Diseases Commons^™

Water Pipe Smoking Amongst The University And College Students Of Karachi, Pakistan, Shehla Batool Jaffri, Aisha Yousuf, Waris Qidwai

Department of Family Medicine

Background:

An extensive literature search revealed that water pipe smoking is an emerging health risk and deserves the attention of health professionals. This study was therefore undertaken to determine the frequency of water pipe smoking among students in college and universities of Pakistan and to assess the practices, knowledge and attitude towards water pipe smoking among them.

Method:

A cross sectional survey was conducted in the College and Universities of Karachi, Pakistan from April 2009 to October 2009. Students were selected through non probability sampling and given self administered questionnaire after the informed consent.

Result:

A total …

Safety And Adherence To Intermittent Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (Prep) For Hiv-1 In African Men Who Have Sex With Men And Female Sex Workers, Gaudensia Mutua, Eduard J. Sanders, Peter Mwangi Mugo, Omu Anzala, Jessica E. Haberer, David R. Bangsberg, Burc Barin, James F. Rooney, David Mark, Paramesh Chetty, Patricia Fast, Frances H. Priddy

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Little is known about safety of and adherence to intermittent HIV PrEP regimens, which may be more feasible than daily dosing in some settings. We present safety and adherence data from the first trial of an intermittent PrEP regimen among Kenyan men who have sex with men (MSM) and female sex workers (FSW).

Methods/Principal Findings: MSM and FSW were randomized to daily oral FTC/TDF or placebo, or intermittent (Monday, Friday and within 2 hours after sex, not to exceed one dose per day) oral FTC/TDF or placebo in a 2:1:2:1 ratio; volunteers were followed monthly for 4 months. Adherence …

Social, Structural And Behavioral Determinants Of Overall Health Status In A Cohort Of Homeless And Unstably Housed Hiv-Infected Men, Elise D. Riley, Torsten B. Neilands, Kelly Moore, Jennifer Cohen, David Bangsberg, Diane Havler

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Previous studies indicate multiple influences on the overall health of HIV-infected persons; however, few assess and rank longitudinal changes in social and structural barriers that are disproportionately found in impoverished populations. We empirically ranked factors that longitudinally impact the overall health status of HIV-infected homeless and unstably housed men.

Methods and Findings: Between 2002 and 2008, a cohort of 288 HIV+ homeless and unstably housed men was recruited and followed over time. The population was 60% non-Caucasian and the median age was 41 years; 67% of study participants reported recent drug use and 20% reported recent homelessness. At baseline, …

The Importance Of Play To Childhood Development: A Child’S Right To Play While Living With Hiv/Aids, Rachel Bambrick

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This is a social analysis paper that explores child development and a child’s right to engage in play activities while living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa. Through experiences volunteering at the Children’s Rights Centre, interviewing occupational therapy professors, and living and playing in various communities in KwaZulu-Natal, the study looks into play development for children living with HIV and the policies put in place to protect their rights to play and develop. Primary data was triangulated against secondary sources, most of which were found while volunteering at the Children’s Rights Centre in Durban. The study looks at the stigmas surrounding …

Relationship Between Vitamin B12, Folate And Homocysteine Levels And H. Pylori Infection In Patients With Functional Dyspepsia: A Cross-Section Study, Shahid Rasool, Shahab Abid, Mohammad Perwaiz Iqbal, Naseema Mehboobali, Ghulam Haider, Wasim Jafri

Section of Gastroenterology

Background

H. pylori infection has been associated with many micronutrient deficiencies. There is a dearth of data from communities with nutritional deficiencies and high prevalence of H. pylori infection. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of H. pylori infection on serum levels of vitamin B₁₂, folate and homocysteine in patients with functional dyspepsia (FD).

Methods

One hundred and thirty-two patients with FD undergoing gastroscopy were enrolled. The serum was analyzed for B₁₂, folate and homocysteine levels before gastroscopy. H. pylori infection was diagnosed by histopathological examination of gastric biopsies and urea breath …

Human Papillomavirus: How Social Ideologies Influence Medical Policy And Care, Fadi Hachem

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the ways in which new advances in the production of a vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) have been received by both the general public and the medical community. Despite its high prevalence in the general population, as a sexually transmitted infection, there is a great deal of shame and stigma associated with contracting the virus (Waller, et. al. 2007). HPV is a disease of disparities in that ethnic and sexual minorities are disproportionately affected. Since the HPV vaccine is most effective at both a younger age, and before the first sexual experience, …

Sacrée Et Inviolable: The Hiv+ Mother In Ivoirian Health Policy, Amber Alaniz

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

« La personne humaine est sacrée (2)… Le domicile est inviolable. Les atteintes ou restrictions ne peuvent y être apportées que par la loi. (4) La famille constitue la cellule de base de la société. L'État assure sa protection. (5)» Constitution of La Côte d’Ivoire, Articles 2,4,5[1]

