Digital Commons Network^™

Mary T'S: A Restaurant Providing Healthy Food Options, Mary T. Savner

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Male Sexuality And Masculinity: Implications For Stis/Hiv And Sexual Health Interventions In Bangladesh, Sharful I. Khan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

My thesis concerns male sexuality as revealed by men living in contemporary urban and rural Bangladesh. I pursue what men think it means to be a man. dimensions of manliness and manhood, and male influences in the construction of male/female relationships. Significant meanings men attribute to sexual acts, pleasure, pain,. risk and safety in multiple social realities, particularly in the era of HIV/AIDS, were explored. A social constructionist perspective guided my research. Using qualitative research methods, I conducted 50 in-depth interviews with men aged between 18 and 58 years from diverse socio-occupational backgrounds. Twenty key informants included religious leaders. traditional …

Constitutional Outlines Of Public Health's "New World Order", David P. Fidler

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Bacteriolytic Activity Of Selected Vertebrate Sera For Borrelia Burgdorferi Sensu Stricto And Borrelia Bissettii, Amy J. Ullmann, Robert S. Lane, Klaus Kurtenbach, Michael Miller, Martin E. Schriefer, Nordin Zeidner, Joseph Piesman

United States Public Health Resources

An in vitro assay to evaluate the bacteriolytic activity of the complement pathway was applied to 2 strains of Borrelia bissettii, CO501 and DN127, and compared with that of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto B31. Sera from mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus) and the Western Fence lizard ( Sceloporus occidentalis) were completely borreliacidal for B. burgdorferi and for both strains of B. bissettii. Serum from Bobwhite quail ( Colinus virginianus) was nonlytic for B. burgdorferi and partially lytic for B. bissettii strains, CO-501 and DN127. Serum from a New Zealand White rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus) …

Inadequate Physician Knowledge Of The Effects Of Diet On Blood Lipids And Lipoproteins., Mary M. Flynn, Chris N. Sciamanna, Kevin C. Vigilante

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND:To assess the nutrition knowledge of physicians on the basic effects of diet on blood lipids and lipoproteins.

METHODS:Anonymous mailed dietary knowledge surveys to 6000 randomly selected physicians in the United States licensed in either Internal Medicine or Cardiology.RESULTS:Response rate: 16% (n = 639). Half of the physicians did not know that canola oil and 26% did not know olive oil were good sources of monounsaturated fat. Ninety-three percent (84% of cardiologists vs. 96% of internists; p < 0.001) did not know that a low-fat diet, in general, would increase blood triglycerides. Approximately three-quarters (70% of cardiologists vs. 77% of internists; p < 0.01) did not know a low-fat diet would decrease HDL-c and almost half (45%) thought that a low-fat diet would not change HDL-c.

CONCLUSIONS:If physicians are to implement dietary and cholesterol management guidelines, they will likely need to become more knowledgeable about nutrition.

Overview, David B. Nash

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

No abstract available.

Physical Activity And Stroke Risk: A Meta-Analysis, Chong Do Lee, Aaron R. Folsom, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Background and Purpose - Whether physical activity reduces stroke risk remains controversial. We used a meta-analysis to examine the overall association between physical activity or cardiorespiratory fitness and stroke incidence or mortality.

Methods - We searched MEDLINE from 1966 to 2002 and identified 23 studies (18 cohort and 5 case-control) that met inclusion criteria. We estimated the overall relative risk (RR) of stroke incidence or mortality for highly and moderately active individuals versus individuals with low levels of activity using the general variance-based method.

