Epidemiology Commons^™

Diabetes Is Associated With Cerebrovascular But Not Alzheimer's Disease Neuropathology, Erin L. Abner, Peter T. Nelson, Richard J. Kryscio, Frederick A. Schmitt, David W. Fardo, Randall L. Woltjer, Nigel J. Cairns, Lei Yu, Hiroko H. Dodge, Chengjie Xiong, Kamal Masaki, Suzanne L. Tyas, David A. Bennett, Julie A. Schneider, Zoe Arvanitakis

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: The relationship of diabetes to specific neuropathologic causes of dementia is incompletely understood.

METHODS: We used logistic regression to evaluate the association between diabetes and infarcts, Braak neurofibrillary tangle stage, and neuritic plaque score in 2365 autopsied persons. In a subset of >1300 persons with available cognitive data, we examined the association between diabetes and cognition using Poisson regression.

RESULTS: Diabetes increased odds of brain infarcts (odds ratio [OR] = 1.57, P < .0001), specifically lacunes (OR = 1.71, P < .0001), but not Alzheimer's disease neuropathology. Diabetes plus infarcts was associated with lower cognitive scores at end of life than infarcts or diabetes alone, and diabetes plus high level of Alzheimer's neuropathologic changes was associated with lower mini-mental state examination scores than the pathology alone.

DISCUSSION: This study supports the conclusions that diabetes increases the risk of cerebrovascular but not Alzheimer's disease pathology, and at least some of diabetes' relationship to …

Apoe Ε4 Allele Modifies The Association Of Lead Exposure With Age-Related Cognitive Decline In Older Individuals, Diddier Prada, Elena Colicino, Melinda C. Power, Marc G Weisskopf, Jia Zhong, Lifang Hou, Avron Spiro, Pantel Vokonas, Plus 4 Others...

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Continuing chronic and sporadic high-level of lead exposure in some regions in the U.S. has directed public attention to the effects of lead on human health. Long-term lead exposure has been associated with faster cognitive decline in older individuals; however, genetic susceptibility to lead-related cognitive decline during aging has been poorly studied.

METHODS: We determined the interaction of APOE-epsilon variants and environmental lead exposure in relation to age-related cognitive decline. We measured tibia bone lead by K-shell-x-ray fluorescence, APOE-epsilon variants by multiplex PCR and global cognitive z-scores in 489 men from the VA-Normative Aging Study. To determine global cognitive …

A Century Of Trends In Adult Human Height, Con Burns, Tara Coppinger

Publications

Being taller is associated with enhanced longevity, and higher education and earnings. We reanalysed 1472 population-based studies, with measurement of height on more than 18.6 million participants to estimate mean height for people born between 1896 and 1996 in 200 countries. The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.5–22.7) and 16.5 cm (13.3–19.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people …

Retention Of Mothers And Infants In The Prevention Of Mother-To-Child Transmission Of Hiv Programme Is Associated With Individual And Facility-Level Factors In Rwanda., Godfrey B Woelk, Dieudonne Ndatimana, Sally Behan, Martha Mukaminega, Epiphanie Nyirabahizi, Heather J. Hoffman, Placidie Mugwaneza, Muhayimpundu Ribakare, Anouk Amzel, B Ryan Phelps

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES: Investigate levels of retention at specified time periods along the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) cascade among mother-infant pairs as well as individual- and facility-level factors associated with retention.

METHODS: A retrospective cohort of HIV-positive pregnant women and their infants attending five health centres from November 2010 to February 2012 in the Option B programme in Rwanda was established. Data were collected from several health registers and patient follow-up files. Additionally, informant interviews were conducted to ascertain health facility characteristics. Generalized estimating equation methods and modelling were utilized to estimate the number of mothers attending each antenatal care visit …

Development Of The Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Morning Symptom Diary (Copd-Msd), Gary Globe, Brooke Currie, Nancy Kline Leidy, Paul Jones, David M. Mannino, Fernando Martinez, Paul Klekotka, Sean O'Quinn, Niklas Karlsson, Ingela Wiklund

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: The morning tends to be the most difficult time of day for many patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) when symptoms can limit one’s ability to perform even simple activities. Morning symptoms have been linked to higher levels of work absenteeism, thereby increasing the already substantial economic burden associated with COPD. A validated patient-reported outcome (PRO) instrument designed to capture morning symptoms will allow for a more comprehensive approach to the evaluation of treatment benefit in COPD clinical trials.

