New bioinformatics methods unlock analysis of major public genomics projects
Dr. Levi Waldron, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, published two bioinformatics papers which presented new databases and bioinformatics methods to facilitate analyses of major cancer and human microbiome datasets by a much broader range of researchers.
The first paper, published in Nature Methods, is the result of a collaboration during Waldron’s time as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Trento in Italy and is co-led by CUNY SPH alumnus Lucas Schiffer. This project provides an integrated database of publicly available human microbiome profiles that were generated by whole-metagenome “shotgun” sequencing. This method involves sequencing the combined DNA of all microbes present at various sites of the human body to determine which microbes are present and their potential for metabolic function based on the microbial genes that are present.
The second paper, published in Cancer Research, was led by another CUNY SPH alumnus, Marcel Ramos. It presents a novel data structure for representing and analyzing multi-omics experiments, which utilize multiple types of observations, such as DNA mutations and abundance of RNA and proteins, in the same biological specimens. The method maps a network which links each observation to its patient and associated clinical data, and incorporates a number of heterogeneous measurements. This integrated representation of the data provides researchers and other methods developers with a simpler interface for previously complicated and error-prone analysis procedures.
Pasolli E, Schiffer L, Manghi P, Renson A, Obenchain V, Truong DT, Beghini F, Malik F, Ramos M, Dowd JB, Huttenhower C, Morgan M, Segata N, Waldron L. Accessible, Curated Metagenomic Data Through ExperimentHub. Nature Methods 2017, 14:1023–1024.
Ramos M, Schiffer L, Re A, Azhar R, Basunia A, Rodriguez C, Chan T, Chapman P, Davis SR, Gomez-Cabrero D, Culhane AC, Haibe-Kains B, Hansen KD, Kodali H, Louis MS, Mer AS, Riester M, Morgan M, Carey V, Waldron L. Software for the Integration of Multiomics Experiments in Bioconductor. Cancer Research 2017, 77:e39–e42.
Despite policy changes, LGBT military personnel still experience sexual trauma and discrimination
Doctoral Candidate Sitaji Gurung examined the prevalence of military sexual trauma and sexual orientation discrimination among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) service members in the United States Armed Forces in the wake of the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy and the update to policies relating to transgendered service members.
A survey of 253 service members (89 women, 164 men) was conducted that assessed the prevalence of offensive speech, physical or discriminatory behaviors, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.
The findings demonstrated that LGBT service members still experienced military sexual trauma and sexual orientation discrimination, both within the military and outside of it. The study demonstrated the need for strong accountability and oversight to protect LGBT military service members while they are serving their country.
The findings were published in the journal Sexual Research and Social Policy.
Gurung S, Ventuneac A, Rendina HJ, Savarese E, Grov C, Parsons JT (2017). Prevalence of Military Sexual Trauma and Sexual Orientation Discrimination Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Military Personnel: a Descriptive Study. Sexuality Research and Social Policy. doi:10.1007/s13178-017-0311-z
Telomere attrition associated with herpes virus infections
Dr. Jennifer Dowd, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, conducted a study to determine whether certain strains of the herpesvirus have an effect on long-term cellular aging.
Several recent studies unearthed associations with certain viruses and an increased mortality rate among those who were seropositive for the virus being examined.
Dowd’s study is the first to investigate the role of persistent herpesviruses in accelerated aging as measured by telomere length. Telomeres are the physical structures that cap and protect chromosomes, and their shortening has been proposed as a marker of cellular aging.
The mechanisms underlying differences in telomere length across individuals is not well understood, but telomere shortening is, nevertheless, taken to represent a general process of aging within an individual.
On average, subject who tested positive for a certain strain of herpesvirus showed telomere shortening that was the equivalent of almost 12 years of additional chronological age compared to those who were negative.
The results suggest that exposure to infectious agents should be an important consideration in future studies of telomere dynamics.
The findings were published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Dowd JB, Bosch JA, Steptoe A, Jayabalasingham B, Lin J, Yolken R, Aiello AE. Persistent Herpesvirus Infections and Telomere Attrition Over 3 Years in the Whitehall II Cohort. J Infect Dis. 2017 Sep 1;216(5):565-572. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jix255.
HIV testing preferences in Kenya
Doctoral candidate Matthew Romo and Dr. Elizabeth Kelvin, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, examined HIV testing preferences among long distance truck drivers in Kenya (a group considered high-risk for HIV transmission) to identify testing services that would appeal to them.
The team recruited 305 truck drivers from two roadside wellness clinics along major trucking routes in Kenya. Participants made trade-offs between characteristics of HIV testing service delivery models by making hypothetical choices in a series of paired HIV testing scenarios.
The survey found that participants preferred free, provider-administered HIV testing at a roadside clinic, using a finger-prick test, with in-person counseling, undertaken in the shortest possible time. The strongest driver of choice was the cost of the test, which suggests that, if new testing methods are introduced, they would have to be low or no-cost in order to be widely-used.
