Digital Commons Network^™

The Population Genetic Structure Of Biomphalaria Choanomphala In Lake Victoria, East Africa: Implications For Schistosomiasis Transmission, Claire J. Standley, Sara L. Goodacre, Christopher M. Wade, J. Russell Stothard

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

Background

The freshwater snail Biomphalaria acts as the intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni, a globally important human parasite. Understanding the population structure of intermediate host species can elucidate transmission dynamics and assist in developing appropriate control methods.

Methods

We examined levels of population genetic structure and diversity in 29 populations of Biomphalaria choanomphala collected around the shoreline of Lake Victoria in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, where S. mansoni is hyper-endemic. Molecular markers were utilized to estimate the degree to which snail populations are genetically differentiated from one another.

Results

High levels of snail genetic diversity were found coupled with …

Optimizing Public Health Systems For Population Health Improvement: Institutions, Economics, And Metrics, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

This lecture reviews the evidence concerning the institutional and economic characteristics of public health delivery systems and their impact on population health. Emerging findings from these studies suggest promising pathways for transforming the U.S. public health system in ways that strengthen its effectiveness, efficiency and equity in producing health. .

Social Determinants And The Classification Of Disease: Descriptive Epidemiology Of Selected Socially Mediated Disease Constellations, Robert S. Levine, Barbara A. Kilbourne, George S. Rust, Michael A. Langston, Baqar A. Husaini, Lisaann S. Gittner, Maureen Sanderson, Charles H. Hennekens

Sociology Faculty Research

Background

Most major diseases have important social determinants. In this context, classification of disease based on etiologic or anatomic criteria may be neither mutually exclusive nor optimal.

Methods and Findings

Penetration Through The Staple Punctures On Five N95 Respirator Models, Daniel E. Medina

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Certain N95 FFR models that staple the head straps directly onto filtering material are commercially available. This method of assembly can tear or reduce fiber density in the immediate area surrounding the staple punctures. Five N95 FFR models were evaluated to determine if staple punctures on the filter medium reduce the protection offered by the respirators.

Total penetrations were measured with the staple punctures intact and when stretching the head straps a distance equivalent to a 95% male head circumference. Filter penetration were measured by sealing the staple punctures. Aerosols of 200, 500, and 1000 nm were used to challenge …

Death Patterns During The 1918 Influenza Pandemic In Chile, Gerardo Chowell, Lone Simonsen, Jose Flores, Mark A. Miller, Cecile G. Viboud

Global Health Faculty Publications

Scarce information about the epidemiology of historical influenza pandemics in South America prevents complete understanding of pandemic patterns throughout the continent and across different climatic zones. To fill gaps with regard to spatiotemporal patterns of deaths associated with the 1918 influenza pandemic in Chile, we reviewed archival records. We found evidence that multiple pandemic waves at various times of the year and of varying intensities occurred during 1918-1921 and that influenza-related excess deaths peaked during July-August 1919. Pandemic-associated mortality rates were elevated for all age groups, including for adults >50 years of age; elevation from baseline was highest for young …

The Impact Of Polio Eradication On Routine Immunization And Primary Health Care: A Mixed-Methods Study, Svea Closser, Kelly Cox, Thomas M. Parris, R Matthew Landis, Judith Justice, Ranjani Gopinath, Kenneth Maes, Hailom Banteyerga Amaha, Ismaila Zango Mohammed, Rashid Jooma

Section of Neurosurgery

Background: After 2 decades of focused efforts to eradicate polio, the impact of eradication activities on health systems continues to be controversial. This study evaluated the impact of polio eradication activities on routine immunization (RI) and primary healthcare (PHC).
Methods: Quantitative analysis assessed the effects of polio eradication campaigns on RI and maternal healthcare coverage. A systematic qualitative analysis in 7 countries in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa assessed impacts of polio eradication activities on key health system functions, using data from interviews, participant observation, and document review.
Results: Our quantitative analysis did not find compelling evidence of widespread and …

