Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating Substance Use In A Network Of Emerging Adult Males Via Analysis Of Text Messages Sent And Received, Lia Pizzicato

Public Health Theses

Introduction: With the ubiquity of mobile phones, mobile health (mHealth) has the ability to transform healthcare specifically in regard to substance use interventions. Current mHealth interventions targeting substance use are limited as they require self-monitoring and user input.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine if text message content can predict substance use attitudes and behaviors. The aims were three-fold: (1) To assess the prevalence of discussion of substance use in text messages (2) To evaluate the relationship between text message content and substance use attitudes and behaviors; and (3) To examine social network structure using texting interactions …

Likelihood Of Achieving Who Leprosy Goals: An Expert Survey, Alex Rittel

Public Health Theses

Much progress has been made in the global fight against leprosy, as evidenced by dramatic declines in prevalence rates in recent years. However, leprosy has proven elusive. New case detection rates have remained fairly stable, particularly in countries with remaining pockets of high endemicity such as India, Brazil, and Indonesia. In 2012, the World Health Organization spearheaded the London Declaration, which in part aimed for the goal of interruption of transmission of global leprosy by 2020. Aggregating the opinions of experts can supplement existing data to help determine the feasibility of reaching the WHO goals. To obtain the opinions of …

Time In Ghana And Dietary Patterns In Liberian Refugees, Wilhelmenia Lee Ross

Public Health Theses

Previous research suggests acculturation (i.e. exposure and assimilation to local culture) is associated with changes in dietary patterns among immigrants. This study investigates this association in a refugee population using time in refugee settlement as a proxy for acculturation. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a convenience sample to: (i) identify dietary patterns in Liberian refugees and Ghanaians living in or near a refugee settlement; (ii) compare adherence to these dietary patterns between groups; and (iii) investigate the association between acculturation and dietary patterns in Liberian refugees. Time in refugee settlement was assessed by self-report; food consumption was assessed by …

Determinants Of Perceived Insufficient Milk And The Infant Feeding Practices Of New Mothers In León, Nicaragua, Cara Safon

Public Health Theses

Breastfeeding has been shown to improve maternal and child health. In Nicaragua, the primary risk of death and disability-adjusted life years among children under 5 years of age is suboptimal breastfeeding. Although the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health promotes exclusive breastfeeding from within the first half hour through the first 6 months of life, less than a third of children in the country under 6 months are exclusively breastfed. As part of a larger, mixed-methods study, 21 semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with new mothers recruited from 3 primary health centers between June and August 2015 in order to identify the …

Practice Patterns Of Genetic Testing And Target Therapy Use In Metastatic Lung Cancer, Tannaz Sedghi

Public Health Theses

Introduction

All patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) should undergo EGFR mutation testing and receive appropriate therapy, however, variation in testing and therapy use is a growing concern. The objective of this investigation was to identify physicians’ practice patterns and predictors of physicians’ genetic testing and targeted therapy use in metastatic lung cancer.

Methods

Approximately 360 physicians caring for CanCORS patients with lung or colorectal cancer completed a survey between 2012 to 2013 assessing attitudes and practices with respect to genetic testing and targeted therapies. The outcome variables were: (1) physicians’ reports that they would likely recommend (a) …

A Process Evaluation Of A Relationship Strengthening Hiv Prevention Intervention: The Partners In Life Curriculum Amongst Adolescent Parents In New Haven, Connecticut, Modupeore Shenbanjo

Public Health Theses

In impoverished urban areas in the Northeast, the prevalence of HIV among heterosexuals is more than 28 times greater than the prevalence in the general U.S. heterosexual population.1,70 In the United States, America’s youth (ages 15-24) account for half of all new STIs occurring among young men and women (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013).1 Numerous couple-based HIV studies have found that couple-based approaches are generally efficacious in promoting safer sex behaviors (El-Bassel et al., 2010).4 This project aims to examine the implementation (Campbell et al., 2000)1 of the Partners in LIFE curriculum to identify successes and limitations of …

A Review Of Propensity Score Use In Drug Post-Marketing Safety Surveillance, Motao Sun

