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2011

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Articles 31 - 60 of 76

Full-Text Articles in Epidemiology

Characterization Of The Serologic Responses To Plasmodium Vivax Dbpii Variants Among Inhabitants Of Pursat Province, Cambodia, Samantha Jones Barnes Jul 2011

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 …


Principal Component Analysis Of Dietary And Lifestyle Patterns In Relation To Risk Of Subtypes Of Esophageal And Gastric Cancer, Stephanie A. Navarro Silvera, Susan T. Mayne, Harvey A. Risch, Marilie D. Gammon, Thomas Vaughan, Wong-Ho Chow, Joel A. Dubin, Robert Dubrow, Janet Schoenberg, Janet L. Stanford, A. Brian West, Heidrun Rotterdam, William J. Blot Jul 2011

Principal Component Analysis Of Dietary And Lifestyle Patterns In Relation To Risk Of Subtypes Of Esophageal And Gastric Cancer, Stephanie A. Navarro Silvera, Susan T. Mayne, Harvey A. Risch, Marilie D. Gammon, Thomas Vaughan, Wong-Ho Chow, Joel A. Dubin, Robert Dubrow, Janet Schoenberg, Janet L. Stanford, A. Brian West, Heidrun Rotterdam, William J. Blot

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Purpose

To carry out pattern analyses of dietary and lifestyle factors in relation to risk of esophageal and gastric cancers.

Methods

We evaluated risk factors for esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA),esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC), gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCA), and other gastric cancers (OGA) using data from a population-based case-control study conducted in Connecticut, New Jersey, and western Washington state. Dietary/lifestyle patterns were created using principal component analysis (PCA). The impact of the resultant scores on cancer risk was estimated through logistic regression.

Results

PCA identified six patterns: meat/nitrite, fruit/vegetable, smoking/alcohol, legume/meat alternate, GERD/BMI, and fish/vitamin C. Risk of each cancer under study …


Farmwork-Related Injury Among Farmers 50 Years Of Age And Older In Kentucky And South Carolina: A Cohort Study, 2002-2005, Jennifer L. Marcum, Steven R. Browning, Deborah B. Reed, Richard Charnigo Jul 2011

Farmwork-Related Injury Among Farmers 50 Years Of Age And Older In Kentucky And South Carolina: A Cohort Study, 2002-2005, Jennifer L. Marcum, Steven R. Browning, Deborah B. Reed, Richard Charnigo

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Farmers in the U.S. are becoming more diverse; the average age of the farmer is increasing, as is the number of women and minority farm operators. There is limited research on injury risk factors in these special populations of farmers. It is especially important to study the risk factors for injury in these growing and at-risk groups. A longitudinal survey was conducted of farmers (n = 1,394) age 50 and older who resided in Kentucky and South Carolina. The questionnaire was administered by telephone and mail surveys four times between 2002 and 2005 to the fixed cohort of farmers, obtained …


Studi Kematian Ibu Dan Kematian Bayi Di Provinsi Sumatera Barat: Faktor Determinan Dan Masalahnya, Ulvi Mariati, Z Agus, D Sulin, Masrul Masrul, Z Amri, F Arasy, Muslim Muslim, H Hanum, Mohanis Mohanis, F Arma Jun 2011

Studi Kematian Ibu Dan Kematian Bayi Di Provinsi Sumatera Barat: Faktor Determinan Dan Masalahnya, Ulvi Mariati, Z Agus, D Sulin, Masrul Masrul, Z Amri, F Arasy, Muslim Muslim, H Hanum, Mohanis Mohanis, F Arma

