Digital Commons Network^™

Breast Cancer Susceptibility : An Education Intervention And Genetic Epidemiology Study, Nur Zeinomar

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background: Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer (aside from non-melanoma skin cancers) and the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the United States. Our studies aimed to assess the effectiveness of a breast cancer educational intervention and to investigate genetic influences on the risk of post-menopausal breast cancer. The overarching theme and public health relevance of this dissertation was that our findings provided leads for breast cancer prevention.

Adoption And Implementation Of Alcohol And Drug Screening, Brief Intervention, And Referral To Treatment (Sbirt) In School-Based Health Centers : Provider Knowledge, Attitudes, And Perceptions As Barriers And Facilitators, Brett Harris

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background: Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) has been endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics as an evidence-based strategy to address risky substance use among adolescents in primary care settings. However, less than half of pediatricians even screen adolescents for substance use.

Disparities Among Hispanic Ethnicity And Stage At Diagnosis For Invasive Breast And Colorectal Cancer, Raquel Velazquez

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Objective: To assess the relationship between ethnicity and stage at diagnosis among invasive cases of breast and colorectal cancer.

An Evaluation Of Factors Leading To The Risk And Detection Of Thyroid Cancer, Thomas James O'Grady

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract:

Sex Work And Daily Alcohol Use May Increase Hiv Risks Of Women Who Inject Drugs In Ukraine, Tetyana Vasylyeva

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background: Between 10 - 50% of female PWID in former USSR countries, where HIV epidemics are driven by injecting drug use, are reported to exchange sex for money, drugs or goods. Research in the region shows contradictory data on the association between exchange sex and HIV for PWID, and suggests that this association might be influenced by other factors. Since female PWID who exchange sex might be a bridge population between PWID and other people, it is important to monitor their risks and suggest timely interventions.

Sleep Duration And Diabetes In An Adult Population Of Rural Upstate New York, Tarak Shrestha

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Introduction: Within the past five decades, there has been a rapid increase in the number of diabetic cases in the US. The number of diabetic cases increased from 1.5 million in 1959 to 25.8 million in 2011. Around the same time period, the average sleep duration per night decreased from 8 hours to 6.9 hours.

Medication Use And Patients Co-Infected With Human Immunodeficiency Virus And Hepatitis C Virus : Quantifying The Prevalence And Identifying The Predictors Of Clinically Significant Drug-Drug Interactions Associated With Therapy Containing First Generation Non-Structural 3a Serine Protease Inhibitors, Nimish Patel

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation enhances our understanding of clinically significant drug-drug interactions (CSDDIs) and contraindicated drug interactions among patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection before and after the addition of HCV therapy including first generation non-structural (NS) 3A serine protease inhibitors. This is important to understand because the clinical sequelae of untreated chronic HCV infection are devastating yet drug-drug interactions greatly complicate treatment for these patients. The HIV/HCV coinfected population is a population that is particularly vulnerable because they are using a high volume of medications. Specifically, the standard of care for patients with HIV infection …

Atrazine In Maternal Drinking Water Supply Below The Federal Maximum Contaminant Level And Risk Of Preterm Birth, Small For Gestational Age, Cryptorchidism And Hypospadias, Daniel Rice

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The prevalence of preterm birth, small for gestational age (SGA), and hypospadias has been increasing for several decades in the U.S resulting in significant morbidity and mortality and direct costs to society. Drinking water provides a mechanism for prolonged chronic exposure to environmental contaminants but is one of the least assessed environmental exposures in pregnancy and birth outcomes. To test the hypothesis that maternal exposure to atrazine through drinking water during pregnancy, or one or more trimesters of gestation, is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth, small for gestational age, cryptorchidism and hypospadias a retrospective cohort study was …

Maternal Characteristics And Factors Associated With Hepatitis C (Hcv) Infection Among Hiv-Positive Pregnant Women In Ukraine, 2010-2011, Liudmyla Slobodianyk

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Objective: Determine the association between risk factors for Hepatitis C and hepatitis C (HCV) infection among HIV-positive pregnant women in Ukraine.

