Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Improving Patient Care Outcomes To Reduce Recurrent Admissions Of Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Lisa Maria Friedrich

Seton Hall University DNP Final Projects

Purpose:Transitional care is time-limited, with the goal of ensuring safety and health continuity for at-risk patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as they move from one setting to the next. An acute care episode of COPD ranges from relatively healthy adults to adults with multiple chronic conditions or those in the end-of-life phase. The primary quality concern of an urgent need to improve health care is in response to the gaps of sufficient experience to manage patients with COPD, leading to hospital readmissions. Implementation of standards of care for the improvement of health-related quality of life (HRQL) of COPD …

Impact Of Executive Order 13211 On Environmental Regulation: An Empirical Study, Elizabeth Ann Glass Geltman

Publications and Research

A great deal has been written about the Energy Policy Act of 2005 exempting oil and gas operations using hydraulic fracturing from the purview of certain federal environmental laws. Far less attention has been paid to George W. Bush’s Executive Order 13211 (EO 13211), entitled “Actions Concerning Regulations that Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution or Use.” The executive order requires federal agencies to evaluate the impact of federal regulations on “supply, distribution and use of energy.” This study examined the impact of EO 13211 on United States environmental and conservation regulations proposed and promulgated by federal agencies. The study found …

The Impact Of The 2008 Financial Crisis On Food Security And Food Expenditures In Mexico: A Disproportionate Effect On The Vulnerable, Mireya Vilar-Compte, Sebastian Sandoval-Olascoaga, Ana Bernal-Stuart, Sandhya Shimoga, Arturo Vargas-Bustamante

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Objective The present paper investigated the impact of the 2008 financial crisis on food security in Mexico and how it disproportionally affected vulnerable households. Design A generalized ordered logistic regression was estimated to assess the impact of the crisis on households' food security status. An ordinary least squares and a quantile regression were estimated to evaluate the effect of the financial crisis on a continuous proxy measure of food security defined as the share of a household's current income devoted to food expenditures. Setting Both analyses were performed using pooled cross-sectional data from the Mexican National Household Income and Expenditure …

High Prevalence And Genetic Heterogeneity Of Rodent-Borne Bartonella Species On Heixiazi Island, China, Dong-Mei Li, Yong Hou, Xiu-Ping Song, Ying-Qun Fu, Gui-Chang Li, Ming Li, Marina E. Eremeeva, Hai-Xia Wu, Bo Pang, Yu-Juan Yue, Ying Huang, Liang Lu, Jun Wang, Qi-Yong Liu

Environmental Health Sciences Faculty Publications

We performed genetic analysis of Bartonella isolates from rodent populations from Heixiazi Island in northeast China. Animals were captured at four sites representing grassland and brushwood habitats in 2011 and examined for the prevalence and genetic diversity of Bartonella species, their relationship to their hosts, and geographic distribution. A high prevalence (57.7%) and a high diversity (14 unique genotypes which belonged to 8 clades) of Bartonella spp. were detected from 71 rodents comprising 5 species and 4 genera from 3 rodent families. Forty-one Bartonella isolates were recovered and identified, including B. taylorii, B. japonica, B. coopersplainsensis, B. grahamii, B. washoensis …

Prenatal Exposure To Perfluoroalkyl Acids And Serum Testosterone Concentrations At 15 Years Of Age In Female Alspac Study Participants, Mildred Maisonet, Antonia M. Calafat, Michele Marcus, Jouni J.K. Jaakkola, Hany Lashen

ETSU Faculty Works

Background: Exposure to perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) or to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) increases mouse and human peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor alpha (PPARα) subtype activity, which influences lipid metabolism. Because cholesterol is the substrate from which testosterone is synthesized, exposure to these substances has the potential to alter testosterone concentrations.

Objectives: We explored associations of total testosterone and sex hormone–binding globulin (SHBG) concentrations at age 15 years with prenatal exposures to PFOS, PFOA, perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluoronanoic acid (PFNA) in females.

