Digital Commons Network^™

What Is The Cost To Employers Of Direct Medical Care For Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease?, Tursynbek Nurmagambetov, Adam Atherly, Seymour Williams, Fernando Holguin, David M. Mannino, Stephen C. Redd

David M. Mannino

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. In 2000, an estimated 10.5 million people had COPD, of which more than 7.2 million were from the under-age 65 employed population. The prevalence of COPD in the workforce population was substantial with 46.5% of current employment among adults having the disease. However, the cost burden in the employed population is unknown. We examined COPD prevalence and costs in a large employment-based population. Using claims data from 1999 to 2003, we estimated the cost associated with COPD-related hospitalizations, emergency department visits, outpatient services, …

A Socioeconomic And Spatial Analysis Of Obesity In West Virginia: Policy Implications, Anura Kumara Amarasinghe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This dissertation integrates both theoretical and empirical insights to facilitate understanding of the current obesity epidemic in WV given heterogeneity in socioeconomic, demographic and built environment characteristics of the state. In meeting this objective, county-level and individual-level health demand analyses using secondary data sources were conducted. County-level obesity differences were studied using spatial and non-spatial random and fixed effects frameworks under a panel data structure. Individual health demand was investigated by recursive estimation of individual health responses to ordered self-assessed health (SAH) in terms of lifestyle choices, socioeconomic, demographic and built environment characteristics using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) …

A National Estimate Of The Cost Of Illness In Parkinson's Disease Using Retrospective Data Analysis, Katherine Anderson

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to estimate the cost of illness of Parkinson’s disease in the United States. Direct medical expenditures, with the exception of nursing home costs, were estimated using data from the 1999-2003 Medical Expenditures Panel Survey Household Component (MEPS-HC). Nursing home costs were estimated using the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey Nursing Home Component (MEPS-NHC). Indirect costs for lost productivity due to missed work or bed-days (morbidity) were estimated using the MEPS-HC and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Indirect costs for lost productivity due to death (mortality) were estimated using the National Vital Statistics System.

Direct …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Antiretroviral Adherence Interventions: Using Marginal Structural Models To Replicate The Findings Of Randomized Controlled Trials., Maya L. Petersen, Yue Wang, Mark J. Van Der Laan, David R. Bangsberg

Maya Petersen

Randomized controlled trials of interventions to improve adherence to antiretroviral medications are not always feasible. Marginal Structural Models (MSM) are a statistical methodology that aims to replicate the findings of randomized controlled trials using observational data. Under the assumption of no unmeasured confounders, three MSM estimators are available to estimate the causal effect of an intervention. Two of these estimators, G-computation and Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighted, can be implemented using standard software. G-computation relies on fitting a multivariable regression of adherence on the intervention and confounders. Thus, it is related to the standard multivariable regression approach to estimating causal …

Stress, Coping, Social Support, And Prostate Cancer Risk Among Older African American And Caucasian Men, Ann L. Coker, Maureen Sanderson, Gary L. Ellison, Mary Kay Fadden

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

Objectives: While psychosocial stress and high effort coping have been associated with reduced immune function, no epidemiologic study has addressed psychological stress and risk of prostate cancer. The purpose of this analysis was to investigate the association between stress, coping, social support, and risk of prostate cancer among older men (age 65–79 years). Design: Population-based case-control study in South Carolina.

Participants: Cases were 400 incident, histologically confirmed prostate cancer cases identified through the South Carolina Central Cancer Registry between 1999 and 2001 (70.6% response rate). Controls were 385 men identified through the 1999 Health Care Financing Administration Medicare beneficiary file …

Changing The Burden Of Copd Mortality, David M. Mannino, Victor A. Kiri

David M. Mannino

COPD is a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide with an estimated 2.75 million deaths in 2000 (fourth leading cause of death). In addition to the considerable morbidity and mortality associated with COPD, this disease incurs significant healthcare and societal costs. Current COPD guidelines acknowledge that the following can improve COPD mortality: smoking cessation; long-term oxygen therapy; and lung volume reduction surgery in small subsets of COPD patients. To date, no randomized controlled trials have demonstrated an effect of pharmacological treatment on mortality, although several observational studies suggest that both long-acting bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids may provide a survival …

An Sveir Model For Assessing Potential Impact Of An Imperfect Anti-Sars Vaccine, Abba B. Gumel, C. Connell Mccluskey, James Watmough

Mathematics Faculty Publications

The control of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a fatal contagious viral disease that spread to over 32 countries in 2003, was based on quarantine of latently infected individuals and isolation of individuals with clinical symptoms of SARS. Owing to the recent ongoing clinical trials of some candidate anti-SARS vaccines, this study aims to assess, via mathematical modelling, the potential impact of a SARS vaccine, assumed to be imperfect, in curtailing future outbreaks. A relatively simple deterministic model is designed for this purpose. It is shown, using Lyapunov function theory and the theory of compound matrices, that the dynamics of …

