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Environmental Risk Factors And Cancer In The Charleston Heart Study, Vicki Bishop Benard

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Existing research suggests that a variety of environmental factors play an important role in cancer mortality. The association between some of these factors and cancer mortality was examined using data from the Charleston Heart Study, a thirty-five year prospective cohort. Baseline measurements for tobacco use, place of residence, occupation, education, water supply and physical activity were made in 1960/63 on 2,283 participants. The vital status of the cohort was ascertained through 1994, and the underlying cause of death as determined by the nosologist was used to define cancer mortality. There were 294 cancer deaths identified over the 35-year period. Statistical …

Return Of The Fourth Horseman: Emerging Infectious Diseases And International Law, David P. Fidler

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Transition To Adulthood Of Female Factory Workers: Some Evidence From Bangladesh, Sajeda Amin, Ian Diamond, Ruchira Tabassum Naved, Margaret Newby

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The rapidly expanding sector of garment manufacturing for export is unusual for Bangladesh in that it employs young, unmarried women in large numbers. This paper examines data from a study on garment workers in Bangladesh to explore the implications of work for the early socialization of young women. For the first time young women are given an alternative to lives where they move directly from childhood into adulthood through early marriage and childbearing. Work creates a period of transition as contrasted with the abrupt assumption of adult roles at very young ages that marriage and childbearing mandate. It is argued …

Absent And Problematic Men: Demographic Accounts Of Male Reproductive Roles, Margaret E. Greene, Ann E. Biddlecom

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Both men and women make important contributions to the production of children, yet demographic studies of fertility and family planning have tended to focus on women alone. This paper traces the development of demography’s emphasis on women and describes how the limitations of its theoretical approaches to reproduction and empirical neglect of men have been mutually reinforcing. The paper is structured around four aims: 1) to describe why men have had a relatively low profile as subjects in demographic research on reproduction; 2) to explain growing interest in studying men’s roles; 3) to evaluate existing research on men in developing …

Sites Other Than Nucleotide 234 Determine Cardiovirulence In Natural Isolates Of Coxsackievirus B3, Nora M. Chapman, Jose R. Romero, Mark A. Pallansch, Steven Tracy

United States Public Health Resources

The genetic site(s) that naturally determine the cardiovirulence phenotype of coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) have yet to be mapped. Using two closely related CVB3 strains that differed in terms of cardiovirulence phenotype in mice, we previously reported the difference in phenotype mapped to a single site, nucleotide 234 (nt234) in the 5’ non-translated region (NTR) of the CVB3 genome. When nt234 was C, the virus was attenuated and when U, the virus was cardiovirulent. To determine whether this finding was applicable to other strains of CVB3, we examined 13 different naturally occurring CVB3 strains isolated in different years in the United …

Empowering The Next Generation: Girls Of The Maqattam Garbage Settlement, Marie Assaad, Judith Bruce

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This edition of SEEDS explores the challenge of extending earning opportunities and access to valued social roles to young women in the garbage settlement of Maqattam, Egypt. This edition furthermore underscores the degree to which livelihood programs must confront the social circumstances—such as health, marriage, and cultural and family traditions—that play a major role in shaping girls' current and future economic prospects.

Introducing Sexuality Within Family Planning: The Experience Of Three Hiv/Std Prevention Projects From Latin America And The Caribbean, Julie Becker, Elizabeth Leitman, Mahmoud F. Fathalla

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This edition of Quality/Calidad/Qualité relates the experience of three family planning associations affiliated with the International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region that have tried to incorporate an HIV/AIDS prevention strategy into their existing family planning programs and services. It examines how BEMFAM/Brazil, ASHONPLAFA/ Honduras, and FAMPLAN/Jamaica have made a transition toward a range of family planning services more focused on the clients themselves and more explicit in the treatment of sexual themes. In each of the three countries, the staff received special training that not only enabled them to provide information on HIV/AIDS, but also helped them adopt a broader …

The Epidemics Of Injecting Drug Use And Blood-Borne Disease: A Public Health Perspective, Lawrence O. Gostin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In this article, the author first examines the mechanism by which blood-borne disease is transmitted through sharing of injection equipment. Thereafter, he presents a public health strategy for reducing multi-person use of contaminated injection equipment. This strategy includes: repealing or modifying current laws and regulations making possession and distribution of sterile injection equipment a criminal offense; implementing syringe exchange programs to expand access to new syringes for users of injection drugs; and counseling, education, and treatment targeted to injecting drug users (IDUs), including those in the prison and health care system. The objective of a public health approach is not …

Integrating Sti/Hiv Management Strategies Into Existing Mch/Fp Programs: Lessons From Case Studies In East And Southern Africa, Baker Ndugga Maggwa, Ian Askew