The findings were published in the journal AIDS Care.
Strauss M, George G, Lansdell E, Mantell J, Govender K, Romo M, Odhiambo J, Mwai E, Nyaga E, Kelvin E (2017). HIV Testing Preferences Among Long Distance Truck Drivers in Kenya: A Discrete Choice Experiment. AIDS Care, pp.1-9.
Do immigrants use emergency departments for preventable visits?
A research team led by Dr. Jim Stimpson, Professor of Health Policy and Management, analyzed the populations using emergency rooms for preventable visits to address the common perception that immigrants rely on emergency departments for routine care at a greater rate than US native populations.
The team used univariate analysis to describe the distribution of preventable emergency department visits, identified by the Prevention Quality Indicators, across immigration status. They also assessed the association between preventable emergency department visits and immigration status, controlling for demographics, socioeconomic status, health service utilization, and health status.
The study found that immigrant populations tended to visit the emergency department for routine care less often than U.S. native populations.
“This finding not only contradicts the political perception that immigrants are responsible for overcrowded emergency departments, it is also consistent with other research that has found that immigrant populations have significantly lower utilization of healthcare than US native populations,” Stimpson said.
The findings were published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.
Wang Y, Wilson F, Stimpson J, Wang H, Palm D, Chen B, Chen L (2017). Fewer Immigrants Have Preventable Emergency Department Visits in the United States. Am J Emerg Med. 2018 Mar;36(3):352-358. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2017.08.018. Epub 2017 Aug 7.
Younger gay and bisexual men come out earlier, study finds
A study by researchers at CUNY SPH and Hunter College reveals that younger gay and bisexual men are recognizing their sexual orientation and coming out a year earlier than comparable young adults reported a decade ago.
Dr. Christian Grov, Professor of Community Health and Social Sciences, and Hunter College faculty members H. Jonathon Rendina and Jeffrey T. Parsons surveyed 1,000 gay and bisexual men from across the country about their coming-out process, which usually involves four sexual identity development milestones: awareness of sexual attraction to the same sex, self-identification as gay or bisexual, disclosure of this sexual identity to others, and having consensual sex with someone of the same gender. The results found that the youngest group of men (aged 19 to 25 in 2015) reported passing milestones roughly one year earlier, on average, than men whom they sampled from that age group in 2003–2004.
The study, which was published in The Journal of Sex Research, is among the top 10 referenced in the field of sex and sexuality, having been referenced over 300 times.
Grov C, Rendina HJ, Parsons JT. Birth Cohort Differences in Sexual Identity Development Milestones among HIV-Negative Gay and Bisexual Men in the United States. The Journal of Sex Research. December 2017:1-11. doi:10.1080/00224499.2017.1375451.
Junk food advertising in NYC subways
A team led by Dr. Andrew Maroko, Assistant Professor of Environmental, Occupational, and Geospatial Health Sciences, investigated targeted marketing, often towards vulnerable groups, of unhealthful food and beverages in New York City subway stations.
Researchers rode the seven New York City subway lines in the Bronx and systematically assessed all print ads in all stations in 2012. They collected data about subway ridership from the Metropolitan Transit Authority, demographic data about the surrounding areas from the United States Census Bureau and data on dietary intake and diet-related conditions from a city health department survey.
The research team concluded that subway-station ads for junk food items were located disproportionately in areas home to vulnerable populations facing diet and diet-related health challenges. They also concluded that uneven ad placement did not relate to total rider counts suggesting ads were not directed at the largest possible audiences but rather targeted to specific groups.
The findings were published in The Journal of Urban Health.
Lucan SC, Maroko AR, Sanon OC et al. Unhealthful Food-and-Beverage Advertising in Subway Stations: Targeted Marketing, Vulnerable Groups, Dietary Intake, and Poor Health. J Urban Health. 2017 Apr;94(2):220-232. doi: 10.1007/s11524-016-0127-9.
Peer victimization and unhealthy weight control behaviors among New York City youth
CUNY SPH alumna Kriti Thapa and Elizabeth Kelvin, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, examined how sexual minority, gender, and Hispanic identities interact with peer victimization in predicting unhealthy weight control behaviors among New York City youths.
The study found that sexual minority youths, dating violence victims, and youths bullied at school were significantly more likely to use unhealthy weight control behaviors. The effect of dating violence on unhealthy weight control practices (such as vomiting and using laxatives to lose weight or keep from gaining weight) was strongest among sexual minority males, and the effect of electronic bullying on unhealthy weight control practices was strongest among non-sexual minority males.
The authors concluded that to limit the prevalence and effect of dating violence and bullying among youths, interventions should consider that an individual’s experiences are based on multiple identities that can be linked to more than one area of discrimination.