Central Nervous System Involvement In Dengue Viral Infection, Romasa Channa, Mohammad Wasay

Department of Medicine

Neurological manifestations of dengue infection are rare. This review includes data regarding the epidemiology of the disease, neurological manifestations,pathogenesis, diagnosis and prognosis. It is based on 9 original articles and 10 case reports, adding up to 200 cases of dengue fever with neurological manifestations. Relevant cases have been reported from Asia, the Pacific rim, the Americas, the Mediterranean region, and Africa. A wide range of neurological manifestations has been reported. Altered consciousness and seizure are among the more common manifestations. The exact pathogenesis of this disease has not yet been established. However, recent studies hypothesize that the virus is neurotropic. …

Botulinum Toxin Type A In The Prophylactic Treatment Of Chronic Tension-Type Headache: A Multicentre, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group Study, Stephen D. Silberstein, H. Göbel, R. Jensen, A. H. Elkind, R. Degryse, J. M.C.M. Walcott, C. Turkel

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

We studied the safety and efficacy of 0 U, 50 U, 100 U, 150 U (five sites), 86 Usub and 100 Usub (three sites) botulinum toxin type A (BoNTA; BOTOX); Allergan, Inc., Irvine, CA, USA) for the prophylaxis of chronic tension-type headache (CTTH). Three hundred patients (62.3% female; mean age 42.6 years) enrolled. For the primary endpoint, the mean change from baseline in the number of TTH-free days per month, there was no statistically significant difference between placebo and four BoNTA groups, but a significant difference favouring placebo vs. BoNTA 150 was observed (4.5 vs. 2.8 tension headache-free days/month; P …

Hospitalization For Patients With Sarcoidosis: 1979-2000, M. G. Foreman, David M. Mannino, L. Kamugisha, G. E. Westney

David M. Mannino

BACKGROUND AND AIM:

Sarcoidosis is a multi-system granulomatous disease of unknown etiology with significant racial and gender differences in disease severity, incidence, and prevalence. Primarily treated in outpatients, limited information is available on hospital outcomes in patients with sarcoidosis. The National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS) was analyzed over a 22-year period to determine trends in hospitalization and the impact of concurrent comorbidities.

METHODS:

Secondary analysis was done of the NHDS, a national survey of inpatient medical care for short stays in nonfederal facilities.

RESULTS:

There were a total of 750 million hospitalizations over this 22-year period, with 593,455 (0.08%) hospitalizations …

Drug Resistant Patterns Of Invasive Streptococcus Pneumoniae Infections In The State Of Florida In 2003, Michael T. Drennon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major bacterial pathogen which causes pneumoniae, meningitis, otitis media, and bacteremia. Currently there are two vaccines available, Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPV) for adults and the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) for children. The PCV vaccine was developed in 2000 specifically for children and infants due to the ineffectiveness of the PPV vaccine in children. This is a cross sectional study of invasive S. pneumoniae in Florida during 2003. This study is designed to determine the population characteristics, clinically relevant antibiotic resistance patterns and specific risk factors for development of antibiotic resistance of invasive S. pneumoniae. Participants for …

Letter To The Editor: Suicide And Mormon Culture, Kevin J. Black

Kevin J. Black, MD

(Unpublished response to a story in the [Salt Lake City] Deseret News titled "Some say LDS culture is a factor in suicides.") ... The facts do not at all support the idea that "LDS culture" raises the suicide rate. In fact, the facts suggest that active participation in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may be a strong preventive factor in the fight against suicide. ... We cannot definitively conclude from available evidence that conversion or increased contact with "Mormon culture" actually prevents suicide, but at least it is a hypothesis that fits the data. ...

Energy Balance And Breast Cancer Risk: A Prospective Cohort Study, Stephanie A. Navarro Silvera, Jain Meera, Geoffrey R. Howe, Anthony B. Miller, Thomas E. Rohan

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

While there is evidence that breast cancer risk is positively associated with body mass index (in postmenopausal women) and energy intake and inversely associated with physical activity, few studies have examined breast cancer risk in association with energy balance, the balance between energy intake and expenditure. Therefore, in the cohort study reported here, we studied the independent and combined associations of vigorous physical activity, energy consumption, and body mass index (BMI), with breast cancer risk. The investigation was conducted in 49,613 Canadian women who were participants in the National Breast Screening Study (NBSS) and who completed self- administered lifestyle and …

Jmasm23: Cluster Analysis In Epidemiological Data (Matlab), Andrés M. Alonso

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

Matlab functions for testing the existence of time, space and time-space clusters of disease occurrences are presented. The classical scan test, the Ederer, Myers and Mantel’s test, the Ohno, Aoki and Aoki’s test, and the Knox’s test are considered.