Kesmas

Salah satu tujuan yang hendak dicapai oleh World Health Organization pada tahun 2000 adalah health for all by year 2000. Beberapa indikator digunakan untuk mengukur pencapaian tersebut, diantaranya angka kematian bayi (AKB) dan angka kematian ibu (AKI). Dinas Kesehatan Sumatera Barat telah berhasil menurunkan AKB dan AKI selama 5 tahun terakhir, akan tetapi angka-angka tersebut tidak menggambarkan angka yang sebenarnya karena hanya diperoleh berdasarkan prediksi perhitungan statistik kependudukan. Angka tersebut juga tidak dapat memperlihatkan disparitas antarwilayah dan kelompok sosial ekonomi di Sumatera Barat. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mendapatkan AKB dan AKI yang tepat serta mengetahui faktor determinan dan permasalahannya di …


Perbandingan Rapid Diagnostic Test Dan Pemeriksaan Mikroskopik Pada Diagnosis Malaria, Lombok Siahaan Jun 2011

Perbandingan Rapid Diagnostic Test Dan Pemeriksaan Mikroskopik Pada Diagnosis Malaria, Lombok Siahaan

Kesmas

Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk membandingkan penggunaan Rapid diagnostic test dengan pemeriksaan mikroskopik (apusan darah) dalam menegakkan diagnosis malaria. Penelitian uji diagnostik ini dilakukan di Kabupaten Nias Selatan dan Kotamadya Sabang, Sumatera Utara. Apusan darah diwarnai dengan larutan Giemsa 10% dan dibaca oleh pemeriksa yang sudah terlatih. Rapid diagnostic test dilakukan dengan menggunakan parascreen. Uji diagnostik rapid diagnostic test secara umum diperoleh hasil yaitu sensitivitas 63,8%; spesifisitas 100%; Positive Predictive Value (PPV) 100%; dan negative predictive value (NPV) 93,5%. Kepadatan parasit pada rapid diagnostic test (+) dan mikroskopik (+) adalah 1.483 ± 583 parasit/μl. Sementara, kepadatan parasit pada pemeriksaan rapid diagnostic …


Faktor Risiko Kanker Serviks Di Rumah Sakit Umum Pemerintah Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo Makassar, Sulawesi Selatan, Sri Syatriani Jun 2011

Faktor Risiko Kanker Serviks Di Rumah Sakit Umum Pemerintah Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo Makassar, Sulawesi Selatan, Sri Syatriani

Kesmas

Kanker serviks adalah tumor ganas terbanyak pada perempuan di seluruh dunia termasuk Indonesia. Jumlah penderita kanker serviks di Rumah Sakit Umum Pemerintah Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo pada tahun 2007 sebanyak 231 kasus, menurun menjadi 220 kasus tahun 2008 dan menurun sebanyak 167 kasus pada tahun 2009. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk melihat besar risiko kejadian kanker serviks terhadap penggunaan pembalut, penggunaan sabun, status ekonomi, dan pasangan pria yang tidak disirkumsisi. Jenis penelitian adalah penelitian observasional analitik dengan desain kasus kontrol. Sampel adalah pasien yang berkunjung ke bagian ginekologi yang diambil secara accidental sampling sebanyak 213 orang. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan wawancara …


Perflurorochemical (Pfc) Exposure In Children: Associations With Impaired Response Inhibition, Brooks B. Gump, Qian Wu, Amy K. Dumas, Kurunthachalam Kannan Jun 2011

Perflurorochemical (Pfc) Exposure In Children: Associations With Impaired Response Inhibition, Brooks B. Gump, Qian Wu, Amy K. Dumas, Kurunthachalam Kannan

Falk College Research Center

Background: Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) have been used widely in consumer products since the 1950s and are currently found at detectable levels in the blood of humans and animals across the globe. In stark contrast to this widespread exposure to PFCs, there is relatively little research on potential adverse health effects of exposure to these chemicals.Objectives: We performed this cross-sectional study to determine if specific blood PFC levels are associated with impaired response inhibition in children. Methods: Blood levels of 11 PFCs were measured in children (N = 83) and 6 PFCs: perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfate (PFHxS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), …


