Diseases Commons^™

Male Circumcision For Hiv Prevention: Current Evidence And Implementation In Sub-Saharan Africa, Richard G. Wamai, Brian J. Morris, Stefan A. Bailis, David Sokal, Jeffrey D. Klausner, Ross Appleton, Nelson Sewankambo, David A. Cooper, John Bongaarts, Guy De Bruyn, Alex D. Wodak, Joya Banerjee

Richard G. Wamai

Heterosexual exposure accounts for most HIV transmission in sub-Saharan Africa, and this mode, as a proportion of new infections, is escalating globally. The scientific evidence accumulated over more than 20 years shows that among the strategies advocated during this period for HIV prevention, male circumcision is one of, if not, the most efficacious epidemiologically, as well as cost-wise. Despite this, and recommendation of the procedure by global policy makers, national implementation has been slow. Additionally, some are not convinced of the protective effect of male circumcision and there are also reports, unsupported by evidence, that non-sex-related drivers play a major …

Interferon Alpha For Chronic Hepatitis D, Zaigham Abbas, Muhammad Arsalan Khan, Mohammad Salih, Wasim Jafri

Department of Medicine

Background:

Hepatitis D virus is a small defective RNA virus that requires the presence of hepatitis B virus infection to infect a person. Hepatitis D is a difficult-to-treat infection. Several clinical trials have been published on the efficacy of interferon alpha for hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection. However, there are few randomised trials evaluating the effects of interferon alpha, and it is difficult to judge any benefit of this intervention from the individual trials.

Objectives:

To evaluate the beneficial and harmful effects of interferon alpha for Patients with chronic hepatitis D.

Search methods:

We identified relevant for the review randomised …

Methodological Quality Of Quantitative Nursing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, And Transgender Research From 2000 To 2010, Michael Johnson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people constitute one of the largest underserved populations in any nursing setting. Despite the large LGBT populations, very little nursing research has been conducted on these populations. Nurse researchers have recommended that nursing researchers end the silence on LGBT research. To accomplish this, the methodological rigor of LGBT nursing research must be evaluated and improved upon. Currently, no literature examines the methodological quality of quantitative nursing LGBT research. Using a cross-sectional design, it was the purpose of this study to evaluate the methodological quality of quantitative nursing LGBT research from 2000 to 2010 using …

Evaluation Of The Pilot Program, Pediatric Early Warning Sentinel Surveillance Program (Pewss), And Its Efficacy In Monitoring Pediatric Illness In Clark County, Nevada, Michelle Lee Lutman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The influenza outbreak that occurred during 2009 stimulated the formation of several surveillance programs throughout the country. The majority monitor only influenza; however, there are several other circulating respiratory pathogens, especially within the pediatric community. These other respiratory pathogens cause a variety of illnesses, such as bronchitis, pneumonia, croup, etc. Prior research has provided the medical community with valuable information about respiratory illnesses, especially those which afflict pediatric patients. Areas of knowledge including seasonality, demographics, signs and symptoms, prevention measures, and pathogenicity, have been greatly expanded over the years. This information has been of tremendous help to the medical community …

A Brief Content Analysis Of Attachment And Sexual Relationships In Sex Therapy And Research Journals, Kathryn Zambrano Devis

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A surge of scholarly publications on attachment within couple relationships prompted this content analysis of attachment articles published in six sex therapy and sex research journals. This study investigates the extent to which these journals attend to attachment in the context of adult sexual relationships. The researcher found 2257 articles published within these journals; 64 of which attend to attachment and 9 of which attend to attachment and sex. Implications for couples therapy in the field of sex therapy and future directions are discussed.

Aids/Hiv Denialism: Patients' Privacy Rights, Fadia Abdullah, Guadalupe Medrano

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

HIV is a sexually transmitted disease that develops into AIDS. There is no cure for it, only treatment. In this poster, we look at the pros and cons of disclosing this type of information. People who decide to disclose their HIV status may have various reasons for doing so, but most do it for emotional support and for prevention of spreading the disease. Those who decide to keep it private primarily do it to not face rejection, discrimination, degradation, and loss of respect. (Petronio Page 72) The problem with creating a public database is that many organizations are against the …

Changing The World With One Cell: The Story Of Hela, Allison Roberts

Allison Roberts

Poster Created for the Diversity Committee Fall 2011 Culture Corner featuring The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Henrietta Lacks’ cell culture spawned changes in medicine, science, ethics, society and the world. This Semester’s Culture Corner features selections from UT Libraries collection that highlight the areas effected by this one human and her immortal cell.

