Epidemiology Commons^™

Characteristics Of Sars-Cov-2 Transmission Among Meat Processing Workers In Nebraska, Usa, And Effectiveness Of Risk Mitigation Measures, Jocelyn J. Herstein, Abraham Degarege, Derry Stover, Christopher Austin, Michelle M. Schwedhelm, James V. Lawler, John Lowe, Athena K. Ramos, Matthew Donahue

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has severely impacted the meat processing industry in the United States. We sought to detail demographics and outcomes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections among workers in Nebraska meat processing facilities and determine the effects of initiating universal mask policies and installing physical barriers at 13 meat processing facilities. During April 1-July 31, 2020, COVID-19 was diagnosed in 5,002 Nebraska meat processing workers (attack rate 19%). After initiating both universal masking and physical barrier interventions, 8/13 facilities showed a statistically significant reduction in COVID-19 incidence inspecifically, high attack rates among meat processing industry …

Infection-Associated Biofilms And Statins: Protocol For Systematic Review, Dora Yesenia Valencia, Magdiel Habila, D. Jean Mcclelland, Abraham Degarege, Purnima Madhivanan, Karl Krupp

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

INTRODUCTION: Owing to their propensity for being associated with infections, biofilms have become a focus in infectious disease research. There is evidence suggesting that statins, which are commonly used for prevention of cardiovascular disease, may prevent biofilm-associated infections, but this association has not been well-understood.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This systematic review protocol will include six database searches from their inception to 20 August 2020. A medical librarian will conduct the searches in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, LILACS and CENTRAL, without any limits. Bibliographies of selected articles, previously published reviews and high-yield journals that publish on statins and/or biofilms …

Use Of Lymesim 2.0 To Assess The Potential For Single And Integrated Management Methods To Control Blacklegged Ticks (Ixodes Scapularis; Acari: Ixodidae) And Transmission Of Lyme Disease Spirochetes, Shravani Chitineni, Elizabeth R. Gleim, Holly D. Gaff

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Annual Lyme disease cases continue to rise in the U.S. making it the most reported vector-borne illness in the country. The pathogen (Borrelia burgdorferi) and primary vector (Ixodes scapularis; blacklegged tick) dynamics of Lyme disease are complicated by the multitude of vertebrate hosts and varying environmental factors, making models an ideal tool for exploring disease dynamics in a time- and cost-effective way. In the current study, LYMESIM 2.0, a mechanistic model, was used to explore the effectiveness of three commonly used tick control methods: habitat-targeted acaricide (spraying), rodent-targeted acaricide (bait boxes), and white-tailed deer targeted acaricide (4-poster …

Evaluating The Impact Of Tobacco Retailer Density On Smoking Among Patients With Serious Mental Illness And Diabetes In New York State, Amani Alharthy

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

ABSTRACT

Applied Methodologies Demonstrated Through Three Independent Studies For Assessing The Effects Of Socioeconomic, Environmental Chemical Exposure, And Therapeutic Factors On Oncological Diseases And Covid-19, Bayarmagnai Maggie Munkhjargal

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

When trying to understand risk factors for a disease, even before we know the causal agents, it is necessary to create a surveillance data set that answers the questions of who, when, and where, and includes any potential covariates which may either promote or prevent the disease. There are a wide variety of surveillance data. For example, hospital discharge data, such as the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) data, encompass all hospitalized cases in the state, while clinical datasets cover a specially constructed population in pursuit of research of a certain disease type. Analysis of surveillance …

Evaluating The Incidence Of Melanoma And Lung Cancer Of Current And Former Active-Duty U.S. Military Who Were Deployed In Support Of Operation Enduring Freedom And Operation Iraqi Freedom, Brian Kovacic

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

The incidence of melanoma and lung cancer has been gradually increasing in the United States over the past three decades with the reputed causes due to etiological and environmental exposures, and tobacco usage. There has been concern that melanoma and lung cancer incidence among military personnel may be associated with deployment to environments with intense sun exposure and increased smoking rates due to post-traumatic stress disorder. The aim of this study was to examine associations between deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) or Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), from 2001 through 2015, with subsequent melanoma and lung cancer incidence. …

Sexual Behaviors Associated With Online Partner-Seeking Among Men Who Have Sex With Men From Small/Midsized Towns Or Rural Areas In Kentucky, Vira Pravosud

