Geographical distribution of human pythiosis in the USA.

For more than 100 years, the infections caused by have been well documented in horses. However, recently, pythiosis was also described in several species, including dogs, cats, cattle, zoo captive animals, and humans. Human pythiosis is a life-threatening infection requiring an early diagnosis for a successful management.

COVID-19 in nursing homes: Geographic diffusion and regional risk factors from January 1 to July 26, 2020 of the pandemic.

Background: COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes accounted for 30.2% of all COVID-19 deaths in the United States during the early weeks (1-January to 26-July, 2020) of the pandemic. This study presents the geographic diffusion of COVID-19 cases and deaths in nursing homes during this time period, while also providing explanation of regional risk factors.

Lung Cancer and Air Quality in a Large Urban County in the United States.

Lung cancer is the leading cancer-related killer in the United States. The incidence varies geographically and may be affected by environmental pollutants. Our goal was to determine associations within time series for specific air pollutants and lung cancer cases over a 33-year period in Wayne County, Michigan, controlling for population change.

Regional trends in diagnosis of advanced lung cancer in Michigan over 33 years.

Background: Lung cancer is the most common cancer killer worldwide. Nearly 80 percent of lung cancers are diagnosed at advanced stages. Lack of access to medical care and undwerutilized lung cancer screening are key reasons for advanced diagnoses.

Spatial and spatio-temporal clusters of lung cancer incidence by stage of disease in Michigan, United States 1985-2018.

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in Michigan. Most patients are diagnosed at advanced stages of the disease. There is a need to detect clusters of lung cancer incidence over time, to generate new hypotheses about causation and identify high-risk areas for screening and treatment.

Spaces of Segregation and Health: Complex Associations for Black Immigrant and US-Born Mothers in New York City.

Black immigrants are a growing proportion of the Black population in the USA, and despite the fact that they now comprise nearly a quarter of Black urban residents, few studies address the relationships between racial segregation and maternal and birth outcomes among Black immigrants. In this study of birth outcomes among US-born and immigrant Black mothers in New York City between 2010 and 2014, we applied multilevel models, assessing the association between segregation (measured through a novel kernel-based measure of local segregation) and adverse birth outcomes (preterm birth (PTB) and low birth weight (LBW; < 2500 g)) among African-born, Caribbean-born, and US-born Black mothers. We found that African-born and Caribbean/Latin American-born Black mothers had a significantly lower incidence of PTB compared with US-born Black mothers (7.

Lead Emissions and Population Vulnerability in the Detroit Metropolitan Area, 2006-2013: Impact of Pollution, Housing Age and Neighborhood Racial Isolation and Poverty on Blood Lead in Children.

This research investigates the relationships between airborne and depositional industrial lead emission concentrations modeled using Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) American Meteorological Society/Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Model (AERMOD) and childhood blood lead levels (BLL) in the Detroit Metropolitan Area (DMA) 2006-2013. Linear and mediation interaction regression models estimated the effects of older housing and airborne and depositional lead emission concentrations on black and white childhood BLLs, controlling for neighborhood levels of racial isolation and poverty-important social structures in the DMA. The results showed a direct relationship between airborne and depositional lead emissions and higher childhood BLL, after controlling for median housing age.

Outbreaks of foodborne Salmonella enteritidis in the United States between 1990 and 2015: An analysis of epidemiological and spatial-temporal trends.

Objectives: To evaluate the role of eggs and other food vehicles as risk factors associated with Salmonella enteritidis (SE) outbreaks in order to address the endemicity of SE infections in the USA.

Methods: We retrieved and analyzed data relating to all SE outbreaks reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) between 1990 and 2015. We then used descriptive and analytical statistical methods, including negative binomial regression models for the estimation of rate-ratios, to analyze the data.

Use of a spatiotemporal approach for understanding preschoolers' playground activity.

This study used spatiotemporal hot-spot analysis to characterize physical activity on the childcare center playground. Preschool-aged children (N = 34) wore a GPS and accelerometer during 2-3 outdoor periods on one day. A spatiotemporal weights matrix was generated so that points within a specified distance in meters (space) and 3 min (time) were considered neighbors.

Mapping Multi-Disease Risk during El Niño: An Ecosyndemic Approach.

El Niño is a quasi-periodic pattern of climate variability and extremes often associated with hazards and disease. While El Niño links to individual diseases have been examined, less is known about the cluster of multi-disease risk referred to as an ecosyndemic, which emerges during extreme events. The objective of this study was to explore a mapping approach to represent the spatial distribution of ecosyndemics in Piura, Peru at the district-level during the first few months of 1998.

Adult obesity prevalence at the county level in the United States, 2000-2010: Downscaling public health survey data using a spatial microsimulation approach.

Obesity is a growing public health concern in the United States. There is a need to monitor obesity prevalence at the local level to intervene in place-specific ways. However, national public health surveys suppress the local geographic information of respondents due to small sample sizes and the protection of confidentiality.

Physical activity and chronic diseases among older people in a mid-size city in China: a longitudinal investigation of bipolar effects.

