Digital Commons Network^™

Detection Of Zoonotic Enteropathogens In Children And Domestic Animals In A Semirural Community In Ecuador., Karla Vasco, Jay P Graham, Gabriel Trueba

Environmental and Occupational Health Faculty Publications

UNLABELLED: Animals are important reservoirs of zoonotic enteropathogens, and transmission to humans occurs more frequently in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where small-scale livestock production is common. In this study, we investigated the presence of zoonotic enteropathogens in stool samples from 64 asymptomatic children and 203 domestic animals of 62 households in a semirural community in Ecuador between June and August 2014. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was used to assess zoonotic transmission of Campylobacter jejuni and atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (aEPEC), which were the most prevalent bacterial pathogens in children and domestic animals (30.7% and 10.5%, respectively). Four sequence types …

Using The Theory Of Fundamental Causes To Show The Potential Effects Of Socioeconomic Status On Surgical Outcomes, Mehwish Qasim, A.B.D.

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Surgical procedures are both costly and common. There are large differences in surgical outcomes both within and between hospitals based on patient characteristics such as measures of income. In both 2000 and 2009, patients residing in low-income communities had worse morbidity and mortality rates, across a wide range of quality indicators. In this review, the author will explicate the Theory of Fundamental Causes as it relates to surgical care, review key empirical findings and address potential limitations of the theory. This review will provide a platform for researchers to discuss current research in surgical disparities using the Theory of Fundamental …

Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Dermatology Office Visits Among Insured Patients, 2005-2010, Valerie M. Harvey, Joan Paul, L. Ebony Boulware,

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Objective:To determine whether differences in race and ethnicity affect the usage of dermatological services.

Methods: Data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were used to study trends in ethnic/race rates of outpatient dermatology office visits among publicly and privately insured patients from 2005-2010. In multivariable models, we explored the magnitude of ethnic/race differences in dermatology visit attendance for patients with public vs. private insurance.

Results: From 2005-2010, dermatology visit utilization increased among insured Hispanics, but not among insured non-Hispanic Blacks or whites. Visits were less frequent by those with public insurance compared to private insurance. Privately and publicly …

Untangling The Relationship Between Antiretroviral Therapy Use And Incident Pregnancy: A Marginal Structural Model Analysis Using Data From 47,313 Hiv-Positive Women In East Africa, Batya Elul, Kara K. Wools-Kaloustian, Yingfeng Wu, Beverly S. Musick, Harriet Nuwagaba-Biribonwoha, Denis Nash, Samuel Ayaya, Elizabeth Bukusi, Pius Okong, Juliana Otieno, Deo Wabwire, Andrew Kambugu, Constantin T. Yiannoutsos

Publications and Research

Background: Scale-up of triple-drug antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Africa has transformed the context of childbearing for HIV-positive women and may impact pregnancy incidence in HIV programs.

Methods: Using observational data from 47,313 HIV-positive women enrolled at 26 HIV clinics in Kenya and Uganda between 2001 and 2009, we calculated the crude cumulative incidence of pregnancy for the pre-ART and on-ART periods. The causal effect of ART use on incident pregnancy was assessed using inverse probability weighted marginal structural models, and the relationship was further explored in multivariable Cox models.

Results: Crude cumulative pregnancy incidence at 1 year after enrollment/ART initiation …

Will The Ebola Epidemic Serve To Make Reform Of The Broken Health Research And Development Framework Go Viral?, Jeremy Mcdonald

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

The recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa has captured the public imagination as few other epidemics have, as its rapid spread and lethal effect demonstrated the devastating toll that infectious diseases can exact from a world unprepared to confront them. In light of the epidemic's tragic consequences, numerous experts have called for reform of the system of global health governance whose shortfalls allowed the epidemic to assume the horrifying dimensions it did. Among the many inadequacies that the outbreak uncovered is the insufficient amount of research into and development of treatments and vaccines for infectious diseases of poverty, among them …

