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Medical Ethics: A Slow But Sustained Revolution In Pakistan’S Healthcare, Muhammad Shahid Shamim, Muhammad Shahzad Shamim

Section of Neurosurgery

No abstract provided.

The Efficacy Of Spirometry As A Screening Tool In Detection Of Air Flow Obstruction, Nabeel Manzar, A. Suleman Haque, Bushra Manzar, Muhammad Irfan

Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care

Background/Objectives: In developing countries, spirometry has not been considered a part of routine medical check-up. The purpose of the study was to establish the usefulness of spirometry as a primary screening tool in detecting air flow obstruction (AFO) during routine medical check-up (RMC). Methods: This was a hospital based, retrospective, non-randomized case series study of 3696 participants, who presented to hospital for routine medical check-up. All subjects were assisted at the Pulmonary Medicine Department, from January 2003 till December 2008 who, having met other inclusion criteria, underwent spirometry. Data were analyzed using proportion, group means, standard deviations and …

Commute Times, Food Retail Gaps, And Body Mass Index In North Carolina Counties, Stephanie B. Jilcott, Haiyong Liu, Justin B. Moore, Jeffrey W. Bethel, James Wilson, Alice S. Ammerman

Faculty Publications

Introduction: The prevalence of obesity is higher in rural than in urban areas of the United States, for reasons that are not well understood. We examined correlations between percentage of rural residents, commute times, food retail gap per capita, and body mass index (BMI) among North Carolina residents.

Methods: We used 2000 census data to determine each county's percentage of rural residents and 1990 and 2000 census data to obtain mean county-level commute times. We obtained county-level food retail gap per capita, defined as the difference between county-level food demand and county-level food sales in 2008, from the North Carolina …

Combined Impact Of Lifestyle-Related Factors On Total And Cause-Specific Mortality Among Chinese Women: Prospective Cohort Study, Sarah Nechuta, Xiao-Ou Shu, Hong-Lan Li, Gong Yang, Yong-Bing Xiang, Hui Cai, Wong-Ho Chow, Butian Ji, Xianglan Zhang, Wanqing Wen, Yu-Tang Gao, Wei Zhang

Peer Reviewed Articles

Background: Although cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol drinking, obesity, and several other well-studied unhealthy lifestyle-related factors each have been linked to the risk of multiple chronic diseases and premature death, little is known about the combined impact on mortality outcomes, in particular among Chinese and other non-Western populations. The objective of this study was to quantify the overall impact of lifestyle-related factors beyond that of active cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption on all-cause and cause-specific mortality in Chinese women.

Methods and Findings: We used data from the Shanghai Women’s Health Study, an ongoing population-based prospective cohort study in China. Participants included …

Time Will Tell: Community Acceptability Of Hiv Vaccine Research Before And After The "Step Study" Vaccine Discontinuation, Paula M. Frew, Mark J. Mulligan, Su-I Hou, Kayshin Chan, Carlos Del Rio

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Objective This study examines whether men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) and transgender (TG) persons’ attitudes, beliefs, and risk perceptions toward human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine research have been altered as a result of the negative findings from a phase 2B HIV vaccine study. Design We conducted a cross-sectional survey among MSM and TG persons (N = 176) recruited from community settings in Atlanta from 2007 to 2008. The first group was recruited during an active phase 2B HIV vaccine trial in which a candidate vaccine was being evaluated (the “Step Study”), and the second group was recruited after product futility was widely reported …

Neural Plasticity And Treatment-Induced Recovery Of Sentence Processing In Agrammatism, Cynthia K. Thompson, Dirk B. Den Ouden, Borna Bonakdarpour, Kyla Garibaldi, Todd B. Parrish

Faculty Publications

This study examined patterns of neural activation associated with treatment-induced improvement of complex sentence production (and comprehension) in six individuals with stroke-induced agrammatic aphasia, taking into account possible alterations in blood flow often associated with stroke, including delayed time-to-peak of the hemodynamic response function (HRF) and hypoperfused tissue. Aphasic participants performed an auditory verification fMRI task, processing object cleft, subject cleft, and simple active sentences, prior to and following a course of Treatment of Underlying Forms (TUR; Thompson et al., 2003), a linguistically based approach for treating aphasic sentence deficits, which targeted objective relative clause constructions. The patients also were …

Muscular And Performance Fitness And The Incidence Of Type 2 Diabetes: Prospective Study Of Japanese Men, Susumu S. Sawada, I-Min Lee, Hisashi Naito, Koji Tsukamoto, Takashi Muto, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Background: Limited data are available on the relationship between muscular and performance fitness (MPF) and the incidence of type 2 diabetes.