The findings were published in The Journal of Urban Health.
Thapa K, Kelvin EA. Peer Victimization and Unhealthy Weight Control Behaviors-the Role of Intersecting Identities Among New York City Youth. J Urban Health (2017). doi:10.1007/s11524-017-0163-0
Applying lessons from countermarketing
Professors of Community Health and Social Sciences Chris Palmedo and Nick Freudenberg, students Eleni Murphy and Sarah Garza, and Lori Dorfman at the Berkeley Media Studies Group reviewed the application of lessons from countermarketing tobacco, which has been demonstrated to contribute to reduced tobacco use, in discouraging consumption of unhealthy food and alcohol.
Countermarketing campaigns reduce the demand for unhealthy products by exposing motives and undermining marketing practices of producers. The review explored the potential for using countermarketing elements to reduce consumption of alcohol and unhealthy foods by de-normalizing the marketing practices of the unhealthy food and alcohol industries.
The research team concluded that integrating countermarketing with other public health strategies and expanding potential audiences to include policy makers and advocates as well as consumers may have a positive effect on the health of a community.
The findings were published in the Annual Review of Public Health.
Palmedo PC, Dorfman L, Garza S, Murphy E, Freudenberg N. Countermarketing Alcohol and Unhealthy Food: An Effective Strategy for Preventing Noncommunicable Diseases? Lessons from Tobacco. Annu Rev Public Health. 2017 Mar 20;38:119-144. doi: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031816-044303.
Social movements and their effect on depression
Professor of Environmental, Occupational, and Geospatial Health Sciences Mary Schooling collaborated on a study examining the longitudinal patterns and predictors of depression trajectories related to the 2014 Occupy/Umbrella movement in Hong Kong, a 79-day protest which included one fifth of the adult population.
The research team surveyed 1170 adults using a questionnaire to assess depressive symptoms and major depression. They identified 4 trajectories: resistant (22.6 percent of sample), resilient (37.0 percent), mild depressive symptoms (32.5 percent), and persistent moderate depression (8.0 percent). Baseline predictors that appeared to protect against persistent moderate depression included higher household income, greater psychological resilience, more family harmony, higher family support, better self-rated health, and fewer depressive symptoms.
The research team concluded that depression trajectories after a major protest are comparable to those after major population events such as natural disasters, technological disasters, and terrorist attacks. Healthcare professionals should be aware of the mental health consequences during and after social movements, particularly among individuals lacking social support.
The findings were published in The American Journal of Public Health.
Ni MY, Li TK, Pang H, Chan BH, Kawachi I, Viswanath K, Schooling CM, Leung GM. Longitudinal Patterns And Predictors Of Depression Trajectories Related To The 2014 Occupy Central/Umbrella Movement In Hong Kong. Am J Public Health. 2017 Apr;107(4):593-600
Perceived discrimination is bad for health
Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Luisa Borrell led a study examining the effect of perceived discrimination and self-rated health among the immigrant population in Spain’s Basque Country. The researchers examined whether the association between perceived discrimination and self-rated health varied according to region of origin, age, sex and education.
The study found that roughly 1 in 10 immigrant adults reported perceiving discrimination. In adjusted analyses, the immigrants perceiving discrimination were almost 2 times more likely to rate their health as poor than those who did not report discrimination. This association did not vary according to region of origin, age, sex or educational level. The work was published in Gaceta Sanitaria.
Rodríguez-Álvarez E, González-Rábago Y, Borrell LN, Lanborena N. Perceived Discrimination And Self-Rated Health In The Immigrant Population Of The Basque Country, Spain. Gac Sanit. 2017 Sep – Oct;31(5):390-395. doi: 10.1016/j.gaceta.2016.12.014.
Can citizens influence environmental health policy?
Dr. Elizabeth Glass Geltman, Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management, examined the influence of citizens on environmental health policy by studying a proposed policy and its outcome on disposal of wastewater created by fracking in the Appalachian Basin.
When a publicly held company proposed shipping wastewaters from fracking sites in the Marcellus Shale by barge over the Ohio River, public sentiment against the proposal was strong. The Ohio River serves as a source of drinking water for over 3 million people in Appalachia, and they had suffered water contamination from accidents involving extractive industries numerous times in the past.
The study highlighted public success in defeating the proposal, but confirmed the findings of earlier studies showing difficulties individual citizens have in effectively participating and engaging in federal permit and rulemaking proceedings. Geltman suggests that to reduce environmental injustices in future proceedings, federal agencies issuing permits and engaged in rulemakings should adapt procedures to expand Internet availability of dockets.
The work was published in the journal Environmental Justice.
Geltman EAG. Shipping Fracking Wastes on the Ohio River: A Case Study in Effective Public Advocacy and How Citizen Groups Can Do Even Better. Environmental Justice. 2017;10(5):137-153. doi:10.1089/env.2017.0011.
