Japanese Encephalitis: Assessing disease risk due to landscape factors at multiple scales

Japanese Encephalitis is a mosquito-borne disease and is the leading cause of viral encephalitis in Asia. In many Asian countries, the geographical distribution of JE is dependent on a variety of human-environment interactions that can be conceptualized as a complex social-ecological system. The JE transmission cycle is influenced by a few primary human-landscape factors; the abundance and the spatial configuration of rice paddy fields (which provide habitat for the vector), the distribution of pig farms (which position the virus\u27 amplifying host), and the location of a susceptible human population. Our models integrate population dynamics, landscape characteristics, and weather variables that influence the spatiotemporal risk of contracting the JE virus. At a geographically small scale, we highlight regions within the geographic distribution of the disease that are of high-risk in the near future. An individual-level model was also developed to assess disease risk at a larger geographic scale. Model output reproduced the spatial and temporal dynamics of Japanese Surveillance data obtained from the World Health Organization. Such a model can be used to assess various scenarios that examine the spatial epidemiology of Japanese Encephalitis

Risk Factors Associated with the Contraction of Ebola Virus Disease in Liberia

Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a highly transmittable disease with high mortality rate. The purpose of this study was to examine risk factors associated with the contraction of EVD in Liberia. A retrospective cross-sectional design was used to analyze secondary data collected on 1,658 patients admitted to Ebola treatment units in Liberia, using the social ecological model as a theoretical framework. Descriptive statistics and the chi-square test for association and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. The findings of this study revealed that funeral attendance, exposure to body fluids, and contact with a living sick person were associated with the contraction of EVD (p \u3c 0.05). The likelihood of contracting EVD is 14.32 times greater among patients exposed to body fluids. The likelihood of contracting EVD is 15.34 times greater among patients exposed to a living sick person. The results failed to identify other factors such as gender, age, and community of residence as factors associated with the contraction of EVD. The findings of this study may foster social change through comprehensive EVD prevention and control programs by focusing on improving the quality of life of underprivileged communities, investing in social, educational, and community-based development programs such as roads, schools, sanitation, and health care facilities. Educational and community-based initiatives can encourage health and wellness by educating communities about the dangers EVD poses to their lives and well-being

2016 Conference Abstracts: Annual Undergraduate Research Conference at the Interface of Biology and Mathematics

Schedule and abstract book for the Eighth Annual Undergraduate Research Conference at the Interface of Biology and Mathematics Date: October 8-9, 2016Location: UT Conference Center, KnoxvillePlenary Speaker: Jorge X. Velasco Hernández, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoFeatured Speaker: Judy Day, University of Tennessee, Knoxvill

2020 IMSAloquium

Welcome to IMSAloquium 2020. This is IMSA’s 33rd year of leading in educational innovation, and the 32nd year of the IMSA Student Inquiry and Research (SIR) Program.https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/archives_sir/1030/thumbnail.jp

Epidemiology Insights

This book represents an overview on the diverse threads of epidemiological research, brings together the expertise and enthusiasm of an international panel of leading researchers to provide a state-of-the art overview of the field. Topics include the epidemiology of dermatomycoses and Candida spp. infections, the epidemiology molecular of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from humans and animals, the epidemiology of varied manifestations neuro-psychiatric, virology and epidemiology, epidemiology of wildlife tuberculosis, epidemiologic approaches to the study of microbial quality of milk and milk products, Cox proportional hazards model, epidemiology of lymphoid malignancy, epidemiology of primary immunodeficiency diseases and genetic epidemiology family-based. Written by experts from around the globe, this book is reading for clinicians, researchers and students, who intend to address these issues