Methods: A cohort of 3792 Japanese men completed a medical examination that included MPF and cardiorespiratory fitness tests. MPF index composite score was calculated using Z-scores from vertical jump, sit-ups, side step, and functional reach tests.

Results: The mean follow-up period was 187 months (15.6 years). There were 240 patients who developed type 2 diabetes during follow-up. Relative risks and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for incidence of diabetes across baseline quartiles of MPF index composite score were obtained using …

Hopelessness, Depression, And Early Markers Of Endothelial Dysfunction In U.S. Adults, D. Phuong Do, Jennifer B. Dowd, Nalini Ranjit, James S. House, George A. Kaplan

Faculty Publications

Objective - This study examines whether the psychological traits of hopelessness and depressive symptoms are related to endothelial dysfunction.

Methods - Data come from a subsample of 434 respondents in the 2001-2003 Chicago Community Adult Health Study (CCAHS), a population-based survey designed to study the impact of psychological attributes, neighborhood environment, and socio-economic circumstances on adults age 18 and over. Circulating biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction including e-selectin, p-selectin and s-ICAM1 were obtained from serum samples. Hopelessness was measured by responses to two questions and depressive symptoms were measured by an 11-item version of the CES-D. Multivariate regression models tested whether …

Neighborhood Effects On Health: Concentrated Advantage And Disadvantage, Brian K. Finch, D. Phuong Do, Melonie Heron, Chloe E. Bird, Teresa Seeman, Nicole Lurie

Faculty Publications

We investigate an alternative conceptualization of neighborhood context and its association with health. Using an index that measures a continuum of concentrated advantage and disadvantage, we examine whether the relationship between neighborhood conditions and health varies by socio-economic status. Using NHANES III data geo-coded to census tracts, we find that while largely uneducated neighborhoods are universally deleterious, individuals with more education benefit from living in highly educated neighborhoods to a greater degree than individuals with lower levels of education.

Envisioning Nevada’S Future: Goals & Strategies For Advancing Our Quality Of Life, Nevada Vision Stakeholder Group, Moody’S Analytics

Brookings Mountain West Publications

Nevada’s severe downturn has brought to light many of the long-term challenges facing the state. Not only is its economy subject to painful swings, but Nevada’s primary drivers— consumer services (primarily gaming, hospitality and housing) and resource extraction—will provide less support than they have in past business cycles. Less economic vitality will make it harder to offer Nevadans the quality of life they expect.

The importance of the economy to quality of life is equally clear—quality of life is a hollow promise without a healthy and supportive economy. Similarly, a proper fiscal structure—both in terms of spending and revenues—is critical …

Cancer In Louisiana: 2003-2007, Volume 25, Louisiana Tumor Registry, Mei-Chin Hsieh, Brent Mumphrey, Lisa Pareti, Mary Namiak, Beth A. Schmidt, Patricia Andrews, Edward S. Peters, Xiao-Cheng Wu, Vivien W. Chen

Policy & Position Papers

Mission:

To collect and report complete, high-quality, and timely population-based cancer data in Louisiana to support cancer research, control, and prevention.

Vision:

To reduce suffering and death from cancer using information collected by the Louisiana Tumor Registry.

History:

Cancer registration in Louisiana began in 1947 at the Charity Hospital Tumor Registry in New Orleans. In 1974, as part of its Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program, the National Cancer Institute provided funds for a population-based cancer incidence and survival registry covering Jefferson, Orleans, and St. Bernard parishes. Five years later, the Louisiana Tumor Registry (LTR) was transferred to the …

Predictors Of Obesity Among Post Graduate Trainee Doctors Working In A Tertiary Care Hospital Of Public Sector In Karachi, Pakistan, Sajid Mahmood, Muhammad Kazim Rahim Najjad, Nasir Ali, Naeem Yousuf, Yasir Hamid

Community Health Sciences

Objectives: To identify the predictors of obesity among post graduate trainee doctors working in a tertiary care hospital of public sector at Karachi, Pakistan.
Methods: A cross sectional analytical study was conducted at one of the tertiary care hospitals of public sector in Karachi. Information was collected from 117 post graduate trainee doctors via pre-tested self administered questionnaire and standard tools were used for height and weight measurement. Obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) > or =23 by using South Asian cut-off points. SPSS version 16 was used for data analysis, and logistic regression technique was applied to come …

