Digital Commons Network^™

Host Preference Profile In An Area Of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (Eee) Virus Transmission In Alabama, Ana Lucia Oliveira

All ETDs from UAB

osteoporosis susceptibility, perceived osteoporosis severity, perceived barriers to

Maternal Age At Birth And Childhood Type 1 Diabetes: A Pooled Analysis Of 30 Observational Studies, Chris R. Cardwell, Lars C. Stene, Geir Joner, Max K. Bulsara, Ondrej Cinek, Joachim Rosenbauer, Johnny Ludvigsson, Mireia Jané, Jannet Svensson, Michael J. Goldacre, Thomas Waldhoer, Przamyslawa Jarosz-Chobot, Suely Ga Gimeno, Lee-Ming Chuang, Roger C. Parslow, Emma Jk Wadsworth, Amanda Chetwynd, Paolo Pozzilli, Girts Brigis, Brone Urbonaitė, Sandra Sipetic, Edith Schober, Gabriele Devoti, Constantin Ionescu-Tirgoviste, Carine E. De Beaufort, Denka Stoyanov, Karsten Buschard, Chris C. Patterson

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Objective: To investigate whether children born to older mothers have an increased risk of type 1 diabetes by performing a meta-analysis using individual patient data to adjust for recognised confounders.

Research design and methods: Relevant studies published before June 2009 were identified from MEDLINE, Web of Science and EMBASE. Authors of studies were contacted and asked to provide individual patient data or conduct pre-specified analyses. Risk estimates of type 1 diabetes by category of maternal age were calculated for each included study, before and after adjustment for potential confounders. Meta-analysis techniques were used to derive combined odds ratios, and investigate …

Molecular Dynamics Of Adenovirus Type 3 And 7 Infections In Military And Civilian Populations In The United States, Laura M. Dickson

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Human adenoviruses (HAdV) are major causative agents of acute respiratory disease (ARD) worldwide. Military recruits and children are two of the populations most susceptible to HAdV infection in the United States. Infections by species B serotypes, including HAdV-3 and HAdV-7, are often associated with some of the most severe clinical manifestations of respiratory disease. In 1996, the production of the HAdV vaccine that was administered to US military recruits was discontinued. Since then, HAdV-associated ARD has reemerged in military training facilities nationwide compromising readiness and deployability of troops and causing significant financial burden to the Department of Defense (DoD). The …

A Review Of The Lethal Spiny Lobster Virus Pav1 - Ten Years After Its Discovery, Donald C. Behringer, Mark J. Butler Iv, Jeffrey D. Shields

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

In 1999, we discovered that juvenile Caribbean spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus) in the Florida Keys were infected with PaV1 (Panulirus argus virus 1), the first naturally occurring pathogenic virus reported from lobsters. The virus profoundly affects their biology and ecology. PaV1 is probably wide-spread in the Caribbean with confirmed infections from the United States (Florida), St Croix, Mexico, and Belize; and anecdotal reports from the Bahamas and Cuba. Mean prevalence in the Florida Keys has been stable since 1999 (5 - 8%), but has risen from 2.7% to 10.9% in Mexico (Puerto Morelos), the only other country where …

Gangguan Akibat Kekurangan Iodium Di Indonesia: Tinjauan Epidemiologis Dan Kebijakan Kesehatan, Laurentius Aswin Pramono

Kesmas

Gangguan Akibat Kekurangan Iodium (GAKI) merupakan penyebab retardasi mental terbesar di seluruh dunia yang dapat dicegah. Dewasa ini, GAKI masih merupakan masalah kesehatan masyarakat yang penting di Indonesia karena belum mampu mencapai kondisi eliminasi seperti yang diharapkan. Hasil survei tahun 2003 dan Riskesdas 2007 menunjukkan bahwa pencapaian program penanggulangan GAKI di Indonesia masih jauh dari target Universal Salt Iodization dan Indonesia Sehat 2010. Artikel ini bertujuan mengevaluasi berbagai eviden epidemiologi yang berhubungan dengan kebijakan GAKI di Indonesia. Pada masa mendatang, berbagai komitmen lintas sektoral sangat diperlukan bagi pencapaian kondisi eliminasi GAKI. Perhatian klinisi dan ahli epidemiologi terhadap permasalahan GAKI di …

