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Associations Between Mental Health And Diabetes: Findings From The South Carolina Medicaid Managed Care Program In 2006-2008, Ana Lopez-De Fede, James W. Hardin, Kathy L. Mayfield-Smith, Qiduan Liu

Publications

Objectives: To assess differences in services associated with mental health status and prescriptions among Medicaid patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. Design: Secondary data analyses of South Carolina (SC) Medicaid enrollees. Participants: SC Medicaid enrollees with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (N5555) continuously enrolled in either managed care (MC) or fee for service (FFS) programs between 2006 and 2008. Main Outcome Measures: Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS)- based diabetes management service outcomes including: 1) whether the recipient received a nephrology exam; 2) the number of eye exams received; 3) the number of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol services received; and …

Pollution And Public Health In A Shrinking World: Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations As A Paradigm For Emergent Needs In Environmental And Public Health Policy, Leland Stillman

Self-Designed Majors Honors Papers

Environmental factors play a major part in human health. Environmental pollutants are often as poisonous to humans as the environment. Presently, much time and energy is dedicated to keeping pollution apart from human society, with varying success. But as global population densities rise, current levels of pollution will become inviable due to public health concerns. An emergent example of this is in the concentration of livestock operations. Recent changes in the structure of U.S. hog farming have resulted in an industry-wide shift from small or medium production farms to high capacity, “concentrated animal feeding operations” (CAFO). These operations have become …

Negotiating Equitable Access To Influenza Vaccines: Global Health Diplomacy And The Controversies Surrounding Avian Influenza H5n1 And Pandemic Influenza H1n1, David P. Fidler

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Social Capital Variables As Predictors Of Hiv Risk-Taking Behaviors Among Sub-Saharan African Immigrants In The United States, Gbadebo Ogundiran Ogungbade

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Vulnerable populations, including immigrants, are often at risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection because of their risk-taking behaviors. This study investigated risk-taking behavior for HIV infection among Sub-Saharan African (SSA) immigrants in United States. Using social capital as a theoretical foundation, the study aimed to address the question, is there any association between social capital assets of educational opportunity, employment, and eligibility for social assistance and HIV risk-taking behavior, defined as condom use before sex (CUBS) among SSA immigrant in the U.S? Potential participants were recruited through religious and social organizations in a southwestern US state. The survey generated …

Prospective Associations Of Insomnia Markers And Symptoms With Depression, Mariana Szklo-Coxe, Terry Young, Paul E. Peppard, Laurel A. Finn, Ruth M. Benca

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Whether insomnia, a known correlate of depression, predicts depression longitudinally warrants elucidation. The authors examined 555 Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study participants aged 33-71 years without baseline depression or antidepressant use who completed baseline and follow-up overnight polysomnography and had complete questionnaire-based data on insomnia and depression for 1998-2006. Using Poisson regression, they estimated relative risks for depression (Zung scale score >= 50) at 4-year (average) follow-up according to baseline insomnia symptoms and polysomnographic markers. Twenty-six participants (4.7%) developed depression by follow-up. Having 3-4 insomnia symptoms versus none predicted depression risk (age-, sex-, and comorbidity-adjusted relative risk (RR) = 3.2, 95% …

Awareness And Knowledge Of Hiv/Aids Among Female Indian University Students In South India And As Immigrants In The U.S.-Mexico Border Region, Thenral D. Mangadu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The prevention of HIV/AIDS is a major global public health goal. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates that 33 million individuals are infected with HIV worldwide and over two million of these cases are from India. The main mode of transmission of HIV in India is heterosexual contact.

