Public Health Commons^™

Perspectives About Food Safety In Diverse Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Sejla Isanovic

Theses and Dissertations

Concerns about unsafe food influence food choice, and consumption of unsafe foods increases morbidity and mortality, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Actions to ensure safety of food are dominated by mitigation of biological and chemical hazards through supply-side risk management, disregarding individuals’ experiences and perspectives of food safety. We aimed to identify and categorize perspectives about food safety in five countries. Five Drivers of Food Choice projects provided transcripts from 17 focus groups discussions and 303 interviews in Kenya, Ghana, India, Guinea, and Vietnam. We analyzed transcripts using a priori and emergent codes. Individuals constructed meaning about food safety …

Gonorrhea: Core Areas And State Policies, Jessica Purser

Theses and Dissertations

This research looked at gonorrhea rates both from a community perspective and at the state level. Using hot spot analysis, means differences, and quantile regression, we found that education, specifically the percent of people over the age of 25 with less than a high school education, was the dominant factor at the state level while core areas of gonorrhea exist in the PeeDee and western Lowcountry regions of South Carolina in 2017 and 2018. Risky sexual behaviors are well-defined in the literature for individual persons, but this shows that looking at societal and community factors is important.

This is a …

The Impact Of Cannabis And Alcohol Use On The Management Of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, Joshua Eric Sellner

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation sought to contribute to the evidence-base of diabetes management and acute complications associated with alcohol and cannabis use among individuals with Type 1 Diabetes (T1DM). Three interconnected studies were initiated to complete this goal. First, existing literature surrounding the potential consequences of cannabis consumption among individuals with T1DM were summarized within a systematic review. Study results were combined to provide a single measure of association through a meta-analysis. Second, identified associations were further investigated through a cross-sectional study using the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth data on alcohol and cannabis use on diabetes management and acute complications including …

Associations Of The Fto Gene And Risk Of Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Avery Ulrich

Theses and Dissertations

Background Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a blood cancer that affects ~70,000 people each year in the US. The Fat Mass and Obesity (FTO) gene on chromosome 16 has been reported to be associated with obesity, solid tumor cancers (lung, renal, breast, prostate, pancreatic, endometrial), and more recently with hematologic malignancies, like AML. In this thesis, we test the hypothesis that inherited variants within the FTO gene are associated with an increased risk of AML. Methods Using the DISCOVeRY-BMT (Determining the Influence of Susceptibility COnveying Variants Related to one-Year mortality after Blood and Marrow Transplantation), a well-powered genome-wide association study …

Determinants Of Hiv Treatment Disparities In The Latino Population Of South Carolina, Elizabeth G. Caulk

Senior Theses

The Latino population in the United States faces a heightened risk in terms of contracting HIV/AIDS and experiencing negative health outcomes from said infection. HIV/AIDS continues to disproportionately impact ethnic/racial minorities, and the Latino population exemplifies this unfortunate trend, with Latino Americans making up around 18.4% of the national population, but nearly 30% of the HIV/AIDS infections (US Office of Minority Health, 2021). More enduring changes to the current resources available to this population will need to be made in order to address this disparity. Thus, the current study examined social determinants, how they increase risk of infection, and how …

Assessing Satisfaction With Bi-Weekly Produce Deliveries As A Means To Reduce Food Insecurity On College Campuses, Sophie Crosby

Senior Theses

Background: As food insecurity disproportionately affects college students and students are often unable to receive government nutritional assistance, more lasting, sustainable interventions are needed to decrease food insecurity on college campuses. The purpose of this study was to measure the satisfaction of the FoodShare program, a low-cost, biweekly fresh produce delivery, at the University of South Carolina. The purpose of this study was to pilot FoodShare’s program with adaptations to the University of South Carolina and examine participants’ experience with the program. Methods: Forty-three students, faculty, and staff purchased boxes over a three-month period. FoodShare boxes were purchased and delivered …

Longitudinal Relation Of Dietary Quality And Hemoglobin A1c In Youth And Young Adults With Diabetes, Hope Bercaw

Theses and Dissertations

Background Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is a clinical measure of glycemic control among people with diabetes and is associated with health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease. It is possible to decrease HbA1c by improving diet, but it is largely unknown which dietary components are most important in targeting glycemic control.

