Digital Commons Network^™

Disclosure Of Maternal Hiv Status To Children: To Tell Or Not To Tell . . . That Is The Question, Tanya L. Tompkins

Faculty Publications

HIV-infected mothers face the challenging decision of whether to disclose their serostatus to their children. From the perspective of both mother and child, we explored the process of disclosure, providing descriptive information and examining the relationships among disclosure, demographic variables, and child adjustment. Participants were 23 mothers and one of their noninfected children (9 to 16 years of age). Sixty-one percent of mothers disclosed. Consistent with previous research, disclosure was not related to child functioning. However, children sworn to secrecy demonstrated lower social competence and more externalizing problems. Differential disclosure, which occurred in one-third of the families, was associated with …

Parentification And Maternal Hiv Infection: Beneficial Role Or Pathological Burden?, Tanya L. Tompkins

Faculty Publications

Parentification, along with parenting and child adjustment were examined in 23 9-through 16-year-old youth from families affected by maternal HIV infection and 20 same-age peers whose mothers were not infected. Children whose mothers were HIV-positive reported to more often engage in parental role behaviors, relative to children of HIV-negative mothers. This difference remained even after controlling for the effects of current drug use, number of adults per child in the household, and marital status. Findings revealed a beneficial relationship between parentification and both child adjustment and parenting, particularly among families affected by maternal HIV infection. When relationships were examined separately …

The Use Of Telehealth For Diabetes Management: A Qualitative Study Of Telehealth Provider Perceptions, Faith P. Hopp, Mary M. Hogan, Peter A. Woodbridge, Julie C. Lowery

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Monitoring and Messaging Devices (MMDs) are telehealth systems used by patients in their homes, and are designed to promote patient self-management, patient education, and clinical monitoring and follow-up activities. Although these systems have been widely promoted by health care systems, including the Veterans Health Administration, very little information is available on factors that facilitate use of the MMD system, or on barriers to use.

Methods

We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with clinicians using MMD-based telehealth programs at two Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in the Midwestern United States.

Results

Findings suggest that MMD program enrollment is limited by both …

Inhibition Of Proteasome Activity By The Dietary Flavonoid Apigenin Is Associated With Growth Inhibition In Cultured Breast Cancer Cells And Xenografts, Di Chen, Kristin R. Landis-Piwowar, Marina S. Chen, Q Ping Dou

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Introduction

Proteasome inhibition is an attractive approach to anticancer therapy and may have relevancy in breast cancer treatment. Natural products, such as dietary flavonoids, have been suggested as natural proteasome inhibitors with potential use for cancer prevention and therapeutics. We previously reported that apigenin, a flavonoid widely distributed in many fruits and vegetables, can inhibit proteasome activity and can induce apoptosis in cultured leukemia Jurkat T cells. Whether apigenin has proteasome-inhibitory activity in the highly metastatic human breast MDA-MB-231 cells and xenografts, however, is unknown.

Methods

MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell cultures and xenografts were treated with apigenin, followed by …

Examining Smoking And Cessation During Pregnancy Among An Appalachian Sample: A Preliminary View, Lesley Cottrell, Mark Gibson, Carole Harris, Alia Rai, Sabera Sobhan, Traci Berry, Bonita Stanton

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Several transitions that a woman experiences prenatally may influence her desire or ability to discontinue smoking. This study explores the role of smoking for young, Appalachian, nulliparous pregnant women and their plans for smoking during their pregnancies.

Results

The reports of women and their male partners were taken from baseline interviews conducted during the first trimester of pregnancy. Cigarette smoking appeared to be more than an isolated addictive activity; rather, smoking was interwoven in women's social and personal realms, often changing as their perceptions of self changed. Women and their partners who continued to smoke appeared to be …

Paradoxical Antiproliferative Effect By A Murine Mammary Tumor-Derived Epithelial Cell Line, Esteban N. Gurzov, Sanaa M. Nabha, Hamilto Yamamoto, Hong Meng, O Graciela Scharovsky, R Daniel Bonfil

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Despite significant advancement in breast cancer therapy, there is a great need for a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in breast carcinogenesis and progression, as well as of the role of epigenetic contributions from stromal cells in mammary tumorigenesis. In this study, we isolated and characterized murine mammary tumor-derived epithelial and myofibroblast cell lines, and investigated the in vitro and in vivo effect of cellular soluble factors produced by the epithelial cell line on tumor cells.