Reproductive Health

Sub-Saharan Africa is confronting an HIV/AIDS epidemic and virtually all health programs in the region are seeking ways of preventing and reducing the spread of this virus. To compound the problem, the presence of certain sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is known to increase risk of the sexual transmission of HIV. The sub-Saharan region is believed to have some of the highest levels of STIs in the world, thus controlling STIs is not only an important reproductive health care strategy in itself but also a key strategy in reducing the spread of HIV. The strongest evidence to support this has come …

Integrating Rti Services In Primary Health Care System: Observations From An Operations Research In Uttar Pradesh, India, M.E. Khan, Saumya Ramarao, R.B. Gupta, Bella C. Patel, Leila Caleb-Varkey, Jayanti Tuladhar, Sanjeev Kumar, John Townsend

Reproductive Health

Evidence from community studies indicates that significant proportions of Indian women (30 percent) may have reproductive tract infections (RTIs). Given that women are in general asymptomatic and that even symptomatic women may not seek care, the estimates are the minimum levels of prevalence. Most women do not seek treatment for RTIs for such reasons as lack of awareness, acceptance that RTIs are part of women's lives, and lack of treatment facilities. On the supply side, in the public sector the treatment for RTIs is limited with most services provided through STD clinics in urban areas. Seeking treatment at STD clinics …

Improved Reproductive Health And Std Services For Women Presenting To Family Planning Services In North Jakarta. Final Report Of Activities, Meiwita B. Iskandar, Catherine Vickers, Subadra Indrawati, Siti Nurul Qomariyah

Reproductive Health

The overall goal of this study was to develop an integrated program of reproductive tract infection/sexually transmitted disease (RTI/STD) clinical services within two family planning clinics in low-income neighborhoods in North Jakarta. Multiple training programs to introduce a standardized clinical evaluation for the detection, treatment, and management of RTI/STDs were conducted. Prior and subsequent to training, observations of health care provider (HCP) and client interactions were conducted to evaluate behavior changes among HCPs. Each consenting client received a standardized reproductive health history, a pelvic exam, and provided specimens for laboratory testing to detect RTIs. Through universal screening of the participants …

Emergency Contraception As An Element In The Care Of Rape Victims, Ricardo Vernon, Raffaela Schiavon, Silvia Elena Llaguno

Reproductive Health

In most states in Mexico, abortion is excluded as a crime in pregnancies resulting from rape. However, legislation does not specify the norms by which women can obtain a legal abortion, which makes it difficult to choose this alternative. A partial solution to unwanted pregnancies from rape would be to provide emergency contraception (EC). Psychologists were trained to provide information on EC to women who reported a rape at four public ministry agencies specialized in sexual crime. In addition, 11 medical backup referral centers were established. To scale up the strategy, workshops were provided to representatives from State Attorney General …

Coping Processes Used By Mothers Of Triplets, Susan Mullen Kaplan

Health Services Research Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to identify and describe the coping processes used by mothers of triplets. Using a descriptive design, interpersonal comparisons of 92 mothers of triplets attending a national meeting of families of higher order multiples were made. Variables, in addition to sociodemographic characteristics, included coping processes, levels of depression, perceived availability of social support, and current stress levels. Coping processes were measured using the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (Folkman & Lazarus, 1988), derived from their cognitive-phenomenological theory of stress and coping. Level of depression was measured using the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (Zung, 1965). Perceived availability …

Parasite Biodiversity And Emerging Pathogens: A Role For Systematics In Limiting Impacts On Genetic Resources, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Emergence of pathogenic organisms continues as a threat to overall biodiversity and genetic resources. Macroparasites including helminths constitute a potential threat to economically important resources in agriculture and conservation biology. Limitation of this threat can be achieved through survey and inventory for biodiversity and the application of systematics to understand the host range , biogeography and history of faunas. Systematics constitutes the foundation for recognition of endemic and introduced elements of faunas and the basis for predicting the behavior of pathogens introduced to new ecological settings or host groups. The basis for emergence of pathogens has both a deep historical …

Ajustement Des Valeurs D'Exposition Admissibles Pour Des Horaires De Travail Non Conventionnels, Jules Brodeur, Adolf Vyskocil, Robert Tardif, Guy Perrault, Daniel Drolet, Ginette Truchon, François Lemay

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Click here for the English version of this report

Le présent projet a été réalisé en réponse à la demande que le vice-président à la programmation et à l'expertise-conseil de la CSST a adressée à l'IRSST: produire une étude sur l'ajustement des valeurs d'exposition admissibles lors d'horaires de travail non conventionnels dans le but de supporter les travaux du comité paritaire 3. 33. 1 sur la révision de l'Annexe A du règlement sur la qualité du milieu de travail (Annexe 1). Au préalable, le comité paritaire avait établi que le principe de base de l'ajustement des valeurs d'exposition admissibles pour …