Estimation Of Direct Causal Effects., Maya L. Petersen, Sandra E. Sinisi, Mark J. Van Der Laan

Maya Petersen

Many common problems in epidemiologic and clinical research involve estimating the effect of an exposure on an outcome while blocking the exposure's effect on an intermediate variable. Effects of this kind are termed direct effects. Estimation of direct effects arises frequently in research aimed at understanding mechanistic pathways by which an exposure acts to cause or prevent disease, as well as in many other settings. Although multivariable regression is commonly used to estimate direct effects, this approach requires assumptions beyond those required for the estimation of total causal effects. In addition, when the exposure and intermediate interact to cause disease, …

Soft Drink Intake, Television, Video Viewing And Video Game Playing Compared Among Normal Weight And Overweight Preschool-Aged Children In Rural West Virginia, Meredythe Barrick

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Recently, there has been a rise in overweight in children. Overweight in children is associated with chronic diseases in childhood and adulthood. This study aimed to analyze factors that may influence weight of children. Specifically, average soft drink consumption, average hours of television/video viewing/video game playing, and mothers' BMI were compared among overweight and normal weight preschool-aged children in rural West Virginia.;Children, mean age 52 months, residing in McDowell or Mercer counties in West Virginia. Parents or other caregivers completed 24-hour dietary recalls. They also provided average hours of TV/video viewed/video games played by children. Subjects consisted of overweight, BMI …

Seasonal Variation In Food Intake, Physical Activity, And Body Weight In A Predominantly Overweight Population, Yunsheng Ma, Barbara C. Olendzki, W. Li, Andrea R. Hafner, David E. Chiriboga, James R. Hébert, Mary Jane Campbell, M. Sarnie, Ira S. Ockene

Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE:

To describe seasonal variation in food intake, physical activity, and body weight in a predominantly overweight population.

DESIGN:

A longitudinal observational study.

SETTING:

Most of the study participants were recruited from a health maintenance organization (HMO) in central Massachusetts, USA. Additional individuals of Hispanic descent were recruited from outside of the HMO population to increase the ethnic diversity of this sample.

SUBJECTS:

Data from 593 participants, aged 20-70, were used for this investigation. Each participant was followed quarterly (five sampling points: baseline and four consecutive quarters) for 1-year period. Body weight measurements and three 24-h dietary and physical activity …

Crop Updates 2006 - Oilseeds, Graham Walton, Fiona Martin, Anne Wilkins, Nathan Hancock, Matthew Nelson, Marieclaire Castello, Linda Thompson, Anouska Cousin, Guijun Yan, Wallace Cowling, Moin Salam, Bill Mcloud, Ravjit Khangura, Jean Galloway, Art Diggle, R. F. Brennan, M. D. A. Bolland, P. M. Damon, Z. Rengel, Terry Rose, Qifu Ma, Dave Eksteen

Crop Updates

This session covers thirteen papers from different authors:

1. INTRODUCTION, Graham Walton, CONVENOR, Department of Agriculture

2. The performance of new TT canola varieties in National Variety Testing (NVT) WA, Fiona Martin, Research Agronomist, Agritech Crop Research

3. Comparison of TT Canola Varieties in Oilseeds WA Trials – 2005, Collated by G.H. Walton, Department of Agriculture, WA, from a collaboration between Oilseeds WA, Seed Companies, Agronomists and Growers

4. An overview of the potential for a Biofuels Industry in Western Australia, Anne Wilkins and Nathan Hancock, Department of Agriculture

5. Retrieval of fertile progeny from interspecific …

Crop Updates 2006 - Cereals, Roger Jones, Nichole Burges, Mohommad Amjad, Ben Curtis, Wal Anderson, Darren Chitty, Brianna Peake, Harm Van Rees, Cherie Reilly, James Hunt, Dean Holzworth, Zvi Hochman, Allan Peake, Neal Dalgliesh, Stephen Van Rees, Trudy Mccann, Peter Carberry, Raj Malik, Kelly Winfield, Brenda Shackley, Judith Devenish, Darshan Sharma, Steve Penny Jr, Christine Zaicou-Kunesch, Mike Bolland, Ross Brennan, Paul Damon, Zed Rengel, Jeremy Lemon, Perry Poulton, Nick Poole, Brooke Thompson, Stephen Loss, Jeff Russell, Angie Roe, James Eyres, Narelle Simpson, Ron Mctaggart, Lionel Martin, Dave Allen, Hossein Golzar, Manisha Shankar, Robert Loughman, John Majewski, Donna Foster, Jamie Piotrowski, Nicole Harry, Geoff Thomas, Kith Jayasena, Svetlana Micic, Paul Matson, Tony Dore, Thomas (Ben) Biddulph, Daryl Mares, Julie Plummer, Tim Setter, Garren Knell, Steve Curtin, Wade Longmuir, Nigel Metz, Tina Botwright Acuña, Len Wade, Cindy Mills, Peter Stone