Methods

Morphology, immunophenotype, cytogenetics, invasiveness, and tumorigenicity of epithelial (LM-234ep) and myofibroblast (LM-234mf) cell lines isolated from two murine mammary adenocarcinomas …

The Class Ii Major Histocompatibility Complex Molecule Bola-Dr Is Expressed By Endothelial Cells Of The Bovine Corpus Luteum, Matthew J. Cannon, John S. Davis, Joy L. Pate

United States Public Health Resources

Cells expressing class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules are found within the corpus luteum (CL) of several species. Expression and localization of class II MHC molecules in the bovine CL were examined in the present study. Immunohistochemical evaluation revealed class II MHC molecules on single cells in early CL (days 4 and 5 post-estrus). Two class II MHC-expressing cell types were observed in midcycle CL (days 10–12 post-estrus), single cells similar to those observed in the early CL, and endothelial cells. Not all endothelial cells expressed class II MHC, and further investigation revealed expression of only one type of …

Global Scale Climate–Crop Yield Relationships And The Impacts Of Recent Warming, David Lobell, Christopher Field

United States Public Health Resources

Changes in the global production of major crops are important drivers of food prices, food security and land use decisions. Average global yields for these commodities are determined by the performance of crops in millions of fields distributed across a range of management, soil and climate regimes. Despite the complexity of global food supply, here we show that simple measures of growing season temperatures and precipitation—spatial averages based on the locations of each crop—explain ∼30% or more of year-to-year variations in global average yields for the world’s six most widely grown crops. For wheat, maize and barley, there is a …

Demographic Factors Associated With Prevalence Of Antibody To Sin Nombre Virus In Deer Mice In The Western United States, Charles Calisher, Kent Wagoner, Brian Amman, J. Jeffrey Root, Richard J. Douglass, Amy Kuenzi, Ken Abbott, Cheryl Parmenter, Terry Yates, Thomas Ksiazek, Barry J. Beaty, James N. Mills

United States Public Health Resources

We used long-term data collected for up to 10 yr (1994–2004) at 23 trapping arrays (i.e., webs and grids) in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, and New Mexico to examine demographic factors known or suspected to be associated with risk of infection with Sin Nombre virus (SNV) in its natural host, the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus). Gender, age (mass), wounds or scars, season, and local relative population densities were statistically associated with the period prevalence of antibody (used as a marker of infection) to SNV in host populations. Nevertheless, antibody prevalence and some of the risk factors associated with antibody …

Identification Of Vibrio Isolates By A Multiplex Pcr Assay And Rpob Sequence Determination, Cheryl L. Tarr, Jayna S. Patel, Nancy Puhr, Evangeline Sowers, Cheryl A. Bopp, Nancy A. Strockbine

United States Public Health Resources

Vibrio, a diverse genus of aquatic bacteria, currently includes 72 species, 12 of which occur in human clinical samples. Of these 12, three species—Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Vibrio vulnificus—account for the majority of Vibrio infections in humans. Rapid and accurate identification of Vibrio species has been problematic because phenotypic characteristics are variable within species and biochemical identification requires 2 or more days to complete. To facilitate the identification of human-pathogenic species, we developed a multiplex PCR that uses species-specific primers to amplify gene regions in four species (V. cholerae, V. parahaemolyticus, V. …

Annual Report To The Nation On The Status Of Cancer, 1975–2004, Featuring Cancer In American Indians And Alaska Natives, David K. Espey, Xiao-Cheng Wu, Judith Swan, Charles Wiggins, Melissa A. Jim, Elizabeth Ward, Phyllis A. Wingo, Holly L. Howe, Lynn A. G. Ries, Barry A. Miller, Ahmedin Jemal, Faruque Ahmed, Nathaniel Cobb, Judith S. Kaur, Brenda K. Edwards

United States Public Health Resources

BACKGROUND. The American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries collaborate annually to provide updated information on cancer occurrence and trends in the U.S. The 2007 report features a comprehensive compilation of cancer information for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN).

