Epidemiology Commons^™

Progression Of Electrocardiographic Abnormalities In Type 1 Diabetes During 16 Years Of Follow‐Up: The Epidemiology Of Diabetes Interventions And Complications (Edic) Study, Elsayed Soliman, Jye-Yu Backlund, Ionut Bebu, Yabing Li, Zhu-Ming Zhang, Patricia A. Cleary, John M. Lachin

GW Biostatistics Center

Background The electrocardiogram (ECG) is an objective tool for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment.

Methods and Results We evaluated distribution of ECG abnormalities and risk factors for developing new abnormalities in 1314 patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) from the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) study. Annual ECGs were centrally read. ECG abnormalities were classified as major and minor according to the Minnesota ECG Classification. At EDIC year 1 (baseline), 356 (27.1%) of the participants had at least 1 ECG abnormality (major or minor) whereas 26 (2%) had at least one major abnormality. During 16 years of follow‐up, …

Detectable Viral Load In Late Pregnancy Among Women In The Rwanda Option B+ Pmtct Program: Enrollment Results From The Kabeho Study., Michelle M Gill, Heather J Hoffman, Emily A Bobrow, Placidie Mugwaneza, Dieudonne Ndatimana, Gilles F Ndayisaba, Cyprien Baribwira, Laura Guay, Anita Asiimwe

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

There are limited viral load (VL) data available from programs implementing "Option B+," lifelong antiretroviral treatment (ART) to all HIV-positive pregnant and postpartum women, in resource-limited settings. Extent of viral suppression from a prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV program in Rwanda was assessed among women enrolled in the Kigali Antiretroviral and Breastfeeding Assessment for the Elimination of HIV (Kabeho) Study. ARV drug resistance testing was conducted on women with VL>2000 copies/ml. In April 2013-January 2014, 608 pregnant or early postpartum HIV-positive women were enrolled in 14 facilities. Factors associated with detectable enrollment VL (>20 copies/ml) were examined …

Male Pattern Baldness In Relation To Prostate Cancer–Specific Mortality: A Prospective Analysis In The Nhanes I Epidemiologic Follow-Up Study, Cindy Ke Zhou, Paul H Levine, Sean D. Cleary, Heather J. Hoffman, Barry I Graubard, Michael B. Cook

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

We used male pattern baldness as a proxy for long-term androgen exposure and investigated the association of dermatologist-assessed hair loss with prostate cancer–specific mortality in the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. From the baseline survey (1971–1974), we included 4,316 men who were 25–74 years of age and had no prior cancer diagnosis. We estimated hazard ratios and used Cox proportional hazards regressions with age as the time metric and baseline hazard stratified by baseline age. A hybrid framework was used to account for stratification and clustering of the sample design, with adjustment for the variables …

Socioecological Factors Influencing Women's Hiv Risk In The United States: Qualitative Findings From The Women's Hiv Seroincidence Study (Hptn 064)., Paula M Frew, Kimberly Parker, Linda Vo, Danielle Haley, Ann O'Leary, Dazon Dixon Diallo, Carol E Golin, Irene Kuo, Lydia Soto-Torres, Jing Wang, Adaora A Adimora, Laura A Randall, Carlos Del Rio, Sally Hodder, Hiv Prevention Trials Network 064 (Htpn) Study Team.

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: We sought to understand the multilevel syndemic factors that are concurrently contributing to the HIV epidemic among women living in the US. We specifically examined community, network, dyadic, and individual factors to explain HIV vulnerability within a socioecological framework.

METHODS: We gathered qualitative data (120 interviews and 31 focus groups) from a subset of women ages 18-44 years (N = 2,099) enrolled in the HPTN 064 HIV seroincidence estimation study across 10 US communities. We analyzed data from 4 diverse locations: Atlanta, New York City (the Bronx), Raleigh, and Washington, DC. Data were thematically coded using grounded theory methodology. …

Improving Hiv Surveillance Data For Public Health Action In Washington, Dc: A Novel Multiorganizational Data-Sharing Method, Joanne Ocampo, J. C. Smart, Adam Allston, Reshma Bhattacharjee, Sahithi Boggavarapu, Amanda D. Castel, +13 More

GW Biostatistics Center

Background: The National HIV/AIDS Strategy calls for active surveillance programs for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to more accurately measure access to and retention in care across the HIV care continuum for persons living with HIV within their jurisdictions and to identify persons who may need public health services. However, traditional public health surveillance methods face substantial technological and privacy-related barriers to data sharing.