Crop Updates

This session covers twenty nine papers from different authors:

PLENARY

1. The 2005 wheat streak mosaic virus epidemic in New South Wales and the threat posed to the Western Australian wheat industry, Roger Jones and Nichole Burges, Department of Agriculture

SOUTH COAST AGRONOMY

2. South coast wheat variety trial results and best options for 2006, Mohammad Amjad, Ben Curtis and Wal Anderson, Department of Agriculture

3. Dual purpose winter wheats to improve productivity, Mohammad Amjad and Ben Curtis, Department of Agriculture

4. South coast large-scale premium wheat variety trials, Mohammad Amjad and Ben Curtis, Department of Agriculture …

Carotenoid, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, And Vitamin E Intake And Risk Of Ovarian Cancer: A Prospective Cohort Study, Stephanie A. Navarro Silvera, Meera Jain, Geoffrey R. Howe, Anthony B. Miller, Thomas E. Rohan

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

It is thought that oxidative stress resulting to repeated ovulation may increase the risk of ovarian cancer by inducing DNA damage (1). Consumption of antioxidants may, therefore, decrease ovarian cancer risk by counteracting oxidative stress and the resultant DNA damage (2, 3). Currently, the epidemiologic evidence regarding associations between antioxidants and risk of ovarian cancer is mixed (4-12). Of the two prospective studies, Kushi et al. (4) and Fairfield et al. (7) both reported no association between β-carotene and ovarian cancer risk. In addition, Fairfield et al. …

Observation And Model Error Effects On Parameter Estimates In Susceptible-Infected-Recovered Epidemiological Models, Tom L. Burr, Gerardo Chowell

Public Health Faculty Publications

Recently, confidence intervals (CIs) associated with parameter estimates in the susceptibleinfected-recovered epidemiological model have been developed. When model assumptions are met and the observation error is relatively small, these CIs are relatively short. This work describes the behavior of CIs for parameters as observation and/or equation or model error becomes larger, and includes a comparison of two estimation procedures. One procedure demonstrates significant bias as observation error increases; the other procedure demonstrates significant bias as model error increases.

Acquisition And Retention Of Bacterial Spores (Bacillus Atrophaeus) By Eight Insect Species, Kieron Marie Torres

Theses and Dissertations

Acquisition and retention of spores of an anthrax surrogate, Bacillus atrophaeus Nakamura ("BG") were evaluated in eight insect species. Species included: house cricket (Acheta domesticus L.), German cockroach (Blatella germanica L.), common house fly (Musca domestics L.), blue bottle fly (Calliphora vomitoria L.), hairy rove beetle Creophilus maxillosus L.), yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.), common paper wasps (Polistes exclamans exclamans Viereck), red paper wasps (Polistes Carolina L.), red harvester ant (Pogonymyrmex barbatus Smith). Individual insects were offered BG-treated food and sacrificed at specified time intervals following one, two or three meals. Resulting samples were surface-washed five consecutive times then homogenized …

Diseases Of White Sea Bream (Diplodus Sargus L.) Reared In Experimental And Commercial Conditions In Greece, Eleni Golomazou, Fotini Athanassopoulou, Styliani Vagianou, Olga Sabatakou, Hlias Tsantilas, Georgios Rigos, Lambros Kokkokiris

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

A bacteriological and parasitological study of the white sea bream, Diplodus sargus L., was conducted as this species is a potential candidate for aquaculture in Mediterranean countries. The study comprised fish reared in commercial cages (2 farms) located in different geographical localities, as well as fish reared experimentally in cages located in a natural enclosed lagoon. Fish were examined in the fresh state by means of smears from all internal and external organs and by histology. Microbiology was also performed at all sites. Mortality was low (12%) at farm 1 (Argolida), while at farm 2 (Korinth) and the lagoon it …

Serological And Virological Investigations Of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (Bvdv) Infection In Dairy Cattle Herds In Aydın Province, Mehmet Tolga Tan, M. Taner Karaoğlu, Nural Erol, Yakup Yildirim

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

A total of 288 dairy cattle from 4 different closed barns were sampled in order to investigate the presence of bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) infection. Based on the data gathered from neutralisation peroxidase-linked antibody (NPLA) tests, which were conducted to detect BVDV antibodies, all of the barns monitored previously had the infection; the rates of seropositive animals were between 44% and 100%. Overall, the results obtained from Aydın province showed that 248 of the 288 dairy cows (86%) monitored were seropositive. BVDV antigen ELISA kits (Bio-X Diagnostics- Belgium) were used to detect BVDV antigen (NS3 protein) in blood samples. …