Evidence-Informed Guidelines For Pediatric Pandemic Planning And Response, Ginny Sprang, James J. Clark, Miriam Silman, Phyllis W. Leigh, Candice M. Jackson, A. Scott Lajoie

Center on Trauma and Children Reports

From the executive summary:

Pandemic events are unpredictable and inevitable. When they occur, the impact is both all-encompassing and asymmetrical; each pandemic targets specific, vulnerable populations, but ultimately impacts individuals, families and communities throughout the world. Regardless of origin or circumstances, the next pandemic will certainly count infants, children, and adolescents among its most vulnerable targets. As evidenced by the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, children may be at higher risk than populations more typically seen as susceptible to pandemic illness (the elderly, those with weakened immune systems, etc.). Children also can function as disease vectors, spreading the virus through their …

The Burden Of Underweight And Overweight Among Women In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Yibeltal Tebekaw, Charles Teller, Uriyoan Colón-Ramos

Global Health Faculty Publications

Background

Obesity and overweight are rising worldwide while underweight rates persist in low-income countries. The aim of this study was to examine changes in the prevalence of underweight and overweight/obesity among non-pregnant women aged 15-49 years, and its socio-demographic correlates in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Methods

The data are from 2000, 2005 and 2011 nationally representative Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys in Addis Ababa. The dependent variable was women’s nutritional status measured in terms of body mass index coded in binary outcomes to examine risk of being underweight (<18.5 kg/m² vs. ≥18.5 kg/m²) or overweight/obese (>25 kg/m^{2 …}

Establishing Tobacco Origin From Pollen Identification: An Approach To Resolving The Debate, Shane Williams, Shelby Hubbard, Karl Reinhard, Sérgio Augusto De Miranda Chaves

Karl Reinhard Publications

Previous research into pollen content of tobacco resulted in a debate. We address this debate and determine that pollen analysis may be able to assist with identifying geographical origin of tobacco. However, the value of any results should be assessed on a case-by-case regional basis until sufficient database information is available for an objective interpretation to be undertaken on a global basis. As a first step toward developing comparative data for South America, we analyzed a tobacco sample from Brazil in an effort to identify signature taxa from the state of Minas Gerais. We also assessed the role of honey …

Non Communicable Diseases In Pakistan: Burden, Challenges And Way Forward For Health Care Authorities, Mohammad Wasay, Shehla Zaidi, Maria Khan, Rashid Jooma

Section of Neurology

No abstract provided.

Epidemiology, Determinants And Dynamics Of Cholera In Pakistan: Gaps And Prospects For Future Research., Maliha Naseer, Tanzil Jamali

Community Health Sciences

Cholera is one of the notifiable endemic diseases in Pakistan, but the reporting of cholera cases is still unsatisfactory. Most of the diagnosed cases are never reported to the relevant authorities. In the year 1993 - 2005, the country did not report any single case of cholera to the WHO. The objectives of this review were to understand the epidemiology and to identify the possible determinants of cholera infection in Pakistan. Medscape, Medline, PakMedinet and PubMed, was searched, using key words, epidemiology and determinants of cholera infection in Pakistan during 1995 - 2010. Morbidity and mortality due to cholera infection …

Analisis Implementasi Kebijakan Penggunaan Antibiotika Rasional Untuk Mencegah Resistensi Antibiotika Di Rsup Sanglah Denpasar: Studi Kasus Infeksi Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Ketut Surya Negara

Jurnal ARSI : Administrasi Rumah Sakit Indonesia

Irrational use of antibiotics lead to antibiotic resistance. Implementation of the policy on the use of antibiotics in Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar has never been evaluated. The purpose of this study to know the implementation of policy on the use of antibiotics, preventing antibiotics resistance and determine the application ofthe WHO interventions to improve rational drug use. This research is aqualitative descriptive study, with interviews and document traces. Data analysis through content analysis. The result shows the implementation of antibitics usage policy and application of WHO intervention has not gone well. Prevention of antibiotic resistance have not been well coordinated …

Human Papillomavirus And The Gardasil Vaccine: Medicalization And The Gendering Of Bodies And Bodily Risk, Lauren Camara

Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts

No abstract provided.