Upregulation Of Reactive Oxygen Species During The Retrovirus Life Cycle And Their Roles In A Mutant Of Moloney Murine Leukemia Virus, Ts1-Mediated Neurodegeneration, Soo Jin Kim

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Viral invasion of the central nervous system (CNS) and development of neurological symptoms is a characteristic of many retroviruses. The mechanism by which retrovirus infection causes neurological dysfunction has yet to be fully elucidated. Given the complexity of the retrovirus-mediated neuropathogenesis, studies using small animal models are extremely valuable. Our laboratory has used a mutant moloney murine leukemia retrovirus, ts1-mediated neurodegneration. We hypothesize that astrocytes play an important role in ts1-induced neurodegeneration since they are retroviral reservoirs and supporting cells for neurons. It has been shown that ts1 is able to infect astrocytes in vivo and in …

Hiv-1 Matrix Protein Binding To Rna, Ayna Alfadhli, Henry Mcnett, Seyram Tsagli, Hans Peter Bachinger, David H. Peyton

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The matrix (MA) domain of the HIV-1 precursor Gag (PrGag) protein plays multiple roles in the viral replication cycle. One essential role is to target PrGag proteins to their lipid raft-associated phosphatidylinositol-(4,5)-bisphosphate (PI[4,5]P2) assembly sites at the plasma membranes (PMs) of infected cells. In addition to this role, several reports have implicated nucleic acid binding properties to retroviral MAs. Evidence indicates that RNA binding enhances the binding specificity of MA to PI(4,5)P2-containing membranes, and supports a hypothesis in which RNA binding to MA acts as a chaperone that protects MA from associating with inappropriate cellular membranes prior to PrGag delivery …

Who’S Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework: A Milestone In Global Governance For Health, Lawrence O. Gostin, David P. Fidler

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In May 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework for the Sharing of Influenza Viruses and Access to Vaccines and Other Benefits (PIP Framework). The PIP Framework’s adoption ended years of difficult negotiations, which began after Indonesia refused to share samples of avian influenza A (H5N1) with WHO in late 2006. Indonesia justified its actions on the need to create more equitable access for developing countries to benefits, such as vaccines and antivirals, derived from research and development on shared influenza virus samples. The global health community feared that failure to share influenza virus samples …

Real-World Comparison Of Two Molecular Methods For Detection Of Respiratory Viruses, Syed Asad Ali, James E. Gern, Tina V. Hartert, Kathryn M. Edwards, Marie R. Griffin, E Kathryn Mille, Tebeb Gebretsadik, Tressa Pappas, Wai Ming Lee, John V. Williams

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Molecular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based assays are increasingly used to diagnose viral respiratory infections and conduct epidemiology studies. Molecular assays have generally been evaluated by comparing them to conventional direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) or viral culture techniques, with few published direct comparisons between molecular methods or between institutions. We sought to perform a real-world comparison of two molecular respiratory viral diagnostic methods between two experienced respiratory virus research laboratories.
Methods: We tested nasal and throat swab specimens obtained from 225 infants with respiratory illness for 11 common respiratory viruses using both a multiplex assay (Respiratory MultiCode-PLx Assay [RMA]) …

Aids, Social Work, And The "Duty To Protect", Frederic Reamer

Frederic G Reamer

This article discusses social workers' obligation in cases where clients with aquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) pose a threat to a third party. Emphasis is on cases where a client diagnosed with AIDS withholds that information from a sexual partner. Legal and ethical issues concerning the limits of confidentiality and the social worker's "duty to protect" third parties are reviewed. Relevant case law and emerging ethical standards in various professions are summarized. The author reviews legal precedents concerning disclosure of confidential information without a client's permission and discusses their relevance to AIDS cases. Implications and guidelines for social workers are …

Aids And Ethics, Frederic Reamer

Frederic G Reamer

The seriousness of the AIDS crisis is well known. Since the first case was documented in Los Angeles in 1981, the media have been filled with research updates, documentaries, and exposes on the dreaded disorder. Reports and case studies have ranged from informative to sensational. They have included serious academic studies, educational overviews targeted for the general public, and columns in weekly tabliods.

