Epidemiology Commons^™

A Transcriptional Program Associated With Neurotransmission In The Living Human Brain, Alexander W. Charney, Lora E. Liharska, Eric Vornholt, Alissa Valentine, Anina Lund, Alice Hashemi, Ryan C. Thompson, Terry Lohrenz, Jessica S. Johnson, Nicole Bussola, Esther Cheng, You Jeong Park, Salman Qasim, Alisha Aristel, Lillian Wilkins, Kimia Ziafat, Hannah Silk, Lisa M. Linares, Brendan Sullivan, Claudia Feng, Beniamino Hadj-Amar Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

At the foundation of neurotransmission, and by extension at the foundation of brain function, are coordinated programs of gene expression involving many thousands of genes. These programs are poorly defined in humans because most modern studies that characterize human brain gene expression use tissue obtained in the postmortem state when neurotransmission and brain function have ceased. Here, to advance knowledge of the gene expression programs at the foundation of neurotransmission in the human brain, gene expression was characterized in 130 prefrontal cortex (PFC) samples obtained from participants of the Living Brain Project (LBP) during neurosurgical procedures in conjunction with intracranial …

Survival On Image Regression With Application To Partially Functional Distributional Representation Of Physical Activity, Rahul Ghosal, Sunwoo Emma Cho, Marcos Matabuena

Faculty Publications

Technological advancements in wearable devices and medical imaging often lead to high-dimensional physiological signals in the form of images or surfaces. To address these data structures, we develop a novel survival on image regression model with a specific focus on partially functional distributional representation of wearable data. The existing approaches for functional data and survival outcomes have been primarily developed for uni-dimensional functional predictors. Drawing on recent developments in distributional data analysis, we model temporally varying distributional patterns of physical activity (PA) as a partially functional distributional predictor within a semiparametric Cox model framework. We use tensor product splines to …

Environmental Chemicals And Maternal Depression During And After Pregnancy: A Scoping Review, Pengfei Guo, Yunyue Shi, Cindy Nguyen, Haoran Zhuo, Tormod Rogne, Zeyan Liew

Faculty Publications

Purpose of Review

There is increasing evidence that several environmental exposures may pose a risk for depression, including maternal depression. We conducted a scoping review of epidemiological evidence regarding maternal exposure to environmental chemicals and perinatal depression.

Recent Findings

We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Dimensions, and Scopus, and summarized the findings from 27 articles that examined environmental chemical exposures and maternal depression. Studies of ambient air pollutants (N = 11) showed exposure to NO₂ and PM10 to be most consistently associated with antenatal or postnatal depression. Studies of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including phthalates (n = 6), …

Social, Political, And Economic Determinants For Hiv Prep Care Delivery Innovations, Joanne Senoga Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Pre-exposure prophylactic care delivery innovations (PCDI) are critical to the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative. While individual studies have examined isolated factors such as patient awareness, provider willingness to prescribe, and cost-effectiveness, few have synthesized these findings into a unified framework explaining how structural social, political, and economic determinants jointly influence PCDI. Prior literature remains fragmented, emphasizing behavioral or programmatic variables rather than systemic structures. This meta-analysis was done to examine how structural determinants independently and collectively influence PCDI across the 47 U.S. EHE jurisdictions. Guided by the consolidated framework for implementation research and Rogers’s diffusion of innovations theory, …

Remnant Cholesterol And Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk In Populations With Different Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Elevations: A Prospective Cohort Study, Hong Zheng, Guanlin Chen, Zhenyu Huo, Yulong Lan, Yuxian Wang, Peng Fu, Weiqiang Wu, Haixiang Zheng, Kuangyi Wu, Zegui Huang, Dan Wu, Shouling Wu, Youren Chen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and remnant cholesterol (RC) are risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). However, the extent to which differences in RC levels affect ASCVD risk in populations with varying degrees of LDL-C elevation remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether RC can provide additional risk stratification value across different sexes, ages, and elevated LDL-C statuses. Methods: This study included 12 743 elevated LDL-C participants (LDL-C ≥3.4 mmol/L) and 50 073 age- and sex-matched non-elevated LDL-C controls from the Kailuan Study. Elevated LDL-C participants were categorized by RC levels into <0.5, 0.5 to <1.0, and ≥1.0 mmol/L subgroups. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the relationship between RC levels and ASCVD risk across different sexes, ages, and high LDL-C statuses. Results: During a median follow-up of 12.8 years, 1686 elevated LDL-C participants (13.2%) and 5252 non-elevated LDL-C participants (10.5%) developed ASCVD. In the borderline-high LDL-C group (3.4 ≤ LDL-C < 4.1 mmol/L), those with the lowest RC levels showed no significant risk difference compared with controls (hazard ratio [HR], 1.03 [95% CI, 0.93-1.13]), and this pattern remained consistent across different sexes and ages. In contrast, in the high LDL-C group (LDL-C ≥4.1 mmol/L), even when RC was at the lowest level, ASCVD risk remained significantly higher than that of controls (HR, 1.20 [95% CI, 1.02-1.41]). CONCLUSIONS: In the borderline-high LDL-C population, those with the lowest RC levels showed no significant risk difference compared with controls, and this pattern remained consistent across different sexes and age subgroups. In the high LDL-C population, even when RC was at the lowest level, ASCVD risk remained significantly higher than that of controls.