Prevalence, Knowledge And Care Patterns For Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease In United States Minority Populations., Elaine Yuen, Martha Romney, Richard W. Toner, Nicole M. Cobb, Philip O. Katz, Maya Spodik, Neil I. Goldfarb

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: While there is evidence of ethnic variation in the prevalence of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms, few population-based studies examine GERD symptom prevalence amongst the growing Hispanic minority in the US as well as Asians in the West. AIM: To examine the prevalence, awareness and care patterns for GERD across different ethnic groups.

METHODS: A population-based, cross-sectional survey was fielded in English, Chinese and Spanish that assessed self-reported GERD prevalence, awareness and care patterns in four ethnic groups (Caucasian, African American, Asian, Hispanic).

RESULTS: A total of 1172 subjects were included for analysis: 34.6% experienced GERD symptoms at least …

One And Only Campaign Nevada Evaluation Of Educational Materials For Injection Safety Executive Summary, Nevada Institute For Children’S Research And Policy, School Of Community Health Science, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas, Amanda Haboush, Tara Phebus, Kari Wolkwitz, Denise Tanata Ashby, Enrique Lopez, Christopher M. Aquino, Sheila Clark

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

The goal of the evaluation was to measure the effectiveness of the Campaign’s educational materials in raising awareness among the general public and enhancing the knowledge of healthcare personnel. Through this measurement the evaluation results would then also provide recommendations for improvements to the materials. To achieve these goals the evaluation team at NICRP created a strategic dissemination plan designed to support a formal evaluation of messages within the materials, message delivery and general knowledge and understanding of safe injection practices by both providers and the general public. Methods utilized to conduct this evaluation included:

• Surveys of both patients and …

Core Promoter Function In Brugia Malayi, Michelle Bailey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies have indicated that the promoters of the human filarial parasite Brugia malayi are unusual in that they do not exhibit the CAAT or TATAA sequences usually found in the core domains of promoters of most eukaryotic organisms. Analysis of the promoters of the ribosomal proteins showed that the region flanking the splice leader (SL) addition site plays an important role in transcription and may function as the core promoter domain in B. malayi. To test the hypothesis that the SL addition domain is the most important essential region of the ribosomal protein promoters, the SL addition site of …

Kie Untuk Peningkatan Pengetahuan, Sikap, Dan Praktik Pencegahan Dan Penanggulangan Penyakit Flu Burung Di Kabupaten Gowa, Sulawesi Selatan, Ridwan M. Said, M. Ridwan Thaha, M. Syafar

Kesmas

Avian influenza adalah suatu kejadian luar biasa yang disebabkan oleh virus influenza subtipe H5N1, ditularkan oleh ternak liar atau domestik dan kemungkinan menyerang manusia. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengungkapkan peningkatan pengetahuan masyarakat , perubahan sikap dan partisipasi masyarakat dalam pencegahan dan penanganan influenza di Kabupaten Bontonompo, Gowa. Desain riset adalah desain kuantitatif kuasi eksperimen. Penelitian ini dilakukan pada 120 peternak unggas sebagai sampel yang dipilih dengan metode purposive sampling dan menggunakan metoda analisis uji statistic T-Test. Penelitian membuktikan bahwa sebelum intervensi model pendidikan komunikasi informasi dilakukan, pengetahuan, sikap dan praktik pencegahan dan pengendalian avian influenza terbatas. Setelah intervensi informasi, pendidikan …

Lybarger, Shaunn Maree (Fa 115), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

"Menstruation: Childbirth and Child-rearing." Independent study compiled for a Western Kentucky University Folk Studies class. Utilizing existing Folklife Archives collections, Lybarger referenced beliefs, customs, and cures associated with fertility, families, child-rearing, and menstruation.

Governmental Public Health: An Overview Of State And Local Public Health Agencies, Eileen Salinsky

National Health Policy Forum

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act significantly expands federal support for community prevention and public health. This paper describes the governmental public health infrastructure at both the state and local level in terms of organizational structure, activities, financing, workforce, partnerships, and performance improvement efforts.