Differentiating Geo-Spatiotemporal Aquatic Larval Habitats Of Anopheles Gambiae Complex In Urban Agriculture And Urban Non-Agriculture Environments In Accra, Ghana, Samia Mckeever

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To meet the rising food demands of communities in Accra,Ghana, urban agriculture has been popularized as a way to increase food security and improve nutrition (Donovan et al., 2012). Urban agriculture is defined as "the cultivation of crops at both the subsistence and commercial levels including the keeping of livestock in open spaces in urban areas (Adjaye, n.d.). In Accra, urban agriculture covers 1,091 hectares, employs over one thousand people, and supplies residents with 90% of its vegetables ("Accra Metropolitan", n.d.). Further, 60% of households in Accra participate in backyard farming ("Accra Metropolitan", n.d.). Although urban agriculture provides many benefits …

A Case Of Cutaneous Larva Migrans Presenting In A Pregnant Patient., Kasie Kudrewicz, Kylee N Crittenden, Alison Himes

Women’s Health Articles

Cutaneous larva migrans (CLM) is a pruritic dermatitis caused by migration of the animal hookworm larvae into the epidermis. We present a case of CLM in a 31-year-old pregnant woman. The treatment of CLM relies on antihelminthic agents, such as thiabendazole, albendazole, and ivermectin. This case was interesting in that the standard treatment options previously mentioned were contraindicated owing to the patient's pregnancy. Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen resulted in complete resolution of her lesion and symptoms.

Hiv Testing Implementation In Two Urban Cities: Practice, Policy And Perceived Barriers, Camden J. Hallmark, Jennifer Skillicorn, Thomas P. Giordano, Jessica A. Davila, Marlene Mcneese, Nestor Rocha, Avemaria Smith, Stacey Cooper, Amanda D. Castel

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Background

Although funding has supported the scale up of routine, opt-out HIV testing in the US, variance in implementation mechanisms and barriers in high-burden jurisdictions remains unknown.

Methods

We conducted a survey of health care organizations in Washington, DC and Houston/Harris County to determine number of HIV tests completed in 2011, policy and practices associated with HIV testing, funding mechanisms, and reported barriers to testing in each jurisdiction and to compare results between jurisdictions.

Results

In 2012, 43 Houston and 35 DC HIV-testing organizations participated in the survey. Participants represented 85% of Department of Health-supported testers in DC and 90% …

Ending Failures, Showing Results, Improving Population Health: Insights From Research & Reform In The U.S., Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

A growing body of empirical research supports the value of aligning the delivery systems for public health, medical care, and social services for populations with shared needs and risk factors. This presentation reviews selected studies from the field of public health services & systems research (PHSSR) in the U.S. that suggest pathways for achieving greater system alignment in the Canadian context.

Public Health In The Age Of Ebola In West Africa, Michael T. Osterholm, Kristine A. Moore, Lawrence O. Gostin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The Ebola epidemic, with its fast-growing toll and real potential for spreading into much of Africa, including major cities, has the makings of a “Black Swan” event. Such events, using the term coined by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, are: 1) unpredictable, outside the realm of regular expectations; 2) have a major impact, and; 3) are rationalized after the fact as being explainable and predictable.

