Digital Commons Network^™

Decreasing Incidence And Severity Of Behçet's Disease: A Changing Trend Inepidemiological Spectrum Possibly Associated With Oral Health, Gonca Mumcu, Fatma Ali̇baz Öner, Safi̇ye Atlas Tüli̇n Ergun, Rafi̇ Haner Di̇reskeneli̇

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic and inflammatory disorder that is mainly present along the ancient Silk Road, from the Mediterranean Sea to East Asia. A wide range of prevalence figures (0.1-420/100,000) have been reported for BD, also among Turkish populations of similar genetic background living in different countries. Recently, a decline in the incidence of BD and a change of the disease spectrum to less-severe manifestations have been reported from Japan and Korea, two genetically homogenous, affluent populations with limited immigration. It was hypothesized that a decline in infectious diseases, especially dental/periodontal infections, associated with the improvement in oral …

Clostridium Difficile In Asia: Opportunities For One Health Management, Deirdre A. Collins, Thomas V. Riley

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Clostridium difficile is a ubiquitous spore-forming bacterium which causes toxin-mediated diarrhoea and colitis in people whose gut microflora has been depleted by antimicrobial use, so it is a predominantly healthcare-associated disease. However, there are many One Health implications to C. difficile, given high colonisation rates in food production animals, contamination of outdoor environments by use of contaminated animal manure, increasing incidence of community-associated C. difficile infection (CDI), and demonstration of clonal groups of C. difficile shared between human clinical cases and food animals. In Asia, the epidemiology of CDI is not well understood given poor testing practices in many countries. …

Enhancing The Identification Of Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Lung Disease, Bryant England

Theses & Dissertations

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease that predisposes afflicted individuals to reduced quality of life, physical disability, and premature mortality. While joint involvement is the primary manifestation of RA, extra-articular features including lung disease are responsible for a significant portion of the excess mortality. In this dissertation I demonstrate the contribution of chronic lung diseases to premature mortality in RA, contrasting with the more widely recognized comorbidity in RA of cardiovascular disease. Then, I establish that a novel serum biomarker, anti-malondialdehyde-acetaldehyde adduct (MAA) antibody, is associated with the presence of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in RA subjects. Further …

Scientific, Methodological And Organizational Bases Of Management Of The Epidemic Process In Case Of Salmonellous Infection In Uzbekistan, Оmon М. Mirtazayev, Nikolay I. Briko, Gulbakhor S. Matnazarova, Nargiza S. Saidkasimova

Central Asian Journal of Medicine

In the last decade, the epidemiological characteristics of salmonellosis have changed, in particular, the incidence of human disease has increased, and salmonella infection of farm animals, birds and the environment has increased. The increasing epidemiological role of agricultural birds and industrial poultry products, the relationship between epizootic and epidemic processes require the restructuring of the existing system of epidemiological surveillance of salmonellosis under epizootic and epidemiological supervision. On the basis of the results of scientific research, epizoolic-epidemiological supervision of salmonellosis has been developed, in relation to the conditions of Uzbekistan.

Scientific, Methodological And Organizational Bases Of Management Of The Epidemic Process In Case Of Salmonellous Infection In Uzbekistan, Оmon М. Mirtazayev, Nikolay I. Briko, Gulbakhor S. Matnazarova, Nargiza S. Saidkasimova

Central Asian Journal of Medicine

In the last decade, the epidemiological characteristics of salmonellosis have changed, in particular, the incidence of human disease has increased, and salmonella infection of farm animals, birds and the environment has increased. The increasing epidemiological role of agricultural birds and industrial poultry products, the relationship between epizootic and epidemic processes require the restructuring of the existing system of epidemiological surveillance of salmonellosis under epizootic and epidemiological supervision. On the basis of the results of scientific research, epizoolic-epidemiological supervision of salmonellosis has been developed, in relation to the conditions of Uzbekistan.