The Parents' Experience Of Living In The Hospital With Their Sick Infant : A Phenomenological Study, Anne Bourke

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the essential structure of the lived experience of what it was to be a resident parent on the ward in a public hospital with a sick infant. Many studies have highlighted both benefits and problems associated with the concept of parental participation in care. The role of the parents in hospital needs to be identified and expressed by both the parents and the nurses, in order to ellucidate the needs of parents who live in with their sick infant. Eight parents were interviewed regarding their experiences of "living in" the hospital …

Health Knowledge Of Nigerian College Students, Chinyere Ogbonna-Mcgruder

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The increase in preventable diseases in many parts of Africa is becoming quite a concern for the African community as well as for epidemiologists all over the world. There is a general consensus among African epidemiologists that a lack of health education and traditional cultures contribute to this trend. The purpose of this thesis is to report the results of a survey of health knowledge among college students in the southern region of Nigeria, specifically, in Enugu and it's surrounding environ. First year students at the two universities in this region completed the health knowledge inventory (HKI). These students were …

Practices, Attitudes And Knowledge Of Food Service Owners And Managers Of South Central Kentucky Regarding Provision Of A Smoke-Free Environment For Customers, Jose Pagan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The harmful effects on health caused by exposure to enviromental tobacco smoke (ETS) are well documented. In 1987 and 1996 mail surveys were conducted to determine the change in practices, attitudes and knowledge of food service owners and managers of south central Kentucky on some issues relating to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Study subjects included all food service owners and managers of south central Kentucky that have a permit on file at the Barren River District Health Department. In 1987, a total of 127 out of 431 questionnaires were received ( 29.5% response rate). In 1996 the response rate was …

Passage Or Pathology: Current Attitudes Toward Women's Aging In The Literature Of Menopause, Kaaren Gearhart Ancarrow

Institute for the Humanities Theses

Menopause is currently portrayed in the medical literature as a pathological 11 process resulting from "hormone deficiency." However, feminist writers contend that the climacteric is part of the normal female aging process and oppose the medicalization of menopause and the consequent inevitable hormone replacement therapy (HR T) promoted by the hegemonic medical and pharmaceutical industries. This paper explores the historical development of these two paradigms of menopause and their manifestations in samples of three classes of contemporary literature on the subject: gynecological textbooks, popular advice books written by physicians, and women's accounts. Five major themes are investigated using quantitative and …

Books Received And Book Notices, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Book Listing for the Vol 19, No 3 Edition of the Pacific Studies Journal

Negotiating The Healthy Self: A Theory Of Health Behavior In Older Adults, Barbara Schwitz White

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Researchers have identified discrete behaviors of older persons to maintain or improve health and prevent or treat illness. Few have developed theories of health behavior specific to this population. The purpose of this study was to develop a substantive theory to explain how health and illness are integrated into and influence behaviors in the daily lives of community-residing older persons. Using grounded theory design and analysis, 26 participant observations involving 186 individual encounters, and seven semistructured [sic] one-on-one interviews were conducted at two senior centers in urban southern California, between 1992 and 1994.

Informants defined health in terms of physiologic …

The Effects Of Lowering Cholesterol On Vasodilation, Maria Christi Hardt

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Endothelial dysfunction has been found prior to any signs of atherosclerotic plaque formation in patients with a variety of risk factors for atherosclerosis. Elevated serum cholesterol has repeatedly been associated with endothelial dysfunction as demonstrated by impaired vasoreactivity to vasodilating stimuli.

The aim of this research was to determine whether short term lowering of serum cholesterol levels by life style changes or by cholesterol lowering medication could reverse or reduce the endothelial dysfunction. The brachial artery diameter was measured by high-resolution ultrasound at rest and during reactive hyperemia pre and postintervention. Fifty-three subjects with cholesterol levels above 240 mg/dl were …

A Correlative Study Of An At-Risk Population And Low Birth Weight/Infant Mortality In A Northeast Oklahoma City Community, Estacia D. Thrower

McCabe Thesis Collection

Studies show that numerous and complex variables influence pregnancy outcomes and infant mortality rates. These variables include demographic, medical, physical, environmental, behavioral, and attitudinal factors and prenatal care. Improving the health of mothers and infants is a national challenge. In 1987, more than 3.8 million infants were born in the United States. Of these, 38,408 died before their first birthday. Although the infant mortality rate is at an all-time low, the pace of progress has slowed. According to Dr. Robert Deppen of the Oklahoma State Health Department, "In 1992, Oklahoma ranked 29th in the United States for infant mortality and …