Results - The meta-analysis documented that there was a reduction in stroke risk for active or …

The Benefits Of Breastfeeding: An Introduction For Health Educators, Sheila G. J. Clark, Timothy J. Bungum

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Currently 16% of Americans breastfeed their children for at least 12 months as recommended by the AAP, which is well below the HP 2010 goal of 25%. Breastfed infants receive benefits that can improve their health throughout their lives. The benefits of breastfeeding for children include increased resistance to infectious diseases, such as gastroenteritis, respiratory tract infections, and ear infections. Breastfed children also display lower rates of chronic diseases including diabetes, obesity, asthma, and leukemia. The choice to breastfeed results in economic benefits from lower health care costs and from reduced spending on infant formula. The Healthy People 2010 targets …

Barriers And Best Practices: Marketing Health Promotion For People With Disabilities, Craig Ravesloot Ph.D., University Of Montana Rural Institute

Health and Wellness

Health promotion for people with disabilities attracts a diverse audience: people with disabilities themselves, policymakers, service providers and others. This Guideline discusses our research on effective strategies for marketing and promoting RTC: Rural’s two health promotion programs: Living Well with a Disability (an eight-week workshop) and the New Directions physical activity program. It also describes the barriers people with disabilities anticipate when they consider participating in a health promotion program. If marketing strategies address these barriers, more people with disabilities may participate in health promotion activities. Secondary conditions are the medical and psycho-social conditions people with disabilities often experience following …

All The News That’S Fat To Print: The American "Obesity Epidemic" And The Media, Natalie Boero

Faculty Publications, Sociology

Increasingly the term epidemic is being used to describe the current prevalence of fatness in the United States. Skyrocketing rates of obesity among all groups of Americans, particularly children, the poor, and minorities, have become a major public health concern. Indeed, it is difficult to open a newspaper or magazine without encountering a discussion of the expanding American waistline and the health problems associated therewith. In this paper I use 751 New York Times articles on obesity to examine the media construction of the obesity epidemic. I show that there is not one dominant discourse (i.e. medicine) constructing this epidemic, …

Dose Coefficients For Radionuclides Produced In A Spallation Neutron Source, John P. Shanahan

Transmutation Sciences Physics (TRP)

Internal and external dose coefficient values have been calculated for 14 anthropogenic radionuclides which are not currently presented in Federal Guidance Reports No. 11, 12, and 13 or Publications 68 and 72 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. Internal dose coefficient values are reported for inhalation and ingestion of 1 μm and 5 μm particulates along with the f1 values and absorption types for the adult worker. Internal dose coefficient values are also reported for inhalation and ingestion of 1 μm particulates as well as the f1 values and absorption types for members of the public. Additionally, external dose …

Obesity In America: A Growing Threat, Eileen Salinsky, Wakina Scott

National Health Policy Forum

This background paper seeks to clarify the nature and causes of the obesity epidemic in the United States and provides an overview of the associated economic and health costs. The paper summarizes existing federal programs and policies that address obesity and examines new and emerging policy strategies to battle the bulging American silhouette. Topics explored include population-based prevention, federal food- and nutrition-assistance programs, Medicare and Medicaid payment policies, school health initiatives, and publicly funded biomedical research.

Psychosocial Stress And Cervical Neoplasia Risk, Ann L. Coker, Sharon M. Bond, Margaret M. Madeleine, Kathryn J. Luchok, Lucia Pirisi

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the association between psychosocial stress and preinvasive cervical neoplasia development controlling for HR-HPV infection.

METHODS: This case-control study enrolled low-income women receiving family planning services at health department clinics. There were 59 cases with biopsy confirmed HSIL and 163 with low-grade SIL and 160 controls with normal cervical cytology. A modified SLE scale was used to measure stressful events and the perceived impact of the event in the prior 5 years. Unconditional logistic regression was used to assess SIL risk and stressful events scores and by subscales.

