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At least 775 records · Page 43Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Parasites of the Asian tiger mosquito and other container-inhabiting mosquitoes (Diptera:Culicidae) in northcentral Florida.

Seven microorganisms including 4 protozoans, 2 fungi, and a bacterium infected Aedes albopictus (Skuse) larvae collected from 12 counties in northecentral Florida. Ae albopictus and 14 other species of mosquitoes were collected from tires, flower-holding vases in cemeteries, other types of artificial containers, and treeholes. Ascogregarina taiwanensis (Lien & Levine) was the most common parasite of Ae. albopictus throughout the year. The microsporidium Vavraia culicis (Weiser) infected Aedes aegypti (L.), Ae. albopictus, Aedes triseriatus (Say), and Orthopodomyia sinifera (Coquillett). A vibrio bacterium and 2 fungi (Leptolegnia sp. and Smittium culisetae Lichtwardt), infected Ae. albopictus larvae but were observed infrequently. A. taiwanensis, S. culisetae, and the vibrio bacterium previously have been reported from Ae. albopictus. This is the 1st report of the other 4 microorganisms parasitizing Ae. albopictus larvae.

Aedes↗
PubMed1998

Establishment of the tortoise tick Amblyomma marmoreum (Acari: Ixodidae) on a reptile-breeding facility in Florida.

The tortoise tick Amblyomma marmoreum Koch was found to be established on a reptile facility in central Florida. Over a 5-mo period, 443 ticks were collected from tortoises, dogs, and vegetation. Collections from hosts were primarily from 3 species of exotic tortoises, including leopard tortoises, Aldabra tortoises, and yellow-footed tortoises. The total numbers of ticks present, the presence of all life stages, and the slow development of this species indicate that this is not a recent infestation. The source of the infestation is unknown because no tortoises were imported or moved onto this premise within the previous year. The propensity of this tick to feed on mammals and reptiles as immatures, its status as an experimental heartwater vector, and potential for further accidental introductions to the United States elicit concern toward the more widespread establishment of this species.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMed1999

Sugar meal composition of five north central Florida mosquito species (Diptera: Culicidae) as determined by gas chromatography.

Gas chromatography was used to analyze sugars found in individual crops fed on by wild caught adult Anopheles quadrimaculatus s.l. (Say), Coquillettidia perturbans (Walker), Culex nigripalpus Theobald, Culiseta melanura (Coquillett), and Psorophora ferox (von Humboldt) from several north central Florida locations. A wide range of sugars was found, including fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, turanose, melezitose, trehalose, raffinose, erlose, and traces of arabinose, rhamnose, and several unknowns. The frequency of individuals testing positive for crop sugars ranged from 9-10% in An. quadrimaculatus and Ps. ferox to 46% in Cq. perturbans. Based on the presence of melezitose or erlose in the crop, honeydew feeding was shown to be an important dietary component in An. quadrimaculatus (57%), Cs. melanura (31%), Cx. nigripalpus (15%), Cq. perturbans (10%), and Ps. ferox (7%). Gas chromatography of crude crop contents is a rapid one-step process that can address important questions such as the source and occurrence of sugar feeding in Diptera. Unique sugar feeding field observations were recorded for several mosquito species.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Seasonal distribution and abundance of ticks (Acari: ixodidae) in northwestern Florida.

A 2-yr study was conducted in a northwestern Florida state park and recreation area to determine tick species composition, seasonal abundance, and spatial distribution. Risk of tick attachment to park visitors was also assessed relative to tick abundance from several habitats. Tick collections consisted of weekly cloth drag samples obtained from ground and emergent vegetation along a deer trail, a walking trail located in a 3-mo-old control burned area of forest, a nonburned walking trail, picnic area, and campsites. Sampling was conducted from February 1994 through February 1996. Ticks collected during the study were as follows in descending order of abundance: Ixodes scapularis Say, Amblyomma americanum (L.), A. maculatum Koch, and Dermacentor variabilis (Say). Significantly more (<0.05) adult ticks were recovered from vegetation compared with ground samples only for I. scapularis. Adult questing I. scapularis were collected from October through May (peak December). A. americanum adults were collected from March through August (peak May). Adult A. maculatum were collected during August and September and adult D. variabilis were collected July and August. Larval and nymphal stages of questing A. americanum were collected from June through November (peak July) and February through October (peak September), respectively. A. maculatum nymphs were collected from February through April, June, and September (peak March). No nymphs of I. scapularis were collected. Only four larvae of D. variabilis were collected during the study, all during February 1995. No I. scapularis or A. maculatum larvae were collected from vegetation or ground drags. The greatest risk for tick attachment was in campsites where approximately 60% of all adult and nymphal host-seeking ticks were collected. The next greatest risk area was the walking trail located in the control burned area where an additional 28% of ticks were obtained.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