The Ivoirian national constitution, authored and enacted in July of 2000, while expressing a devotion to democratic thought (Preamble) and to the sovereignty of the individual (Article 2), also acknowledges the primacy of the Ivoirian family and collective identity as the basis of society and advances a moral duty on the part …

The Influence Of Neighborhood Characteristics On The Existence Of Asthma In Children, Elizabeth Adejuyigbe

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

Asthma is one of the leading chronic diseases in children 17 years of age and under with nine million American children suffering from it. Previous studies to understand causal factors of disease including asthma tend to focus on the individual and sociocultural characteristics but there is little to no research using neighborhood characteristics, a factor that does influence health. Research shows that other community‐level environmental factors like collective efficacy, community structural factors, and neighborhood safety can affect a persons’ psychosocial well-being, and in turn increase morbidity. For this reason, researchers suggest that the need to understand asthma and its associated …

Role Of Poly [Adp-Ribose] Polymerase 1 In Retroviral Infection, Vanessa E. Rodriguez ^, Manuel Llano *

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Spring 2012

No abstract provided.

Multistate Assessment Of Public Health Surveillance Relevant To American Indians And Alaska Natives, 2007, Jeanne Bertolli, Ed Chao, Michael Landen, Eden Wells, John M. Hayes, Zeenat Mahal, Ralph T. Bryan

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Improving the health of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations involves multiple agencies, levels of government, and jurisdictions. We assessed collaboration between state health departments and AI/AN Tribes and agencies through an online survey of State Epidemiologists. Frequencies and percentages of responses were examined by univariate and bivariate analyses. Among 39 states with federally recognized or state-recognized Tribes or federally funded urban Indian health centers, 25 (64%) participated. Nineteen had discussed public health surveillance with an AI/ AN government or nongovernment entity in the past 2 years (10 (53%) of these had ongoing, regular discussions about public health surveillance; …

A Su Salud En Acción: Replicating A Model To Increase Utilization Of Cancer Screening Among Low Income Latinas, Amelie G. Ramirez Drph, Patricia Chalela, Lucina Suarez, Kipling J. Gallion

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Latinas suffer longstanding disparities in breast cancer survival and cervical cancer incidence and mortality compared to non-Hispanic white women. This study assessed the feasibility of replicating the theory-based A Su Salud En Acción communication model to impact cancer screening behaviors in two at-need Nevada clinics. The intervention significantly increased the number of mammograms and Pap smears among Latinas. Mammograms and Pap smear rates increased by 58.7‰ and 51.8‰ respectively in the pilot site (95% CI 40.1-49.1 and 47.1-56.5 respectively) and by 33.7‰ and 7.5‰ respectively (95% CI 15.6-51.9 and 4.3-10.6) in the replication site, among women ages 50-64.

This study …

Walking Increases Among African American Adults Following A Community-Based Physical Activity Intervention: Racial And Ethnic Approaches To Community Health, 2002–2005, I. W. Miles, J. Kruger, Y. Liao, S. A. Carlson, J. E. Fulton

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) 2010, a communitybased program, is a cornerstone of CDC’s efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities. Six African American REACH sites implemented walking interventions as part of their plans to decrease health disparities. We evaluated changes in walking using annual evaluation assessments (2002–2005) from the REACH 2010 Risk Factor Survey. Walking was classified 3 ways: (1) any walking (≥ 10 minutes per week); (2) regular walking (≥ 30 minutes each day, ≥ 5 days per week); and (3) median minutes of walking per week. Any walking increased from 68.3% in 2002 …

Self-Stigma, Stress, And Smoking Among African American And American Indian Female Smokers: An Exploratory Qualitative Study, Diana Burgess, Rachel Widome, Michelle Van Ryn, Sean Phelan, Steven Fu

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Research suggests that negative emotions and difficulty coping with stressful events might impede women’s ability to quit smoking. This study uses qualitative methods to explore interrelationships between smoking behavior and negative emotions among a sample of racial/ethnic minority female smokers with the aims of theory-building and hypothesis generation. Data were derived from a larger study involving sixteen focus groups with current and former smokers from ethnic minority communities. The present study consisted of three focus groups of female African American and American Indian smokers (N = 16). Data was analyzed following standard methods for in vivo coding of qualitative data. …

Race And Hepatitis C Management Within The Veterans Administration, Joahd Toure, Joshua Metlay, Sandford Schwartz, Knashawn Morales, David Kaplan, Peter Groeneveld

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Objective: To examine black-white differences in hepatitis C treatment within the Veterans Administration (VA) and determine whether racial variation in specialty consultation explains differences in hepatitis C treatment between blacks and whites.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 1040 veterans meeting VA eligibility criteria for hepatitis C treatment. We used multiple imputation to handle missing race data. Specialty consultation was determined from the VA outpatient medical dataset and hepatitis C treatment was determined from the VA decision support system. Conditional logistic regression was used to examine the association between race and hepatitis C treatment as well as race …