In the past decades there has been a steady increase in immigration rates from India to the U.S. Education and marriage are the main reasons for immigration from India to the U.S. In general, the frequently risky sexual and substance use behaviors of college students in …

What Motivates Young Latina Females Along The U.S. Mexico Border Region To Participate In Team Sports?, Dora A. Pichardo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Physical activity gives women and girls an overall better quantity of life and positive health benefits. Statistics indicate lack of participation in physical activity and exercise by the U.S. general population and among the Latino population in particular. The primary purpose of this study is to explore the variables that motivate young Latinas to play and eventually continue to stay involved in team sports. This is a survey correlational study including young Latina females a U.S.-Mexico border community. Statistical analysis included frequencies, means, and Pearson Product Momentum Correlations. Sixty-nine participants (12 to 15 years old) completed the survey. The response …

Experimental Study Of The Effects Of Green Tea, Alejandra Avila

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background. Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by an intracellular parasite belonging to the genus Leishmania. The cutaneous form of the disease causes often significant disfigurement, accelerates progression to clinical AIDS and tuberculosis, and is associated with a number of adverse economic, psychosocial, and nutritional consequences. An estimated 350 million persons are at risk for this globally distributed disease and 1.5-2 million new cases occur annually. Leishmaniasis is endemic in 88 countries on five continents. It is distributed throughout most of the Americas ranging from southern Texas to northern Argentina. It is also regarded as a threat to the readiness …

A Study Of The Associations Between Childhood Obesity And Three Forms Of Social Capital, Cynthia Bala-Brusilow

Wayne State University Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to expand the understanding of childhood obesity in American children by examining the associations between obesity in children and measures of social capital.

Context: Persons between 2 and 20 years of age are categorized as "obese" if their BMI is in 95th percentile or above for their age and sex using the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) BMI-for-age growth charts. Obesity prevalence has more than quadrupled in the last 40 years in the United States for children. Social capital, in the study of health, can be defined as resources accrued and/or …

The Mediating Role Of Psychological Distress In The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Adult Smoking, Tara Wynn Strine

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While research has indicated that impaired mental health partially mediates the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and alcohol and illicit drug use, little research has examined potential mediators in the relationship between ACEs and smoking, the number one cause of preventable mortality in the United States. Accordingly, this study examined the potential mediating effect of psychological distress on the relationship between ACES and smoking using data from Wave II of the ACE Study, a cross-sectional study completed between June and October of 1997 on a sample of adult health maintenance organization members (N = 7,211). The theoretical underpinnings for …

Using The Andersen Behavioral Model Of Health Services Use To Examine Adult Uninsured Patient Health Services Use At A Community Health Center, Jewel Shonette Goodman

Health Services Research Dissertations

Prescription medications are essential to the treatment and management of chronic conditions (Smith et al., 2005). Lack of access can result in pain, worsening of the condition and increased risk of additional health problems. Health care expenditures in the United States were reportedly 1.7 trillion in 2003 (Smithetal.,2005) and exceeded" role="presentation" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-table; line-height: 0; font-size: 16.66px; overflow-wrap: normal; word-spacing: normal; white-space: nowrap; float: none; direction: ltr; max-width: none; max-height: none; min-width: 0px; min-height: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 1px 0px; position: relative;">1.7trillionin2003(Smithetal.,2005)andexceeded1.7trillionin2003(Smithetal.,2005)andexceeded2.3 trillion in 2008 (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2010). Prescription medication costs …

Prenatal Beta-Endorphin As An Early Predictor Of Postpartum Depressive Symptoms In Euthymic Women, Ilona S. Yim, Laura M. Glynn, Christine Dunkel Schetter, Calvin J. Hobel, Aleksandra Chicz-Demet, Curt A. Sandman

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

After delivery, many women experience symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD), and early identification of women at risk is therefore important. The opioid peptide [beta]-endorphin has been implicated in non-puerperal depression but its role in the development of PPD is unknown.

