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Evaluation Of Libby Amphibole Asbestos In Three Media Sources Via Polarized Light Microscopy And Transmission Electron Microscopy, Kalli Mccloskey

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Studies have shown that the town of Libby, Montana and surrounding forested areas have been contaminated with Libby amphibole asbestos (LA) by activity from the vermiculite mine located northeast of Libby. The mine was in production from the 1920s until its closing in 1990. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) created the operable units (OU) within the superfund site due to the LA contamination. In addition to the work completed in this research, previous studies have shown that there is an exposure pathway for the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (USFS) personnel tasked with forest maintenance in …

Is Housing Making People Sick?: An Overview Of Seven Studies That Raise Questions To Consider As We Incorporate Health Into Planning And Build New Housing To Address Shortages And Energy Efficiency, Merilee D. Karr

Metroscape

The article discusses the unintended consequences of some of the strategies for housing energy efficiency: they can lead to indoor air pollution that is making people sick. As we pursue ways to reduce the cost of housing, we must pursue innovation in building materials and techniques that might reduce the negative health consequences of sealing our homes from the elements.

Comparison Of Two Surface Contamination Sampling Techniques Conducted For The Characterization Of Two Pajarito Site Manhattan Project National Historic Park Properties, Lopez Tammy

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Technical Area-18 (TA-18), also known as Pajarito Site, is located on Los Alamos National Laboratory property and has historic buildings that will be included in the Manhattan Project National Historic Park. Characterization studies of metal contamination were needed in two of the four buildings that are on the historic registry in this area, a “battleship” bunker building (TA-18-0002) and the Pond cabin (TA-18-0029). However, these two buildings have been exposed to the elements, are decades old, and have porous and rough surfaces (wood and concrete). Due to these conditions, it was questioned whether standard wipe sampling would be adequate to …

Reducing And Eliminating Health Disparities Through Prevention And Public Health, Daniel S. Blumenthal

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

N/A

Collecting Physiological Stress Measures In Research Among High-Risk Parents For Child Maltreatment: A Qualitative Investigation, Ashwini Tiwari, Shannon Self-Brown, Charles Robinson, Colleen Mccarty, Laura Carruth

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Studies on evidence-based, behavioral training programs have shown a positive reduction in self-reported stress among parents at high risk of child maltreatment (CM). However, no known studies on these programs have examined physiological biomarkers for stress, such as impaired levels of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and telomere length. Further, no details are known regarding the feasibility of collecting biological markers from parents. This research examined qualitative findings from a multidisciplinary neurobiology and public health study that examined physiological responses to a six week, evidence-based, behavioral parenting program, among a maternal population at risk of CM perpetration in Atlanta, Georgia. …

Screening For Developmental Delay In Georgia’S Family Shelters: Formative Evaluation Of A Quality Improvement Initiative, Marvin So, Luisita G. Agbayani, Mariel K. Gutierrez, Josef T. Griffins

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Children in families experiencing homelessness are at elevated risk for cognitive, motor, speech, and other developmental delays. Given the prevalence of family homelessness in Georgia and across the U.S., investigating the feasibility of implementing developmental screeners while families are in shelters is warranted.

Methods: Three pilot shelters were selected for the development and implementation of Quality Improvement (QI) Teams, who used Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Cycles to make progress towards universally screening children for delay. We employed a formative evaluation to (1) characterize screening rates and shifts in shelter as a result of QI initiatives, and (2) identify barriers and facilitators …

A Preliminary Examination Of Elevated Blood Lead Levels In A Rural Georgia County, R. Christopher Rustin, Yu Sun, Chris Calhoun, Christy Kuriantnyk

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Rural areas are often viewed as lower risk for lead poisoning and toxic exposures seriously impacting development of the brain and central nervous system; this report examines the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels for childrenCounty, GA.

Methods: Lead surveillance data from the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) were analyzed using SAS®v-9.3 to calculate the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels (≥5ug/dL) among those children in Ben Hill County who had been tested for lead; the results were compared to Georgia and national data.