Public Health Theses

Drug post marketing safety surveillance is a very important part of pharmacovigilance, which is overseen by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agencies throughout the world. These studies are generally performed by pharmaceutical sponsors and academicians, although it is occasionally the case that a regulatory agency will either fund the research or have large databases which is analyzed by the regulators themselves. One example of agency surveillance is the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS). Generally, preapproval studies only involve several hundred to several thousand patients, so all possible side effects of a drug cannot be explored …

The Effect Of Spatiotemporally-Dependent Air Pollution Exposure On Birthweight In The Lanzhou Birth Cohort, Dennis Wang

Public Health Theses

Introduction: Low birthweight serves as a proxy risk factor for a number of conditions later in development. Of China’s urban centers, Lanzhou has long been considered one of the worst-affected cities by air pollution.

Objectives: This study uses spatial heterogeneity in air pollution exposure across addresses in Lanzhou and temporal heterogeneity resulting from the differential timing of pregnancy in the Lanzhou Birth Cohort to investigate the association between PM10 exposure and birthweight.

Methods: The study population consisted of 4,865 mother-child pairs from the Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child Care Hospital. Participants completed an epidemiological questionnaire and patient data were collected …

Neurocognitive Impairment Impacts Hiv Medication Adherence, Damian Weikum

Public Health Theses

Objective: To examine neurocognitive impairment (NCI) and its association with antiretroviral therapy (ART) medication adherence among HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) in Lima, Peru.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey assessed 313 HIV-infected Peruvian MSM and TGW prescribed ART using a computer-assisted survey instrument to examine NCI and its association with optimal ART adherence, defined as taking ≥90% of prescribed medications. The survey included demographic characteristics and standardized measures for drug and alcohol use disorders, depression, and other factors associated with non-adherence.

Results: An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to optimize an NCI self-report scale …

Whole-Genome Sequencing And Phylogenetic Analysis Of Novel Paramyxoviruses Discovered In Bats From Brazil, Heather Louise Wells

Public Health Theses

Wildlife disease surveillance has been increasing in recent years in an effort to identify and characterize novel emerging zoonoses. In particular, bats have been targets of active surveillance because of their recent associations with diseases of global public health importance, such as Ebola virus, SARS-like coronaviruses, and Nipah and Hendra virus. The high species richness, large population sizes, and frequent inter- and intra-species interactions of bats make them ideal reservoirs of infectious diseases. For this molecular epidemiological study, novel paramyxoviruses discovered through surveillance of bats in Brazil were fully sequenced to allow for a range of genetic analyses, including the …

Evaluating Resilience In Syrian And Jordanian Youth, Rebecca Wener Wener

Public Health Theses

This paper uses baseline data collected from the Child Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM) that was administered to a sample of 603 Jordanian and Syrian adolescents living in Northern Jordan during Fall 2015 as part of a broader evaluation of the impact of a mental health and psychosocial wellbeing intervention. Data were analyzed to 1) determine whether the questionnaire performed according to the 3-factor structure predicted in the literature and 2) explore relationships between CYRM scores, individual, family and contextual factors, and measures of mental health, stress and wellbeing. With some exceptions, the predicted 3-factor structure was found within the Syrian-Jordanian …

The Role Of Folate In The Association Between Perinatal Air Pollution Exposure And Birth Outcomes In Lanzhou, China, Rebecca Ann Wong

Public Health Theses

Background: China’s rapid economic and industrial development over the past few decades has been accompanied by tremendous increases in air pollutant emissions and come at a serious cost to the environment and public health. Recent research has revealed an increased risk of adverse birth outcomes associated with perinatal air pollution exposure. Although the mechanisms by which air pollutants contribute to adverse birth outcomes have not yet been established, folate intake has been shown to counteract several of the hypothesized biological pathways.

Hypothesis: Dietary folate intake and folic acid supplementation modify the association between perinatal air pollution exposure (PM10, NO2, SO2) …

Pirnas Variants And Lung Cancer Risk: A Post-Gwas Study, Rui Ye

Public Health Theses

Background: Lung cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and one of the top cause of cancer death worldwide. The recent discovery of PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), one type of non-coding RNAs, has been shown to be involved in tumorgenesis pathways of various types of cancer types by accumulating evidences. However, the role of piRNAs in lung cancer development is underexplored.

