Publications by authors named "Azfar-e-Alam Siddiqi"

HIV infection is monitored through the National HIV Surveillance System (NHSS) to help improve the health of people with HIV and reduce transmission. NHSS data are routinely used at federal, state, and local levels to monitor the distribution and transmission of HIV, plan and evaluate prevention and care programs, allocate resources, inform policy development, and identify and respond to rapid transmission in the United States. We describe the expanded use of HIV surveillance data since the 2013 NHSS status update, during which time the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) coordinated to revise the HIV surveillance case definition to support the detection of early infection and reporting of laboratory data, expanded data collection to include information on sexual orientation and gender identity, enhanced data deduplication processes to improve quality, and expanded reporting to include social determinants of health and health equity measures.

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Background: The suppression of viremia among persons with HIV (PWH) using antiretroviral therapy has been hypothesized to reduce HIV incidence at the population level. We investigated the impact of state level viral suppression among PWH in the United States on estimated HIV incidence between 2010 and 2015.

Methods: Viral suppression data and HIV incidence estimates from the National HIV Surveillance System were available from 29 states and the District of Columbia.

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Background: In 2017, 19% of new HIV diagnoses in the United States were in women. HIV acquisition can be prevented with pre-exposure prophylaxis, and HIV transmission with viral suppression. HIV viral suppression is achieved by linking women to care and supporting adherence to antiretroviral medications.

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Objectives: The objectives of this study were to use Indian Health Service (IHS) data from electronic health records to analyze human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnoses among American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) and to identify current rates and trends that can support data-driven policy implementation and resource allocation for this population.

Methods: We analyzed provider visit data from IHS to capture all AI/AN patients who met a definition of a new HIV diagnosis from 2005 through 2014 by using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes. We calculated rates and trends of new HIV diagnoses by age, sex, region, and year per 100 000 AI/ANs in the IHS user population.

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The transformation of HIV from a fatal disease to lifelong disease has resulted in an HIV-infected population that is growing and aging, placing new and increasing demands on public programs and health services. We used National HIV Surveillance System and US census data to project the demographic composition of the population of people living with diagnosed HIV (PLWDH) in the United States through 2045. The input parameters for the projections include: (1) census projections, (2) number of people with an existing HIV diagnosis in 2013, (3) number of new HIV diagnoses in 2013, and (4) death rate within the PLWDH population in 2013.

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Objective: A recent HIV outbreak in a rural network of persons who inject drugs (PWID) underscored the intersection of the expanding epidemics of opioid abuse, unsterile injection drug use (IDU), and associated increases in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. We sought to identify US communities potentially vulnerable to rapid spread of HIV, if introduced, and new or continuing high rates of HCV infections among PWID.

Design: We conducted a multistep analysis to identify indicator variables highly associated with IDU.

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Introduction: Using National HIV surveillance system data, we estimated life expectancy and average years of life lost (AYLL) among persons diagnosed with HIV infection during 2008-2011.

Methods: Population-based surveillance data, restricted to persons with diagnosed HIV infection aged 13 years or older, from all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

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Hispanics or Latinos represent about 17% of the total U.S. population and are disproportionately affected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the United States.

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A primary goal of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy is to reduce HIV-related health disparities, including HIV-related mortality in communities at high risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. As a group, persons who self-identify as blacks or African Americans (referred to as blacks in this report), have been affected by HIV more than any other racial/ethnic population. Forty-seven percent of persons who received an HIV diagnosis in the United States in 2012 and 43% of all persons living with diagnosed HIV infection in 2011 were black.

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In its decades-long history, the Division of Blood Disorders (DBD) at CDC has evolved from a patient-focused, services-supporting entity at inception, to one of the world leaders in the practice of public health to improve the lives of people at risk for or affected by nonmalignant blood disorders. The DBD's earliest public health activities consisted of working with care providers in a network of hemophilia treatment centers to provide AIDS risk reduction services to people with hemophilia. Because this infectious disease threat has been reduced over time as a result of the development of safer treatment products, the DBD--under the auspices of congressional appropriations guidance--has expanded its core activities to encompass blood disorders other than hemophilia, including hemoglobinopathies such as thalassemia and sickle cell disease, and Diamond Blackfan anemia.