Exploring Geographic Proximity To Fast-Food Restaurants And Convenience Stores With Dental Caries In Patients At The University Of Nevada Las Vegas School Of Dental Medicine, Charles K. Hill May 2011

Exploring Geographic Proximity To Fast-Food Restaurants And Convenience Stores With Dental Caries In Patients At The University Of Nevada Las Vegas School Of Dental Medicine, Charles K. Hill

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Dental caries is present worldwide and has afflicted over 90% of all adults in the United States. Biological determinants of the disease are well understood but social determinants and how they interact with biological factors are not. Programs designed to reduce incidence and prevalence of caries often target certain individuals and involve behavioral change. Some programs are more successful when environmental and societal issues are also addressed (Watt, 2002). Biological and behavioral processes leading to caries should include the modification of social factors to enhance results of prevention programs designed to reduce caries in populations. Preventing disease comes not only …


Modeling Mortality Rates For Leukemia Between Men And Women In The United States, Blessed Quansah May 2011

Modeling Mortality Rates For Leukemia Between Men And Women In The United States, Blessed Quansah

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Leukemia related deaths increased dramatically over the last forty years. Leukemia is a malignant disease or cancer of the bone marrow and blood. It is characterized by the uncontrolled accumulation of blood cells. Leukemia is divided into two categories: myelogenous or lymphocytic, each of which can be acute or chronic. The terms, myelogenous or lymphocytic denote the cell type involved.

In this thesis, the proposed modeling techniques are applied to leukemia deaths data from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER). In particular, annual deaths data from 1969 to 2007 are used in the data analysis, which includes three major …


Tuberkulosis Paru Di Palembang, Sumatera Selatan, Hery Unita Versitaria, Haryoto Kusnoputranto Apr 2011

Tuberkulosis Paru Di Palembang, Sumatera Selatan, Hery Unita Versitaria, Haryoto Kusnoputranto

Kesmas

Indonesia tercatat memiliki 304.787 penderita tuberkulosis yang menempatkannya pada peringkat ketiga terbanyak di dunia. Penyakit tuberkulosis merupakan penyebab kematian nomor 3 setelah penyakit kardiovaskuler dan penyakit saluran pernafasan pada semua kelompok usia serta nomor 1 dari golongan penyakit infeksi. Angka kepadatan hunian rumah di Kota Palembang 5,84 lebih tinggi daripada angka ideal kepadatan hunian rumah. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengetahui hubungan antara sumber penular serumah, faktor lingkungan dalam rumah, dan karakteristik individu terhadap kejadian tuberkulosis paru basil tahan asam (BTA) (+) di Kota Palembang. Penelitian yang menggunakan desain kasus kontrol ini membandingkan kelompok kasus (BTA(+)) dan kelompok kontrol (BTA (-)) yang …


Contextual Factors And Reproductive Control In U.S. Women, Brianna Magnusson Apr 2011

Contextual Factors And Reproductive Control In U.S. Women, Brianna Magnusson

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Access to family planning services is a major public health issue. State policies and funding for family planning services may increase access to contraceptive services and help women avoid unintended pregnancies. Study Design: We identified sexually active, fertile women participants of the National Survey of Family Growth (2006-2008). Women were categorized as consistent or inconsistent users of contraceptives based on self-report. States were classified based on 2006 Medicaid family planning waiver status (income expansions, limited expansions, or no Medicaid family planning expansions), 2006 public funding for family planning in dollars per woman, and insurance coverage of contraceptive mandate status …


Does Comorbidity Explain The Ethnic Inequalities In Cervical Cancer Survival In New Zealand? A Retrospective Cohort Study, Naomi Brewer, Barry Borman, Diana Sarfati, Mona Jeffreys, Steven T. Fleming, Soo Cheng, Neil Pearce Apr 2011

Does Comorbidity Explain The Ethnic Inequalities In Cervical Cancer Survival In New Zealand? A Retrospective Cohort Study, Naomi Brewer, Barry Borman, Diana Sarfati, Mona Jeffreys, Steven T. Fleming, Soo Cheng, Neil Pearce

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: There are large ethnic differences in cervical cancer survival in New Zealand that are only partly explained by stage at diagnosis. We investigated the association of comorbidity with cervical cancer survival, and whether comorbidity accounted for the previously observed ethnic differences in survival.

