Epidemiology Commons^™

H1n1 In Retrospect: A Review Of Risk Factors And Policy Recommendations, Mark Mousseau

The International Indigenous Policy Journal

The H1N1 pandemic of 2009 devastated Indigenous communities worldwide. In order to explain infection patterns and prevent repeating history in future pandemics, associations with infection were investigated. This revealed that the vulnerability of Indigenous communities to infection was associated with poor performance on measurements of social determinants of health. Several policy recommendations pertaining to non-pharmaceutical interventions, prioritization of scarce health care resources, and pandemic planning are made to improve this situation. The best approach would be to empower Indigenous communities to take control over and improve local conditions. Success of such strategies in the battle against other Indigenous health issues ...

Trends In The Medical Management Of Patients With Heart Failure, Samuel W. Joffe, Matthew Dewolf, Jeffrey Shih, David D. Mcmanus, Frederick A. Spencer, Darleen M. Lessard, Joel M. Gore, Robert J. Goldberg

University of Massachusetts Medical School Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Despite the availability of effective therapies, heart failure (HF) remains a highly prevalent disease and the leading cause of hospitalizations in the U.S. Few data are available, however, describing changing trends in the use of various cardiac medications to treat patients with HF and factors associated with treatment. The objectives of this population-based study were to examine decade-long trends (1995 - 2004) in the use of several cardiac medications in patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and factors associated with evidence-based treatment.

METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 9,748 residents of the Worcester, MA, metropolitan ...

Maximizing The Delivery Performance Of Point-Of-Care Cd4+ T-Cell Counting Tests In Resource-Limited Settings - A Policy Brief, Nan Kong, J. Paul Robinson, Fenggang Yang

Global Policy Research Institute (GPRI) Policy Briefs

Managing HIV/AIDS presents challenges to public health policymakers, frontline workers, and researchers worldwide. A key strategy in the disease management is early diagnosis and rapid treatment initiation. While the technological field of point‐of‐care HIV/AIDS diagnostics has advanced significantly in the past two decades, several critical issues remain that hinder the deployment of point‐of‐care testing devices in resource‐deprived settings. In this policy brief, we discuss these issues, including technological specifics of point‐of‐care CD4⁺ T‐cell counting approaches and requirements of deploying them. We also discuss cultural and religious concerns on the deployment ...

Genetic Modulation Of Lipid Profiles Following Lifestyle Modification Or Metformin Treatment: The Diabetes Prevention Program, Toni I. Pollin, Tamara Isakova, Kathleen A. Jablonski, Paul I.W. De Bakker, Andrew Taylor, Jarred B. Mcateer, Qing Pan, Edward Horton, Linda M. Delahanty, David Altshuler, Alan R. Shuldiner, Ronald Goldberg, Jose C. Florez, George A. Bray

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Genetic Variants Previously Associated With Fasting Glucose And Insulin In The Diabetes Prevention Program, Jose C. Florez, Kathleen A. Jablonski, Jarred B. Mcateer, Paul W. Franks, Clinton C. Mason, Kieren J. Mather, Edward Horton, Ronald Goldberg, Dana Dabelea, Steven E. Kahn, Richard F. Arakaki, Alan R. Shuldiner, William C. Knowler

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Introduction Pathway For Novel Avian Influenza Virus Into North America By Wild Birds From Eurasia, Ryan S. Miller, Steven J. Sweeney, Judy E. Akkina, Emi K. Saito

Other Publications in Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease

A critical question surrounding emergence of novel strains of avian influenza viruses (AIV) is the ability for wild migratory birds to translocate a complete (unreassorted whole genome) AIV intercontinentally. Virus translocation via migratory birds is suspected in outbreaks of highly pathogenic strain A(H5N1) in Asia, Africa, and Europe. As a result, the potential intercontinental translocation of newly emerging AIV (e.g. A(H7N9) from Eurasia to North America via migratory movements of birds) remains a concern. An estimated 1.48 to 2.91 million aquatic birds, principally Anseriformes (ducks, geese, and swans) and Charadriiformes (gulls, terns, and shorebirds) move ...

Do User Fees Increase Tuberculosis Notifications?, Chioma Y. Chukwumah

Honors Projects

Public health sectors around the world strive to provide accessible and affordable care. Tight government budgets and growing populations lead countries to consider adding or raising charges to health care consumers. These user fees may affect the quality, equity and revenue of health care. This paper investigates the impact of user fees on notifications of tuberculosis. In the panel data composed of 176 countries from 1960 to 2012, I find no evidence that suggests user fees increase tuberculosis. In contrast, I find strong and robust evidence suggesting user fees are associated with fewer new cases of tuberculosis.

Targeted Maximum Likelihood Estimation For Dynamic And Static Longitudinal Marginal Structural Working Models, Maya L. Petersen, Joshua Schwab, Susan Gruber, Nello Blaser, Michael Schomaker, Mark J. Van Der Laan

U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series

This paper presents a novel targeted maximum likelihood estimator (TMLE) estimator for the parameters of longitudinal static and dynamic marginal structural models.We consider a longitudinal data structure consisting of baseline covariates, time-dependent intervention nodes, intermediate time-dependent covariates, and a possibly time dependent outcome. The intervention nodes at each time point can include a binary treatment as well as a right-censoring indicator. Given a class of dynamic or static interventions, a marginal structural model is used to model the mean of the intervention specific counterfactual outcome as a function of the intervention and time point.Because the true shape of ...