Social Support And Risky Sexual Behavior Among Male Migrant Market Workers From Central Asia In Almaty, Kazakhstan, Gaukhar Mergenova

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background: Many studies have shown that risky sexual behavior leads to increased rates of HIV infection among labor migrants. However, little is known about the role of social support in risky sexual behavior among labor migrants in Kazakhstan. This study explores the potential association between social support and risky sexual behaviors among male migrant market vendors in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Perfluorinated Compounds, Thyroid Function, And Neuropsychological Status In Older Residents Of Upper Hudson River Communities, Srishti Shrestha

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are widespread in the environment. Minimal data exist regarding the neurotoxicity and thyroid disruptive property of PFCs in aging populations and the possible mediating effects of thyroid hormones (THs). In this study, we assessed associations among PFCs, thyroid function, and neuropsychological status, and determined if the neurotoxic effects of PFCs are mediated by changes in THs in an aging population. We measured perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), total thyroxine (T4), free T4 (fT4), and total triiodothyronine (T3) in serum and performed neuropsychological tests in men and women aged 55-74 years and living …

Examining The Risk And Protective Factors That Influence Falls Among Native American Older Adults, Kelly Winjum

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The risk factors for falls and the adverse outcomes of falls have been well documented among the general older adult population. However, fall frequency, fall risk factors, and fall outcomes have rarely been studied among minority groups specifically. Furthermore, to date there are no known studies that exclusively examine falls among Native American older adults. The purpose of this study is to examine falls among Native American older adults, in order to understand the risk and protective factors for falling among this population, and to develop recommendations for intervention. The theoretical framework of the Disablement Process guides this study. The …

Exposure Assessment And Risk Management Of Engineered Nanoparticles : Investigation In Semiconductor Wafer Processing, Michele Shepard

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are currently used in hundreds of commercial products and industrial processes, with more applications being investigated. Nanomaterials have unique properties that differ from bulk materials. While these properties may enable technological advancements, the potential risks of ENMs to people and the environment are not yet fully understood. Certain low solubility nanoparticles are more toxic than their bulk material, such that existing occupational exposure limits may not be sufficiently protective for workers. Risk assessments are currently challenging due to gaps in data on the numerous emerging materials and applications as well as method uncertainties and limitations.

A Population-Based Case-Control Study Of The Association Between Extreme Heat Events And Neural Tube Defects And Oral Clefts, Aida Soim

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

With climate change it is expected that extreme weather events will become more frequent and longer in duration. The health consequences of maternal exposure during pregnancy to extreme heat events are not well understood in spite of biological plausibility for adverse effects suggested by prior findings. There is very limited research that explores the relationship between extreme heat events and birth defects. The overall goal of this line of research was to determine whether heatwaves (HW) are associated with two major classes of birth defects: neural tube defects (NTDs) and oral clefts. One component of this project aimed to describe …

Spirits And Syringes: Malaria As An Epidemic, A Spiritual Punishment, And An Act Of War, Kelly Blair 14

Honor Scholar Theses

None.

Unicef Nepal Adolescent Development And Participation (Adap) Baseline Study: Final Report, Sajeda Amin, Ashish Bajracharya, Michelle Chau, Mahesh Puri

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Adolescent Development and Participation (ADAP) program is UNICEF Nepal’s endeavor to inform the design and implementation of an evidence-based program for adolescents. This ADAP Baseline Study Final Report documents the first comprehensive study of the lives of adolescents in 15 districts of Nepal with high levels of child deprivation where UNICEF is focusing its intervention. The ADAP Baseline Study is aligned with the National Plan of Action for Holistic Development of Adolescents launched in 2013, and highlights the sociocultural and behavioral aspects of adolescents in six domains: Education and Skills; Livelihoods and Financial Literacy; Enabling and Protective Environment; Gender …

Development Of A Physical Activity Intervention Targeted At Middle-Aged Males: A Mixed Methods Research Study, Sheryl L. Chatfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Cardiovascular Disease Knowledge, Awareness, Perceived Risk, And Hormonal Contraceptive Use Among Female College Students, Amanda Kathryn Hutcheson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for men and women of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Over the past 20 years, women have experienced greater levels of CVD mortality compared to men, and specific risk factors for CVD have been identified that are unique to women, including the use of hormonal contraceptives (Corrao et al., 1990; roger et al., 2011). However, previous research has not addressed knowledge of CVD among college-aged hormonal contraceptive users. Therefore, this cross-sectional study assessed knowledge, awareness, and perceived risk of CVD …

The Comparative Effectiveness Of Group Prenatal Care On Women's Psychosocial Health, Emily Heberlein

Theses and Dissertations

Background: High rates of adverse birth outcomes persist in the United States despite increased access to individual prenatal care (IPNC). Psychosocial factors influence birth outcomes and affect infant and child development and maternal functioning. Group prenatal care (GPNC) combines individual physical assessments and facilitated group education and support. Studies of GPNC show promising results, including lowered preterm birth rates, but the GPNC psychosocial mechanisms influencing birth outcomes are unclear.