METHODS: The study involved 1,594 cervical cancer cases registered during 1994-2005. Comorbidity was measured using hospital events data and was classified using the Elixhauser instrument; effects on survival of individual comorbid conditions from the Elixhauser instrument were also assessed. Cox regression was used to estimate adjusted cervical cancer mortality hazard ratios (HRs).

RESULTS: Comorbidity during the …


Bayesian Effect Estimation Accounting For Adjustment Uncertainty, Chi Wang, Giovanni Parmigiani, Francesca Dominici Apr 2011

Bayesian Effect Estimation Accounting For Adjustment Uncertainty, Chi Wang, Giovanni Parmigiani, Francesca Dominici

Harvard University Biostatistics Working Paper Series

No abstract provided.


Threshold Regression Models Adapted To Case-Control Studies, And The Risk Of Lung Cancer Due To Occupational Exposure To Asbestos In France, Antoine Chambaz, Dominique Choudat, Catherine Huber, Jean-Claude Pairon, Mark J. Van Der Laan Mar 2011

Threshold Regression Models Adapted To Case-Control Studies, And The Risk Of Lung Cancer Due To Occupational Exposure To Asbestos In France, Antoine Chambaz, Dominique Choudat, Catherine Huber, Jean-Claude Pairon, Mark J. Van Der Laan

U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series

Asbestos has been known for many years as a powerful carcinogen. Our purpose is quantify the relationship between an occupational exposure to asbestos and an increase of the risk of lung cancer. Furthermore, we wish to tackle the very delicate question of the evaluation, in subjects suffering from a lung cancer, of how much the amount of exposure to asbestos explains the occurrence of the cancer. For this purpose, we rely on a recent French case-control study. We build a large collection of threshold regression models, data-adaptively select a better model in it by multi-fold likelihood-based cross-validation, then fit the …


An Exercise In Molecular Epidemiology: Human Rhinovirus Prevalence And Genitics, Catherine J. Albright, David J. Hall Mar 2011

An Exercise In Molecular Epidemiology: Human Rhinovirus Prevalence And Genitics, Catherine J. Albright, David J. Hall

Chemistry Department Faculty Publications

Human rhinovirus (HRV) is one of the most common human respiratory pathogens and is responsible for the majority of upper respiratory illnesses. Recently, a phylogeny was constructed from all known Ameri- can Type Culture Collection (ATCC) HRV sequences. From this study, three HRV classifications (HRVA, HRVB, and HRVC) were determined and techniques for classifying new isolates of HRV were reported. The genetic change of this virus in specific populations over time is of great interest to understand the evolution and epidemiology of viruses. To facilitate the collections of HRV sequences over a number of years, a virology experiment was designed …


The Epidemiology Of Human Rabies Postexposure Prophylaxis In Virginia, 2002 And 2003, Marilyn Goss Haskell Mar 2011

The Epidemiology Of Human Rabies Postexposure Prophylaxis In Virginia, 2002 And 2003, Marilyn Goss Haskell

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: To describe a sample that received human rabies postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) in Virginia as a result of animal exposures in 2002 and 2003 and to determine the extent to which PEP decisions were appropriate.Methods: PEP surveillance data were requested from 35 Virginia health districts within 5 regions. Retrospective chart review was used to gather demographic, exposure and source animal data from patient records and animal exposure reports. Descriptive statistics are presented. True exposures and appropriateness of PEP were defined using the 2004 Virginia Rabies Control Guidelines and the Recommendations of the 1999 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The 2003 …