Results: A preliminary analysis of 2010-2015 screening data for Ben Hill County indicates that …

87th Annual Georgia Public Health Association Meeting & Conference Report, Dianne Mcwethy, Regina Abbott, Christy Sims, Brian Morgan, Nicholle Harrison, Angela Peden, David Gowan

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

The 87th Annual Meeting of the Georgia Public Health Association (GPHA) was held in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 22-23, 2016, with pre-conference (March 21st) and post-conference (March 23rd) Executive Board meetings. As Georgia’s leading forum for public health researchers, practitioners, and students, the annual meeting of the GPHA brings together participants from across the state to explore recent developments in the field and to exchange techniques, tools, and experiences. In recent years the venue for the GPHA annual conference has been Atlanta, with the 2017 GPHA Annual Meeting and Conference also scheduled to be held in Atlanta. Several new initiatives …

Frequency Of Colonoscopy Surveillance In Average-Risk Adults Relative To Guideline Recommendations, Meng-Han Tsai

Theses and Dissertations

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cancer in the United States with an estimated 132,700 new cases and 49,700 deaths in 2015. Well-performed screening colonoscopies prevent cancer by allowing visualization of the entire colon and removal of precancerous polyps (adenomas). Persons with high-risk polyps at screening are therefore advised to undergo periodic surveillance colonoscopy. Screening and surveillance colonoscopy guidelines were updated by the U.S. Multi-society Task Force (USMSTF) in 2006, which emphasized risk stratification by polyp features at screening colonoscopy.

This is a retrospective cohort study of patients with screening colonoscopy at an endoscopy center in South Carolina between …

Sleep Disruption And Cancer Incidence In A Southeastern Veteran Population, Alexandria F. Delage

Theses and Dissertations

Sleep disruption influences biological processes that can facilitate carcinogenesis. However, studies examining the relationship between sleep disruption and cancer risk have been inconclusive. This retrospective cohort study used de-identified data from the Veterans Administration (VA) electronic medical record to test the hypothesis that sleep disorder diagnoses among Veterans seeking care in the Southeast United States Service Network are associated with increased risk for cancer of the prostate, breast, colorectum, or total cancer (1999-2010, N=663,869). Sleep disorders were defined as patients with an in- or out-patient diagnosis as specified by the International Classification of Sleep Disorders. Cancer cases were defined as …

Effectiveness Of Community-Based Eibi Treatment: A Longitudinal Analysis Of Adaptive Behavior And Language Outcomes, John Kuntz

Theses and Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of lifelong, neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by deficits in social interaction, communication, relationship development and by the presence of repetitive or stereotypical behaviors including restricted interests. Continued advances in understanding treatment outcomes and broadening access to effective treatment is critical to improving the quality of life of children with autism and their families and minimizing the cost associated with care. The overall aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a community-based implementation of an Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) treatment program through a large-sample, longitudinal secondary analysis of administrative data. Additionally, …

Conversations About Sexuality On A Public University Campus: Exploring Perspectives From Campus Ministry Leaders And Students, Charis Rebecca Davidson

Theses and Dissertations

Since the 1800s, religious organizations have been a presence on public universities. However, there is limited research on the influence these organizations may have on student health communication and behaviors. Prior research on campus ministries has focused primarily on the culture of individual organizations. In this study, researchers explored the goals and experiences of USC leaders related to communication around sexuality with their students, as well as student perceptions of these messages, and how students incorporate religious messages about sexuality into their lives. The present study had four aims:

1. Assess whether students participating in campus ministries at USC differ …

Assessment Of Prolonged Occupational Exposure To Heat Stress, Ximena Garzon-Villalba Garzon-Villalba

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Heat stress is a recognized occupational hazard present in many work environments. Its effects increase with increasing environmental heat loads. There is good evidence that exertional heat illness is associated with ambient thermal conditions in outdoor environments. Further, there is reason to believe that risk of acute injury may also increase with the ambient environment. For these reasons, the assessment of heat stress, which can be done through the characterization of the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), is designed to limit exposures to those that could be sustained for an 8-h day. The ACGIH Threshold Limit Value (TLV) for heat …