Development Of A Rt-Pcr-Elisa Wuchereria Bancrofti Detection Assay For The Monitoring Of Mosquito Vector Infection And Infectivity, Nompumelelo Mzizi Mzizi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is an incapacitating disease caused by three filarial nematodes belonging to the family Onchocercidae, namely Brugia timori, Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia timori. An estimated 90% of lymphatic filariasis cases globally are caused by Wuchereria bancrofti. To evaluate the success of the Global Program to eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis it is essential to monitor the frequency of larval infection in the mosquito vector. Molecular methods to detect Wuchereria bancrofti DNA in mosquitoes have been in existence since 1996. However these methods have not been widely adopted due to the high cost associated with them and the inability …

87th Annual Georgia Public Health Association Meeting & Conference Report, Dianne Mcwethy, Regina Abbott, Christy Sims, Brian Morgan, Nicholle Harrison, Angela Peden, David Gowan

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

The 87th Annual Meeting of the Georgia Public Health Association (GPHA) was held in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 22-23, 2016, with pre-conference (March 21st) and post-conference (March 23rd) Executive Board meetings. As Georgia’s leading forum for public health researchers, practitioners, and students, the annual meeting of the GPHA brings together participants from across the state to explore recent developments in the field and to exchange techniques, tools, and experiences. In recent years the venue for the GPHA annual conference has been Atlanta, with the 2017 GPHA Annual Meeting and Conference also scheduled to be held in Atlanta. Several new initiatives …

Bridging The Gap Between Local Public Health And The Healthcare Community: The Public Health Talk, Puja Bharucha, Rachel Franklin

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: District epidemiologists often rely on healthcare providers for medical information regarding reportable diseases in order to properly investigate cases. It becomes difficult when providers do not share patient information due to apprehension and/or lack of knowledge of HIPAA exemption laws. It is also challenging when the provider staff is not knowledgeable regarding disease specific information. When information is withheld, there is a delay in completing investigations, and high priority cases and outbreaks such as emerging infectious diseases can be missed or lost to follow up.

Methods: The Public Health Talk (The Talk) initiative was established at Cobb and Douglas …

Assessment Of Medical Needs Of The Hispanic Community In Macon-Bibb County, Georgia, Kim Bélanger-Giguère, Jose Pino, Brad Lian

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Little is known about the health concerns and issues among the Hispanic community in growing, mid-sized cities, such as Macon, Georgia.

Methods: A questionnaire on general health-related issues was given to a sample of 125 Hispanic participants.

Results: The top health concerns of the Hispanic community were diabetes, obesity, and dental hygiene; the most common factors preventing Hispanics from receiving medical treatment were the lack of insurance, language barriers, and copayments or deductibles being too high.

Conclusions: Lack of higher education and the inability to communicate effectively in English may be manifested as difficulties in finding proper information about …

Community Preparedness: Expanding Existing Partnerships With Academia To Build Resilience Through Experiential Learning, Nina Cleveland, Mark Palen

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Sustainability and mitigation in preparedness after grant money is gone has suddenly become a hot topic in the public health emergency preparedness world. By the same token, funding provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for individual preparedness initiatives has not had the desired mitigation impacts. The question becomes, are there alternative approaches that reach more individuals to build a culture of preparedness in communities? One solution involves the leveraging of academic and regional public health partnerships with their Medical Reserve Corps Units (MRC), to train college students in individual preparedness. The purpose of this study is to …

Examining Crowdsourced Social Media Platforms And Their Association With College Students' Alcohol Consumption, Perceived Risk, And Behaviors, Danielle Gentile

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: High-risk alcohol use by U.S. college students remains a significant threat to individual health and community well-being. Newly-emerging social media platforms and apps which relay information about alcohol-related law enforcement serve as an intriguing addition to college alcohol-use environments. The purpose of this study was to examine the information delivered to users by the local social media platform @Drinking Ticket (DT), determine which types of information were then relayed to others, and clarify how this information influences alcohol use, perceived risk, and alcohol-related risk behaviors among college students. Methods: One year of DT tweets (n=854 tweets) were qualitatively coded …