A New, More Holistic View Of Huntington’S Disease: The Systems/P4 Approach, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

The First Dose Is Hope: Moving Towards Treatments For Huntington's Disease, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Pathogenicity Of Treponema Denticola Wild-Type And Mutant Strain Tested By An Active Mode Of Periodontal Infection Using Microinjection, Jacques Izard, Hajime Sasaki, Ralph Kent

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

The available passive mode of periodontal infections in mice requires high efficiency of bacterial attachment and invasiveness and is not always suitable to test the pathogenicity of genetically engineered mutant strains. We developed an active mode of oral infection, using microinjection in the marginal gingiva of mice, to test the pathogenicity of a genetically engineered Treponema denticola mutant strain deficient in intermediate-like filaments, compared to the wild-type strain. This targeted mode of infection inoculates the bacterial strain to be tested directly at a lesion site (needle entry point) located at the future periodontal lesion site. The efficiency of T. …

Inhibition Of Adhesion And Invasion Of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa To Lung Epithelial Cells: A Model Of Cystic Fibrosis Infection, Ayman Noreddin, Ghada Sawy, Walid Elkhatib, Ehab Noreddin, Atef Shibl

Pharmacy Faculty Books and Book Chapters

"Over their life time, CF patients experience multiple infections by various pneumoniacausing bacteria [6]. With more patients surviving to adulthood, chronic infections with Pseudomonas aeruginosa are coming to the forefront as a leading cause of death [7]. Problems presented by infected CF lung are multi-dimensional; the electrolyte balance and pH of the fluids are abnormal. The mucus is thick and of an alternative composition compared to normal lung and may contribute to colonization with Pseudomonas aeruginosa [2, 3, 5]. As such, research is multi-pronged and includes gene therapy to correct the defective protein, amelioration of inflammatory response and thinning of …

Enhanced Protective Efficacy Of A Chimeric Form Of The Schistosomiasis Vaccine Antigen Sm-Tsp-2, Mark S. Pearson, Darren A. Pickering, Henry J. Mcsorley, Jeffrey M. Bethony, Leon Tribolet, Annette M. Dougall, Peter J. Hotez, Alex Loukas

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

The large extracellular loop of the Schistosoma mansoni tetraspanin, Sm-TSP-2, when fused to a thioredoxin partner and formulated with Freund's adjuvants, has been shown to be an efficacious vaccine against murine schistosomiasis. Moreover, Sm-TSP-2 is uniquely recognised by IgG1 and IgG3 from putatively resistant individuals resident in S. mansoniendemic areas in Brazil. In the present study, we expressed Sm-TSP-2 at high yield and in soluble form in E. coli without the need for a solubility enhancing fusion partner. We also expressed in E. coli a chimera called Sm-TSP-2/5B, which consisted of Sm-TSP-2 fused to …

Endocrine Complications In Patients Of Beta Thalassemia Major In A Tertiary Care Hospital In Pakistan, Amina Adil, Zain A. Sobani, Abdul Jabbar, Salman N Adil, Safia Awan

Section of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To determine the major endocrine complications present in patients of Thalassemia major presenting to a tertiary care center in Karachi, Pakistan.

METHODS: Records of all thallasemia major patients at a Haematology Department in a tertiary care hospital of Karachi were retrospectively reviewed from May to August 2009 with specific focus on endocrine data and investigations. The patients' data was recorded in a questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS v.17, frequencies and percentages along with corresponding 95% confidence interval were computed.

RESULTS: Our data revealed that a significantly small percentage of those under care received regular endocrine follow-up. Male hypo-gonadal abnormalities …

Treating Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus With The Drug Vancomycin In A Home Infusion Therapy Setting, Joshua L. Webb, Alberto Coustasse, Dennis Emmett

Management Faculty Research

The basic purpose of this paper is to examine the effects the home infusion therapy has on the cost, duration of, and effectiveness of treatment between those individuals under 60 and those 60 and over. The results show that those 60 and over had a slightly higher cost/day. The older age group had slightly smaller treatment duration, then the younger group. The number of adverse effects was small. The results suggest that home infusion therapy appears to be a viable alternative to hospitalization.