Objective: This study developed a novel data-sharing approach to improve the timeliness and quality of HIV surveillance data in three jurisdictions where persons may often travel across the borders of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. …

Skin Collagen Fluorophore Lw-1 Versus Skin Fluorescence As Markers For The Long-Term Progression Of Subclinical Macrovascular Disease In Type 1 Diabetes., David R Sell, Wanjie Sun, Xiaoyu Gao, Christopher Strauch, John M. Lachin, Patricia A Cleary, Saul Genuth, Ddit/Edic Research Group, Vincent M Monnier

GW Biostatistics Center

BACKGROUND: Skin collagen Long Wavelength Fluorescence (LWF) is widely used as a surrogate marker for accumulation of advanced glycation end-products. Here we determined the relationship of LWF with glycemia, skin fluorescence, and the progression of complications during EDIC in 216 participants from the DCCT.

METHODS: LW-1 and collagen-linked fluorescence (CLF) were measured by either High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection (LW-1) or total fluorescence of collagenase digests (CLF) in insoluble skin collagen extracted from skin biopsies obtained at the end of the DCCT (1993). Skin intrinsic fluorescence (SIF) was noninvasively measured on volar forearm skin at EDIC year …

D-Dimer Levels Before Hiv Seroconversion Remain Elevated Even After Viral Suppression And Are Associated With An Increased Risk Of Non-Aids Events, Matthew S Freiberg, Ionut Bebu, Russell Tracy, Kaku So-Armah, Jason Okulicz, Anuradha Ganesan, Adam Armstrong, Thomas O'Bryan, David Rimland, Amy C Justice, Brian K Agan

GW Biostatistics Center

The mechanism underlying the excess risk of non-AIDS diseases among HIV infected people is unclear. HIV associated inflammation/hypercoagulability likely plays a role. While antiretroviral therapy (ART) may return this process to pre-HIV levels, this has not been directly demonstrated. We analyzed data/specimens on 249 HIV+ participants from the US Military HIV Natural History Study, a prospective, multicenter observational cohort of >5600 active duty military personnel and beneficiaries living with HIV. We used stored blood specimens to measure D-dimer and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) at three time points: pre-HIV seroconversion, ≥6 months post-HIV seroconversion but prior to ART initiation, and ≥6 months post-ART …

Generalized Confidence Intervals And Fiducial Intervals For Some Epidemiological Measures., Ionut Bebu, G. Luta, T. Mathew, B. K. Agan

GW Biostatistics Center

For binary outcome data from epidemiological studies, this article investigates the interval estimation of several measures of interest in the absence or presence of categorical covariates. When covariates are present, the logistic regression model as well as the log-binomial model are investigated. The measures considered include the common odds ratio (OR) from several studies, the number needed to treat (NNT), and the prevalence ratio. For each parameter, confidence intervals are constructed using the concepts of generalized pivotal quantities and fiducial quantities. Numerical results show that the confidence intervals so obtained exhibit satisfactory performance in terms of maintaining the coverage probabilities …

Significance Of Epicardial And Intrathoracic Adipose Tissue Volume Among Type 1 Diabetes Patients In The Dcct/Edic: A Pilot Study., Sirous Darabian, Jye-Yu C Backlund, Patricia A Cleary, Nasim Sheidaee, Ionut Bebu, John M. Lachin, Matthew J Budoff, Dcct/Edic Research Group

GW Biostatistics Center

Introduction

Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) patients are at increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). This pilot study sought to evaluate the relationship between epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and intra-thoracic adipose tissue (IAT) volumes and cardio-metabolic risk factors in T1DM.