Assessment Of Prolonged Occupational Exposure To Heat Stress, Ximena Garzon-Villalba Garzon-Villalba

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Heat stress is a recognized occupational hazard present in many work environments. Its effects increase with increasing environmental heat loads. There is good evidence that exertional heat illness is associated with ambient thermal conditions in outdoor environments. Further, there is reason to believe that risk of acute injury may also increase with the ambient environment. For these reasons, the assessment of heat stress, which can be done through the characterization of the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), is designed to limit exposures to those that could be sustained for an 8-h day. The ACGIH Threshold Limit Value (TLV) for heat …

Molecular Cues Of Pattern-Recognition-Receptor Pathways In Redox-Toxicity-Driven Environmental Nafld, Suvarthi Das

Theses and Dissertations

With the pandemic proportions of obesity and a correlative increase in fatty liver disease, there was a dire need to explore the missing link between the changed environment and progression of NAFLD in obesity. My research implies that environmental toxin bromodichloromethane induces early liver lesions in obesity, and is mediated by the synchronous insult of oxidative stress and increased levels of the adipokine leptin. In a two-pronged approach to investigate the molecular cues, I looked at the role of Purinergic receptor X7 and Toll 4 receptor. Both rodent models and cell-based systems were used. Also, in order to validate my …

Smoking Among Youth Living With Hiv: The Intersection Of Behavioral Health And Chronic Disease, Todd Wells

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Smoking amongst youth living with HIV (YLWH) has major public health implications. When combined with the complications associated with smoking such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) or heart disease, the impact of a HIV positive diagnosis increases morbidity exponentially (Nahvi & Cooperman, 2009). The purpose of this study was two-fold, to investigate the perceptions of smoking amongst YLWH aged 18-25 who received care at the CMS Clinic located at the University of South Florida and to determine factors related to cessation. A study design utilizing two components, a systematic literature review and primary qualitative data was used in this …

Developing A Video-Based Ehealth Intervention For Hiv-Positive Gay, Bisexual, And Other Men Who Have Sex With Men: Study Protocol For A Randomized Controlled Trial, Sabina Hirshfield, Martin J. Downing Jr., Jeffrey T. Parsons, Christina Grov, Rachel J. Gordon, Steven T. Houang, Roberta Scheinmann, Patrick S. Sullivan, Irene S. Yoon, Ian Anderson, Mary Ann Chiasson

Publications and Research

Background: Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) accounted for 67% of new US human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in 2012; however, less than 40% of HIV-positive GBMSM are virally suppressed. Preventing transmission from virally unsuppressed men who have condomless anal sex (CAS) with serodiscordant partners is a public health imperative. New HIV infections in GBMSM are attributed in part to online access to sex partners; therefore, low-cost eHealth interventions are a unique opportunity to reach men where they meet partners.

Objective: To describe the protocol of a randomized controlled trial evaluating whether video-based messaging delivered …

Elimination Of Taenia Solium Transmission In Northern Peru, Hector H. Garcia, Armando E. Gonzalez, Victor C.W. Tsang, Seth E. O'Neal, Fernando Llanos‑Zavalaga, Guillermo Gonzalvez, Jaime Romero, Silvia Rodriguez, Luz M. Moyano, Viterbo Ayvar, Andre Diaz, Allen Hightower, Philip S. Craig, Marshall W. Lightowlers, Charles G. Gauci, Elli Leontsini, Robert H. Gilman

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Taeniasis and cysticercosis are major causes of seizures and epilepsy. Infection by the causative parasite Taenia solium requires transmission between humans and pigs. The disease is considered to be eradicable, but data on attempts at regional elimination are lacking. We conducted a three-phase control program in Tumbes, Peru, to determine whether regional elimination would be feasible.

