 2013, tracking their antibiotic prescriptions in infancy and allergy diagnoses in childhood. About 17 percent of them were treated with one or more courses of antibiotics. (Bakalar, 12/31)
JAMA Psychiatry: All-Cause And Cause-Specific Mortality Among People Using Extramedical Opioids: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis
The findings suggest that people using extramedical opioids experience significant excess mortality, much of which is preventable. The range of causes for which excess mortality was observed highlights the multiplicity of risk exposures experienced by this population and the need for comprehensive responses to address these. Better data on cause-specific mortality in this population in several world regions appear to be needed. (Larney et al, 12/26)
JAMA Internal Medicine: Association Between Automotive Assembly Plant Closures And Opioid Overdose Mortality In The United States: A Difference-In-Differences Analysis
From 1999 to 2016, automotive assembly plant closures were associated with increases in opioid overdose mortality. These findings highlight the potential importance of eroding economic opportunity as a factor in the US opioid overdose crisis. (Venkataramani et al, 12/30)
The New York Times: Long-Term Insecticide Exposure Tied To Heart Disease
Prolonged exposure to a widely used household insecticide may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease and early death, new research suggests. Pyrethrin and its synthetic derivatives are used in garden insecticides, pet sprays, mosquito repellents and lice shampoos. They are extremely effective and cause no acute reactions in humans, but they are absorbed by the body and then metabolized and excreted in urine. (Bakalar, 12/30)
