Epidemiology Commons^™

Assessment Of Temperature And Ultraviolet Radiation Effects On Sunburn At An Inland U.S. Beach: A Cohort Study, Jason W. Marion, Jiyoung Lee, James Rosenblum, Timothy J. Buckley

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Background

Increases in outdoor temperature may lead to increases in sunburn, outdoor exposure, and skin cancer in human populations.

Objective

This study aimed to quantify sunburn incidence and risk for Ohio beachgoers exposed to varying outdoor conditions.

Methods

Sunburn incidence data were obtained through a prospective cohort study at East Fork Lake (Cincinnati, Ohio, USA). Recruitment occurred over 26 weekend days. Beach interviews and follow-up telephone interviews obtained exposure and health information. New sunburns were self-reported 8–9 days post-enrollment. Survey data were paired with ultraviolet radiation (UVR) index and temperature data for statistical analysis.

Results

Among 947 beachgoers, new sunburns …

Lebanon: Cholera Outbreak, Muhammad Naqvi

Global Public Health

Lebanon is a country that has always been tangled with the ever looming threat of a growing health crisis. With a failing government and massive influx of refugees, mostly the victim of their war torn economy, it seemed inevitable that sanitation procedures would run short. Now the Lebanese people and government face the challenge of the spread of Cholera, a water-borne disease, within the countries vicinity as a result of mass pollution from the formation of informal settlements as well as the country being a hotbed for political instability. These have resulted in limited success in controlling the outbreak engulfing …

Democratic Republic Of The Congo: Hiv/Aids, John Tworek

Global Public Health

The Democratic Republic of the Congo faces a great number of health issues, however, one of the most prevalent diseases within the country is HIV/AIDS. An estimated 122,168 thousand cases were reported in 2015, with the total number of deaths at 19,000, in a country that has a population of 82,804,942. The research done on HIV/AIDS in The Democratic Republic of the Congo looks at the basic epidemiology of the region, how to identify the disease, and major risk factors present. Other major challenges The Democratic Republic of the Congo faces are included, as well as suggestions for preventing further …

Bahrain: Cardiovascular Disease, Sandra Morales

Global Public Health

A beautiful island in the Arabian Gulf (Persian Gulf), east of Saudi Arabia, north of Qatar, Bahrain is home to over 1.5 million people. The diverse population consists of Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Asians, Africans, and so much more. Bahrain is a constitutional monarchy. The current commander of the Bahrain defense force is Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa. For the most part, Bahrainis have political freedoms. However, one major problem Bahrainis face, in particular men, is cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease accounted for 34% of deaths in 2002. It is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Bahrain. Obesity and inactivity …

Somalia: Rift Valley Fever, Alyson Meeks

Global Public Health

This walks readers through the basic demographics of Somalia, a country located in the horn of Africa. After learning about the government in Somalia and the problems that the people of the country face, this focuses on the problem of Rift Valley Fever. Rift Valley Fever is a virus that year after year strikes Somalia and surrounding countries. Weather patterns seem to help predict when Rift Valley Fever will be at the highest risk for an outbreak. This outlines the steps the current government and people are trying to take to help prevent outbreaks of RVF. But the solutions currently …

Uganda: Malaria, Sui Hnem

Global Public Health

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by mosquito bite. It is a major health problem in Uganda and is a major cause of mortality and morbidity. Pregnant women and children are the most infected groups in the country. The Ugandan government did their best to keep children and women healthy by providing clinics near the villages and advocating home treatment for malaria. Although, the government is very supportive in preventing and promoting the malaria, people did not seek healthcare as much as they should. The reason for not seeking healthcare was because they feel healthy, or the clinic had long …

Hiv/Aids: Nigeria, Lauren Tropinski

Global Issues in Public Health

Nigeria has one of the largest prevalence rates of HIV infections in Africa. HIV is a communicable disease that is transmitted by bodily fluids through unprotected sex, using contaminated needles, or mother to child. The most affected populations include heterosexuals who have unprotected sex, followed by sex workers, and men who have sex with men. People will experience three stages of HIV before the last stage referred to as AIDS. Rapid diagnostic tests are used to diagnose the disease. There is no cure for HIV/AIDS. However, people with HIV are given antiretrovirals to keep HIV at a low level throughout …