Methods: We systematically tested and compared elimination strategies to show the feasibility of interrupting the transmission of T. solium infection in a region of highly endemic disease in Peru. In phase 1, we assessed the effectiveness and feasibility of six intervention …

Identification Of Ecdysone Hormone Receptor Agonists As A Therapeutic Approach For Treating Filarial Infections, Amruta S. Mhashilkar, Sai L. Vankayala, Canhui Liu, Fiona Kearns, Priyanka Mehrotra, George Tzertzinis, Subba R. Palli, H. Lee Woodcock, Thomas R. Unnasch

Entomology Faculty Publications

Background A homologue of the ecdysone receptor has previously been identified in human filarial parasites. As the ecdysone receptor is not found in vertebrates, it and the regulatory pathways it controls represent attractive potential chemotherapeutic targets.

Methodology/ Principal Findings Administration of 20-hydroxyecdysone to gerbils infected with B. malayi infective larvae disrupted their development to adult stage parasites. A stable mammalian cell line was created incorporating the B. malayi ecdysone receptor ligand-binding domain, its heterodimer partner and a secreted luciferase reporter in HEK293 cells. This was employed to screen a series of ecdysone agonist, identifying seven agonists active at …

Lack Of An Association Or An Inverse Association Between Low-Density-Lipoprotein Cholesterol And Mortality In The Elderly: A Systematic Review, Uffe Ravnskov, Rokura Hama, Tomohito Hamazaki, Paul J. Rosch, Tore Schersten, Ralf Sundberg

NYMC Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: It is well known that total cholesterol becomes less of a risk factor or not at all for all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality with increasing age, but as little is known as to whether low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), one component of total cholesterol, is associated with mortality in the elderly, we decided to investigate this issue.

SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND OUTCOME MEASURES: We sought PubMed for cohort studies, where LDL-C had been investigated as a risk factor for all-cause and/or CV mortality in individuals ≥60 years from the general population.

RESULTS: We identified 19 cohort studies including 30 cohorts with …

Childhood Health Status And Adulthood Cardiovascular Disease Morbidity In Rural China: Are They Related?, Qing Wang, Jay Shen

School of Public Health Faculty Research

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are among the top health problems of the Chinese population. Although mounting evidence suggests that early childhood health status has an enduring effect on late life chronic morbidity, no study so far has analyzed the issue in China. Using nationally representative data from the 2013 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a Probit model and Two-Stage Residual Inclusion estimation estimator were applied to analyze the relationship between childhood health status and adulthood cardiovascular disease in rural China. Good childhood health was associated with reduced risk of adult CVDs. Given the long-term effects of childhood health on …

A Generalized-Growth Model To Characterize The Early Ascending Phase Of Infectious Disease Outbreaks, Cecile Viboud, Lone Simonsen, Gerardo Chowell

Global Health Faculty Publications

Background

A better characterization of the early growth dynamics of an epidemic is needed to dissect the important drivers of disease transmission, refine existing transmission models, and improve disease forecasts.

Materials and methods

We introduce a 2-parameter generalized-growth model to characterize the ascending phase of an outbreak and capture epidemic profiles ranging from sub-exponential to exponential growth. We test the model against empirical outbreak data representing a variety of viral pathogens in historic and contemporary populations, and provide simulations highlighting the importance of sub-exponential growth for forecasting purposes.

Results

We applied the generalized-growth model to 20 infectious disease outbreaks representing …

Putting Prep Into Practice: Lessons Learned From Early-Adopting U.S. Providers' Firsthand Experiences Providing Hiv Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis And Associated Care, S. K. Calabrese, Manya Magnus, K. H. Mayer, D. S. Krakower, A. I. Eldahan, L. A. Gaston Hawkins, +5 Additional Authors