Methods: Prenatal concentrations of the perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) were measured in serum collected from pregnant mothers at enrollment (1991–1992) …

Associations Of Perfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfass) With Lower Birth Weight: An Evaluation Of Potential Confounding By Glomerular Filtration Rate Using A Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model (Pbpk), Marc-André Verner, Anne E. Loccisano, Nils-Halvdan Morken, Miyoung Yoon, Huali Wu, Robin Mcdougall, Mildred Maisonet, Michele Marcus, Reiko Kishi, Chihiro Miyashita, Mei-Huei Chen, Wu-Shiun Hsieh, Melvin E. Andersen, Harvey J. Clewell Iii, Matthew P. Longnecker

ETSU Faculty Works

Background: Prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has been associated with lower birth weight in epidemiologic studies. This association could be attributable to glomerular filtration rate (GFR), which is related to PFAS concentration and birth weight.

Objectives: We used a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model of pregnancy to assess how much of the PFAS–birth weight association observed in epidemiologic studies might be attributable to GFR.

Methods: We modified a PBPK model to reflect the association of GFR with birth weight (estimated from three studies of GFR and birth weight) and used it to simulate PFAS concentrations in maternal and cord …

Lead Exposure In Children Through Water And Soil, Sravya Maru

Environmental Management & Risk Assessment (PH 560)

Lead is a metal which has the ability to spread in the earth’s crust and has corrosive property. It is a naturally occurring metal which is soft in nature. Lead exposure in children is through various pathways and the major concentrated sources are the soil and drinking water. Children are most susceptible to lead exposure is due to their growing/developing bodies which are very sensitive to lead. Lead poisoning in children is a preventable environmental disease affecting many children around the world. This paper discusses how soil and water plays a major role in lead exposure to children’s routine life. …

Leisure-Time Physical Activity, Falls, And Fall Injuries In Middle-Aged Adults., Alberto J. Caban-Martinez, Theodore K. Courtney, Wen-Ruey Chang, David A. Lombardi, Melissa J. Perry, Jeffrey N. Katz, David C. Christiani, Santosh K. Verma

Environmental and Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Introduction

Although exercise and strength training have been shown to be protective against falls in older adults (aged 65 years and older), evidence for the role of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) in the prevention of falls and resulting injuries in middle-aged adults (aged 45–64 years) is lacking. In the present study, we investigate the association between self-reported engagement in LTPA and the frequency of falls and fall-related injuries among middle-aged and older adults, while controlling for key sociodemographic and health characteristics.

Methods

Nationally representative data from the 2010 U.S. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey were analyzed in April 2014 to …

Editorial: Leading People - Managing Organizations: Contemporary Public Health Leadership, James W. Holsinger Jr., Erik L. Carlton, Emmanuel D. Jadhav

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Effectively leading people engaged in the practice of public health has never been more critical than in the early years of the twenty-first century. Likewise, effectively managing the organizations in which these individuals practice the various professional disciplines of public health has become increasing important and difficult. Taken together, leading the people and managing public health organizations requires well educated and appropriately trained public health leaders and managers. Although leadership is often viewed as one of the key attributes of management, not every great manager will be a great leader and vice versa. While some leaders may be born with …

Associations Among Human-Associated Fecal Contamination, Microcystis Aeruginosa, And Microcystin At Lake Erie Beaches, Cheonghoon Lee, Jason Marion, Melissa Cheung, Jiyoung Lee

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Lake Erie beaches exhibit impaired water quality due to fecal contamination and cyanobacterial blooms, though few studies address potential relationships between these two public health hazards. Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), Microcystis aeruginosa was monitored in conjunction with a human-associated fecal marker (Bacteroides fragilis group; g-Bfra), microcystin, and water quality parameters at two beaches to evaluate their potential associations. During the summer of 2010, water samples were collected 32 times from both Euclid and Villa Angela beaches. The phycocyanin intergenic spacer (PC-IGS) and the microcystin-producing (mcyA) gene in M. aeruginosa were quantified with qPCR. PC-IGS and mcyA were …

An Introduction To Insects Of Regulatory Concern, Robert Phillips

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

No abstract provided.

Shu Research Paves Way For Smoking Restrictions In Bridgeport Parks, Anna Greer

Anna E. Greer

Anna E. Greer, associate professor of exercise science in Sacred Heart University’s College of Health Professions, along with several of her students, recently celebrated a long-awaited victory. On October 5, the Bridgeport City Council voted to ban smoking on beaches, playgrounds and sports fields in all Bridgeport parks, following a campaign led by Greer's 2014 Health Promotion Planning and Evaluation class.