Evaluation And Comparison Of Immunchromatography And Immunofluorescent Techniques In Diagnosis And Epidemiological Studies In Iraqi Kala-Azar., Mohammed F. Al-Timmimi, Sami Y. Guirges, Abdul Rahman A. Al-Tae

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Infantile kala-azar is an endemic protozoal disease prevalent among children in Iraq. A rapid diagnostic laboratory tests are required for immediate treatment. OBJECTIVE: A prospective study was conducted in two pediatric hospitals in Baghdad during the period from Oct. 2005 to Sept. 2006 to evaluate the efficiency of immunochromatography strip test (IC) with rK39 antigen compared to indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) for serodiagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) to investigate its use for epidemiological studies in Iraqi kala-azar. PATIENTSAND METHODS: The study included 54 proved cases for Leishmania donovani (L.D.) bodies in bone marrow, 108 clinically diagnosed cases, …

The Epidemiology Of Microsporidias In Humans (Malatya Sample), Ülkü Karaman, Ni̇lgün Daldal, Meti̇n Atambay, Cemi̇l Çolak

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Aim: Microsporidias, first isolated and defined in 1857, are obligate intracellular parasites observed in animal groups and especially invertebrates. Generally homosexual patients and patients who are HIV positive and immune suppressed constitute the participants of international studies about the epidemiology of microsporidias. No previous studies about the prevalence of the parasite in Turkey have been found in the literature. This study aimed to determine the epidemiology of microsporidias in and around Malatya. Materials and Methods: Feces samples (n: 2665) from patients who presented at İnönü University Medical Faculty policlinics in 2006 with some digestive system complaints and were referred to …

Epidemiological Risk Factors For Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Patients, Ayten Kadanali, Serpi̇l Erol, Zülal Özkurt, Kemaletti̇n Özden

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiological risk factors for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) patients admitted to our hospitals between January 2004- December 2006. Materials and methods: This was a study of 63 CCHF patients whose definitive diagnosis was based on the detection of CCHF virus-specific IgM by ELISA and/or of genomic segments of the CCHF virus by real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and 50 healthy controls. Related data were collected prospectively. Results: Twenty-two (50.8%) of the patients were female, and 31 of them (49.2%) were male. The mean age of the patients was 46 …

Obesity And Spatial Context In Appalachia, Roberta J. Alt

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The prevalence of obesity has increased substantially over the past 30 years. Obesity is a multi-factorial disorder, which is often associated with many other significant diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases, osteoarthritis and certain cancers. For these reasons, it is a complex health issue to address. The objective of this study is to identify the factors which are responsible for the spatial variation of adult obesity throughout the Appalachian region. In addition, preliminary examinations are made to identify potential associations between geographic variability in the prevalence of obesity and the characteristics of individuals and places with variable …

Gastric Cancer Among American Indians And Alaska Natives In The United States, 1999–2004, Charles Wiggins, David G. Perdue, Jeffrey A. Henderson, Michael G. Bruce, Anne P. Lanier, Janet J. Kelly, Brenda F. Seals, David K. Espey

United States Public Health Resources

BACKGROUND. Gastric cancer incidence rates for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) historically have exceeded those for non-Hispanic whites (NHWs). Previous reports may have underestimated the true burden of gastric cancer in AI/AN populations because of misclassification of AI/AN race in cancer registries.