Volatile Profiling Reveals Intracellular Metabolic Changes In Aspergillus Parasticus: Vea Regulates Branched Chain Amino Acid And Ethanol Metabolism, Ludmila V. Roze, Anindya Chanda, Maris Laivenieks, Randolph M. Beaudry, Katherine A. Artymovich, Anna V. Koptina, Deena W. Awad, Dina Valeeva, Arthur D. Jones, John E. Linz

Faculty Publications

Background: Filamentous fungi in the genus Aspergillus produce a variety of natural products, including aflatoxin, the most potent naturally occurring carcinogen known. Aflatoxin biosynthesis, one of the most highly characterized secondary metabolic pathways, offers a model system to study secondary metabolism in eukaryotes. To control or customize biosynthesis of natural products we must understand how secondary metabolism integrates into the overall cellular metabolic network. By applying a metabolomics approach we analyzed volatile compounds synthesized by Aspergillus parasiticus in an attempt to define the association of secondary metabolism with other metabolic and cellular processes.

Results: Volatile compounds were examined using solid …

A Markov Transition Model To Dementia With Death As A Competing Event, Liou Xu

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The research on multi-state Markov transition model is motivated by the nature of the longitudinal data from the Nun Study (Snowdon, 1997), and similar information on the BRAiNS cohort (Salazar, 2004). Our goal is to develop a flexible methodology for handling the categorical longitudinal responses and competing risks time-to-event that characterizes the features of the data for research on dementia. To do so, we treat the survival from death as a continuous variable rather than defining death as a competing absorbing state to dementia. We assume that within each subject the survival component and the Markov process are linked by …

Sexual Risk Behavior Among African-American Adolescents: Trajectories And Their Predictors, Maureen Muchimba

All ETDs from UAB

Although adolescents in the United States are at high risk of sexually transmitted infections and HIV, research indicates that many do not use condoms consistently and have high numbers of lifetime multiple sexual partners. Among adolescents, different subgroups exhibit distinct patterns of sexual behavior over time. The purpose of this dissertation was to identify trajectories of sexual risk behavior among adolescents and to determine individual, family and community factors that are predictive of membership to trajectory groups. Data were collected on sexual risk behavior among low-income African-American adolescents in Mobile County, Alabama. Gender-balanced subsamples of risky sex (N = 1294) …

Oral Lesions As Clinical Markers For Antiretroviral Therapy Failure In Hiv Patients, Irene M. Tamí-Maury

All ETDs from UAB

The true nature of the association of oral lesions (OL) and gold standards of HIV progression, CD4+ T cell counts (CD4) and HIV-1 RNA viral load (VL), is not completely clear, especially when patients are on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Our aim was to assess the association between OL and virologic failure among HIV/AIDS patients on ART. We conducted a retrospective study of 744 HIV patients who entered care between 2000 and 2006 at the UAB 1917 Clinic. Data was collected for 2 years after enrollment. Prevalence of OL was 35.8%. Oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC) was the most prevalent OL (74.9%). Among …

Association Between Birth Outcomes And Aflatoxin B1-Biomarker Levels Among Pregnant Women In Kumasi, Ghana, Faisal Mohammed Barbas Shuaib

All ETDs from UAB

Aflatoxins are fungal metabolites that contaminate staple food crops in many developing countries. Although studies have linked these toxins to adverse health outcomes, few studies have investigated the association between birth outcomes and aflatoxin B1-lysine adduct levels among pregnant women. The objective of this dissertation was to investigate the association between birth outcomes and aflatoxin B1- lysine adduct levels among pregnant women in Kumasi, Ghana. In a cross-sectional study of 755 pregnant women, Aflatoxin B1-lysine adduct (AF-ALB) levels were determined by High Performance Liquid Chromatography. AF-ALB associations were assessed as both continuous and categorical values. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was …

Chronic Alcohol Consumption Promotes Opening Of The Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore And Increases Mitochondrial Injury In Liver, Adrienne Lester King

All ETDs from UAB

Alcoholic liver disease is a serious public health concern. In particular, the mitochondrion is a specific target of ethanol toxicity and much of the damage can be related to unregulated Ca2+ homeostasis and oxidative stress which are key players in the induction of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) within the organelle. The mechanism behind the induction of the MPTP remains elusive. Therefore, this body of work will provide insight on what effects chronic alcohol consumption has on mitochondrial dysfunction with an emphasis on the MPTP. Chapter 2: Assessment of mitochondrial dysfunction arising from treatment with hepatotoxicants provides a description …