Environmental Health News, Georgia Southern University

Environmental Health News (2012-2018)

• Georgia Southern Receives Georgia Department of Natural Resources and NOAA Grant

Exploring Ecosystems And Health By Shifting To A Regional Focus: Perspectives From The Oceania Ecohealth Chapter, Jonathan Kingsley, Rebecca Patrick, Pierre Horwitz, Margot Parkes, Aaron Jenkins, Charles Massy, Claire Henderson-Wilson, Kerry Arabena

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This article highlights contributions that can be made to the public health field by incorporating “ecosystem approaches to health” to tackle future environmental and health challenges at a regional level. This qualitative research reviews attitudes and understandings of the relationship between public health and the environment and the priorities, aspirations and challenges of a newly established group (the Oceania EcoHealth Chapter) who are attempting to promote these principles. Ten semi-structured interviews with Oceania EcoHealth Chapter members highlighted the important role such groups can play in informing organisations working in the Oceania region to improve both public health and environmental outcomes …

Cross-Sectional Associations Between Exposure To Persistent Organic Pollutants And Leukocyte Telomere Length Among U.S. Adults In Nhanes, 2001-2002., Susanna D. Mitro, Linda S. Birnbaum, Belinda L. Needham, Ami R. Zota

Environmental and Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Background: Exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as dioxins, furans, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) may influence leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a biomarker associated with chronic disease. In vitro research suggests dioxins may bind to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and induce telomerase activity, which elongates LTL. However, few epidemiologic studies have investigated associations between POPs and LTL.

Objectives: We examined the association between 18 PCBs, 7 dioxins, and 9 furans and LTL among 1,330 U.S. adults from NHANES 2001-2002. Methods: We created three summed POP metrics based on toxic equivalency factor (TEF), a potency measure including affinity for the …

Know Tommorrow Brown University Poster, Shepard Fairey, Risd Archives

Ecology and Environment

Poster for Brown University student event to demand action to counter climate change. "Brown emPOWER is joining dozens of colleges across the country for Know Tomorrow, a national day of action to raise awareness about climate change and its consequences. 2015 is the year for climate action as world leaders meet for the UN climate talks in Paris to sign a global agreement on climate. On October 2nd, join us for an evening of live music, engaging speakers, and environmental action on the Main Green at Brown University! Featuring: Kerry Kennedy, What Cheer? Brigade, Voces Verdes- Latino Leadership in …

Relationship Between Emissions Of Human Activities And Ozone Layer Depletion, Umer Murtaza

Environmental Management & Risk Assessment (PH 560)

Ozone depletion always holds an importance being a protective shield to humans and environment as well. Human activities and man-made substances are playing major role to this depletion which is increasing day by day. In this paper influence of man-made substances on ozone depletion and consequences of this depletion have been discussed. Role of chlorofluorocarbons as depleting agents is more comparatively other substances. Due to ozone depletion life on earth is affecting which are resulting different consequences like skin cancer, eye diseases and destruction of crops and aquatic life. EPA has worked a lot to save the ozone and many …

Mercury Emissions From Coal-Fired Powerplants, Divya Gade

Environmental Management & Risk Assessment (PH 560)

Mercury is a neurotoxic heavy metal that pose a risk to the public as well as the environmental health. It is a naturally occurring element that is released into the environment from the natural or anthropogenic emissions. Among the anthropogenic emissions, coal-fired powerplants account for approximately 50 percent of the emissions because of the lack of regulations for the emissions from these facilities. The other larger sources of mercury emissions such as municipal waste combustors and medical waste incinerators are subjected to the stringent regulations thereby minimizing their total contribution. Mercury is a natural component of coal and is released …

Exposure To Elemental Carbon, Organic Carbon, Nitrate, And Sulfate Fractions Of Fine Particulate Matter And Risk Of Preterm Birth In New Jersey, Ohio, And Pennsylvania (2000–2005), Kristen M. Rappazzo, Julie L. Daniels, Lynne C. Messer, Charles Poole, Danelle T. Lobdell

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Particulate matter ≤ 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) has been consistently associated with preterm birth (PTB) to varying degrees, but roles of PM2.5 species have been less studied.