Aids And Social Work, Frederic Reamer

Frederic G Reamer

Social workers are becoming increasingly involved in casework and social policy debate related to the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) crisis. To enhance their delivery of services and contribution to policy formulation, social workers need to be familiar with a wide range of ethical and civil liberties issues that have been generated by the AIDS epidemic. This article provides an overview of six major ethical and civil liberties issues pertaining to social work practice related to AIDS: (1) mandatory screening and testing of clients for the immunodeficiency virus (HIV), (2) client access to health insurance, (3) professionals' duty to treat …

Hivtoolbox, An Integrated Web Application For Investigating Hiv, David P. Sargeant, Sandeep Deverasetty, Yang Luo, Angel Villahoz Baleta, Stephanie Zobrist, Viraj Rathnayake, Jacqueline C. Russo, Jay Vyas, Mark A. Muesing, Martin Schiller

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Many bioinformatic databases and applications focus on a limited domain of knowledge federating links to information in other databases. This segregated data structure likely limits our ability to investigate and understand complex biological systems. To facilitate research, therefore, we have built HIVToolbox, which integrates much of the knowledge about HIV proteins and allows virologists and structural biologists to access sequence, structure, and functional relationships in an intuitive web application. HIV-1 integrase protein was used as a case study to show the utility of this application. We show how data integration facilitates identification of new questions and hypotheses much more rapid …

Influenza And Bacterial Coinfections In The 20th Century, Xuan-Yi Wang, Paul E. Kilgore, Kyung Ah Lim, Song-Mei Wang, Jeongseok Lee, Wei Deng, Mei-Qi Mo, Batmunkh Nyambat, Jing-Chen Ma, Michael O. Favorov, John D. Clemens

Department of Pharmacy Practice

To help understand the potential impact of bacterial coinfection during pandemic influenza periods, we undertook a far-reaching review of the existing literature to gain insights into the interaction of influenza and bacterial pathogens. Reports published between 1950 and 2006 were identified from scientific citation databases using standardized search terms. Study outcomes related to coinfection were subjected to a pooled analysis. Coinfection with influenza and bacterial pathogens occurred more frequently in pandemic compared with seasonal influenza periods. The most common bacterial coinfections with influenza virus were due to S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae, Staphylococcus spp., and Streptococcus spp. …

Impact Of Adjuvants On The Antibody Responses To Pre-Pandemic H5n1 Influenza Vaccines, Ali Hassan Ellebedy

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Human influenza pandemics occur when influenza viruses to which the population has little or no immunity emerge and acquire the ability to transmit among humans. Since their emergence in 1996, human infections with highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) viruses presented a serious public health challenge. Additionally, H5N1 viruses caused significant agricultural and economic losses in the communities it has affected. Human infections with these viruses are rare but when they occur, these infections are highly fatal. A greater public health concern stems from the rapid evolution displayed by these viruses so far, which in turn might result in viruses …

High-Risk Human Papillomavirus (Hpv): An Emerging Health Issue For Women And Minorities, Dierdre O. Turner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the cause of nearly all cases of cervical cancers worldwide. HPV viral DNA is found in more than 99% of cervical cancers. In addition to cervical cancer, HPV is also associated with some breast and oral cancers. White women have been showing a decline in breast cancer rates while black women are continuously showing higher rates of mortality from both breast and cervical cancer. Minority women are also more likely to receive a late diagnosis and are showing increased incidence of oral cancer, which makes study of HPV in women and minorities significant.