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Optimizing access to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), an evidence-based HIV prevention resource, requires expanding healthcare providers' adoption of PrEP into clinical practice. This qualitative study explored PrEP providers' firsthand experiences relative to six commonly-cited barriers to prescription-financial coverage, implementation logistics, eligibility determination, adherence concerns, side effects, and anticipated behavior change (risk compensation)-as well as their recommendations for training PrEP-inexperienced providers. U.S.-based PrEP providers were recruited via direct outreach and referral from colleagues and other participants (2014-2015). One-on-one interviews were conducted in person or by phone, transcribed, and analyzed. The sample (n = 18) primarily practiced in the Northeastern (67%) or …

Household Clustering Of Escherichia Coli Sequence Type 131 Clinical And Fecal Isolates According To Whole Genome Sequence Analysis, James R. Johnson, Gregg Davis, Connie Clabots, Brian D. Johnston, Stephen Porter, Lance B. Price, +10 Additional Authors

Environmental and Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Background. Within-household sharing of strains from the resistance-associated H30R1 and H30Rx subclones of Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (ST131) has been inferred based on conventional typing data, but has been assessed minimally using whole genome sequence (WGS) analysis.

Methods. Thirty-three clinical and fecal isolates of ST131-H30R1 and ST131-H30Rx, from 20 humans and pets in six households, underwent WGS analysis for comparison with 52 published ST131 genomes. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred using a bootstrapped maximum likelihood tree based on core genome sequence polymorphisms. Accessory traits were compared between phylogenetically similar isolates.

Results. In the WGS-based …

Calcium Phosphate As A Key Material For Socially Responsible Tissue Engineering, Vuk Uskoković, Victoria M. Wu

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Socially responsible technologies are designed while taking into consideration the socioeconomic, geopolitical and environmental limitations of regions in which they will be implemented. In the medical context, this involves making therapeutic platforms more accessible and affordable to patients in poor regions of the world wherein a given disease is endemic. This often necessitates going against the reigning trend of making therapeutic nanoparticles ever more structurally complex and expensive. However, studies aimed at simplifying materials and formulations while maintaining the functionality and therapeutic response of their more complex counterparts seldom provoke a significant interest in the scientific community. In this review …

Assessment Of Micronutrient Status In Pregnant Malawian Women Before And After Treatment For Moderate Malnutrition, Cambria M. Glosz

Master's Theses

Background: Multiple micronutrient deficiencies are prevalent in pregnant women in developing countries and can result in adverse effects to both the mother and infant. Multiple micronutrient supplements or supplementary foods may be a way to combat micronutrient deficiencies.

Objective: To assess change in micronutrient and protein levels in moderately malnourished pregnant Malawian women after receiving one of three nutritional interventions.

Methods: Serum retinol, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, ferritin, vitamin B₁₂, folate, zinc, albumin and C-reactive protein concentrations were measured in pregnant women with MUAC >20.6 cm and

Results: Baseline micronutrient concentrations indicated high rates of deficiency …

Prep Advocacy Project: Increasing The Adoption Of Pre-­Exposure Prophylaxis (Prep) In San Luis Obispo County, Leona Rajaee

Journalism

The following study investigates the need for Pre­exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in San Luis Obispo (SLO) County in order to develop an effective health outreach and advocacy program that could increase the adoption of PrEP treatment and in turn decrease new HIV transmissions in the community studied. The sponsor of this study is the Access Support Network (ASN), a non­profit organization that provides supportive services for individuals living with HIV/AIDS. ASN launched this study after observing the effectiveness of PrEP in metropolitan cities. At the same time, ASN also noticed a rise in new HIV transmissions, particularly among injecting drug users …

Experiences Of Nurses And Midwives During The Ebola Outbreak In Liberia, West Africa, Erhuvwukorotu S. Kollie

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The 2014 – 2015 Ebola outbreak in the West African region resulted in many deaths and has been responsible for devastating health and socioeconomic upheaval. The decision of nurses and midwives whether or not to render care during outbreaks is vital for the containment of the disease. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of nurses and midwives during the Ebola outbreak in Liberia. A grounded theory method based on Corbin and Strauss (2015) and Charmaz (2014) was used, resulting in a conceptual model describing the process involved in the work decisions made by the study participants. …