The Miami, Florida, Young Men's Survey: HIV prevalence and risk behaviors among urban young men who have sex with men who have ever runaway.

Youth in urban areas with a history of running away from home often have special needs. Importantly, risk factors for HIV/AIDS might be associated with such a history. We assessed the association between having a history of running away from home and the occurrence of HIV infection and risk behavior among young men who have sex with men (YMSM), aged 15-22 years. A cross-sectional epidemiologic and behavioral survey was conducted between 1995 and 1996 in Miami, Florida, as part of a national Young Men's Survey. Of 488 YMSM, the prevalence of HIV infection among those with a history of running away from home was 10.5% (adjusted odds ratio=3.4; 95% CI 1.5-7.8). YMSM who had ever run away were more likely to be HIV infected, be out of school, and have ever had vaginal or anal sex with females, been forced to have sex, injected drugs, and used needles for self-tattooing or body piercing. The prevalence of HIV infection and associated risk behaviors among runaways was high, highlighting the ongoing need for prevention and social support services for youth with a history of running away from home.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Chimeric plastid proteome in the Florida "red tide" dinoflagellate Karenia brevis.

Current understanding of the plastid proteome comes almost exclusively from studies of plants and red algae. The proteome in these taxa has a relatively simple origin via integration of proteins from a single cyanobacterial primary endosymbiont and the host. However, the most successful algae in marine environments are the chlorophyll c-containing chromalveolates such as diatoms and dinoflagellates that contain a plastid of red algal origin derived via secondary or tertiary endosymbiosis. Virtually nothing is known about the plastid proteome in these taxa. We analyzed expressed sequence tag data from the toxic "Florida red tide" dinoflagellate Karenia brevis that has undergone a tertiary plastid endosymbiosis. Comparative analyses identified 30 nuclear-encoded plastid-targeted proteins in this chromalveolate that originated via endosymbiotic or horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from multiple different sources. We identify a fundamental divide between plant/red algal and chromalveolate plastid proteomes that reflects a history of mixotrophy in the latter group resulting in a highly chimeric proteome. Loss of phagocytosis in the "red" and "green" clades effectively froze their proteomes, whereas chromalveolate lineages retain the ability to engulf prey allowing them to continually recruit new, potentially adaptive genes through subsequent endosymbioses and HGT. One of these genes is an electron transfer protein (plastocyanin) of green algal origin in K. brevis that likely allows this species to thrive under conditions of iron depletion.

Algal Proteins↗
PubMed1977

Trends of brucellosis in Florida. An epidemiologic review.

Human brucellosis in Florida is documented for the 47-year period 1928-1975. Of the 936 cases reported in 1930-1975, more than half (505) occurred in the decade 1940-1949. The incidence declined rapidly to an average rate of five cases per year, although there was an increase in 1974 and 1975. The analysis is mainly concerned with the years 1961-1975, since more complete epidemiologic data are available for this period. Cases occurred throughout the year, with the highest incidence being between May and August. White males in the 25-35 and 35-44 deciles were most affected. Of occupations identified between 1963-1975, 44% were related to the livestock-producing industry, 16% to the meat processing industry and 28% to hunters, housewives, students and children. Twelve per cent of the cases did not fall in any of these categories. Cattle were the most probable source of human infection in the livestock industry, and swine were associated with most non-industry cases. In 1963-1975, B. suis was isolated from 10 cases and B. canis from one case; one other isolate was not identified beyond genus. Of the 27 human cases recorded during 1974-1975, 15 (56%) involved swine contact (five livestock industry, four consumers and six hunters), 11 (41%) involved cattle contact (all from the livestock and meat packing industries), and one involved contact (with both cattle and swine (livestock industry). Human cases contracted from swine were scattered statewide, whereas cases associated with cattle only occurred in counties that had )( high densities of cattle and 2) modified-certified ratings in the Brucellosis Eradication Program.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, Key West, Florida. An assessment of risk factors for introduction of illness into households and secondary spread during the 1981 epidemic.