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

The HIV epidemic remains one of the most significant public health issues in the United States, particularly among men who have sex with men (MSM). New avenues for partner-seeking have emerged over the past three decades, including through the Internet, social media, and geosocial networking applications. Consisting of three cross-sectional studies, this dissertation research aimed to determine associations between the use of various online tools for partner-seeking (hereafter collectively referred to as “apps”) and HIV-related sexual behaviors among 252 young adult MSM residing in small/midsized towns or rural areas in Central Kentucky, a group that has been under-represented in the …

Interrelationships Of Sociodemographic And Biological Factors In Breast Cancer Mortality Disparity Affecting Young Black Women, Richard Mutyabule

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite improved overall survival among breast cancer patients, race and biological subtype-specific disparities persist. Subsequently, this retrospective longitudinal study, guided by ecosocial theory, examined associations between biological subtypes of breast cancer and patient-level sociodemographic factors on survival outcomes in women 25 to 44 years of age. Using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, 34,007 breast cancer cases between 2013 and 2018 were extracted. Kaplan Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model were used to examine time to event and the adjusted mortality risk by race and breast cancer subtype. There was a statistically significant difference in survival among young …

Isolation And Characterization Of A Novel Bacteriophage Wo From Allonemobius Socius Crickets In Missouri, Jonah Kupritz, John Martin, Kerstin Fischer, Kurt C. Curtis, Joseph R. Fauver, Yuefang Huang, Young-Jun Choi, Wandy L. Beatty, Makedonka Mitreva, Peter U. Fischer

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Wolbachia are endosymbionts of numerous arthropod and some nematode species, are important for their development and if present can cause distinct phenotypes of their hosts. Prophage DNA has been frequently detected in Wolbachia, but particles of Wolbachia bacteriophages (phage WO) have been only occasionally isolated. Here, we report the characterization and isolation of a phage WO of the southern ground cricket, Allonemobius socius, and provided the first whole-genome sequence of phage WO from this arthropod family outside of Asia. We screened A. socius abdomen DNA extracts from a cricket population in eastern Missouri by quantitative PCR for Wolbachia surface protein …

Protocol For Safe, Affordable, And Reproducible 1 Isolation And Quantitation 2 Of Sars-Cov-2 Rna From Wastewater, Monica Trujillo, Kristen Cheung, Anna Gao, Irene Hoxie, Sherin Kannoly, Nanami Kubota, Kaung Myat San, Davida S. Smyth, John J. Dennehy

Publications and Research

The following protocol describes our workflow for processing wastewater with the goal of detecting the genetic signal of SARS-CoV-2. The steps include pasteurization, virus concentration, RNA extraction, and quantification by RT-qPCR. We include auxiliary steps that provide new users with tools and strategies that will help troubleshoot key steps in the process. This protocol is one of the safest, cheapest, and most reproducible approaches for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater. Furthermore, the RNA obtained using this protocol, minus the pasteurization step, can be sequenced both using a targeted approach sequencing specific regions or the whole genome. The protocol …

Isocitrate Dehydrogenase-1 Mutation As A Prognostic Factor In Recurrent Glioblastoma, Haroon R. Hashmi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive form of brain cancer that has a high recurrence rate and very poor prognosis. The prognostic value of various molecular markers (e.g., IDH 1 mutation, MGMT promoter methylation, etc.) and clinical factors (e.g., age, KPS, surgery and chemotherapy) has been studied in GBM after initial diagnosis but not as extensively in the recurrent GBM. Utilizing a retrospective cohort design, based on quantitative data collected through medical chart reviews, and the conceptual framework of outcomes research in oncology, this study evaluated the prognostic value of IDH-1 mutation in recurrent GBM in the context of key predictor …

Strategic Management Of Digital Contact Tracing Technologies: Covid-19 And Singapore, Yaya Sirimongkarakorn

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

The emergence of the COVID-19 virus and global health pandemic has sparked a rapid need for new digital solutions. Singapore took a strategic lead by paving the path towards innovating digital contact tracing (DCT) technologies to contain the spread of the virus. The nation’s expedited response and model for DCT has shown to be one that many countries can take example from, regardless of experiencing hurdles in gaining sufficient user uptake initially. The concerns surrounding data security and privacy has fueled the movement for DCT technologies. With the vast majority of the population being involved, many aspects need to be …

Diabetes Management And Self-Perception Of Health Among Adults In The United States, Moses Ajoku