Method

EAT/IAT volumes in 100 patients, underwent non-contrast cardiac computed tomography in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial /Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (DCCT/EDIC) study were measured by a certified reader. Fat was defined as pixels’ density of -30 to -190 Hounsfield Unit. The associations were assessed using–Pearson partial correlation and linear regression models adjusted for gender and age …

Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines As A Tool To Study Inter-Individual Differences In The Response To Glucose., Michael A Grassi, Vidhya R Rao, Siquan Chen, Dingcai Cao, Xiaoyu Gao, Patricia A. Cleary, R Stephanie Huang, Andrew D Paterson, Rama Natarajan, Jalees Rehman, Timothy S Kern

GW Biostatistics Center

BACKGROUND: White blood cells have been shown in animal studies to play a central role in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy. Lymphoblastoid cells are immortalized EBV-transformed primary B-cell leukocytes that have been extensively used as a model for conditions in which white blood cells play a primary role. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether lymphoblastoid cell lines, by retaining many of the key features of primary leukocytes, can be induced with glucose to demonstrate relevant biological responses to those found in diabetic retinopathy.

METHODS: Lymphoblastoid cell lines were obtained from twenty-three human subjects. Differences between high and …

Importance Of Hereditary And Selected Environmental Risk Factors In The Etiology Of Inflammatory Breast Cancer: A Case-Comparison Study., Roxana Moslehi, Elizabeth Freedman, Nur Zeinomar, Carmela Veneroso, Paul H. Levine

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: To assess the importance of heredity in the etiology of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), we compared IBC patients to several carefully chosen comparison groups with respect to the prevalence of first-degree family history of breast cancer.

METHODS: IBC cases (n = 141) were compared to non-inflammatory breast cancer cases (n = 178) ascertained through George Washington University (GWU) with respect to the prevalence of first-degree family history of breast cancer and selected environmental/lifestyle risk factors for breast cancer. Similar comparisons were conducted with subjects from three case-control studies: breast cancer cases (n = 1145) and unaffected controls (n = …

Importance Of Hereditary And Selected Environmental Risk Factors In The Etiology Of Inflammatory Breast Cancer: A Case-Comparison Study., Roxana Moslehi, Elizabeth Freedman, Nur Zeinomar, Carmela Veneroso, Paul H. Levine

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: To assess the importance of heredity in the etiology of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), we compared IBC patients to several carefully chosen comparison groups with respect to the prevalence of first-degree family history of breast cancer.

METHODS: IBC cases (n = 141) were compared to non-inflammatory breast cancer cases (n = 178) ascertained through George Washington University (GWU) with respect to the prevalence of first-degree family history of breast cancer and selected environmental/lifestyle risk factors for breast cancer. Similar comparisons were conducted with subjects from three case-control studies: breast cancer cases (n = 1145) and unaffected controls (n = …

Interruptions Of Antiretroviral Therapy In Children And Adolescents With Hiv Infection In Clinical Practice: A Retrospective Cohort Study In The Usa., Natella Rakhmanina, Kam S Lam, Jaclyn Hern, Heather A. Young, Alex Walters, Amanda D. Castel

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Changes in combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) throughout childhood challenge the continuity of paediatric HIV treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of treatment interruption (TI), including lamivudine (3TC) monotherapy, and the relationship of TI to virologic and immunologic parameters in HIV-infected paediatric patients.

METHODS: Nested within a prospective observational study of a city-wide cohort of HIV-infected persons in the District of Columbia, this sub-study collected retrospective data on antiretroviral therapy, enrolment (endpoint) and historic (lifelong) CD4 counts and HIV RNA viral load (VL) of the paediatric cohort. TI was defined as interruption of cART ≥4 consecutive weeks. Data …

Arsenic In Drinking Water And Lung Cancer Mortality In The United States: An Analysis Based On Us Counties And 30 Years Of Observation (1950-1979)., Hamid Ferdosi, Elisabeth K Dissen, Nana Ama Afari-Dwamena, Ji Li, Rusan Chen, Manning Feinleib, Steven H Lamm

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Background. To examine whether the US EPA (2010) lung cancer risk estimate derived from the high arsenic exposures (10-934 µg/L) in southwest Taiwan accurately predicts the US experience from low arsenic exposures (3-59 µg/L). Methods. Analyses have been limited to US counties solely dependent on underground sources for their drinking water supply with median arsenic levels of ≥3 µg/L. Results. Cancer risks (slopes) were found to be indistinguishable from zero for males and females. The addition of arsenic level did not significantly increase the explanatory power of the models. Stratified, or categorical, analysis yielded relative risks that hover about 1.00. …

Extended Followup Of A Cohort Of Chromium Production Workers, Herman Jones Gibb, Peter St. John Lees, Jing Wang, Keri O'Leary

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Background

The current study evaluates the mortality of 2,354 workers first employed at a Baltimore chromate production plant between 1950 and 1974.