Kebutaan Pada Pasien Glaukoma Primer Di Rumah Sakit Umum Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Jakarta, Fetty Ismandari, Helda Helda Feb 2011

Kebutaan Pada Pasien Glaukoma Primer Di Rumah Sakit Umum Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Jakarta, Fetty Ismandari, Helda Helda

Kesmas

Glaukoma adalah penyebab kebutaan permanen nomor dua di Indonesia yang sering tidak disadari oleh penderita. Proporsi pasien baru glaukoma yang datang ke RSUPN Dr Cipto Mangunkusumo (RSCM) dalam kondisi buta cukup tinggi. Tujuan penelitian ini mengetahui berbagai faktor yang berhubungan dengan kebutaan tersebut. Penelitian ini dilakukan terhadap 420 pasien glaukoma primer yang berkunjung di poliklinik penyakit mata RSCM pada Januari 2007-Oktober 2009 dan memenuhi kriteria inklusi dan eksklusi. Metode analisis yang digunakan adalah analisis Cox’s Proportional Hazard Model untuk mendapatkan nilai prevalence ratio (PR). Penelitian ini didapatkan hubungan bermakna antara kebutaan akibat glaukoma primer tekanan intraokular (PR = 1,01; 95% …


Seropositivity To Cytomegalovirus, Inflammation, All-Cause And Cardiovascular Disease-Related Mortality In The United States, Amanda M. Simanek, Jennifer Beam Dowd, Graham Pawelec, David Melzer, Ambarish Dutta, Allison E. Aiello Feb 2011

Seropositivity To Cytomegalovirus, Inflammation, All-Cause And Cardiovascular Disease-Related Mortality In The United States, Amanda M. Simanek, Jennifer Beam Dowd, Graham Pawelec, David Melzer, Ambarish Dutta, Allison E. Aiello

Publications and Research

Background: Studies have suggested that CMV infection may influence cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and mortality. However, there have been no large-scale examinations of these relationships among demographically diverse populations. The inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) is also linked with CVD outcomes and mortality and may play an important role in the pathway between CMV and mortality. We utilized a U.S. nationally representative study to examine whether CMV infection is associated with all-cause and CVD-related mortality. We also assessed whether CRP level mediated or modified these relationships.

Methodology/Principal Findings: Data come from subjects $25 years of age who were tested for …


A Retrospective Population Based Cohort Study Examining The Black White Gap In Infant Mortality, Ina Marie Peoples Jan 2011

A Retrospective Population Based Cohort Study Examining The Black White Gap In Infant Mortality, Ina Marie Peoples

Presidential Alumni Research Dissemination Award

Black women in one US City have more than a 2-fold likelihood of experiencing a death in the womb or an infant death within the first year of life when compared to Whites. The purpose of this retrospective population based cohort study was to examine the unexplained high rates of Black fetal and infant (feto-infant) mortality in this city. The study was built on the perinatal periods of risk (PPOR) model. The PPOR model maps each death in a geographic region into four distinct periods of risk based on birth weight and age at death. The study relied upon 51,303 …


Angiogenic Biomarkers For Risk Stratification In Women With Suspected Preeclampsia, Andreea Balan, Heather Young, Linda Ojo, Jennifer Keller, Sharon Maynard Jan 2011

Angiogenic Biomarkers For Risk Stratification In Women With Suspected Preeclampsia, Andreea Balan, Heather Young, Linda Ojo, Jennifer Keller, Sharon Maynard

Epidemiology Faculty Posters and Presentations

This poster presents the results of a single-center prospective cohort study of 315 pregnant women who presented to George Washington University Hospital Labor and Delivery service with a clinical suspicion of preeclampsia between February 2007 and November 2011. Informed consent was obtained. Baseline demographic information and medical history was collected on each patient including maternal age, ethnicity, body mass index, tobacco and other substance use, gestational age, medical problems and obstetric history. Serum samples were obtained from each enrolled subject within 24 hours of admission, and sFlt1, PlGF and sEng ELISA assays were performed in duplicate by a blinded laboratory …


