Public Health Commons^™

Gut Microbial Community Structure Of The Adult Citrus Root Weevil Diaprepes Abbreviatus, Imilce A Rodriguez-Fernandez, Tasha M Santiago-Rodriguez, Paola G Figueroa-Pratts, Keislamarí Cintrón-Berríos, Nichole D Rodriguez-Cornier, Gary A Toranzos

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Diaprepes abbreviatus is an agricultural pest known to affect around 270 plant species across the Caribbean and the United States, posing significant challenges to pest management. Chemical control dominates management, but environmental and health concerns motivate microbiome-informed alternatives. However, limited information exists on the gut anatomy, physicochemical environment, and microbial composition of D. abbreviatus. In this study, we provide the first comprehensive characterization of the gut morphology, pH, and microbiota of adult D. abbreviatus in both females and males collected in Puerto Rico. Using dye-based gut tracing, we identified foregut, midgut, and hindgut or posterior gut compartments, and confirmed the …

Transposable Element Activity Captures Human Pluripotent Cell States, Florencia Levin-Ferreyra, Srikanth Kodali, Yingzhi Cui, Alison R S Pashos, Patrizia Pessina, Justin Brumbaugh, Bruno Di Stefano

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) exist in multiple, transcriptionally distinct states and serve as powerful models for studying human development. Despite their significance, the molecular determinants and pathways governing these pluripotent states remain incompletely understood. Here, we demonstrate that transposable elements act as sensitive indicators of distinct pluripotent cell states. We engineered hPSCs with fluorescent reporters to capture the temporal expression dynamics of two state-specific transposable elements, LTR5_Hs, and MER51B. This dual reporter system enables real-time monitoring and isolation of stem cells transitioning from naïve to primed pluripotency and further towards differentiation, serving as a more accurate readout of pluripotency …

Longitudinal Viral Load Clustering For People With Hiv Using Functional Principal Component Analysis, Yunqing Ma, Xueying Yang Ph.D., Jiayang Xiao, Xiaoming Li Ph.D., Bankole Olatosi Ph.D., Jiajia Zhang Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Background: Longitudinal measures of viral load (VL) are critical in monitoring the HIV status. While multiple lab indicators exist for monitoring measures of VL, research on clustering historical/longitudinal VL measures is limited. Analyzing longitudinal VL patterns rather than aggregated measures offers deeper insights into HIV status. This study uses functional data clustering to classify longitudinal VL patterns and characterize each cluster by demographics, comorbidities, social behaviors, and CD4 count.

Methods: Adult PWH diagnosed from 2005 to 2015 in South Carolina with a 5-year minimum follow-up were included. We compared functional principal component analysis (FPCA), K-means, hierarchical clustering, and Gaussian mixture …

Temporal Changes In Racial Disparities Of Hiv Linkage To Care From 2013 To 2020: A Statewide Cohort Analysis, Fanghui Shi, Katherine E. Weaver, Chen Zhang, Bankole Olatosi Ph.D., Jiajia Zhang Ph.D., Sharon Weissman, Xiaoming Li Ph.D., Xueying Yang

Faculty Publications

Background: Racial disparities have historically existed regarding HIV care outcomes, including linkage to care. This study aims to explore the contribution of contextual features (e.g., socioeconomic and structural environmental factors) to the temporal change of county-level racial disparities in linkage to care.

Methods: This is a statewide population-based retrospective cohort study. The patient-level variables in the South Carolina HIV registry system were used to calculate the aggregated county-level linkage to care percentage. Then, we used four indices to measure racial disparities in the county-level percentage of timely linkage to care, i.e., the Black-White ratio, index of disparity (ID), weighted ID, …

‘Antibiotics Are Like Gold’: A Qualitative Study Of Patient Perspectives On The Use Of Antibiotics Without A Prescription, Lindsey A Laytner, Patricia Chen, Barbara Wells Trautner, Susan Nash, Ashley Collazo, Fabrizia Faustinella, Kiara Olmeda, Azalia Mancera, Roger Zoorob, Michael K Paasche-Orlow, Larissa Grigoryan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Using antibiotics without a prescription (non-prescription use) is common in the USA and contributes to antibiotic misuse, potentially harming individuals and threatening public health. At the individual level, safety issues related to non-prescription use include adverse drug reactions and disruption of healthy microbiomes. At the public health level, non-prescription use increases the risk of antimicrobial resistance.

