Epidemiology Commons^™

Men’S Comfort In Distributing Or Receiving Hiv Self-Test Kits From Close Male Social Network Members In Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania: Baseline Results From The Step Project, Joseph K.B. Matovu, Gaspar Mbita, Akeen Hamilton, Frank Mhando, Wynton M. Sims, Noah Thompson, Albert N. Komba, Jackson Lija, Jiajia Zhang Ph.D., Thomas Van Den Akker, Dustin T. Duncan, Augustine T. Choko, Donaldson F. Conserve

Faculty Publications

Background

A variety of strategies have been used to reach men with HIV self-testing services, including social network-based HIV self-test kits distribution. However, few studies have assessed men’s comfort to distribute to or receive HIV self-test kits from close male friends within the same social network. In this study, we assessed men’s comfort to distribute to and/or receive HIV self-test kits from close male friends and associated factors among men who socialize in networks locally referred to as “camps” in Tanzania.

Methods

Data are from the baseline survey of a cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted in June 2019 with 18 social …

Recognition And Screening For Chagas Disease In The Usa, Rachel Marcus, Andres F. Henao-Martinez, Melissa Nolan Ph.D., Mph, Elizabeth Livingston, Stephen A. Klotz, Robert H. Gilman, Monica Miranda-Schaeubinger, Sheba Meymandi

Faculty Publications

Chagas disease (CD), caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is a public health concern, mainly among countries in South and Central America. However, despite the large number of immigrants from endemic countries living in the USA, awareness of CD is poor in the medical community, and therefore it is significantly underdiagnosed. To avoid the catastrophic cardiac complications of CD and to prevent maternal–fetal transmission, widespread educational programs highlighting the need for diagnosis are urgently needed.

Analysis Of Genes (Tmem106b, Grn, Abcc9, Kcnmb2, And Apoe) Implicated In Risk For Late-Nc And Hippocampal Sclerosis Provides Pathogenetic Insights: A Retrospective Genetic Association Study, Adam J. Dugan, Peter T. Nelson, Yuriko Katsumata, Lincoln M. P. Shade, Kevin L. Boehme, Merilee A. Teylan, Matthew D. Cykowski, Shubhabrata Mukherjee, John S. K. Kauwe, Timothy J. Hohman, Julie A. Schneider, Alzheimer’S Disease Genetics Consortium, David W. Fardo

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy neuropathologic change (LATE-NC) is the most prevalent subtype of TDP-43 proteinopathy, affecting up to 1/3rd of aged persons. LATE-NC often co-occurs with hippocampal sclerosis (HS) pathology. It is currently unknown why some individuals with LATE-NC develop HS while others do not, but genetics may play a role. Previous studies found associations between LATE-NC phenotypes and specific genes: TMEM106B, GRN, ABCC9, KCNMB2, and APOE. Data from research participants with genomic and autopsy measures from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC; n = 631 subjects included) and the Religious Orders Study and Memory …

A Southwestern United States Pilot Investigation Of Triatomine–Mite Prevalence, Kyndall C. Dye-Braumuller, Hanna Waltz, Mary K. Lynn, Stephen A. Klotz, Justin O. Schmidt, Alvaro Romero, Marvin Stanley Rodriguez Aquino, Jose Ricardo Palacios Valladares, Pamela Michelle Cornejo Rivas, Melissa Nolan Ph.D., Mph

Faculty Publications

An estimated 70 million persons in the Western Hemisphere are living at risk for Chagas disease, a parasitic infection transmitted to humans by over 156 different competent triatomine insect vector species. Prior Pan American Health Organization insecticide campaigns throughout Latin America in the 1990s and 2000s demonstrated that domestic insecticide spraying had temporary effects, which resulted in the re-establishment of triatomine species within a few years. Serendipitously, our team found ectoparasitic mites parasitizing triatomines collected from the field in multiple locations in the southwestern United States, where human–triatomine interaction was high but human parasite infection remains low. Upon further investigation …

