RSV vaccine protects older adults against severe illness
A new study by Kaiser Permanente has shown that the ABRYSVO respiratory syncytial virus vaccine is very effective in reducing emergency room visits and hospital stays due to RSV among older adults. “This Kaiser Permanente research demonstrated the real-world effectiveness of RSV vaccination among ...
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Study finds air pollution may increase risk of preterm birth
Exposure to a specific kind of air pollution, fine particulate matter, during pregnancy may significantly increase the risk of spontaneous preterm birth, which can be dangerous for both the mother and ...
5 questions for … Dr. Javed Sheikh
Javed Sheikh, MD, was recently named 2024 Physician Researcher of the Year by the Southern California Permanente Medical Group. Dr. Sheikh is the vice area research chair for the Los Angeles area on ...
Kaiser Permanente’s vaccine side-effect monitor bolsters safety
After COVID-19 vaccines became available in December 2020, several smartphone-based reporting systems were developed to monitor vaccine side effects. They included V-safe from the Centers for Disease ...
Progression of children’s myopia may be influenced by race and ethnicity
December 2, 2020Asian American children are at a much higher risk of a progression of myopia—commonly known as nearsightedness—a new Kaiser Permanente Southern California study shows. “Some people think of myopia only as an issue that can be easily corrected with glasses or contact lenses. However, myopic patients have a higher risk of vision loss throughout life as ...Read more...People on dialysis have higher risk from COVID-19
December 1, 2020Kidney dialysis patients should take extra precautions to avoid being infected with COVID-19. A new Kaiser Permanente Southern California study found patients on dialysis have 18 times higher risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 than people who do not have end-stage kidney disease. Intuitively, the physicians and researchers knew that these patients may be at ...Read more...Five questions for … Dr. Chunyuan Qiu
December 1, 2020Chunyuan Qiu, MD, MS, is a clinician investigator for the Department of Research & Evaluation and the chief of the Department of Anesthesiology at Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center. He is actively involved in teaching regional anesthesia fellows. In his practice, he focuses on the long-term outcomes after surgery and anesthesia. What is the value to ...Read more...Kaiser Permanente San Diego enrolling patients in monoclonal antibody trial
November 30, 2020In November, emergency departments at the Kaiser Permanente San Diego and Zion medical centers began enrolling patients in the ACTIV-2 Outpatient Monoclonal Antibodies and Other Therapies trial, which is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “This trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of treatments for people who have COVID-19 but aren’t ...Read more...Seeking early detection for pancreatic cancer
November 23, 2020Earlier this year, much-loved game show host Alex Trebec died from a cancer that’s rare but extremely deadly: pancreatic cancer. In fact, the disease is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in the United States. Pancreatic cancer’s high mortality rate is due in large part to a lack of effective screening methods, according to ...Read more...New tool helps predict outcomes for COVID-19
November 20, 2020A study published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine this month reports on an assessment tool developed by Kaiser Permanente researchers and physicians that helps ensure patients get the right care, when they need it, by accurately predicting the probability that patients with COVID-19 symptoms will experience severe disease or even death. “As the pandemic ...Read more...2016 presidential election associated with uptick in heart attacks and stroke
November 2, 2020The hospitalization rate for heart attacks and strokes was 1.62 times higher in the 2 days immediately after the 2016 presidential election than the same 2 days in the week before the election, new research shows. “We saw the same increase in acute cardiovascular disease (CVD) events across sex, age, and race and ethnicity groups,” said ...Read more...Five questions for … Dr. Katia Bruxvoort
November 2, 2020Katia Bruxvoort, PhD, MPH, is an infectious disease epidemiologist and post-doctoral research fellow for the Department of Research & Evaluation. She is a co-investigator on several post-licensure vaccine safety and effectiveness studies (hepatitis B vaccine, shingles vaccine, influenza vaccines). She has broad interests in infectious disease prevention, targeted treatment, the intersection of social needs and health, ...Read more...Scientists and physicians conduct research to improve COVID-19 testing and treatment
November 2, 2020Researchers and physicians within Kaiser Permanente Southern California continue to find better ways to test, treat, and care for patients with COVID-19. In late October, a few of the researchers and physicians shared their latest projects at a Department of Research & Evaluation Research Seminar. The COVID-19 projects included examining risk factors for mortality in younger ...Read more...Value of quick noninvasive follow-up tests for chest pain patients questioned
November 2, 2020Researchers at Kaiser Permanente are always working to find better and more cost-effective tests and treatments possible for members. Recently, Adam Sharp, MD, MSc, and Aniket Kawatkar, PhD, MS, of Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation led a team evaluating the effectiveness of noninvasive cardiac tests, such as treadmill stress tests, within 72 ...Read more...