Objectives: This qualitative study explored the reasons and motivations underlying non-prescription use among adult outpatients with varying healthcare coverage and education.

Methods: We used purposive sampling to recruit participants who endorsed using non-prescription antibiotics in a larger quantitative survey. Participants were patients recruited …

Application Of A Digital Quality Measure For Cancer Diagnosis In Epic Cosmos, Andrew J Zimolzak, Sundas P Khan, Hardeep Singh, Jessica A Davila

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objectives: Missed and delayed cancer diagnoses are common, harmful, and often preventable. We previously validated a digital quality measure (dQM) of emergency presentation (EP) of lung cancer in 2 US health systems. This study aimed to apply the dQM to a new national electronic health record (EHR) database and examine demographic associations.

Materials and methods: We applied the dQM (emergency encounter followed by new lung cancer diagnosis within 30 days) to Epic Cosmos, a deidentified database covering 184 million US patients. We examined dQM associations with sociodemographic factors.

Results: The overall EP rate was 19.6%. EP rate was higher in …

Cervical Cancer Prevention Behaviors In Young Black Women, Angela J Johnson, Monica J Johnson, Juinell B Williams, Emma Muscari, Laura Palmo, Michelle Ruiz, Brianna Bush, Lisa C Campbell

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: In the United States, Black women have the second highest incidence of cervical cancer (CC) due to high incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV), slow HPV clearance rates, and low receipt of preventive pap smears and vaccines.

Objective: A Black Feminist Thought framework was used to examine how the media portrayal of Black women, racial identity, and familial factors impact CC prevention behaviors among young Black women.

Design: Black women enrolled at a large southeastern university consented and participated in an online mixed-methods survey examining facilitators and barriers to CC prevention behaviors. Quantitative items were analyzed via descriptive statistics, and …

Association Between Hemoglobin A1c And Pediatric Asthma Control, Hewlett Pham, Rachelle Koehl, Han Woo, Tianshi David Wu, Anna Yue Qiu, Emily P Brigham, Nadia N Hansel, Meredith C Mccormack

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: To examine the relationship between Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and asthma outcomes in an urban cohort of children with asthma.

Methods: The AIRWEIGHS Study was a randomized controlled clinical trial of an air cleaner intervention testing the hypothesis that overweight/obese children would experience greater improvement in asthma control compared to normal weight children. The study enrolled 164 children with asthma from Baltimore, MD and assessed HbA1c levels and asthma outcomes during clinic visits at baseline and three months. HbA1c levels were analyzed as a continuous measure and categorized as either normal (< 5.7%) or consistent with pre-diabetes (≥5.7%). Asthma outcomes included standardized questionnaires, spirometry, and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO). Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) regression models were used to analyze the association between the HbA1c and asthma outcomes.

Results: Participants included 164 children with an average …

External Validation Of A Novel Cancer-Associated Venous Thromboembolism Risk Assessment Score In A Safety-Net Hospital, Karlynn N Dulberger, Jennifer La, Ang Li, Saran Lotfollahzadeh, Asha Jose, Nhan V Do, Mary T Brophy, J Michael Gaziano, Katya Ravid, Vipul C Chitalia, Nathanael R Fillmore

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT) is a leading cause of death in patients diagnosed with cancer. However, pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis use in cancer patients must be carefully evaluated due to a 2-fold increased risk of experiencing a major bleeding event within this population. The electronic health record CAT (EHR-CAT) risk assessment model (RAM) was recently developed, and reports improved performance over the widely used Khorana score. Extensive RAM external validation is crucial to determine accuracy across diverse patient populations prior to clinical utilization.

Objectives: To externally validate EHR-CAT using data from 2103 patients with cancer at the Boston Medical Center (BMC), New …

Utility Of Microbial Cell-Free Dna Sequencing In The Diagnosis Of Mycobacterial Infections In A Quaternary Care Center, Fernando H Centeno, Todd Lasco, Ahmed M Hamdi, Mayar Al Mohajer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

We examine the performance of microbial cell-free DNA (mcfDNA) next-generation sequencing (NGS) testing on patients admitted to a quaternary care hospital in Houston, Texas. The test was 75.0% sensitive and 97.8% specific for all mycobacterial infections. mcfDNA NGS results led to adjustments in antimicrobial therapy for seven of nine patients with positive results.

