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Role Of Elevated S-Adenosylhomocysteine In Rat Hepatocyte Apoptosis: Protection By Betaine, Kusum K. Kharbanda, David D. Rogers Ii, Mark E. Mailliard, Gerri L. Siford, Anthony J. Barak, Harriet C. Beckenhauer, Michael F. Sorrell, Dean J. Tuma

United States Public Health Resources

Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that ethanol consumption results in an increase in hepatocellular S-adenosylhomocysteine levels. Because S-adenosylhomocysteine is a potent inhibitor of methylation reactions, we propose that increased intracellular S-adenosylhomocysteine levels could be a major contributor to ethanol-induced pathologies. To test this hypothesis, hepatocytes isolated from rat livers were grown on collagen-coated plates in Williams’ medium E containing 5% FCS and exposed to varying concentrations of adenosine in order to increase intracellular S-adenosylhomocysteine levels. We observed increases in caspase-3 activity following exposure to adenosine. This increase in caspase activity correlated with increases in intracellular S-adenosylhomocysteine levels and …

Measurements Of Constraint Of Total Knee Replacement, H. Haider, P.S. Walker

United States Public Health Resources

Measurement of the constraint of total knee components in a test machine provides an objective method of describing the laxity and stability characteristics of the implant itself, independent of the knee joint into which it would be implanted. A special fixture was designed and fitted to a Bionix multi-channel loading machine. The test consisted of applying a compressive load, applying a cyclic AP force or internal-external torque, and measuring all of the displacements and rotations. Three different commonly-used TKR’s showed widely different constraint characteristics. In the cyclic AP test, along with the cyclic AP displacement, displacements and rotations occurred in …

Effect Of Cirrhosis On Antibiotic Efficacy In A Rat Model Of Pneumococcal Pneumonia, Laurel C. Preheim, Keith M. Olsen, Mei Yue, Mary U. Snitily, Martha J. Gentry-Nielsen

United States Public Health Resources

A rat model was used to study the effects of cirrhosis on antibiotic therapy of pneumococcal pneumonia. Cirrhotic and control male Sprague-Dawley rats were infected transtracheally with type 3 Streptococcus pneumonia. Treatment began 18 h later with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), azithromycin (50 mg/kg), trovafloxacin (50 mg/kg), or ceftriaxone (100 mg/kg) injected subcutaneously twice daily for 5 days. Antibiotic concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Azithromycin, trovafloxacin, and ceftriaxone were all equally effective at preventing mortality in both cirrhotic and normal rats. Free fraction area under the curve to minimum inhibitory concentration ratio (AUC/MIC) and maximum calculated serum concentration …

Rat Sinusoidal Liver Endothelial Cells (Secs) Produce Pro-Fibrotic Factors In Response To Adducts Formed From The Metabolites Of Ethanol, Geoffrey M. Thiele, Michael J. Duryee, Thomas L. Freeman, Michael F. Sorrell, Monte S. Willis, Dean J. Tuma, Lynell W. Klassen

United States Public Health Resources

Previous studies with alcohol-associated malondialdehyde–acetaldehyde (MAA)-modified proteins have demonstrated an increase in the expression of adhesion molecules, and the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines by rat sinusoidal liver endothelial cells (SECs). However, no studies have been initiated to examine the effects of MAA-modified proteins on the expression of the extracellular matrix (ECM) protein, fibronectin and its isoforms. For these studies, SECs were isolated from the liver of normal rats, and exposed to MAA-modified bovine serum albumin (MAA–Alb). At selected time points, the total plasma and cellular fibronectin were determined by Western blot. Injection of rat liver via the mesenteric vein with …

The Un And The Responsibility To Practice Public Health, David P. Fidler

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Reducing The Transmission Of Hiv And Sexually Transmitted Infections In A Mining Community: Findings From The Carletonville Mothusimpilo Intervention Project: 1998 To 2001, Lewis Ndhlovu, Catherine Searle, Johannes Van Dam, Yodwa Mzaidume, Bareng Rasego, Solly Moema

