Epidemiology Commons^™

The Use Of Geospatial Modeling And Novel Diagnostics To Detect And Map Risk Factors Of Soil-Transmitted Helminths In Feira De Santana, Brazil, Ryan Harry Avery

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections impact billions of people worldwide. The traditional STH control approach is a morbidity control strategy implementing mass drug administration (MDA) programs targeting school-aged children (SAC). In Brazil, this control strategy has decreased STH prevalence to less than 20% in most of the country and providing an opportunity to transition from the morbidity control program and towards a surveillance and response system geared towards STH elimination. Surveillance and response systems geared towards elimination require the implementation higher accuracy diagnostics to detect infection in low-transmission communities, surveillance of entire households, high-resolution modeling at the household-habitat scale, and targeted …

The Association Between Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Reactivation And Alzheimer’S Disease, Andrew Allee

BIO 410 Spring 2019 Research Papers

This review will focus on the interaction of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and its causative role in pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) noting specifically, the epidemiological relevance of addressing this problem, as well as the molecular pathways associated. HSV-1 reactivation tends to be one of the primary causative events that is responsible for many of the pathologies associated with AD, such as: amyloid beta (Aβ) accumulation caused by malfunctioning cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) as well as tau hyperphosphorylation. HSV-1 reactivation is a primary causative event in downstream dysfunction and is also shown to be directed by …

Characterizing The Permanence And Stationary Distribution For A Family Of Malaria Stochastic Models, Divine Wanduku

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Ebola: Impact Of Hospital's Admission Policy In An Overwhelmed Scenario, Mondal H. Zahid

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Decoys And Dilution: The Impact Of Incompetent Hosts On Prevalence Of Chagas Disease, Mondal H. Zahid

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

The Teen Vaping Crisis, Jayavignesh Ganesan '21, Cynthia Mu '21, Carolina Seoane '21

Student Leadership Exchange (SLX)

In today’s society, many teens have the idea that is is cool to vape. This has led to an exponential increase in the number of teenagers addicted to nicotine. This increase is directly caused by nicotine companies, specifically vape companies, presenting their products with appealing and misleading packaging. Indeed, nicotine packages are required to have a warning. However, the warning is usually not taken into consideration, as the warning is not eye-catching. Because of this, we propose that all products containing nicotine, including e-cigarettes, must follow plain packaging regulations. Under plain packaging regulations, companies would be required to have the …

The Prevalence And Context Of Adult Female Overweight And Obesity In Sub-Saharan Africa, Ifeoma Ozodiegwu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adult women bear a disproportionate burden of overweight and obesity in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Precise information to understand disease distribution and assess determinants is lacking. Therefore, this dissertation aimed to: (i) analyze the prevalence of adult female overweight and obesity combined in lower-level administrative units; (ii) analyze the effect modification of educational attainment and age on the association between household wealth and adult female overweight and obesity; (iii) synthesize qualitative research evidence to describe contextual factors contributing to female overweight and obesity at different life stages. Bayesian and logistic regression models were constructed with Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data …

Shingrix Revaccination And Vaccination In Vulnerable Populations, Laressa Bethishou, Luma Munjy, John Andraos

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

"Herpes zoster, also known as shingles, is a painful cutaneous eruption that develops following the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes chickenpox.¹ About 1 in 3 people in the United States will develop shingles, with an estimated 1 million cases occurring annually. Anyone with a history of chickenpox is at risk for shingles, but the risk increases with age and in patients who are immunocompromised.²"

The Risk Of New-Onset Epilepsy And Refractory Epilepsy In Older Adult Stroke Survivors, Jorge G. Burneo, Tresah C. Antaya, Britney N. Allen, Andrea Belisle, Salimah Z. Shariff, Gustavo Saposnik

Neuroepidemiology Research Unit Project Summaries

Research Summary: Key Findings

• Stroke is a common cause of epilepsy in older adults, but little is known about stroke-related epilepsy or its outcomes in this population.
• 1.1% of older adult stroke survivors developed epilepsy in this study, of whom 12.9% developed refractory epilepsy, indicating that this population is particularly responsive to treatment.
• Over 85% of deaths in this population are not due to stroke or epilepsy.

Racial Disparities In The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Type 1 Diabetes In Black American Youth, Kierra Mitchell

Scripps Senior Theses

Introduction: Rates of childhood-onset type 1 diabetes (T1D) are steadily increasing among American youth, yet Black Americans are more likely to suffer from serious T1D-related complications caused by poor glycemic control. The aim of this thesis is to determine the external factors that are causing discrepancies in the development, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management of T1D in Black youth.