Simulating Influenza Epidemics With Waning Vaccine Immunity, Chun-Miin Chen, Alia C. Stanciu

Faculty Journal Articles

In this study, we simulate an influenza epidemic that considers the effects of waning immunity by fitting epidemiological models to CDC secondary historical data aggregated on a weekly basis, and derive the transmission rates at which susceptible individuals become infected over the course of the influenza season. Using a system of differential equations, we define four groups of individuals in a population: susceptible, vaccinated, infected, and recovered. We show that a larger number of initially infected individuals might not only bring the influenza season to an end sooner but also reduce the epidemic size. Moreover, any influenza virus that entails …

Pulmonary Inflammation And Injury Triggered By Spine Surgery In Recovered Covid-19 Patients Demand Consideration, Luciano Rodrigo Lopes, Silvana Kertzer Kasinski

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Maternal Diet In Pregnancy And Child’S Respiratory Outcomes: An Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis Of 18 000 Children, Sara M. Mensink-Bout, Evelien R. Van Meel, Johan C. De Jongste, Isabella Annesi-Maesano, Adrien M. Aubert, Jonathan Y. Bernard, Ling-Wei Chen, Cyrus Cooper, Sarah R. Crozier, Wojciech Hanke, Nicholas C. Harvey, James R. Hébert Scd, Barbara Heude, Joanna Jerzynska, Cecily C. Kelleher, John Mehegan, Fionnuala M. Mcauliffe, Catherine M. Phillips, Kinga Polanska, Caroline L. Relton, Nitin Shivappa Mbbs, Mph, Ph.D., Matthew Suderman, Vincent W.V. Jaddoe, Liesbeth Duijts

Faculty Publications

Rationale Severe fetal malnutrition has been related to an increased risk of respiratory diseases later in life, but evidence for the association of a suboptimal diet during pregnancy with respiratory outcomes in childhood is conflicting. We aimed to examine whether a pro-inflammatory or low-quality maternal diet during pregnancy was associated with child's respiratory health.

Methods We performed an individual participant meta-analysis among 18 326 mother–child pairs from seven European birth cohorts. Maternal pro-inflammatory and low-quality diets were estimated by energy-adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (E-DII) and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) scores. Preschool wheezing and school-age asthma were measured using …

Associations Of Circulating Dimethylarginines With The Metabolic Syndrome In The Framingham Offspring Study, Ibrahim Musa Yola, Carlee Moser, Meredith S. Duncan, Edzard Schwedhelm, Dorothee Atzler, Renke Maas, Juliane Hannemann, Rainer H. Böger, Ramachandran S. Vasan, Vanessa Xanthakis

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Circulating levels of the endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), are positively associated with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in cross-sectional investigations. It is unclear if circulating ADMA and other methylarginines are associated with incident MetS prospectively.

METHODS: We related circulating ADMA, symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), L-arginine (ARG) concentrations (measured with a validated tandem mass spectrometry assay) and the ARG/ADMA ratio to MetS and its components in 2914 (cross-sectional analysis, logistic regression; mean age 58 years, 55% women) and 1656 (prospective analysis, Cox regression; mean age 56 years, 59% women) individuals from the Framingham Offspring Study …

The Role Of Education On Cancer Amenable Mortality Among Non-Hispanic Blacks &Amp; Non-Hispanic Whites In The United States (1989–2018), Alberto Barcelo, Linda Duffett-Leger, Maria Pastor-Valero, Juliana Pereira, Fernando A.B. Colugnati, Edward Trapido

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

Background: Cancer mortality in the U.S. has fallen in recent decades; however, individuals with lower levels of education experienced a smaller decline than more highly educated individuals. This analysis aimed to measure the influence of education lower than a high school diploma, on cancer amenable mortality among Non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) and Non-Hispanic Blacks (NHB) in the U.S. from 1989 to 2018. Methods: We analyzed data from 8.2 million death certificates of men and women who died from cancer between 1989 and 2018. We examined 5-year and calendar period intervals, as well as annual percent changes (APC). APC was adjusted for …

A Study Analysis Of A New Vitiligo Treatment: Patent Wo 20200588091a, Shaikha Al-Mousherji

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Abstract

Patent WO20200588091A in vitiligo treatment/methodology is a two-phase patent methodology and compositions for leukoderma treatment, patented by HSC researchers at Kuwait University-Kuwait. It is a day-and-night natural-based treatment that uses photosynthesizers followed by antioxidants and tyrosinase cofactors. The study aims to measure the effectiveness of the treatment.