Investigating Socioeconomic Deprivation And Antibiotic Prescribing Among Older Medicare Patients Using An Instrumental Variable Approach, Mayar Al Mohajer, David Slusky, David Nix, Catia Nicodemo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Socioeconomic deprivation has been associated with antibiotic overprescription in the US; however, prior studies could not quantify a causal relationship due to endogeneity. This study examines how socioeconomic deprivation is related to the rate of antibiotic days supplied to older Medicare Part D beneficiaries, utilizing an Instrumental Variable (IV) approach.

Methods: Data from the Medicare Part D and the Social Deprivation Index (SDI) repositories were analyzed. To address potential endogeneity and omitted variable bias in the relationship between SDI and antibiotic prescribing, we used the maximum Earned Income Tax Credit as an IV. Bivariate Moran's I assessed the spatial …

Impact Of A Cerebrospinal Fluid Diagnostic Stewardship Intervention On Quantity Of Tests, Length Of Stay, Antibiotic Prescriptions, And Cost, Aaron Pathak, Sabra Shay, Todd Lasco, Mayar Al Mohajer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Redundant and low-value cerebrospinal fluid analysis for suspected meningitis can increase costs and antimicrobial use. Our diagnostic stewardship intervention limited available infectious disease cerebrospinal fluid assays to seven common tests, including a multiplex polymerase chain reaction panel. There was no significant difference in the cost of testing or clinical outcomes.

The Utilization Of Microbial Cell-Free Dna Next-Generation Sequencing For The Detection Of Human Herpesvirus-8 In A Quaternary Care Center, Rebecca Berger, Jennifer Jacobe, Fernando H Centeno, Todd Lasco, Mayar Al Mohajer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV8) can present with cutaneous or extracutaneous manifestations. While violaceous skin lesions characterize cutaneous Kaposi sarcoma, extracutaneous HHV8 is challenging to diagnose due to nonspecific symptoms.

Objectives: We evaluated the role of microbial cell-free DNA next-generation sequencing (mcfDNA NGS) in diagnosing HHV8-related illness.

Design: Retrospective analysis.

Methods: Between 2017 and 2024, we reviewed the medical charts of 10 immunosuppressed patients at a quaternary care center who had positive HHV8 mcfDNA NGS results.

Results: The clinical and laboratory turnaround times of mcfDNA NGS were 3 and 1 days, respectively (8.5 and 7 days for immunohistochemistry vs 5.5 and …

Inclusion Of Patient-Centered, Non-Microbiological Endpoints And Biomarkers In Tuberculosis Drug Trials, Andrew R Dinardo, Wilbert Sabiiti, Stephen H Gillespie, Sophia B Georghiou, Norbert Heinrich, Norbert Hittel, Sami Taghlabi, Danna Carrero Longlax, Mikashmi Kohli, Ursula Panzner, Collins Musia, Christoph Lange, Anca Vasiliu, Rob J W Arts, Anna M Mandalakas, Morten Ruhwald, Lieven J Stuyver, Reinout Van Crevel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Tuberculosis drug trials are primarily designed to identify antibiotic regimens with the strongest potency to kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, microbiologic cure is not synonymous with improved health and recovery. Beyond antimicrobial efficacy, parameters such as morbidity and mortality related to lung function, cardiovascular health, and cancer should be prioritized. This narrative review emphasizes the critical need to emphasize clinical outcomes as much, if not more, than microbiological endpoints. We examine the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and determinants of non-microbiological outcomes in tuberculosis, providing a synthesis of current knowledge. While there is growing evidence for some biomarkers to risk stratify TB …

A Pipeline For Rapid, High-Throughput Imaging And Quantitative Analysis Of Human Intestinal Organoids, Faith M Sawyer, Fabio Stossi, Erika Nachman, Robert A Britton, Michael J Bolt, Michael A Mancini, Mary K Estes, Sarah E Blutt

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Human intestinal organoids (HIOs) are a model system for studying human intestinal epithelium. Utilizing HIOs for high-throughput studies remains inefficient, as analyzing their cellular composition and responses to varying experimental conditions requires extensive time and labor. We describe a 96-well plate-based automated pipeline for rapidly imaging and quantifying fluorescent labeling in HIOs using a high-throughput confocal microscope and image analysis software. The pipeline was leveraged to quantify varying levels of cell proliferation among donor HIO lines in response to microbial products. Cytoplasmic fluorescence via antibody labeling was also quantified with the pipeline, enabling measurement of the prevalence of specific cell …

