Objective: Recognizing discrimination as a significant public health risk during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which coincided with increased drug use and heightened awareness of structural disparities in the United States, we investigated its association with the odds of drug use in a large and diverse cohort from the All of Us Research Program. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, data from 68,976 participants completed the COVID-19 participant experiences (COPE) survey. We applied logistic regression models with propensity score-based overlap weighting to examine associations between everyday discrimination and drug use. Self-reported everyday discrimination score and drug use were the primary exposure and outcome measures, respectively. Results: Of the 67,662 COPE respondents (mean [standard deviation] age, 57.5 [15.9] years; female sex at birth, 43,658 [64.5%]), we identified 15,493 participants with no reported discrimination and 15,493 participants with reported discrimination, after overlap weighting. The odds of drug use in those who reported discrimination was 1.38 (95% confidence interval, 1.32–1.43), with a dose-dependent association based on discrimination score. Participants who experienced discrimination had significantly higher odds of using drugs and this association was particularly pronounced in those under 40 years of age, those assigned female sex at birth, current smokers, individuals undergoing chemotherapy or immunotherapy, and those experiencing unemployment or COVID-19/flu-like symptoms. Conclusion This relationship was observed across various types of drugs and different reasons for discrimination, and it was particularly pronounced in specific subgroups. These findings provide critical evidence for developing targeted preventive interventions; however, further longitudinal studies for causality are warranted.

Understanding of antibody kinetics against SARS-CoV-2 and its vaccines is rapidly evolving. This study aims to (1) determine post-vaccination seroprevalence; (2) compare antibody levels between vaccine types and various clinical/demographic determinants; and (3) determine post-vaccination antibody concentrations against time. This is a retrospective cross-sectional study involving 148 healthcare employees all over Malaysia. IgG Spike (RBD), IgM Spike and IgG Nucleocapsid concentration medians were compared using Mann-Whitney U or Kruskal-Wallis tests. Chi Square and Spearman correlation coefficient tests were performed to identify variables associated with antibody titers. A scatter plot of IgG Spike (RBD) against time from last vaccine dose was also plotted. At 1-month post-vaccination, all employees successfully seroconverted regardless of vaccine type, health status and COVID19 history. Comirnaty, convalescent, female or Malay vaccinees had significantly higher IgG Spike (RBD) titers compared to their respective counterparts. No correlation was found between age and IgG Spike (RBD) levels. Concentration of all three antibodies waned with time post-vaccination, with IgM Spike and IgG Nucleocapsid waning faster than IgG Spike (RBD).

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Tens of trillions of microorganisms constitute the gut microbiota of the human body. The microbiota plays a critical role in maintaining host immunity and metabolism. Analyses of the gut microbial composition in Korea are limited to a few studies consisting of small sample sizes. To investigate the gut microbial community in a large sample of healthy Koreans, we analyzed the 16S ribosomal RNA of 4 representative bacterial genera Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, and Clostridium. METHODS: A total of 378 DNA samples extracted from 164 infants and 214 adults were analyzed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA of 4 representative bacterial genera Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, and Clostridium showed that the gut microbiota in infants had higher relative abundances of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus than that in adults, which was dominated by Bacteroides and Clostridium. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this was the first study evaluating the distinct characteristics of the microbial community of Korean infants and adults. The differences between the 2 populations suggest that external factors such as age, diet, and the environment are important contributing factors to the change in gut microbial composition during development.
Adult ; Bacteroides ; Bifidobacterium ; Clostridium ; Diet ; DNA ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Human Body ; Humans ; Infant ; Korea ; Lactobacillus ; Metabolism ; Microbiota* ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; Sample Size ; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation