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F DeWolfe Miller

Publications and source records attributed to F DeWolfe Miller.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Ethnic differences in hiv disease progression: a comparison of Asian/Pacific Islanders and Whites living in Hawaii.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the association of demographic factors with the relative hazards (RH) of developing AIDS or death among HIV-infected individuals of Asian/Pacific Islander (API) ethnicity and Whites. DESIGN: Cohort study SETTING: Hawaii State Health Department database of HIV-infected individuals PATIENTS OR PARTICIPANTS: Hawaii Sero-Positivity and Medical Management (HSPAMM) program participants from January 1989 to November 2002 INTERVENTIONS: None MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Differences in the time to develop AIDS or death among HIV-infected individuals who reported being on highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) were examined by ethnicity, income, and CD4+ cell counts at HAART initiation by using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazard analyses. RESULTS: The study was based on 516 HIV-infected individuals, who were primarily White (61.0%) and API (21.7%). Whites had a significantly higher CD4+ cell count (P<.01) and income (P<.01) than APIs at enrollment into HSPAMM. Lower income levels and CD4+ cell counts at HAART initiation were strongly associated with an increased RH of developing AIDS or dying. Despite having significantly lower incomes and CD4+ cell counts at enrollment, individuals of API ethnicity do not have an increased RH of developing the outcomes compared to Whites. CONCLUSION: Lower income and CD4+ cell counts at HAART initiation significantly increased the RH of developing AIDS or dying among HIV-infected individuals. Asian/Pacific Islander (API) ethnicity was not a predictor of developing AIDS or dying.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Hawaii, 2000-2002.

The emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has generated considerable concern among medical and public health professionals. We used a statewide, population-based antimicrobial resistance surveillance system to examine epidemiologic trends for MRSA from outpatients and inpatients in Hawaii. Pediatric and adult patient populations were compared to assess characteristics of MRSA isolates specific for each group. From 2000 to 2002, 8,206 (26%) of 31,482 total S. aureus isolates were MRSA. During this period, the proportion of MRSA isolates increased in both outpatient and inpatient clinical settings (p<0.01). When stratified by age, annual trends showed a significant increase in the proportion of MRSA in adult patients (from 24% to 30%, p<0.01) but not in pediatric patients (from 25% to 27%, p>0.05). Although MRSA isolates from adults demonstrated high resistance to most non-beta-lactams, most MRSA isolates from pediatric outpatients remained susceptible to most non-beta-lactams.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Isolate removal methods and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus surveillance.

The effect of duplicate isolate removal strategies on Staphylococcal aureus susceptibility to oxacillin was compared by using antimicrobial test results for 14,595 isolates from statewide surveillance in Hawaii in 2002. No removal was compared to most resistant and most susceptible methods at 365 days and to the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) and Cerner algorithms at 3-, 10-, 30-, 90-, and 365-day analysis periods. Overall, no removal produced the lowest estimates of susceptibility. Estimates with either NCCLS or Cerner differed by <2% when the analysis period was the same; with either method, the difference observed between a 90- and a 365-day period was <1%. The effect of duplicate isolate removal was greater for inpatient than outpatient settings. Considering the ease of implementation and comparability of results, we recommend using the first isolate of a given species per patient to calculate susceptibility frequencies for S. aureus to oxacillin.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1999

Lack of association between acquisition of TT virus and risk behavior for HIV and HCV infection in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: The search for the cause of chronic hepatitis among individuals with non-A to G hepatitis has led to the discovery of a post-transfusion hepatitis-related DNA virus, designated TT virus (TTV), which, based on viral sequences, belongs to a new virus family. The principal modes of infection with TTV are poorly understood, and its role in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To determine if injection drug use (IDU) and high-risk heterosexual activity (HRHA), principal modes of acquiring HIV-1 infection, place individuals at greater risk of acquiring TTV. METHODS: The authors analyzed DNA, extracted from sera or filter paper-blotted whole blood, obtained during August 1997 and June 1998 from 324 Vietnamese (148 male; 176 female), for TTV sequences by hot-start, heminested polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Prevalence of TTV viremia was similar among individuals engaging in IDU or HRHA (23.4% vs. 20.2%; P > 0.5), with no age- or gender-specific differences. No association was found between TTV viremia and co-infection with HIV-1 or hepatitis C virus (HCV). Phylogenetic analysis of 30 TTV sequences revealed two distinct genotypes and four subtypes that did not segregate according to gender, HIV-1 and HCV risk behaviors, or geographic residence. CONCLUSIONS: Among HIV-1- or HCV-infected Vietnamese, who presumably acquired their infection by either the parenteral or nonparenteral route, the data indicate no clear association between acquisition of TTV infection and risk behavior for HIV-1 or HCV infection, suggesting that the usual route of TTV transmission in Vietnam is other than parenteral or sexual.

Adolescent↗