Hexamethylene Diisocyanate Homopolymer And Monomer Exposure Assessment And Characterization At An Automobile Manufacturer In The United States, Karthik Reguram Sivaraman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A variety of paint products are used for their aesthetic and anti-corrosive properties. Isocyanates are consistently found in automobile paint products, particularly in clear coat polyurethane products. Clear coat is typically sprayed via pressurized air by means of an auto-spray robot. In clear coat repair situations, manual, air-powered spray guns are used, and manual spray Operators administer the clear coat material. The isocyanates are a primary anti-corrosive agent in polyurethane products. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has not established a Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL). The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and American Conference of Governmental …

The Effects Of Personal And Family History Of Cancer On The Development Of Dementia In Japanese Americans: The Kame Project, Adam Lee Slotnick

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An increasing number of studies have shown an inverse association between a personal history of cancer (PHC) and dementia/Alzheimer’s disease (AD), both in those using dementia/AD as the outcome or cancer as the outcome. This is the first study to examine this potential association in Japanese Americans; and to examine family history of cancer and its association with incident dementia. Also, the association between these two diseases in the parents of participants were analyzed.

The Kame Project, conducted from 1992 through 2001 in King County, Washington was a population-based, prospective cohort study of older Japanese Americans. Conversion to incident dementia …

Smoking Among Youth Living With Hiv: The Intersection Of Behavioral Health And Chronic Disease, Todd Wells

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Smoking amongst youth living with HIV (YLWH) has major public health implications. When combined with the complications associated with smoking such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) or heart disease, the impact of a HIV positive diagnosis increases morbidity exponentially (Nahvi & Cooperman, 2009). The purpose of this study was two-fold, to investigate the perceptions of smoking amongst YLWH aged 18-25 who received care at the CMS Clinic located at the University of South Florida and to determine factors related to cessation. A study design utilizing two components, a systematic literature review and primary qualitative data was used in this …

Epidemiology News, Georgia Southern University

Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Environmental Health Sciences: News & Publications (2011-2018)

• Georgia Southern shows dangerous disconnect between doctors and parents of overweight children

Community Health News, Georgia Southern University

Health Policy & Community Health: News & Publications (2011-2018)

• Georgia Southern shows dangerous disconnect between doctors and parents of overweight children

Burden Of Disease Resulting From Lead Exposure At Toxic Waste Sites In Argentina, Mexico And Uruguay, Jack Caravanos, Jonathan Carrelli, Russell Dowling, Brian Pavilonis, Bret Ericson, Richard Fuller

Publications and Research

Background: Though lead contaminated waste sites have been widely researched in many high-income countries, their prevalence and associated health outcomes have not been well documented in low- and middle-income countries.

Methods: Using the well-established health metric disability-adjusted life year (DALY) and an exposure assessment method developed by Chatham-Stephens et al., we estimated the burden of disease resulting from exposure to lead at toxic waste sites in three Latin American countries in 2012: Argentina, Mexico and Uruguay. Toxic waste sites identified through Pure Earth’s Toxic Sites Identification Program (TSIP) were screened for lead in both biological and environmental sample media. Estimates …

Antenatal Glucocorticoid Treatment Is Associated With Diurnal Cortisol Regulation In Term-Born Children, M. N. Edelmann, Curt A. Sandman, Laura M. Glynn, D. A. Wing, Elyssia Poggi Davis

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Due to the rapid developmental changes that occur during the fetal period, prenatal influences can affect the developing central nervous system with lifelong consequences for physical and mental health. Glucocorticoids are one of the proposed mechanisms by which fetal programing occurs. Glucocorticoids pass through the blood-brain barrier and target receptors throughout the central nervous system. Unlike endogenous glucocorticoids, synthetic glucocorticoids readily pass through the placental barrier to reach the developing fetus. The synthetic glucocorticoid, betamethasone, is routinely given prenatally to mothers at risk for preterm delivery. Over 25% of the fetuses exposed to betamethasone will be born at term. Few …