Type 1 Diabetes, Dan Bornstein

Global Issues in Public Health

The aim of this research was to increase the awareness of this disease and show the range of which it travels. Type 1 Diabetes, although not as common as Type 2 Diabetes, is a very serious disease present well around the world. Between the two forms, there are nearly 1.5 million people diagnosed with diabetes each year (American Diabetes Association, 2015). Northern European countries tend to have the highest prevalence of Type 1 diabetes. Younger children on average ages of 0-14 years, are most frequently struck with this disease (American Diabetes Association, 2015). With the given amount of symptoms that …

Type 2 Diabetes, Aj Mimlitz

Global Issues in Public Health

The purpose of this two page educational document is to inform not only educators, but also students about the description of type two diabetes and what populations are affected, the epidemiology of type 2 diabetes, including how get diagnosed and how that diagnosis will affect specific outcomes, and the solutions to how we can prevent or begin to cure type 2 diabetes. This brief project shows plenty of statistics revolving around these main points. Research shows that “type 2 diabetes already causes 5 million deaths per year, expecting to become the 7th cause of death globally by 2030” (Alidrisi & …

Incidence Of Second Malignancy In Patients With Papillary Thyroid Cancer From Surveillance, Epidemiology, And End Results 13 Dataset, Mayumi Endo, Jessica Liu, Marcelle Dougan, Jennifer Lee

Faculty Publications

Increased risk of second primary malignancy (SPM) in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) has been reported. Here, we present the most updated incidence rates of second primary malignancy from original diagnosis of PTC by using the data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results. In this cohort, 3,200 patients developed SPM, a substantially higher number than in the reference population of 2,749 with observed to expected ratio (O/E) of 1.16 (95% CI; 1.12–1.21). Bone and joint cancer had the highest O/E ratio of 4.26 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.33–7.15) followed by salivary gland (O/E 4.15; 95% CI 2.76–6.0) and acute lymphocytic …

Rwanda: Hiv/Aids, Alissa Anderson

Global Public Health

Rwanda is a small country in Africa. Rwanda has had many conflicts within its borders with wars, genocide, and disease. One of Rwanda’s current threats is HIV/AIDS. This disease is spreading through its population, and making it easier for other diseases; such as hepatitis and tuberculosis, to spread as well. Rwanda is a country that is putting into effect many efforts to decrease its HIV/AIDS population by means of education, campaigns, and treatments regarding the disease. In this article, I use peer reviewed and reliable articles to show the past and current issues that Rwanda has to face with the …

Microcephaly, Christianne E. Albers

Global Issues in Public Health

Microcephaly is a noncommunicable condition causing the head of an infant to be smaller than what is typical. Microcephaly can cause delays in developmental milestones and/or can cause other conditions such as epilepsy, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, hearing loss and vision problems. Microcephaly is found more frequently in certain populations of the world than others, specifically those with an increased number of cases with Zika virus. Women need to take preventative measures to ensure their unborn child is safe from the Zika virus. The Zika virus is not the only way microcephaly can occur. Many other causes like exposure to …

Pre- And Post-Diagnosis Physical Activity, Television Viewing, And Mortality Among Hematologic Cancer Survivors., Daniela Schmid, Gundula Behrens, Hannah Arem, Christina Hart, Wolfgang Herr, Carmen Jochem, Charles E Matthews, Michael F Leitzmann

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

PURPOSE: The associations of physical activity and television (TV) viewing with mortality risk among individuals with hematologic malignancies remain unclear.

METHODS: We examined the relations of physical activity and TV viewing time before and after diagnosis with mortality among 5182 U.S. adults aged 50-71 years from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study cohort who survived a first primary hematologic cancer between 1995-1996 and 2011.

