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Articles 271 - 300 of 400
Full-Text Articles in Public Health
The Hypometabolic Actions Of Hydrogen Sulfide In Mammalian Systems, Asaf Stein
The Hypometabolic Actions Of Hydrogen Sulfide In Mammalian Systems, Asaf Stein
All ETDs from UAB
In recent years, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been identified as a ubiquitous cell signaling molecule. In addition to its diverse physiological roles, H2S has emerged as a possible drug therapy, with a wide range of applications. Along with cytoprotective effects in pathological states such as ischemia-reperfusion injury, H2S has been shown to decrease aerobic metabolism in a reversible manner. This dissertation is focused on exploring H2S-induced hypometabolism and the implications therein for human health and disease. We have shown that rats exposed to 80 ppm H2S gas in combination with low oxygen (10.5% O2) for 6 hr exhibit decreases in …
Measuring Disease Activity And Use Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine In African-Americans With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ashutosh Tamhane
Measuring Disease Activity And Use Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine In African-Americans With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ashutosh Tamhane
All ETDs from UAB
The aims of this project were to: 1) compare disease activity scores 28 joints (DAS28) based on erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) versus that based on C-reactive protein (CRP), and 2) describe prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use and examine differences of CAM use stratified by disease duration and sex. This analysis included participants from the Consortium for the Longitudinal Evaluation of African Americans with Early Rheumatoid Arthritis (CLEAR) Registry. Using tender and swollen joint counts separate ESR-based and CRP-based DAS28 scores (DAS28-ESR3 and DAS28-CRP3) were calculated, as were DAS28-ESR4 and DAS28-CRP4, which included the patient¡¯s assessment of disease …
Sleep Duration And Obesity: Longitudinal Study Of Adolescents, Herpreet Kaur Thind
Sleep Duration And Obesity: Longitudinal Study Of Adolescents, Herpreet Kaur Thind
All ETDs from UAB
Prevalence of obesity continues to be high in the United States with about one-third adults being overweight or obese. Among adolescents the rates of overweight/obesity have increased by three times in the past two decades. Moreover, the rates of obesity are disproportionately high among the minority population. Recently, sleep duration has emerged as an independent risk factor for obesity. Several cross-sectional and longitudinal studies worldwide have shown an inverse relationship between sleep duration and obesity. However, some studies do not support this association. Majority of the studies in the United States have been conducted on predominantly White populations. African Americans …
The Effect Of Environmental Ozone Exposure On The Postnatal Lung, Katherine Leah Tuggle Stringer
The Effect Of Environmental Ozone Exposure On The Postnatal Lung, Katherine Leah Tuggle Stringer
All ETDs from UAB
In the U.S., approximately 37 million children reside in geographic locales that experience unhealthy ozone levels. This population is of great concern as they are undergoing active lung growth and cellular differentiation which may alter their susceptibility to inhaled toxicants. Epidemiological and animal studies indicate that early life ozone exposure results in altered lung development, potentially facilitating predisposition to chronic pulmonary conditions in adulthood. The goal of this dissertation was to evaluate short and long-term effects of ozone exposure in the developing lung. The first study evaluated acute effects of ozone exposure in the postnatal and adult lung. The results …
The Use Of Red Rules In Patient Safety Culture, Lisa Kaye Jones
The Use Of Red Rules In Patient Safety Culture, Lisa Kaye Jones
All ETDs from UAB
This study examines the use of Red Rules in patient safety culture. The presence of a strong culture of patient safety has become a critical component in reducing medical errors. Some hospitals are implementing Red Rules as a patient safety strategy with disciplinary consequences if not followed. The use of Red Rules and patient safety culture seem to be inconsistent. The theoretical framework for control-based and commitment-based management was utilized to develop and address four hypotheses. The hypotheses address the impact of Red Rules on 1) staff perceptions of safety, 2) frequency of events reported, 3) number of events reported, …
Application Of The Social Cognitive Theory To A Web-Based Physical Activity Intervention For Overweight African American Female College Students, Rodney Joseph
All ETDs from UAB
Background.African American women report low levels of physical activity and share a disproportionate burden of many health conditions associated with being insufficiently active, indicating the need for innovative approaches to promote physical activity in this population. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate changes in physical activity and associated Social Cognitive Theory constructs of outcome expectations, enjoyment, self-regulation, and social support following the completion of a six month, culturally-adapted, Social Cognitive Theory-based website-delivered weight loss and physical activity intervention for young African-American women. Methods.A secondary data analysis was performed on African-American female college students (N=34) enrolled in a …
Trajectories Of Depressive Symptoms And Illicit Drug Use: Longitudinal Temporal Associations And Comorbidity In A Community Sample Of Adults, Yulia Khodneva
Trajectories Of Depressive Symptoms And Illicit Drug Use: Longitudinal Temporal Associations And Comorbidity In A Community Sample Of Adults, Yulia Khodneva
All ETDs from UAB
Cross-sectional studies of the community and treatment samples suggest substantial comorbidity between depression and illicit drug use disorders. Controversy exists whether such pattern of comorbidity is seen among drug using behaviors and depressive symptoms that fall short of the DSM-IV criteria for a clinical disorder. This dissertation research applied principles of the life course perspective and trajectory modeling to describe heterogeneity and comorbidity of subthreshold depressive symptoms with opioid, cocaine and amphetamine use in middle age. Secondary analysis of community-dwelling adults from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study was performed. The CARDIA cohort, N=5115 at inception …
An Investigation Of The Effect Of Misspecifying The Random Effect Distribution And The Incorrect Assumption Of Equal Intraclass Correlation Coefficients Among Treatment Groups In The Analyses Of Data From Cluster Randomized Trials, Omar B. Mbowe
All ETDs from UAB
Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) are among the commonly used statistical methods for the analyses of binary data from cluster randomized trials (CRT). GLMMs extend the linear mixed models to accommodate, among others, binary outcomes. The linear predictor of GLMMs contains fixed effects and random effects to model the correlation among responses in a cluster. These random effects are usually assumed to be normally distributed but this assumption may not hold in practice. Also, the cluster sizes may vary within a trial for several reasons including loss to follow-up. This variation in cluster sizes can result in unequal cluster sizes. …
Relationship Between Religiosity, Violent Behavior And Gang Activity In Economically Disadvantaged Adolescents, David Mckenzie
Relationship Between Religiosity, Violent Behavior And Gang Activity In Economically Disadvantaged Adolescents, David Mckenzie
All ETDs from UAB
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RELIGIOSITY, VIOLENT BEHAVIOR AND GANG ACTIVITY AMONG ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED ADOLESCENTS DAVID McKENZIE HEALTH EDUCATION & HEALTH PROMOTION ABSTRACT Few studies have examined the relationship between religiosity, violent behavior and gang activity in disadvantaged youth. This research study analyzed data from a population of low-income adolescents in Mobile, Alabama. The research objectives were to assess the relationship between adolescent religiosity and involvement in violent behavior and gang activity, and to determine if there were gender differences between boys and girls regarding religiosity, violent behavior and gang activity. It was hypothesized that there would be an inverse relationship between religiosity …
Studies In Public Health Systems And Services Research: Three Papers Examining The Market Environment, Quality Improvement, And Community Partnerships, Valerie A. Yeager
Studies In Public Health Systems And Services Research: Three Papers Examining The Market Environment, Quality Improvement, And Community Partnerships, Valerie A. Yeager
All ETDs from UAB
This dissertation, comprised of three publishable manuscripts, addresses various identified gaps in the literature focused on public health systems and services research. Public health systems and services research includes studies that examine the organization, financing and delivery of public health services in communities, and the impact of these services on public health. Specifically, this dissertation focuses on three topics: (1) the measurement of the health care market environment of local public health departments, (2) community characteristics related to quality improvement strategies in local public health environments, and (3) the longitudinal changes in public health partnerships and how these partnerships relate …
Utilization And Effectiveness Of Osteoporosis Medications Among Medicare Beneficiaries, Huifeng Yun
Utilization And Effectiveness Of Osteoporosis Medications Among Medicare Beneficiaries, Huifeng Yun
All ETDs from UAB
This dissertation contains three papers evaluating the utilization and effectiveness of osteoporosis medications using data on a 5% sample of Medicare beneficiaries in 2006-2009. The first paper assessed the completeness of Medicare Part D data on generic alendronate. The second paper sought to identify anti-osteoporosis medication utilization patterns and factors associated with medication discontinuation. The third paper examined the comparative effectiveness of osteoporosis medications for risk of fractures and mortality, with a focus on the recently introduced infusion and injection medications. In the first study, we identified beneficiaries highly adherent with branded alendronate during 1/1/06-2/6/07 ("2007 cohort") and highly adherent …
High-Risk Human Papillomavirus And Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia Among Foreign-Born Latinas At Colposcopy, Bertha Hidalgo
High-Risk Human Papillomavirus And Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia Among Foreign-Born Latinas At Colposcopy, Bertha Hidalgo
All ETDs from UAB
Although the literature is quite extensive with regard to the human papillomavirus (HPV) among many racial/ethnic populations, there continues to be a paucity of information regarding the prevalence of HPV types as well as of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN among Latinas, specifically foreign-born Latinas. Some studies have reported prevalence of HPV among Latinas, but very few have differentiated between US- and foreign-born Latinas. This nuance is essential to understanding the true effect contributed by each group to HPV and CIN incidence and prevalence rates. Therefore, this dissertation aimed to assess differences in the prevalence of high- and low-risk types and …
Association Between Cc Chemokine Ligand 3-Like-1 (Ccl3l1) Gene Copy Number And Rheumatoid Arthritis In African Americans, Mawuli Kwame Nyaku
Association Between Cc Chemokine Ligand 3-Like-1 (Ccl3l1) Gene Copy Number And Rheumatoid Arthritis In African Americans, Mawuli Kwame Nyaku
All ETDs from UAB
Gene copy number of the CC Chemokine ligand 3-Like-1 (CCL3L1) located on chromosome 17 position q12 varies between ethnicities. Previously, gene copy number of CCL3L1 greater than the ethnic median copy has been associated with an increased risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Three later studies found no association between CCL3L1 and RA. All studies were conducted in non-African Americans and an objective of this study was to determine this association in an African American cohort. CCL3L1 shares significant homology with three other genes within the same cluster; CC Chemokine ligand 3 (CCL3), CC Chemokine ligand 3-Like-2 (CCL3L2) and CC Chemokine ligand …
The Effect Of Changes In Tort Laws On Cesarean Section Rates In The United States, Allison Jean Taylor
The Effect Of Changes In Tort Laws On Cesarean Section Rates In The United States, Allison Jean Taylor
All ETDs from UAB
"Defensive medicine", medical practice decisions based on fear of malpractice litigation and where risks may outweigh health and cost benefits, is a proposed contributor to increasing cesarean rates in the U.S. Some studies suggest that changes in laws governing medical malpractice actions may decrease the cesarean rate by relieving pressures driving defensive medicine. This study examined whether, in states that have adopted certain tort reform measures, the probability of having a cesarean delivery is lower following implementation of the reform measures. A database of state legislation and court decisions and National Center for Health Statistics natality data files (1991-2004) were …
Conceptualization Of Cervical Cancer And Screening Experiences Among Zambian Women Attending A Cervical Screening Program, Heather Leah White
Conceptualization Of Cervical Cancer And Screening Experiences Among Zambian Women Attending A Cervical Screening Program, Heather Leah White
All ETDs from UAB
Invasive cervical cancer (ICC) is the second most commonly diagnosed malignancy worldwide, and approximately 85% of the disease burden occurs in underdeveloped countries. In 2006, the Zambian government launched a cervical screening program within primary health clinics using visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) coupled with immediate treatment via cryotherapy. The objective of this dissertation was to determine whether the VIA screening program is responsive to the needs and concerns of Zambian women in an effort to improve screening uptake, and for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive women who are potentially subject to increased ICC screening and treatment, increase long-term …
Statistical Methods In The Analysis Of Copy Number Variation Data, Nathan Wineinger
Statistical Methods In The Analysis Of Copy Number Variation Data, Nathan Wineinger
All ETDs from UAB
Copy number variation is a significant form of genetic variation that has been shown to influence many traits. However, current methods used to estimate copy number variation are imprecise and prone to errors. This property is demonstrated in a study examining copy number variation in African Americans recruited into the Hypertensive Genetic Epidemiology Network study, and who were genotyped on the Affymetrix 6.0 array. The effect this has on downstream association analyses is explored, an alternative methods are proposed. Finally, a method is proposed that uses linkage disequilibrium between copy number variants and single nucleotide polymorphisms to improve the accuracy …
Fenofibrate And Insulin Resistance, Corrie E. Paeglow
Fenofibrate And Insulin Resistance, Corrie E. Paeglow
All ETDs from UAB
Both animal and human models suggest that fenofibrate, a medication widely prescribed to decrease triglycerides, also decreases insulin resistance. In the Genetics of Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network (GOLDN) cohort, which included 780 individual who took 160 mg of micronized fenofibrate daily for three weeks, fenofibrate was found to decrease HOMA-IR by -0.24 units, (95% CI: -0.32, -0.14), insulin by -0.65 uU/mL (95% CI: -0.97, -0.34) and glucose by 2.46 mg/dL (95% CI: -2.51, -2.42). In a meta-analysis of 19 studies that included 1,297 individuals without diabetes and 196 individuals with diabetes treated with fenofibrate for three weeks or …
An Examination Of Statistical Methods For Longitudinal Mediation Modeling, John Paul Bentley
An Examination Of Statistical Methods For Longitudinal Mediation Modeling, John Paul Bentley
All ETDs from UAB
The use of mediation modeling is quite prevalent in a number of disciplines to answer questions about how or why one variable exerts its influence on another variable. Although mediation can be assessed in the context of several types of study designs, the use of cross-sectional data and a single-mediator model tend to be the most commonly reported features in empirical tests of mediation. There are several limitations associated with assessing mediation with cross-sectional data, perhaps the most significant is that mediated effect estimates are biased in the case of true longitudinal mediation. For this and several other reasons, there …
The Effect Of An Inclusive Trauma System On Homicide Risk In An Urban Population, Russell Griffin
The Effect Of An Inclusive Trauma System On Homicide Risk In An Urban Population, Russell Griffin
All ETDs from UAB
Homicide is a leading cause of mortality in the United States, with approximately 18,000 homicides occurring annually. Most prevention efforts for homicide are aimed at primary (e.g., culling aggressive behaviors among youth) or secondary (e.g., preventing repeat violence) efforts. To date, there has been limited research on tertiary prevention efforts of homicide (i.e., preventing homicide by preventing deaths from assault-related injuries). With the advent of trauma systems (TS), which allow for rapid emergency medical response for injured individuals, it is possible that these systems may be an ef-fective effort of tertiary prevention of homicides. Using data from the Jefferson County …
The Relationship Between Sunlight And Cerebrovascular Health, Shia T. Kent
The Relationship Between Sunlight And Cerebrovascular Health, Shia T. Kent
All ETDs from UAB
Sunlight radiation may be related to stroke risk through increased vitamin D production. The latter has been associated with a number of conditions including stroke, cognitive function and cardiovascular disease. We performed three sets of analyses to determine whether higher levels of sunlight radiation were associated with lower rates of stroke incidence, all-cause mortality, and cognitive decline. We explored these relationships using the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, a national longitudinal cohort of 30,239 participants. We merged the participants' residential histories with a ground and satellite-derived NASA dataset to characterize 15-year average sunlight radiation and …