Method

The data of this study was extracted from a hundred randomly selected patients through an online form of a questionnaire. The data covers the patient's demographics, awareness, previous vitiligo conventional treatments, and the patented treatment assessment.

Results

Data collection showed 52% of Females and 48% of Males were using the patented …

Living Environment Considerations On Obesity Prevention Behaviors And Self-Efficacy Among Chinese Americans, Doreen Liou, Jessica A. Karasik

Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Scholarship and Creative Works

The aim of this study is to ascertain if the living environment (type of residential neighborhood and number of household members) will elucidate differences in obesity risk reduction behaviors and self-efficacy in Chinese Americans. A cross-sectional survey design was used to recruit participants from Los Angeles County and New York City metropolitan areas. A total of 650 adults were recruited from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Descriptive statistics were measured for 19 behaviors reflecting food intake and portion size control and items measuring self-efficacy and attitudes. T-tests were applied for the two categories of living environment. The mean age of the sample …

The Conundrum Of Low Covid-19 Mortality Burden In Sub-Saharan Africa: Myth Or Reality?, Janica Adams, Mary J. Mackenzie, Adeladza Kofi Amegah, Alex Ezeh, Muktar A. Gadanya, Akinyinka Omigbodun, Ahmed M. Sarki, Paul Thistle, Abdhalah K. Ziraba, Saverio Stranges, Michael Silverman

Global Health Equity Publications

Key Messages

• Evidence suggests the demographic age structure of sub-Saharan Africa is the leading factor of the low morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 compared to other regions of the world.

• Widespread social mitigation strategies, such as lockdowns, have resulted in severe economic and societal consequences in terms of food security, adolescent pregnancy, gender-based violence, and disruptions in treating other diseases.

• It is imperative to weigh the risks and benefits of social mitigation strategies for future waves.

School-Based Sex Education In The United States And Its Association With Sexual And Reproductive Health Outcomes, 2000-2020, Priscilla M. Lopez

Dissertations and Theses

Background: There are significant sexual and reproductive health disparities in the United States (US). A significant proportion of sexual health disparities among adolescents is likely due in-part to inadequate school-based sex education. Sex education encourages sustainable and informed sexual behavior and has the potential reach adolescents prior to sexual debut and throughout the years at highest risk for adverse sexual health outcomes. However, the way in which sex education is defined and operationalized, as described in the literature, varies substantially, which may lead to wide variation in implementation in schools and this might explain the disparities seen. State-level sex …

Challenges In Feeding Children Posed By The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review Of Changes In Dietary Intake Combined With A Dietitian's Perspective, Heather Campbell, Alexis C Wood

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Purpose of review: To examine the evidence that the dietary quality of children changed between the period preceding the COVID-19 pandemic and the first year during the pandemic.

Recent findings: A systematic review of the evidence for dietary changes occurring as a result of the pandemic-related restrictions, in Part I of this article, yielded 38 original research articles. These articles had conflicting results, some describing improvements in overall quality and some describing deteriorations. As a whole the studies were characterized by a low study quality, and children were poorly represented. Taken together, these studies do not provide enough evidence to …

Prevalence, Awareness, And Control Of Hypertension Among Bangladeshi Adults: An Analysis Of Demographic And Health Survey 2017-18, Gulam Muhammed Al Kibria, Rajat Das Gupta Ph.D., Jannatun Nayeem

Faculty Publications

Background

The prevalence of hypertension is increasing in Bangladesh, however, few recent studies investigated the proportion of people and factors associated with prevalence, awareness, and control of this condition in this country. This study investigated these among Bangladeshi adults.