METHODS. Cancer incidence data were available for up to 82% of the U.S. population. Cancer deaths were available for the entire U.S. population. Long-term (1975 through 2004) and fixed-interval (1995 through 2004) incidence and mortality trends were evaluated by annual percent change …

One-Year Changes In Glucose And Heart Disease Risk Factors Among Participants In The Wisewoman Programme, Jc Will, O Khavjou, Ea Finkelstein, Rk Loo, Ky Gregory-Mercado

United States Public Health Resources

Background: WISEWOMAN provides chronic disease risk factor screening, referrals and lifestyle interventions to low-income, uninsured women, to reduce their heart disease and stroke risk. Participants learn behaviour-changing skills tailored to low-income populations, such as collaborative goal setting, the need to take small steps and other empowerment techniques.

Aim: To quantify the baseline prevalence of pre-diabetes (fasting blood glucose 5.5–6.9 mmol/l) and diabetes among WISEWOMAN participants and assess one year changes in glucose levels and other diabetes risk factors.

Methods: We used 1998–2005 baseline and one-year follow-up data from WISEWOMAN participants. Using a multilevel regression model, we assessed …

A Scale-Free Systems Theory Of Motivation And Addiction, R. Andrew Chambers, Warren K. Bickel, Marc N. Potenza

United States Public Health Resources

Scale-free organizations, characterized by uneven distributions of linkages between nodal elements, describe the structure and function of many life-based complex systems developing under evolutionary pressures. We explore motivated behavior as a scale-free map toward a comprehensive translational theory of addiction. Motivational and behavioral repertoires are reframed as link and nodal element sets, respectively, comprising a scale-free structure. These sets are generated by semi-independent information-processing streams within cortical–striatal circuits that cooperatively provide decision-making and sequential processing functions necessary for traversing maps of motivational links connecting behavioral nodes. Dopamine modulation of cortical–striatal plasticity serves a central-hierarchical mechanism for survival-adaptive sculpting and development …

Are Smokers Only Using Cigarettes? Exploring Current Polytobacco Use Among An Adult Population, Jennifer M. Bombard, Linda L. Pederson, David E. Nelson, Ann M. Malarcher

United States Public Health Resources

Background: The primary focus of tobacco prevention and cessation interventions has been on cigarette smoking. Polytobacco use (the concurrent use of cigarettes and one or more other tobacco product[s]), may present additional health risks and make cessation more difficult.
Methods: We determined population estimates of tobacco product use and of polytobacco use for more than 50000 adults from 10 states. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine factors independently associated with polytobacco use among men only (due to low use among women).
Results: The overall adult prevalence was 22.4% for cigarettes and 3.4% for polytobacco use. Polytobacco use was more …

Relaxin Receptors In Hepatic Stellate Cells And Cirrhotic Liver, Robert G. Bennett, Shana R. Dalton, Katrina J. Mahan, Martha J. Gentry-Nielsen, Frederick G. Hamel, Dean J. Tuma

United States Public Health Resources

The polypeptide hormone relaxin has antifibrotic effects on a number of tissues, including the liver. Central to the progression of hepatic fibrosis is the transdifferentiation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) from a quiescent state to an activated, myofibroblastic phenotype that secretes fibrillar collagen. Relaxin inhibits markers of HSC activation, but relaxin receptor expression in the liver is unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the expression of the relaxin receptors LGR7 and LGR8 in activated HSC. Production of cAMP was induced by treatment of HSC with relaxin, or the relaxin-related peptides InsL3 or relaxin-3, selective activators of LGR8 …

Performance Of A Commercial Immunoglobulin M Antibody Capture Assay Using Analyte-Specific Reagents To Screen For Interfering Factors During A West Nile Virus Epidemic Season In Nebraska, Anthony R. Sambol, Steven H. Hinrichs, Wayne R. Hogrefe, Beth K. Schweitzer

United States Public Health Resources

In 2003, the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory tested more than 10,371 serum and 516 cerebral spinal fluid specimens. Results showed that without performing the interfering factors screen for specimens in the low positive index value range of >1.1 to ≤3.5, a false positivity rate of 6.5% would have been realized.