Methods: Genotype and phenotype data were obtained from a genome-wide association study of lung cancer risk (3,702 cases and 3,739 controls) and 1,173 imputed piRNAs variants were analyzed by association analysis for lung cancer risk. A secondary expression analysis is …

All-Source Exposures To Arsenic For Residents Living Near Historic Gold Mine Areas In Northwest Romania, Zhen Zhang

Public Health Theses

Background: Roşia Montană gold mine is the site of historic mining operations since Roman times. Contamination of nearby communitiesby historic mining activities is of serious concern.

Objective: The study objective is to investigate whether living in the vicinity of historic gold mining increases risk of arsenic exposure from the surrounding environment, and if dietary intake from home gardens is associated with reduced risk of arsenic exposure.

Methods: We performed assessments in 64 participants from 57 households within the target communities. All study participants gave written informed consent. The study was approved by the institutional review boards of the regional public …

Constellation: A Tool For Rapid, Automated Phenotype Assignment Of A Highly Polymorphic Pharmacogene,, Greyson P. Twist, Andrea Gaedigk, Neil A. Miller, Emily G. Farrow, Laurel K. Willig, Darrell L. Dinwiddie, Josh E. Petrikin, Sarah E. Soden, Suzanne Herd, Margaret Gibson, Julie A. Cakici, Amanda K. Riffel, J Steven Leeder, Deendayal Dinakarpandian, Stephen F. Kingsmore

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

An important component of precision medicine-the use of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to guide lifelong healthcare-is electronic decision support to inform drug choice and dosing. To achieve this, automated identification of genetic variation in genes involved in drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and response (ADMER) is required. CYP2D6 is a major enzyme for drug bioactivation and elimination. CYP2D6 activity is predominantly governed by genetic variation; however, it is technically arduous to haplotype. Not only is the nucleotide sequence of CYP2D6 highly polymorphic, but the locus also features diverse structural variations, including gene deletion, duplication, multiplication events and rearrangements with the nonfunctional, …

Two-Arm Randomized Pilot Intervention Trial To Decrease Sitting Time And Increase Sit-To-Stand Transitions In Working And Non-Working Older Adults., Jacqueline Kerr, Michelle Takemoto, Khalisa Bolling, Andrew Atkin, Jordan A. Carlson, Dori Rosenberg, Katie Crist, Suneeta Godbole, Brittany Lewars, Claudia Pena, Gina Merchant

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Excessive sitting has been linked to poor health. It is unknown whether reducing total sitting time or increasing brief sit-to-stand transitions is more beneficial. We conducted a randomized pilot study to assess whether it is feasible for working and non-working older adults to reduce these two different behavioral targets.

METHODS: Thirty adults (15 workers and 15 non-workers) age 50-70 years were randomized to one of two conditions (a 2-hour reduction in daily sitting or accumulating 30 additional brief sit-to-stand transitions per day). Sitting time, standing time, sit-to-stand transitions and stepping were assessed by a thigh worn inclinometer (activPAL). Participants …

Non-Possession As One-Tenth Of The Law: Right To Refuse Or Duty To Deal In Molecular Monopolies, Jordan Moliver

Colorado Technology Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Contraceptive Provision To Adolescent Females Prescribed Teratogenic Medications., Stephani L. Stancil, Melissa K. Miller, Holley Briggs, Daryl Lynch, Kathy Goggin, Gregory Kearns

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Rates of adult women receiving contraceptive provision when simultaneously prescribed a known teratogen are alarmingly low. The prevalence of this behavior among pediatric providers and their adolescent patients is unknown. The objective of this study was to describe pediatric provider behaviors for prescribing teratogens concurrently with counseling, referral, and/or prescribing of contraception (collectively called contraceptive provision) in the adolescent population.

METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted examining visits in 2008-2012 by adolescents aged 14 to 25 years in which a known teratogen (US Food and Drug Administration pregnancy risk category D or X) was prescribed. The electronic …

Refining The Staging Scheme For Human Papillomavirus-Related Oropharyngeal Carcinoma, Tiange Chen

Public Health Theses

Current TNM staging system derived empirically from human papillomavirus (HPV) unrelated oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) has been shown inadequate to predict survival for HPV-related OPC. This study used three recursive partitioning algorithms, Classification Trees (CART), Conditional Inference Trees (CTree) and Model-based Recursive Partitioning (MOB) to derive a new staging scheme based on data from the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB). The derived staging systems were compared to the current system using the criteria such as hazard consistency within staging groups, hazard discrimination between groups, predictive ability and balance of distribution across groups. A total of 5,712 patients were included in the …

Predictors Of Breast Density In Hispanic And Latino Women Living In The Northeast Region Of The United States, Emma Claye

Public Health Theses

Introduction: Breast density, the fibroglandular, non-fatty tissue in the breast, has been shown to be a significant risk factor for breast cancer. Little is currently known about the predictors of breast density among the understudied but increasing population of Hispanic and Latino women in the United States.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to identify predictors of breast density among Hispanic and Latino women in Connecticut and to determine if these differ from those described in other populations. Because the hormonal milieu is somewhat different in Hispanic/Latinas compared with White women, we are interested in how these variables impact …

Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1 (Aldh1) Genes In Cancer Clinical Prognosis Outcomes, Mengyi Ding

Public Health Theses

ABSTRACT

Background & Hypothesis

It has become clear that ALDH1 genes are involved in the pathobiology of various human cancers. Several lines of evidence indicated that ALDH1 gene expression in tumors may be associated with clinical prognosis outcomes. This hypothesis of our study is that ALDH1 genes may be used to predict human cancer prognosis. In order to test this hypothesis, a systematic review of published articles, a meta-analysis using Random-Effects model was conducted to assess the association between ALDH1 genes and clinicopathological features as well as survival outcomes.

Methods

Using PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science, this study identified …

Exploring The Link Between Early Adversity And Behavioral Health, Erin Dowling

Public Health Theses

Background/Rationale Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and their lasting sequelae are a significant public health concern. ACEs are a risk factor for increased risk of detrimental health behaviors, chronic disease morbidity, and mortality. Though this connection has been supported by an abundance of evidence, how best to address these issues in practice and in the community has yet to be confirmed. Prior research examining the health promoting factors exhibited by adults who have experienced several different ACEs yet have experienced few negative health outcomes, have identified social support, education, and physical activity as potentially protective factors. This study seeks to identify …

Assessment Of Floral-Derived Aromatic Compounds And Sugar Lures To Capture Male And Female Aedes Aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae), Kara Mackenzie Fikrig

Public Health Theses

Abstract

The viruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti, including dengue and Zika viruses, are rapidly expanding in geographic range and as a threat to public health. In response, control programs are increasingly turning to the use of sterile insect techniques resulting in a need to trap male Ae. aegypti in order to monitor the efficacy of the intervention. However, there is a lack of effective and cheap methods for trapping males. We attempted to exploit the male physiological need to obtain energy from sugar feeding in order lure the mosquitoes into a passive trap. We tested promising aromatic and sugar lures …

Smoking, Genetic Polymorphisms In Dna Repair Genes And Risk Of Thyroid Cancer, Qi Guo

Public Health Theses

While the number of current smokers has declined due to legal and regulatory measures and public health awareness, cigarette smoking remains the top risk factor for many diseases, including cancers originated from various tissues. Meanwhile, thyroid cancer incidence has increased significantly in the USA. Former epidemiology studies have investigated the association between smoking and risk of thyroid cancer, and interestingly results from these studies have shown that smoking has protective effect on risk of thyroid cancer. Studies have tapped into genetic polymorphisms and their association with thyroid cancer (and its subtypes) to further examine the susceptibility of certain gene variants …

Neighborhood-Level Socioeconomic Status And County Fairs And The Risk Of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli Incidence In Connecticut, 2012 To 2014, Gili Hrusa

