Objective. To identify predictors of injection cessation among Montreal active injection drug users (IDUs). / Design. Subjects were selected from the St. Luc Cohort, a prospective study that has accrued IDUs since 1988. Subjects were eligible if they completed at least 3 visits between 1995 and 1999. Predictors of sustained and of short injection cessation were examined using logistic and Cox proportional regression. / Results. Sustained injection cessation was negatively associated with injection frequency, a surrogate marker of addiction severity. Getting syringes at needle exchange programs or pharmacies impacted positively on the ability of moderate users to initiate and sustain injection cessation. Recent exposure to addiction treatment predicted the occurrence of a short injection cessation episode. This association was stronger among participants reporting longer exposure to treatment. / Conclusion. These findings suggest that harm reduction and addiction treatment interventions can influence the occurrence of injection cessation. This information is important for social and health policy planning.

Only a minority of women with a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection eventually develop cervical cancer. This suggests a role for immune mechanisms in viral acquisition and clearance, most notably presentation of HPV antigens as mediated by gene products of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex. / A longitudinal cohort investigation of cervical HPV infections was utilized to examine the role of selected HLA class I and II alleles in determining risk of HPV positivity and persistence for students attending McGill and Concordia universities in Montreal. HPV positivity was measured at baseline and then once every six months for a period of two years. Five hundred and fifty-nine women were identified for analysis. Five HLA alleles: B*07, DQB1*03, DQB1*0602, DRB1*13, and DRB1*1501 were typed using DNA extracted from cervical specimens sampled at enrollment. / In multivariate logistic regression analyses DRB1*13 (odds ratio [OR]: 2.0; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.0-4.0) and DRB1*1501 (OR: 2.1; CI: 1.1-4.1) were associated with HPV 16 positivity. Women with DRB1*13 were also more likely to be positive for high-risk (HR) HPV infections (OR: 1.7; CI: 1.0-2.9), or H PV infection of any type (OR: 1.7; CI: 1.0-2.8). Most associations became stronger in the subset of women restricted on the basis of high likelihood to prior HPV exposure. / These results support the hypothesis that certain HLA class II polymorphisms mediate genetic susceptibility to HPV infection in young women.

Southern Africa is experiencing an HIV/AIDS pandemic with devastating effects. In this thesis I suggest why prevention efforts have failed to stem the pandemic. Then I argue that developed countries have a duty to help the developing world fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Arguments grounded in justice and in vulnerability are used to reach this conclusion. Next, I suggest that developed countries have not done enough to help. I develop and advocate the Socioecological Medicine Approach as a conceptual framework to help address the HIV/AIDS pandemic. This approach is a useful perspective because it is holistic, embraces web causation, emphasizes interconnectedness, encourages communities to play an active role in responding to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and encourages humans to adopt a more harmonious place in our environment. The most important conclusion is that HIV/AIDS is a symptom of inequality and poverty, therefore both symptoms and their root causes must be addressed to stem the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Allied Health of the School of Hper, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-07, Section: B, page: 4422. Adviser: Michael D. Reece. Title from dissertation home page (viewed Apr. 21, 2008).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Maryland, College Park, 2005. / (UnM)AAI3184254. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-08, Section: B, page: 4181. Chair: Robert Feldman.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, 2006. / Adviser: David K. Lohrmann.

Thesis (DR. P.H.)--University OF MICHIGAN.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University OF MICHIGAN.

Thesis (DR. P.H.)--University OF MICHIGAN.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University OF MICHIGAN. / CO-CHAIRMEN: AVEDIS DONABEDIAN; GAYL D. NESS.