A Rare And Challenging Polymicrobial Pleural Infection Involving Cupriavidus Pauculus In A Patient With Rheumatoid Arthritis And Multiple Complications, Moiz Ahmed Khan, Syeda Samiya Kamal, Muhammad Muneeb, Summaya Zafar

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

A 58-year-old female with a 15-year history of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and a history of treatment consisting of methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine, leflunomide, and chronic prednisolone therapy, presented with fever, productive cough, dyspnea, and left leg cellulitis. She developed septic shock complicated by tension pneumothorax requiring emergency thoracostomy and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Pleural fluid culture grew Cupriavidus pauculus, a rare environmental gram-negative bacillus, alongside Burkholderia cepacia and Candida parapsilosis, indicating polymicrobial infection which was most likely predisposed by patient's immunosuppressed state from RA and prolonged steroid use. Treatment consisted of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, meropenem, fluconazole, and cardiopulmonary support, and culminated in …

The Enduring Legacy Of Nuclear Tests: Barriers To Managing Type 2 Diabetes Among Marshallese Pacific Islanders In The United States, Bernard A. Muriithi

Occupational Therapy Faculty Scholarship

Introduction / Rationale: Nuclear tests conducted by the United States caused significant damage to the environment and traditional food sources in the Marshall Islands. The Marshall Islanders began to depend on imported processed food, but the change of diet resulted in significant increases in chronic diseases, in addition to cancers and birth defects associated with nuclear radiation. Since the 1986 Compact of Free Association, over 15,000 Marshallese have relocated to the United States, and the majority live in one U.S. state. This community of Marshallese has the highest prevalence rate for type 2 diabetes in the world.

Objectives: identify the …

Association Between Environmental Exposures To Perfluoroalkyl And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances And Military Veterans Cancer Determination, Stephen A. Pereira Jr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study involved evaluating whether cumulative exposure to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) was associated with kidney cancer, bladder cancer, and adult leukemia among U.S. veterans. Pooled National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2005–2015 were analyzed for sample of 2,500 veterans with available serum PFAS measurements and physician-diagnosed cancer histories. This study employed a cross-sectional, correlational design grounded in a post-positivist paradigm. Inclusion required complete data for (a) serum PFAS concentrations, (b) kidney cancer, bladder cancer, and adult leukemia, and (c) covariates age, sex, race/ethnicity, smoking status, and body mass index. Cumulative PFAS was modeled as a …

Experiences Of Care-Seeking Parents With Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In India, Yash Navnit Patel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects approximately 18 million individuals in India, yet the factors influencing parental care-seeking behavior were not well understood. Guided by the health belief model, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore how parents’ perceived severity of a child’s symptoms, parental beliefs about the causes of autism, and perceived mental and physical health outcomes of caregiving influence parents’ intention to seek services for children aged 1–10 years diagnosed with ASD in India. Data were collected using semistructured interviews with 10 mothers of autistic children. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-step thematic analysis. …

Ecologic Factors Contributing To West Nile Virus Hyperendemicity In Central South Carolina: An Integrated Vector–Human–Environmental Study, Elba S. Fridriksson, Ahayla Muraleedharan, Kyndall C. Dye-Braumuller, Madeleine M. Meyer, Kia Zellars, Hiuxuan Li, Melissa S. Nolan Ph.D., Mph