Objective This study aims to examine whether changes in diet quality across diabetes duration, assessed with the 2015-Healthy Eating Index (HEI), are associated with HbA1c in youth and young adults (YYA) with type 1 (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Additionally, we aim to assess whether these relationships differ when dietary …

Mrna Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccine-Associated Myopericarditis In Adolescents: A Survey Study, Utkarsh Kohli, Lavina Desai, Devyani Chowdhury, Ashraf S Harahsheh, Alexandra B Yonts, Annette Ansong, Arash Sabati, Hoang H Nguyen, Tarique Hussain, Danyal Khan, David A Parra, Jennifer A Su, Jyoti K Patel, Christina Ronai, Monique Bohun, Bishara J Freij, Matthew J O'Connor, Joseph W Rosanno, Aamisha Gupta, Arash Salavitabar, Adam L Dorfman, Jesse Hansen, Olivia Frosch, Elizabeth L Profita, Shiraz Maskatia, Deepika Thacker, Shubhika Shrivastava, Tyler H Harris, Brian Feingold, Stuart Berger, Michael Campbell, Salim F Idriss, Srikant Das, Markus S Renno, Ken Knecht, S Yukiko Asaki, Sunil Patel, Ravi Ashwath, Renata Shih, John Phillips, Bibhuti Das, Preeti Ramachandran, Eyal Sagiv, Aarti H Bhat, Jonathan N Johnson, Nathaniel W Taggart, Jason Imundo, Natasha Nakra, Shashank Behere, Anjlee Patel, Avichal Aggarwal, Saif Aljemmali, Sean Lang, Sarosh P Batlivala, Daniel E Forsha, Gregory P Conners, Jana Shaw, Frank C Smith, Linda Pauliks, Joseph Vettukattil, Kenneth Shaffer, Stefanie Cheang, Sonia Voleti, Rajesh Shenoy, Rukmini Komarlu, Shea J Ryan, Christopher Snyder, Neha Bansal, Madhu Sharma, Jeffrey A Robinson, Sandra R Arnold, Christine M Salvatore, Madan Kumar, Michael A Fremed, Julie S Glickstein, Melissa Perrotta, William Orr, Tamika Rozema, Muthayipalayam Thirumoorthi, Charles J Mullett, Jocelyn Y Ang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In this survey study of institutions across the US, marked variability in evaluation, treatment, and follow-up of adolescents 12 through 18 years of age with mRNA coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine-associated myopericarditis was noted. Only one adolescent with life-threatening complications was reported, with no deaths at any of the participating institutions.

Pgc1Α/Β Expression Predicts Therapeutic Response To Oxidative Phosphorylation Inhibition In Ovarian Cancer, Carmen Ghilardi, Catarina Moreira-Barbosa, Laura Brunelli, Paola Ostano, Nicolò Panini, Monica Lupi, Alessia Anastasia, Fabio Fiordaliso, Monica Salio, Laura Formenti, Massimo Russo, Edoardo Arrigoni, Ferdinando Chiaradonna, Giovanna Chiorino, Giulio Draetta, Joseph R Marszalek, Christopher P Vellano, Roberta Pastorelli, Mariarosa Bani, Alessandra Decio, Raffaella Giavazzi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecologic cancer, and novel therapeutic options are crucial to improve overall survival. Here we provide evidence that impairment of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) can help control ovarian cancer progression, and this benefit correlates with expression of the two mitochondrial master regulators PGC1α and PGC1β. In orthotopic patient-derived ovarian cancer xenografts (OC-PDX), concomitant high expression of PGC1α and PGC1β (PGC1α/β) fostered a unique transcriptional signature, leading to increased mitochondrial abundance, enhanced tricarboxylic acid cycling, and elevated cellular respiration that ultimately conferred vulnerability to OXPHOS inhibition. Treatment with the respiratory chain complex I inhibitor IACS-010759 caused mitochondrial swelling …

Effect Of Perfluorocarbon Composition On Activation Of Phase-Changing Ultrasound Contrast Agents, Trevor M Mitcham, Dmitry Nevozhay, Yunyun Chen, Linh D Nguyen, Gianmarco F Pinton, Stephen Y Lai, Konstantin V Sokolov, Richard R Bouchard

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: While microbubble contrast agents (MCAs) are commonly used in ultrasound (US), they are inherently limited to vascular targets due to their size. Alternatively, phase-changing nanodroplet contrast agents (PNCAs) can be delivered as nanoscale agents (i.e., small enough to extravasate), but when exposed to a US field of sufficient mechanical index (MI), they convert to MCAs, which can be visualized with high contrast using nonlinear US.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of perfluorocarbon (PFC) core composition and presence of cholesterol in particle coatings on stability and image contrast generated from acoustic activation of PNCAs using high-frequency US suitable for clinical …

Making Universal Digital Access Universal: Lessons From Covid-19 In Singapore, Irene Y. H. Ng, Sun Sun Lim, Natalie Pang

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Digital resources—which include devices, internet connection and digital literacy—have become basic needs. Thus with the global COVID-19 pandemic having accelerated digitalization, the urgency for universal digital inclusion has hastened. Otherwise, digital inequality will lead to social inequality and impede social mobility. Using Singapore as a case study, this article applies the insights learned from a participatory action research to recommend a policy framework for universal digital access, with practical humanistic steps towards full digital inclusion. Singapore is a digitally advanced nation with almost universal digital availability, yet when COVID-19 forced rapid digital adoption, gaps in access by vulnerable groups such …

Institute For Global Health And Development : Issue 3 - April - June 2022, Institute For Global Health And Development

IGHD Newsletters

• Research Highlights
• Reflections from IGHD’s Associate Faculty
• Key Publications
• Webinars and Dialogues
• Celebration
• Collaborate With U

An Efficient Magnetic Resonance Image Data Quality Screening Dashboard, Evan D H Gates, Adrian Celaya, Dima Suki, Dawid Schellingerhout, David Fuentes

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: Complex data processing and curation for artificial intelligence applications rely on high-quality data sets for training and analysis. Manually reviewing images and their associated annotations is a very laborious task and existing quality control tools for data review are generally limited to raw images only. The purpose of this work was to develop an imaging informatics dashboard for the easy and fast review of processed magnetic resonance (MR) imaging data sets; we demonstrated its ability in a large-scale data review.

Methods: We developed a custom R Shiny dashboard that displays key static snapshots of each imaging study and its …

Evaluating Hospital Community Benefit And Community Health Improvement Requirements, Shelly Johnson

Dissertations

The Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) hospital community benefit standard aims to improve the community's health, it is a test the IRS uses to determine whether a hospital is organized and operated for the charitable purpose of promoting health. Participation in this program is required of all not-for-profit hospitals in the US, who spend billions of dollars annually in community benefit in place of taxes. Hospitals must annually submit IRS form 990 Schedule H and are required to report costs associated with their provision of community benefit spending. In addition, a hospital must conduct community health needs assessment (CHNA) and implementation …

Centers For Mendelian Genomics: A Decade Of Facilitating Gene Discovery, Samantha M Baxter, Jennifer E Posey, Nicole J Lake, Nara Sobreira, Jessica X Chong, Steven Buyske, Elizabeth E Blue, Lisa H Chadwick, Zeynep H Coban-Akdemir, Kimberly F Doheny, Colleen P Davis, Monkol Lek, Christopher Wellington, Shalini N Jhangiani, Mark Gerstein, Richard A Gibbs, Richard P Lifton, Daniel G Macarthur, Tara C Matise, James R Lupski, David Valle, Michael J Bamshad, Ada Hamosh, Shrikant Mane, Deborah A Nickerson, Heidi L Rehm, Anne O'Donnell-Luria

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: Mendelian disease genomic research has undergone a massive transformation over the past decade. With increasing availability of exome and genome sequencing, the role of Mendelian research has expanded beyond data collection, sequencing, and analysis to worldwide data sharing and collaboration.

METHODS: Over the past 10 years, the National Institutes of Health-supported Centers for Mendelian Genomics (CMGs) have played a major role in this research and clinical evolution.

RESULTS: We highlight the cumulative gene discoveries facilitated by the program, biomedical research leveraged by the approach, and the larger impact on the research community. Beyond generating a list of gene-phenotype relationships …

Facilitators To Becoming And Remaining Open Defecation Free In Uganda: Implications For Community-Led Total Sanitation Programming, Danette Lee Cagnet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Poor sanitation behaviors, including open defecation, present risks for diarrhea, which is credited with 600,000 deaths a year in children under age five. Although CLTS is a solution to ending open defecation, more than half of the investment in producing open defecation free (ODF) communities is lost during the maintenance phase. The purpose of this qualitative, case study was to understand stakeholder perceptions of the facilitators and hindrances to becoming ODF certified and maintaining ODF status and sanitary behaviors in a small village community located in Uganda, East Africa. The researcher held individual interviews and in-person focus group discussions to …

Changes In Physical Activity Associated With The Covid-19 Pandemic In Individuals With Overweight And Obesity: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis With Historical Controls, Michael C Robertson, Che Young Lee, Ivan Haw-Chong Wu, Yue Liao, Margaret Raber, Nathan Parker, Thuan Le, Leticia Gatus, Karen M Basen-Engquist

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The objective of this study was to investigate changes in physical activity patterns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in individuals with overweight and obesity who were participating in a school district worksite weight loss program. We conducted comparative design interrupted time series analyses on physical activity device (Fitbit) data from the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 school years (N = 211). We administered a questionnaire in 2020 to supplement device data. After the stay-at-home orders in 2020, participants tended to decrease their weekly step count (B = -1315.7, SE = 627.7, p = .045), decrease their weekly "Lightly active minutes" (B = …

The Age Of E-Cigarette Initiation And Association With Frequency Of Use And Risk Of Combustible Tobacco Cigarette Smoking Initiation, Andy Hu

Senior Theses

Background - Studies have shown that electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are unsafe for consumption. However, the prevalence of e-cigarette use among adolescents and young adults continues to increase, which is being addressed by research. Little attention has been paid to the effects of earlier age of ENDS initiation.

Purpose - This paper examined published research studies on the topic of the age of initiation of e-cigarette use in relation to 1) frequency of e-cigarette use and 2) risk of combustible tobacco cigarette smoking initiation. This research tested the hypothesis that an earlier age of e-cigarette initiation was associated with …

Superfund And Society Benumbed: An In-Depth Look At Environmental Justice In South Carolina, Sydney A. Hampton

Senior Theses

This thesis investigates the relationship between superfund sites in minority communities and their public health through the lens of social vulnerability. Various demographic parameters were used to assess the risk associated with minority communities and exposure to hazardous waste. After investigating the history of the Environmental Justice movement, three superfund sites of interest in South Carolina, and demographic and public health data; each community was analyzed to determine association between exposure to hazardous waste and minority status. Each examined community exhibited characteristics contributing to heightened social vulnerability, potentially causing increased susceptibility to negative health outcomes from exposure to hazardous waste.

Colonic Epithelial Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (Ace2) Expression In Blacks And Whites: Potential Implications For Pathogenesis Covid-19 Racial Disparities, Mart De La Cruz, David P Nunes, Vaishali Bhardwaj, Deepika Subramanyan, Caroline Zaworski, Priya Roy, Hemant K Roy

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Covid-19 toll is disproportionate in Blacks although the mechanisms remain incompletely understood. From a biological perspective, several host proteins have received most attention as logical susceptibility targets. Specifically, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) serves as the epithelial cell receptor and acts in concert with transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2). Intriguingly, ACE2 can also suppress the inflammatory response and therefore may impact the severity of Covid-19 infections (from the exuberant immune response a.k.a. "cytokine storm"). We, therefore, assessed expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in Blacks versus Whites.

METHODS: Archived mucosal biopsies from colonoscopic biopsies of visually normal rectal mucosa without concurrent …

Job Performance Of Healthcare Providers Working In Public Sector Hospitals In Pakistan, Nimra Zaman, Khalida Naz Memon, Faryal Zaman, Komal Zaman

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: This study sought to explore the job performance (JP) of health care providers (HCPs) working in public sector hospitals in Pakistan. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad, and Jamshoro, Sir Cowasjee Institute of Psychiatry, Hyderabad, and Shah Bhittai Hospital, Hyderabad. A three-sectioned questionnaire containing the socio-demographic characteristics information regarding the job and an individual work performance questionnaire to measure job performance was used. The relationship between different job-related study variables and job performance was sought by applying a one-way ANOVA test at a p-value of 0.05. Results: Results on the job …

Distribution And Pattern Of An Insurance Health Claim System: A Time Series Approach, Maxwell Mashasha, Praise Mutize, Felix Mazunga

Tanzania Journal of Science

There is a continuous increase in health costs, thereby increasing pressure on individuals and consequently making the amounts claimed by the insured to be on the increase. In this study, data was collected from a large local insurance company in Zimbabwe for the period from January 2012 to December 2016. The aim of this study was to analyse the distribution and future pattern of insurance health claim system using time series approach. Akaike information criterion and Schwarz Bayesian criterion were used to select the adequate model through maximum likelihood estimation methods.  ARIMA (0, 0, 0) (1, 0, 1) [12] is …

Exploratory Analysis Of The Associations Between Neonicotinoids And Measures Of Adiposity Among Us Adults: Nhanes 2015–2016, Amruta M. Godbole, Sheniz Moonie, Courtney Coughenour, Cai Zhang, Aimin Chen, Ann M. Vuong

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Background: Toxicology studies suggest that neonicotinoids may be associated with adiposity development via thyroid hormone disruption and increased oxidative stress. Prior epidemiological studies report mixed results for the association between neonicotinoids and adiposity measures.

