Environmental Public Health Commons^™

Predictive Power Of Wastewater For Nowcasting Infectious Disease Transmission: A Retrospective Case Study Of Five Sewershed Areas In Louisville, Kentucky, Fayette Klaassen, Rochelle H. Holm, Ted Smith, Ted Cohen, Aruni Bhatnagar, Nicolas A. Menzies

Faculty Scholarship

Background: Epidemiological nowcasting traditionally relies on count surveillance data. The availability and quality of such count data may vary over time, limiting representation of true infections. Wastewater data correlates with traditional surveillance data and may provide additional value for nowcasting disease trends. Methods: We obtained SARS-CoV-2 case, death, wastewater, and serosurvey data for Jefferson County, Kentucky (USA), between August 2020 and March 2021, and parameterized an existing nowcasting model using combinations of these data. We assessed the predictive performance and variability at the sewershed level and compared the effects of adding or replacing wastewater data to case and death reports. …

Environmental Exposures And Aging., Daniel Chris Gomes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, research into air pollution has shown that exposure to certain components in air pollution, primarily PM2.5 can accelerate biological aging and thereby lead to increased susceptibility to multiple diseases. We hypothesize that prolonged exposure to air pollutants can result in premature aging leading to extensive tissue dysfunction and susceptibility to diseases. To examine this, we exposed mice to PM2.5 for 9, 15, and 21 days, then measured the telomere lengths, cellular senescence, and histone methylation patterns of multiple cell types. We found consistently increased telomere attrition, cellular senescence and advanced age-consistent histone methylation patterns in groups exposed …

Clinical And Environmental Factors Affecting The Survival Outcomes Among Stage 1a Tn0m0 First Primary Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma Patients In The United States., Naiya Patel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Lung cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States (U.S.). The most prevalent histological type of lung cancer is Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), which has an overall five years survival of 5% if left untreated. Therefore, early treatment of NSCLC is vital to improve overall survival (OS) outcomes. Several factors affect survival outcomes, which can be categorized as modifiable or non-modifiable. The difference in timely receipt of guideline-concordant treatment affects the survival outcomes of patients with stage 1A NSCLC. This dissertation explored factors that affect treatment and survival outcomes among stage 1A NSCLC patients …

H1n1 Influenza Virus (Swine Flu): A Comprehensive Insight Into Escalating Catch-22 Scenarios, Muhammad Shahzaib, Ehsan Ul Haq

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Introduction: Viruses have always been a major cause of various disastrous pandemics in mankind’s history. H1N1 became a threat when its original strain was first discovered back in the swine flu pandemic of 2009. It became highly catastrophic on a large scale because none of the therapeutic interventions and methodologies that were already present at the time were effective against the virus.

Methods: A vast amount of literature and research is available regarding H1N1 influenza from different reputable sources online. The data were gathered with the contrasting and relative situations of 1918 and 2009 pandemics in mind. The overall extracted …

Assessing Conduct Disturbance And Fly Ash Exposure In Children., Jillian G. Winn

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

Minimal research has been conducted on fly ash (a byproduct of coal combustion) and health outcomes among exposed communities, and even less has looked at its effect on children’s behavior. This study specifically looks at fly ash exposure and conduct disturbance, using logistic regression to characterize their relationship. Conduct disturbance was gauged by t-scores of 55 or higher on the dimensions of aggression and delinquency of the Child Behavior Checklist. Fly ash exposure was determined by air and surface sampling of the children’s homes. While the odds ratios suggested fly ash exposure increases the likelihood of conduct disturbance, the results …

Tobacco Smoke Exposures And Fertility-Related Outcomes Among Females Seeking Fertility Care, And The Interaction With N-Acetyltransferase 2 (Nat2).., T'Shura S. A. Ali

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cigarette smoke contains thousands of harmful substances and is one of the leading preventable causes of mortality and morbidity in the United States. Past studies examining tobacco smoke exposures on fecundability and pregnancy outcomes are inconsistent. NAT2 is an important enzyme in the metabolism of xenobiotic substances found within tobacco smoke. This preconception cohort study examines associations between active smoking and secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe) on fecundability and spontaneous abortion (SA), and explores a possible interaction with NAT2 acetylator status. A total of 223 women seeking fertility care were followed for up to 2.3 years. Preconception tobacco smoke exposures were …

Moving Mountains : A Study Examining Long-Term Impacts Of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining On Mortality In The Appalachian Region Using Geographic Information Sciences Techniques., James Howard Kent Pugh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the last hundred years, the Appalachian region has been dominated by the coal industry. It has also been and currently is one of the unhealthiest regions in the United States. Recent scholarship has examined the relationship between coal mining and health and mortality rates in the Appalachian region. The first study incorporates air quality and pollution data to examine if coal mining counties have higher levels of pollution and if this pollution contributes to mortality disadvantage. In the second study, I construct a population-based coal-exposure measure to better evaluate the relationship between coal mining and health I find that …