To date, …

Aids/Hiv Denialism: Patients’ Privacy Rights, Fadia Abdullah, Guadalupe Medrano

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

HIV is a sexually transmitted disease that develops into AIDS. There is no cure for it, only treatment. In this poster, we look at the pros and cons of disclosing this type of information. People who decide to disclose their HIV status may have various reasons for doing so, but most do it for emotional support and for prevention of spreading the disease. Those who decide to keep it private primarily do it to not face rejection, discrimination, degradation, and loss of respect. (Petronio Page 72) The problem with creating a public database is that many organizations are against the …

Aids Denialism, Erika Jenel Delos Santos, Roy Llana, Jocelyn Tan

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

AIDS denialism is a growing issue in many parts the world. Through scholarly journal articles, book resources and other research tactics, further understanding how HIV/AIDS denialism is unethical can be distinguished. Discovering that AIDS is most prominent in South Africa explains why denialism is as critical as it is. However, the unethical aspect of AIDS denialism is in effect particularly amongst families. When a South African inhabitant realizes they have AIDS, they feel outcasted by their families due to shame. They fear as though they will be disowned because they have flaws that are unacceptable. These family values are significant …

The Analyses Of State And Federal Medical Marijuana Laws And How They Apply To Employment, Lizaveta Sergeev

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to analyze and discuss the current discrepancies in the legal system as it applies to medical marijuana in the employment sector. The laws regarding the legalization of medical marijuana are relatively new and have many constraints when applied to employment. On the federal level, medical marijuana remains illegal. Many states have passed some form of legislation legalizing medical marijuana. Unfortunately, only two states have laws that protect users from being discriminated in employment. This leaves employers and employees uncertain about what actions to take when dealing with medical marijuana in the employment sector.

Risky Behaviour And Hiv Prevalence Among Zambian Men, Nisha Malhotra, Jonathan Young

Nisha Malhotra

The objective of this paper is to identify demographic, social and behavioural risk factors for HIV infection among men in Zambia. In particular, the role of alcohol, condom use, and number of sex partners is highlighted as being significant in the prevalence of HIV. Multivariate Logistic Regressions were used to analyse the latest cross-sectional population-based demographic health survey for Zambia (2007). The survey included socio-economic variables and HIV serostatus for consenting men (N = 4,434). Risk for HIV was positively related to the wealth status. Men who considered themselves to be at high risk for HIV-positive were most likely to …

Identification Of Flock House Virus Cell Surface Receptor Protein(S) Using Affinity Chromatography And Chemical Cross-Linking, Kristen Delwiche

Summer Research

The mechanism for non-enveloped virus host-cell penetration remains poorly understood. Flock House Virus (FHV), a small insect virus that infects Drosophila melanogaster cells in tissue culture, is an excellent model system for studying how non-enveloped viruses enter and infect cells. There is a wealth of high-resolution structural information available, and it is simple, consisting only of two single-stranded RNA genome segments surrounded by an icosahedral protein capsid. In this study, chemical-cross-linking and affinity chromatography were used to search for candidate receptor proteins for FHV. Several candidate proteins were identified, but the results remain inconclusive and additional research is required to …

No Significant Change In Sexual Behavior In Association With Human Papilloma Virus Vaccination In Young Girls, Wafa R.R. Al Romaih, Archana Srinivas, Said Shahtahmasebi, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

The first human Papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine was approved in the United States in 2006 with the potential to reduce cervical cancer and genital warts. Since then, its efficacy in preventing HPV-related cancers in both males and females has been promising. Despite CDC recommendations, opponents of the vaccine assert that vaccinating pre-adolescents and adolescents will increase their sexual activity, as well as overtly condone risky sexual behavior. We analyzed clinic data of 499 adolescents with a mean age of 16 years to explore whether vaccination led to change in sexual behavior after one year. Our results showed no statistically significant …

Community Health Workers Can Effectively Provide Information And Referrals To People Living With Hiv In Their Communities, Population Council

Reproductive Health

A number of studies reported high levels of sexually transmitted infections among people living with HIV (PLHIV). Unfortunately, prevention interventions targeting PLHIV in the community are not common in Kenya, and most PLHIV who are not on ART have limited access to prevention information and risk-reduction counseling. The Population Council’s APHIA II Operations Research Project conducted a research project to address these gaps. This study was conducted in 2010 in collaboration with the International Center for Reproductive Health and the National AIDS and STI Control Programme. The findings show that the intervention had a number of positive outcomes and concludes …

