Cholesterol has numerous quintessential functions in normal cell physiology, as well as in embryonic and postnatal development. It is a major component of cell membranes and myelin, and is a precursor of steroid hormones and bile acids. The development of the blood brain barrier likely around 12-18 weeks of human gestation makes the developing…

We present a new SIR epidemiological model whose exact analytical solution can be calculated. In this model, unlike previous models, the infective population becomes zero at a finite time. Remarkably, these results can be derived from only an elementary knowledge of differential equations.

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution of disease in human populations. This means that authentically teaching primary data collection in epidemiology is difficult as students cannot easily access suitable human populations. Using an action research methodology, this paper studied the use of a virtual human population (called "The…

Dysphagia is the clinical expression of disruption of the synchronized activity surrounding the normal swallowing mechanism. It results from a large number of causes including neurologic, myopathic, metabolic, inflammatory/autoimmune, infectious, structural, iatrogenic, and psychiatric diseases. It can have a significant impact on social and…

The current dominant model of HIV prevention intervention dissemination involves packaging interventions developed in one context, training providers to implement that specific intervention, and evaluating the extent to which providers implement it with fidelity. Research shows that providers rarely implement these programs with fidelity due to…

Information technology (IT) use for epidemiological purposes in state public health departments has been documented only for a limited number of specific applications, leaving questions about its actual utilization and hindering IT's potential for information sharing. Communications, stages of change, and systems theories all influence the…

Smallpox remains the only human disease ever eradicated. In this paper, we consider the mathematics behind control strategies used in the effort to eradicate smallpox, from the life tables of Daniel Bernoulli, to the more modern susceptible-infected-removed (SIR)-type compartmental models. In addition, we examine the mathematical feasibility of…

Epidemiology is a difficult but an important subject in public health curriculum. As teachers, we need to be very innovative in teaching the core concepts in epidemiology since it is basically a research oriented subject that calls for enormous application of logic and mathematical skills. Very often, complex epidemiological concepts need to be…

The objective of this study is to empirically compare alternative meta-analytic methods for combining dose-response data from epidemiological studies. We identified meta-analyses of epidemiological studies that analyzed the association between a single nutrient and a dichotomous outcome. For each topic, we performed meta-analyses of odds ratios…

The aim of this learning exercise was to harness current interest in zombies in order to educate audiences about the epidemiology of infectious disease. Participants in the activity were provided with an outbreak scenario, which they then used as the basis of play-based activities. By considering the mode and speed of transmission, size of…

Can the higher education faculty sustain itself as a profession? And why does this question matter as much as more frequently asked questions regarding access, costs, quality, governance, and competitiveness? This special issue of "Higher Learning Research Communications" seeks to address these questions by posing as a unifying concept…

Examples of behavioral interventions that are efficacious in the research setting as well as practical and translatable to the "real-world" are critically needed as models for social work researchers and clinicians. This article presents the Changing High-Risk Alcohol Use and Improving Contraception Effectiveness Study (CHOICES)…

In recent years, the demand for cost-effective evidence of health impact has grown exponentially, often to the exclusion of other disciplines and of epidemiology's longstanding interest in the multivariate determinants of health. Drawing on an ethnography of the Safe Motherhood Initiative, this paper focuses on experts who, in producing historical…

This study's purpose was to investigate mortality among individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) ascertained during a 1980s statewide autism prevalence study (n = 305) in relation to controls. Twenty-nine of these individuals (9.5 %) died by the time of follow up, representing a hazard rate ratio of 9.9 (95 % CI 5.7-17.2) in relation to…

This article offers compelling reasons for a public health approach to child maltreatment prevention. It outlines a theoretical and conceptual framework to maximize the reach of interventions to a large cross-section of the population, to ensure overall wellbeing and reduce the incidence of child maltreatment. The authors maintain that such an…