Surrogate Screening Models For The Low Physical Activity Criterion Of Frailty, Sandrah P. Eckel, Karen Bandeen-Roche, Paulo H.M. Chaves, Linda P. Fried, Thomas A. Louis

Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Biostatistics Working Papers

Background and Aims. Low physical activity, one of five criteria in a validated clinical phenotype of frailty, is assessed by a standardized questionnaire on up to 20 leisure time activities. Because of the time demanded to collect the interview data, it has been challenging to translate to studies other than the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), for which it was developed. Considering subsets of activities, we identified and evaluated streamlined surrogate assessment methods and compared them to one implemented in the Women’s Health and Aging Study (WHAS).

Methods. Using data on men and women ages 65 and older from the CHS, …

Chronic Pain And Pain Management Among Older Veterans, Juyoung Park

Florida Public Health Review

The aim of the study was to examine chronic pain in older veterans (65+) and the pain treatment that they received at the Veteran Medical Center. Using a cross-sectional research design, a survey was administered to 107 older veteran participants with self-reported chronic pain recruited from outpatient centers of the Veterans Administration Medical Center: Pain Management Center, Geriatric Clinic, Arthritis Treatment Center, Mental Health Clinic, and Primary Care Clinic. Severity of pain, functional status, depression, spirituality, social support, and social network were assessed, and demographic data were collected. A majority of the participants (92.5%, n = 99) reported having had …

Rural Versus Urban: Tennessee Health Administrators' Strategies On Recruitment And Retention For Allied Health Professionals., Derek Ray Slagle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a growing interest in understanding recruitment, retention, and turnover of allied health professionals considering employment trends and workforce mobility, an increased need to understand the healthcare delivery system, and the dynamic nature of the allied health workforce especially for rural areas. A survey was sent to allied health administrators across a variety of allied health disciplines from the state of Tennessee hospitals in order to gauge opinions on retention and recruitment strategies. Overall successful strategies for recruitment and retention of allied health professionals were reported as well as differences between urban and rural areas, differences among allied health …

Primary Human Mammary Epithelial Cells Endocytose Hiv-1 And Facilitate Viral Infection Of Cd4+ T Lymphocytes, Stephanie M. Dorosko, Ruth I. Connor

Dartmouth Scholarship

The contribution of mammary epithelial cells (MEC) to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in breast milk remains largely unknown. While breast milk contains CD4(+) cells throughout the breast-feeding period, it is not known whether MEC directly support HIV-1 infection or facilitate infection of CD4(+) cells in the breast compartment. This study evaluated primary human MEC for direct infection with HIV-1 and for indirect transfer of infection to CD4(+) target cells. Primary human MEC were isolated and assessed for expression of HIV-1 receptors. MEC were exposed to CCR5-, CXCR4- and dual-tropic strains of HIV-1 and evaluated for viral reverse transcription …

Health Care In Aymara Women In The North Of Chile, Rossana Testa Phd, Academic Director

Fostering Multicultural Competence and Global Justice: an SIT Symposium

Background: In Chile the most important indigenous population lives in a determined territory, we found Mapuche people in the south and the Aymara people in the north of the country. The majority of the indigenous people live in the urban zones. However, the indigenous people that live at the rural areas are who conserve their traditional medicine practices.

The region of Arica and Parinacota is the northern region of Chile and has the largest concentration of the Aymara indigenous group in all of Chile.

At the rural areas are the women whom most attended at the public health system, especially …

Strengthening Civil Society And Community Capacity To Respond To Hiv/Aids, Blanka Homolova Ma, Senior Hiv/Aids Specialist, Jennifer Whatley Ma, Senior Technical Specialist For Civil Society And Governance Programs

Fostering Multicultural Competence and Global Justice: an SIT Symposium

The Global Fund and PEFPAR have increased resources for preventing, treating, and caring for HIV/AIDS and dramatically changed the ways in which the HIV/AIDS epidemic is addressed internationally. While attention often focuses on the roles of government and health workers, national civil society organizations (CSOs) and local communities are gaining recognition and key roles to play in responding to HIV/AIDS in many countries. For CSOs and communities, however, accessing Global Fund and PEPFAR resources can be challenging given these mechanisms’ technical, financial, and programmatic requirements. Insufficient capacity of potential recipients to manage the funds presents a challenge for donors as …

The Feminization Of Hiv: Patriarchy As A Threat To Public Health In Ecuador – A Trans-Feminist Perspective, Fabián Espinosa Ma, Academic Director

