Epidemiology Commons^™

Diet And Salivary Microbiome On Cardiovascular Risk And Glycemic Control In Participants With And Without Type 1 Diabetes: The Cacti Study, Tiantian Pang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: The prevalence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) has been increasing drastically in the United States. People with T1DM are at a higher risk of developing diabetes-related complications, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). Diet is one of the most modifiable factors and healthy eating could reduce CVD risk among individuals with T1DM. The current 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans focus on overall healthy eating patterns rather than individual foods and nutrients. A healthy dietary pattern or high-quality diet can be measured by diet quality indexes, and generally contains minimal ultra-processed foods (UPF). Although substantial evidence has linked poor diet quality …

Mechanisms And Mitigation: Effects Of Light Pollution On West Nile Virus Dynamics, Meredith E. Kernbach

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Light pollution, or the presence of unnatural light at night, is a pervasive and growing problem across the globe. While often pictured in urban centers, light pollution is far reaching and can affect seemingly safe and minimally developed environments. For example, agricultural communities with artificial lighting near facilities can generate such light pollution in rural areas. Further, streetlights and illuminated billboards along roads and highways can generate light pollution far from cities. Given how pervasive this anthropogenic stressor is, it is surprising that not much is known about how artificial light at night, or ALAN, affects humans or wildlife, especially …

Non-Invasive Sex Determination And Genotyping Of Transgenic Brugia Malayi Larvae, Santiago E. Hernandez Bojorge

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lymphatic filariasis is a very painful and disfiguring helminth disease caused by the tissue nematodes Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and Brugia timori. This parasitosis is considered a Neglected Tropical Disease and it is a major public health burden for 72 tropical countries of Africa, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and South America. Despite the effectiveness of many control programs, there remains the need to develop new pharmacological agents to treat lymphatic filariasis, as most programs rely on a limited variety of drugs that are expensive, logistically difficult to obtain, and can lead to drug resistance. The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic …

Evolutionary Dynamics Of Influenza Type B In The Presence Of Vaccination: An Ecological Study, Lindsey J. Fiedler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the evolutionary dynamics of influenza type B in human hosts is a public health concern as we strive to minimize the disease burden in seasonal epidemics. Vaccination is considered the best defense against contracting influenza, and everyone over the age of 6 months is advised to get vaccinated before each season. The effect that vaccine-acquired immunity has on the evolution of influenza B remains unclear. In the U.S., vaccine-uptake is irregular across the states, and the differing coverages present an opportunity to study how vaccination influences viral evolution. This thesis analyzes the evolutionary patterns of influenza B in the …

A Retrospective Study Of The Opioid Epidemic And Fentanyl Related Overdose Fatality Cases In A Florida West Coast Medical Examiner District Population, Anne Terese Powell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Opioids are scheduled by the propensity for misuse and abuse with a high rate of dependency and risk of fatal overdose. Opioids can be divided into different classes, including, natural, synthetic, and semi-synthetic. Opiates are naturally occurring and come directly from the opium poppy plant; whereas the semi synthetics opioids are chemical modifications of the poppy plant. Synthetic opioids attach to the opioid receptor but contain no part of the poppy plant. The increased variety and frequency in opioid prescriptions contributed to an opioid epidemic in the United States which is still on going.

According to the CDC, the opioid …

Angiostrongylus Cantonensis: Epidemiologic Review, Location-Specific Habitat Modelling, And Surveillance In Hillsborough County, Florida, U.S.A., Brad Christian Perich

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a parasitic nematode endemic to tropical and subtropical regions and is the leading cause of human eosinophilic meningitis. The parasite is commonly known as rat lungworm because the primary host in its lifecycle is the rat. A clinical overview of rat lungworm infection is presented, followed by a literature review of rat lungworm epidemiology, risk factors, and surveillance projects. Data collected from previous snail surveys in Florida was considered alongside elevation, population per square kilometer, median household income by zip code territory, and normalized difference vegetation index specific to the geographic coordinates from which the snail samples …

Association Between Folate Levels And Preterm Birth In Tampa, Florida, Carolyn Heeraman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Preterm birth is one of the leading causes of perinatal mortality and morbidity and poses extensive economic liability. The rate of preterm births globally is approximately 11.1%, and in the US, the preterm birth rate has been estimated to be 12-13%. Folate and B₁₂ requirements increase during pregnancy as a result of increased cell division to accommodate maternal and fetal growth; inadequate levels can result in placental abnormalities and thus present implications for preterm birth.

Objective: To investigate the association between red blood cell (RBC) folate and B₁₂ concentrations with the risk of preterm birth.

Methods: Study …

The Effects Of Personal And Family History Of Cancer On The Development Of Dementia In Japanese Americans: The Kame Project, Adam Lee Slotnick

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An increasing number of studies have shown an inverse association between a personal history of cancer (PHC) and dementia/Alzheimer’s disease (AD), both in those using dementia/AD as the outcome or cancer as the outcome. This is the first study to examine this potential association in Japanese Americans; and to examine family history of cancer and its association with incident dementia. Also, the association between these two diseases in the parents of participants were analyzed.