HIV and AIDS

The Horizons program, in collaboration with the Center for Scientific and Industrial Research, the South African Institute for Medical Research, and the London School of Economics, conducted an intervention study in the mining town of Carletonville, South Africa to examine the social determinants of the HIV epidemic, and to assess the impact of a targeted program of HIV and STI prevention and service delivery. The project did not reduce STI prevalence or HIV prevalence, as changing sexual behavior is far more complex than educating individuals about HIV. The report recommends interventions to support behavioral change education, STI treatment, the role …

Graduate Public Health Education In Africa: An Innovative Distance-Learning Model, Emmanuel Rudatsikira, Patricia Johnston, Richard Hart

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

This article describes the development and implementation of a distance graduate public health education program in Africa by Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, U.S.A. The program started in March 2000 and ended in September 2003 with formal teaching sessions on-site held twice a year at the University of Eastern Africa, Kenya. The instruction was given in English and French. Of the cohort of 67 students from 20 African countries who started the program, 57 received an M.P.H. degree and six received a certificate in public health. The experiential learning model allowed students to immediately put into practice what they …

Latinas And Breast Cancer In The Midwest: Factors Influencing Survivorship, M. Elise Radina, Daniel R. Longo, Jane M. Armer

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

Latinos are the largest ethnic minority group in the U.S. and the Midwest is experiencing the fastest growth in residents of Hispanic descent. Rural health care delivery systems in these areas must therefore respond to changing demographics and provide culturally appropriate service delivery. The incidence rate of breast cancer among Latinas is lower than that among non-Hispanic women; however an increasing number of Latinas are being diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite higher mortality rates from cancer than non-Hispanic women, more Latinas are being treated for breast cancer and are now facing their own unique survivorship experiences This paper addresses factors …

The Role Of The Insecticide Ddt In Breast Cancer, Jared D. Taylor

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

Breast cancer is by far the most common cancer among black and white females, with approximately 211,000 new cases expected to be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2004 (1). More importantly, incidence has been increasing. Age-adjusted breast cancer incidence in U.S. females rose from the 88.6 per 100,000 in the early 1970s to 109.8 in the early 1990s (2). This represents a 24 percent increase over that time. This trend is only partially explained by the known risk factors for breast cancer, including advancing age, early menarche, late menopause, late age at first parturition and family history. Therefore, researchers have …

Information For Authors

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

No abstract provided.

Programming For Hiv Prevention In South African Schools: A Report On Program Implementation, Priscilla Reddy, Shegs James, Ann P. Mccauley

HIV and AIDS

An evaluation study conducted in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, provides important insights into whether learners who participated in a fact-based, interactive course had more knowledge about HIV risks, prevention, and care practices; more positive attitudes toward prevention practices and people living with HIV and AIDS; and a higher prevalence of reported safe behaviors than comparable learners who did not participate in the course. Results show that the Life Skills Grade 9 Curriculum had a positive impact of students’ knowledge of HIV/AIDS, attitudes about abstinence, and intention to use condoms. There was, however, no evidence of increased adoption of such protective …

Mfit Weight Management Program: Effects On Anthropometric And Cardiovascular Measures, Lindsay L. Boik

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Objective: Traditional approaches to address obesity typically entail severe caloric restriction and drastic alterations in activity pattern. The MFit Weight Management Program, a derivative of the University of Michigan Health System, takes a different approach to weight loss. The goal of the program is to stress the development of longterm lifestyle changes and it places less emphasis on rapid weight loss. It was the purpose of this study to determine whether the MFit Weight Management Program, a behavioral modification program, is successful for decreasing anthropometric and cardiovascular measurements of obesity. Research Methods and Procedures: This is an ongoing study with …

Saddle Height Positioning For Triathletes Ssing Road Cyclist Methods, Edith Ann Sherman

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Triathlon is the combined sport of swimming, cycling, and running. Cycling is normally the longest portion of the race. Therefore, maintenance of comfort and efficiency while maintaining high power output is essential for success in the cycling portion. Several methods are currently used for determination of height for road cyclists. It has yet to be determined if these methods are applicable to triathletes. Because of the different geometry of a triathlon bicycle, the question remains whether road-saddle fitting techniques can be an applied and work for the triathlon bicycle.