Methods: Surveys at study enrollment (N=248), late pregnancy, and six weeks postpartum assessed psychosocial effects of each PNC model. Multiple regression models and planned moderator analyses tested whether GPNC participants had …

Food Insecurity And Physical Activity Among U.S. Populations, Quyen G. To

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: Examine the association between food insecurity (FI) and physical activity (PA) in the U.S. population.

Methods: Accelerometry (PAM) and self-report PA (PAQ) data from NHANES 2003-2006 were used. Those aged less than six years or were older than 65 years, pregnant, with physical limitations, or with family income above 350% of the poverty line were excluded. FI was measured by the USDA Household Food Security Survey Module. Crude and adjusted odd ratios were calculated from logistic regression to identify the association between FI and adherence to the PA recommendation. Crude and adjusted coefficients were calculated from linear regression to …

Antibiotic Usage In Relation To Resistant Bacterial Infections And Liver And Kidney Cancer Outcomes In South Carolina, Prea Thathiah

Theses and Dissertations

Antibiotics are one of the most beneficial discoveries in medicine and public health. However, the use, overuse, and misuse of these drugs have led to increases in antibiotic resistant bacterial infections (ARI). Furthermore, previous epidemiological studies have linked antibiotic use to breast cancer, but these studies have not included effects on metabolic organs, such as the liver and kidneys. This dissertation investigates the role of antibiotic use in infections and liver and kidney cancers in the state of South Carolina. Using ecological study methods and Poisson regression to determine relative risk ratios, it was found that antibiotic use is a …

Comparison Of Confidence Intervals Of Intracluster Correlation Coefficient Estimates For Binary Variables, Ashok Varma Samantapudi

Theses and Dissertations

The present study evaluates the length of the confidence interval and the percentage of time the true parameter is captured by the confidence interval for four intracluster correlation estimators. These are the ANOVA estimator, the Pearson pairwise estimator with constant weights (PEQ), the kappa type estimator called FC, and an estimator using a Resampling method (RM) for binary data. We compared these different estimates by using a large simulation study. The data we simulated is correlated binary data, which assumes an exchangeable correlation structure. We also included different variations of the number of clusters, cluster size, cluster size variation, event …

A Community-Driven Approach To The Development Of A Digital Decision Aid To Facilitate Informed Decision Making For Prostate Cancer Screening Among African-American Men In Communities Of Faith, Otis Lashaun Owens

Theses and Dissertations

Background: African American (AA) men are significantly more likely to die of prostate cancer (PrCA) than other racial groups. Therefore, it is critical to identify effective strategies for providing information about the risks, benefits, and uncertainties of PrCA screening and the importance of informed decision making (IDM). To assess whether a computer-based IDM decision aid (DA) for PrCA screening would be appropriate for middle-age and older AA men, this formative evaluation study examined participants (1) PrCA risk and screening knowledge, 2) decision-making processes for PrCA screening, and 3) usage of, attitudes toward, and access to interactive communication technologies (ICTs). The …

Quality Of Life, Health Status, And Academic Success In Undergraduates, Amanda Kuhlman

Honors Projects

Background: Undergraduates are making their first autonomous health decisions. This is an opportune stage for examining the precursors to the chronic diseases of adulthood. The purpose of this study was to examine correlations between health status, quality of life, and academic success in college students.