Objective: To examine the association between detectable concentrations of parent neonicotinoids (imidacloprid, acetamiprid, clothianidin) and neonicotinoid metabolites (5-hydroxy-imidacloprid, N-desmethyl-acetamiprid) with adiposity measures among US adults, and whether sex modifies the associations for neonicotinoid metabolites with adiposity.

Methods: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2015–2016 data was utilized to estimate covariate-adjusted associations between detectable neonicotinoids and fat mass index (FMI), lean mass index (LMI), waist …

Reliever-Triggered Inhaled Glucocorticoid In Black And Latinx Adults With Asthma, Alex Colon

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Microgreens Grow Kit: A Novel Pilot Study To Improve Nutrition Awareness, Ben Haslund-Gourley, Chris Para, Swaksha Rachuri, Sascha Enders, Rayna Marshall, Vibhuti Mishra, Simone Udeh, Jessica Nwabeke, Annette Gadegbeku

Transformative Medicine

Obesity and associated non-communicable illnesses including coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke have steadily increased in prevalence over the last decade. Previous studies identified the involvement of individual, family, and community support intervention strategies used to prevent and manage obesity. Additionally, education on nutrition from the early stages of development is crucial for obesity prevention and control. Therefore, new preventative methods are needed to further engage and educate individuals and communities about health-conscious diets. Microgreen cultivation utilizes a reduced cost, low-footprint, recyclable, weather-independent, and transportable method to provide less nutrition-privileged communities with exposure to healthy foods within one …

Multi-Modality Typical Imaging Features In Superior Pulmonary Sulcus (Pancoast) Tumour: A Case Report, Dr Chakka Sneha, Dr Rudresh Hiremath, Dr Gurumurthy B

Radiology Teaching Files

A 53 years old male patient came with complaints of pain and tingling sensation of left shoulder joint & left upper limb since 3 months. Patient is a chronic smoker with past history pulmonary tuberculosis. The patient had completed ATT 15 years back

Pericallosal Lipoma With Corpus Callosal Dysgenesis In An Elderly Patient: A Rare Case Report, Dr Theertha K C, Dr Sudha Kiran Das, Dr Gurumurthy B

Radiology Teaching Files

A 55 year old female patient came to the neurology OPD with complaints of giddiness since 1month and vomiting since 15 days. There was no history of focal neurological deficit/ fever/ seizures/ headache/visual disturbances. No history of any co-morbidities. Neurological examination was normal.

2022-03-30_Michigandaily_Covidmap, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Daily Michigan COVID-19 Update

The "WHERE WE STAND WITH COVID-19" map was obtained from Michigan's main COVID-19 page: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus. Data was compiled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The information was updated daily at 3p.m., Monday - Saturday.

The State of Michigan is working around the clock to test and treat COVID-19 patients. Below is the most recent data healthcare experts across the state have compiled.

The image contained a map, indicating total cases by county, and also provides statistics on Total Confirmed Cases, Total COVID-19 Deaths, Daily Confirmed Cases, and Daily COVID-19 Deaths. There …

2022-03-30_Michiganoverview_Covidstats, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Cumulative Michigan COVID-19 Data

The COVID Overview page was obtained from Michigan's main COVID-19 page: https:/www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/0,9753,7-406-98163-520743--,00.html.

The State of Michigan is working around the clock to test and treat COVID-19 patients. Below is the most recent data healthcare experts across the state have compiled. COVID case and testing data will be posted three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

This report is provisional and subject to change. City of Detroit and Wayne County are reported separately. MDHHS began tracking probable cases April 5, 2020. FCI indicates federal correctional institute. MDOC indicates Michigan Department of Corrections. Diagnostic tests, including nucleic acid amplification/real-time …

2022-03-30 Michiganoverview_Covidbedppe, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Hospital Data

Contains the tables Statewide Hospital Capacity Report for COVID-19, COVID-19 Metrics, Statewide Hospital Available PPE Tracking for COVID-19, as well as the tables PPE Days On Hand and Patient Census.