Mosquito Diversity And Positive Pools For The West Nile Virus In Forested Versus Non-Forested Areas, Elizabeth C. Paul

Honors Projects

The West Nile virus (WNV) is one of the leading causes of mosquito borne illness in the United States (CDC, 2018). This virus is a neurotropic pathogen that can cause fever and encephalitis. It is known that the Culex species is the primary vector for WNV. Humans infected with the WNV are typically asymptomatic. There is a small portion of individuals that experience West Nile fever which could include symptoms like high fever, vision loss, and coma (CDC, 2018). Previous studies have shown that mosquitoes tend to favor forests and wetlands (Hay et al., 1998), however, it is unknown if …

Epidemiological Analysis Of Malaria Decrease In El Salvador From 1955 Until 2017, Tatiana I. Gardellini Guevara

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The disease of malaria is complex, with clinical presentation that ranges from severe and complicated to mild and uncomplicated or even to asymptomatic malaria. A recent effort made by several world organizations has shown important advances in the effort to control and eradicate malaria. Following the general ordinance established by the trans-border organizations, each country has tried to define, according to their local geopolitical scenario, individual ¨road maps¨ to succeed in reducing the morbidity and mortality caused by malaria. Moreover, it is now accepted universally that these road maps need to be revised and appropriated in order to correct actions …

Estimation Of Infectious Intestinal Disease Burden And Description Of The Infectious Disease Surveillance System In Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, Fatema Hamdan Saif Al Alkeem Al Zaabi

Dissertations

Introduction: Infectious disease (ID) is an ongoing problem worldwide. In order to manage this problem, it is important to have an integrated and effective surveillance system that can be used to estimate the burden of ID. There is a scarcity of studies published on the prevalence of IDs in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), both in hospital settings and in the community. Infectious Intestinal Disease (IIDs) have been one of the most commonest IDs that have been studied in the community around the world, there are no studies on the prevalence of IIDs in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK). Furthermore, while …

The Association Between Dietary Inflammatory Index (Dii) And Cancer Risk In Korea: A Prospective Cohort Study Within The Koges-Hexa Study, Injeong Ryu, Minji Kwon, Cheongmin Sohn, Nitin Shivappa, James R. Hébert, Woori Na, Mi Kyung Kim

Faculty Publications

Several epidemiological studies have shown that there are consistently positive associations between dietary inflammatory index (DII (R)) scores and cancer incidence in Western populations. However, few DII-cancer studies have been conducted in East Asian populations. In a large cohort representative of the general Korean population, we investigated whether the DII is associated with overall cancer risk. A total of 163,660 participants (56,781 males and 106,879 females) had evaluable data for analyses. This follow-up study was carried out over the course of 7.9 years. DII scores were calculated based on Semi-Quantitative Food-Frequency Questionnaire (SQ-FFQ) data for 106 food items. Cancers were …

Coccidioidomycosis: Medical And Spatio-Temporal Perspectives, Nikias Sarafoglou, Rafael Laniado-Laborin, Menas Kafatos

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Coccidioidomycosis (CM) is a disease of major public health importance due to the challenges in its diagnosis and treatment. To understand CM requires the attributes of a multidisciplinary network analysis to appreciate the complexity of the medical, the environmental and the social issues involved: public health, public policy, geology, atmospheric science, agronomy, social sciences and finally humanities, all which provide insight into this population transformation.

In section 1 of this paper, we describe the CM-epidemiology, the clinical features, the diagnosis and finally the treatment.

In section 2, we highlight the most important contributions and controversies in the history of the …

Closed-Form Probability Distribution Of Number Of Infections At A Given Time In A Stochastic Sis Epidemic Model, Olusegun M. Otunuga

Mathematics Faculty Research

We study the effects of external fluctuations in the transmission rate of certain diseases and how these affect the distribution of the number of infected individuals over time. To do this, we introduce random noise in the transmission rate in a deterministic SIS model and study how the number of infections changes over time. The objective of this work is to derive and analyze the closed form probability distribution of the number of infections at a given time in the resulting stochastic SIS epidemic model. Using the Fokker-Planck equation, we reduce the differential equation governing the number of infections to …

9th Annual Postdoctoral Science Symposium, University Of Texas Md Anderson Cancer Center Postdoctoral Association

Annual Postdoctoral Science Symposium Abstracts

The mission of the Annual Postdoctoral Science Symposium (APSS) is to provide a platform for talented postdoctoral fellows throughout the Texas Medical Center to present their work to a wider audience. The MD Anderson Postdoctoral Association convened its inaugural Annual Postdoctoral Science Symposium (APSS) on August 4, 2011.