Background: While previous studies have shown that regular physical activity can delay the onset of certain chronic diseases; less is known about the changes in physical activity practices following chronic disease diagnoses. China is experiencing a rapid aging transition, with physical activity an important routine in many older people's lives. This study utilizes the Health Belief Model to better understand the bidirectional relationships and bipolar effects between physical activity and chronic disease burden in Huainan City, a mid-sized city in China.

Explained and unexplained racial and regional inequality in obesity prevalence in the United States.

There are substantial racial and regional disparities in obesity prevalence in the United States. This study partitioned the mean Body Mass Index (BMI) and obesity prevalence rate gaps between non-Hispanic blacks and non-Hispanic whites into the portion attributable to observable obesity risk factors and the remaining portion attributable to unobservable factors at the national and the state levels in the United States (U.S.

Impacts of Federally Funded State Obesity Programs on Adult Obesity Prevalence in the United States, 1998-2010.

Objectives: From 2000 to 2010, the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded 37 state health departments to address the obesity epidemic in their states through various interventions. The objective of this study was to investigate the overall impacts of CDC-DNPAO statewide intervention programs on adult obesity prevalence in the United States.

Methods: We used a set of an individual-level, interrupted time-series regression and a quasi-experimental analysis to evaluate the overall effect of CDC-DNPAO intervention programs before (1998-1999) and after (2010) their implementation by using data from CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Lead Emissions and Population Vulnerability in the Detroit (Michigan, USA) Metropolitan Area, 2006-2013: A Spatial and Temporal Analysis.

: The purpose of this research is to geographically model airborne lead emission concentrations and total lead deposition in the Detroit Metropolitan Area (DMA) from 2006 to 2013. Further, this study characterizes the racial and socioeconomic composition of recipient neighborhoods and estimates the potential for IQ (Intelligence Quotient) loss of children residing there. : Lead emissions were modeled from emitting facilities in the DMA using AERMOD (American Meteorological Society/Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Model).

How the built environment affects change in older people's physical activity: A mixed- methods approach using longitudinal health survey data in urban China.

Although the general population in China is physically active, only 45% of older adults meet the World Health Organization's recommendation for weekly moderate-to-vigorous exercise, to achieve health benefits. This percentage is even lower (9.8%) in urban China.

Neonatal mortality in East Africa and West Africa: a geographic analysis of district-level demographic and health survey data.

Under-five child mortality declined 47% since 2000 following the implementation of the United Nation's (UN) Millennium Development Goals. To further reduce under-five child mortality, the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will focus on interventions to address neonatal mortality, a major contributor of under-five mortality. The African region has the highest neonatal mortality rate (28.

Three modes of power operation: Understanding doctor-patient conflicts in China's hospital therapeutic landscapes.

Doctor-patient conflicts in contemporary China are increasing in numbers and severity. This health geographic study shows how hospitals as a type of therapeutic landscape can shape doctor-patient relationships. First, the comprehensive nature of therapeutic landscapes with an emphasis on power operation within symbolic environments is provided as a framework for this study.

El Niño, Climate, and Cholera Associations in Piura, Peru, 1991-2001: A Wavelet Analysis.

In Peru, it was hypothesized that epidemic cholera in 1991 was linked to El Niño, the warm phase of El Niño-Southern Oscillation. While previous studies demonstrated an association in 1997-1998, using cross-sectional data, they did not assess the consistency of this relationship across the decade. Thus, how strong or variable an El Niño-cholera relationship was in Peru or whether El Niño triggered epidemic cholera early in the decade remains unknown.

Do more hospital beds lead to higher hospitalization rates? a spatial examination of Roemer's Law.

Background: Roemer's Law, a widely cited principle in health care policy, states that hospital beds that are built tend to be used. This simple but powerful expression has been invoked to justify Certificate of Need regulation of hospital beds in an effort to contain health care costs. Despite its influence, a surprisingly small body of empirical evidence supports its content.

Impact of fetal death reporting requirements on early neonatal and fetal mortality rates and racial disparities.

Objective: Racial disparities in infant and neonatal mortality vary substantially across the U.S. with some states experiencing wider disparities than others.

Measuring geographic access to health care: raster and network-based methods.

Background: Inequalities in geographic access to health care result from the configuration of facilities, population distribution, and the transportation infrastructure. In recent accessibility studies, the traditional distance measure (Euclidean) has been replaced with more plausible measures such as travel distance or time. Both network and raster-based methods are often utilized for estimating travel time in a Geographic Information System.

Tsetse Fly Control in Kenya's Spatially and Temporally Dynamic Control Reservoirs: A Cost Analysis.

Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) and animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT) are significant health concerns throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa. Funding for tsetse fly control operations has decreased since the 1970s, which has in turn limited the success of campaigns to control the disease vector. To maximize the effectiveness of the limited financial resources available for tsetse control, this study develops and analyzes spatially and temporally dynamic tsetse distribution maps of Glossina subgenus Morsitans populations in Kenya from January 2002 to December 2010, produced using the Tsetse Ecological Distribution Model.