METHODS. Population-based cancer registry data from 1999 through 2004 were used to describe gastric cancer incidence in AI/ANs and NHWs in the US. To address misclassification of race, registry data were linked with Indian Health Service administrative records, and analyses were restricted to residents of Contract Health Service Delivery Areas (CHSDA). Disease patterns were assessed …

Human Dispersal Of Trichinella Spiralis In Domesticated Pigs, Benjamin Rosenthal, Giuseppe Larosa, Dante Zarlenga, Detiger Dunams, Yao Chunyu, Liu Mingyuan, Edoardo Pozio

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

To investigate the human impact on the evolutionary ecology of animal pathogens, we compared genetic diversity of severe foodborne parasites contracted by eating infected pork or wild game. In particular, we characterized Trichinella spp. from twenty-eight countries and four continents by genotyping nine microsatellite loci and sequencing one-fifth of the mitochondrial genome. All specimens of Trichinella spiralis, a swine parasite that can infect many species of wildlife, were remarkably uniform across Europe, North Africa, and the Americas. Far greater diversity characterized a comparable sample of Trichinella britovi, which parasitizes various sylvatic mammals endemic to Eurasia and North-Western Africa. A limited …

Ear, Nose And Throat (E.N.T) Diseases In Children: Patterns And Risk Factors., Mahmood Dhahir Al-Mendalawi

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Ear, nose, and throat (E.N.T) diseases are common in children. Early diagnosis and proper management are essential to ensure adequate growth and development. OBJECTIVE: To determine patterns of E.N.T diseases in children and define risk factors affecting them. METHODS: A Cross- sectional study of 264 children under the age of 12 years attended E.N.T clinic/ Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital/ Baghdad from the period of 1/10/2006 to 28/2/2007. We analyzed the following data: age, gender, residence, family size, socio-economic status, parental educational level, family history of atopy, presence of smoking, state of vaccination, presence of anemia or any concomitant chronic …

Development Of An Ecological Model To Predict Risk For Acquisition Of Clostridium Difficile-Associated Diarrhea During Acute Care Hospitalization, Susan Elaine Steele

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: The traditional model of infection control has failed to stop the spread of emerging infectious diseases such as Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) in the acute care environment. Ecological models, which rely upon identification of susceptible hosts, offer an alternative to the prevention of deadly outbreaks. Previous epidemiological research has identified a number of risk factors associated with CDAD. Utilization of this body of research by nurses is limited due to methodological issues that introduce bias and confounding, and use of variables that have limited meaning to the practicing clinical nurse.

Aim: The aim of this study was to …

Modeling Transmission Dynamics Of Tuberculosis Including Various Latent Periods, Tracy Atkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The systems of equations created by Blower et al. (1995) and Jia et al. (2007) designed to model the dynamics of Tuberculosis are solved using the computer software SIMULINK. The results are first employed to examine the intrinsic transmission dynamics of the disease through two models developed by Blower et al. (1995). The "simple transmission model" was used primarily to give insight to the behavior of the susceptible, latent, and infectious groups of individuals. Then, we consider a more detailed transmission model which includes several additional factors. This model captures the dynamics of not only the susceptible, latent and infectious …

Malaria: Disease Impacts And Long-Run Income Differences, Douglas Gollin, Christian Zimmermann

Economics Working Papers

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that malaria, a parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitoes, causes over 300 million episodes of "acute illness" and more than one million deaths annually. Most of the deaths occur in poor countries of the tropics, and especially sub-Saharan Africa. Some researchers have suggested that ecological differences associated with malaria prevalence are perhaps the most important reason why some countries today are rich and others poor. This paper explores the question in an explicit dynamic general equilibrium framework, using a calibrated model that incorporates epidemiological features into a standard general equilibrium framework.

Social Pathogenic Sources Of Poor Community Health, Hayden Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States currently provides a health care system that is neither efficient nor equitable. Despite outspending the world on health care, over three-fourths of developed countries produce better health outcomes (Auerbach et al., 2000). Simultaneously, the "Ecological School of Thought" has documented the large impact that social, economic, and environmental circumstances play in health outcomes. Unfortunately, these 'ecological" studies are frequently conducted without theoretical justification, and rely solely on a cross-sectional research design and a myriad of unrelated variables. This study represents an important step towards the development of a true theory of "ecology". More specifically, we argue that …

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.