RESULTS: After adjusting for age, HR-HPV infection, and lifetime number …

Patterns Of Cocaine Consumption: A Sub-Analysis Of The Drugnet Survey, Nivedita Seerpi

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The myths and misconceptions that surround cocaine use lead to the over-estimation of the prevalence of cocaine addiction in society. Health education curricula and drug policy do not differentiate between cocaine use and abuse. This study describes the cocaine consumption patterns in a nonclinical, non-incarcerated sample of cocaine users. The resulting patterns are compared to those found by Cohen (1989) and Cohen and Sas (1993, 1994, 1995). DRUGNET is an online survey of recreational drug use by nondeviant adults via the WWW. Self-selected subjects completed a survey over the Internet between February and October 1997 (N= 701). This sample was …

The Ignored Disease: The Aids Epidemic 1981–1987, Heather L. Graff, Heather Graff Bloom

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Less than six months after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the 40th president of the United States, the federal Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta reported pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, in five gay men. In the United States, AIDS was first diagnosed among gay men in New York City and San Francisco. There were several media trends for AIDS coverage in the 1980s. In the early 1980s, AIDS was mainly thought of as a gay-related disease. In the mid- l 980s, AIDS cases were found in hemophiliacs, intravenous drug users and "celebrities." Coverage in the late 1980s focused on heterosexuals and …

Nevada "Nurselessness": An Acute Or Chronic Condition? An Examination Of The Etiology And Possible Treatment Alternatives, Jeanine Warren-Newmon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Data released by the Department of Health and Human Services in February, 2001, revealed that Nevada has the lowest number of registered nurses per 100,000 population in the nation. The state’s population is growing faster than the nursing programs are currently able to produce new graduates. Current predictions are that the existing nursing shortage will become more severe and have a longer duration than has ever before been experienced. While there may not be one single identifiable causative factor, the aging nursing workforce, low unemployment, and the universal nature of the shortage magnify the problem. This paper focuses on the …

Toward A Better Understanding Of The Comparatively High Prostate Cancer Incidence Rates In Utah, Ray M. Merrill, Sterling C. Hilton, Jared D. Sturgeon, Charles L. Wiggins

Faculty Publications

This study assesses whether comparatively high prostate cancer incidence rates among white men in Utah represent higher rates among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormons), who comprise about 70% of the state's male population, and considers the potential influence screening has on these rates. Methods: Analyses are based on 14,693 histologically confirmed invasive prostate cancer cases among men aged 50 years and older identified through the Utah Cancer Registry between 1985 and 1999. Cancer records were linked to LDS Church membership records to determine LDS status. Poisson regression was used to derive rate …

Population Mobility High-Risk Environments And The Diffusion Of Hiv/Stds: A Community Based Study In Southwest China, Hongyun Fu

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Globally, population migration has been associated with the spread ofHIV/STDs in many countries. A similar trend has been observed in China from the very beginning of the HIV epidemic, but empirical research is very limited. Furthermore, the previous studies mainly focused on the micro impact of migration on individual migrant's risky behaviors. The impact of population mobility on the general population, especially on non-migrant residents, has been ignored. Using data collected from a specially designed community level survey, which was conducted in a province in the Southwest of China, this study examines the macro-level association between temporary migration and the …

Trends. A Casualty Of War: Suicide As A Response To An American-Led Invasion Of Iraq, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses the political psychology of suicide as protest.

Political Authority And Social Cognitions On The War On Terrorism With Global Reach: Airport Security, Terrorism Contingent On A United States-Led Attack On Iraq, Smallpox Vaccinations, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article presents analyses of three common social cognitions embraced by many representatives of political authority concerning aspects of the war on terrorism with global reach.

Persistence Of Virus-Reactive Serum Immunoglobulin M Antibody In Confirmed West Nile Virus Encephalitis Cases, John T. Roehrig, Denis Nash, Beth Maldin, Anne Labowitz, Denise A. Martin, Robert S. Lanciotti, Grant L. Campbell

Publications and Research

Twenty-nine laboratory-confirmed West Nile virus (WNV) encephalitis patients were bled serially so that WNV-reactive immunoglobulin (Ig) M activity could be determined. Of those patients bled, 7 (60%) of 12 had anti-WNV IgM at approximately 500 days after onset. Clinicians should be cautious when interpreting serologic results from early season WNV IgM-positive patients.