Objective: We estimated risk differences (RD) of PTB (reported per 106 pregnancies) associated with change in ambient concentrations of elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), nitrates (NO3), and sulfates (SO4).

Methods: From live birth certificates from three states, we constructed a cohort of singleton pregnancies at or beyond 20 weeks of gestation from 2000 through 2005 (n = 1,771,225; 8% PTB). We estimated mean species exposures for each week of …

Selection Of Pathogen Surrogates And Fresh Produce Safety: Implications For Public Health And Irrigation Water Quality Policy, Ethan Givan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Foodborne illness continues to be a substantial public health issue in the United States, with fresh produce being one of the leading causes of outbreaks. Understanding routes of contamination of fresh produce and how pathogens survive on plant surfaces is paramount in improving food safety and reducing risk to public health. The objectives of this study were to select environmental E.coli isolates as pathogen surrogates of Salmonella typhimurium and E.coli O157:H7, assess lettuce plant contamination by spray irrigation water, and evaluate a common industry quality control (QC) E.coli strain (ATCC 25922). Selections of E.coli surrogates were made utilizing biofilm and …

Virginia Air Quality: Trends, Exposure, And Respiratory Health Impacts, James Blando, My Ngoc Nguyen, Manasi Sheth-Chandra, Muge Akpinar-Elci

Virginia Journal of Science

Air quality is an important determinant of public health and quality of life. A secondary data analysis was carried out to investigate trends and air quality in Virginia. The analysis included an evaluation of two major air pollution source categories, emission of criteria and hazardous air pollutants, ambient concentrations of criteria pollutants, ozone standard violations and associated meteorology, and hospital admissions for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Virginia. Comparisons were also made to national trends and statistics. Data was gathered from many open reputable on-line sources available through various state and federal agencies. Virginia routinely meets 5 of …

The Association Between The Neighbourhood Food Environment And Prevalence Of Three Chronic Diseases In Urban Canada: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Jagraj Singh Pandher

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Research on the association between the neighbourhood food environment and prevalence of chronic diseases is very limited in Canada. The objective of this thesis was to investigate: (i) the associations between the neighbourhood food environment and prevalence of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension among Canadian adults living in urban areas; and (ii) whether or not dietary patterns, obesity and physical activity mediate such associations. Self-reported diagnosis of three chronic diseases, and individual-level socio-demographic and lifestyle variables were taken from the 2009-2010 Canadian Community Health Survey; neighbourhood-level socio-economic data were taken from the 2011 National Household Survey; and the …

A Multiscale Mapping Assessment Of Lake Champlain Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms, Nathan Torbick, Megan Corbiere, Yu-Pin Lin

Dartmouth Scholarship

Lake Champlain has bays undergoing chronic cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms that pose a public health threat. Monitoring and assessment tools need to be developed to support risk decision making and to gain a thorough understanding of bloom scales and intensities. In this research application, Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), Rapid Eye, and Proba Compact High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (CHRIS) images were obtained while a corresponding field campaign collected in situ measurements of water quality. Models including empirical band ratio regressions were applied to map chlorophylla and phycocyanin concentrations; all sensors performed well with R² and root-mean-square error (RMSE) ranging …

Wdph Summer Internship Report, Samantha Arsenault

Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise

The Mosakowski Institute is working with the Worcester Division of Public Health (DPH) in an effort that merges classroom skills and real world experience to improve the health of the Greater Worcester community. During the summer of 2015, thirteen Clark students interned with the DPH working on five projects that advanced goals of the Community Health Improvement Plans in the areas of healthy eating and activing living; substance abuse and mental health; health equity and health disparities; violence prevention, and more. More information about the summer 2015 internship projects can be found in the report.