The Kame Project, conducted from 1992 through 2001 in King County, Washington was a population-based, prospective cohort study of older Japanese Americans. Conversion to incident dementia …

Assessment Of The Impact Of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder On Type 1 Diabetes, Kellee Miller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Individual day-to-day management and effective control of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is ultimately driven by decisions made by the individual. Individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a higher tendency to be inattentive, impulsive, and hyperactive. Attention deficits and impulsivity among adolescents and adults with T1D could result in poor diabetes management through infrequent self-monitoring of blood glucose and inadequate insulin dosing – key components of achieving optimal glycemic control.

This study included 7,380 adolescents and young adults, ages 13-25 years, participating in the T1D Exchange clinic registry (median age 17.4 years, duration 7.7 yrs, 50% female, 81% white). …

Cancer And Infection, Kathleen Hope Plummer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

E. coli is the most frequently isolated Gram negative pathogen from bacteremia in cancer patients and is repeatedly recovered from many other extraintestinal illnesses. These infections are commonly endogenous in nature and interfere with the treatment of cancer resulting in increased healthcare costs, morbidity, and mortality rates. Cancer and the treatments related to cancer cause alterations in the microbiome of the gut and other organs. Despite this point, there is a serious lack of knowledge about the genetic types of E. coli infecting cancer patients. This gap results in vague prevention strategies and limited treatment options for cancer patients. Multi …

Is Sickle Cell Trait As Benign As Is Usually Assumed?, Carroll Nicole Flansburg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Introduction Sickle cell trait carriers may experience sickling events, which can cause severe health problems. Some sickle cell haplotypes contain genetic modifiers that are associated with increased levels of fetal hemoglobin, which is resistant to sickling. The aim of this study is to determine if sickle cell trait individuals who do not carry these modifiers are more likely to experience sickling episodes than those who do carry the modifiers.

Methods: Participants were eligible for inclusion in this study if they were male, 18 years of age or older, a sickle cell trait carrier, and had previously played any level …

Exploring Potential Risk Factors Of Fetal Origins Of Diabetes: Maternal Stressors During Pregnancy And Birth Outcomes Among Women In A Hospital In The Municipality Of Caguas, Puerto Rico, Juan Pablo Arroyo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Puerto Rico has the highest prevalence of type 2 diabetes, low birth-weight, and the second highest prevalence of preterm-birth in all the U.S. and its non-incorporated territories. These conditions are related. Birth-weight at both ends of the spectrum and preterm-birth are associated with an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes and immune-inflammatory dysregulations. Maternal psychosocial stressors during pregnancy have also been recognized as potential risk factors for type 2 diabetes, and have been consistently associated with preterm-birth and low birth-weight across populations. Current evidence points toward epigenetic fetal metabolic-programming as the mechanism that underlies the increased risk for the …

An Examination Of Diet, Acculturation And Risk Factors For Heart Disease Among Jamaican Immigrants, Carol Renee Oladele

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: The South Florida region is home to over 85,000 Jamaican immigrants. Yet, little is known about the dietary intakes and predictors of risk of disease within this immigrant group. An assessment of dietary intakes and the development of dietary intake methodologies specific to the Jamaican population was important as it permitted accurate estimation of the nutrient intakes of this immigrant population whose dietary habits are not well documented. In addition, nothing is known about the prevalence of risk factors for heart disease or factors influencing risk factors among this immigrant group. The purpose of this study was to assess …

Characterization Of The Serologic Responses To Plasmodium Vivax Dbpii Variants Among Inhabitants Of Pursat Province, Cambodia, Samantha Jones Barnes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Plasmodium vivax Duffy Binding Protein (DBP) is the ligand in the major pathway for P. vivax invasion of human reticulocytes, making it an appealing vaccine candidate. Region II of DBP (DBP-RII) is the minimal portion of the ligand that mediates recognition of the Duffy Antigen Receptor for Chemokines (DARC receptor) on the reticulocyte surface and constitutes the primary vaccine target. Analysis of natural variation in the coding sequences of DBP-RII revealed signature evidence for selective pressure driving variation in the residues of the putative receptor-binding site. We hypothesize that anti-DBP immunity in P. vivax infections is strain-specific and hindered …

Assessing The Relationship Of Monocytes With Primary And Secondary Dengue Infection Among Hospitalized Dengue Patients In Malaysia, 2010: A Cross-Sectional Study, Benjamin Glenn Klekamp

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Dengue, a group of four similar viruses transmitted through the bite of a mosquito, is estimated to infect upwards of 100 million annually in over 100 nations throughout the global equatorial belt. Distribution of global dengue is highly skewed as Southeast Asian and Western Pacific regions endure 75% of the global dengue burden. Similar to other regional countries, Malaysia has been rapidly urbanizing, which has supported a hyperendemic dengue state.

The biological pathway by which dengue infection causes a wide range of clinical manifestations, spanning asymptomatic to life-threatening severe complications, is not comprehensively understood. Historically, severe dengue complications have primarily …