Life Sciences Commons^™

Minimum Description Length And Empirical Bayes Methods Of Identifying Snps Associated With Disease, Ye Yang, David R. Bickel

COBRA Preprint Series

The goal of determining which of hundreds of thousands of SNPs are associated with disease poses one of the most challenging multiple testing problems. Using the empirical Bayes approach, the local false discovery rate (LFDR) estimated using popular semiparametric models has enjoyed success in simultaneous inference. However, the estimated LFDR can be biased because the semiparametric approach tends to overestimate the proportion of the non-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). One of the negative consequences is that, like conventional p-values, such LFDR estimates cannot quantify the amount of information in the data that favors the null hypothesis of no disease-association.

We …

Distribution Of Health Care Expenditures For Hiv-Infected Patients, Ray Y. Chen, Neil A. Accortt, Andrew O. Westfall, Michael J. Mugavero, James L. Raper, Gretchen A. Cloud, Beth K. Stone, Jerome Carter, Stephanie Call, Maria Pisu, Jeroan J. Allison, Michael S. Saag

Jeroan J. Allison

BACKGROUND: Health care expenditures for persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United State determined on the basis of actual health care use have not been reported in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy.

METHODS: Patients receiving primary care at the University of Alabama at Birmingham HIV clinic were included in the study. All encounters (except emergency room visits) that occurred within the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital System from 1 March 2000 to 1 March 2001 were analyzed. Medication expenditures were determined on the basis of 2001 average wholesale price. Hospitalization expenditures were determined on …

Trends In Aids-Defining And Non-Aids-Defining Malignancies Among Hiv-Infected Patients: 1989-2002, Roger Bedimo, Ray Y. Chen, Neil A. Accortt, James L. Raper, Carol Linn, Jeroan J. Allison, John Dubay, Michael S. Saag, Craig J. Hoesley

Jeroan J. Allison

In a comparison of rates of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-defining malignancies (ADMs) for 1989-1996 versus 1997-2002, we found a decrease in ADMs (rate ratio, 0.31; P<.0001) and a significant increase in non-AIDS-defining malignancies (non-ADMs; rate ratio, 10.87; P<.0002). The mean CD4 cell count was lower among patients with ADMs than among those with non-ADMs. A longer duration of survival during highly active antiretroviral therapy might explain the increasing incidence of non-ADMs.

The Role Of Unrealistic Optimism In Explaining Preventive Behaviors In High Versus Low Endemic Malaria Settings In Belize, Daniel G. Handysides

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: Of all the diseases an individual can encounter in the world, malaria is one of the most destructive. Simple measures like sleeping under a bednet would greatly reduce the burden (Abeku, 2007). When people estimate their risk relative to others, they are most often unrealistically optimistic, which may explain why those at risk often fail to perform behaviors, such as using a bednet that will reduce their risk. However, one study showed that people at high risk for malaria held pessimistic perceptions of their risk for the disease, but the reasons for this finding are unclear (Morrison, Ager, & …

A Gis Analysis Of The Environmental Variables Related To Rift Valley Fever Outbreaks, Jacqueline Florette Jackson

Health Services Research Dissertations

Rift Valley fever is a mosquito-borne disease that causes widespread febrile illness and mortality in domestic animals as well as humans (Gaff, 2007). Rift Valley fever virus was first isolated in 1931 (Daubney, 1931), and since then, outbreaks have occurred in sub-Saharan Africa, southern Africa, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Madagascar, proving it to be a virus able to invade ecologically diverse regions (Gaff, 2007). The potential introduction of Rift Valley fever into the United States suggests the potential for human infection and major economic disruption. It is important to understand the role environmental variables have played in historical outbreaks …