An Sveir Model For Assessing Potential Impact Of An Imperfect Anti-Sars Vaccine, Abba B. Gumel, C. Connell Mccluskey, James Watmough

Mathematics Faculty Publications

The control of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a fatal contagious viral disease that spread to over 32 countries in 2003, was based on quarantine of latently infected individuals and isolation of individuals with clinical symptoms of SARS. Owing to the recent ongoing clinical trials of some candidate anti-SARS vaccines, this study aims to assess, via mathematical modelling, the potential impact of a SARS vaccine, assumed to be imperfect, in curtailing future outbreaks. A relatively simple deterministic model is designed for this purpose. It is shown, using Lyapunov function theory and the theory of compound matrices, that the dynamics of …

Jmasm23: Cluster Analysis In Epidemiological Data (Matlab), Andrés M. Alonso

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

Matlab functions for testing the existence of time, space and time-space clusters of disease occurrences are presented. The classical scan test, the Ederer, Myers and Mantel’s test, the Ohno, Aoki and Aoki’s test, and the Knox’s test are considered.

Acquisition And Retention Of Bacterial Spores (Bacillus Atrophaeus) By Eight Insect Species, Kieron Marie Torres

Theses and Dissertations

Acquisition and retention of spores of an anthrax surrogate, Bacillus atrophaeus Nakamura ("BG") were evaluated in eight insect species. Species included: house cricket (Acheta domesticus L.), German cockroach (Blatella germanica L.), common house fly (Musca domestics L.), blue bottle fly (Calliphora vomitoria L.), hairy rove beetle Creophilus maxillosus L.), yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.), common paper wasps (Polistes exclamans exclamans Viereck), red paper wasps (Polistes Carolina L.), red harvester ant (Pogonymyrmex barbatus Smith). Individual insects were offered BG-treated food and sacrificed at specified time intervals following one, two or three meals. Resulting samples were surface-washed five consecutive times then homogenized …

Drug Resistant Patterns Of Invasive Streptococcus Pneumoniae Infections In The State Of Florida In 2003, Michael T. Drennon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major bacterial pathogen which causes pneumoniae, meningitis, otitis media, and bacteremia. Currently there are two vaccines available, Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPV) for adults and the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) for children. The PCV vaccine was developed in 2000 specifically for children and infants due to the ineffectiveness of the PPV vaccine in children. This is a cross sectional study of invasive S. pneumoniae in Florida during 2003. This study is designed to determine the population characteristics, clinically relevant antibiotic resistance patterns and specific risk factors for development of antibiotic resistance of invasive S. pneumoniae. Participants for …

The Effect Of The Hiv/Aids Epidemic On Africa's Truck Drivers, Christopher Kribs, Melanie Lee, Christine Roman, Shari Wiley, Carlos M. Hernandez-Suarez

Mathematics Faculty Publications - Archive

The AIDS epidemic is having a growing impact on the transport sector of the economy of sub-Saharan Africa, where long-distance truck drivers are at an increased risk of infection due to their frequent contacts with com- mercial sex workers. The spread of AIDS in the transport industry is especially signi¯cant to the economy, as truck drivers are largely responsible for trans- porting crops and supplies needed for daily subsistence. In this paper we analyze these e®ects via two models, one employing a switch and the other a Verhulst saturation function, to describe the rate at which new drivers are recruited …

Tuberculosis In Hiv/Aids Patients: A Malaysian Experience, V. Nissapatorn, I. Kuppusamy, B.L.H. Sim, K.F. Quek, A. Khairul Anuar

Research Publications (2000 to 2005)

This retrospective study was conducted at the National Tuberculosis Center (NTBC) where 252 HIV-positive patients coexisting with tuberculosis (TB/HIV) were examined. We found that patients with pulmonary (PTB) and extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPT) had similar mean age. A higher sex ratio between male to female (10.7:1) was observed in patients with PTB. The other characteristics of patients with pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis were not statistically different from each other. Cough (88) and hemoptysis were the most common presenting symptoms, significantly related to patients with PTB. Lymphadenopathy (33.5) was the most common sign in patients with EPT. The majority of patients with …

Seasonal Analyses Of Air Pollution And Mortality In 100 U.S. Cities, Roger D. Peng, Francesca Dominici, Roberto Pastor-Barriuso, Scott L. Zeger, Jonathan M. Samet

Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Biostatistics Working Papers

Time series models relating short-term changes in air pollution levels to daily mortality counts typically assume that the effects of air pollution on the log relative rate of mortality do not vary with time. However, these short-term effects might plausibly vary by season. Changes in the sources of air pollution and meteorology can result in changes in characteristics of the air pollution mixture across seasons. The authors develop Bayesian semi-parametric hierarchical models for estimating time-varying effects of pollution on mortality in multi-site time series studies. The methods are applied to the updated National Morbidity and Mortality Air Pollution Study database …

Comida Sin Frijoles No Es Comida: Evaluation Of A Type 2 Diabetes Education Program For Latinos, Danielle R. O'Connor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes an internship for the Department of Anthropology that was part of the Florida Health Literacy Study (FHLS) conducted at the University of South Florida College of Public Health, Department of Community and Family Health in the spring and summer of 2003. The FHLS implemented Pfizer Inc.'s For Your Health program, a type 2 diabetes and hypertension education programs, at 14 community health clinics across the state of Florida. The internship was designed to elicit the experiences of 10 bilingual health educators about their experiences and their perceptions of the experiences of their Latino patients with type 2 …

Bioterrorism Syndromic Surveillance: A Dual-Use Approach With Direct Application To The Detection Of Infectious Disease Outbreaks, Kristin Broome Uhde

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The threat of bioterrorism forces the public health infrastructure to focus attention on overall issues related to challenges posed by emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. There is a crucial need to strengthen existing surveillance systems and to validate real-time approaches to surveillance that can provide timely alerts of epidemics whether they occur naturally or through a bioterrorism attack. The purpose of this study is to implement and evaluate a bioterrorism syndromic surveillance system called BioDefend™, to determine if the system could detect a potential epidemic/bioterrorism attack within 24-36 hours, more rapidly than it would be identified by routine health surveillance. …

The Ascendancy Of Amblyomma Americanum As A Vector Of Pathogens Affecting Humans In The United States, James E. Childs, Christopher D. Paddock

United States Public Health Resources

Until the 1990s, Amblyomma americanum was regarded primarily as a nuisance species, but a tick of minor importance as a vector of zoonotic pathogens affecting humans. With the recent discoveries of Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Ehrlichia ewingii, and “Borrelia lonestari,” the public health relevance of lone star ticks is no longer in question. During the next 25 years, the number of cases of human disease caused by A. americanum-associated pathogens will probably increase. Based on current trajectories and historic precedents, the increase will be primarily driven by biological and environmental factors that alter the geographic distribution and intensity of …

Epidemiology Of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli Infections In Connecticut, Quyen Nha Phan

UCHC Graduate School Masters Theses 2003 - 2010

No abstract provided.

Integronlike Structures In Campylobacter Spp. Of Human And Animal Origin, Brigid Lucey, D. Crowley, P. Moloney, B. Cryan, M. Daly, F. O'Halloran, E. J. Threlfall, S. Fanning

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Resistance to antimicrobial agents used to treat severe Campylobacter spp. gastroenteritis is increasing worldwide. We assessed the antimicrobial resistance patterns of Campylobacter spp. isolates of human and animal origin. More than half (n = 32) were resistant to sulphonamide, a feature known to be associated with the presence of integrons. Analysis of these integrons will further our understanding of Campylobacter spp. epidemiology.

Is Malnutrition Declining? An Analysis Of Changes In Levels Of Childhood Malnutrition Since 1980, Mercedes De Onis, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Monika Blo¨ Ssner

Faculty Publications

Nutritional status is the best global indicator of well-being in children. Although many surveys of children have been conducted since the 1970s, lack of comparability between them has made it difficult to monitor trends in child malnutrition.

Cross-sectional data from 241 nationally representative surveys were analysed in a standard way to produce comparable results of low height-for-age (stunting). Multilevel modelling was applied to estimate regional and global trends from 1980 to 2005.

The prevalence of stunting has fallen in developing countries from 47% in 1980 to 33% in 2000 (i.e. by 40 million), although progress has been uneven according to …