Graduate
November 25, 2020
Modern-Day SIV Viral Diversity Generated by Extensive Recombination and Cross-Species Transmission.
Cross-species transmission (CST) has led to many devastating epidemics, but is still a poorly understood phenomenon. HIV-1 and HIV-2 (human immunodeficiency virus 1 and 2), which have collectively caused over 35 million deaths, are the result of multiple CSTs from chimpanzees, gorillas, and sooty mangabeys. While the immediate history of HIV is known, there are…
High cervical IL-6 levels predict spontaneous preterm birth among women in western Kenya
BACKGROUND Spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) increases neonatal morbidity and mortality. Infection and subsequent inflammation of the genital tract have been identified as risk factors for sPTB, however the role of cytokines in this relationship remains unclear. OBJECTIVES This study determined the association between genital cytokines and sPTB, identified cofactors for high genital cytokine levels, and…
Maternal periconceptional physical activity, sedentary behavior, and offspring growth
BACKGROUND Current guidelines recommend regular moderate/vigorous physical activity before and during pregnancy to reduce pregnancy complications. However, the recommendations do not include light physical activity or address fetal and postnatal growth. While reductions in sedentary behavior, in addition to regular moderate/vigorous physical activity, have been recommended for the general population, little is known about the…
Atrial Fibrillation in an African-American Cohort: the Jackson Heart Study
While many risk factors for atrial fibrillation (AF) are more prevalent among African Americans (AAs) than whites, AF incidence appears to be lower. Data from the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), a community-based cohort study of cardiovascular disease among 5,306 AAs were used to investigate incident AF. Using participant characteristic data ascertained at baseline and incident…
Treatment practices of patients with advanced kidney disease in the US Department of Veterans Affairs, 2000-2011
It is not known what proportion of US patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) receive renal replacement therapy (RRT) with maintenance dialysis or kidney transplant. In other developed countries, receipt of RRT is highly age-dependent and is the exception rather than the rule at older ages. We conducted a retrospective study of a national…
Substance Use, Sexual Networks, and HIV risk among men who have sex with men and transgender women in Peru
BACKGROUND In Peru, the HIV epidemic is concentrated among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) in whom HIV incidence rates are as high as 4.2 per 100 person-years with HIV prevalence reported to be as high as 22% in MSM and up to 30% in TGW. This dissertation seeks to…
Public Park System Characteristics Associated with Physical Activity
Physical activity (PA) is protective of many chronic diseases, but most Americans are not sufficiently active. Public parks are places where PA occurs, and thus expanding park land or the facilities in parks could result in greater population levels of PA. There is a lack of robust evidence, however, linking greater park proximity or more…
Sociodemographic, behavioral, and neighborhood-environment predictors of diabetes prevalence across Asian American ethnicities: Analyses of CHIS (2013-2015).
BACKGROUND Asian Americans are the fastest growing minority group in the U.S. and are disproportionately affected by the burden of diabetes. However, little is known about the individual vs. environmental-level predictors of diabetes and the heterogeneity among Asian American ethnicities. OBJECTIVE To examine whether socio-demographic factors, individual health behaviors, or neighborhood environmental factors are most…
Precipitation Associated with Increased Diarrheal Disease in Mozambique; A Time Series Analysis
BACKGROUND Diarrheal diseases are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Africa. Though research has shown diarrheal diseases to be impacted by weather, there is limited evidence of this association in sub-Saharan Africa and no studies conducted in Mozambique. Our study aimed to determine if variation in diarrheal disease counts was associated with precipitation…
HIV-1 Risk and Prevention Strategies for Women during Pregnancy and Postpartum
HIV-1 is the leading cause of death worldwide among women of reproductive age, and this group is a priority to reach with effective HIV-1 prevention. There is great potential to provide HIV-1 interventions to women during the periconception, pregnancy, and postpartum periods by leveraging existing healthcare settings that serve women and couples at high risk…
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