From August 22 to November 6, 1981, 989 cases of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis were identified in Key West, Florida. The outbreak probably began when an infected 12-year-old Key West resident returned from the Bahamas and transmitted the illness to several neighborhood playmates. The rate of illness was highest for school-aged children, and a high proportion of cases occurred among blacks living in two adjacent low-income housing tracts. A telephone survey of persons living in these two tracts showed that the risk for introduction of illness into a household was 3.8 times greater for families with school-aged children. A study of 100 case households showed that black race, living in the two low-income housing tracts, and having a high ratio of family members per bathroom were variables significantly associated with multiple case households. To limit intracommunity spread of illness, symptomatic children were excluded from school for a period of seven days. The number of reported cases steadily decreased after school exclusion was implemented.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Hepatitis A outbreak on a floating restaurant in Florida, 1986.

In April and May 1986, the largest reported foodborne outbreak of hepatitis A in Florida state history occurred among patrons and employees of a floating restaurant. A total of 103 cases (97 patrons and six employees) were identified. The exposure period lasted 31 days (March 20-April 19), making this the most prolonged hepatitis A outbreak to occur in a restaurant that to date has been reported to the Centers for Disease Control. The exposure period was divided into time intervals (peak, early, late, and total) for calculation of food-specific attack rates. The authors showed that green salad was an important vehicle of transmission for each phase of the exposure period, with the highest adjusted odds ratio for the three-day peak exposure interval (March 28-30), 6.8 (p = 0.001). Non-salad pantry items and mixed bar drinks were also identified as vehicles of transmission; both were more important during the early interval of the exposure period than during the late interval. Two of six infected employees worked in the pantry and may have sequentially infected patrons. Though rare, this outbreak suggests that hepatitis A infection among employees may allow for transmission to patrons for prolonged periods of time. Prevention of such outbreaks requires prompt reporting of ill patrons with rapid identification of infected employees and correction of food handling practices.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Gene frequencies in the cat deme of Tampa, Florida.

The frequencies of mutant alleles at five loci were calculated for a sample of cats from the deme of Tampa, Florida. Owing to certain diagnostic problems, precise comparisons to other populations are unwarranted. However, there is general concordance with other U.S. cat populations.

Alleles↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Type 2 diabetes mellitus among Florida children and adolescents, 1994 through 1998.

OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to examine the trends in the diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes mellitus among children and adolescents with new-onset diabetes seen from 1994 through 1998 at the three university-based diabetes centers in Florida. METHODS: Data were abstracted from medical records and patients were categorized as having Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. RESULTS: There were 569 patients classified with Type 1 diabetes and 92 with Type 2 diabetes. The proportion of patients diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes increased over the five years from 9.4% in 1994 to 20.0% in 1998 (chi-square test for trend = 8.2; p=0.004). There was not an associated net increase in the total number of new diabetes patients referred over time (chi-square test for trend = 0.6, p=0.4). Those with Type 2 diabetes were more likely to have a body mass index in the 85th-94th percentile [odds ratio (OR) = 8.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.5, 28.8], have a body mass index >or=95th percentile (OR = 6.8; 95% CI 2.6, 17.7), Hispanic ethnicity (OR = 6.2; 95% CI 2.2, 17.9), black race (OR = 2.8; 95% CI 1.3, 6.2), female gender (OR = 2.2; 95% CI 1.2, 4.3), and older age (OR = 1.4 for each one-year increment in age; 95% CI 1.3, 1.6), compared with those having Type 1 diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: From 1994 through 1998, there was a significant overall increase in the percentage of children referred with new-onset diabetes who were considered to have Type 2 diabetes. Factors associated with the diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes relative to Type 1 diabetes include body mass index >/=85th percentile, Hispanic ethnicity, black race, female gender, and older age.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Homicide in homosexual victims: a study of 67 cases from the Broward County, Florida, Medical Examiner's office (1982-1992), with special emphasis on "overkill".