The APSS provides a professional venue for postdoctoral scientists to develop, clarify, and refine their research as a result of formal reviews and critiques of faculty and other postdoctoral scientists. Additionally, attendees discuss current research on a broad range of subjects while promoting academic interactions and enrichment and developing new collaborations.

Factors Associated With Eosinophilic Esophagitis In Nevada, Julia Lorraine Anderson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a rare immune-mediated illness with symptoms that range from difficulty swallowing to food impaction of the esophagus. Most published studies have been documented among patients residing in cool regions with significant annual rainfall. No published studies to our knowledge have been performed examining the healthcare utilization trends of EoE in Nevada. Utilizing two unique databases, the factors associated with EoE healthcare utilization patterns in Nevada were examined. All analyses were performed in R version 3.5.1. This study included a demographic and regional analysis identifying risk factors associated with having an EoE healthcare visit in Nevada. Several …

Designing The Arriving Refugee Informatics Surveillance And Epidemiology (Arive) System: A Web-Based Electronic Database For Epidemiological Surveillance, William A. Mattingly, Ruth M. Carrico, Timothy L. Wiemken, Robert R. Kelley, Rebecca A. Ford, Rahel Bosson, Kimberley A. Buckner, Julio A. Ramirez

Journal of Refugee & Global Health

Objectives: We design and implement the Arriving Refugee Informatics surVeillance and Epidemiology (ARIVE) system to improve the health of refugees undergoing resettlement and enhance existing health surveillance networks.

Materials and Methods: Using the REDCap electronic data capture software as a basis we create a refugee health database incorporating data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Electronic Disease Notification (EDN) system and domestic screening data from refugee health care providers.

Results: Domestic screening and EDN refugee health data have been integrated for 13,824 refugees resettled from 35 different countries into the state of Kentucky from the years 2013-2016.

Discussion: …

Epilepsy Diagnosis And Management Of Children In Kenya: Review Of Current Literature, Pauline Samia, Jane Hassell, Jessica-Anne Hudson, Symon M. Kariuki, Charles R. Newton, Jo M. Wilmshurst

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Introduction: The growing impact of non-communicable diseases in low- to middle-income countries makes epilepsy a key research priority. We evaluated peer-reviewed published literature on childhood epilepsy specific to Kenya to identify knowledge gaps and inform future priorities.

Methodology: A literature search utilizing the terms “epilepsy” OR “seizure” as exploded subject headings AND “Kenya” was conducted. Relevant databases were searched, generating 908 articles. After initial screening to remove duplications, irrelevant articles, and publications older than 15 years, 154 papers remained for full-article review, which identified 35 publications containing relevant information. Data were extracted from these reports on epidemiology, etiology, clinical features, …

Liver Cancer: A Leading Cause Of Cancer Death In The United States And The Role Of The 1945–1965 Birth Cohort By Ethnicity, Paulo S. Pinheiro, Karen E. Callahan, Patricia D. Jones, Cyllene Morris, Justine M. Ransdell, Deukwoo Kwon, Clyde Perry Brown, Erin N. Kobetz

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

No abstract provided.

Evolutionary Dynamics Of Influenza Type B In The Presence Of Vaccination: An Ecological Study, Lindsey J. Fiedler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the evolutionary dynamics of influenza type B in human hosts is a public health concern as we strive to minimize the disease burden in seasonal epidemics. Vaccination is considered the best defense against contracting influenza, and everyone over the age of 6 months is advised to get vaccinated before each season. The effect that vaccine-acquired immunity has on the evolution of influenza B remains unclear. In the U.S., vaccine-uptake is irregular across the states, and the differing coverages present an opportunity to study how vaccination influences viral evolution. This thesis analyzes the evolutionary patterns of influenza B in the …

Advancing Measurement And Monitoring Of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn And Child Health And Nutrition: Global And Country Perspectives, Tanya Marchant, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Robert Black, John Grove, Catherine Kyobutungi, Stefan Peterson

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

No abstract provided.