Faculty Publications

West Nile virus (WNV) is an endemic arboviral infection in the United States that has undergone phyloge-netic evolution since its introduction 25 years ago. An integrated vector–human–pathogen study was conducted in the summer of 2023 to unearth contemporary Culex quinquefasciatus habitat patterns and human transmission spillover foci in South Carolina, a state with historically little WNV data. A serosurvey revealed WNV seroprevalence 10 times the national average (22% versus 2%, respectively), with unusual epidemiologic risk factors. Female Culex quinquefas-ciatus WNV positivity was low (2.7%), with viral phylogenetics 100% homologous to the WN02 clade. Mosquito vectors clustered in affluent urban neighborhoods …

International Normative Charts For Twin Weight, Length, And Head Circumference At Birth, By Gestational Age And Sex: The Twin Neonatal Cross-Sectional Study Of The Intergrowth-21st Project, Francesca Giuliani, Sonia Deantoni, Enrico Bertino, Yasmin A. Jaffer, Manorama Purwar, Fernando C. Barros, Leila Cheikh Ismail, Wu Qingqing, Ilaria Stura, Maria Carvalho

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Assessing the size of twins at birth using charts developed for singletons may over diagnose small for gestational age in this sub-population. The study aimed to produce international, twin-specific, newborn size normative charts by gestational age and sex. This longitudinal observational study in eight geographically diverse settings prospectively collected data between May 2009 and August 2013 from healthy pregnant women and their newborn twins. The participants were enrolled as part of the INTERGROWTH-21st study, and recruited based on World Health Organization recommendations for evaluation of anthropometric measures. All the women met, in addition to the underlying population characteristics of low …

An Impact Assessment Of The Effectiveness Of Utilizing Informal Health Communication Interventions To Spread Health Recommendations And Change Public Perception, Lina Mohamed Ezzat Ahmed Abdel Mawgoud

Theses and Dissertations

Brain health is an increasingly urgent but critically under-addressed public health priority in Egypt and the wider MENA region. Despite its centrality to aging, productivity, and overall quality of life, public understanding of brain health remains limited, and stigma continues to shape responses to dementia and cognitive decline. This study evaluates the effectiveness of informal, culturally adapted health communication as a tool to shift perception, increase awareness, and promote behavior change among non-medically trained adults in Egypt.

Grounded in global evidence on cognitive reserve, neuroplasticity, and the life-course approach to brain health, the intervention translated expert-informed brain health recommendations into …

Community And Individual Risk Factors Associated With Tuberculosis Treatment Outcomes: Ca, Md, And Oh, [2017-2021]., Kadiatu Banjoko

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There are unsuccessful treatment outcomes with Tuberculosis (TB) disease, although effective therapies exist. This study aimed to identify predictors of unsuccessful treatment using the socioecological model. A quantitative cross-sectional study and multinomial logistic regression analysis were used to measure the associations between long-term care (LTC), homelessness, correctional facility, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), diabetes, excess alcohol, illicit drug use, and TB treatment outcomes of death, lost to follow-up, and treatment refusal. The sample consisted of 7,589 individuals aged 15 and older with pulmonary TB between 2017 and 2021, residing in California, Ohio, and Maryland. Findings indicated a correlation between community factors …

Dietary Inflammatory Index And Risk Of Colorectal Cancer In Japanese Men, Ayaka Kotemori, Kumiko Kito, Motoki Iwasaki, Taiki Yamaji, James Hébert Scd, Junko Ishihara, Manami Inoue, Shoichiro Tsugane, Norie Sawada On The Behalf Of Jphc Study Group

Faculty Publications

Background/Objectives: Unhealthy lifestyles lead to chronic low-grade inflammation, increasing the risk of colorectal cancer. Few studies in East Asia have examined the association between the dietary inflammation potential and colorectal cancer incidence. Therefore, we aimed to investigate this association further in the Japanese population. Methods: This study included 38,807 men aged 45–74 years who participated in the Japan Public Health Center-based prospective study (JPHC Study). The energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index (E-DII) was derived from a food frequency questionnaire. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Differences in risk due to a …

Clinical, Imaging And Blood Biomarker Outcomes In A Phase 3 Clinical Trial Of Tau Aggregation Inhibitor Hydromethylthionine Mesylate In Mild Cognitive Impairment And Mild To Moderate Dementia Due To Alzheimer’S Disease, Claude Wischik, Richard G. Stefanacci, Peter Bentham, Serge Gauthier, Henrik Zetterberg, Gordon Wilcock, Lutz Froelich, Alistair Burns, Emer Macsweeney, Clive Ballard, Jin-Tai Yu, Tay Siew Choon, Vahe Asvatourian, Natalia Muehlemann, Jan Priel, Karin Kook, Tenecia Sullivan, Diane Downie, Sonya Miller, Carol Pringle, John Storey, Tom Baddeley, Charles R Harrington, Lewis Penny, Mohammad Arastoo, Roger Staff, Anca-Larisa Sandu, Helen Shiells, Serena Lo, Nafeesa Nazlee, Emily Evans, Claire Hull, Bjoern Schelter

