Research for a better future
We highlight a few significant research advances over the past year
Patients with severe COVID-19 twice as likely to require future hospitalizations
A study published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine found that patients who had a severe case of the disease were more than twice as likely as patients who had mild or moderate COVID-19 to need hospitalization again. “People who recover from COVID-19 hospitalization are significantly more likely to be hospitalized later for something else that is likely a complication of COVID-19. In other words, your risk of having other bad outcomes beyond COVID-19 is increased even after you recover,” said Arch G. Mainous III, Ph.D., the study’s lead investigator and a professor in the department of health services research, management and policy.
Experts outline global approach to emerging COVID-19 variants
A coordinated global response to viral variants that may threaten the protection provided by vaccines is critical, wrote a group of World Health Organization scientists, including Ira Longini, Ph.D., a professor in the department of biostatistics, in a special report published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The authors outlined four priorities. These include global strategies to determine whether existing vaccines are losing efficacy against variants; decisions on the need for modified or new vaccines to restore efficacy against variants; efforts to reduce the likelihood viral variants of concern will emerge; and international coordination of research and response to new variants, led by WHO.
Patients with Type 1 diabetes cite negative interactions with providers as barrier to care
Experts recommend the use of continuous glucose monitors as the gold standard for managing Type 1 diabetes. Yet many adult patients, particularly those with lower socioeconomic status and from underrepresented minority groups, are not receiving the technology or regular care from specialists known as endocrinologists. A new study led by Ashby Walker, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the department of health services research, management and policy, finds the most commonly cited reason patients with Type 1 diabetes don’t receive optimal care is negative interactions with endocrinologists. The findings appeared in the journal Diabetes Care.
Mental confusion, disorientation may be early warning sign of severe COVID-19
Patients with COVID-19 who displayed symptoms of disorientation and confusion were three times more likely to go on to develop severe COVID-19 than patients with the virus who did not experience neurological symptoms, according to a study published in Critical Care Explorations. Lead author David Marra, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in the department of clinical and health psychology, and colleagues hope the findings may equip front-line workers and other health care providers with information to help them be on the lookout for a more severe disease course.
Promising results in study of investigational treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Using innovative methods to measure changes in muscle, a UF team reported in a JAMA Network Open article that after treatment with an investigational gene therapy, three young boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy had considerably lower fat infiltration in their muscles than boys receiving standard treatment. Lead author Rebecca Willcocks, Ph.D., a research assistant professor of physical therapy, and her colleagues say that because of the small number of participants enrolled in the gene therapy study, more research is needed, but the results so far are encouraging.
New grant allows UF to expand study of muscular dystrophy disease progression
A new five-year, $6.25 million grant from the National Institutes of Health supports UF’s continued efforts to develop MRI biomarkers for individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and expand the study to include people with Becker muscular dystrophy. For the new study, researchers led by Krista Vandenborne, Ph.D., a distinguished professor and chair of the department of physical therapy, are developing MRI biomarkers that are sensitive across a wide range of ages and mobility stages, including in individuals who can no longer walk. Additionally, researchers will test MRI measures of respiratory muscle health that can be used in clinical trials with participants in more advanced disease stages.
Chronic pain and other life experiences may contribute to brain matter loss
A study of non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic white adults links chronic knee pain and key demographic factors to differences in areas of the brain tied to memory. Published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, the researchers found that participants who reported higher stages of pain and lower levels of income and education and less access to health insurance had thinner gray matter in these regions than those also experiencing higher stages of pain but who reported higher levels of income, education and greater access to health insurance. The findings suggest that some individuals with chronic pain who are at increased risk for gray matter loss might benefit from earlier identification and treatment for their pain, said lead author Jared Tanner, Ph.D., a research assistant professor of clinical and health psychology.
Testing quarantined students before they return to school helps prevent asymptomatic cases from re-e
In a study published in March in JAMA, a UF team reported that many high school students on day nine or later of their COVID-19 quarantine period tested positive for the virus. The finding suggests schools should adopt a policy of testing quarantined students if they return to class before the end of a 14-day quarantine period. The study, which included K-12 school children, noted an age difference in late-stage quarantine positivity rates. This may be caused by both biological and behavioral differences between high school students and younger students, say the researchers, who were led by Eric Nelson, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor in the departments of pediatrics and environmental and global health.
8th in NIH research funding among schools of public health at public universities
$35 million in total research awards in FY20-21
8 federally-funded training programs
12 college investigators received grant funding exceeding $1 million in FY20-21
$861 million in research funding earned by UF faculty in FY20-21
