Seasonal variation of acute toxoplasmic lymphadenopathy in the United States

2014 ◽  
Vol 143 (9) ◽  
pp. 1893-1897 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. CONTOPOULOS-IOANNIDIS ◽  
J. TALUCOD ◽  
Y. MALDONADO ◽  
J. G. MONTOYA
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Acute Infection ◽  
The United States ◽  
Circular Statistics ◽  
Reference Laboratory ◽  
Serological Tests ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Acute Toxoplasmosis

SUMMARYWe describe the seasonal variation of acute toxoplasmosis in the United States. Acute toxoplasmic lymphadenopathy (ATL) can be a surrogate of acute toxoplasmosis in patients in whom the date of onset of lymphadenopathy matches the window of acute infection predicted by serological tests performed at a reference laboratory. We used the electronic database of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Toxoplasma Serology Laboratory (PAMF-TSL) (1997–2011) to identify cases of ATL. We tested the uniformity of distribution of ATL cases per month, across the 12 calendar months, using circular statistics uniformity tests. We identified 112 consecutive cases of ATL. The distribution of cases was not uniform across the 12 calendar months. We observed the highest peak of cases in December and a second highest peak in September. Similar months were identified in patients with acute toxoplasmosis in rural areas in France. The results were similar when we performed weighted analyses, weighting for the total number of Toxoplasma gondii IgG tests performed per month in the PAMF-TSL laboratory. This is the largest study to date of the seasonal variation of ATL in the United States. Physicians should advise high-risk individuals to avoid risk factors associated with T. gondii infections especially around those months.

scholarly journals Significance of a Positive Toxoplasma Immunoglobulin M Test Result in the United States

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (11) ◽  
pp. 3601-3605 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reshika Dhakal ◽  
Kiran Gajurel ◽  
Christelle Pomares ◽  
Jeanne Talucod ◽  
Cynthia J. Press ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Chronic Infection ◽  
Serological Test ◽  
Acute Infection ◽  
The United States ◽  
Immunoglobulin M ◽  
Reference Laboratory ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Chronic Infections ◽  
Content Type

A positiveToxoplasmaimmunoglobulin M (IgM) result is often interpreted as a marker of an acute infection. However, IgM can persist for several years, andToxoplasmacommercial IgM diagnostic test kits can yield a number of false-positive results. For these reasons, a chronicToxoplasmainfection can be erroneously classified as an acute infection, resulting in serious adverse consequences, especially in pregnant women, leading to emotional distress and unnecessary interventions, including termination of pregnancy. Interpretation ofToxoplasmaserology at a reference laboratory can help differentiate a recently acquired infection from a chronic infection. Serological test results for 451 patients with positiveToxoplasmaIgM and IgG test results obtained at nonreference laboratories (NRLs) that were referred to Palo Alto Medical Foundation Toxoplasma Serology Laboratory (PAMF-TSL) to determine whether the patient was acutely or chronically infected were retrospectively reviewed. PAMF-TSL results established that of the 451 patients, 335 (74%) had a chronic infection, 100 (22%) had an acute infection, and 7 (2%) were not infected, and for 9 (2%), results were indeterminate. PositiveToxoplasmaIgM and IgG test results obtained at NRLs cannot accurately distinguish between acute and chronic infections. To do so, testing at reference laboratories is required, as mandated in 1997 in a letter from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to clinicians and laboratories in the United States.

Mass School Shootings in the United States: A Novel Root Cause Analysis Using Lay Press Reports

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (13) ◽  
pp. 1423-1428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris A. Rees ◽  
Lois K. Lee ◽  
Eric W. Fleegler ◽  
Rebekah Mannix
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Root Cause Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Shootings ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Mass Shootings ◽  
Cause Analysis ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Root Cause

School shootings comprise a small proportion of childhood deaths from firearms; however, these shootings receive a disproportionately large share of media attention. We conducted a root cause analysis of 2 recent school shootings in the United States using lay press reports. We reviewed 1760 and analyzed 282 articles from the 10 most trusted news sources. We identified 356 factors associated with the school shootings. Policy-level factors, including a paucity of adequate legislation controlling firearm purchase and ownership, were the most common contributing factors to school shootings. Mental illness was a commonly cited person-level factor, and access to firearms in the home and availability of large-capacity firearms were commonly cited environmental factors. Novel approaches, including root cause analyses using lay media, can identify factors contributing to mass shootings. The policy, person, and environmental factors associated with these school shootings should be addressed as part of a multipronged effort to prevent future mass shootings.

scholarly journals Factors Influencing Land Values in the Presence of Suburban Sprawl

1974 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce E. Lindsay ◽  
Cleve E. Willis
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Land Values ◽  
Suburban Sprawl ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Definition Of