Forensic pathologists often state that homosexual homicides are more violent than those with heterosexual victims. Overkill or wounding far beyond that required to cause death is a frequently used descriptor of these deaths. We quantified the number and extent of injuries between homosexual and heterosexual homicide victims to determine whether one group suffered more violence than the other. This case-control study involved 67 homosexual homicide victims and 195 age, race, and gender-matched heterosexual (control) homicide victims from the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, between 1982 and 1992. The sexual preference of the victims was determined by police and medical examiner investigation. We compared the percentage of cases with multiple causes of death, mean number of injuries/case, and the mean number of different body sites with injuries/case between the two groups. The percentage of cases with multiple causes was 12% (n = 8) and 5% (n = 10) in the homosexual and heterosexual victims, respectively, with no significant statistical difference detected (Fisher exact test, two-tail, p = 0.088). The mean number of fatal sharp (5.4 vs 3.3, p < 0.05), blunt (9.0 vs 6.5, p < 0.05), and total (14.5 vs 6.5, p < 0.001) injuries/case was greater among the homosexual victims than among the heterosexual group. These differences were all statistically significant using the Mann-Whitney rank sum test. The mean number of different body sites with injuries/case was also greater (3.5 vs 2.4, p < 0.001) among the homosexual victims than among the heterosexual group. This difference was statistically significant using the Mann-Whitney rank sum test. Homosexual homicides are more violent than heterosexual homicides when one compares the mean number of injuries (fatal sharp, blunt, and total)/case and the extent of injuries on the body. The mean number of stab wounds wounds/case and percentage of cases with multiple causes of death were also greater among the homosexual group, but the differences were not statistically significant.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Influence of uncertainty about a specialty's administrative status on students' specialty choices at a Florida medical school.

At the University of South Florida College of Medicine, there was a statistically significant drop in the number of 1990 graduates entering family practice residencies compared with the numbers entering during the previous decade. A retrospective analysis was carried out to determine what factors could have produced such a change and what specialties benefitted. The only factor identified was an administrative policy change that threatened the departmental status of the family medicine unit. Psychiatry was the only specialty choice that showed significant increases. The findings of this study suggest that medical students' selection of family practice as a specialty choice is detrimentally influenced by uncertainty about the family medicine unit's departmental status, and that family medicine may be competing with psychiatry for students' interest.

Career Choice↗
PubMed1999

Pre-matriculation program at the University of South Florida College of Medicine.

Underrepresented-minority (URM) students at the University of South Florida College of Medicine increased from 4.9% to 10.5% of the total student body from 1991 to 1997. During that period it became clear that some majority and minority students had serious academic difficulties with the first-year curriculum and that a higher proportion of the minority matriculants had difficulties. In response, the college in 1997 created the Summer Pre-matriculation Program to reduce the number of first-year students who had academic difficulty. In the summer before they matriculate in the college, the students complete a six-week program of lectures, small-group discussions, compute-aided instruction, and laboratory instruction in biochemistry, human embryology, and gross anatomy. URM students, non-science majors, and students who have been away from the academic environment (e.g., pursuing medicine as a second career) are given priority for the 20 positions available each year. At the end of the first cohort's first medical school year, the academic performances of program participants and other students were compared, and it was clear that the program participants had performed as well as or slightly better than their counterparts in gross anatomy, biochemistry, and human embryology. Further, the program participants performed at or above the class average in medical school courses for which they had not had targeted instruction during the program. The College of Medicine is committed to diversifying its student body and realizes that diverse students bring varying levels of academic preparation as well as diversity in cultural and academic backgrounds. Concerted efforts such as the pre-matriculation program may be required to normalize the "playing field" at the very outset of medical school and to ensure that every matriculant has an equal opportunity to succeed.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Teaching hypothesis-oriented thinking to medical students: the University of Florida's clinical investigation program.