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Objective: The purpose of this study was to test for moderating effects of patient characteristics on self-management interventions developed to address symptoms during cancer treatment. Patient's age, education, and depressive symptomatology were considered as potential moderators.

Methods: A secondary analysis of data of 782 patients from two randomized clinical trials was performed.

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We assessed the rates, trends, and factors associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE) diagnosis among hospitalizations of adults ≥60 years of age during the period 2001 to 2010. Data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey were used for this study. During the period 2001 to 2010, the estimated annual number of hospitalizations in which a VTE diagnosis was recorded, among adults ≥ 60 years of age, ranged from approximately 2 70 000 in 2001 to 4 23 000 in 2010.

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This study prospectively compared the effect of secondary prophylaxis to episodic treatment on target joint (TJ) range of motion (ROM), number of joint haemorrhages and new TJ development in patients with moderate or severe haemophilia. Two-hundred and eighty-six males, 17% in prophylaxis, 83% in episodic treatment group, participating in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Universal Data Collection project, fulfilled inclusion criteria: age >2 years at enrollment, free of TJs at enrollment, developed at least one TJ after enrollment, and received either prophylaxis or episodic treatment continuously for two follow-up visits after TJ development. The outcomes of interest - percentage change in TJ ROM, number of joint haemorrhages and new TJ development, were modelled using multivariate linear, Poisson and logistic regression techniques respectively.

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Objectives: To evaluate the relation between the knowledge of mothers about EPI vaccinations and their infant's coverage. Effect of other socio-demographic variables on mothers' knowledge and child's coverage was also assessed.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted, utilizing World Health Organization's thirty-cluster sampling strategy.

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Background: Hemophilia is a hereditary bleeding disorder. Its complications can result in substantial morbidity, but few efforts have been made to quantify the disease burden.

Purpose: The objective of this analysis was to estimate the burden of disease due to hemophilia (A and B) in the U.

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More than 80% of women with breast cancer are now reported to be using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies during conventional treatment. A randomized clinical trial (RCT) of reflexology with late stage breast cancer patients serves as the data source for this article. The purposes were to investigate: (i) reasons for refusal to participate in a RCT of reflexology; (ii) the differences between those who completed the baseline interview and those who dropped out before baseline; and (iii) the utility of the Palliative Prognostic Score (PPS) as a prognostic screening tool in minimizing early attrition (before baseline) from the trial.

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Epidemiologic studies conducted in the 1990s identified several independent healthcare associated risk factors for HBV and HCV infections in Pakistan. In 2002, we re-examined healthcare associated HBV and/or HCV infection risk factors in volunteer blood donors. In this case-control study, we collected data using a structured questionnaire on socioeconomic attributes, putative healthcare related risk factors, and other known factors for HBV and HCV infections in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Background: Participant attrition from randomized controlled trials reduces the statistical power of the study and can potentially introduce bias. Early identification of potential causes of attrition can help reduce patient attrition. We performed secondary analyses of two trials involving cancer patients.

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Objective: To determine the age-appropriate EPI coverage of under one year old children and Tetanus Toxoid (TT) coverage of their mothers (15-49 years) in peri-urban Karachi and to determine the factors associated with low coverage.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out by utilizing WHO thirty-cluster sampling technique, seven households with infants, were randomly selected per cluster. Child's mother was interviewed by using a structured pre-tested questionnaire, regarding the EPI coverage of her child, her own TT coverage and other demographic and potential risk factors for low vaccination coverage.

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Objective: To examine changes in the rate of beta-blocker (BB) use at admission, in hospital, and at discharge between 1994 and 1995 (MICH I) and 1997 (MICH II) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Design: Comparison of two prospectively enrolled cohorts.

Setting: Five mid-Michigan community hospitals.

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