Simulation of Dengue Outbreak in Thailand

The dengue virus has become widespread worldwide in recent decades. It has no specific treatment and affects more than 40% of the entire population in the world. In Thailand, dengue has been a health concern for more than half a century. The highest number of cases in one year was 174,285 in 1987, leading to 1,007 deaths. In the present day, dengue is distributed throughout the entire country. Therefore, dengue has become a major challenge for public health in terms of both prevention and control of outbreaks. Different methodologies and ways of dealing with dengue outbreaks have been put forward by researchers. Computational models and simulations play an important role, as they have the ability to help researchers and officers in public health gain a greater understanding of the virus's epidemic activities. In this context, this dissertation presents a new framework, Modified Agent-Based Modeling (mABM), a hybrid platform between a mathematical model and a computational model, to simulate a dengue outbreak in human and mosquito populations. This framework improves on the realism of former models by utilizing the reported data from several Thai government organizations, such as the Thai Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), the National Statistical Office, and others. Additionally, its implementation takes into account the geography of Thailand, as well as synthetic mosquito and synthetic human populations. mABM can be used to represent human behavior in a large population across variant distances by specifying demographic factors and assigning mobility patterns for weekdays, weekends, and holidays for the synthetic human population. The mosquito dynamic population model (MDP), which is a component of the mABM framework, is used for representing the synthetic mosquito population dynamic and their ecology by integrating the regional model to capture the effect of dengue outbreak. The two synthetic populations can be linked to each other for the purpose of presenting their interactions, and the Local Stochastic Contact Model for Dengue (LSCM-DEN) is utilized. For validation, the number of cases from the experiment is compared to reported cases from the Thailand Vector Borne Disease Bureau for the selected years. This framework facilitates model configuration for sensitivity analysis by changing parameters, such as travel routes and seasonal temperatures. The effects of these parameters were studied and analyzed for an improved understanding of dengue outbreak dynamics

Immunization and Autism of Children 3 to 16 Years Old in Rumah Autis Bekasi

Autism is defined as neurology disorder affecting brain functionalities so that resulting communication, social interaction, behavior difficulties and the symptom appears before age 3. This study is aimed at understanding the factors related to autism cases in Rumah Autis Bekasi. Methods: There variables in this study namely, independent variable was immunization and dependent variable was autism and confounding variable were genetic, parents’ age, maternal health history during pregnancy, and medication during pregnancy. Primary data collected through questionaire and interview to the families of autism. This is a case study on 60 samples divided into 30 samples of autism in Rumah Autis and 30 samples of normal people living nearby with the proportion 1:1. The data were analyzed using univariate, bivariate using chi square test, and multivariate statistical analysis using regresi logistic. The results show that there is no correlation between immunization history and the autism with p-value 0.774>0.05. There is a correlation between the father’s age and the autism with p-value 0.038<0.05 and OR 0.333,there is a significant relationship between maternal health history and autism with p-value 0.038<0.05 and OR 3.763 and multivariate analysis shows that the most dominant variable is maternal health history with p-value 0.019 and OR 13.496. This study suggests that the pregnant women should check up their condition if there are some health problems and taking medication without doctor’s prescription. Keyword: Immunization, Autism, Children 3 to 16 years ol

Dentist’s Working Posture and Glucosa Level on the Risk of Musculoskeletal Disorders

Introduction: Ergonomics good work is important so that workability, efficiency and a high level of clinical treatment can be maintained throughout the working life of a dentist. The success of the application ensures high productivity, avoid illness and injury, and improve satisfaction among dentist. On the other hand, the application of which is not suitable can cause musculoskeletal disorders related to work. MSD prevalence of dentists in the world is quite high, in India 78%, and Turkey reached 94%. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the dentist’s working posture and levels of glucose on the risk of MSD among dentist in the Surabaya Health Center. Method: The study design was an analytical observational with cross sectional approach conducted at the working dentist, filled maxillary posterior teeth. The sampling technique was using cluster random sampling with sample number of 19 subjects. RULA method was used to analyzed working posture of the subject while MSD complaint were recorded using Nordic Body Map. Data are coded and entered into the tabulation prior to analysis using a statistical test to see the correlation. Basic statistics are calculated, including the prevalence rate. Results and discussion: There was a relationship between the glucose levels with Nordic Body Map with significant value p= 0.025. While the significant relationship between the Dentist’t working posture and Nordic Body Map was p=0.012