Methods: Epidemiological studies were compiled from the American Diabetes Association, Center for Disease Control (CDC), International Diabetes Foundation (IDF), Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), and the Claremont Colleges Library network to identify the sociocultural aspects that negatively affect long-term glycemic control in …

The Relationship Between Physical Activity And Cardiorespiratory Fitness Among People Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Throughout The Life Span, Allison R. Webel, Joseph Perazzo, J. Craig Phillips, Kathleen M. Nokes, Cynthia Rentrope, Rebecca Schnall, Rita Musanti, Kimberly Adams Tufts, Elizabeth Sefcik, Mary Jane Hamilton, Carmen Portillo, Puangtip Chaiphibalsarisdi, Penelope Orton, Liana Davis, Carol Dawson Rose

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: People living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) are at an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in PLHIV are poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to describe physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness by sex and age and to examine the association between physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in PLHIV, controlling for covariates.

METHODS: Seven hundred two PLHIV participated in a cross-sectional study and completed validated measures of self-reported physical activity (7-day Physical Activity Recall) and cardiorespiratory fitness (6-minute walk test). Participants were recruited from 7 diverse sites in the United …

Predictors And Health Outcomes Of Treatment-Resistant Depression Among Adults With Chronic Non-Cancer Pain Conditions And Major Depressive Disorder, Drishti Shah

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Understanding major depressive disorder (MDD) as a comorbidity in patients with chronic non-cancer pain conditions (CNPC) is of importance because of the high prevalence and well documented bi-directional relationship between MDD and pain. Furthermore, presence of CNPC among adults with MDD often reduces benefits of antidepressant therapy, thereby increasing the possibility of treatment resistance. Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) commonly defined as insufficient response to multiple antidepressant trials, often worsens depression and pain symptoms and can amplify the clinical and economic burden among adults with CNPC and MDD. Additionally, long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) may be prescribed at a higher rate to adults …

A Review Of Rat Lungworm Infection And Recent Data On Its Definitive Hosts In Hawaii, Chris N. Niebuhr, Susan I. Jarvi, Shane R. Siers

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) is a zoonotic nematode that causes rat lungworm disease (angiostrongyliasis), a potentially debilitating form of meningitis, in humans worldwide. The definitive hosts for rat lungworm are primarily members of the genus Rattus, with gastropods as intermediate hosts. This parasite has emerged as an important public health concern in the United States, especially in Hawaii, where the number of human cases has increased in the last decade. Here we discuss the current knowledge of the rat lungworm, including information on the life cycle and host species, as well as updates on known infection levels. Three …

Multiplicative Advantages Of Hispanic Men Living In Hispanic Enclaves: Intersectionality In Colon Cancer Care, Keren M. Escobar, Mollie Sivaram, Kevin M. Gorey

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

We examined Hispanic enclave paradoxical effects on cancer care among socioeconomically vulnerable people in pre-Obamacare California. We conducted a secondary analysis of a historical cohort of 511 Hispanic and 1,753 non-Hispanic white people with colon cancer. Hispanic enclaves were neighborhoods where 40% or more of the residents were Hispanic, mostly first-generation Mexican American immigrants. An interaction of ethnicity, gender and Hispanic enclave status was observed such that the protective effects of living in a Hispanic enclave were larger for Hispanic men, particularly married Hispanic men, than women. Risks were also exposed among other study groups: the poor, the inadequately insured, …

Examining The Impact Of Hiv Medical And Social Case Management Program On Viral Load For Clients Living With Hiv/Aids In Nebraska, Abdulla Munir

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Abstract

Case management (CM) is one of the standard practices that has been implemented since 1990 to help people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in the United States. The program is designed for low-income populations and it aims to address the barriers related to access to health care and improve the HIV outcomes. Previous studies identified a positive association with the provision of CM and improvement in viral outcomes. Increasing the viral suppression rates among HIV diagnosed individuals proved to reduce the risk of transmitting the infection, and disease incidence. Although CM program is provided to Nebraskans diagnosed with HIV, but …

Determinants Of Uncontrolled Hypertension In Rural Communities In South Asia-Bangladesh, Pakistan, And Sri Lanka, Tazeen Jafar, Mihir Gandhi, Imtiaz Jehan, Aliya Naheed, H Asita De Silva, Hunaina Shahab, Dewan Alam, Nathasha Luke, Ching Wee Lim Wee Lim, Cobra-Bps Study Group

Community Health Sciences

Background: Uncontrolled blood pressure (BP) is a leading risk factor for death and disability in South Asia. We aimed to determine the cross-country variation, and the factors associated with uncontrolled BP among adults treated for hypertension in rural South Asia.
Methods: We enrolled 1718 individuals aged ≥40 years treated for hypertension in a cross-sectional study from rural communities in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to determine the factors associated with uncontrolledBP (systolic BP ≥140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg).
Results: Among hypertensive individuals, 58.0% (95% confidence interval 55.7, 60.4) had uncontrolled BP: 52.8% …