Methods

The National Death Index (NDI Plus) was used to determine vital status and cause of death. Cumulative chromium (VI) exposure and nasal and skin irritation were evaluated as risk factors for lung cancer mortality.

Results

There are 91,186 person-years of observation and 217 lung cancer deaths. Cumulative chromium (VI) exposure, nasal irritation, nasal perforation, nasal ulceration, and other forms of irritation (e.g., skin irritation) were associated with lung cancer mortality.

Conclusion

Cumulative chromium (VI) exposure was a …

Sexual Networks And Hiv Risk Among Black Men Who Have Sex With Men In 6 U.S. Cities, Hong-Van Tieu, Ting-Yuan Liu, Sophia Hussen, Matthew Connor, Lei Wang, Gregory Phillips Ii, + 11 More

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Background

Sexual networks may place U.S. Black men who have sex with men (MSM) at increased HIV risk.

Methods

Self-reported egocentric sexual network data from the prior six months were collected from 1,349 community-recruited Black MSM in HPTN 061, a multi-component HIV prevention intervention feasibility study. Sexual network composition, size, and density (extent to which members are having sex with one another) were compared by self-reported HIV serostatus and age of the men. GEE models assessed network and other factors associated with having a Black sex partner, having a partner with at least two age category difference (age difference between …

Caffeine Consumption Contributes To Skin Intrinsic Fluorescence In Type 1 Diabetes., Karen M Eny, Trevor J Orchard, Rachel Grace Miller, John Maynard, Denis M Grant, Tina Costacou, Patricia A. Cleary, Barbara H Braffett, Andrew D Paterson, Dcct/Edic Research Group

GW Biostatistics Center

Background: A variant (rs1495741) in the gene for the N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) protein is associated with skin intrinsic fluorescence (SIF), a noninvasive measure of advanced glycation end products and other fluorophores in the skin. Because NAT2 is involved in caffeine metabolism, we aimed to determine whether caffeine consumption is associated with SIF and whether rs1495741 is associated with SIF independently of caffeine.

Materials and Methods: SIF was measured in 1,181 participants with type 1 diabetes from the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications study. Two measures of SIF were used: SIF1, using a 375-nm excitation light-emitting diode (LED), and …

Nitrate And Nitrite Ingestion And Risk Of Ovarian Cancer Among Postmenopausal Women In Iowa, Maki Inoue-Choi, Rena R. Jones, Kristin E. Anderson, Kenneth P. Cantor, James R. Cerhan, Stuart Krasner, Kimberly Robien, Peter J. Weyer, Mary H. Ward

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Nitrate and nitrite are precursors in the endogenous formation of N-nitroso compounds (NOC), potential human carcinogens. We evaluated the association of nitrate and nitrite ingestion with postmenopausal ovarian cancer risk in the Iowa Women's Health Study. Among 28,555 postmenopausal women, we identified 315 incident epithelial ovarian cancers from 1986 to 2010. Dietary nitrate and nitrite intakes were assessed at baseline using food frequency questionnaire data. Drinking water source at home was obtained in a 1989 follow-up survey. Nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃-N) and total trihalomethane (TTHM) levels for Iowa public water utilities were linked to residences and average levels were …

Risk Of Gastrointestinal Bleeding Associated With Oral Anticoagulants: Population Based Retrospective Cohort Study, Hsien-Yen Chang, Meijia Zhou, Wenze Tang, G. Caleb Alexander, Sonal Singh

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Objectives To determine the real world safety of dabigatran or rivaroxaban compared with warfarin in terms of gastrointestinal bleeding.

Design Retrospective cohort study.

Setting Large administrative database of commercially insured people in United States from 1 October 2010 through 31 March 2012.