RESULTS: For the pre- and post-diagnosis analyses, we confirmed 2606 and 613 deaths respectively. In multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazard regression models, comparing high (≥4 hrs/wk) versus low (/wk) activity levels, pre-diagnosis physical activity was associated with …

Impact Of Chronic Sexual Abuse And Depression On Inflammation And Wound Healing In The Female Reproductive Tract Of Hiv-Uninfected And Hiv-Infected Women., Mimi Ghosh, Jason Daniels, Maria Pyra, Monika Juzumaite, Mariel Jais, Kerry Murphy, Tonya N Taylor, Seble Kassaye, Lorie Benning, Mardge Cohen, Kathleen Weber

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Sexual violence is associated with increased risk of HIV acquisition/transmission in women. Forced sex can result in physical trauma to the reproductive tract as well as severe psychological distress. However, immuno-biological mechanisms linking sexual violence and HIV susceptibility are incompletely understood. Using the Women's Interagency HIV Study repository, a total of 77 women were selected to form 4 groups, stratified by HIV serostatus, in the following categories: 1) no sexual abuse history and low depressive symptom score (below clinically significant cut-off, scores

Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Hiv-Infected Individuals In The District Of Columbia And Estimated Hiv Transmission Risk: Data From The Dc Cohort, Jose Lucar, Rachel Hart, Nabil Rayeed, Arpi Terzian, Amy Weintrob, Amanda D. Castel, Debra A. Benator, Dc Cohort Executive Committee

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Background

Washington, DC, has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the United States. Sexual intercourse is the leading mode of HIV transmission, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a risk factor for HIV acquisition and transmission.

Methods

We evaluated the incidence and demographic factors associated with chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis among HIV-infected persons enrolled at 13 DC Cohort sites from 2011 to 2015. Using Poisson regression, we assessed covariates of risk for incident STIs. We also examined HIV viral loads (VLs) at the time of STI diagnosis as a proxy for HIV transmission risk.

Results

Six point …

The Effectiveness Of Interventions And Bundles For Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Mohamad Alhamwi

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Introduction: Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSIs) are a major cause of increased mortality, morbidity and healthcare costs in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) patients. Despite CDC's efforts to reduce infection rates, patients often suffer consequences. The objective of this study is to perform a systematic review of strategies utilized in the neonatal population and evaluate them with the current CDC's guidelines to assess the effectiveness of bundles in preventing CLABSI in NICUs.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted using CINAHL Plus with Text, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and MEDLINE from January 2008 up to 2018. There were multiple …

“When One Shingle Sends Up Smoke”: The Summit Beacon Advises Akron About The Epidemic Cholera, 1849, Elizabeth Hall

Nineteenth-Century Ohio Literature

Elizabeth Hall explains the American cholera epidemic of 1849, with special attention to how cholera afflicted Akron, a booming canal town in Northeast Ohio. The article presents the full text of 1849 Akron newspaper articles on cholera and explains how their mix of good and bad information was published right before scientific breakthroughs in cholera research.

Spatial Modelling And Wildlife Health Surveillance: A Case Study Of White Nose Syndrome In Ontario, Lauren Yee

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Wildlife data is often limited by survey effort, small sample sizes, and spatial biases associated with collection and missing data. These factors can create unique challenges from a surveillance perspective when trying to extract spatial patterns of habitat suitability and disease distributions for conservation and management purposes. This thesis examined data quality from a wildlife health database in the context of spatial analysis of wildlife disease. Spatial analysis of the data to predict habitat suitability of bats and white nose syndrome afflicted bats was examined by using the MaxEnt modelling method. Methods to reduce spatial bias were examined and specific …

Health Systems Readiness For Adopting Mhealth Interventions For Addressing Non-Communicable Diseases In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: A Current Debate, Anam Shahil Feroz, Muhammad Masood Kadir, Sarah Saleem

Community Health Sciences

In low-and-middle-income countries, epidemiologic transition is taking place very rapidly from communicable diseases to non-communicable diseases. NCDs mortality rates are increasing faster and nearly 80% of NCDs deaths occur in LMICs. Existing weak health systems of LMICs are undergoing a devastating human and economic toll as a result of increasing treatment costs and losses to productivity from NCDs. At the same time, the increasing penetration of mobile phone technology and the spread of cellular network and infrastructure have led to the introduction of the mHealth field. While mHealth field offers a great promise to prevent and control non-communicable diseases in …