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Hydromethylthionine mesylate (HMTM) targets tau pathology and has tau-independent symptomatic activity.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of HMTM in participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild to moderate dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD).

SETTING: 82 centres in Canada, European Union, United Kingdom and United States of America.

PARTICIPANTS: A total of 598 amyloid β-PET positive participants were included; 44% (263) met clinical criteria for MCI due to Alzheimer's disease and 56% (335) were diagnosed with mild to moderate dementia due to AD.

INTERVENTION: HMTM 16 mg/day and 8 mg/day were compared with methylthioninium chloride (MTC) …

Postdischarge Pediatric Mortality In Nigeria For Children Under 5 Years Of Age, Philomina Nwaugo Chukwudike

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Child mortality has remained a public health issue that is prevalent among families living in Nigeria and low- and middle-income countries. Factors associated with post-discharge pediatric mortality among children under 5 have not been explored. The study involved examining associations between timely individual follow-up visits, availability of healthcare facilities for follow-up care, and likelihood of post-discharge mortality among children under 5 while adjusting for household income, geographical location, mothers’ age, and mothers’ education. The theoretical framework was the social ecological model. Data were generated from the 2018 Demographic and Health Survey. A sample size of N=21,671 was used to determine …

Protocol For The Development Of The Who Gestational Weight Gain Charts, Thais Rangel Bousquet Carrilho, Olufemi Taiwo Oladapo, Jennifer A. Hutcheon, Giovanna Gatica-Domínquez, Kathleen M. Rasmussen, Monica C. Flores-Urrutia, Richard Kumapley, Ӧzge Tunçalp, Dang Bahya-Batinda, Amel A. Fayed, Annick Bogaerts, Aris T. Papageorghiou, Cinthya Muñoz-Manrique, Dayana Rodrigues Farias, Eric Ohuma, Harshpal Sachdev, Hayfaa A. Wahabi, Helena J. Teede, Molin Wang, Nandita Perumal Phd

Faculty Publications

Introduction Gestational weight gain (GWG) is an important indicator of maternal nutrition to be monitored during pregnancy. However, there is no evidence-based tool that can be used to monitor it across all geographic locations and pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) categories. The WHO is undertaking a project to develop GWG charts by pre-pregnancy BMI category, and to identify GWG ranges associated with the lowest risks of adverse maternal and infant outcomes. This protocol describes all the steps that will be used to accomplish the development of these GWG charts.

Methods and analysis This project will involve the analysis of individual …

Sociodemographic And Hiv-Related Characteristics Associated With Mental Health Diagnoses Among People Living With Hiv, Monique J. Brown Ph.D., Mph, Jiayang Xiao, Xueying Yang Ph.D., Bankole Olatosi Ph.D., Sharon Weissman, Xiaoming Li Ph.D., Jiajia Zhang Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Mental health diagnoses have been linked to poor HIV treatment outcomes and poorer quality of life among people living with HIV (PLWH). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between sociodemographic and HIV-related characteristics, and common and serious mental health disorders among PLWH in South Carolina (SC). Data were obtained from the integrated system of statewide electronic health record (EHR) data in SC (2006–2019; N = 8,124). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine the associations between sociodemographic and HIV-related characteristics, and common mental health disorders and serious mental health disorders. Among the study population, 4% were 60 …

Utilizing Machine Learning Techniques For Computer-Aided Covid-19 Screening Based On Clinical Data, Honglun Xu, Andrews T. Anum, Michael Pokojovy, Sreenath Chalil Madathil, Yuxin Wen, Md. Fashiar Rahman, Tzu-Liang Bill Tseng, Scott Moen, Eric Walser

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of rapid clinical decision-making to facilitate the efficient usage of healthcare resources. Over the past decade, machine learning (ML) has caused a tectonic shift in healthcare, empowering data-driven prediction and decision-making. Recent research demonstrates how ML was used to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper puts forth new computer-aided COVID-19 disease screening techniques using six classes of ML algorithms (including penalized logistic regression, random forest, artificial neural networks, and support vector machines) and evaluates their performance when applied to a real-world clinical dataset containing patients’ demographic information and vital indices (such as …