This thesis evaluated the participant’s current saddle height in addition to …

Female Genital Cutting Among The Somali Of Kenya And Management Of Its Complications, Guyo W. Jaldesa, Ian Askew, Carolyne Njue, Monica Wanjiru

Reproductive Health

The Somali community living in Kenya (and in their native Somalia) has practiced the severest form of female genital cutting (FGC)—infibulation—for centuries. To understand the context within which the practice takes place, and how its complications are managed, the Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health Program undertook a diagnostic study that confirmed that FGC is a deeply rooted and widely supported cultural practice. Several closely related reasons are used to sustain the practice: religious obligation, family honor, and virginity as a prerequisite for marriage; an aesthetic preference for infibulated genitalia was also mentioned. The study also found that the health …

Technical Assistance And Training For Procosi Operations Research Program, Bolivia, Fernando Gonzales Salguero, Ricardo Vernon

Reproductive Health

In September 1999, PROCOSI, a Bolivian network of 24 nongovernmental organizations that provide health services, invited the Population Council Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) program to provide technical assistance for designing and conducting operations research aimed at increasing the quality and impact of their reproductive health programs. In collaboration with PROCOSI, FRONTIERS conducted four training workshops on design of operations research projects, qualitative research methods, utilization and dissemination of research results, and preparing research reports. Technical assistance on other topics, such as developing research instruments, creating databases, and using EpiInfo for transcribing and analyzing data was provided on-site to each …

Enquêtes D'Acceptation De Paiment Destinées À Déterminer Les Prix Des Produits Et Services Dans Le Domaine De La Santé De La Reproduction : Manuel De L'Utilisateur, Karen G. Fleischman Foreit, James R. Foreit

Reproductive Health

Les enquêtes d’acceptation de paiement (willingness to pay—WTP) permettent aux directeurs de programmes de simuler les changements intervenant dans la demande en raison des prix sans les modifier réellement, ce qui leur donne un moyen de prendre des décisions relatives à la détermination des prix sur la base d’informations empiriques. Le présent document décrit une méthode d’enquête simple qui donne une estimation de l’acceptation de paiement par les clients pour les biens et services, ce qui permet aux directeurs de prendre des décisions rationnelles dans ce domaine. Il présente les avantages et les précautions à prendre lors d’une enquête WTP. …

Monstrous Impersonation: A Critique Of Consent-Based Justifications For Hard Paternalism, Thaddeus Mason Pope

Faculty Scholarship

Restricting a person's substantially voluntary, self-regarding conduct primarily for the sake of that person is hard paternalism. Particularly in the public health context, scholars, legislators, and judges are devoting increasing attention to discussing the conditions and circumstances under which hard paternalism is justified. One popular type of argument for the justifiability of hard paternalism takes its normative warrant from the consent of the restricted person.

In this Article, I argue that scholars and policymakers should abandon consent-based arguments for the justifiability of hard paternalism. Such arguments are torn between incoherence and lacking moral force. Very few consent-based arguments successfully resolve …

Is Public Health Paternalism Really Never Justified? A Response To Joel Feinberg, Thaddeus Mason Pope

Faculty Scholarship

n the preeminent scholarly legal treatise on paternalism, The Moral Limits of the Criminal Law: Harm to Self, Joel Feinberg argues that hard paternalism is never justified because it is superfluous; all reasonable restriction of self-regarding conduct can be justified on (more palatable) soft paternalistic grounds.