A Cluster Analysis Based On The Health Belief Model Of Alacare Patients At High Risk For Osteoporosis, Elizabeth M. Kitchin
A Cluster Analysis Based On The Health Belief Model Of Alacare Patients At High Risk For Osteoporosis, Elizabeth M. Kitchin
All ETDs from UAB
The prevalence of osteoporosis and subsequent fragility fractures will continue to rise as the American population ages. The high personal and medical costs of fragility fractures have been well documented. Taking calcium and vitamin D supplements are important strategies for lowering the risk of sustaining a fragility fracture and for improving the efficacy of prescription osteoporosis medications. The purpose of this study was to determine if patients in a home health setting in Alabama (Alacare) who are defined as high risk for a fragility fracture could be segmented via cluster analysis based on the constructs of the Osteoporosis Health Belief …
Individual, Socio-Cultural And Structural Factors Associated With Cervical Cancer Screening And Treatment In Tanzania, Renicha Tomeka Mccree-Hale
Individual, Socio-Cultural And Structural Factors Associated With Cervical Cancer Screening And Treatment In Tanzania, Renicha Tomeka Mccree-Hale
All ETDs from UAB
Most African countries including Tanzania have limited cervical cancer screening and treatment programs. Only about 5% of women have ever been screened for cervical cancer. A constellation of individual and structural factors contributes to the challenge of cervical cancer screening and treatment in countries that bear significant burdens of disease. Yet, little is known about country specific factors that may constrain or facilitate scale up of health services. This dissertation is an attempt to identify and understand the country specific individual and structural barriers along with facilitators to cervical cancer screening and treatment in Tanzania. Individual, institutional and structural level …
Occupational Stress In Veterinary Support Staff, Sandra Morales Foster
Occupational Stress In Veterinary Support Staff, Sandra Morales Foster
All ETDs from UAB
OCCUPATIONAL STRESS IN VETERINARY SUPPORT STAFF Sandra Morales Foster DOCTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH ABSTRACT Limited information exists about veterinary support staff and the occupational stressors of this workforce. Concern for workers in occupations of high or prolonged stress such as caregivers in hospitals and emergency situations has been noted in many studies. Occupational stress can cause harmful physical and emotional outcomes when the homeostatic balance is upset. This study explored occupational stress, health status, and coping strategies of veterinary support staff. A mixed-method collected quantitative and qualitative data. Demographic information and three validated instruments were ad-ministered using a web-based survey; …
Experimental Determination Of Shielding Requirements For Pet Medical Facilities, Bradley Scott Brinkley
Experimental Determination Of Shielding Requirements For Pet Medical Facilities, Bradley Scott Brinkley
All ETDs from UAB
Purpose: Shielding considerations are important for designing a positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging facility, because of the high energy (511 keV) of electron-positron annihilation photons. Since radiation emitted from patients administered PET radiopharmaceuticals includes lower-energy scattered photons, a given thickness of lead attenuates more of the radiation than it would for a monoenergetic beam of 511 keV photons. A more accurate determination of the effective attenuation coefficient of lead for the spectra of photon energies emitted from PET/CT patients could reduce the shielding requirements necessary to adequately protect public health. In this work, the spectra of energies emitted from …
Adsorption Characteristics Of Activated Carbon Fibers (Acfs) For Toluene, Jo Anne Goot Balanay
Adsorption Characteristics Of Activated Carbon Fibers (Acfs) For Toluene, Jo Anne Goot Balanay
All ETDs from UAB
Granular activated carbon (GAC) is currently the standard adsorbent in respirators against several gases and vapors because of its efficiency, low cost and available technology. However, a drawback of GAC due to its granular form is its need for containment, adding weight and bulkiness to respirators. This makes respirators uncomfortable to wear, resulting to poor compliance in its use. Activated carbon fiber (ACF) is considered a viable alternative adsorbent material for developing thinner, light-weight and efficient respirators because of their larger surface area, lighter weight and fabric form. This study aims to determine the critical bed depth and adsorption capacity …