Urinary Ammonium: A Potential Novel Biomarker For Diarrhea Severity In Patients With Ulcerative Colitis, Jared A Sninsky, L Parker Gregg, Mahbubur Rahman, Adith Ram, Jason K Hou

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Early Versus Late Initiation Of Dialysis In Ckd Stage 5: Time For A Consensus, Emaad M Abdel-Rahman, Irtiza Hasan, Abdallah S Abdelrazeq, Ali Rawabdeh, Mei Liu, Nasrollah Ghahramani, David Sheikh-Hamad, Mariana Murea, Pradeep Kadambi, T Alp Ikizler, Alaa S Awad

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), a major global public health problem, emerged as one of the leading causes of death, affecting over 800 million individuals worldwide, with significant burden to patients and their caregivers, and may lead to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). The decision on optimal initiation of chronic dialysis is a common problem faced by nephrologists, patients, and caregivers due to lack of adequate data. Determining the ideal time to initiate maintenance dialysis for individuals struggling with ESKD has remained a puzzle. Currently, there is no consensus among guidelines as to the best time to initiate dialysis. Discrepancies in guidelines …

Promotion Of Hiv Clearance By Sensitization Of Hiv Reservoirs To Cell Death, Min Li, Baichao Sun, Jing Dong, Jian-Rong Li, Laurie J Minze, Min Chen, Chao Cheng, Jin Wang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: HIV integrates its proviral DNA into the host genome to establish persistent infection. To promote HIV clearance, we have designed an approach for selective elimination of host cells harboring replication-competent HIV (SECH), through inhibition of autophagy and anti-apoptotic molecules during viral reactivation. SECH approach can clear HIV-infected cells in approximately 50% humanized mice. However, the mechanisms for the resistance of reservoirs to depletion in mice with failure in HIV clearance are unclear.

Methods: We have performed single cell transcriptome analyses of HIV-infected T cells that escaped the treatments, in order to identify cellular pathways that could be targeted to …

Tobacco Exposure Linked To Warthin’S Tumor Being The Most Common Benign Parotid Neoplasm In Veterans: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Louis Abarca, Linda K Green, Ray Y Wang, Vlad C Sandulache, David J Hernandez

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: Parotid gland neoplasms account for a large proportion of benign salivary gland tumors, with pleomorphic adenomas (PA) being the most common in the civilian population, followed by Warthin's tumor (WT). However, the distinct risk profiles of Veterans significantly influence the incidence and prevalence of salivary gland neoplasms. We investigated the diagnostic and management algorithms for benign parotid gland neoplasms in Veterans.

< >Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Descriptive statistics were calculated using Microsoft Excel. Categorical variables were compared using chi square tests, and were reported with 95% confidence intervals, with statistical significance set at P <  .05.

Results: The study included 158 patients …

Inhibition Of Ribosome Biogenesis In Vivo Causes P53-Dependent Death And P53-Independent Dysfunction, Charles J Cho, Thanh Nguyen, Amala K Rougeau, Yang-Zhe Huang, Sarah To, Xiaobo Lin, Supuni Thalalla Gamage, Jordan L Meier, Jason C Mills

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background & aims: Although it is well-known that ribosomes are critical for cell function, and their synthesis (known as ribosome biogenesis [RiBi]) is energy-intensive, surprisingly little is known about RiBi in vivo in adult tissue.

Methods: Using a mouse model with conditional deletion of Nat10, an essential gene for RiBi and subsequent translation of mRNA, we investigated the effects of RiBi blockade in vivo, with a focus on pancreatic acinar cells during homeostasis and tumorigenesis.

Results: We observed an unexpected latency of several weeks between Nat10 deletion and onset of structural and functional abnormalities and p53-dependent acinar cell death. Although …

Maternal Rest Improves Growth In Small-For-Gestational-Age Fetuses (<10th Percentile), Greggory R Devore, Bardo Polanco, Wesley Lee, Jeffrey Brian Fowlkes, Emma E Peek, Manesha Putra, John C Hobbins

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Optimal management of fetuses diagnosed as small for gestational age based on an estimated fetal weight ofHowever, maternal bed rest has not been recommended based on the results of a randomized clinical trial that showed that maternal rest does not improve fetal growth in small-for-gestational-age fetuses. This study was conducted to revisit this question.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine whether maternal bed rest was associated with an increase in the fetal biometric parameters that reflect growth after the diagnosis of a small-for-gestational-age fetus.