The Effects Of Paternal Absence On The Sexual Behaviors Of African-American Adolescents Living In Impoverished Neighborhoods, Cheri Nicolette Langley

All ETDs from UAB

According to the 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), 47% of the surveyed high school students reported ever having sexual intercourse, with 6% reporting having initiated their first sexual intercourse before the age of 13 (Eaton et al., 2006). Using the Mobile Youth Survey (1998-2008), the purpose of this study is four-fold: (a) to describe the MYS sample (1998-2008) in terms of its primary independent variable (the absence of a father figure) and its primary outcomes (sexual debut, sexual frequency, number of sex partners, condom use, pregnancy in the last year, and pregnancy intention); (b) to determine the impact of …

Determinants Of Self-Efficacy To Seek Care For Tuberculosis And Complete Tuberculosis Treatment Among Hiv-Positive Patients Attending Government Hiv/Aids Clincis In Honduras, Mayra Silvana Arias

All ETDs from UAB

control

Host Preference Profile In An Area Of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (Eee) Virus Transmission In Alabama, Ana Lucia Oliveira

All ETDs from UAB

osteoporosis susceptibility, perceived osteoporosis severity, perceived barriers to

Radiographic Damage And Functional Disability In African American Patients With Recent-Onset Rheumatoid Arthritis, Jie Zhang

All ETDs from UAB

we adjust for heterskedasticity using a HCCM estimator, we find no significant evidence

Heating, Ventilation And Air Conditioning: Validation Of System Cleaning Initiation Criteria Under Real Conditions, Jacques Lavoie, Geneviève Marchand, Yves Cloutier, Yves Beaudet, Jérôme Lavoué

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Cliquez ici pour la version française de ce rapport

L’accumulation de poussières dans les réseaux des systèmes CVCA est une source potentielle de polluants. Il y a très peu d’informations sur les méthodes reconnues pour juger de l’empoussièrement de ces systèmes. Ces quelques méthodes peuvent être objectives avec des valeurs numériques ou subjectives, à partir du jugement d’experts. Il est donc difficile pour les gestionnaires d’édifices d’évaluer les soumissions des compagnies qui font le nettoyage.

Un projet antérieur visant à évaluer différentes méthodes de prélèvement de poussières dans les conduits a été réalisé dans les laboratoires de l’IRSST. Le but …

Les Horaires Rotatifs Chez Les Policiers : Étude Des Approches Préventives Complémentaires De Réduction De La Fatigue, Diane B. Boivin, Geneviève M. Tremblay, Philippe Boudreau

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Dans les pays industrialisés, entre 15-30% des travailleurs opèrent en dehors des heures conventionnelles. Cette situation affecte environ 750 000 travailleurs québécois. La privation aiguë et chronique de sommeil, combinée à une perturbation de l’harmonie temporelle entre l’horloge biologique interne (appelée « oscillateur circadien ») et l’horaire de travail augmente significativement le risque d’accident en plus de réduire la productivité des travailleurs.

De plus, les travailleurs postés présentent un risque accru de développer plusieurs maladies chroniques telles que des maladies cardiovasculaires, un syndrome métabolique, des troubles digestifs, divers cancers et des maladies mentales. Il est donc urgent de développer des …

Analytical Evaluation Of Dispersion Of Exhaust From Rooftop Stacks On Buildings, Ted Stathopoulos, Hajra Bodhisatta, Ali Bahloul

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Cliquez ici pour la version française de ce rapport

« Dispersion » permet de décrire la façon dont les effluents des cheminées ou d’autres émissions des bâtiments sont transportés et dilués par le vent soufflé à travers un regroupement de bâtiments ou ses environs immédiats. La pollution atmosphérique est extrême lorsque l’air présente un niveau de pollution excessif pendant plusieurs heures ou plusieurs jours, et il peut en résulter un grand inconfort, des maladies et même des décès chez les personnes les plus vulnérables. Il y a forte probabilité de pollution extrême en présence d’inversions thermiques persistantes et de vents …

