Digital Commons Network^™

Biodiversity Of The Coccidia (Apicomplexa: Conoidasida) In Vertebrates: What We Know, What We Do Not Know, And What Needs To Be Done, Donald W. Duszynski

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Over the last two decades my colleagues and I have assembled the literature on a good percentage of most of the coccidians (Conoidasida) known, to date, to parasitise: Amphibia, four major lineages of Reptilia (Amphisbaenia, Chelonia, Crocodylia, Serpentes), and seven major orders in the Mammalia (Carnivora, Chiroptera, Lagomorpha, Insectivora, Marsupialia, Primates, Scandentia). These vertebrates, combined, comprise about 15,225 species; only about 899 (5.8%) of them have been surveyed for coccidia and 1,946 apicomplexan valid species names or other forms are recorded in the literature. Based on these compilations and other factors, I extrapolated that there yet may be an additional …

Improving Multidisciplinary Adherence To A Daily Goals Checklist In The Icu: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Chelsea Mccarty

DNP Projects

Abstract

Background: In November 2019, the University of Louisville Hospital merged and assumed operations of all KentuckyOne facilities. During the transition, a spike in hospital acquired infection rates ensued at Jewish Hospital, notably amongst the critical care units. In January 2020, a daily checklist was introduced to the critical care department. A Daily Checklist is a tailored communication tool designed to reduce communication error and improve adherence to patient safety measures. There continues to be a gap in adherence to the U of L daily checklist from both nurses and providers. Purpose: The purpose of this project was to improve …

Nutritional Approach For Increasing Public Health During Pandemic Of Covid-19: A Comprehensive Review Of Antiviral Nutrients And Nutraceuticals, Vahideh Ebrahimzadeh-Attari, Ghodratollah Panahi, James R. Hébert Scd, Alireza Ostadrahimi, Maryam Saghafi-Asl, Neda Lotfi-Yaghin, Behzad Baradaran

Faculty Publications

Background: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is considered as the most life-threatening pandemic disease during the last decade. The individual nutritional status, though usually ignored in the management of COVID-19, plays a critical role in the immune function and pathogenesis of infection. Accordingly, the present review article aimed to report the effects of nutrients and nutraceuticals on respiratory viral infections including COVID-19, with a focus on their mechanisms of action.

Methods: Studies were identified via systematic searches of the databases including PubMed/ MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Google Scholar from 2000 until April 2020, using keywords. All relevant clinical and experimental studies …

A Needs Assessment Tool To Evaluate Hiv Care In South Carolina: Utilizing A Telehealth Model During Covid-19, Tanya Philpott Brown

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

A newly identified virus coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 caused a worldwide pandemic named COVID-19. This pandemic caused an interruption in the way medical care was traditionally delivered to People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). To meet the ongoing medical needs of PLWHA, HIV medical care was expanded to telehealth (i.e., telephone calls, video chat). Telehealth was implemented to keep patients engaged in care and treatment adherent. This study explores patients’ feelings and attitudes around their HIV care during the COVID-19 pandemic. A one-time survey was administered to patients who received care at an outpatient Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program funded HIV clinic in the …

Property And Intellectual Property In Vaccine Markets, Ana Santos Rutschman

All Faculty Scholarship

As biopharmaceutical forms of technology, vaccines constitute one of the most important tools for the promotion and maintenance of public health. Tolstoy famously wrote that [h]appy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.¹ Vaccine markets offer perhaps one of the most extreme embodiments of Tolstoy's principle² in the field of biopharmaceutical innovation.

The Undergraduate Spectrum 2021, Saint Mary's College Of California

The Undergraduate Spectrum

No abstract provided.

Geocoding Cryptosporidiosis Cases In Ireland (2008–2017)—Development Of A Reliable, Reproducible, Multiphase Geocoding Methodology, Lisa Domegan, Patricia Garvey, Paul Mckeown, Howard Johnson, Paul Hynds, Jean O'Dwyer, Coilín Óhaiseadha

Articles

Background: Geocoding (the process of converting a text address into spatial data) quality may affect geospatial epidemiological study findings. No national standards for best geocoding practice exist in Ireland. Irish postcodes (Eircodes) are not routinely recorded for infectious disease notifications and > 35% of dwellings have non-unique addresses. This may result in incomplete geocoding and introduce systematic errors into studies.