Recent studies show alarming decreases in the proportions of physicians applying for federal resources and of graduating medical students who declare strong interest in pursuing careers as physician-scientists. To expose medical students in their formative years to hypothesis-driven experimental investigations in a clinical setting, the first-year curriculum at the University of Florida has involved students as both investigators and study subjects in patient-oriented research conducted in the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC). Each year a hypothesis-driven experiment is conceived by first-year medical students in the university's MD-PhD program. Later in the year, the protocol is implemented in the GCRC by the entire freshman class, whose members serve as volunteer study subjects or as investigators. The experimental data are analyzed by the MD-PhD students, who report their findings at national biomedical research meetings and submit a manuscript on their project to a peer-reviewed journal. The authors describe students' research projects over the first six years of this GCRC-based program. They also describe the responses of former students to a questionnaire about their perceptions of the value of the research program. Most respondents considered the GCRC research exercise to have been useful and relevant to their overall education, and many more declared a current interest in pursuing research careers compared with the number who had declared such interest as freshmen. The authors conclude that early integration of hands-on, patient-oriented research into the medical school curriculum is a positive educational experience for students, and may contribute to their ultimate pursuit of academic research careers.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Relative frequencies of Alzheimer disease, Lewy body, vascular and frontotemporal dementia, and hippocampal sclerosis in the State of Florida Brain Bank.

Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common dementing illness in the elderly, but there is equivocal evidence regarding the frequency of other disorders such as Lewy body disease (LBD), vascular dementia (VaD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and hippocampal sclerosis (HS). This ambiguity may be related to factors such as the age and gender of subjects with dementia. Therefore, the objective of this study was to calculate the relative frequencies of AD, LBD, VaD, FTD, and HS among 382 subjects with dementia from the State of Florida Brain Bank and to study the effect of age and gender on these frequencies. AD was the most frequent pathologic finding (77%), followed by LBD (26%), VaD (18%), HS (13%), and FTD (5%). Mixed pathology was common: Concomitant AD was present in 66% of LBD patients, 77% of VaD patients, and 66% of HS patients. The relative frequency of VaD increased with age, whereas the relative frequencies of FTD and LBD declined with age. Males were overrepresented among those with LBD, whereas females were overrepresented among AD subjects with onset age over 70 years. These estimates of the a priori probabilities of dementing disorders have implications for clinicians and researchers.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

The treatment of Ewing's sarcoma of bone at the University of Florida: 1969 to 1998.

Since 1969, 144 patients with previously untreated Ewing's sarcoma of bone were entered in prospective protocols at the University of Florida. From 1969 through 1981, three institutional protocols were used, and some patients were entered into the First Intergroup Ewing's Sarcoma Study. Starting in 1982, an attempt was made to intensify treatment, with patients divided according to their primary tumor size into standard-risk (< or = 8 cm in maximum diameter) and high-risk groups. Patients with metastases at diagnosis also were considered high risk. The standard-risk protocols (Number 1 and Number 2 specified treatment with chemotherapy considered to be standard for the era; the patients who were high risk had standard chemotherapy followed by end-intensification. Treatment for patients with metastases at diagnosis was intensified additionally in 1993 with a protocol (high-risk protocol Number 5) specifically designed just for these patients. The absolute survival rate of all patients treated before 1982 was 50% at 5 years for patients without metastases at diagnosis and 18% for patients with metastases. Patients with small primary lesions had a better survival rate than patients with large primary lesions. After 1982, the 5-year survival rate for patients treated on the standard-risk protocols was 53% (1985-1998), whereas for high-risk protocols the 5-year survival rate was 63%. Survival rates were better for younger patients at diagnosis and for patients who responded well to induction chemotherapy, indicating that future trials may need to tailor therapy based on the response to induction chemotherapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Predictors of lawsuit activity against nursing homes in Hillsborough County, Florida.

The objective of this study is to examine the litigation experience of twenty-eight nursing homes in Hillsborough County, Florida. Primary data were collected from Hillsborough County Circuit Court's Clerk's Recording Computer System about lawsuit activity from 1996 to 2000 and linked to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Online Survey, Certification, and Reporting system. We found that registered nurse levels, size, and being part of a chain or system impacted litigation in Hillsborough County.

Florida↗