Methods: A quality of life survey (Goodman, 1997) was utilized to determine the behavioral difficulties of 86 first and second year college students. Each of these behavioral categories were then examined for possible correlations with blood pressure, weight, body mass index (BMI), alcohol consumption, body fat percentage, and any changes in these categories from the …

Immune Responses To Vi Capsular Polysaccharide Typhoid Vaccine In Children 2 To 16 Years Old In Karachi, Pakistan, And Kolkata, India, R. Leon Ochiai, M. Imran Khan, Sajid B. Soofi, Dipika Sur, Suman Kanungo, Young Ae You, Atif Habib, Shah Muhammad Sahito, Byomkesh Manna, Camilo J. Acosta, Mohammad Ali, Sujit K. Bhattacharya, Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, John D. Clemens

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

The geometric mean concentration (GMC) and the proportion maintaining a protective level (150 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) units [ELU]/ml) 2 years following a single dose of 25 μg of injectable Vi capsular polysaccharide typhoid vaccine was measured against that of the control hepatitis A vaccine in children 2 to 16 years old in cluster randomized trials in Karachi and Kolkata. The GMC for the Vi group (1,428 ELU/ml) was statistically significantly different from the GMC of the control hepatitis A vaccine group (86 ELU/ml) after 6 weeks. A total of 117 children (95.1%) in the Vi group and 9 (7.5%) …

Desk Jockey: A Device To Increase Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (Neat) In Adults, Jiangqi Tang

Wayne State University Theses

Increased sedentary behavior, just like reduced physical activity, has been shown to increase the risk of obesity and chronic diseases. This is mostly due to increased time spent sitting at the office desk. There is limited research studying how to decrease such risk in office workers (OW). This study was to investigate a portable device "Desk Jockey" (DJ) on increasing NEAT and reducing sedentary behavior in a simulated office environment. Participants whose daily work requiring long sitting hours were recruited (mean sitting hours/day: 8.6 ± 3 hr, mean age: 25 ± 7 yr, 54% male, 15% obese). Metabolic rates (METs), …

Nutrition Knowledge Of High School Senior Students In Northwest Arkansas, Grace Heymsfield, Cynthia Moore

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Though there are many complex factors influencing diet, nutrition knowledge correlates with healthier food choices in older adolescents and can play a pivotal role in health. Nutrition curriculum was addressed in the state of Arkansas through Arkansas Act 1220 of 2003. Numerous changes have been seen in the school environment regarding nutrition, but there is no means of testing nutrition curriculum effectiveness in terms of nutrition knowledge of students. It is the purpose of this descriptive study to improve understanding of the nutrition knowledge of high school seniors. High school senior students (n = 25; males = 12, females = …

Presence Of Antibiotic Resistance Genes From Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent In Northwest Arkansas, Ryan Macleod, Mary Savin

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) among bacterial populations are causing increasing concern with medical and agricultural implications. While the effluent of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is treated with a variety of antimicrobial methods, bacteria and the genetic material that is able to pass on antibiotic resistance to environmental populations are not completely destroyed. Ampicillin (amp), tetracycline (tet), and sulfonamide (sul) antibiotics have been detected in Northwest Arkansas (NWA) streams, and IncP plasmids—which are especially notorious for containing antibiotic resistance genes and have been detected after disinfection in NWA WWTPs—are known to carry ARGs for those antibiotics. The objective of this inquiry …

Alteration Of Host Cell Ubiquitination By The Intracellular Bacterial Pathogen Coxiella Burnetii, Lindsay Pritchett, Daniel E. Voth

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

The intracellular bacterial agent of Q fever, Coxiella burnetii, replicates within a phagolysosomelike parasitophorous vacuole (PV) in human macrophages and delivers effector proteins to the host cytosol via a Dot/Icm type IV secretion system (T4SS). The T4SS effectors are critical for PV formation and prevention of host cell death that allows sufficient time for bacterial replication. Recruitment of ubiquitin-related components to the C. burnetii PV is also predicted to be involved in PV formation and bacterial replication and is likely controlled by effector proteins. In this study, we assessed the role of the Dot/Icm T4SS in regulating ubiquitination by comparing …

Effects Of Locality And Risk Of Late Stage Breast Cancer Diagnosis In Kentucky Females, 2001-2011, Michael Jacob Sither

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Breast cancer survival is heavily dependent on stage at diagnosis. Recent evidence supports rural women are more likely than urban women to be diagnosed with advanced stage disease but historically these findings have been mixed when investigated at the state level. Cancer surveillance in the Appalachian region suggests Kentucky females are at significantly greater risk of premature breast cancer mortality due to consistently lower prevalence of screening mammography utilization. In the literature, disparities in breast cancer outcomes have been largely explained by population demographics, areabased measures of socioeconomic deprivation, shortages of referring providers as well as differences in spatial access …