We have learned from this outbreak the potential for an infectious disease to be politically, economically, and socially destabilizing, and that what kills us may be very different from what frightens us or substantially affects our social …

The Impact Of State Mandated Healthcare-Associated Infection Reporting On Infection Prevention And Control Departments In Acute Care Hospitals: Results From A National Survey, Carolyn T. A. Herzig, Monika Pogorzelska-Maziarz, Julie Reagan, Elaine Larson, Patricia W. Stone

Health Policy & Management: Faculty Presentations (2008-2022)

Background: In addition to federally mandated reporting, most US states have adopted legislation requiring hospitals to submit healthcare-associated infection (HAI) data. Evidence that state HAI laws have increased patient safety and reduced HAI rates is inconsistent, however, and resources needed to comply are considerable. We evaluated the impact of state HAI laws on infection prevention and control departments (IPCD).

Methods: Web-based survey of a national sample of hospital IPCD was conducted in Fall 2011; all non-VA hospitals enrolled in the National Healthcare Safety Network were eligible to participate. States with HAI laws effective prior to Fall 2011 were identified using …

Tougher Than Rocket Science, Or Just Messier? Using Research To Improve U.S. Public Health Delivery, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Advances in the field of public health services & systems research (PHSSR) are incorporating complexity in theory and methods to derive strong inferences about the health and economic effects attributable to public health strategies. Opportunities for comparative international research in Canada and the U.S. promise to strengthen these avenues of inquiry.

Public Health Services Research: Informing Public Health Practice & Policy, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Heterogeneity in the mechanisms used for organizing and financing public health strategies creates opportunities for comparative effectiveness research (CER) in public health that examine which organization and financing mechanisms work best, for whom, and under what circumstances. Findings from these types of studies have direct utility in shaping public health policy and practice decisions.

Governmental Public Health And The Economics Of Adaptation To Population Health, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Research on the organization and financing of public health strategies offers valuable insight for governmental public health agencies seeking to adapt to a population health improvement perspective under health system reform.

Exploring Barriers: An Analysis Of Access To Effective Tuberculosis Care In Cape Town, Yvonne Okaka

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My independent study project (ISP) examines factors that hinder access to tuberculosis (TB) healthcare and its effective implementation in Cape Town. In order to expand research on the topic, important barriers will be examined and explained. This project is relevant due to the high prevalence and mortality rates of tuberculosis in South Africa, as well as the fact that an overwhelming emphasis on HIV can lead to overlooking the serious nature of TB as a public healthcare issue. It is hoped that this study will provide more insight into improving access to TB care, and be a resource for those …

Structured Deterministic Models Applied To Malaria And Other Endemic Diseases, Katia Patricia Vogt Geisse

Open Access Dissertations

This thesis includes modeling studies on three structured deterministic models. These models are used to study the disease dynamics of malaria or the joint disease dynamics of HIV and HSV-2. Each of the models includes multiple components containing individuals in various epidemiological classes for the purpose of addressing questions that are of interests to biologists and epidemiologists. Some of the compartments have a continuous age-structure, which is necessary for studying the specific biological questions under investigation.^ In Chapter 2 a chronological-age structured deterministic model for malaria is presented. The model includes the human and mosquito populations with the human population …

Archaea In Bioaerosols In Dairy Farms, Poultry Houses And Wastewater Treatment Plants And Their Role In Lung Inflammation, Pascale Blais Lecours, Marc Veillette, David Marsolais, Yvon Cormier, Shelley Kirychuk, Caroline Duchaine

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Les bioaérosols, c’est-à-dire des aérosols composés de particules solides ou liquides de 0,002 µm à 100 µm transportant des microorganismes vivants ou des molécules dérivées d’organismes vivants, se trouvent en fortes concentrations dans plusieurs milieux de travail. Beaucoup de maladies respiratoires professionnelles y sont associées, mais leur étiologie n’est souvent pas connue. La composition exacte des bioaérosols responsables de ces maladies respiratoires doit être clairement définie afin de bien comprendre ce à quoi sont exposés les travailleurs.

