Species-based comparison of disease severity and risk factors for disseminated Candida infections in pediatric patients.

Background: Pediatric Candida infections are associated with worse clinical outcomes and increased costs. Yet, it is not definitively known if particular species are associated with more severe illness. Differential risk factor exposures among the species group may also exist.

Elevated liver function enzymes are related to the development of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in younger adults: the Bogalusa Heart Study.

Objective: Elevations in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT), surrogate markers of liver dysfunction and nonalcoholic fatty liver, are considered as part of metabolic syndrome and related type 2 diabetes. However, information is limited regarding the long-term predictability of ALT and GGT in the development of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, normoglycemic (n = 874), prediabetic (n = 101), and diabetic (n = 80) adults aged 26-50 years (average age 41.

Evaluation of a hepatitis A immunization program.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a hepatitis A vaccine requirement targeted at child-care center attendees 2-5 years of age in Maricopa County, AZ. A case-control study conducted before implementation in 1997 found that individuals with hepatitis A were 6 times more likely to have worked in or attended a child-care center than were matched controls, and 40% of hepatitis A cases were attributable to attending or working in a child-care center.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted postimplementation in 1999.

Assessment of sexually transmitted diseases as risk factors for HIV seroconversion in a New Orleans sexually transmitted disease clinic, 1990-1998.

Purpose: This investigation examined the role of ulcerative and non-ulcerative sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in increasing susceptibility to HIV seroconversion in a large population of uninfected and predominantly heterosexual persons attending a New Orleans STD clinic.

Methods: A retrospective cohort of clients with repeat HIV tests between January 1990 and April 1998 was constructed using three independent sources of information. Multivariate Cox regression was used to identify risk factors for HIV seroconversion while controlling for the effects of behavioral risk factors.

Estimating HIV incidence and detection rates from surveillance data.

Background: Markov models that incorporate HIV test information can increase precision in estimates of new infections and permit the estimation of detection rates. The purpose of this study was to assess the functioning of a Markov model for estimating new HIV infections and HIV detection rates in Louisiana using surveillance data.

Methods: We expanded a discrete-time Markov model by accounting for the change in AIDS case definition made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1993.

HIV/AIDS prevention programs: methodologies and insights from the dynamic modeling literature.

Given the quickly changing landscapes of both global HIV infection and the HIV prevention literature, it has become increasingly difficult to identify or design an effective HIV prevention program. The authors discuss methods of selecting an appropriate program so that readers can critically evaluate the literature and create a suitable program for their unique setting. The intent of this article is to provide the reader with analytic modeling tools and methodology to search effectively the literature so that an appropriate and successful HIV prevention program can by selected by an organization or project team.

A new tool for malaria prevention?: Results of a trial of permethrin-impregnated bedsheets (shukas) in an area of unstable transmission.

Background: Despite gains in malaria control through impregnated treated nets (ITN), malaria remains a major concern. Netting is expensive and impractical for many communities. Here we present the findings of a community-based trial of impregnated bedsheets (shukas) in Kenya.