Methods

Using Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2017–18 data, a cross-sectional study was conducted. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was employed after descriptive analysis and prevalence estimation.

Results

Among 12,926 persons (mean age: 40 years, 57% women), the prevalence of hypertension was 27.4% (n = 3551), it was 28.4 and 26.2% among females and males, respectively. Among hypertensive people, about 42.4% …

The Association Of Demographics, Social And Personal/Family Characteristics With Treatment Utilization Among Young Adults With Opioid Use Disorder In The United States, Marva L. Frederick

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background

Opioid use disorder is a life-threatening medical condition and an ongoing public health problem in the United States. Treatment is necessary to combat opioid use disorder and to minimize the health-associated problems. Opioid use disorder is treatable with life-extending medications. Studies that examined treatment utilization among young adults with opioid use disorder in the United States was scarce. This study investigated the characteristics posited in the Andersen Behavioral Model of health utilization which may be associated with treatment utilization, among young adults with opioid use disorder in the United States. The urgency posed by the continuing opioid crisis in …

Association Of Maternal Prenatal Selenium Concentration And Preterm Birth: A Multicountry Meta-Analysis, Nagendra Monangi, Huan Xu, Waqasuddin Khan, Furqan Kabir, Muhammad Imran Nisar, Aneeta Hotwani, Usma Mehmood, Ambreen Nizar, Javairia Khalid, Fyezah Jehan

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Selenium (Se), an essential trace mineral, has been implicated in preterm birth (PTB). We aimed to determine the association of maternal Se concentrations during pregnancy with PTB risk and gestational duration in a large number of samples collected from diverse populations.
Methods: Gestational duration data and maternal plasma or serum samples of 9946 singleton live births were obtained from 17 geographically diverse study cohorts. Maternal Se concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis. The associations between maternal Se with PTB and gestational duration were analysed using logistic and linear regressions. The results were then combined using …

Avoidance Of St-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Treatment For >1 Week Due To Covid-19 Fears, Rahul V Annabathula, Gregory J Sinner, Talal S Alnabelsi, Rachel P Goodwin, Vincent L Sorrell

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, social distancing guidelines have negatively affected the care-seeking behavior of patients with chronic medical conditions, including those with cardiovascular disease. We report the case of a 60-year-old man with vague gastrointestinal symptoms who waited more than 1 week to seek treatment for fear of COVID-19 infection. On presentation at another hospital, he was found to have had an anterior myocardial infarction, and he underwent percutaneous coronary intervention to stent an occluded proximal left anterior descending coronary artery. Subsequently, the patient experienced refractory cardiogenic shock and, during his transfer to our hospital, refractory ventricular …

Impact Of Covid-19 On Health Disparities In The United States - A Preliminary Study, Alina Panjwani

Symposium of Student Scholars

Health disparities are the differences in health outcomes and health status among people belonging to different groups. This means that people with low socioeconomic status, old age, racial and ethnic minorities, who are often those with limited access to healthcare may often face a higher disease burden and experience worse health outcomes. The current pandemic of Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, provides a painful reminder of why inequities harm all of us as the devastating impact of the pandemic is apparent. This paper examines the differences in and possible cause of the rates of COVID infections, …

Multi-Stage Stochastic Optimization And Reinforcement Learning For Forestry Epidemic And Covid-19 Control Planning, Sabah Bushaj

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on developing new modeling and solution approaches based on multi-stage stochastic programming and reinforcement learning for tackling biological invasions in forests and human populations. Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is the nemesis of ash trees. This research introduces a multi-stage stochastic mixed-integer programming model to assist forest agencies in managing emerald ash borer insects throughout the U.S. and maximize the public benets of preserving healthy ash trees. This work is then extended to present the first risk-averse multi-stage stochastic mixed-integer program in the invasive species management literature to account for extreme events. Significant computational achievements are obtained using …