Toxicity Of Kadsura Coccinea (Lem.) A. C. Sm. Essential Oil To The Bed Bug, Cimex Lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), Junaid U. Rehman, Mei Wang, Yupei Yang, Yongbei Liu, Bin Li, Yan Qin, Wei Wang, Amar G. Chittiboyina, Ikhlas A. Khan

Faculty and Student Publications

Copyright © 2019 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved. We sought to define trends in and predictors of carbapenem consumption across community, teaching, and university-affiliated hospitals in the United States and Canada. We conducted a retrospective multicenter survey of carbapenem and broad-spectrum noncarbapenem beta-lactam consumption between January 2011 and December 2013. Consumption was tabulated as defined daily doses (DDD) or as days of therapy (DOT) per 1,000 patient days (PD). Multivariate mixed-effects models were explored, and final model goodness of fit was assessed by regressions of observed versus predicted values and residual distributions. A total of 20 acute-care hospitals …

Ebola: Impact Of Hospital's Admission Policy In An Overwhelmed Scenario, Mondal H. Zahid

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Pair Formation Disease Models With A Two Phase Infection, Berlinda Rosa Batista

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Public Health Policy: An Ethical Analysis Of Quarantine, Dina Alqahtani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As a public health measure quarantine has both historical and contemporary significance both in the United States and abroad. On the surface it represents a low-cost, low-tech way in which the spread of disease can be mitigated as its core requirement is that those who may have been exposed to an infectious agent are kept away from those who have not been exposed to that agent for enough time to determine whether or not infection has been spread. This has been utilized for centuries with both limited questions and scattered, inconsistent, or impossible to achieve oversight and goals. In understanding …

Polydrug Use Among People Who Use Opioids, National Survey On Drug Use And Health 2002 To 2017., Diana Kuo Stojda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Mortality due to overdose has been increasing since 2010 in the U.S., with an increase in the reported use of heroin and co-use of heroin and prescription opioids. Trends and correlates of polydrug use need to be analyzed to propose policies to reduce overdose risk. The overall objective of this study is to characterize high-risk polydrug groups among people who use opioids (PWUO) to understand the patterns of co-used substances and overdose risk factors. Methods: Publicly available data from the 2002-2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health were analyzed to obtain weighted prevalence rates and trends …

Evolutionary And Genomic Insights Into Clostridioides Difficile Sequence Type 11: A Diverse Zoonotic And Antimicrobial-Resistant Lineage Of Global One Health Importance, Daniel R. Knight, Brian Kullin, Grace O. Androga, Frederic Barbut, Catherine Eckert, Stuart Johnson, Patrizia Spigaglia, Kazuhiro Tateda, Pei-Jane Tsai, Thomas V. Riley

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Clostridioides difficile (Clostridium difficile) sequence type 11 (ST11) is well established in production animal populations worldwide and contributes considerably to the global burden of C. difficile infection (CDI) in humans. Increasing evidence of shared ancestry and genetic overlap of PCR ribotype 078 (RT078), the most common ST11 sublineage, between human and animal populations suggests that CDI may be a zoonosis. We performed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) on a collection of 207 ST11 and closely related ST258 isolates of human and veterinary/environmental origin, comprising 16 RTs collected from Australia, Asia, Europe, and North America. Core genome single nucleotide variant (SNV) analysis identified …