Participants Enrollees with a prescription of warfarin, dabigatran, or rivaroxaban between 1 October 2010 and 31 March 2012, who were aged 18 years or older, had continuous enrollment and no oral anticoagulant use during the six months before the entry date, with known age and sex, and with no gastrointestinal bleeding for at least six months before the …

Association Between Respiratory Syncytial Virus Activity And Pneumococcal Disease In Infants: A Time Series Analysis Of Us Hospitalization Data., Daniel M. Weinberger, Keith P. Klugman, Claudia A. Steiner, Lone Simonsen, Cécile Viboud

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND:

The importance of bacterial infections following respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) remains unclear. We evaluated whether variations in RSV epidemic timing and magnitude are associated with variations in pneumococcal disease epidemics and whether changes in pneumococcal disease following the introduction of seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) were associated with changes in the rate of hospitalizations coded as RSV.

METHODS AND FINDINGS:

We used data from the State Inpatient Databases (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality), including >700,000 RSV hospitalizations and >16,000 pneumococcal pneumonia hospitalizations in 36 states (1992/1993-2008/2009). Harmonic regression was used to estimate the timing of the average seasonal …

A History Of Undergraduate Education For Public Health: From Behind The Scenes To Center Stage., Richard Kenneth Riegelman, Susan Albertine, Randy Wykoff

GW Biostatistics Center

No abstract provided.

Scaling Down To Scale Up: A Health Economic Analysis Of Integrating Point-Of-Care Syphilis Testing Into Antenatal Care In Zambia During Pilot And National Rollout Implementation., Katharine D. Shelley, Éimhín M. Ansbro, Alexander Tshaka Ncube, Sedona Sweeney, Colette Fleischer, Grace Tembo Mumba, Michelle M. Gill, Susan Strasser, Rosanna W. Peeling, Fern Terris-Prestholt

GW Biostatistics Center

Maternal syphilis results in an estimated 500,000 stillbirths and neonatal deaths annually in Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the existence of national guidelines for antenatal syphilis screening, syphilis testing is often limited by inadequate laboratory and staff services. Recent availability of inexpensive rapid point-of-care syphilis tests (RST) can improve access to antenatal syphilis screening. A 2010 pilot in Zambia explored the feasibility of integrating RST within prevention of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV services. Following successful demonstration, the Zambian Ministry of Health adopted RSTs into national policy in 2011. Cost data from the pilot and 2012 preliminary national rollout were extracted from project records, …

Treatment-Induced Changes In Plasma Adiponectin Do Not Reduce Urinary Albumin Excretion In The Diabetes Prevention Program Cohort., Kieren J. Mather, Qing Pan, William C. Knowler, Tohru Funahashi, George A. Bray, Et Al.

GW Biostatistics Center

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Molecular data suggests that adiponectin may directly regulate urinary albumin excretion. In the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) we measured adiponectin and albuminuria before and after intervention, and we previously reported increases in adiponectin with interventions. Here we have used the DPP dataset to test the hypothesis that treatment-related increases in adiponectin may reduce albuminuria in obesity.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: We evaluated cross-sectional correlations between plasma adiponectin and urinary albumin excretion at baseline, and the relationship of treatment-related changes in adiponectin and albuminuria. Baseline and follow-up urine albumin to creatinine ratios (ACR (albumin to creatinine ratio)) …

The Cost-Effectiveness Of Diabetes Prevention: Results From The Diabetes Prevention Program And The Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study, William H. Herman

GW Biostatistics Center

Background

The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) was a randomized, controlled clinical trial. It demonstrated that among high-risk individuals with impaired glucose tolerance, diabetes incidence was reduced by 58 % with lifestyle intervention and 31 % with metformin compared to placebo. During the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS), all DPP participants were unmasked to their treatment assignments, the original lifestyle intervention group was offered additional lifestyle support, the metformin group continued metformin, and all three groups were offered a group-implemented lifestyle intervention. Over the 10 years of combined DPP/DPPOS follow-up, diabetes incidence was reduced by 34 % in the lifestyle …

Skin Collagen Advanced Glycation Endproducts (Ages) And The Long-Term Progression Of Sub-Clinical Cardiovascular Disease In Type 1 Diabetes, Vincent M. Monnier, Wanjie Sun, Xiaoyu Gao, David R. Sell, Patricia Cleary, John M. Lachin, Saul Genuth, The Dcct/Edic Research Group

GW Biostatistics Center

BACKGROUND:

