Epidemiology Commons^™

Incidence Of An Insulin-Requiring Hyperglycemic Syndrome In Sars-Cov-2-Infected Young Individuals: Is It Type 1 Diabetes?, Massimo Pietropaolo, Peter Hotez, Nick Giannoukakis

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Pancreatic ACE2 receptor expression, together with increased prevalence of insulin-requiring hyperglycemia in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), suggested that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pancreatic infection might trigger a β-cell-selective inflammation precipitating autoimmune type 1 diabetes (T1D). We examined T1D incidence in patients with COVID-19 inside a large, global population using a "big data" approach. The incidence in 0-30-year-old patients with confirmed COVID-19 over an ∼15-month period from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic was compared with an age-matched population without COVID-19 inside the TriNetX COVID-19 Research Network (>80 million deidentified patient electronic medical records globally). …

An Evaluation Of Injurious Falls And Fall-Risk-Increasing-Drug (Frid) Prescribing In Ambulatory Care In Older Adults, Taylor R. Elliott, Susan Westneat, Shama D. Karanth, Erin L. Abner, Anna M. Kucharska‑Newton, Daniela C. Moga

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Falls are a major public health problem afecting millions of older adults each year. Little is known about FRID prescribing behaviors after injurious falls occur. The primary objective of this study was to investigate whether an injurious fall is associated with being prescribed a new FRID.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (2016). We included visits from patients age≥65 years and classifed visits based on presence of an injurious fall. The outcome of interest was prescription of new FRID between those with and without an injurious fall. Multivari‑ …

Estimating The Distribution Of Ratio Of Paired Event Times In Phase Ii Oncology Trials, Li Chen, Mark Burkard, Jianrong Wu, Jill M. Kolesar, Chi Wang

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

With the rapid development of new anti-cancer agents which are cytostatic, new endpoints are needed to better measure treatment efficacy in phase II trials. For this purpose, Von Hoff (1998) proposed the growth modulation index (GMI), that is, the ratio between times to progression or progression-free survival times in two successive treatment lines. An essential task in studies using GMI as an endpoint is to estimate the distribution of GMI. Traditional methods for survival data have been used for estimating the GMI distribution because censoring is common for GMI data. However, we point out that the independent censoring assumption required …

Infrastructure Development For Personalized Risk Prediction To Reduce Cardiovascular Disease In Childhood Cancer Survivors, Suman Shrestha

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Although childhood cancer survivors have lengthy life expectancies, they run the risk of experiencing long-term health issues as a result of their treatment. The most frequent non-cancerous cause of morbidity and mortality for these survivors is cardiac disease. Radiation therapy (RT) has been linked in numerous cohort studies to a higher chance of developing a late cardiac disease in these survivors, and this risk rises with higher mean heart doses and increased RT exposure to larger cardiac volumes. Since, the heart is a heterogeneous organ made up of several distinct substructures, RT dose received by the entire heart does not …

Species Data And Vector Modeling: Evaluating Datasets For Improved Models Of Ixodes Ricinus Tick Distribution In Europe Under A Changing Climate, Steven Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To increase capacity for monitoring and surveillance of tick-borne diseases, publicly available tick distribution and climate change datasets are required to create accurate predictive distribution models. It is difficult, however, to assess model accuracy and utility when using incomplete datasets.  The more recent development of comprehensive tick databases for Europe and availability of climate change scenarios from multiple IPCC Assessment Reports allows for improved modeling efforts. Multiple tick datasets were combined and three climate change projections were compared by predicting current and future distributions of Ixodes ricinus ticks in Europe using the MaxEnt species distribution model. Overall, much of Europe …

Association Of Initial Sars-Cov-2 Test Positivity With Patient-Reported Well-Being 3 Months After A Symptomatic Illness, Lauren E Wisk, Michael A Gottlieb, Erica S Spatz, Huihui Yu, Ralph C Wang, Benjamin H Slovis, Sharon Saydah, Ian D Plumb, Kelli N O'Laughlin, Juan Carlos C Montoy, Samuel A Mcdonald, Zhenqiu Lin, Jin-Mann S Lin, Katherine Koo, Ahamed H Idris, Ryan M Huebinger, Mandy J Hill, Nicole L Gentile, Anna Marie Chang, Jill Anderson, Bala Hota, Arjun K Venkatesh, Robert A Weinstein, Joann G Elmore, Graham Nichol, Inspire Group

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: Long-term sequelae after symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection may impact well-being, yet existing data primarily focus on discrete symptoms and/or health care use.