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study was conducted on fetuses who were diagnosed as small for …

Circulating Tumor Hpv Dna, Antibodies To Hpv16 Early Proteins, And Oral Hpv16 Dna As Biomarkers For Hpv-Related Oropharyngeal Cancer Screening, Kristina R Dahlstrom, Andrew T Day, Victor M Alvarez, Samantha R Chirinos, Giselle Santillana, Ming Guo, Karen S Anderson, Erich M Sturgis

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Oropharyngeal cancer rates continue to rise with no effective screening method. Persistent oral oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV), antibodies to HPV16 early (E) oncoproteins, and circulating tumor HPV DNA (ctHPVDNA) are biomarkers that show promise for use in HPV-related cancer screening.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of biomarkers for HPV-related cancer and their agreement in middle-aged men.

Methods: Men aged 50–64 years from the general population provided oral rinse and blood samples as well as information about demographics, tobacco/alcohol exposure, sexual behavior, and HPV-related disease history. Oral rinse was tested for HPV16 DNA and plasma was tested for HPV16 E …

A Comparative Analysis Of Hysterectomy Outcomes: Robotic Single-Port Vs Traditional Transvaginal Notes Approaches, Qiannan Yang, Daniel Y Lovell, Juliana Wu, Chunhua Zhang, Xiaoming Guan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: This study aimed to explore the feasibility and safety of robotic single port vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (RSP-vNOTES) hysterectomy when compared with traditional vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (T-vNOTES) hysterectomy.

Methods: In this study, the clinical data of 135 patients who underwent RSP-vNOTES or T-vNOTES hysterectomy performed by a single minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon from January 2017 to September 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical characteristics, surgical outcomes, perioperative complications, and postoperative pain scores were collected and analyzed.

Results: A total of 79 patients underwent T-vNOTES hysterectomy and 56 patients underwent RSP-vNOTES hysterectomy. Compared to the T-vNOTES …

Toward Improving Retention In Hiv Care After Pregnancy: Lessons From A Post-Pandemic Cohort In The United States, Alexandra H Latham, Andrea Lugo Morales, Elizabeth Barba Gutierrez, Michael Jochum, Sarah Conrad, Eva H Clark, Kassandra Goytia, Megan Alam, Jessica Gerard, Jennifer Mckinney

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: People living with HIV (PLWH) often experience low rates of retention in HIV care (RIC) and suboptimal viral suppression postpartum. Understanding contemporary barriers to RIC is crucial to identify risk factors for loss to care and thereby improve support during this vulnerable transition. This work aimed to identify factors associated with adequate RIC, defined as two HIV care visits ≥90 days apart in the first year postpartum.

Methods: Electronic records were retrospectively reviewed for PLWH who delivered from 2019 to 2023 and received prenatal care within a single county health system. Variables were collected related to both maternal and …

Reliable Rna-Seq Analysis From Ffpe Specimens As A Means To Accelerate Cancer-Related Health Disparities Research, Mitchell J Frederick, Dannelys Perez-Bello, Pedram Yadollahi, Patricia Castro, Alan Frederick, Andrew Frederick, Rashid A Osman, Fonma Essien, Imelda Yebra, Ashley Hamlin, Thomas J Ow, Heath D Skinner, Vlad C Sandulache

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Whole transcriptome sequencing (WTS/ RNA-Seq) is a ubiquitous tool for investigating cancer biology. RNA isolated from frozen sources limits possible studies for analysis of associations with phenotypes or clinical variables requiring long-term follow-up. Although good correlations are reported in RNA-Seq data from paired frozen and formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) samples, uncertainties regarding RNA quality, methods of extraction, and data reliability are hurdles to utilization of archival samples. We compared three different platforms for performing RNA-seq using archival FFPE oropharyngeal squamous carcinoma (OPSCC) specimens stored up to 20 years, as part of an investigation of transcriptional profiles related to health …

Relationships Of Personality Traits With The Taxonomic Composition Of The Gut Microbiome Among Psychiatric Inpatients, William Orme, Sandra L Grimm, Divya S N Vella, J Christopher Fowler, B Christopher Frueh, Benjamin L Weinstein, Joseph Petrosino, Cristian Coarfa, Alok Madan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: Through the brain-gut-microbiome axis, myriad psychological functions that affect behavior share a dynamic, bidirectional relationship with the intestinal microbiome. Little is known about the relationship between personality-a stable construct that influences social- and health-related behaviors-and the bacterial ecosystem. The authors of this exploratory study examined the relationship between general and maladaptive personality traits and the composition of the gut microbiome.