An Evaluation Of A Community Dietetics Intervention On The Management Of Malnutrition For Healthcare Professionals, Sharon Kennelly, N. P. Kennedy, G. Flanaghan-Rughoobur, C. Glennon-Slattery, Sheila Sugrue

Articles

Background: Healthcare professionals working in the community setting have limited knowledge of the evidence-based management of malnutrition. The present study aimed to evaluate a community dietetics intervention, which included an education programme for healthcare professionals in conjunction with the introduction of a community dietetics service for patients ‘at risk’ of malnutrition. Changes in nutritional knowledge and the reported management of malnourished patients were investigated and the acceptability of the intervention was explored. Methods: An education programme, incorporating ‘Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST)’ training, was implemented in eight of 10 eligible primary care practices (14 general practitioners and nine practice nurses …

Racial /Ethnic Disparities In Hypertension In United States Residents: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Potential Explanatory Covariates, Franklin I. Opara

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Racial/ethnic disparities persist in hypertension (HTN) prevalence in the United States, and African Americans are disproportionately affected. The incidence is more than two-folds in African Americans compared to Caucasians, and mortality is highest among African Americans. Understanding the risk factors in HTN and how these factors vary across racial/ethnic groups is essential to reducing the mortality among African Americans. This study examined the prevalence of HTN among a sample non-institutionalized U.S. residents (N = 30,852), assessed racial/ethnic disparities and determined factors associated with racial/ethnic variance in HTN. A cross-sectional design was used to address these aims, utilizing the National Health …

The Role Of Socioeconomic Factors In Racial And Ethnic Disparities Among Child And Adult Tuberculosis Cases, Spatial And Non-Spatial Analysis: Alabama 1993-2007, Sharada Adolph

All ETDs from UAB

This study aimed to evaluate the role of individual and community/population level socioeconomic factors on racial/ethnic disparities among children and adults with TB, and used area-based socioeconomic measures (ABSMs) for the identification of high-risk geographic areas for populations-at-risk. Joinpoint, multivariable and Poisson regression, and spatial methods were used to determine the trends and risks of disease in a low TB incidence state. General disease trends declined significantly by factors of -0.044838 from 1993-1998, and -0.061821 from 2001-2007; but, were disparate and increased for the foreign-born, African Americans (AA) and Latinos, and in long-term care settings. The average annual percentage change …

Methods For Estimating Mediation Effect In Survival Analysis: Does Weight Loss Mediate The Undernutrition-Mortality Relationship In The Older Adults?, Yanhui Sun

All ETDs from UAB

The influence of undernutrition on mortality and other adverse outcomes through the mechanism of unintentional weight loss in older adults is often assumed, but the analytic methods to test these mediation mechanisms are not well-developed, and the need for methodological advances in this area motivated this program of research. We first examined the test-retest reliability and predictive validity of self-reported caloric intake as a measure of undernutrition. Acceptable reliability was observed, consistent with previous reports, but the evidence for predictive validity was inconsistent and self-reported caloric intake deficiency was not found to be related to observed weight loss. We then …

Therapeutic Interventions For Chlorine Gas Induced Lung Injury, Amit Kumar Yadav

All ETDs from UAB

Rationale: Nitrite (NO2-) has been shown to limit injury to the heart, liver and kidneys in various models of ischemia-reperfusion injury. Currently, potential protective effects of systemic NO2- in limiting lung injury or enhancing repair have not been documented. Objectives: To assess the efficacy and mechanisms by which post-exposure intra-peritoneal injections of NO2- mitigate Cl2 induced lung injury in rats. Methods: Rats were exposed to Cl2 (400 ppm) for 30 minutes and returned to room air. Nitrite (1mg/Kg) or saline were administered intraperitoneally at 10 min, 2, 4 and 6 hrs post exposure. Rats were sacrificed at 6 hrs or …