Epidemiology Commons^™

Discovering A Gold Mine Of U.S. Government Information: Exploring The Hathitrust Catalog And Its Rich Veins, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

The Hathitrust Catalog provides researchers at member institutions with exponentially expanded access to historical U.S. Government information resources. This presentation describes how researchers can use this resource to conduct substantive research using government information resources on public policy issues such as Internal Revenue Service program problems, infectious diseases such as Ebola, and U.S. foreign relations with the former Soviet Union/Russian Federation.

30-Year Trends In Patient Characteristics, Treatment Practices, And Long-Term Outcomes Of Adults Aged 35 To 54 Years Hospitalized With Acute Myocardial Infarction, Mayra Tisminetzky, David Mcmanus, Joel Gore, Jorge Yarzebski, Andrew Coles, Darleen Lessard, Robert Goldberg

Jorge L. Yarzebski

Much of our knowledge about the characteristics, clinical management, and postdischarge outcomes of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is derived from clinical studies in middle-aged and older subjects with little contemporary information available about the descriptive epidemiology of AMI in relatively young men and women. The objectives of our population-based study were to describe >3-decade-long trends in the clinical features, treatment practices, and long-term outcomes of young adults aged 35 to 54 years discharged from the hospital after AMI. The study population consisted of 2,142 residents of the Worcester (Massachusetts) metropolitan area who were hospitalized with AMI at all central Massachusetts …

Decade-Long Trends In The Characteristics, Management And Hospital Outcomes Of Diabetic Patients With St-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction, Mayra Tisminetzky, Samuel Joffe, David Mcmanus, Chad Darling, Joel Gore, Jorge Yarzebski, Darleen Lessard, Robert Goldberg

Jorge L. Yarzebski

PURPOSE: Our objectives were to describe recent trends in the characteristics and in-hospital outcomes in diabetic as compared with non-diabetic patients hospitalized with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 2537 persons with (n = 684) and without (n = 1853) a history of diabetes who were hospitalized for STEMI between 1997 and 2009 at 11 medical centres in Central Massachusetts.

RESULTS: Diabetic patients were more likely to be older, female and to have a higher prevalence of previously diagnosed comorbidities. Diabetic patients were more likely to have developed important in-hospital complications and to have …

Antiretroviral Therapy Enrollment Characteristics And Outcomes Among Hiv-Infected Adolescents And Young Adults Compared With Older Adults — Seven African Countries, 2004–2013, Andrew F. Auld, Simon G. Agolory, Ray W. Shiraishi, Fred Wabwire-Mangen, Gideon Kwesigabo, Modest Mulenga, Sebastian Hachizovu, Emeka Asadu, Moise Zanga Tuho, Virginie Ettiegne-Traore, Francisco Mbofana, Velephi Okello, Charles Azih, Julie A. Denison, Sharon Tsui, Olivier Koole, Harrison Kamiru, Harriet Nuwagaba-Biribonwoha, Charity Alfredo, Kebba Jobarteh, Solomon Odafe, Dennis Onotu, Kunomboa A. Ekra, Joseph S. Kouakou, Peter Ehrenkranz, George Bicego, Kwasi Torpey, Ya Diul Mukadi, Eric Van Praag, Joris Menten, Timothy Mastro, Carol Dukes Hamilton, Mahesh Swaminathan, E. Kainne Dokubo, Andrew L. Baughman, Thomas Spira, Robert Colebunders, David R. Bangsberg, Richard Marlink, Aaron Zee, Jonathan Kaplan, Tedd V. Ellerbrock

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Although scale-up of antiretroviral therapy (ART) since 2005 has contributed to a decline of about 30% in the global annual number of human immunodeficiency (HIV)–related deaths and declines in global HIV incidence, estimated annual HIV-related deaths among adolescents have increased by about 50%, and estimated adolescent HIV incidence has been relatively stable. In 2012, an estimated 2,500 (40%) of all 6,300 daily new HIV infections occurred among persons aged 15–24 years. Difficulty enrolling adolescents and young adults in ART and high rates of loss to follow-up (LTFU) after ART initiation might be contributing to mortality and HIV incidence in this …

Overall Survival And Biochemical Failure-Free Survival Comparison Of Brachytherapy Treatment Options Versus External Beam Radiation Therapy For Both Low And Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer: A Propensity-Score Matched Analysis, Graham D. Smith

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Purpose: This study compares overall survival (OS) and biochemical failure-free survival (bFFS) in low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients that received brachytherapy [low-dose-rate brachytherapy (LDR-BT) or high-dose-rate brachytherapy with external beam radiation therapy (HDR-BT+EBRT)] versus external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) alone.