Methods: In total, 105 psychiatric inpatients provided clinical data and fecal samples. Personality traits were measured with the five-factor model of personality, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Personality Disorders, and the Personality Inventory for DSM-5; 16S …

Tailor Swiftly: Lessons Learned From A Nationwide Implementation Of An Antimicrobial Stewardship Program For Asymptomatic Bacteriuria, Trenton M Haltom, Sophia Braund, Rogelio Hernandez, Larissa Grigoryan, Barbara W Trautner, Eva Amenta

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: Overtreatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is a major cause of antibiotic overuse. We facilitated a nationwide implementation of an ASB antimicrobial stewardship intervention in 41 Veterans Affairs facilities. Twenty-one sites participated in a Virtual Learning Collaborative (VLC) with monthly webinars. We assess what VLC teams learned from one another in these webinars.

Methods: The bi-monthly VLC webinars featured expert presentations and spotlighted 1-2 site teams, asking them to discuss their barriers and facilitators for the intervention. Data come from analyses of descriptive field notes from the webinars and chat transcripts. Field notes were analyzed using the "sort and sift, …

Harnessing Big Heterogeneous Data To Evaluate The Potential Impact Of Hiv Responses Among Key Populations In Sub-Saharan Africa: Protocol For The Boloka Data Repository Initiative, Refilwe Nancy Phaswana Mafuya, Edith Phalane, Amrita Rao, Kalai Willis, Katherine Rucinski, K. Alida Voet, Amal Abdulrahman, Claris Siyamayambo, Betty Sebati, Mohlago Seloka, Musa Jaiteh, Lerato Lucia Olifant, Katharine Journeay, Haley Sisel, Xiaoming Li Ph.D., Bankole Olatosi Ph.D., Neset Hikmet, Prashant Duhoon, Francois Wolmarans, Yegnanew A. Shiferaw, Lifutso Motsieloa, Mashudu Rampilo, Stefan Baral

Faculty Publications

Background: In South Africa, there is no centralized HIV surveillance system where key populations (KPs) data, including gay men and other men who have sex with men, female sex workers, transgender persons, people who use drugs, and incarcerated persons, are stored in South Africa despite being on higher risk of HIV acquisition and transmission than the general population. Data on KPs are being collected on a smaller scale by numerous stakeholders and managed in silos. There exists an opportunity to harness a variety of data, such as empirical, contextual, observational, and programmatic data, for evaluating the potential impact of HIV …

Longitudinal Assessments Of Viral Rebound Among People With Hiv In South Carolina: A Population-Based Cohort Study, Jiayang Xiao, Xueying Yang Ph.D., Yunqing Ma, Bankole Olatosi Ph.D., Sharon Weissman, Xiaoming Li Ph.D., Jiajia Zhang Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Routinely monitoring viral rebound (VR) is important in the life course of people with HIV (PWH). This study examined risk factors for time to the first VR, the number of VRs and their association with VR history in men who have sex with men (MSM). It includes 8176 adult PWH diagnosed from January 2005 to December 2018, followed until July 2021. We used the Cox model for time to the first VR, the Poisson model for a number of VRs, and logistic regression for VR history in MSM. Younger individuals (50–59 years vs 18–29 years, aHR: 0.43, 95% CI: [0.34, …

Maternal Vulnerability Index And Severe Maternal Morbidity, Nansi S. Boghossian, Joshua Radack, Molly Passarella, Ciaran S. Phibbs, Lucy T. Greenberg, Jeffrey S. Buzas, George R. Saade, Jeannette Rogowski, Scott A. Lorch

Faculty Publications

Importance: Few studies have investigated the association of composite measures of neighborhood social determinants of health with severe maternal morbidity (SMM), and no research has examined this association for indices tailored to maternal health. Objective: To examine the association of scores in the Maternal Vulnerability Index (MVI), a tool developed to measure maternal risk of adverse health outcomes, with SMM. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective, population-based cohort study was conducted in 5 states (2008-2020 for Michigan, Oregon, and South Carolina; 2008-2018 for Pennsylvania; and 2008-2012 for California) among individuals delivering a fetal death or a live birth between 22 …