Multiple Myeloma Risk Linked To Dna Damage Response Genes, Michael Conry, Irina Ostrovnaya, Yelena Kemel, Saloni Sinha, Linda B. Baughn, Brian Avery, Kylee Maclachlan, Victoria Groner, Lauren Banaszak, Aaron Norman, Nicholas J. Boddicker, Alyssa I. Clay-Gilmour Ph.D., Shaji Kumar, Ellen Kim, Sita Dandiker, Mitul Waghmare, Susan Slager, Douglas Sborov, Judy Garber, Elizabeth E. Brown, Michelle Hildebrandt, Et. Al.

Faculty Publications

Background DNA damage response genes (DDRG), implicated in several cancers as both predisposing risk factors as well as biomarkers for aggressiveness, have not been fully explored in multiple myeloma (MM).

Methods Herein, we analyzed disease associations of pathogenic variations in nine putative candidate genes using 3 446 MM cases and 323 233 cancer-free controls.

Results Increased MM risk was found to be associated with inherited rare pathogenic mutations in TP53, ATM, CHEK2, KDM1A, and ARID1A, with an enrichment of these variants among individuals with early onset or family history of MM. Individuals with TP53 or ATM germline mutations are also …

Factors Affecting The Level Of Grief Experienced By Men Whose Female Partner Died In The United States, Keona C. Lee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Grief is an emotional reaction to the loss of a loved one through death. Although grief is a universal human experience, its perspective is unique, and research has often ignored the varied experiences of racial/ethnic and cultural groups, particularly men of color in the United States. The purpose of this quantitative study was to measure the level of grief experienced by men whose female partner died and to determine whether ethnicity, having a prior mental health diagnosis, social support, and traumatic or anticipated loss significantly impacted their level of grief. The study was guided by the social-ecological model to explain …

Optimal Intervention Strategies In Age-Structured Sirvd Model: Epidemiological And Economic Analysis Of Covid-19 In Korea, Joon Chun, Melisa Hendrata

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics

This study employed an age-structured Susceptible-Infected-Recovered-Vaccinated-Deceased (SIRVD) model to design optimal COVID‑19 intervention strategies by integrating epidemiological dynamics with economic costs. Using empirical data from South Korea, we estimated transmission parameters and analyzed quarantine-based non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) alongside targeted vaccination scenarios. Our results indicated that a stronger form of mild NPI (upper range of Level I), when combined with targeted vaccination that prioritized seniors, achieved substantial reductions in infection peaks and overall economic burden. These findings underscore the effectiveness of age-specific strategies in epidemic management and offer critical insights for policymakers seeking balanced, resource-efficient approaches.

Anti-Sars-Cov-2 Nucleoprotein Iga Is Associated With Worse Disease Severity In Critically Ill Covid-19 Pneumonia Patients, David Brett-Major, Dylan S. George, Eric D. Morrell, Carmen Mikacenic, Julie Carstens, Laura E. Evans, Mark M. Wurfel, Pavan K. Bhatraju, M. Jana Broadhurst

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

While humoral responses to vaccination and infection have largely focused on IgG, there is an evolving literature on ways in which IgA may drive neutrophil activity in lung injury secondary to viral infections, including COVID-19. We evaluated 238 immune-naïve, critically ill patients in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Employing a laboratory-developed, multiplexed antibody testing, clinical history, medical record, and machine learning, we pursued relationships between systemic IgA and disease severity. Individuals with elevated anti-N IgA had 4-fold odds of more severe disease. This work emphasizes the importance of continued work to understand how different elements of the immune …

West Nile Virus Transmission Suitability Modeling For Culex Pipiens Via Temperature And Humidity, Hunter Jones, David Brett-Major, Joseph R. Fauver, Yeongjin Gwon, Jesse E. Bell

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

West Nile Virus (WNV) is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the United States, yet predicting its transmission remains a significant challenge for public health officials. Many studies use correlative statistical models to predict disease cases using temperature and humidity, but accessible mechanistic approaches that simulate mosquito behavior traits can capture more of the transmission process. This study adapts an existing R-language package, the Mosquito-borne Viral Suitability Estimator (MVSE), which was created to model Aedes aegypti mosquito transmission of dengue, and tunes it to Culex pipiens transmission of WNV. Equations for mortality, biting rate, and incubation period were updated, …