In this article, I argue that Feinberg's strategy seems to work only because he "stretches" soft paternalism to justify liberty limitation that is properly described as hard paternalism. I expose Feinberg's strained appeals, and argue for honesty and transparency regarding the bases for paternalistic liberty limitation. If the rationale for public health restrictions on …

A Pilot Randomized, Controlled Trial Of An In-Home Drinking Water Intervention Among Hiv + Persons, John M. Colford, Sona R. Saha, Timothy J. Wade, Catherine C. Wright, Mai Vu, Sandra Charles, Peter Jensen, Alan Hubbard, Deborah A. Levy, Joseph N. S. Eisenberg

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Although immunocompromised persons may be at increased risk for gastrointestinal illnesses, no trials investigating drinking water treatment and gastrointestinal illness in such patients have been published. Earlier results from San Francisco suggested an association (OR 6.76) between tap water and cryptosporidiosis among HIV + persons. The authors conducted a randomized, triple-blinded intervention trial of home water treatment in San Francisco, California, from April 2000 to May 2001. Fifty HIV-positive patients were randomized to externally identical active (N = 24) or sham (N = 26) treatment devices. The active device contained a filter and UV light; the sham provided no treatment. …

Development Of Dose Coefficients For Radionuclides Produced In Spallation Targets, Phillip W. Patton, Mark Rudin

Transmutation Sciences Physics (TRP)

Dose coefficients permit simple determination of radiation dose associated with various exposure scenarios, and ultimately permit radiation safety personnel to assess the health risks to workers in a nuclear facility. Specifically, radiation safety personnel use dose coefficients to determine the radiation dose incurred to a tissue or organ system from a given exposure. These parameters are often expressed in terms of Annual Limits on Intake (ALIs) and Derived Air Concentrations (DACs).

The research consortium comprised of representatives from several universities and national laboratories has successfully generated internal and external dose conversion coefficients for twenty radionuclides produced in spallation neutron sources. …

The Relationship Between Hyperfertility (Parity≥15) And Fetal Outcomes Among Singleton Births., Muktar H. Aliyu

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Hiv/Sti Risks And Prevention Needs Of Men Who Have Sex With Men In Nairobi, Kenya, Washington Onyango-Ouma, Harriet Birungi, Scott Geibel

HIV and AIDS

Despite increasing awareness of the role men who have sex with men (MSM) can play in the dynamics of HIV transmission in Africa, research on MSM in Kenya has been limited. In response to this gap, researchers from the Institute of African Studies at the University of Nairobi and the Horizons and FRONTIERS programs of the Population Council undertook a study of MSM in Nairobi. The overall goals of the study were to understand the extent to which MSM are at risk of HIV and other STIs, identify the factors associated with risk behaviors, and identify MSM sexual health needs …

Clioquinol And Pyrrolidine Dithiocarbamate Complex With Copper To Form Proteasome Inhibitors And Apoptosis Inducers In Human Breast Cancer Cells, Kenyon G. Daniel, Di Chen, Shirley Orlu, Qiuzhi Cui, Fred R. Miller, Q Ping Dou

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Introduction

A physiological feature of many tumor tissues and cells is the tendency to accumulate high concentrations of copper. While the precise role of copper in tumors is cryptic, copper, but not other trace metals, is required for angiogenesis. We have recently reported that organic copper-containing compounds, including 8-hydroxyquinoline-copper(II) and 5,7-dichloro-8-hydroxyquinoline-copper(II), comprise a novel class of proteasome inhibitors and tumor cell apoptosis inducers. In the current study, we investigate whether clioquinol (CQ), an analog of 8-hydroxyquinoline and an Alzheimer's disease drug, and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), a known copper-binding compound and antioxidant, can interact with copper to form cancer-specific proteasome …

Trends In The Timing Of First Marriage Among Men And Women In The Developing World, Barbara Mensch, Susheela Singh, John B. Casterline