OBJECTIVE: To compare patient-reported outcomes of physical, mental, and social well-being among adults with symptomatic illness who received a positive vs negative test result for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study was a planned interim analysis of an ongoing multicenter prospective longitudinal registry study (the Innovative Support for Patients With SARS-CoV-2 Infections Registry [INSPIRE]). Participants were enrolled from December 11, 2020, to September 10, 2021, and comprised adults (aged ≥18 years) with acute symptoms suggestive …

Covid-19 Isolation Compliance Among Students And Employees Of A Large Public University, Nicolette Harmon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Isolation has been used to prevent the spread of many infectious diseases including COVID-19. The CDC’s isolation recommendations have changed over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, currently infected individuals must stay at home for 5 full days. The CDC cites low compliance rates as one of the reasons for the recent reduction to the number of days in isolation. However, the CDC could only cite studies from other countries due to the lack of studies on isolation compliance in the United States. This study aimed to determine what percentage of UNLV students and staff complied with the isolation guidelines …

Markers Of Neuroinflammatory And Degenerative Processes In Professional Athletes With Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome, Brooke Conway Kleven

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Introduction: The clinical criteria for Traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (ccTES) were developed to improve the diagnosis of Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). This study aimed to determine whether there was an association between a clinical diagnosis of Traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES) and changes in serum biomarkers, balance, neuroimaging, and cognition among athletes in the Professional Athletes Brain Health Study (PABHS).Methods: Of the cohort, 130 professional fighters met age or retirement criteria and went to a consensus conference, with 52 fighters (40%) meeting the criteria for TES. A generalized linear model with generalized estimating equations was utilized to assess the odds of disease …

Use Of Healthcare Utilization Records For Analyzing Trends In Clinical Toxoplasmosis: A Comparison Of Nevada And The United States, Elijah Kreutzer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the parasitic protist Toxoplasma gondii, is a ubiquitous, global public health concern with a wide variety of clinical manifestations. Surveillance for the disease is lacking even in developed countries, and what surveillance is present most often focuses on pregnant women. This research investigated trends in clinical toxoplasmosis in Nevada and nationally to address the lack of knowledge concerning how Nevada discharges compare to national discharges in cases of toxoplasmosis. Specifically, this research sought to determine what characterizes toxoplasmosis in Nevada across inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department settings, as well as how these cases differ …

Massive Macroglossia, A Rare Side Effect Of Covid-19: Clinical, Histologic, And Genomic Findings In Covid-19-Positive Versus Covid-19-Negative Patients, Victoria A Mañón, David Chubb, Laura S Farach, Rachid Karam, Mary C Farach-Carson, Nadarajah Vigneswaran, Karan Saluja, Simon Young, Mark Wong, James C Melville

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: The primary purpose of this study is to identify if there is an underlying genetic predisposition for COVID-related macroglossia and if this susceptibility is higher among individuals of African heritage. Secondary objectives include determining if genetic testing of COVID-infected patients who are intubated and prone could identify patients with higher susceptibility to the development of macroglossia.

METHODS: A retrospective chart review was completed for each patient, and prospectively, genetic and histopathologic analyses were completed. Whole-exome sequencing was completed on two patients; immunohistochemistry was completed on the COVID-positive tissue samples.

RESULTS: Histopathology of the COVID-positive patient revealed significant peri-lymphocytic infiltrate, …

Factors Associated With Depression Among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients At A Tertiary Hospital During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Muhammad Ikhsan Mokoagow, Dian Pitawati, Ditya Nona Arisandy, Nadya Magfira, Pratiwi Indah Palupi, Jerry Nasarudin, Marina Epriliawati, Ida Ayu Kshanti

Kesmas

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by chronic hyperglycemia that can cause various complications, economic burdens, and psychosocial issues that eventually lead to depression. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of depression among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in the Internal Medicine Outpatient Clinic of a South Jakarta tertiary hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study was conducted from May to July 2021. The data were collected consecutively from 100 patients aged 18 years or older who came for regular consultation. The instrument used for determining depression is Beck Depression Inventory-II. The prevalence of depression, a correlation …

Quality Of Life Of Hypertensive Patients Undergoing Chronic Disease Management Program During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Widya Astuty Lolo, Gayatri Citraningtyas, Deby Afriani Mpila, Heri Wijaya, Sandeep Poddar

Kesmas

The COVID-19 pandemic has restricted some common activities for hypertensive patients undergoing the Chronic Disease Management Program/Program Pengelolaan Penyakit Kronis in primary health care, decreasing the quality of life. This study aimed to measure the quality of life of hypertensive patients undergoing the Chronic Disease Management Program at primary health care of Manado City, North Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the factors influencing hypertension such as sex, age, education, employment status, monthly income and duration of hypertension. This cross-sectional study was carried out on 150 hypertensive patients randomly sampled at primary health care from June to …

Cognitive Function In Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients Taking Metformin And Metformin-Sulfonylurea, Abu Rachman, Rani Sauriasari, Nadia Farhanah Syafhan, Pukovisa Prawiroharjo, Hindun Wilda Risni

Kesmas

The most prescribed antidiabetic drugs in Indonesian primary health care are metformin or a combination of metformin and sulfonylurea. Studies on metformin have shown various impacts on cognitive decline in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, whereas sulfonylurea has been shown to reduce this impact. This study aimed to compare the impacts of metformin and metformin-sulfonylurea on cognitive function and determine what factors affected it. This cross-sectional study was conducted at Pasar Minggu Primary Health Care involving 142 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients taking metformin or metformin-sulfonylurea for > 6 months and aged > 36 years. Cognitive function was assessed using the …