Materials/Methods: Patient data was obtained from the ProCaRS database, which contains 7974 prostate cancer patients treated at four Canadian institutions. Propensity score (PS) matching was used to generate matched cohorts with balanced baseline prognostic factors.

Results/Conclusions: Final PS matches included two 1:1 intermediate-risk patient matches, LDR-BT vs. EBRT (total n = 254) and HDR-BT+EBRT vs. EBRT (total n=388), and …

Global Burden Of Disease Study 2010: Interpretation And Implications For The Neglected Tropical Diseases, Peter J. Hotez, Miriam Alvarado, Maria Gloria Basanez, Ian Bolliger, Et Al.

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Infectious Diseases, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Provides information about the role of infectious diseases in the early years of U.S. History, with particular emphasis on how they impacted injuries sustained in military conflict.

A Comparison Of Five Malaria Transmission Models: Benchmark Tests And Implications For Disease Control, Dorothy I. Wallace, Ben S. Southworth, Xun Shi, Jonathan W. Chipman, Andrew K. Githeko

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Models for malaria transmission are usually compared based on the quantities tracked, the form taken by each term in the equations, and the qualitative properties of the systems at equilibrium. Here five models are compared in detail in order to develop a set of performance measures that further illuminate the differences among models.

Methods: Five models of malaria transmission are compared. Parameters are adjusted to correspond to similar biological quantities across models. Nine choices of parameter sets/initial conditions are tested for all five models. The relationship between malaria incidence in humans and (1) malaria incidence in vectors, (2) man-biting …

Will Hiv Vaccination Reshape Hiv Risk Behavior Networks? A Social Network Analysis Of Drug Users' Anticipated Risk Compensation, April M. Young, Daniel S. Halgin, Ralph J. Diclemente, Claire E. Sterk, Jennifer R. Havens

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background

An HIV vaccine could substantially impact the epidemic. However, risk compensation (RC), or post-vaccination increase in risk behavior, could present a major challenge. The methodology used in previous studies of risk compensation has been almost exclusively individual-level in focus, and has not explored how increased risk behavior could affect the connectivity of risk networks. This study examined the impact of anticipated HIV vaccine-related RC on the structure of high-risk drug users' sexual and injection risk network.

Methods

A sample of 433 rural drug users in the US provided data on their risk relationships (i.e., those involving recent unprotected sex …

The Disability Burden Associated With Stroke Emerges Before Stroke Onset And Differentially Affects Blacks: Results From The Health And Retirement Study Cohort, Benjamin D. Capistrant, Nicte I. Mejia, Sze Yan Liu, Qianyi Wang, M. Maria Glymour

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Background.

Few longitudinal studies compare changes in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) among stroke-free adults to prospectively document IADL changes among adults who experience a stroke. We contrast annual declines in IADL independence for older individuals who remain stroke-free to those for individuals who experienced a stroke. We also assess whether these patterns differ by sex, race, or Southern birthplace. Methods.

Health and Retirement Study participants who were stroke-free in 1998 (n = 17,741) were followed through 2010 (average follow-up = 8.9 years) for self- or proxy-reported stroke. We used logistic regressions to compare annual changes in odds of …

Trends And Disparities In Tb Among U.S.-Born Black And White Chicago Residents, 1998-2008, Susan A. Lippold, Lori Armstrong, Jennifer M. Carter, Xiomara Hardison

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To describe the decline of tuberculosis (TB) cases among U.S.-born non-Hispanic (NH) black and white Chicago residents.