Methods: A qualitative interview study was conducted among a sample of symptomatic adults with COPD. Concept elicitation interviews ( …

Estimation Of Long-Term Area-Average Pm2.5 Concentrations For Area-Level Health Analyses, Sun-Young Kim, Casey Olives, Neal Fann, Joel Kaufman, Sverre Vedal, Lianne Sheppard

UW Biostatistics Working Paper Series

Introduction: There is increasing evidence of an association between individual long-term PM_2.5 exposure and human health. Mortality and morbidity data collected at the area-level are valuable resources for investigating corresponding population-level health effects. However, PM_2.5 monitoring data are available for limited periods of time and locations, and are not adequate for estimating area-level concentrations. We developed a general approach to estimate county-average concentrations representative of population exposures for 1980-2010 in the continental U.S.

Methods: We predicted annual average PM_2.5 concentrations at about 70,000 census tract centroids, using a point prediction model previously developed for estimating annual average …

Epidemiology News, Georgia Southern University

Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Environmental Health Sciences: News & Publications (2011-2018)

• Georgia Southern Engages Rural Georgians
• Georgia Southern Examines Using the Exercise is Medicine® on Campus platform

Self-Care And Mobility Disability At Mid-Life In Lucky Few, Early-, And Late-Baby Boom Birth-Cohorts, Carlos Siordia

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Disability is related in definite ways with makers of social stratum, as it can be influenced by and has the potential to contribute to the production and reproduction of social stratification. Intersectional markers of social stratification processes are ignored determinants of health. The Class, Race, Sex (CRS) hypothesis presented here argues that a low-education, racial-minority, and female disadvantage will compound to affect the prevalence and risks of disability. The evidence presented validates the CRS hypothesis by showing that disability prevalence and risk clusters first by class, race, and then sex. The cross-sectional study of community-dwelling adults in the Unites States, …

Distinct And Shared Functions Of Als-Associated Proteins Tdp-43, Fus And Taf15 Revealed By Multisystem Analyses, Katannya Kapeli, Gabriel A. Pratt, Anthony Q. Vu, Kasey R. Hutt, Fernando J. Martinez, Balaji Sundararaman, Ranjan Batra, Peter Freese, Nicole J. Lambert, Stephanie C. Huelga, Seung J. Chun, Tiffany Y. Liang, Jeremy Chang, John P. Donohue, Lily Shiue, Jiayu Zhang, Haining Zhu, Franca Cambi, Edward J. Kasarskis, Shawn Hoon, Manuel Ares Jr., Christopher B. Burge, John Ravits, Frank Rigo, Gene W. Yeo

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The RNA-binding protein (RBP) TAF15 is implicated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To compare TAF15 function to that of two ALS-associated RBPs, FUS and TDP-43, we integrate CLIP-seq and RNA Bind-N-Seq technologies, and show that TAF15 binds to ∼4,900 RNAs enriched for GGUA motifs in adult mouse brains. TAF15 and FUS exhibit similar binding patterns in introns, are enriched in 3′ untranslated regions and alter genes distinct from TDP-43. However, unlike FUS and TDP-43, TAF15 has a minimal role in alternative splicing. In human neural progenitors, TAF15 and FUS affect turnover of their RNA targets. In human stem cell-derived motor …

Will The Ebola Epidemic Serve To Make Reform Of The Broken Health Research And Development Framework Go Viral?, Jeremy Mcdonald

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

The recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa has captured the public imagination as few other epidemics have, as its rapid spread and lethal effect demonstrated the devastating toll that infectious diseases can exact from a world unprepared to confront them. In light of the epidemic's tragic consequences, numerous experts have called for reform of the system of global health governance whose shortfalls allowed the epidemic to assume the horrifying dimensions it did. Among the many inadequacies that the outbreak uncovered is the insufficient amount of research into and development of treatments and vaccines for infectious diseases of poverty, among them …

Physical Activity And Risk Of Breast Cancer, Colon Cancer, Diabetes, Ischemic Heart Disease, And Ischemic Stroke Events: Systematic Review And Dose-Response Meta-Analysis For The Global Burden Of Disease Study 2013, Hmwe H. Kyu, Victoria F. Bachman, Lily T. Alexander, John E. Mumford, Ashkan Afshin, Kara Estep, J. Lennert Veerman, Kristen Delwiche

Dartmouth Scholarship

Objective: To quantify the dose-response associations between total physical activity and risk of breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and ischemic stroke events.

Low-Intensity Physical Activity And Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Among Older Adults With Multiple Chronic Conditions, Yueyao Li

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction:

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among older adults in the Unites States and is driven largely by cardiometabolic risk factors including elevated blood pressure and blood glucose. Studies have found the protective effect of moderate intensity physical activity (MIPA) and vigorous intensity physical activity (VIPA) on cardiometabolic risk factor; however, the association between light physical activity (LIPA) and cardiometabolic risk factor among older adults is not clear.