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The burden and complications of diabetes have been a public health concern and societal challenge for decades, and the rate of prevalence is projected to increase in the future. The study aims to examine the association between blood glucose monitoring, glycated hemoglobin test, and self-perceived health status among diabetic adults in the United States. Guided by the chronic care model, the study used data from the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to investigate diabetes management practices among diabetic adults in the United States. Quantitative and cross-sectional methods were used to assess the associations between diabetes management practices and self-perceived …

Association Between Food Insecurity And Influenza Outcome In The United States., Sabrina Fiona Pink

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe influenza virus is one of the most commonly occurring respiratory viral infections in the world. The outer capsule of the virus contains 18H proteins and 11N proteins, which allows the virus to reform in over 100 different strands and outperform the vaccine. Despite efforts to improve access to care and reduce vaccine inequities; the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 9-45 million documented influenza-related illnesses, 140,000 to 810,000 hospitalization, and 64,000 deaths yearly. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether food insecurity, access to care and other social determinants of health such as age, race, and …

Multiple Proteinopathies And Their Role In Cognitive Impairment And Neurodegenerative Diseases, Shama D. Karanth

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Most age-related neurodegenerative disorders are associated with the aggregation of misfolded and aberrant proteins. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders and is highly prevalent in older adults. Neuropathologically, AD is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Other misfolded proteins, including α-synuclein and transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43), are also commonly observed in aged brains. Aberrant α-synuclein has been associated with Parkinson's disease, Dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy, whereas TDP-43 has been associated with multiple neurological diseases, the most common of which was designated as limbic-predominant, …

Enhancing Drug Overdose Mortality Surveillance Through Natural Language Processing And Machine Learning, Patrick J. Ward

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Epidemiological surveillance is key to monitoring and assessing the health of populations. Drug overdose surveillance has become an increasingly important part of public health practice as overdose morbidity and mortality has increased due in large part to the opioid crisis. Monitoring drug overdose mortality relies on death certificate data, which has several limitations including timeliness and the coding structure used to identify specific substances that caused death. These limitations stem from the need to analyze the free-text cause-of-death sections of the death certificate that are completed by the medical certifier during death investigation. Other fields, including clinical sciences, have utilized …

Environmental Respiratory Exposures And Pulmonary Function Among Residents Of Rural Appalachia, Kentucky, John C. Flunker

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Introduction

Resource extraction exposures are hypothesized to promote adverse respiratory health outcomes among residents of rural Appalachia, yet no studies to date have simultaneously quantified small-scale geographic variation in residential exposure, individual level health factors, and respiratory health outcomes.

Methods

The Mountain Air Project (MAP) is a community engaged cross-sectional study based in Harlan and Letcher counties of Southeastern Kentucky. MAP utilized a novel small-scale method to define residential exposure boundaries: hydrologic unit code (HUC), which represents distinct drainages (AKA “hollows”) where residents cluster. We assigned the HUC level density of active and abandoned surface and underground mining, oil/gas wells, …

The Impact Of The Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program On Healthy Days, Health Inequity, And Hospital Community Benefit Spending, Samhita Kadiyala

Scripps Senior Theses

The Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program (HVBP) is a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) program implemented in 2012 to reward acute-care hospitals with incentive payments for the quality of care provided to Medicare patients in inpatient settings. Under this policy, payment adjustments are made based on a variety of factors including clinical quality, patient experience, and cost reductions. This paper uses state-level variation in the implementation of HVBP to ascertain whether the policy led to improvements in Healthy Days (a CDC-designed composite measure of individuals’ self-reported number of physically and mentally “healthy” days per month), health disparities, and community …

Zika Virus Concern And Preventative Behaviors During Pregnancy: Analysis Of 2017 Georgia Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System Data, Priya R. Nair, Christine E. Stauber

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Zika virus infection can cause severe health complications in pregnant women such as microcephaly and other congenital anomalies in the developing fetus but it can be prevented. It is imperative to develop an understanding of concern about Zika virus among pregnant women as this can influence their Zika virus preventative behaviors.

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of Zika virus concern among women in Georgia with live births in 2017 and to examine the frequency of condom use among those who were sexually active during their most recent pregnancy.

Methods: This cross- sectional study used …

Improvements To A Framework For Gender And Emerging Infectious Diseases, Lynn Lieberman Lawry, Roberta Lugo-Robles, Vicki Mciver

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

No abstract provided.