Graduate
November 18, 2020
Assessing the Individual and Interactive Associations of Pre- and Postnatal Air Pollution Exposures and Maternal Nutrition During Pregnancy with Child Blood Pressure: A Prospective Study in a Community-based Birth Cohort
Background: Limited data suggest that the intrauterine environment and early life experience may contribute to increased child blood pressure, with effects possibly extending into adulthood. The individual and interactive effects of air pollution exposures and maternal nutrition during pregnancy upon child blood pressure are unclear. Methods: In this dissertation, we conducted two separate prospective studies…
Hepatocellular carcinoma screening reduces cancer-related mortality in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection: a case-control study
Background: Patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection often undergo screening for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the efficacy of such screening remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the impact of screening with ultrasound (USS) and/or serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) on HCC-related mortality in Veterans Affairs (VA) patients with CHB. Methods: We performed a matched case-control study….
Proximal tubular secretion, cardiovascular events, and kidney clearance of medications
Background: Current detection and monitoring of chronic kidney disease (CKD) rely primarily on glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and albuminuria. However, the kidneys perform many important functions outside of the glomerulus. Among them, the secretion of organic anions and cations by kidney proximal tubules is a vital non-glomerular function for removing retained metabolic wastes, toxins, and…
The Epidemiology, Outcomes, and Prevention of HIV-associated Meningitis in Southern Africa
Central nervous system infection are a primary cause of HIV-associated morbidity and mortality worldwide. In this dissertation, I discuss results from research conducted in Botswana, a country in southern Africa with an HIV prevalence that is among the highest in the world, including the first comprehensive meningitis national incidence estimates in a high HIV prevalence…
November 17, 2020
Risk factors for health-related quality of life deterioration following pediatric critical illness
Background: Many children experience declines in health-related quality of life (HRQL) after critical illness, but it is unknown what components of HRQL are most affected. We aimed to evaluate risk factors for deterioration between baseline and post-discharge HRQL status in the individual components of common HRQL measures among pediatric survivors of critical illness. Methods: We…
Depression and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis use among sub-Saharan African Women
Daily, oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (FTC/TDF) is a highly efficacious HIV prevention strategy for key populations at high risk of HIV, including women, in sub-Saharan Africa. However, open-label studies and demonstration projects have reported that young women have difficulty adhering to PrEP over time, which limits its effectiveness as a prevention…
Early diagnosis in infants born to HIV-positive adolescent compared to adult mothers in Kisumu, Kenya
Although many countries have made great efforts to establish prevention of mother to child HIV transmission (PMTCT) services, globally 160,000 children are newly infected with HIV each year. Early infant diagnosis (EID) of HIV is critical to the survival of HIV-positive infants. While adolescent girls, defined by WHO as 10-19 years olds, represent a growing…
Use of Bevacizumab for Newly Diagnosed Ovarian Cancer: A National Analysis
Objective: To describe the use patterns and costs of bevacizumab (BEV) for the upfront treatment of ovarian cancer (OC) in the US. Methods: We identified women ages 18 – 65 with newly diagnosed OC from 2008 to 2016 through the Truven Health MarketScan® database. Of these, women who underwent cancer-directed surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy within…
Evaluation of text message reminders to encourage re-testing for chlamydia and gonorrhea among female patients at the municipal STD Clinic in Seattle, WA
Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) are bacterial sexually transmitted infections and are the most commonly reported infections in the United States. Infections with CT or GC can lead to adverse health effects for women, including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), tubal factor infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain. Women are at high risk…
Lethal Means Assessment in Psychiatric Emergency Services: Frequency and Characteristics of Assessment
Lethal means safety is an effective suicide prevention strategy with demonstrated results at the population and policy level, yet uptake at the individual-level is less well understood. Using automated data extraction methods, we conducted an investigation of psychiatric emergency service (PES) patients from 1/1/12 through 12/31/17 at one of the busiest emergency departments in the…
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