The spread of suburbs into previously rural areas has become commonplace in the United States. A rather striking aspect of this phenomenon has been the discontinuity which results. This aspect is often manifest in a haphazard mixture of unused and densely settled areas which has been described as “sprawl”. A more useful definition of suburban sprawl, its causes, and its consequences, is provided below in order to introduce the econometric objectives of this paper.

scholarly journals Italianness in the United States between migrants’ informal gardening practices and agricultural diplomacy (1880–1912)

Modern Italy ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Gilberto Mazzoli
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Environmental History ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Food Production ◽  
East Coast ◽  
The United States ◽  
Southern United States ◽  
Mass Migration ◽  
Us Cities ◽  
Political Radicalism

During the Age of Mass Migration more than four million Italians reached the United States. The experience of Italians in US cities has been widely explored: however, the study of how migrants adjusted in relation to nature and food production is a relatively recent concern. Due to a mixture of racism and fear of political radicalism, Italians were deemed to be undesirable immigrants in East Coast cities and American authorities had long perceived Italian immigrants as unclean, unhealthy and carriers of diseases. As a flipside to this narrative, Italians were also believed to possess a ‘natural’ talent for agriculture, which encouraged Italian diplomats and politicians to propose the establishment of agricultural colonies in the southern United States. In rural areas Italians could profit from their agricultural skills and finally turn into ‘desirable immigrants’. The aim of this paper is to explore this ‘emigrant colonialism’ through the lens of environmental history, comparing the Italian and US diplomatic and public discourses on the potential and limits of Italians’ agricultural skills.

scholarly journals PM2.5 polluters disproportionately and systemically affect people of color in the United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (18) ◽  
pp. eabf4491
Author(s):  
Christopher W. Tessum ◽  
David A. Paolella ◽  
Sarah E. Chambliss ◽  
Joshua S. Apte ◽  
Jason D. Hill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
The United States ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
Emission Sources ◽  
Particulate Air Pollution ◽  
Fine Particulate ◽  
Exposure Levels ◽  
Urban And Rural Areas ◽  
Racial Ethnic

Racial-ethnic minorities in the United States are exposed to disproportionately high levels of ambient fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5), the largest environmental cause of human mortality. However, it is unknown which emission sources drive this disparity and whether differences exist by emission sector, geography, or demographics. Quantifying the PM2.5 exposure caused by each emitter type, we show that nearly all major emission categories—consistently across states, urban and rural areas, income levels, and exposure levels—contribute to the systemic PM2.5 exposure disparity experienced by people of color. We identify the most inequitable emission source types by state and city, thereby highlighting potential opportunities for addressing this persistent environmental inequity.

scholarly journals Strategies for Disseminating and Implementing the COVID-19 Vaccines in Rural Areas

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth Prusaczyk
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Urban Health ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Urban Residents ◽  
Rural Residents ◽  
Vaccination Programs ◽  
Vaccine Information ◽  
Roll Out

Abstract The United States has well-documented rural-urban health disparities and it is imperative that these are not exacerbated by an inefficient roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccines to rural areas. In addition to the pre-existing barriers to delivering and receiving healthcare in rural areas, such as high patient:provider ratios and long geographic distances between patients and providers, rural residents are significantly more likely to say they have no intention of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, compared to urban residents. To overcome these barriers and ensure rural residents receive the vaccine, officials and communities should look to previous research on how to communicate vaccine information and implement successful vaccination programs in rural areas for guidance and concrete strategies to use in their local efforts.

Mainstream Flavor: Ethnic Cuisine and Assimilation in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-85
Author(s):  
Anna Boch ◽  
Tomás Jiménez ◽  
Katharina Roesler
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Culture Change ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
The United States ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Assimilation Process ◽  
Restaurant Reviews ◽  
Mexican Populations

Assimilation theories posit that cultural change is part and parcel of the assimilation process. That change can register in the symbols and practices that individuals invoke as part of an ethnic experience. But cultural change also includes the degree to which the mainstream takes up those symbols and practices as part of its composite culture. We develop a way to examine whether cuisine, an important component of ethnic culture, is part of the mainstream’s composite culture and the contextual factors associated with the presence of ethnic cuisine in the composite culture. We begin with a comparison of 761,444 reviews of Mexican, Italian, Chinese, and American restaurants across the United States from Yelp!, an online customer review platform. We find that reviews of Mexican restaurants mention ethnicity and authenticity much more than reviews of Italian and American restaurants, but less than reviews of Chinese restaurants, suggesting intermediate mainstreaming of Mexican cuisine. We then examine Mexican restaurant reviews in the 82 largest U.S. core-based statistical areas (CBSAs) to uncover the contextual factors associated with Mexican cuisine’s local mainstream presence. We find that Mexican food is less defined in ethnic terms in CBSAs with larger and more culturally distinct Mexican populations and at less-expensive restaurants. We argue that regional versions of the composite culture change as ethnic groups come to define a region demographically and culturally.

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