Comparative Genetic Analysis Of Genomic Dna Sequences Of Two Human Isolates Of Tanapox Virus, Steven H. Nazarian, John W. Barrett, A. Michael Frace, Melissa Olsen-Rasmussen, Marina Khristova, Mae Shaban, Sarah Neering, Yu Li, Inger K. Damon, Joseph J. Esposito, Karim Essani, Grant Mcfadden

United States Public Health Resources

Members of the genus Yatapoxvirus, which include Tanapox virus (TPV) and Yaba monkey tumor virus, infect primates including humans. Two strains of TPV isolated 50 years apart from patients infected from the equatorial region of Africa have been sequenced. The original isolate from a human case in the Tana River Valley, Kenya, in 1957 (TPV-Kenya) and an isolate from an infected traveler in the Republic of Congo in 2004 (TPV-RoC). Although isolated 50 years apart the genomes were highly conserved. The genomes differed at only 35 of 144,565 nucleotide positions (99.98% identical). We predict that TPV-RoC encodes 155 …

Social Capital And Rates Of Gonorrhea And Syphilis In The United States: Spatial Regression Analyses Of State-Level Associations, Salaam Semaan, Maya Sternberg, Akbar Zaidi, Sevgi O. Aral

United States Public Health Resources

We conducted spatial regression analysis to account for spatial clustering of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and to examine the state-level association between social capital (using Putnam’s public use data set) and rates of gonorrhea and syphilis. We conducted the analysis for the 48 contiguous states of the United States for 1990, 1995, and 2000 and controlled for the effects of regional variation in STD rates, and for state variation in poverty, income inequality, racial composition, and percentage aged 15–34 years. We compared the results of the spatial regression analysis with those of ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. Controlling for all …

Public Health Law As Administrative Law: Example Lessons, Edward P. Richards

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Epidemiology 101: An Overview Of Epidemiology And Its Relevance To U.S. Law, Richard A. Goodman

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Genomics & Ethnicity: Using A Tool In The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Justice Toolkit, David L. Mcmurray Jr.

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

The Straight Talk Campaign In Uganda: Impact Of Mass Media Initiatives—Summary Report, Susan E. Adamchak, Karusa Kiragu, Cathy Watson, Medard Muhwezi, Tobey C. Nelson, Ann Akia-Fiedler, Richard Kibombo, Milka Juma

HIV and AIDS

This Horizons study in Uganda found that exposure by adolescents to Straight Talk, a mass media initiative focused on adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH), was associated with greater ASRH knowledge, a greater likelihood of having been tested for HIV, and more communication with parents about ASRH issues.

Community-Based Approaches To Prevention Of Mother-To-Child Transmission Of Hiv: Findings From A Low-Income Community In Kenya, Susan Kaai, Carolyn Baek, Scott Geibel, Peter Omondi, Benson Ulo, Grace Muthumbi, Carol Nkatha, Naomi Rutenberg

HIV and AIDS

The Horizons program, in partnership with International Medical Corps and Steadman Research Services International, conducted an intervention study in Kibera, an urban slum in Nairobi, Kenya to determine what effect three different community-based activities had on utilization of key prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services. The interventions included moving services closer to the population via mobile clinics, as well as increasing psychosocial support through the use of traditional birth attendants and peer counselors as PMTCT promoters. Data from the study showed that there were positive trends during the study period in most of the PMTCT indicators, including knowledge of MTCT, …

Beacon Of Hope: Evaluation Of The Kenya Girl Guides Association Hiv/Aids Program For School Children, Karusa Kiragu, George Odingo, Milka Juma, Jane Mbugua, Magdalen Waweru, Wamuyu Mahinda, Beatrice Mwaniki, Charity Muturi, Simon Ochieng, Tobey C. Nelson, Ann P. Mccauley

HIV and AIDS

This Horizons report presents findings from an evaluation of the Kenya Girl Guides Participatory Peer Education Program for HIV and AIDS Prevention. The objective of the program was to train Girl Guide patrol leaders as peer educators, who in turn would communicate key information and concepts about such topics as HIV prevention, relationships, and self-esteem to other Girl Guides, and ultimately to their school peers. The results demonstrate that peer education conducted by Girl Guides is a feasible strategy for imparting HIV and AIDS education to school-going youth; however, such a program would need to be branded, strengthened, and appropriately …