Efficiency Evaluation Of N95 Ffrs Under Cyclic And Constant Flows, Ali Bahloul, Fariborz Haghighat, Reza Mostofi, Alireza Mahdavi, Claude Ostiguy

Rapports de recherche scientifique

On trouve des particules ultrafines (PUF), soit des particules dont le diamètre (D_p) est inférieur à 100 nm, dans de nombreux milieux de travail industriels, où leur inhalation peut, à long terme, causer de graves problèmes de santé. Dans certains contextes, les mesures d’ingénierie et les contrôles administratifs sont insuffisants pour protéger adéquatement les travailleurs contre l’exposition aux PUF. Un dispositif de protection personnel est alors requis, et les appareils de protection respiratoire à pièce faciale filtrante (APR) de type N95 sont ceux qu’utilisent le plus couramment les travailleurs de l’industrie et de la santé.

Une étude …

Developing A Video-Based Ehealth Intervention For Hiv-Positive Gay, Bisexual, And Other Men Who Have Sex With Men: Study Protocol For A Randomized Controlled Trial, Sabina Hirshfield, Martin J. Downing Jr., Jeffrey T. Parsons, Christina Grov, Rachel J. Gordon, Steven T. Houang, Roberta Scheinmann, Patrick S. Sullivan, Irene S. Yoon, Ian Anderson, Mary Ann Chiasson

Publications and Research

Background: Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) accounted for 67% of new US human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in 2012; however, less than 40% of HIV-positive GBMSM are virally suppressed. Preventing transmission from virally unsuppressed men who have condomless anal sex (CAS) with serodiscordant partners is a public health imperative. New HIV infections in GBMSM are attributed in part to online access to sex partners; therefore, low-cost eHealth interventions are a unique opportunity to reach men where they meet partners.

Objective: To describe the protocol of a randomized controlled trial evaluating whether video-based messaging delivered …

Development And Validation Of A Remote Sensing Model To Identify Anthropogenic Boreholes That Provide Dry Season, Refuge Habitat For Anopheles Vector Mosquitoes In Sub-Saharan Africa, James Pkemoi Kukat

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A lack of surveillance systems is an impediment to public health intervention for perennial vector-borne disease transmission in northern tropical savanna region of Kenya. The population in this area are mostly poor nomadic pastoralists with little acquired functional immunity to Plasmodium falciparum, due to infrequent challenges with the parasite. A common characteristic in tropical savanna climatic zone is the availability of riverbeds that have anthropogenic boreholes that provide malaria vector mosquitoes, such as Anopheles gambiae s.l and Anopheles funestus, with aquatic refuge habitats for proliferation and endemic transmission to proximity human households during the dry-season. Unfortunately, currently there …

Identification Of Ecdysone Hormone Receptor Agonists As A Therapeutic Approach For Treating Filarial Infections, Amruta S. Mhashilkar, Sai L. Vankayala, Canhui Liu, Fiona Kearns, Priyanka Mehrotra, George Tzertzinis, Subba R. Palli, H. Lee Woodcock, Thomas R. Unnasch

Entomology Faculty Publications

Background A homologue of the ecdysone receptor has previously been identified in human filarial parasites. As the ecdysone receptor is not found in vertebrates, it and the regulatory pathways it controls represent attractive potential chemotherapeutic targets.

Methodology/ Principal Findings Administration of 20-hydroxyecdysone to gerbils infected with B. malayi infective larvae disrupted their development to adult stage parasites. A stable mammalian cell line was created incorporating the B. malayi ecdysone receptor ligand-binding domain, its heterodimer partner and a secreted luciferase reporter in HEK293 cells. This was employed to screen a series of ecdysone agonist, identifying seven agonists active at …

Lack Of An Association Or An Inverse Association Between Low-Density-Lipoprotein Cholesterol And Mortality In The Elderly: A Systematic Review, Uffe Ravnskov, Rokura Hama, Tomohito Hamazaki, Paul J. Rosch, Tore Schersten, Ralf Sundberg

NYMC Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: It is well known that total cholesterol becomes less of a risk factor or not at all for all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality with increasing age, but as little is known as to whether low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), one component of total cholesterol, is associated with mortality in the elderly, we decided to investigate this issue.

SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND OUTCOME MEASURES: We sought PubMed for cohort studies, where LDL-C had been investigated as a risk factor for all-cause and/or CV mortality in individuals ≥60 years from the general population.

RESULTS: We identified 19 cohort studies including 30 cohorts with …

Statistical Analysis And Modeling Health Data: A Longitudinal Study, Bhikhari Prasad Tharu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lung cancer has been considered one of the leading causes of deaths while cancer re- mains the second most common cause of deaths in the USA. Understanding the behavior of a disease over time could yield important information to make decisions about the disease. Statistical models could provide crucial clues and help to make a decision about the dis- ease, budget allocation, evaluation, and implement prevention. Longitudinal trend analysis of the diseases helps to understand long term effects and nature. Cholesterol level is one of the most contributing risk factors for Coronary Heart Disease. Studying cholesterol statistically helps to know …

Childhood Health Status And Adulthood Cardiovascular Disease Morbidity In Rural China: Are They Related?, Qing Wang, Jay Shen

School of Public Health Faculty Research

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are among the top health problems of the Chinese population. Although mounting evidence suggests that early childhood health status has an enduring effect on late life chronic morbidity, no study so far has analyzed the issue in China. Using nationally representative data from the 2013 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a Probit model and Two-Stage Residual Inclusion estimation estimator were applied to analyze the relationship between childhood health status and adulthood cardiovascular disease in rural China. Good childhood health was associated with reduced risk of adult CVDs. Given the long-term effects of childhood health on …

Ethnicity Matters: Implications For Understanding And Acting Upon Disparities In Health Affecting Black Men In The United States, Helen V. S. Cole

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Compared to non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks have higher rates of mortality from heart disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and HIV/AIDS. Black men have a life expectancy approximately 4.7 years than the life expectancy of non-Hispanic white men, due in part to higher prevalence of chronic disease among black men. Many factors are hypothesized to contribute to disparities in health between races, including differences in socioeconomic status; culturally-linked behaviors such as diet, substance use, and physical activity; access to quality healthcare and other resources; and experiences of racism, both institutional and interpersonal. However, in public health research, race is usually treated as …

4,4’-Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (Ddt) And 4,4’-Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (Dde) Promote Adipogenesis In 3tl1 Adipocyte Cell Culture, J Kim, Q Sun, Y Yue, Kyong-Sup Yoon, K -Y Whang, J M. Clark, Y Park

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

4,4’-Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), a chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide, was extensively used in the 1940s and 1950s. DDT is mainly metabolically converted into 4,4’- dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE). Even though most countries banned DDT in the 1970s, due to the highly lipophilic nature and very stable characteristics, DDT and its metabolites are present ubiquitously in the environment, including food. Recently, there are publications on relationships between exposure to insecticides, including DDT and DDE, and weight gain and altered glucose homeostasis. However, there are limited reports regarding DDT or DDE and adipogenesis, thus we investigated effects of DDT and DDE on adipogenesis using 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Treatment …

Calcium Phosphate As A Key Material For Socially Responsible Tissue Engineering, Vuk Uskoković, Victoria M. Wu

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Socially responsible technologies are designed while taking into consideration the socioeconomic, geopolitical and environmental limitations of regions in which they will be implemented. In the medical context, this involves making therapeutic platforms more accessible and affordable to patients in poor regions of the world wherein a given disease is endemic. This often necessitates going against the reigning trend of making therapeutic nanoparticles ever more structurally complex and expensive. However, studies aimed at simplifying materials and formulations while maintaining the functionality and therapeutic response of their more complex counterparts seldom provoke a significant interest in the scientific community. In this review …