Objectives:

1. Examine the association between LIPA and cardiometabolic risk factors.
2. Examine whether the association between LIPA and cardiometabolic risk factor is moderated by multiple chronic conditions. …

Smoking-Related Stigma: A Public Health Tool Or A Damaging Force ?, Paula A. Lozano

Theses and Dissertations

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the world. In an effort to address the tobacco epidemic, the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) has formulated a number of policies that are thought to reduce cigarette consumption by making smoking socially unacceptable. It is possible that tobacco control policies that aim to make smoking socially unacceptable may also result in the stigmatization of smokers. Social factors such as social norms and socioeconomic status may also influence the development of smoking-related stigma. While some researchers suggest that smoking-related stigma may be an important public health …

Sleep Disruption And Cancer Incidence In A Southeastern Veteran Population, Alexandria F. Delage

Theses and Dissertations

Sleep disruption influences biological processes that can facilitate carcinogenesis. However, studies examining the relationship between sleep disruption and cancer risk have been inconclusive. This retrospective cohort study used de-identified data from the Veterans Administration (VA) electronic medical record to test the hypothesis that sleep disorder diagnoses among Veterans seeking care in the Southeast United States Service Network are associated with increased risk for cancer of the prostate, breast, colorectum, or total cancer (1999-2010, N=663,869). Sleep disorders were defined as patients with an in- or out-patient diagnosis as specified by the International Classification of Sleep Disorders. Cancer cases were defined as …

Effectiveness Of Community-Based Eibi Treatment: A Longitudinal Analysis Of Adaptive Behavior And Language Outcomes, John Kuntz

Theses and Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of lifelong, neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by deficits in social interaction, communication, relationship development and by the presence of repetitive or stereotypical behaviors including restricted interests. Continued advances in understanding treatment outcomes and broadening access to effective treatment is critical to improving the quality of life of children with autism and their families and minimizing the cost associated with care. The overall aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a community-based implementation of an Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) treatment program through a large-sample, longitudinal secondary analysis of administrative data. Additionally, …

The Effects Of Personal And Family History Of Cancer On The Development Of Dementia In Japanese Americans: The Kame Project, Adam Lee Slotnick

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An increasing number of studies have shown an inverse association between a personal history of cancer (PHC) and dementia/Alzheimer’s disease (AD), both in those using dementia/AD as the outcome or cancer as the outcome. This is the first study to examine this potential association in Japanese Americans; and to examine family history of cancer and its association with incident dementia. Also, the association between these two diseases in the parents of participants were analyzed.

The Kame Project, conducted from 1992 through 2001 in King County, Washington was a population-based, prospective cohort study of older Japanese Americans. Conversion to incident dementia …

Epidemiology News, Georgia Southern University

Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Environmental Health Sciences: News & Publications (2011-2018)

• Georgia Southern shows dangerous disconnect between doctors and parents of overweight children

Using Wastewater-Based Epidemiology To Estimate Drug Consumption—Statistical Analyses And Data Presentation, Caleb J. Banta-Green, Alex J. Brewer, Christoph Ort, Dennis R. Helsel, Jason R. Williams, Jennifer A. Field

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Aim

Analysis of wastewater samples can be used to assess population drug use, but reporting and statistical issues have limited the utility of the approach for epidemiology due to analytical results that are below the limit of quantification or detection. Unobserved or non-quantifiable—censored—data are common and likely to persist as the methodology is applied to more municipalities and a broader array of substances. We demonstrate the use of censored data techniques and account for measurement errors to explore distributions and annual estimates of the daily mean level of drugs excreted per capita.

Measurements

Daily 24-hour composite wastewater samples for 56 …

Sleep Duration Patterns From Adolescence To Young Adulthood And Their Impact On Asthma And Inflammation, Chighaf Bakour

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation includes three studies that examined the impact of inadequate sleep duration in adolescents and young adults on asthma and systemic inflammation. We used data from the Florida Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), years 2009-2013, and from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add health), which was conducted between 1994 and 2008.

The first study used data from 16,738 high school students participating in the Florida YRBS. We examined the cross-sectional association between sleep duration and asthma, and the interactive effects of sleep duration and BMI. We found that short and long sleep durations were associated …

Total Versus Partial Splenectomy In Pediatric Hereditary Spherocytosis: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Leonardo Guizzetti

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Publications

To compare the clinical effectiveness of total (TS) or partial (PS) splenectomy in pediatric hereditary spherocytosis, a systematic review and meta-analysis was performed (PROSPERO registration CRD42015030056). There were 14 observational studies comparing pre- and post- operative hematologic parameters. Secondary outcomes include in-hospital infections, surgical complications, symptomatic recurrence and biliary disease. TS is more effective than PS to increase hemoglobin (3.6 g/dL vs 2.2 g/dL) and reduce reticulocytes (12.5% vs 6.5%) after one year; outcomes following PS are stable for at least 6 years. There were no cases of overwhelming post-splenectomy sepsis. A population-based patient registry is needed for long-term follow-up.