Kidney Conditions Associated With Hypertension In Pregnancy, Immaculate Franklin Preethi Nevis

Open Access Dissertations and Theses

We defined hypertension in pregnancy as a composite of gestational hypertension, preeclampsia and eclampsia. The etiology of hypertension in pregnancy remains controversial. The three chapters of this thesis explore the risk of hypertension in pregnancy from various kidney conditions. Chapter 1 introduces the reader to the thesis. Chapter 2 is a systematic review that studied the risk of developing hypertension in pregnant women with chronic kidney disease but not on dialysis. We found that women with chronic kidney disease had at least a twofold higher relative risk of developing hypertension during pregnancy compared with women having no chronic kidney disease ...

Relative Roles Of Medical Interventions And Infrastructure In An Urban Community’S Infant Mortality Rate: 100 Years Of Infant Mortality In The City Of Worcester, Maya Y. Mauch, B. Dale Magee

Senior Scholars Program

Background: The infant mortality rate (IMR), defined as the number of deaths in children under 1 year of age per 1000 live births, is regarded as a sensitive measure of population health (Blaxter). This reflects the overlap between those societal factors that impact infant mortality and those that affect the health of the larger community, such as SES, nutrition, living conditions, education, employment and access to health care. In 2003, Reidpath et al showed a strong linear relation between IMR and the disability adjusted life expectancy (DALE), a more comprehensive measure of population health. They concluded that either the IMR ...

Self-Reported Adherence With The Use Of A Device In A Clinical Trial As Validated By Electronic Monitors: The Vibes Study, Brianne A. Jeffrey, Marian T. Hannan, Emily K. Quinn, Sheryl Zimmerman, Bruce A. Barton, Clinton T. Rubin, Douglas P. Kiel

Open Access Articles

BACKGROUND: Adherences to treatments that require a behavioral action often rely on self-reported recall, yet it is vital to determine whether real time self reporting of adherence using a simple logbook accurately captures adherence. The purpose of this study was to determine whether real time self-reported adherence is an accurate measurement of device usage during a clinical trial by comparing it to electronic recording.

METHODS: Using data collected from older adult men and women (N=135, mean age 82.3 yrs; range 66 to 98 yrs) participating in a clinical trial evaluating a vibrating platform for the treatment of osteoporosis ...

Estimating Effects On Rare Outcomes: Knowledge Is Power, Laura B. Balzer, Mark J. Van Der Laan

U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series

Understanding the etiology of rare cancers, perinatal mortality, international conflicts or natural disasters can have profound impacts on population health and well-being. However, when the outcome of interest occurs in 5% or less of the population, effect estimation can be particularly challenging. To increase statistical power and the stability of results, researchers commonly oversample cases or events. However, the study of rare outcomes need not be limited to case-control settings. Building on the work of Gruber and van der Laan (2010), we construct a new targeted minimum loss-based estimator (TMLE) for estimating the effect of an exposure or treatment on ...

Escherichia Coli Isolates That Carry Vat, Fyua, Chua, And Yfcv Efficiently Colonize The Urinary Tract, Rachel R. Spurbeck, Paul C. Dinh Jr., Seth T. Walk, Ann E. Stapleton, Thomas M. Hooton, Lisa K. Nolan, Kwang Sik Kim, James R. Johnson, Harry L. T. Mobley

Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine Publications and Papers

Extraintestinal Escherichia coli (ExPEC), a heterogeneous group of pathogens, encompasses avian, neonatal meningitis, and uropathogenic E. coli strains. While several virulence factors are associated with ExPEC, there is no core set of virulence factors that can be used to definitively differentiate these pathotypes. Here we describe a multiplex of four virulence factor-encoding genes, yfcV, vat,fyuA, and chuA, highly associated with uropathogenic E. coli strains that can distinguish three groups of E. coli: diarrheagenic and animal-associated E. colistrains, human commensal and avian pathogenic E. coli strains, and uropathogenic and neonatal meningitis E. coli strains. Furthermore, human intestinal isolates that encode ...

Cph601 Chapter 12 Action!, David M. Mannino

David M. Mannino

No abstract provided.

Cph601 Chapter 11 Transboundary Health/Global Health, David M. Mannino

David M. Mannino

No abstract provided.

Cph601 Chapter 10 Industrial Pollution And Chemical Safety, David M. Mannino

David M. Mannino

No abstract provided.

Cph601 Chapter 9 Health And Energy Use, David M. Mannino

David M. Mannino

No abstract provided.

Cph601 Chapter 8 Human Settlement And Urbanization, David M. Mannino

David M. Mannino

No abstract provided.

Cph601 Chapter 7 Food And Agriculture, David M. Mannino

David M. Mannino

No abstract provided.

Cph601 Chapter 6 Water, David M. Mannino

David M. Mannino

No abstract provided.