Application Of Data Assimilation In Forecasting Of Influenza In The United States, Hannah Biegel

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Simulating Antibiotic Resistance In The Computer Lab And Biology Lab: Ideas For Undergraduate Projects, Anne E. Yust

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Hypermethylation Of Mir21 In Cd4+ T Cells From Patients With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Associates With Lower Mirna-21 Levels And Concomitant Up-Regulation Of Its Target Genes, Sabrina Ruhrmann, Ewoud Ewing, Eliane Piket, Lara Kular, Julio Cesar Cetrulo Lorenzi, Sunjay Jude Fernandes, Hiromasa Morikawa, Shahin Aeinehband, Sergi Sayols-Baixeras, Stella Aslibekyan, Devin M. Absher, Donna K. Arnett, Jesper Tegner, David Gomez-Cabrero, Fredrik Piehl, Maja Jagodic

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system caused by genetic and environmental factors. DNA methylation, an epigenetic mechanism that controls genome activity, may provide a link between genetic and environmental risk factors.

Objective: We sought to identify DNA methylation changes in CD4+ T cells in patients with relapsing-remitting (RR-MS) and secondary-progressive (SP-MS) disease and healthy controls (HC).

Methods: We performed DNA methylation analysis in CD4+ T cells from RR-MS, SP-MS, and HC and associated identified changes with the nearby risk allele, smoking, age, and gene expression.

Results: We observed significant methylation differences in …

Coping With Chronic Fungal Rhinosinusitis: Diagnosis To Therapy, Veronica Corcino, Leslie Beavin, Shengli Lu, Ashley Ross, Carmen V. Sciortino Jr.

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Exploring H.Pylori Seropositivity As A Risk Factor For Type 2 Diabetes, Virginia Chaidez, Yumou Qiu

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: In the US, the percentage of adults with diagnosed diabetes are higher in members of racial and ethnic minority groups compared to non-Latino Whites. Understanding why such disparities exist has been less forthcoming.

Methods: Secondary data analysis was conducted using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2000 cross-sectional data.

Results: H.pylori seropositivity was highest in Mexican Americans (43.7%), lowest in non-Hispanic Whites (18.1%). Diabetes was highest in non-Hispanic Blacks (5.9%); lowest in non-Hispanic whites (4.3%). H.pylori seropositivity was associated with greater likelihood of having type 2 diabetes (1.927, 95% CI 1.142, 3.257) compared to H.pylori negative in …

Improving Pregnancy Outcomes In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Robert L. Goldenberg, Elizabeth M. Mcclure, Sarah Saleem

Community Health Sciences

This paper reviews the very large discrepancies in pregnancy outcomes between high, low and middle-income countries and then presents the medical causes of maternal mortality, stillbirth and neonatal mortality in low-and middle-income countries. Next, we explore the medical interventions that were associated with the very rapid and very large declines in maternal, fetal and neonatal mortality rates in the last eight decades in high-income countries. The medical interventions likely to achieve similar declines in pregnancy-related mortality in low-income countries are considered. Finally, the quality of providers and the data to be collected necessary to achieve these reductions are discussed. It …

Oxidative Stress And Cardiovascular Risk In Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: Insights From The Dcct/Edic Study, W. Wilson Tang, P. Mcgee, John M. Lachin, D. Li, B. Hoogwerf, S. Hazen, +Several Additional Authors

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Background--Hyperglycemia leading to increased oxidative stress is implicated in the increased risk for the development of macrovascular and microvascular complications in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Methods and Results--A random subcohort of 349 participants was selected from the DCCT/EDIC (Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications) cohort. This included 320 controls and 29 cardiovascular disease cases that were augmented with 98 additional known cases to yield a case cohort of 447 participants (320 controls, 127 cases). Biosamples from DCCT baseline, year 1, and closeout of DCCT, and 1 to 2 years post-DCCT (EDIC years 1 and …

The Incidence Rate, Types, And External Causes Of Traumatic Brain Injuries In Parkinson’S Disease Patients In Nebraska 2008-2014, Maher Alsaadi

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients are at higher risk of traumatic brain injury (TBI) due to disease characteristics like tremor, bradykinesia, and impaired balance. Most of the studies that have been done in the United States to investigate the incident rate and causes of TBI among PD patients have mainly focused on falls, while none of these studies have thoroughly addressed all causes of TBI among the PD population or have used a population-based database. Our study aims to investigate the incidence rate, types, and external causes of TBI stratified by age of PD diagnosis using a population-based database from …