A Novel Point-Of-Care Testing Strategy For Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Pregnant Women In High-Burden Settings: Results Of A Feasibility Study In Papua New Guinea, Steven G. Badman, Lisa M. Vallely, Pamela Toliman, Grace Kariwiga, Bomesina Lote, William Pomat, Caroline Holmer, Rebecca Guy, Stanley Luchters, Chris Morgan

Population Health, East Africa

Background: Sexually transmitted and genital infections in pregnancy are associated with an increased risk of adverse maternal and neonatal health outcomes. High prevalences of sexually transmitted infections have been identified among antenatal attenders in Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea has amongst the highest neonatal mortality rates worldwide, with preterm birth and low birth weight major contributors to neonatal mortality. The overall aim of our study was to determine if a novel point-of-care testing and treatment strategy for the sexually transmitted and genital infections Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) and Bacterial vaginosis (BV) in pregnancy is …

Cost Of Management Of Severe Pneumonia In Young Children: Systematic Analysis, Shanshan Zhang, Peter M. Sammon, Isobel King, Ana Lucia Andrade, Cristiana M. Toscano, Sheila N. Araujo, Anushua Sinha, Shabir A. Madh, Gulam Khandaker, Jiehui Kevin Yin, Robert Booy, Tanvir M. Huda, Qazi S. Rahman, Shams El Arifeen, Angela Gentile, Norberto Giglio, Mejbah U. Bhuiyan, Katharine Sturm Ramirez, Bradford D. Gessner, Mardiati Nadjib, Phyllis J. Carosone– Link, Eric Af Simões, Jason A. Child, Imran Ahmed, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Sajid Bashir Soofi

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Childhood pneumonia is a major cause of childhood illness and the second leading cause of child death globally. Understanding the costs associated with the management of childhood pneumonia is essential for resource allocation and priority setting for child health.
Methods: We conducted a systematic review to identify studies reporting data on the cost of management of pneumonia in children younger than 5 years old. We collected unpublished cost data on non–severe, severe and very severe pneumonia through collaboration with an international working group. We extracted data on cost per episode, duration of hospital stay and unit cost of interventions …

Husband’S Support Towards Unmet Need Of Hiv Positive-Infected Women Of Childbearing Age, Sophia Sophia, Anita Deborah Anwar, Bony Wiem Lestari

Kesmas

Jutaan wanita usia subur (WUS) dengan HIV positif di negara berkembang saat ini tidak menggunakan kontrasepsi untuk menunda atau mengakhiri kehamilan. Pencegahan kehamilan yang tidak diinginkan pada WUS dengan HIV positif sangat penting untuk meningkatkan kualitas hidup ibu dan anak. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk menganalisis faktor-faktor yang berpengaruh terhadap unmet need pada WUS dengan HIV positif. Metode penelitian adalah cross sectional dengan sampel berjumlah 130 WUS dengan HIV positif yang diambil secara consecutive sampling. Penelitian dilakukan pada 24 Maret - 30 Juni 2015 di Klinik Mawar Kota Bandung. Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui wawancara dengan menggunakan kuesioner, kemudian data dianalisis dengan …

Identification And Use Of Indicator Data To Develop Models For Marine-Sourced Risks In Massachusetts Bay, Marin M. Kress

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The coastal watersheds around Massachusetts Bay are home to millions of people, many of whom recreate in coastal waters and consume locally harvested shellfish. Epidemiological data on food-borne illness and illnesses associated with recreational water exposure are known to be incomplete. Of major food categories, seafood has the highest recorded rate of associated foodborne illness. In total, the health impacts from these marine-sourced risks are estimated to cost millions of dollars each year in medical expenses or lost productivity. When recorded epidemiological data is incomplete it may be possible to estimate abundance or prevalence of specific pathogens or toxins in …