Kriged And Modeled Ambient Air Levels Of Benzene In An Urban Environment: An Exposure Assessment Study, Kristina W. Whitworth, Elaine Symanski, Dejian Lai, Ann L. Coker Jan 2011

Kriged And Modeled Ambient Air Levels Of Benzene In An Urban Environment: An Exposure Assessment Study, Kristina W. Whitworth, Elaine Symanski, Dejian Lai, Ann L. Coker

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

Background. There is increasing concern regarding the potential adverse health effects of air pollution, particularly hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). However, quantifying exposure to these pollutants is problematic. Objective. Our goal was to explore the utility of kriging, a spatial interpolation method, for exposure assessment in epidemiologic studies of HAPs. We used benzene as an example and compared census tract-level kriged predictions to estimates obtained from the 1999 U.S. EPA National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA), Assessment System for Population Exposure Nationwide (ASPEN) model. Methods. Kriged predictions were generated for 649 census tracts in Harris County, Texas using estimates of annual benzene …


Attitudes Toward Vaccination In The Event Of An Influenza Pandemic And The Characteristics Of Those Likely To Decline Vaccination, Michelle Lynn Cummings Jan 2011

Attitudes Toward Vaccination In The Event Of An Influenza Pandemic And The Characteristics Of Those Likely To Decline Vaccination, Michelle Lynn Cummings

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

BACKGROUND: In addition to conscientious hygiene and limiting exposure, vaccination is an important public health intervention to limit influenza infection among high risk groups. However, limited research has been conducted among the general population to measure vaccine acceptance against a pandemic strain of influenza, and which specific concerns might hinder acceptance. Because this study was conducted prior to the H1N1 pandemic of 2009, it serves as a baseline measure of the population's perspectives on influenza vaccination. Subsequent studies will shed light on the degree to which a pandemic heightens acceptance.


Epidemiology Of Blood-Borne Infections Among Georgian Health Care Workers, Maia Butsashvili Jan 2011

Epidemiology Of Blood-Borne Infections Among Georgian Health Care Workers, Maia Butsashvili

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

INTRO: The prevalence of hepatitis in central Asia is considered high (>8% endemnicity) by the World Health Organization. Universal precautions among healthcare workers (HCWs) and newborn vaccination programs are important public health interventions to reduce the spread of hepatitis and other blood borne pathogens. This comprehensive evaluation of the risk of blood borne pathogen exposure among HCWs in the Republic of Georgia measures the following: 1) nosocomial risk events; 2) prevalence of HIV, HBV and HCV among Georgian HCWs; 3) predictive factors for HCWs recommending HBV vaccination for children; 4) prevalence of and willingness to report behavioral risk factors …


An Evaluation Of Multiple Primary Breast And Lung Cancers, Colleen G. Sherman Jan 2011

An Evaluation Of Multiple Primary Breast And Lung Cancers, Colleen G. Sherman

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the recent changes in multiple primary rules for breast and lung cancers and determine their effects on population incidence rates, illustrate specific patterns in multiple primary cancers for breast and lung cancers in New York and compare these patterns to SEER data, and to identify risks for developing multiple primary breast and lung cancers based on data in the New York State Cancer Registry (NYSCR).