A Test Of An Alternate Calibration Matrix For Niosh Method 7300, Robert T. Vitek

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the analytical results (when determining cadmium, lead, and zinc concentrations) for air sample filters prepared and analyzed according to N:OSH Method 7300, differ significantly, from those obtained when the instrument is calibrated using EPA Method 200.7 acid matrix standards. The null hypothesis was that no statistically significant difference, measured at the 95% confidence level, would exist between results obtained from the two calibration standards. Careful standard and sample preparation, the use of an internal standard, and the application of working standard and working internal standard correction factors served to isolate the …

Association Between Nutrient Intake And Risk Of Coronary Heart Disease In California Seventh-Day Adventists, Peter Pribiš

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Dietary habits are believed to be major determinants of risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Studies of high and low risk populations have suggested several nutrients to be protective or hazardous against CHD. Most published work since 1984 on diet and CHD in the Adventist Health Study (AHS) population examined either foods or food groups. This study investigated ten nutrients as exposure variables and their relationship to CHD risk. A cohort of 23,616 nonsmoking, non-Hispanic white California Seventh-day Adventists was followed for six years beginning in 1976. Extensive dietary information was collected at baseline, as well as values of traditional …

Residential Radon-222 Exposure And Lung Cancer: Exposure Assessment Methodology, R. William Field, Daniel J. Steck, Charles F. Lynch, Christine P. Brus, John S. Neuberger, Burton C. Kross

Physics Faculty Publications

Although occupational epidemiological studies and animal experimentation provide strong evidence that radon-222 (²²²Rn) progeny exposure causes lung cancer, residential epidemiological studies have not confirmed this association. Past residential epidemiological studies have yielded contradictory findings. Exposure misclassification has seriously compromised the ability of these studies to detect whether an association exists between ²²²Rn exposure and lung cancer. Misclassification of ²²²Rn exposure has arisen primarily from: 1) detector measurement error; 2) failure to consider temporal and spatial ²²²Rn variations within a home; 3) missing data from previously occupied homes that currently are inaccessible; 4) failure to link …

Cattle, Co-Wives, Children, And Calabashes: Material Context For Symbol Use Among The Il Chamus Of West-Central Kenya, Alan J. Osborn

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

This paper examines systemic contexts for symbol use among the Maa-speaking Il Chamus in the Lake Baringo region of west-central Kenya. The systemic context for symbols and material culture consists of the environmental constraints and behavioral responses that characterize pastoralist life in East Africa. The author's interest in this problem developed in response to Ian Hodder’s work among the Il Chamus, Pokot, and Tugen in the Baringo District. Unlike Hodder, however, the author argues that symbols and their use in East Africa can be more productively explained from a materialist perspective. Specifically, it is proposed that symbols affixed to certain …

What Is The Risk Of Teratogenicity With The Use Of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors During Pregnancy?, Michael Z. Wincor, Mary Gutierrez, Ann Nguyen

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

"The lifetime prevalence of major depressive disorder in women is 10 to 25%, with an average age of onset in the mid-20s.1 Over the nine years that the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRis) have been available, for many prescribers, they have become first-line agents in the treatment of depression. In addition, sorne of them are also being used in the treatment of obsessive- compulsive disorder and panic disorder. In light of these facts, itis not unlikely that women of childbearing age would be treated with one of the SSRis. In considering the risks of exposing a fetus to an SSRI, …

Proceedings Of The Operations Research Training Workshop For Program Managers And Researchers, January 15-21, 1996, Family Planning Service, The Family Planning Operations Research And Training (Fport) Program, Population Council

Reproductive Health

This document contains the proceedings of the training workshop on operations research (OR) for program managers and researchers held January 15-21, 1996, in Mindoro, Philippines. The workshop was co-sponsored by the Family Planning Service of the Department of Health and the Family Planning Operations Research and Training Program of the Population Council, Manila. Representatives from the health and population offices of ten local government units (LGUs) worked with a select group of researchers to evolve a list of relevant topics for operations research (OR) and develop a concept paper on a chosen OR topic. The LGUs represented in the workshop …

Living On A Fault Line: Political Violence Against Women In Algeria, Leila Hessini

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This study raises three questions to better comprehend the crisis women face in Algeria today: how are the state and the opposition groups addressing and defining women’s contemporary status, what is the link between women’s status and violence against them, and what are the tactics both of resistance and accommodation that Algerian women are using to survive in such a context? Throughout this study, the term “Islamic Fundamentalists” refers to movements and people in Algeria who use the “recovery” of early principles of the Ideal Muslim Community to develop their idea of a future Islamic “social order,” with the ultimate …