Amphibians And Reptiles As A Source Of Salmonella – A Review Of Salmonella Outbreaks In A Period Of Last Ten Years, Mateusz Drozdz, Gabriela Bugla-Plooskonska

Appalachian Student Research Forum

Salmonellosis is a serious problem of public health that mainly infants, young children and people with immunodeficiencies face. Human direct contact with animals is one of the possible ways of transmission of the disease. An increasing trend of keeping exotic pets, including amphibians and reptiles, has been observed for recent years in the United States and developing European countries. Most of these animals are asymptomatic carriers of Salmonella. However, in this review we introduced new and the most dangerous outbreaks of salmonellosis caused by contact with amphibians and reptiles that appeared in all continents in last ten years.

It was …

The Distribution Of Hepatitis C Virus Genotypes In Us Population. Data From Nhanes 2006-2016, Hilary Elom, Shimin Zheng

Appalachian Student Research Forum

Background: Unlike other non-hepatitis c viral infection, hepatitis c viral infection is a non-vaccine preventable disease. Thus, effective treatment is an important part in the prevention of complication of chronic hepatitis c infection. The viral genotype plays a significant role in the choice of treatment regimen.

Aim: the purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis c viral infection and the distribution of viral genotype in the US population.

Methods: Diagnosis of Hepatitis C viral infection was made by assaying the blood specimen collected from the study participants using Ampiclor monitor (Roche Diagnostic System, Inc Branchburg …

Physical Activity Across The Lifespan And Liver Cancer Incidence In The Nih-Aarp Diet And Health Study Cohort., Hannah Arem, Erikka Loftfield, Pedro F Saint-Maurice, Neal D Freedman, Charles E Matthews

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

While liver cancer rates in the United States are increasing, 5-year survival is only 17.6%, underscoring the importance of prevention. Physical activity has been associated with lower risk of developing liver cancer, but most studies assess physical activity only at a single point in time, often in midlife. We utilized physical activity data from 296,661 men and women in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study cohort to test whether physical activity patterns over the life course could elucidate the importance of timing of physical activity on liver cancer risk. We used group modeling of longitudinal data to create physical activity …

Rural And Urban Injection Drug Use In Puerto Rico: Network Implications For Human Immunodeficiency Virus And Hepatitis C Virus Infection, Courtney Thrash, Melissa L. Welch-Lazoritz, G. Robin Gauthier, Bilal Khan, Roberto Abadie, Kirk Dombrowski, Sandra Miranda De Leon, Yadira Rolon Colon

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Understanding the short- and long-term transmission dynamics of blood-borne illnesses in network contexts represents an important public health priority for people who inject drugs and the general population that surrounds them. The purpose of this article is to compare the risk networks of urban and rural people who inject drugs in Puerto Rico. In the current study, network characteristics are drawn from the sampling “trees” used to recruit participants to the study. We found that injection frequency is the only factor significantly related to clustering behavior among both urban and rural people who inject drugs.

Inequalities In The Use Of Secondary Prevention Of Cardiovascular Disease By Socioeconomic Status: Evidence From The Pure Observational Study, Adrianna Murphy, Benjamin Palafox, Owen O'Donnell, David Stuckler, Pablo Perel, Khalid F. Alhabib, Alvaro Avezum, Xiulin Bai, Jephat Chifamba, Romaina Iqbal

Community Health Sciences

Background: There is little evidence on the use of secondary prevention medicines for cardiovascular disease by socioeconomic groups in countries at different levels of economic development.
Methods: We assessed use of antiplatelet, cholesterol, and blood-pressure-lowering drugs in 8492 individuals with self-reported cardiovascular disease from 21 countries enrolled in the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. Defining one or more drugs as a minimal level of secondary prevention, wealth-related inequality was measured using the Wagstaff concentration index, scaled from -1 (pro-poor) to 1 (pro-rich), standardised by age and sex. Correlations between inequalities and national health-related indicators were estimated.
Findings: The …

Coffee Drinking And Leukocyte Telomere Length: A Meta-Analysis, Bella Kotlyar

Yale Day of Data

Telomeres are long tandem nucleotide repeats responsible for maintaining chromosomal integrity. They shorten with each cell division, serving as markers for cellular aging and replicative ability, and shorter telomere length has been associated with greater risk of various chronic diseases of aging. There is increasing interest in the relationship between telomere length and lifestyle factors, such as components of the diet, that are associated with age-related chronic diseases, like cancer and diabetes.

There is mounting evidence that coffee, one of the most commonly consumed beverages in the world, has potential protective effects against chronic disease and mortality. Few studies have …