Medication Adherence And Self-Management Practices Among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients In Jeli District, Kelantan, Malaysia, Marzuki Bin Muhammad, Farzana Yasmin, Alabed Ali A. Alabed, Bibi Florina Abdullah, Sandeep Poddar

Kesmas

This study was carried out to investigate the level of medication adherence and diabetic knowledge among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in Jeli District, Kelantan, Malaysia. This cross-sectional study was done from February to July 2019 by giving a questionnaire to 150 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients aged 40-80 years at three primary health cares in Jeli District, Kelantan, Malaysia. The quantitative descriptive method was used in this study. The findings of this study revealed that knowledge was significantly related to poor adherence. When sex, history of diabetes, and education were accounted for, patients with low diabetic knowledge had an …

So2 Concentration And The Occurrence Of Acute Respiratory Infection In Children Under Five, Puji Amrih Lestari, Budi Haryanto

Kesmas

Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia, with 10.7 million inhabitants with poor air quality as of 2020. Higher levels of pollution often come with an increase in the number of health risks and pneumonia cases. This study aimed to determine the association between SO2 concentration and the occurrence of acute respiratory infection (ARI) in children under five. An ecological time series design was implemented during the study by utilizing secondary data of SO2 concentrations and ARI from the Indonesian Agency for Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysics, the Special Capital Region of Jakarta Environmental, and Health Office. Statistical correlation tests were …

Lessons Learned: Covid-19 In Post-Corrections Secured Behavioral Rehabilitation, Jennifer G. Jones, Maria Devalpine, Erica J. Lewis

Virginia Journal of Public Health

Background: The COVID-19 case rate on June 5, 2020, for prisoners in the United States (US) was 5.5 times higher than the US population case rate (Saloner et al., 2020). Secure facilities were challenged to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. One secure behavioral rehabilitation facility made many changes to facility and program protocols to meet this challenge.

Methods: The purpose of this program evaluation was to assess newly implemented infection control measures at a secure behavioral rehabilitation facility and to inform policy and procedure recommendations for the mitigation of COVID-19 transmission in congregate living facilities in the future. Case rates, …

A Bootstrap Method For A Multiple-Imputation Variance Estimator In Survey Sampling, Lili Yu, Yichuan Zhao

Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Environmental Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Rubin’s variance estimator of the multiple imputation estimator for a domain mean is not asymptotically unbiased. Kim et al. derived the closed-form bias for Rubin’s variance estimator. In addition, they proposed an asymptotically unbiased variance estimator for the multiple imputation estimator when the imputed values can be written as a linear function of the observed values. However, this needs the assumption that the covariance of the imputed values in the same imputed dataset is twice that in the different imputed datasets. In this study, we proposed a bootstrap variance estimator that does not need this assumption. Both theoretical argument and …

Association Between The Health Belief Model, Exercise, And Nutrition Behaviors During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Keagan Kiely, Bill Mase, Andrew R. Hansen, Jessica S. Schwind

Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Environmental Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our nation’s health further than the infection it causes. Physical activity levels and dietary intake have suffered while individuals grapple with the changes in behavior to reduce viral transmission. With unique nuances regarding the access to physical activity and nutrition during the pandemic, the constructs of Health Belief Model (HBM) may present themselves differently in nutrition and exercise behaviors compared to precautions implemented to reduce viral transmission studied in previous research. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent of exercise and nutritional behavior change during the COVID-19 pandemic and explain the …

Pandemic Fatigue Impedes Mitigation Of Covid-19 In Hong Kong, Zhanwei Du, Lin Wang, Songwei Shan, Dickson Lam, Tim K. Tsang, Jingyi Xiao, Huizhi Gao, Bingyi Yang, Sheikh Taslim Ali, Sen Pei, Isaac Chun-Hai Fung, Eric H. Y. Lau, Qiuyan Liao, Peng Wu, Lauren Ancel Meyers, Gabriel M. Leung, Benjamin Cowling

Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Environmental Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Hong Kong has implemented stringent public health and social measures (PHSMs) to curb each of the four COVID-19 epidemic waves since January 2020. The third wave between July and September 2020 was brought under control within 2 m, while the fourth wave starting from the end of October 2020 has taken longer to bring under control and lasted at least 5 mo. Here, we report the pandemic fatigue as one of the potential reasons for the reduced impact of PHSMs on transmission in the fourth wave. We contacted either 500 or 1,000 local residents through weekly random-digit dialing of landlines …

Assessing Impact Of Covid-19 Pandemic On Receipt And Timeliness Of Newborn Hearing Screening And Diagnostic Services Among Infants Born In Four States, Suhana Ema, Sana Charania, Xidong Deng, Charles Rose, Craig A. Mason, Marcus Gaffney, Brandt Culpepper, Michael Lo, Tri Tran, Marcia Fort

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

The study compares receipt and timeliness of newborn hearing screening and follow-up diagnostic services between the pre-pandemic birth cohort and the pandemic birth cohort in four participating states. Findings from this study will help inform state Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs in the future should major public health event occur again.