Maternal Caffeine Consumption And Risk Of Congenital Limb Deficiency Malformations, Lei Chen Jan 2011

Maternal Caffeine Consumption And Risk Of Congenital Limb Deficiency Malformations, Lei Chen

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

ABSTRACT


Preventing Mother-To-Child Transmission Of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (Hiv-1): Effects Of Intrapartum And Neonatal Single-Dose Nevirapine Prophylaxis And Subsequent Hiv-1 Drug Resistance At Antiretroviral Treatment Initiation, Amanda L. Harmon Jan 2011

Preventing Mother-To-Child Transmission Of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (Hiv-1): Effects Of Intrapartum And Neonatal Single-Dose Nevirapine Prophylaxis And Subsequent Hiv-1 Drug Resistance At Antiretroviral Treatment Initiation, Amanda L. Harmon

CMC Senior Theses

The prevention of mother-to-child transmission is one of the most powerful tools in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) prevention and has huge potential to improve both maternal and child health. In the absence of any preventative measures, infants born to and breastfed by their HIV-positive mothers have roughly a one-in-three chance of acquiring the infection themselves. HIV can be passed on from mother-to-child during pregnancy, during labor and delivery, and even after during breastfeeding.

Intrapartum and neonatal single-dose nevirapine (sd-NVP) is the foundation of preventing mother-to-child transmission in lower resource settings where it has been used alone or as …


The Effect Of Phytoestrogen Chemoprevention Of Prostate Cancer, Ruel Slyfield Michelin Jan 2011

The Effect Of Phytoestrogen Chemoprevention Of Prostate Cancer, Ruel Slyfield Michelin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prostate cancer (CaP) remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer and second leading cause of cancer mortality among men in several ethnic groups in the United States. Lower CaP incidence among Asian men has been attributed to increased intake of soy derived phytoestrogens (SDPs); however, its association has not been extensively explored in U.S. men. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect size of serum prostate specific antigen (sPSA) and serum estradiol (sE2) following dietary SDP intervention. The study was based on an original conceptual model that aims to avert early prostate tissue damage through identification of critical …


Perspectives Of Women In Nairobi Kenya Toward Malaria Control, Catherine Kisavi-Atatah Jan 2011

Perspectives Of Women In Nairobi Kenya Toward Malaria Control, Catherine Kisavi-Atatah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Malaria infection has been and continues to be a serious public health concern that has mystified many in the public health care industry. One area in Sub Saharan Africa that continues to feel the devastating effects of malaria is in Nairobi, Kenya. This qualitative research study explored the attitudes of women in Nairobi, Kenya and how they view intervention measures already introduced by public health care experts in fighting malaria. The phenomenological research approach used purposeful sampling to recruit 16 women from Nairobi, Kenya to participate in semi-structured, open-ended interviews. The ecological systems theory was used as a lens of …


Decision Aid Models For Resource Sharing Strategies During Global Influenza Pandemics, Alfredo Santana Reynoso Jan 2011

Decision Aid Models For Resource Sharing Strategies During Global Influenza Pandemics, Alfredo Santana Reynoso

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pandemic influenza outbreaks have historically entailed significant societal and economic disruptions. Today, our quality of life is threatened by our inadequate preparedness for the imminent pandemic. The key challenges we are facing stem from a significant uncertainty in virus epidemiology, limited response resources, inadequate international collaboration, and the lack of appropriate science-based decision support tools. The existing literature falls short of comprehensive models for global pandemic spread and mitigation which incorporate the heterogeneity of the world regions and realistic travel networks. In addition, there exist virtually no studies which quantify the impact of resource sharing strategies among multiple countries. This …


Optimal Control Applied To A Discrete Time Influenza Model, Paula Andrea Gonzalez Parra Jan 2011

Optimal Control Applied To A Discrete Time Influenza Model, Paula Andrea Gonzalez Parra

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

For the last decades, mathematical epidemiological models have been used to understand the dynamics of infectious diseases and guide public health policy.

In particular, several continuous models have been considered to study influenza outbreaks and their controls policies. However, most epidemiological data is discrete; therefore, a discrete formulation is more convenient to compare collected data with the output of the model. We introduce a discrete time model in order to study optimal control strategies for influenza transmission.

In our model, we divide the population into four classes: susceptible, infectious, treated, and recovered individuals.

In particular, we evaluate the potential effect …