Factors Affecting Detection And Quantification Of Schistosoma Haematobium Eggs In Pooled Urine Samples, Abraham Degarege, Bruno Levecke, Christopher R. Bilder, David Brett-Major, Abebe Animut, Yohannes Negash, M. Jana Broadhurst, Tzeyu L. Michaud, Berhanu Erko

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Building on our previous work showing that pooled urine testing can rapidly detect Schistosoma haematobium infections but has limited sensitivity in low-intensity settings or with large pool sizes, this study evaluated how urine volume, pool size, infection intensity, and diagnostic method affect the detection and quantification of S. haematobium eggs in pooled samples.

METHODS: Between July 2022 and April 2023, 2,134 urine samples from school-age children living in three regional states of Ethiopia were individually examined by deploying urine filtration microscopy (UFM). Subsequently, 5, 10, 20 and 40 individual samples were strategically pooled and examined by deploying UFM and …

Meconium Metal Concentrations And Infant Temperament And Development, Fiona Fogarty

Dissertations and Theses

BACKGROUND: Prenatal exposure to metals poses significant health consequences for early childhood development. Understanding the factors influencing metal concentrations that infants are exposed to in-utero is crucial for developing targeted interventions, particularly when maternal characteristics and environmental factors, may contribute to varying levels. Meconium offers insight into in-utero exposures for the developing infant, and the effect of each individual metal may be mediated or exacerbated by another and therefore should be studied in the context of a mixture. The effect of metal mixture exposure, as measured in meconium, on milestone and temperament outcomes has yet to be determined.

DESIGN: …

Ebola In The Drc: A Different Problem Compounded By Violence, David Brett-Major

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

A Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) has been declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) due to Ebola disease from Bundibugyo virus. Non-health-focused factors should be fundamental to how DRC and its partners respond to and recover from the current emergency. Filovirus emergencies are violent in every sense-the disease experience of patients and their caregivers, the tumult in impacted communities, sometimes the physical manifestations of frustration against healthcare services, the fits and starts of concerted response, and the milieu of conflict in which this emergency occurred. Yet, interpersonal and organized violence may contribute to frequency of health …

Air Quality Risks In Public Housing, Brynn Sheehan, Carolyn Caraballo Velez, Vaughan W. Rees, Miasha T. O'Neal, Kristen E. Moore, Katie M. Jones, Jessica Meadows, Sarah Gehlert, Richard Grucza, Andrew Plunk, Kelli J. England

Department Psychiatry & Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Importance Public housing residents face elevated environmental health risks, yet indoor air quality in these settings remains underexamined. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate indoor air quality in public housing 5 years after implementation of the federal smoke-free housing policy and compare it with outdoor air quality in the same regions.

Design, Setting, and Participants A 1-year cohort study of indoor air quality (particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in diameter [PM2.5]) across 12 multifamily public housing communities in southeastern Virgina for individuals 65 years and older or persons with disability in cities with the highest rated outdoor air quality. Indoor PM2.5 was continuously measured …

Management-Driven Shifts In The Bison Fecal Microbiome And Its Relationship To Stec Prevalence, Ritesh Ray

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Contamination of meat samples from pathogens such as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), especially in ruminants, is an ever-growing issue for the safety of global meat production. Recent studies have reported STEC in the livestock and food industry with a limited focus on wildlife. Although cattle serve as the primary reservoir for STEC, American bison (Bison bison bison) is the largest ruminant inhabiting North America, sharing similar genetics, and grazing habits, making them an ideal alternative STEC reservoir. Re-introduction for prairie conservation and meat farming has brought bison herds closer to anthropic environments than before. Recently bison meat has become …

“Kuchoka”: Investigation Of Research Fatigue In Mosoriot, Kenya, Felishana Cherop, Violet Naanyu, Juddy Wachira, Lukoye Atwoli

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: Health research is key to the promotion of population and community health, however, conducting many research studies in a community can cause research fatigue.

Purpose: We determined the prevalence of research fatigue and associated factors in Mosoriot, Kenya.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in the Mosoriot community from Wednesday 28, May 2014, to Thursday 30, April 2015, involving (n = 327) community members who were randomly sampled to respond to self-administered and/or guided questionnaires. We analyzed descriptive statistics to summarise the data and used the Pearson Chi-Square test to assess the bivariate associations between the …