Aims: This study aimed to develop a reliable and reproducible methodology to geocode cryptosporidiosis notifications to fine-resolution spatial units (Census 2016 Small Areas), to enhance data validity and completeness, thus improving geospatial epidemiological studies.

Methods: A protocol was devised to utilise …

การคาดการณ์การติดเชื้อซีเอ็มวีโดยการวัดระดับควอนติเฟอร์รอนซีเอ็มวีในผู้ป่วยที่ได้รับการปลูกถ่ายอวัยวะที่มีซีเอ็มวีซีโรโลยีเป็นบวก ในโรงพยาบาลจุฬาลงกรณ์, กมลาสน์ อำนวย

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

ที่มา: ในประเทศไทยการดูแลผู้ป่วยที่มีซีเอ็มวีซีโรโลยีให้ผลบวกในผู้ป่วยปลูกถ่ายอวัยวะ จะใช้วิธีการตรวจระดับซีเอ็มวีไวรัสในเลือดอย่างใกล้ชิดซึ่งเป็นวิธีที่มีค่าใช้จ่ายสูง วัตถุประสงค์: เพื่อศึกษาความสามารถในการวินิจฉัยการติดเชื้อไวรัสซีเอ็มวีในช่วง 3 เดือนหลังการปลูกถ่ายอวัยวะ โดยใช้วิธีทดสอบภูมิคุ้มกันชนิด ควอนติเฟอร์รอนซีเอ็มวี วิธีการศึกษา: งานวิจัยรูปแบบการศึกษาไปข้างหน้า รวบรวมประชากรตัวอย่างที่ได้รับการปลูกถ่ายอวัยวะ และมีซีเอ็มวีซีโรโลยีให้ผลบวก ได้รับการตรวจติดตามระดับไวรัสซีเอ็มวี ในเลือดทุก1-2 สัปดาห์ ควบคู่กับการตรวจ ควอนติเฟอร์รอนซีเอ็มวี ก่อนการปลูกถ่ายอวัยวะ, 1 และ 3 เดือนหลังการปลูกถ่ายอวัยวะ ผลการศึกษา: ผู้ป่วยตัวอย่างได้รับการปลูกถ่ายไตทั้งหมด 41 คน พบมีภาวะการติดเชื้อไวรัสซีเอ็มวี 25 คน คิดเป็นร้อยละ 61 จากงานวิจัยพบว่า ควอนติเฟอร์รอนซีเอ็มวีที่ 1 เดือนหลังการปลูกถ่ายอวัยวะ มีความไวและความจำเพาะต่ำ คิดเป็นร้อยละ 48 และ 62.5 ตามลำดับ และ พบควอนติเฟอร์รอนซีเอ็มวีที่ 3 เดือนหลังการปลูกถ่ายอวัยวะมีค่า Negative predictive value ร้อยละ 91.7 สรุปผลการวิจัย: ควอนติเฟอร์รอนซีเอ็มวีที่ 1 เดือน มีความสามารถในการคาดกาณ์การเกิดการติดเชื้อไวรัสซีเอ็มวีต่ำทั้งความไวและความจำเพาะ อย่างไรก็ตาม ผลบวกที่ 3 เดือน อาจมีประโยชน์ในแง่การเริ่มยารักษาการติดเชื้อซีเอ็มวี

Literature Review: Improving End-Of-Life Care And Creating A Good Death, Erna Smlatic

Honors Program Theses

The need for quality end-of-life care has increased drastically around the world in the last few centuries due to a surge in life expectancy. As people are living much longer, they are developing and succumbing to chronic progressive diseases which can significantly decrease quality of life. But what exactly does it mean to care for the aging population who are nearing death? Defining quality care at the end-of-life is important but also differs for individuals based on a variety of factors including age, culture, and life experiences. End-of-life care does not come as “one size fits all” and it challenges …

The Influence Of Gain-Loss Framing And Its Interaction With Political Ideology On Social Distancing And Mask Wearing Compliance During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jordan Steffen

Honors Program Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of cases and over half a million deaths in the United States.While health experts urge citizens to adopt preventative measures such as social distancing and wearing a mask, these recommended behaviors are not always followed by the public. To find a way to promote preventative measures, the present study examined the role of gain-loss framing of COVID-19 related messages on social distancing and mask wearing compliance. Moreover, the study also tested potential moderating effects on framing with three individual characteristics: political ideology, subjective numeracy, and risk attitude. A sample of 375 U.S. adult residents …