Transcending Boundaries To Improve The Food Security Of Hiv-Affected Households In Rural Uganda: A Case Study, Katharine Coon, Jessica Ogden, John Odolon, Anthony Obudi-Owor, Charles Otim, James Byakigga, Peter Spebanja

HIV and AIDS

A case study conducted in Tororo, Uganda found that a partnership between TASO, an AIDS service NGO and agricultural extension, was successful in helping HIV-affected communities improve food security. This Horizons study reports that four participatory training workshops developed through the alliance resulted in improved management capacity and more collaborative organizational structures among the district partners. This in turn created the conditions for the AIDS community workers and other field partners to work more effectively together with farmers’ groups at the local level to identify and address constraints to food security.

Reaching Truckers In Brazil With Non-Stigmatizing And Effective Hiv/Sti Services, Magda Chinaglia, Sheri A. Lippman, Julie Pulerwitz, Maeve De Mello, Rick Homan, Juan Diaz

HIV and AIDS

Research with mobile populations has demonstrated that men in the mobile workforce tend to be exposed to greater HIV risk, and have higher sexually transmitted infection (STI) and HIV prevalence, than those in less mobile or non-mobile professions. At the request of the Brazilian Ministry of Health and with support from USAID/Brazil, the Population Council conducted an assessment in Brazilian border areas to determine which populations were most in need of HIV prevention activities. The research revealed the presence of an extremely mobile, international truck driver community with little to no access to HIV prevention, testing, and treatment services. The …

Day Of Dialogue—Insights And Evidence From Product Introduction: Lessons For Microbicides, Martha Brady, C. Elizabeth Mcgrory

HIV and AIDS

This report summarizes key issues and themes emerging from a Population Council Day of Dialogue held in March 2007. The Council convened this meeting of experts in the fields of product development, introduction, and social marketing; clinical trials; and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS in order to identify key features that can be used to guide efforts to introduce microbicides.

Reaching Truckers In Brazil With Non-Stigmatizing And Effective Hiv/Sti Services, Magda Chinaglia, Sheri A. Lippman, Julie Pulerwitz, Maeve De Mello, Rick Homan, Juan Diaz

HIV and AIDS

A study conducted by the Population Council in 2001 found that truckers crossing Brazil’s southern border had easy access to commercial sex and extremely limited access to health services, condoms, HIV testing and counseling, and HIV/STI prevention messages. In response, the Population Council’s Horizons Program conducted an intervention study from 2002 to 2005. The study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and impact of providing a range of health services to truckers at a health post inside a customs station, where truckers wait anywhere from one day to a week for documents and cargo to clear customs. As noted in this brief, …

Preparedness Of Kenyan Health Workers To Deliver Hiv/Aids Services, National Aids And Std Control Programme, Ministry Of Health Kenya, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, Horizons Program

HIV and AIDS

Most Kenyan adults do not know their HIV status. Patients who present to a health facility can learn their status as part of a diagnostic assessment, enabling health-care personnel to provide a more accurate clinical evaluation and accelerate access to comprehensive care. This is particularly relevant in Kenya because up to 60 percent of all medical ward hospital beds are occupied by HIV-infected patients. Therefore provider-initiated HIV testing and counseling, which includes diagnostic testing and counseling (DTC), provides an opportunity to interrupt the cycle of HIV transmission to patients’ partners and children. In 2004, the Kenya Ministry of Health launched …

Impact Of Antiretroviral Therapy On Household Economics: Findings From Mombasa, Kenya, Rick Homan, Desai Jaikishan, Paul Munyao, Avina Sarna, Scott Geibel

HIV and AIDS

While the clinical impact of receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) on individuals living with HIV is well documented, less is known about how the receipt of ART affects household economics. This analysis examined the direct and indirect effects of receiving ART on household economics. A direct effect is reduced spending on health services as a result of the improved health status of the household member on ART. The potential indirect effects include increased labor-force participation by the household member on ART, a change in how other household members spend their time (working or in school), and a shift in composition of …