Household Bush Burning Practice And Related Respiratory Symptoms In Grenada, The Caribbean, Muge Akpinar-Elci, Kareem Coomansingh, James Blando, Larissa Mark

Center for Global Health Publications

The practice of household bush burning in Grenada occurs frequently, though it is not well documented. The effects of the emissions from bush burning on respiratory health of the population have never been researched in Grenada. The goal of the study was to measure the frequency of bush burning and to investigate the relationship between bush burning practice and respiratory health in Grenada. In this cross-sectional study, a questionnaire was used to gather information from households in the parishes of St. George and St. Andrew, Grenada. In total, 225 participants were recruited and their responses on household bush burning and …

Openness To Change: Experiential And Demographic Components Of Change In Local Health Department Leaders, Emmanuel D. Jadhav, James W. Holsinger Jr., David W. Fardo

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: During the 2008-2010 economic recession, Kentucky local health department (LHD) leaders utilized innovative strategies to maintain their programs. A characteristic of innovative strategy is leader openness to change. Leader demographical research in for-profit organizations has yielded valuable insight into leader openness to change. For LHD leaders, the nature of the association between leader demographic and organizational characteristics on leader openness to change is unknown. The objectives of this study are to identify variation in openness to change by leaders' demographic and organizational characteristics and to characterize the underlying relationships.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study utilized Spearman rank correlations test …

Moving Physical Activity Beyond The School Classroom: A Social-Ecological Insight For Teachers Of The Facilitators And Barriers To Students' Non-Curricular Physical Activity, Brendon Hyndman, Amanda Telford, Caroline F. Finch, Amanda C. Benson

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

Non-curricular avenues such as active play during school breaks have been established as a major source for children’s physical and cognitive development, yet there is little information for teachers on the influences affecting primary and secondary school students’ non-curricular physical activity. During this study focus groups and drawing were used to explore the broader influences on primary (n=47) and secondary (n=29) school students’ physical activity behaviour beyond the classroom. Barriers and facilitators to children’s physical activity were categorised using a multi-level social-ecological framework incorporating intrapersonal, interpersonal, physical environment and policy factors. Based on the drawings, comparisons between students’ existing play …

Moving Physical Activity Beyond The School Classroom: A Social-Ecological Insight For Teachers Of The Facilitators And Barriers To Students' Non-Curricular Physical Activity, Brendon Hyndman, Amanda Telford, Caroline F. Finch, Amanda C. Benson

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

Non-curricular avenues such as active play during school breaks have been established as a major source for children’s physical and cognitive development, yet there is little information for teachers on the influences affecting primary and secondary school students’ non-curricular physical activity. During this study focus groups and drawing were used to explore the broader influences on primary (n=47) and secondary (n=29) school students’ physical activity behaviour beyond the classroom. Barriers and facilitators to children’s physical activity were categorised using a multi-level social-ecological framework incorporating intrapersonal, interpersonal, physical environment and policy factors. Based on the drawings, comparisons between students’ existing play …

Applying Failure Modes And Effects Analysis To Public Health Models: The Breathe Easy At Home Program, Johnna S. Murphy, Margaret Reid, Amanda Ali, Laura Harrington, Megan Sandel

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a structured process used to identify and prioritize risks by ranking them based on severity, occurrence, and detectability. Historically, FMEA has been used within industries, including automotive and health care. This project explored the adaption of the FMEA template to a small public health program designed to improve asthma outcomes. The Breathe Easy at Home (BEAH) program is a multi-sector partnership that uses a web-based system to link clinical sites with housing code inspections and enforcement for patients with asthma.

In July and August 2014, an FMEA was conducted to uncover risks within …

Paleoepidemiology Of Intestinal Parasites And Lice In Pre-Columbian South America *, Adauto Araujo, Karl J. Reinhard, Daniela Leles, Luciana Sianto, Alena Iniguez, Martin Fugassa, Berrnardo Arriaza, Nancy Orellana, Luiz Fernando Ferreira

Karl Reinhard Publications

Some human parasites originated in prehominid ancestors in Africa. Nematode species, such as Enterobius vermicularis (pinworm), hookworms and Trichuris trichiura are shared by humans and other close phylogenetic primates (Pan and Gorilla), showing that they infected a common ancestor to this group. When humans migrated from Africa to other continents they carried these parasites wherever climate conditions allowed parasite transmission from host to host. Other parasites, however, were acquired throughout human biological and social evolutive history when new territories were occupied. Paleoparasitology data is a valuable source to recover emergence and disappearance of parasite infections through analysis of archaeological remains. …