Changes To Worship And Perceptions Of The Covid-19 Pandemic By Religion In The Us, Allison Elizabeth Bailey

Public Health Theses

COVID-19 is a recently emerging infectious disease that spreads easily through respiratory droplets and can cause severe illness and death. Individuals can be both infectious and asymptomatic, which makes it difficult to identify those who are at-risk of spreading the disease to others. In the US, shortly after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic disease, states began to issue lockdown orders encouraging residents to stay inside to reduce the spread of the virus. As a result, many Americans were not able to attend religious gatherings or worship services for several months. A cross-sectional study surveyed religious Americans …

Utilizing Covid-19 Models In Humanitarian Crisis Settings, Duane Barksdale

Public Health Theses

Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2019, several researchers and decision-makers have turned to statistical modeling to inform predictions of the severity of the burden of infection and disease in various settings. While it is understood that no model can perfectly describe the transmission of a novel and highly transmissible pathogen, there still lies the potential for models to be useful tools for local and international decision makers to act proactively to mitigate the burden of disease. In Syria, these challenges are compounded by humanitarian crises resulting from the ongoing civil war in the region. This conflict …

Without A Trace: Is Technology The Next Stage In Contact Tracing’S Evolution?, Madeline Bender

Public Health Theses

Contact tracing has become both a buzzword and a priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though it was deployed nationwide in the U.S., its success varied regionally. This special project thesis, in the form of a longform journalism article, traces the public health practice back to its roots to explore who contact tracers are, what they do, and what factors contributed to tracing’s limited success in 2020–21, centering around concepts of stigma and privacy. With this foundation, it assesses the promise and perils of incorporating technology into contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Analysis Of A Time-Delayed Hiv/Aids Epidemic Model With Education Campaigns, Sedar Ngoma, Dawit Denu, Rachidi B. Salako

Mathematics

We consider a time-delayed HIV/AIDS epidemic model with education dissemination and study the asymptotic dynamics of solutions as well as the asymptotic behavior of the endemic equilibrium with respect to the amount of information disseminated about the disease. Under appropriate assumptions on the infection rates, we show that if the basic reproduction number is less than or equal to one, then the disease will be eradicated in the long run and any solution to the Cauchy problem converges to the unique disease-free equilibrium of the model. On the other hand, when the basic reproduction number is greater than one, we …

Impact Of Serial Point Prevalence Covid-19 Testing On Severe Disease Outcomes In Connecticut Nursing Home Residents, Lauren Marie Campbell

Public Health Theses

Introduction: COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by infection with the virus, SARS-CoV-2. Transmission of the virus can occur in both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases making controlling the spread challenging. Point prevalence testing in long term care facilitates has been found to be a useful strategy in detecting cases and managing COVID-19 outbreaks. The impact of this control strategy on severe outcomes of disease in residents of these facilities has not been fully characterized.Methods: Active surveillance of COVID-19 in long term care facilities in Connecticut began in April 2020, with point prevalence surveys beginning in May 2020. Data was collected …

Developing A Framework For Civilian-Military Public Health Operations Involving Non-State Armed Groups, Andrew James Chambers

Public Health Theses

Introduction: The interface of military forces, civilian actors and non-state armed groups (NSAGs) during a public health emergency within an active conflict is a situation fraught with legal and ethical challenges not adequately addressed in established doctrine or international guidance documents. Ongoing public health crises in Yemen and Afghanistan represent the real-world consequences of threats to population health and security if these critical gaps are not addressed. Methods: A list of five diverse medical scenarios was developed as an initial attempt to produce a practical, historically-informed framework for use in future civilian-military (CIV-MIL) training events and guidance. Ten virtual interviews …

The Epidemiology Of Covid-19 Hospitalizations In Connecticut, July – December 2020, Geena Chiumento

Public Health Theses

Background. Hospitalizations due to COVID-19, caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2, have disproportionately impacted many throughout the United States, particularly elderly folks, communities of color, and individuals residing in low-income neighborhoods. Objective. This study aims to describe the epidemiology of COVID-19-related hospitalizations in Connecticut in order to elucidate trends in incidence as well as health disparities. Methods. All first-time hospitalizations due to laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from July 1 to December 31, 2020, including patients’ geocoded residential addresses, were obtained from the Connecticut Department of Public Health. Patients residing in the community were compared to those residing in congregate settings. Community patients were …