A Novel Model Of “Remedy And Elimination Of Tuberculosis”, Akanksha Mishra

Master's Theses

Tuberculosis (TB), is one of the top ten causes of death worldwide. TB is commonly linked to poverty and creates poverty as it is the single largest cause of death in the 15-49-year-old age group in South-East Asia (WHO, 2017). It is also linked to the HIV population, and its leading cause of death. TB is effected by socio-economic factors, cultural factors, and health policy. My goal of this dissertation is to identify systematic approaches that shall support the mission set by World Health Organization (WHO): to eliminate TB globally by the year 2050. Measures might include addressing social barriers …

Lung Cytokines And Systemic Inflammation In Patients With Copd., Alessandra Morello Gearhart, Rodrigo Cavallazzi, Paula Peyrani, Timothy L. Wiemken, Stephen P. Furmanek, Andrea Reyes-Vega, Umair Gauhar, Hiram Rivas-Perez, Jesse Roman, Julio A. Ramirez, Rafael Fernandez-Botran

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Rationale: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by lung and systemic inflammation. The role of cytokines in local and systemic inflammation in COPD is not well understood. This study aimed to compare plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid cytokine levels in COPD and non-COPD subjects with the intent of better understand their potential roles in driving local and systemic inflammation.

Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 65 subjects: 31 with COPD confirmed by spirometry and 34 non-COPD controls. All subjects underwent spirometry, plasma sample collection, and bronchoscopy/BAL. Levels of 21 inflammatory cytokines were measured in the plasma (systemic …

Gender Differences In Virologic Response After Antiretroviral Therapy In Treatment-Naïve Hiv-Infected Individuals: Results From The 550 Clinic Hiv Cohort Study., Andrea Reyes-Vega, Alejandra Loban, Kavitha Srinivasan, Stephen P. Furmanek, Conner English, Mary Bishop, Cathy Spencer, Daniel Truelove, Julio A. Ramirez, Anupama Raghuram, Paula Peyrani

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Background

Controversy still exists regarding gender differences in virologic response between treatment-na•ve HIV-infected individuals. The objective of this study was to evaluate gender difference in virologic and immunologic response to antiretroviral therapy in treatment-na•ve HIV-infected individuals. Methods

This was a retrospective, observational study of treatment-na•ve HIV-infected individuals managed at the 550 clinic who started antiretroviral therapy (ART) between January 1st, 2010 and December 31, 2015. Patients with available viral load and CD4 counts before and one year after initiating ART were included in this study. Virologic suppression was defined as < 48 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL, and mmunologic recovery was defined as a CD4 count increase of at least 150 cells/mm3. Dichotomous variables were reported in number and percentages and analyzed using Chi-squared tests and Fisher’s exact (whichever was appropriate). Continuous variables were reported as median and interquartile range (IQR) and analyzed using Wilcox rank-sum tests. Multivariate analyses performed were logistic regressions with adjustment for other covariates. P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. R version 3.3.2 was used for the statistical analysis. Results

A total of 70 women and 90 men were included …

Challenges In Modeling Complexity Of Neglected Tropical Diseases: A Review Of Dynamics Of Visceral Leishmaniasis In Resource Limited Settings, Swati Debroy, Olivia F. Prosper, Austin Mishoe, Anuj Mubayi

Mathematics Faculty Publications

Objectives: Neglected tropical diseases (NTD), account for a large proportion of the global disease burden, and their control faces several challenges including diminishing human and financial resources for those distressed from such diseases. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), the second-largest parasitic killer (after malaria) and an NTD affects poor populations and causes considerable cost to the affected individuals. Mathematical models can serve as a critical and cost-effective tool for understanding VL dynamics, however, complex array of socio-economic factors affecting its dynamics need to be identified and appropriately incorporated within a dynamical modeling framework. This study reviews literature on vector-borne diseases and collects …