A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Of A Community-Based Health Promotion Intervention For Adults With Mobility Impairments: Living Well With A Disability, Craig Ravesloot Ph.D., Tom Seekins Ph.D., Catherine Ipsen M.A., Steve Seninger Ph.D., Colleen Murphy-Southwick Ph.D., Lisa Brennan M.L.S., Rita K. Fjeld M.A., Glen W. White Ph.D., Ann Branstetter Ph.D., Vivian Chapman M.A., Amanda Jay M.A., James A. Bovaird M.A., Janet Marquis Ph.D., University Of Montana Rural Institute

Health and Wellness

This document reports on research conducted by the University of Montana and the University of Kansas for the Office of Disability and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The research project, conducted between August 1,1997 and July 31, 2001, was conducted in four separate but related studies. The research was conducted in eight States. We contracted with nine centers for independent living (CIL) to conduct 34 Living Well with a Disability health promotion workshops and to collect outcome measures. These programs included 246 individuals. In the first study, we evaluated the effectiveness and cost outcomes of the …

A Comparative History Of Aids In Latin America: Brazil And Cuba, Shawn Smallman

International & Global Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

According to a joint report of the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization in September 2002 there were approximately 1.4 million HIV+ people in Latin America, and a further 420,000 HIV+ people in the Caribbean. The number of infections had increased by nearly 10% from the previous year in Latin America, and 16% in the Caribbean. While striking, these figures may obscure the diversity of the HIV epidemic in the region. Latin America has a varied pattern of infections, which means that the experience of Bolivia, Ecuador and Mexico is quite different from that of Honduras, Haiti …

Utilization Of Algal And Bacterial Extracellular Polymeric Secretions (Eps) By The Deposit-Feeding Brittlestar Amphipholis Gracillima (Echinodermata), D. L. Hoskins, S. E. Stancyk, Alan W. Decho

Faculty Publications

Like many deposit-feeding organisms, the burrowing brittlestar Amphipholis gracillima feeds on particulate organic matter in surface sediments. Microbial exopolymeric secretions (EPS) are carbohydrate-enriched polymers produced by microalgae and bacteria that bind aggregates and form dense biofilms near the sediment-water interface. EPS are assimilable by some benthic infauna and may be utilized as a significant carbon source. EPS are absorbed by some deposit-feeders, including a holothurian, and may be supplemental sources of nutrition. The burrowing brittlestar A. gracillima is a deposit-feeder that was used in a mass balance approach to model the incorporation of radiolabeled EPS by bottom feeders. Brittlestars were …

Progress And Opportunities In Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual And Transgender Health Communications, Laurie A. Drabble, J. Keatley, G. Marcelle

Faculty Publications

This article describes elements of effective health communication and highlights strategies that may best be adopted or adapted in relation to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations. Studies have documented the utility of multidimensional approaches to health communication from the macro level of interventions targeting entire populations to the micro level of communication between health care provider and consumer. Although evidence of health disparities in LGBT communities underscores the importance of population-specific interventions, health promotion campaigns rarely target these populations and health communication activities seldom account for the diversity of LGBT communities. Advances in health communication suggest promising direction …

Accuracy Of Six Commercially Available Systems For Identification Of Members Of The Family Vibrionaceae, Caroline M. O’Hara, Evangeline G. Sowers, Cheryl A. Bopp, Sarah B. Duda, Nancy A. Strockbine

United States Public Health Resources

Six commercially available bacterial identification products were tested with Vibrio alginolyticus (12 strains), V. cholerae (30 strains), Photobacterium (Vibrio) damselae (10 strains), V. fluvialis (10 strains), V. furnissii (4 strains), V. hollisae (10 strains), V. metschnikovii (9 strains), V. mimicus (10 strains), V. parahaemolyticus (30 strains), and V. vulnificus (10 strains) to determine the accuracy of each system for identification. The products included API 20E, Crystal E/NF, MicroScan Neg ID2 and Rapid Neg ID3, and Vitek GNI+ and ID-GNB. Each product was tested only with those species that were listed in its database. Overall, the systems correctly …