Lpl Gene Variants Affect Apoc-Iii Response To Combination Therapy Of Statins And Fenofibric Acid In A Randomized Clinical Trial Of Individuals With Mixed Dyslipidemia, Ariel Brautbar, Salim S. Virani, John Belmont, Vijay Nambi, Peter H. Jones, Christie M. Ballantyne

Office of the Provost

ApoC-III is a proatherogenic protein associated with elevated triglycerides; its deficiency is associated with reduced atherosclerosis. Mixed dyslipidemia, characterized by elevated triglyceride and apoC-III levels and low HDL cholesterol level, with or without elevated LDL cholesterol, increases cardiovascular disease risk and is commonly treated with combined statin and fibrate therapy. We sought to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with apoC-III level response to combination therapy with statins and fenofibric acid (FA) in individuals with mixed dyslipidemia. Participants (n = 1,250) in a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, active-controlled study examining response to FA alone and in combination with statin were genotyped …

Top Researcher: ‘Genuine Optimism’ About Treatments For Huntington's Disease, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Frequency And Clinical Variants Of Specific Dermatoses In Third Trimester Of Pregnancy: A Study From A Tertiary Care Centre, Sadra Masood, Dilawar Abbas Rizvi, Saadia Tabassum, Shaheen Akhtar, Rehan Uddin Alvi

Section of Internal Medicine

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of patients with dermatoses in the third trimester of pregnancy and to identify various clinical types of dermatoses in the third trimester.

METHODS: The study was carried out at the Department of Dermatology and the Department of Gynaecology & Obstetrics, PNS Shifa Hospital, Karachi, from January 2 to July 1, 2008. Two hundred pregnant women in their third trimester were included in the study. The diagnosis was based on history, clinical examination and relevant investigations. Patients with physiological dermatoses and dermatoses which flare up during pregnancy were excluded. A comprehensive pro-forma was used to evaluate …

Potential For False Positive Hiv Test Results With The Serial Rapid Hiv Testing Algorithm, Steven Baveewo, Moses R. Kamya, Harriet Mayanja-Kizza, Robin Fatch, David Bangsberg, Thomas J. Coates, Judith A. Hahn, Rhoda K. Wanyenze

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Rapid HIV tests provide same-day results and are widely used in HIV testing programs in areas with limited personnel and laboratory infrastructure. The Uganda Ministry of Health currently recommends the serial rapid testing algorithm with Determine, STAT-PAK, and Uni-Gold for diagnosis of HIV infection. Using this algorithm, individuals who test positive on Determine, negative to STAT-PAK and positive to Uni-Gold are reported as HIV positive. We conducted further testing on this subgroup of samples using qualitative DNA PCR to assess the potential for false positive tests in this situation.

Results: Of the 3388 individuals who were tested, 984 were …

Compatibility Between Calpurnia Aurea Leaf Extract, Attraction Aggregation, And Attachment Pheromone And Entomopathogenic Fungus Metarhizium Anisopliae On Viability, Growth, And Virulence Of The Pathogen, Paulin Nana, Nguya K. Maniania, Rosebella O. Maranga, Hamadi I. Boga, Helen L. Kutima, Jacobus N. Eloff

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Metarhizium anisopliae sensu stricto (ss) (Metsch.) Sorok. isolate ICIPE 07 is being developed as biopesticide for the control of ticks. In addition, leaf extracts of Calpurnia aurea Benth, and the attraction aggregation and attachment pheromone (AAAP) are being used as ticks' attractant. The three agents are being considered for use in combination in an autodissemination approach, whereby ticks that are attracted to semiochemicals are infected with the inoculum. Experiments were therefore conducted to evaluate in vitro the compatibility between C. aurea, AAAP, and the M. anisopliae on vegetative growth, conidial production, and spore viability. Calpurnia aurea leaf extract was compatible …

It’S Time For The Huntington’S Community To Speak Out - And Hdsa Is Listening, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

The Mechanical Behavior Of Mutant K14-R125p Keratin Bundles And Networks In Neb-1 Keratinocytes, Daniel R. Beriault, Oualid Haddad, John V. Mccuaig, Zachary J. Robinson, David Russell, E. Birgitte Lane, Douglas S. Fudge

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS) is an inherited skin-blistering disease that is caused by dominant mutations in the genes for keratin K5 or K14 proteins. While the link between keratin mutations and keratinocyte fragility in EBS patients is clear, the exact biophysical mechanisms underlying cell fragility are not known. In this study, we tested the hypotheses that mutant K14-R125P filaments and/or networks in human keratinocytes are mechanically defective in their response to large-scale deformations. We found that mutant filaments and networks exhibit no obvious defects when subjected to large uniaxial strains and have no negative effects on the ability of human …

The Quandary Of Denial In The Huntington’S Disease Community (Part Ii), Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Research Brief: "Bmi Trajectory Groups In Veterans Of The Iraq And Afghanistan Wars", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about obesity rates among OEF/OIF veterans and how race, education level, gender, and use of the VA play a role in obesity rates. For practice and policy, a fitness education program should be implemented by the VA to help lower obesity rates since obesity can cause more serious health problems. Suggestions for future research include expanding the study to involve veterans from other military eras and expanding the study to look at more risks associated with obesity.