Bat Coronaviruses In China, Yi Fan, Kai Zhao, Zheng-Li Shi

KIP Articles

During the past two decades, three zoonotic coronaviruses have been identified as the cause of large-scale disease outbreaks–Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and Swine Acute Diarrhea Syndrome (SADS). SARS and MERS emerged in 2003 and 2012, respectively, and caused a worldwide pandemic that claimed thousands of human lives, while SADS struck the swine industry in 2017. They have common characteristics, such as they are all highly pathogenic to humans or livestock, their agents originated from bats, and two of them originated in China. Thus, it is highly likely that future SARS- or MERS-like coronavirus outbreaks …

Retracted: The Epidemiology Of Stroke In A Developing Country (Pakistan), M Ishaq Khan, Junaid I. Khan, Sheikh I. Ahmed, Sajjad Ali

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

Retraction Notice

Khan MI, Khan JI, Ahmed SI, Ali S. The epidemiology of stroke in a developing country (Pakistan).

Pak J Neurol Sci. 2018;13(3):30-44.

A reader brought to our attention that the article titled “The epidemiology of stroke in a developing country (Pakistan)”, published in Volume 13, Issue 3, of Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS) was a redundant (duplicate) publication. We investigated this complaint and found out that prior to its submission to PJNS on February 11 2018, this article had already been published almost verbatim in Journal of Neurology & Stroke on January 23, 2018.

Reference of the …

Rigorous Analysis Of An Edge-Based Network Disease Model, Sabrina Mai

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Edge-based network disease models, in comparison to classic compartmental epidemiological models, better capture social factors affecting disease spread such as contact duration and social heterogeneity. We reason that there should exist infinitely many equilibria rather than only an endemic equilibrium and a disease-free equilibrium for the edge-based network disease model commonly used in the literature, as there do not exist any changes in demographic in the model. We modify the commonly used network model by relaxing some assumed conditions and factor in a dependency on initial conditions. We find that this modification still accounts for realistic dynamics of disease spread …

A Conflictive Triuvirate Consruct Of Epidemiologic Systems Failure, Ngozi Lois Ulinwa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Epidemiologic systems failure (ESF) is a major hurdle in minimizing the spread of infectious diseases during outbreaks. The reasons for ESF include the technical limitation of personnel handling epidemic crises, strictly defined health policies that limit the actions of epidemiologists, and personal perspective's reservations towards the intentions of health agencies. The purpose of this triumvirate mixed-methods case study was to examine factors of infectious disease control mechanisms useful for determining ESF. Three juxtaposed pre-emptive factors (technical [T], organizational [O], and personal [P] perspectives were used to determine how the multiple perspectives inquiring systems and fuzzy logic revealed factors causing ESF …

Diagnosis Of Schistosoma Mansoni Infections: What Are The Choices In Brazilian Low-Endemic Areas?, Vanessa Silva-Moraes, Lisa M. Shollenberger, Liliane Maria Vidal Siqueira, William Castro-Borges, Donald A. Harn, Rafaella Fortini Queiroz E. Grenfell, Ana Lucia Teles Rabello, Paulo Marcos Zech Coelho

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The population of Brazil is currently characterised by many individuals harbouring low-intensity Schistosoma mansoni infections. The Kato-Katz technique is the diagnostic method recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to assess these infections, but this method is not sensitive enough in the context of low egg excretion. In this regard, potential alternatives are being employed to overcome the limits of the Kato-Katz technique. In the present review, we evaluated the performance of parasitological and immunological approaches adopted in Brazilian areas. Currently, the diagnostic choices involve a combination of strategies, including the utilisation of antibody methods to screen individuals and then …

Evaluation By Geospatial And Spatiotemporal Distribution Of Tularemia Cases In Arkansas, Toni Kathleen Beavers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Tularemia is a vector-borne disease of global concern with diverse regional foci. Arkansas is an endemic state with differences in case distribution and land suitability supporting host and vector sustainment. The aim of this study was to conduct a geospatial and spatiotemporal assessment of factors associated with case distribution and timeliness and completeness of public reporting. Guided with direction from spatial epidemiology and nidality, referring to the association of ecology, climate, and proximity of disease, analysis included secondary data collected from the Arkansas Department of Health between 1995 and 2018. Using Poisson-based software, 2 clusters were found: a high-risk cluster …