Inhibition Of Markers Of Hepatic Stellate Cell Activation By The Hormone Relaxin, Robert G. Bennett, Kusum K. Kharbanda, Dean J. Tuma

United States Public Health Resources

Hepatic fibrois results from excess extracellular matrix produced primarily by hepatic stellate cells (HSC). In response to injury, HSC differentiate to a myofibroblastic phenotype expressing smooth muscle actin and fibrillar collagens. Relaxin is a polypeptide hormone shown to have antifibrotic effects in fibrosis models. In this study, activated HSC from rat liver were treated with relaxin to determine if relaxin can reverse markers of HSC activation. Relaxin treatment resulted in a decrease in the expression of smooth muscle actin, but had no effect on cell proliferation rate. The levels of total collagen and type I collagen were reduced, while the …

Interferon Gamma Enhances Proteasome Activity In Recombinant Hep G2 Cells That Express Cytochrome P4502e1: Modulation By Ethanol, Natalia A. Osna, Dahn L. Clemens, Terrence M. Donohue Jr.

United States Public Health Resources

We tested the influence of IFNγ on proteasome activity in parental Hep G2 cells that do not metabolize ethanol, as well as in recombinant Hep G2-derived cells that express either or both alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1). IFNγ treatment increased proteasome activity in VL-17A (ADH⁺, CYP2E1⁺) and E-47 (CYP2E1⁺) cells, but not in Hep G2, VI-R2 (parental cells with empty vectors) or in VA-13 (ADH⁺) cells. Proteasome activation by IFNγ correlated positively with the level of CYP2E1 activity. Treatment of VL-17A cells with agents that inhibit CYP2E1 or the inducible …

What Affects Influenza Vaccination Rates Among Older Patients? An Analysis From Inner-City, Suburban, Rural, And Veterans Affairs Practices, Richard Kent Zimmerman, Tammy A. Santibanez, Janine E. Janosky, Michael J. Fine, Mahlon Raymund, Stephen A. Wilson, Inis Jane Bardella, Anne R. Medsger, Mary Patricia Nowalk

United States Public Health Resources

BACKGROUND: Despite strong evidence of the effectiveness of influenza vaccination, immunization rates have reached a plateau that is below the 2010 national goals. Our objective was to identify facilitators of, and barriers to, vaccination in diverse groups of older patients.
METHODS: A survey was conducted in 2000 by computer-assisted telephone interviewing of patients from inner-city health centers, Veterans Affairs (VA) outpatient clinics, rural practices, and suburban practices. The inclusion criteria were age ≥66 years and an office visit after September 30, 1998.
RESULTS: Overall, 1007 (73%) interviews were completed among 1383 patients. Influenza vaccination rates were 91% at VA clinics, …

Chronic Ethanol Consumption Impairs Receptor-Mediated Endocytosis Of Maa-Modified Albumin By Liver Endothelial Cells, Michael J. Duryee, Lynell W. Klassen, Thomas L. Freeman, Monte S. Willis, Dean J. Tuma, Geoffrey M. Thiele

United States Public Health Resources

Alcoholic liver disease has been associated with abnormalities in receptor-mediated endocytosis (RME) which results in abnormal degradation of metabolically altered proteins. Model systems using formaldehyde-modified albumin (f-Alb) have shown an impairment in RME following chronic alcohol consumption utilizing both in situ perfused rat livers and isolated rat liver endothelial cells (LECs). The discovery that alcohol metabolite derived aldehydes can modify proteins prompted a study to determine if malondialdehyde– acetaldehyde-modified albumin (MAA-Alb) would be degraded similar to that reported for f-Alb, and whether ethanol-fed rats would demonstrate an impaired RME with respect to this ligand which occurs as a consequence of …