Public Health Theses

Abstract

Background: Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is a reportable illness. It is associated with a spectrum of clinical manifestations that range from watery and/or bloody diarrhea to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a life threatening condition which causes acute renal failure in both children and adults. A study in Connecticut (CT) by Whitney et al. (2015) found a strong association between higher socioeconomic status (SES) and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli incidence. In the same study, there was a weaker association demonstrated between rurality and STEC incidence as well. The primary aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between …

Vitamin D Status And Age Of Menarche:, Alexandra Hua

Public Health Theses

Early age of menarche (AOM) increases risk for chronic disorders, including cardiovascular disease and related mortality, type 2 diabetes, and breast cancer. Vitamin D deficiency may be linked to earlier onset of menstruation, but there is limited research examining vitamin D and its association with AOM. The objective of this study was to examine the association between vitamin D levels and AOM by analyzing the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2001-2010. We hypothesized that that vitamin D deficiency is associated with earlier age of menarche in adolescent and early adult females in the United States. Cross-sectional …

Lifetime Residential Water Source And Thyroid Cancer Risk: A Connecticut Based Case-Control Study, Hannah Grace Kaneck

Public Health Theses

While incident thyroid cancer diagnoses continue to increase at a rate faster than any other cancer in the US, questions about environmental exposures’ link to small malignancy increases persist. Nitrate consumption as a predictor for thyroid cancer has become a topic of interest due to their ubiquitous contamination of water and food supplies. No epidemiological studies have looked at the correlation of residential water source over an entire lifetime and its relation to thyroid cancer. A Connecticut based case-control study conducted in 2010-2011, including 462 histologically confirmed incident thyroid cancer cases and 498 Connecticut based controls used multivariate unconditional logistic …

A Healthy Herd: Addressing The Justifications For Vaccine Denial And Applying The Health Belief Model To The Current Anti-Vaccination Movement, Sarah L. Mchugh

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to explore and analyze the existing literature regarding the refusal to receive vaccinations designed specifically to prevent Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR), which has spurred a serious public health issue that puts every unvaccinated person at risk. It will investigate the reasons people refuse to get vaccinations for themselves or their children. The analysis of the current situation and the application of the Health Belief Model to the related factors will provide potential explanations regarding how the decision-making process may strengthen efforts towards increasing vaccination rates.

Hydrogen Peroxide Induced Loss Of Heterozygosity Correlates With Replicative Lifespan And Mitotic Asymmetry In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Emine Guven, Lindsay A. Parnell, Erin D. Jackson, Meighan Parker, Nilin Gupta, Jenny Rodrigues, Hong Qin

Scholarly Works

Cellular aging in Saccharomyces cerevisiae can lead to genomic instability and impaired mitotic asymmetry. To investigate the role of oxidative stress in cellular aging, we examined the effect of exogenous hydrogen peroxide on genomic instability and mitotic asymmetry in a collection of yeast strains with diverse backgrounds. We treated yeast cells with hydrogen peroxide and monitored the changes of viability and the frequencies of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in response to hydrogen peroxide doses. The mid-transition points of viability and LOH were quantified using sigmoid mathematical functions. We found that the increase of hydrogen peroxide dependent genomic instability often occurs …

5-Azacytidine Induces Transcriptome Changes In Escherichia Coli Via Dna Methylation-Dependent And Dna Methylation-Independent Mechanisms, Kevin T. Militello, Robert D. Simon, Alexandra H. Mandarano, Anthony Dinatale, Stacy M. Hennick, Justine C. Lazatin, Sarah Cantatore

Biology

Background: Escherichia coli K-12 strains contain DNA cytosine methyltransferase (Dcm), which generates 5-methylcytosine at 5′CCWGG3′ sites. Although the role of 5-methylcytosine in eukaryotic gene expression is relatively well described, the role of 5-methylcytosine in bacterial gene expression is largely unknown. Results: To identify genes that are controlled by 5-methylcytosine in E. coli, we compared the transcriptomes of cells grown in the absence and presence of the DNA methylation inhibitor 5-azacytidine. We observed expression changes for 63 genes. The majority of the gene expression changes occurred at early stationary phase and were up-regulations. To identify gene expression changes due to a …