METHODS: Data from the National TB Surveillance System was used to analyze trends and characteristics of reported TB cases among U.S.-born NH black and U.S.-born NH white Chicago residents from 1998-2008.

RESULTS: Chicago reported a total of 3,821 TB cases over the 11-year time period. Of these, 1,916 were U.S.-born NH black and 235 were U.S.-born NH white. The proportion of cases attributable to U.S.-born NH blacks was 63% (294/469) in 1998 and 34% in 2008 (72/213). Analysis for trends from …

Vegetarian Dietary Patterns: Mortality, Colorectal Cancer, And Food Consumption, Michael John Orlich

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Objective Vegetarian dietary patterns represent longstanding, real-world diets consumed by a minority of persons. Studies of important health outcomes of such diets, particularly for all-cause mortality and colorectal cancer risk, have yielded inconsistent results. We sought to examine these outcomes (mortality and colorectal cancer incidence) in a large North-American cohort. We also sought to further characterize potentially important differences in the food consumption patterns of these diets. Design Baseline diet was measured by a quantitative food frequency questionnaire among more than 96,000 Seventh-day Adventists in the US and Canada, enrolled from 2002-2007. Dietary patterns were defined, based on the reported …

Their Bugs Are Worse Than Their Bite: Emerging Infectious Disease And The Human-Animal Interface, Michael Greger

Michael Greger, MD, FACLM

In the twenty-five years since that announcement, what we now know as AIDS has killed 20 million people (National AIDS Trust 2005). Where did the AIDS virus— and other emerging diseases, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Ebola, mad cow— come from?

Weight-Based Discrimination And Medication Adherence Among Low-Income African Americans With Hypertension: How Much Of The Association Is Mediated By Self-Efficacy?, Michael Richardson, Molly Waring, Monica Wang, Lisa Nobel, Yendelela Cuffee, Sharina Person, Sandral Hullett, Catarina Kiefe, Jeroan Allison

Monica L. Wang

OBJECTIVES: Much of the excessive morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease among African Americans results from low adherence to anti-hypertensive medications. Therefore, we examined the association between weight-based discrimination and medication adherence. METHODS: We used cross-sectional data from low-income African Americans with hypertension. Ordinal logistic regression estimated the odds of medication non-adherence in relation to weight-based discrimination adjusted for age, sex, education, income, and weight. RESULTS: Of all participants (n = 780), the mean (SD) age was 53.7 (9.9) years and the mean (SD) weight was 210.1 (52.8) lbs. Reports of weight-based discrimination were frequent (28.2%). Weight-based discrimination (but not …

The Role Of Multiple Sclerosis As A Risk Factor For The Development Of Osteoporosis, Christopher Perrone, Christine M. Foley, Linda C. Churchill, Sybil L. Crawford, Judith K. Ockene, Carolina Ionete

Sybil L. Crawford

Background: Osteoporosis is the most common bone disease in the United States, and it is particularly common among women with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, despite this association, the temporal relationship between these two conditions has not been previously studied. Data from the Women’s Health Initiative provides a unique opportunity to examine the risk of developing osteoporosis over time in individuals diagnosed with MS. Objective: The purpose of this study is to refine the relationship between MS and osteoporosis, clarifying the impact of environmental and pharmacologic factors on each condition, as well as addressing treatment and preventative efforts for a patient …

Associations Of Total Activity Counts And Physical Activity Intensity Levels With The Metabolic Syndrome: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach, Dana Lizbeth Wolff

Doctoral Dissertations

To clarify the protective benefits of physical activity (PA), epidemiologists and public health researchers continue to seek improved methods of assessing PA. In particular, accelerometers have gained acceptance with researchers as they provide reliable estimates of PA and can record both the amount and intensity of ambulatory movement. However, there is concern that accelerometer data reduction techniques may not provide quantitatively accurate measurements of time spent in various PA intensity categories. One way to circumvent these inaccuracies is to use the accelerometer-derived total activity counts (TAC), which is a more direct expression of what the monitor records.

In order to …

The Impact Of Cardiac And Noncardiac Comorbidities On The Short-Term Outcomes Of Patients Hospitalized With Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Population-Based Perspective, Han-Yang Chen, Jane S. Saczynski, David D. Mcmanus, Darleen M. Lessard, Jorge L. Yarzebski, Kate L. Lapane, Joel M. Gore, Robert J. Goldberg

Jorge L. Yarzebski

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of our large observational study were to describe the prevalence of cardiac and noncardiac comorbidities in a community-based population of patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) at all medical centers in central Massachusetts, and to examine whether multiple comorbidities were associated with in-hospital death rates and hospital length of stay. METHODS: The study sample consisted of 2,972 patients hospitalized with AMI at all eleven greater Worcester medical centers in central Massachusetts during the three study years of 2003, 2005, and 2007. RESULTS: The average age of this hospitalized population was 71 years, 55% were men, 93% …

Physical Activity And Its Effect On Reducing Disease: A Literature Review Of The National Runner's Health Study, Graham William Edson

Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport Studies Publications and Other Works

In 1996, Dr. Paul Williams began The National Runner’s Health Study. The study had over one hundred thousand respondents who were questioned about their physical activity habits (walking or running), diet, weight, height, and use or previous use of tobacco and alcohol. Some of the participants were involved in case studies of several years. Primarily, the study tested the effects of vigorous physical activity and its ability to reduce disease. For close to twenty years, Dr. Williams has continued an impressive amount of research on various topics in the health and exercise field. The study is one of the most …

Gods' Diseases: Conceptualizing The Phenomenon Of Hybridity In Sri Lanka, Anfal Yesmien Nyhan

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

New Malignancies After Squamous Cell Carcinoma And Melanomas: A Population-Based Study From Norway, Trude E. Robsahm, Margaret R. Karagas, Judy R. Rees, Astri Syse

Dartmouth Scholarship

Skin cancer survivors experience an increased risk for subsequent malignancies but the associated risk factors are poorly understood. This study examined the risk of a new primary cancer following an initial skin cancer and assessed risk factors associated with second primary cancers.

The Association Of Calcium Intake And Other Risk Factors With Cardiovascular Disease Among Obese Adults In Usa, Yang Chen, Sheryl Strasser, Katie Callahan, David Blackley, Yan Cao, Liang Wang, Shimin Zheng

ETSU Faculty Works

In this study, we used a cross-sectional study design to examine the relationship between the calcium intake and risk factors for CVD among obese adults by using continuous waves of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data 1999-2010. The association between calcium intake and risk factors of CVD (hypertension, total cholesterol, HDL, glycohemoglobin), CRP, albuminuria) is assessed among obese adults in USA. The incidence of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is high among obese people. The potential effects of inadequate calcium intake on CVD are receiving increased epidemiologic attention. Understanding the association between risk factors for CVD and calcium intake among …

Heterosexual And Homosexual Patients With The Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome: A Comparison Of Surveillance, Interview, And Laboratory Data, Mary Guinan, Pauline A. Thomas, Paul F. Pinksy, James T. Goodrich, Richard M. Selik, H W. Jaffe, H W. Haverkos, Gary Noble, J W. Curran

Gary Noble

Homosexual and heterosexual patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome were compared by risk group. Race; diagnoses; history of sexually transmitted diseases, sexual behavior, and drug use; and socioeconomic indicators differed considerably among the risk groups, suggesting different risk factors for acquisition of the syndrome. Patients in the homosexual, intravenous drug user, and Haitian risk groups differed in their serologic response to cytomegalovirus and syphilis testing, presumably due to lifestyle-related exposures. Differences in the rate of recovery of cytomegalovirus, serum levels of IgA and IgG, and antibody titers to Epstein-Barr virus were noted among patients with different diagnoses. We conclude that …

Computational Model For Survey And Trend Analysis Of Patients With Endometriosis : A Decision Aid Tool For Ebm, Salvo Reina, Vito Reina, Franco Ameglio, Mauro Costa, Alessandro Fasciani

COBRA Preprint Series

Endometriosis is increasingly collecting worldwide attention due to its medical complexity and social impact. The European community has identified this as a “social disease”. A large amount of information comes from scientists, yet several aspects of this pathology and staging criteria need to be clearly defined on a suitable number of individuals. In fact, available studies on endometriosis are not easily comparable due to a lack of standardized criteria to collect patients’ informations and scarce definitions of symptoms. Currently, only retrospective surgical stadiation is used to measure pathology intensity, while the Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) requires shareable methods and correct …

Doença Renal Policística Autossômica Dominante Em Pacientes Em Hemodiálise No Sul Do Brasil; Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease In Hemodialysis Patients In Southern Brazil, Everton Fernando Alves

Everton Fernando Alves

Introdução: A doença renal policística autossômica dominante é a enfermidade renal hereditária mais comum em seres humanos. Objetivo: Analisar a prevalência, características clínicas e laboratoriais de pacientes com rins policísticos e relacionar as manifestações da doença por gênero. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo observacional e retrospectivo. Foram revisados todos os prontuários médicos de pacientes com rins policísticos admitidos para hemodiálise entre 1995 e 2012, em quatro centros que atendem a área de abrangência da 15ª regional de saúde do Paraná, Brasil. Resultados: Fizeram parte do estudo 48 pacientes com rins policísticos, causa primária da doença renal crônica (DRC) estágio 5. …

The Relationship Between Area Poverty Rate And Site-Specific Cancer Incidence In The United States, Francis P. Boscoe, Christopher J. Johnson, Recinda L. Sherman, David G. Stinchcomb, Ge Lin, Kevin A. Henry

Epidemiology & Biostatistics Faculty Scholarship

BACKGROUND

The relationship between socioeconomic status and cancer incidence in the United States has not traditionally been a focus of population-based cancer surveillance systems.

METHODS

Nearly 3 million tumors diagnosed between 2005 and 2009 from 16 states plus Los Angeles were assigned into 1 of 4 groupings based on the poverty rate of the residential census tract at time of diagnosis. The sex-specific risk ratio of the highest-to-lowest poverty category was measured using Poisson regression, adjusting for age and race, for 39 cancer sites.

RESULTS

For all sites combined, there was a negligible association between cancer incidence and poverty; however, …

Using Quantitative Disease Dynamics As A Tool For Guiding Response To Avian Influenza In Poultry In The United States Of America, K. M. Pepin, E. Spackman, J. D. Brown, K. L. Pabilonia, Lindsey P. Garber, J. Todd Weaver, D. A. Kennedy, Kelly A. Patyk, K. P. Huyvaert, Ryan S. Miller, Alan B. Franklin, Kerri Pedersen, T. L. Bogich, P. Rohani, Susan A. Shriner, Colleen T. Webb, S. Riley

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wild birds are the primary source of genetic diversity for influenza A viruses that eventually emerge in poultry and humans. Much progress has been made in the descriptive ecology of avian influenza viruses (AIVs), but contributions are less evident from quantitative studies (e.g., those including disease dynamic models). Transmission between host species, individuals and flocks has not been measured with sufficient accuracy to allow robust quantitative evaluation of alternate control protocols. We focused on the United States of America (USA) as a case study for determining the state of our quantitative knowledge of potential AIV emergence processes from wild hosts …

Tick-Bourne Pathogens Of Potential Zoonotic Importance In The Southern African Region, Simbarashe Chitanga, Holly Gaff, Samson Mukaratirwa

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The aim of this communication is to provide preliminary information on the tick-borne pathogens of potential zoonotic importance present in southern Africa, mainly focusing on their geographical distribution and host range, and to identify research gaps. The following tick-borne zoonoses have been reported to occur in southern Africa based mainly on case reports: Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever caused by Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever virus; ehrlichiosis caused by Ehrlichia ruminantium, Ehrlichia canis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum; babesiosis caused by Babesia microti; relapsing fever caused by Borrelia duttonii and rickettsioses caused by Rickettsia africae, Rickettsia aeschlimannii and Rickettsia conorii. The …