Linking Hiv-Positive Family Planning Clients To Treatment And Care Services In Kenya, Wilson Liambila, Francis Obare, Harriet Birungi, Ruth Wayua Muia, Joyce Wanderi Maina, Mary N. Maina, Christine Awuor, Ibrahim Mohammed

Reproductive Health

A project from the Population Council’s USAID-funded FRONTIERS program found that integrating HIV counseling and testing into family planning (FP) services was feasible and acceptable to clients and providers, and led to significant improvement in the quality of care provided. However, a major limitation was that FP clients who tested HIV-positive were not actively linked to care and treatment services, including antiretroviral treatment, and screening and management of sexually transmitted infections. A new initiative aimed to design and test a referral framework for linking HIV-positive FP clients to treatment and care in selected health facilities; assess the acceptability of the …

Infection Of Neuronal Cells By Chlamydia Pneumoniae And Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Alters Expression Of Genes Associated With Alzheimer’S Disease, Morgan M. Devins, Fiora D. Zoga, Brian J. Balin, Denah M. Appelt, Susan T. Hingley

Scholarly Posters

Several studies have suggested an infectious etiology for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We have been investigating a potential role for both Chlamydia pneumoniae and Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1) in the initiation of sporadic late-onset AD. Our current study focuses on investigation of gene expression using Alzheimer-specific Real-Time PCR microarrays on RNA derived from SKNMC human neuronal cells infected with C. pneumoniae and/or HSV1. There are distinct differences in the patterns of gene regulation by the two pathogens. For example, C. pneumoniae induces expression of genes involved in amyloid production and processing, such as β-amyloid precursor protein (APP), β-site APP-cleaving …

High-Risk Human Papillomavirus (Hpv) Screening And Detection In Normal, Healthy Patient Saliva Samples: A Pilot Cluster Randomized Study, Deirdre O. Turner, Shelley J. Williams-Cocks, Ryan Bullen, Jeremy Catmull, Jesse Falk, Daniel Martin, Jerom Mauer, Annabel E. Barber, Robert C. Wang, Shawn Gerstenberger, Karl Kingsley

Environmental & Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Background: The human papillomaviruses (HPV) are a large family of non-enveloped DNA viruses, mainly associated with cervical cancers. Recent epidemiologic evidence has suggested that HPV may be an independent risk factor for oropharyngeal cancers. Evidence now suggests HPV may modulate the malignancy process in some tobacco- and alcohol-induced oropharynx tumors, but might also be the primary oncogenic factor for inducing carcinogenesis among some non-smokers. More evidence, however, is needed regarding oral HPV prevalence among healthy adults to estimate risk. The goal of this study was to perform an HPV screening of normal healthy adults to assess oral HPV prevalence.

Methods: …

Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program Year One Outcome Evaluation Report For The Southern Nevada Health District, Nevada Institute For Children’S Research And Policy, Southern Nevada Health District, Tara Phebus, Samantha Dawn Beecher, Alyson Baker, Taylor Oliver, Denise Tanata Ashby

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

In the fall of 2010 the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) was awarded funding from the Federal Office of Adolescent Health to implement an evidence based teen pregnancy prevention curriculum. They have partnered with the Department of Juvenile Justice Services and the Clark County Department of Family Services to offer this curriculum to the youth in juvenile detention, probation, and life skills classes for youth aging out of the foster care system. The Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy (NICRP) has been contracted to complete the outcome evaluation for this program and is collecting data to help measure the …

Is 5% Imiquimod Cream More Efficacious At Sustained Clearance Of Genital Warts At 3 Months Compared To 1% Imiquimod, Ablation Therapy, And A Placebo Vehicle Cream?, David A. Smith

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this systematic review is to determine whether or not 5% Imiquimod is more efficacious at sustained treatment of genital warts at 3 months compared to 1% Imiquimod, ablation, and a placebo vehicle cream.