Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Examining The Co-Infection Effects Of Helminths And Malaria In An Indonesian Community, Andrea Rodríguez-Sánchez

Masters Theses

Malaria is one of the most prevalent vector-borne infectious diseases with major morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Recent epidemiological studies have shown that co-occurrence of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections, or infection caused by parasitic worms, are associated with increased risk of malaria infection. However, studies of the association between STH and malaria, and the effect of antihelminth (deworming) treatments that are more commonly used in areas with high STH infection rates, are sparse. Therefore, we explored the relationship between STH and malaria infection in an Indonesian community (N=1997) with high prevalence of both STH and malaria …

Gestational Weight Gain, Offspring Asthma And Wheeze Phenotypes In Project Viva, Kathryn Wagner

Masters Theses

In the US, 8.4% of children are diagnosed with asthma by age 18, making asthma one of the most common chronic conditions among children. Additionally, 25% of children experience persistent wheezing by age 6, an indicator of childhood asthma. Both childhood asthma and persistent wheezing may be linked to inflammatory and immune mechanisms, which are associated with inadequate and excessive gestational weight gain. Studies investigating the relationship between gestational weight gain and offspring asthma and wheeze phenotypes are limited by self-reported gestational weight gain, early age at asthma and wheeze assessments, limited adjustment for potential confounders and no trimester-specific evaluations. …

Patient Sex And Physician Adherence To Treatment Guidelines For Non-Purulent Cellulitis, Rebecca Goldberg

Masters Theses

In 2015, participating US Emergency Departments (EDs) reported approximately 2.8 million visits related to skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). Studies indicate that there may be disparities by patient sex in physician treatment guideline adherence rates as a result of a gender bias during physician-patient interactions; however, only two epidemiologic studies have investigated the role of patient sex in guideline adherence rates for SSTIs. These prior studies were limited in size and covariate assessment. Thus, the magnitude and direction of the effect of patient sex is uncertain, warranting further research. Therefore, we conducted a large prospective study to elucidate the …

Impacts Of Casino Gambling Availability In Plainville, Massachusetts: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Analysis, Danielle M. Venne

Masters Theses

The impacts of the introduction of casino gambling in Plainville, MA and surrounding communities are of interest in developing informed policy. Problem gambling is a public health issue as associated harms include physical and mental illness, impaired relationships with one’s close social network, impacts on school or work, financial difficulties and illegal behavior. The results of surveys prior to and after the introduction of the casino were used to evaluate potential differences in the prevalence of at-risk and problem gambling, associations amongst health and gambling behavior covariates with at-risk and problem gambling status by year, and changes of covariate relationships …

Pre-Pregnancy Bmi And Preterm Birth Among Hispanic Teens, Allison C. Hope

Masters Theses

Preterm birth affects 12% of infants in the United States annually and is the main contributor to infant deaths and long-term neurological disabilities in offspring. Obesity is a growing problem in the U.S., and is increasingly being considered a major risk factor for adverse health outcomes. Puerto Rican teenagers have disproportionately high rates of preterm birth and obesity when compared to non-Hispanic White teenagers. Studies evaluating risk factors for preterm birth among adolescents are sparse, have inconsistent findings, and were conducted among predominantly non-Hispanic populations. Therefore, we investigated the association between BMI and preterm birth among the 419 teenage (ages …

Gpu-Accelerated Influenza Simulations For Operational Modeling, Peter Holvenstot

Masters Theses

Simulations of influenza spread are useful for decision-making during public-health emergencies. Policy-makers use models to predict disease spread and estimate the effects of various intervention strategies. Effective modeling of targeted intervention strategies requires accurate modeling of individual-level behavior and transmission. However, this greatly increases the computational costs of these agent-based models. In addition, if the models are used as an outbreak progresses, some operational decisions must occur rapidly in order to contain the spread of the disease.

Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) are a type of specialized processor used to drive graphical displays. Many recent devices also allow users to write …

Spatial Epidemiology And Temporal Trends Of Heart Attack And Stroke In Middle Tennessee, Doreen Busingye

Masters Theses

Despite declines in mortality risks of myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke in the US since the 1960’s, the burdens of these conditions remain high. These conditions require emergency and specialized care and therefore quick transportation of patients to appropriate hospitals is critical. Geographic disparities in MI and stroke burdens have been consistently reported in the US with the south-east having the highest risks. Most studies of geographic disparities have been performed at county or higher geographic units. Therefore, spatial patterns at neighborhood levels are unclear. Moreover, it’s important to investigate disparities at neighborhood levels to better understand neighborhood health needs. …