Investigation Of Numerical Approaches To Analyze Flapping Wings, Nitin Bhagat
Investigation Of Numerical Approaches To Analyze Flapping Wings, Nitin Bhagat
All ETDs from UAB
For centuries, the agility and maneuverability of flying insects have been an inspiration to fluid dynamists. A large number of research activities have been conducted within the biological, aerodynamics, and computational science communities to understand the complex flow fields around flapping insects and their capability for rapid maneuvers. However, the understanding of these natural phenomena is still in its infancy. Recent experimental flow visualizations have shown the complex vortical structures around flapping wings and vortex interactions. Even with the advent of faster and better computer processors and improved numerical algorithms, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques to accurately predict flow features …
Hierarchical And Bayesian Approaches For Estimating Prevalence Based On Pool Screening, Thomas Birkner
Hierarchical And Bayesian Approaches For Estimating Prevalence Based On Pool Screening, Thomas Birkner
All ETDs from UAB
Pool screening is a method that combines individual items into pools. Each pool will either test positive (at least one of the items is positive) or negative (all items are negative). Pool screening is commonly applied to the study of tropical diseases where pools consist of vectors (e.g. black flies) that can transmit the disease. The goal is to estimate the proportion of infected vectors. In paper 1, we present a frequentist Bernoulli-Beta hierarchical model to relax the constant prevalence assumption underlying the traditional frequentist prevalence estimation approach. This assumption is called into question when sampling from a large geographic …
Three Topics In Eye Injury Research, Justin Blackburn
Three Topics In Eye Injury Research, Justin Blackburn
All ETDs from UAB
Eye injuries are a leading cause of monocular blindness, with approximately 2 million Americans sustaining an eye injury annually. Occupational eye injuries resulting in at least one missed day of work total nearly 28,000 each year. Eye injuries have many different etiologies, although most are "minor" injuries such as corneal abrasions and foreign bodies. Chemical-related eye injuries have not been described epidemiologically. The most widely advocated prevention method for eye injuries is protective eyewear, but evidence to support this is surprisingly absent. Furthermore, the use of eye protection among workers who have previously sustained an eye injury remains a question …
Radiological Population Monitoring: Views Of Public Health Professionals In The Southeastern United States, Gwendolyn N. Hudson
Radiological Population Monitoring: Views Of Public Health Professionals In The Southeastern United States, Gwendolyn N. Hudson
All ETDs from UAB
In the immediate aftermath of a radiological disaster, it is essential to rapidly screen the population to identify contaminated persons, those needing urgent medical treatment, and those requiring long-term follow-up. This process, known as "radiological population monitoring," is vital to reducing morbidity and mortality and effectively addressing people's health needs and concerns. Radiological population monitoring has become a significant new focus of attention and responsibility for government agencies in recent years, due in large part to growing concerns about the possibility of a terrorist attack involving radioactive materials. The primary responsibility for radiological population monitoring resides within state and local …
Bayesian Hierarchical Generalized Linear Models For Detecting (Rare) Haplotype-Haplotype And Haplotype-Environment Interactions In Genetic Association Analysis, Jun Li
All ETDs from UAB
This dissertation research focuses on genetic association analysis based on haplotypes in the context of both population-based and family-based studies. Haplotype-based association analysis is powerful in the discovery and characterization of the genetic basis of complex human diseases. However, statistical models that fit haplotype-haplotype and haplotype-environment interactions have not yet been fully developed. Furthermore, statistical methods for detecting the association between rare haplotypes and disease have not kept pace with their counterpart of common haplotypes. For both population-based and family-based association analyses, we herein propose two efficient and robust methods to separately tackle these problems based on Bayesian hierarchical generalized …