Different Types Of Housing And Respiratory Health Outcomes, Wen Qi Gan, Wayne T. Sanderson, Steven R. Browning, David M. Mannino

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Evidence has shown that housing conditions may substantially influence the health of residents. Different types of housing have different structures and construction materials, which may affect indoor environment and housing conditions. This study aimed to investigate whether people living in different types of housing have different respiratory health outcomes. The data from the 1999–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used for the analyses. The types of housing included houses, townhouses, apartments, and mobile homes. Respiratory symptoms included wheezing, coughing, sputum, and dyspnea; respiratory diseases included asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Multiple logistic regression …

Racial And Socioeconomic Disparities Are More Pronounced In Inflammatory Breast Cancer Than Other Breast Cancers, Ryan A. Denu, John M. Hampton, Adam Currey, Roger T. Anderson, Rosemary D. Cress, Steven T. Fleming, Joseph Lipscomb, Xiao-Cheng Wu, J. Frank Wilson, Amy Trentham-Dietz

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare yet aggressive form of breast cancer. We examined differences in patient demographics and outcomes in IBC compared to locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) and all other breast cancer patients from the Breast and Prostate Cancer Data Quality and Patterns of Care Study (POC-BP), containing information from cancer registries in seven states. Out of 7,624 cases of invasive carcinoma, IBC and LABC accounted for 2.2% (N = 170) and 4.9% (N = 375), respectively. IBC patients were more likely to have a higher number (P = 0.03) and severity (P …

Residential Segregation, Neighborhood Social And Physical Context In Obesity Disparities In Hispanic Preschoolers: A Conceptual Model, Catherina Chang Martinez Phd(C), Nasar U. Ahmed Phd, Ruby A. Natale Phd, Psyd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

During the last decade, there has been a significant inclusion in obesity prevention studies from individual characteristics to household factors then neighborhood factors. The study of place in the context of early childhood obesity studies has been limited to the food and physical built environment. With the persistent disparities in the prevalence of childhood obesity, and Hispanic minorities being increasingly affected, there is a need to reexamine existing models and develop new model conceptual frameworks to examine the role of place and residential segregation in the context of race, ethnicity, social position, and socioeconomic disparities. In the context of place …

Colonization Density Of The Upper Respiratory Tract As A Predictor Of Pneumonia-Haemophilus Influenzae, Moraxella Catarrhalis, Staphylococcus Aureus, And Pneumocystis Jirovecii., Daniel E Park, Henry C Baggett, Stephen R C Howie, Qiyuan Shi, Nora L Watson, W Abdullah Brooks, Perch Study Group

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Background.

There is limited information on the association between colonization density of upper respiratory tract colonizers and pathogen-specific pneumonia. We assessed this association for Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pneumocystis jirovecii. Methods.

In 7 low- and middle-income countries, nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs from children with severe pneumonia and age-frequency matched community controls were tested using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Differences in median colonization density were evaluated using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Density cutoffs were determined using receiver operating characteristic curves. Cases with a pathogen identified from lung aspirate culture or PCR, pleural fluid culture or …

Immune Checkpoint Inhibition And The Prevalence Of Autoimmune Disorders Among Patients With Lung And Renal Cancer, Sherif M. El-Refai

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

PURPOSE: Immune checkpoint inhibition reactivates the immune response against cancer cells in multiple tissue types and has been shown to induce durable responses. However, for patients with autoimmune disorders, their conditions can worsen with this reactivation. We sought to identify, among patients with lung and renal cancer, how many harbor a comorbid autoimmune condition and may be at risk of worsening their condition while on immune checkpoint inhibitors such as nivolumab and pembrolizumab.

METHODS: An administrative health care claims database, Truven MarketScan, was used to identify patients diagnosed with lung and renal cancer from 2010 to 2013. We assessed patients …

Analyzing Sexual Transmission In The Spread Of The Zika Virus In Colombia, Victoria M. Kelley

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Control Policies And Sensitivity Analysis In A Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Model: A Case Study In Cusco Region, Peru., Rocio M. Caja-Rivera, Ignacio Barradas

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.