Overseen And Overlooked: Knowledge Production And Care In Public Health Surveillance, Krzysztof Wojciech Chwala

Public Health Theses

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing was implemented as a public health measure to prevent the further spread of disease. In this thesis, I analyze contact tracing as a case study of public health surveillance. I argue that public health does not sufficiently study the social components and consequences of its surveillant activities, and as a result is hyperopic; it sees health-related phenomena at a distance with clarity, but has not brought its own logics under view. To remedy this, I utilize perspectives from the field of surveillance studies, which studies surveillance as social and cultural phenomena. …

Determining Polymorphisms In Tnf Production As They Relate To Infection With Ebov, Nirvana K. Dominguez Singh

Public Health Theses

This is a theoretical proposal done as an intellectual exercise. The purpose of this project is to practice and familiarize oneself with the process of applying for a grant from the National Institute of Health to conduct research on human subjects. This proposed study plans to sequence blood samples from infected individuals, exposed and uninfected individuals, and unexposed individuals from the 2018 outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo to determine the presence of polymorphisms in TNF production as they relate to Ebolavirus infection. It is hypothesized that certain polymorphisms in the regulation and production of TNF that cause a …

Global Routine Immunization Policies For Refugees, Jad A. Elharake

Public Health Theses

BackgroundIn 2020, approximately 26 million refugees resettled in a new country—fleeing their homes due to conflict, persecution, violence, and human rights violations. Refugees often migrate from developing countries with limited access to adequate health care, routine immunizations, and public health resources. Because of low immunization coverage and potentially underlying health conditions, including stress, trauma, overcrowding during transit, poor hygiene and sanitation services, and malnutrition, refugees face a greater risk of contracting vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). This presents a key public health challenge and ethical imperative to serve the health needs of refugees resettling each year.

ObjectiveThe purpose of our study was …

How Knowledge, Perception, And Identity Influence Covid-19-Related Concerns In The Built Environment, Abigail Ginader

Public Health Theses

Background: There is increasing research exploring how different diverse and intersecting identities based on race, gender, ability/disability, sexual orientation, and age interact with space to influence an individual’s inclusiveness and comfort in a space. This is particularly salient in the context of COVID-19 which has shown large health inequities and increased risk for certain vulnerable subgroups (e.g., older individuals, individuals of color).Objective: To assess end users’ perception of COVID-19 safety in the built environment of museums. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used. An electronic survey was distributed between January and February 2021. Repeated measures ANOVA, multivariate Poisson regression, and …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Backyard Poultry-Associated Salmonella In Connecticut, Laura Kasper

Public Health Theses

Introduction: Salmonellosis is the second leading bacterial foodborne illness in the United States, and is mainly characterized by symptoms of gastroenteritis and their consequences in afflicted individuals. Salmonella accounts for 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths in the United States every year. Live poultry act as a reservoir of Salmonella and causes an annual national outbreak. There has yet to be a published study on the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on the incidence of Salmonella and on the percentage of cases tied to the national poultry outbreak. Methods: Active public health surveillance of Salmonella in Connecticut is conducted …

An Exploration Of Race Differences In Network Exposures To Mass Incarceration, Jessica Lee

Public Health Theses

A growing literature suggests that mass incarceration impacts not only the individual who is incarcerated, but also their partners, family members, and children. However, few studies have examined race differences in network exposure to mass incarceration. This study explores associations between race and various measures of network exposure to incarceration: relationships, interactions with the criminal legal system, and housing. We draw on data from the 2017-2018 baseline survey from the Justice, Housing, and Health Study. Descriptive statistics show that Black respondents are more likely to experience each event we examined compared to whites, except for parental incarceration and receiving threats …

Public Health And Natural Gas Policy In Connecticut, Cheyenne Liberti

Public Health Theses

Due to its adverse impacts on public health via contributions to global climate change and emissions of toxic substances throughout the life cycle, natural gas use should be eliminated as quickly as possible in Connecticut. This project aims to 1) identify the policies and programs concerning all stages of the natural gas life cycle, in and affecting Connecticut; 2) evaluate the capacity of these policies and programs to mitigate public health hazards, promote environmental justice, and achieve rapid elimination of natural gas use; and 3) recommend policy and program alternatives that would accomplish these goals in a more timely manner. …