Fostering Multicultural Competence and Global Justice: an SIT Symposium

This article attempts to analyze male sexual conduct in Ecuador and its determining role in the feminization of HIV. Male promiscuity, not only tolerated but celebrated by sexist discourse, severely impairs public health initiatives and remains one of the critical issues for both individuals and collectives struggling for structural changes in sexual politics. The exercise of citizenships, sustained by a new constitutional framework, embraces the principle of “subversion from within”, the only significant way of challenging heterosexist imaginaries and practices. This type of activism focuses on the formal and normative political dimension of sex and gender, but also and most …

Comparative Experiential Education In Global Health For Undergraduates: A Platform For Careers And Lifelong Learning In Public Health, Lois Mccloskey Drph, Mph, Onsultant, Founding Program Director, Health And Community, Christopher J. Colvin Phd, Mph, Program Director, Faculty And Country Coordinator, South Africa, Health And Community

Fostering Multicultural Competence and Global Justice: an SIT Symposium

In 2005, the International Honors Program, a longstanding organization that runs comparative study abroad programs, launched its “Health and Community” (HC) Program. The program is offered to upper-level undergraduates from across the US and from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds. It travels to four countries in one semester and uses lectures, site visits, case study research and homestay experiences to engage students in critical and comparative thinking about health and illness at both the global and community levels. The interdisciplinary curriculum combines the perspectives of political economy, medical anthropology, and public health and each country program focuses learning around …

Weighing In: A Critical Analysis Of New York City’S Calorie Labeling Law, Josephine Barnett

Publications and Research

The ‘obesity’ epidemic has The health of New York City Residents has been a significant concern of public health officials with the rates of obesity and diabetes ranking eighth of all cities nationally. The New York City (NYC) Board of Health laid the foundation and influenced the legislative efforts of means to address the ‘obesity-diabetes’ epidemic for public health officials consider this to be one of the major health concerns among Americans and particularly NYC residents. The major initiatives implemented by NYC official include: (1) a ban on trans-fat (2) a city registry of those with diabetes, and (3) menu-labeling. …

Warren County, Kentucky Hazardous Materials Commodity Flow Analysis, Dr. Ritchie D. Taylor, Dr. Vijay Golla, Jacqueline Brown, Shailesh Advani, Pragati Gole, Rasmi Nair, Bob Myatt

Public Health Faculty Publications

This report presents the results of a Commodity Flow Analysis of Hazardous Materials for I-65 and the William H. Natcher Parkway conducted by Western Kentucky University in partnership with the Warren County (Kentucky) Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC). Kentucky counties within the study area include Warren, Simpson, Edmonson, Butler, Barren, and Hart. Figure 1 shows the sections of I-65 and Natcher Parkway that run through these counties. The purpose of our report is to give information on patterns of hazardous materials being transported along I-65 and Natcher Parkway as observed from May 24th 2010 to June 18th 2010. A secondary …

Growth, Immune And Viral Responses In Hiv Infected African Children Receiving Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy: A Prospective Cohort Study., Philippa M. Musoke, Peter Mudiope, Linda N. Barlow-Mosha, Patrick Ajuna, Danstan Bagenda, Michael M. Mubiru, Thorkild Tylleskar, Mary G. Fowler

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Scale up of paediatric antiretroviral therapy in resource limited settings continues despite limited access to routine laboratory monitoring. We documented the weight and height responses in HIV infected Ugandan children on highly active antiretroviral therapy and determined clinical factors associated with successful treatment outcomes.

METHODS: A prospective cohort of HIV infected children were initiated on HAART and followed for 48 weeks. Body mass index for age z scores(BAZ), weight and height-for-age z scores (WAZ & HAZ) were calculated: CD4 cell % and HIV-1 RNA were measured at baseline and every 12 weeks. Treatment outcomes were classified according to; both …

Adherence To The American College Of Surgeons (Acs) Recommendation On Double Gloving, Hand Free Zone And Blunt Suture Needle Use Among Surgeon Ranks, Akbar Nassiry

Theses and Dissertations

Background: The American College of Surgeons guidelines suggest the use of intact gloves, double gloving, hands-free zone technique to pass sharp instruments, and blunt tip suture needles to protect patients, as well as the surgical team. This study estimates the extent to which these guidelines are followed in a large academic health system. Methods: Over a two-month period in the spring of 2010, 320 general surgical attendings, subspecialty surgical attendings, and surgical resident physicians practicing at a large academic health system, were approached during or after surgical conferences to participate in a cross-sectional study. Nearly 1/3rd completed an anonymous and …