We recently reported strong associations between eight skin collagen AGEs and two solubility markers from skin biopsies obtained at DCCT study closeout and the long-term progression of microvascular disease in EDIC, despite adjustment for mean glycemia. Herein we investigated the hypothesis that some of these AGEs (fluorescence to be reported elsewhere) correlate with long-term subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) measurements, i.e. coronary artery calcium score (CAC) at EDIC year 7-9 (n = 187), change of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) from EDIC year 1 to year 6 and 12 (n = 127), and cardiac MRI outcomes at EDIC year 15-16 (n …

Quality Control Measures Over 30 Years In A Multicenter Clinical Study: Results From The Diabetes Control And Complications Trial / Epidemiology Of Diabetes Interventions And Complications (Dcct/Edic) Study., Gayle M Lorenzi, Barbara H Braffett, Valerie L Arends, Ronald P Danis, Lisa Diminick, Kandace A Klumpp, Anthony D Morrison, Elsayed Z Soliman, Michael W Steffes, Patricia A Cleary

GW Biostatistics Center

No abstract provided.

The Cost-Effectiveness Of Diabetes Prevention: Results From The Diabetes Prevention Program And The Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study, William Herman

GW Biostatistics Center

Background

The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) was a randomized, controlled clinical trial. It demonstrated that among high-risk individuals with impaired glucose tolerance, diabetes incidence was reduced by 58 % with lifestyle intervention and 31 % with metformin compared to placebo. During the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS), all DPP participants were unmasked to their treatment assignments, the original lifestyle intervention group was offered additional lifestyle support, the metformin group continued metformin, and all three groups were offered a group-implemented lifestyle intervention. Over the 10 years of combined DPP/DPPOS follow-up, diabetes incidence was reduced by 34 % in the lifestyle …

Pregnant And Postpartum Women’S Experiences And Perspectives On The Acceptability And Feasibility Of Copackaged Medicine For Antenatal Care And Pmtct In Lesotho, Michelle M. Gill, Heather J. Hoffman, Appolinaire Tiam, Florence M. Mohai, Mokone Majoalane, Anthony Isavwa, Laura Guay, +4 Additional Authors

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Objective. To improve PMTCT and antenatal care-related service delivery, a pack with centrally prepackaged medicine was rolled out to all pregnant women in Lesotho in 2011. This study assessed acceptability and feasibility of this copackaging mechanism for drug delivery among pregnant and postpartum women.

Methods. Acceptability and feasibility were assessed in a mixed method, cross-sectional study through structured interviews (SI) and semistructured interviews (SSI) conducted in 2012 and 2013.

Results. 290 HIV-negative women and 437 HIV-positive women (n=727) participated. Nearly all SI participants found prepackaged medicines acceptable, though modifications such as size reduction of the pack were …

Clinical Significance Of Left Atrial Anatomic Abnormalities Identified By Cardiac Computed Tomography, Ara V. Vehian, Brian G. Choi, Satinder Rekhi, Heather A. Young, Raman S. Dusaj, Robert K. Zeman

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Purpose: The clinical significance of newly identified left atrial anatomic abnormalities (LAAA)— accessory appendages, diverticula, septal pouches—by multidetector CT (MDCT) remains unclear. Similar anatomical outpouchings, i.e., the left atrial appendage, have been associated with cardioembolisms and arrhythmia. To test the hypothesis that LAAA are also associated with increased risk of these events, we performed a retrospective analysis to examine the association of LAAA in patients undergoing CT with embolic events and arrhythmia.

Methods: 242 patients (mean age 56 SD 12 years, 41% female) were selected who had CT coronary angiography performed with 64-row MDCT between 2007 and 2012 if complete …

Parity And Diabetes Risk Among Hispanic Women From Colombia: Cross-Sectional Evidence, Pablo Cure, Heather J. Hoffman, Carlos Cure-Cure

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Objective

The association between parity and type 2 diabetes has been studied in developed countries and in Singapore and Chinese women but not in Hispanics. Herein we evaluated the association between parity (number of live births) with diabetes in a group of Hispanic postmenopausal women from Colombia.

Research design and methods

Herein we evaluated the association between parity and diabetes in a population of 1,795 women from Colombia. Women were divided in birth categories (0 [referent], 1 or 2, 3–5, 6 or > births). Medical history of diabetes and anthropometric characteristics were recorded. Logistic regressions were performed in order to find …