Analyzing The Restriction Of Mass Gatherings And School Closures/Reopening In China And Iran During The Covid-19 Pandemic With A Public Health Ethics Framework, Esther Luo

Public Health Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly elevated the status of public health. Concurrently, public health ethics has been brought to the forefront of the field and its practices in several ways. Over the past year, SARS-CoV-2 has affected nearly every country. In both high and low resource settings, policymakers turned to public health to ease the tension placed on health care systems by COVID-19. Governments implemented measures ranging from lockdown orders to mask mandates, all with the primary goal of curbing the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The effectiveness of these interventions has become a salient topic in public health research, and much …

Determinants For Approval And Reimbursement Of Orphan Products In China, Wenlan Mao

Public Health Theses

Rare disease definition varies among countries/regions. China has published The First National List of Rare Diseases, including 121 kinds of rare diseases in 2018. It was the first time that China has defined rare diseases officially. China has also started releasing a range of encouraging regulations regarding orphan drug development and approval in recent years. Nevertheless, the FDA has introduced Orphan Drug Act in the 1980s, Japan has launched a government-led support initiative in the 1990s, and the European Parliament has adopted the Orphan Regulation in 2000. Among the 121 rare diseases, 58 of them have approved treatments in the …

Co-Distribution Of Ambient Light At Night And Incidence Of Human Cancers And Covid-19, Yidan Meng

Public Health Theses

Introduction and BackgroundThere are increasing concerns about the effects of artificial lights on human health, including hormone-related disease and immune functions. In January 2020, the outbreak of COVID-19 disrupted everyone’s life, and people who infected have various severity. Thus, we want to analyze whether people exposed to different ambient light at night (LAN) levels make them more susceptible to COVID-19 for our summer research. Besides the effects of LAN on immune functions, we also discussed the association of LAN and multiple cancers in seven states of Northeastern U.S. We used similar statistical and geographic analysis methods and separate them into …

Impact Of Health Care Access On Delayed Or Missed Adolescent Vaccinations For Tdap, Meningococcal, And Hpv Vaccines Among U.S. Adolescents, Nis-Teen 2018, Maura Iko Nakahata

Public Health Theses

Background: Adolescent vaccination coverage varies considerably between Tdap, meningococcal, and HPV vaccines. While evidence suggests that health care access affects vaccination coverage, evidence does not explain whether access drives delayed or no vaccination. This study evaluates whether measures of health care access are associated with delayed vaccination or not being vaccinated by age 17 years for Tdap, meningococcal, and HPV vaccines when controlling for sociodemographic factors as proxies for vaccine hesitancy. The secondary objective assesses whether health care access measures had consistent associations across the different vaccines. Methods: Using current ACIP recommendations, ‘on-time’, ‘delayed’, and ‘missed’ status by age 17 …

Impact Of Covid-19 On Participants Of A Fruit And Vegetable Program, Christabelle Ong

Public Health Theses

Objective: To investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the participants of a multi-city fruit and vegetable incentive program.Design: A six-month cohort study was conducted. Pre-program and post-program data were collected using an online survey platform. Setting: Eight cities across the United States. Participants: A total of 822 individuals were recruited through local site partners to participate in a fruit and vegetable incentive program (n=822; 79.4% women, 20.6% men; median age: 57 years old). Intervention: Participants received $50 monthly fruit and vegetable vouchers, a sneaker gift card or gift basket, and access to a weight loss app. Main Outcome Measures: The …

The Role Of Histone Demethylase Kdm6a In Mouse Coronavirus Infection, Sonam Patel

Public Health Theses

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of acute respiratory coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a disease that erupted into a global pandemic in March of 2020.2 Recently, a genome wide CRISPR screen was performed on SARS-lineage coronaviruses and two additional recombinant viruses; the screen revealed host genes essential to coronavirus pathogenesis and entry.7 The screen identified KDM6A, a histone demethylase, as an important pro-viral gene.7 Building upon this observation, in this thesis, I explore the role of Kdm6a in murine hepatitis virus (MHV), a type of mouse coronavirus. MHV is the prototypical model for studying SARS-CoV-2 …