Nous avions récemment documenté des microorganismes insoupçonnés dans l’air des porcheries, les archaea. Dans la présente étude, afin de définir l’exposition des travailleurs …

Structural Factors That Increase Hiv/Sti Vulnerability Among Indigenous People In The Peruvian Amazon, E. Roberto Orellana, Isaac E. Alva, Cesar P. Cárcamo, Patricia J. García

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

We examined structural factors—social, political, economic, and environmental—that increase vulnerability to HIV among indigenous people in the Peruvian Amazon. Indigenous adults belonging to 12 different ethnic groups were purposively recruited in four Amazonian river ports and 16 indigenous villages. Qualitative data revealed a complex set of structural factors that give rise to environments of risk where health is constantly challenged. Ferryboats that cross Amazonian rivers are settings where unprotected sex—including transactional sex between passengers and boat crew and commercial sex work—often take place. Population mobility and mixing also occurs in settings like the river docks, mining sites, and other resource …

Surgeon Practices And Attitudes Toward The Control Of Surgical-Site Infections In Jordan, Sara Ali Mater

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes and practices of Jordanian surgeons on the control of surgical-site infections, evaluated by the Center of Disease Control’s guidelines toward the prevention of surgical-site infections, in addition to gaining respondents opinions on infection control in Jordan. This study was conducted through the distribution of 75 questionnaires given to surgeons at five hospitals in Jordan. Additional insight on SSI infection control was gained through interviews with two cardiac surgeons and three infection control directors. The results of the survey were compared with the Center for Disease Control’s guide to surgical-site infection …

Neglected Or Non-Compliant? Assessing The Difficulties Of Tuberculosis Patients In Salvador-Ba, Brazil, Erin Slatery

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Objective: The aim of this study is to analyze how Instituto Brasileiro para Investigação da Tuberculose (IBIT), a philanthropic tuberculosis clinic in Salvador, Brazil, maintains treatment abandonment rates much lower than those of surrounding public clinics. This study also aims to evaluate how professionals conceptualize and address the difficulties faced by patients.

Methods: Interviews were conducted with 8 IBIT professionals and 16 patients in treatment for tuberculosis in the aforementioned institution via semi-structured and structured questionnaires, respectively. Participant observation guided the analysis of relationships between patients and professionals.

Results: Patients found varying aspects of treatment difficult depending on personal circumstances, …

Prevalence Of Hepatitis B Virus Infection Among Barbers And Their Knowledge, Attitude And Practices In The District Of Sukkur, Sindh ., Imran Naeem Abbasi, Zafar Fatmi, Muhammad Masood Kadir, Nalini Sathiakumar

Community Health Sciences

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

Several occupations in developing countries lag behind in ensuring the safety of their workers in occupational settings. Lack of implementation of safety guidelines at workplaces can expose workers to health risks. In Pakistan, barbers are one of the un-regulated occupational groups. Low literacy, increased frequency of direct skin contact and blade/razors use can expose barbers to body fluids including blood of the customers. We conducted this study in order to determine hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevalence among barbers and their knowledge, attitude and practices in a peri-urban district of Sindh.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

Three hundred eighty-five barbers from …

The Association Of Meningococcal Disease With Influenza In The United States, 1989-2009, Jessica Hartman Jacobs, Cecile Viboud, Eric Tchetgen Tchetgen, Joel Schwartz, Claudia Steiner, Lone Simonsen, Marc Lipsitch

Global Health Faculty Publications

Importance and Objective

Prior influenza infection is a risk factor for invasive meningococcal disease. Quantifying the fraction of meningococcal disease attributable to influenza could improve understanding of viral-bacterial interaction and indicate additional health benefits to influenza immunization.

Design, Setting and Participants

A time series analysis of the association of influenza and meningococcal disease using hospitalizations in 9 states from 1989–2009 included in the State Inpatient Databases from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the proportion of positive influenza tests by subtype reported to the Centers for Disease Control. The model accounts for the autocorrelation of meningococcal disease and …