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The timing of first union merits investigation not only because of the close temporal link between marriage and the onset of childbearing, but also because the age when men and women marry has implications for the organization of family life and for gender relations within society. This paper begins by reviewing the contributions of various social science disciplines to an understanding of the timing of marriage. Using current status data from 73 countries provided by the United Nations Population Division and retrospective data from 52 Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 1990 and 2001, we then examine recent trends in …

The Causes Of Stalling Fertility Transitions, John Bongaarts

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

An examination of fertility trends in countries with multiple DHS surveys found that in the 1990s fertility stalled in mid-transition in seven countries: Bangladesh, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Kenya, Peru, and Turkey. An analysis of trends in the determinants of fertility revealed a systematic pattern of leveling off or near leveling in a number of determinants, including contraceptive use, the demand for contraception, and wanted fertility. Findings suggest no major deterioration in contraceptive access during the stall, but levels of unmet need and unwanted fertility are relatively high and improvements in access to family planning methods would therefore be desirable. …

Building Assets For Safe, Productive Lives: A Report On A Workshop On Adolescent Girls' Livelihoods, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

For the 1.5 billion adolescents currently living in developing countries (325 million of them living on less than US$1 a day), the transition to becoming economically productive is particularly pivotal. Girls face numerous challenges in making this transition successfully, since in many settings females have less access than males to critical resources such as secondary school education, credit, land, training, and technology, and their labor is often unrecognized and unremunerated. A growing number of organizations and institutions have been using a livelihoods approach (which centers around the capabilities, assets, and activities required for gaining a means of living) to reach …

Trends In The Timing Of First Marriage Among Men And Women In The Developing World [Arabic], Barbara Mensch, Susheela Singh, John B. Casterline

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The timing of first union merits investigation not only because of the close temporal link between marriage and the onset of childbearing, but also because the age when men and women marry has implications for the organization of family life and for gender relations within society. This paper begins by reviewing the contributions of various social science disciplines to an understanding of the timing of marriage. Using current status data from 73 countries provided by the United Nations Population Division and retrospective data from 52 Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 1990 and 2001, we then examine recent trends in …

Accelerating Reproductive And Child Health Program Development: The Navrongo Initiative In Ghana, James F. Phillips, Ayaga A. Bawah, Fred N. Binka

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Successive global health and development agendas have been embraced by African governments—Alma Ata in 1978, the Bamako Initiative in 1987, the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development, and more recently the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)—only to be followed by widespread implementation failure. This paper presents an approach to program development in Ghana that is using research to accelerate policy implementation. Originally launched in 1994 as a participatory pilot project of the Navrongo Health Research Centre, a controlled experimental study was initiated in 1996 to assess the fertility and child-survival impact of alternative community health and family planning service …

The Effect Of Community Nurses And Health Volunteers On Child Mortality: The Navrongo Community Health And Family Planning Project, Brian Wells Pence, Philomena Nyarko, James F. Phillips, Cornelius Debpuur

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This report presents the child mortality impact of a trial of primary health-care service-delivery strategies in rural Ghana. After adjustment for sociodemographic factors, under-five mortality in areas with village-based community-nurse services fell by 16 percent during the five years of program implementation compared with mortality before the intervention. Reductions were observed in infant (6 percent), early child (20 percent), and late child (41 percent) mortality. Community involvement and training of a local health volunteer were associated with an 11 percent increase in mortality, primarily driven by a 124 percent increase in early child mortality. Areas with both nurses and volunteers …

Poverty And Children's Schooling In Urban And Rural Senegal [Arabic], Mark R. Montgomery, Paul C. Hewett

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This paper presents findings of an investigation into the effects of living standards and relative poverty on children’s schooling in urban and rural areas of Senegal. To measure living standards, we apply a multiple-indicator, multiple-cause (MIMIC) factor-analytic model to a set of proxy variables collected in the 2000 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey and extract an estimate of the relative standard of living for each household. Using this estimate, we find that in Senegal’s urban areas, living standards exert substantial influence on three measures of schooling: Whether a child has ever attended school; whether he or she has completed at least …