University of Colorado Colorado Springs

About: University of Colorado Colorado Springs is a education organization based out in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 6664 authors who have published 10872 publications receiving 323416 citations. The organization is also known as: UCCS & University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

Assessing the role of anal intercourse in the epidemiology of AIDS in Africa.

Abstract: Public health authorities have long believed that the preponderance of AIDS cases in Africa are attributable to 'heterosexual transmission'; most people silently assume this rubric to indicate penile-vaginal intercourse only. Recent epidemiologic analyses suggest that the majority of HIV cases in sub-Saharan Africa may be due to non-sterile health care practices. The present paper reviews the anthropological, proctologic, and infectious disease literature, and argues that both homosexuality and heterosexual anal intercourse are more prevalent in Africa than has traditionally been believed. The authors hypothesize that perhaps the majority of HIV transmission not accounted for by iatrogenic exposure could be accounted for by unsuspected and unreported penile-anal intercourse. Given the authors' findings, properly conducted studies to measure this HIV transmission vector, while controlling for iatrogenic exposure confound, are clearly warranted in Africa and in countries with similar epidemiologic characteristics.

The Police Reporting Behavior of Intimate Partner Violence Victims

Abstract: In the current research, we draw on Canadian national data to examine the police reporting decisions of married and cohabiting intimate partner violence victims. Our analyses examine how police notification decisions are influenced by the demographic characteristics of victims and incident-specific factors. We find that the victims who contact the police more often live in a cohabiting relationship and with children. In contrast to predictions, we find that visible minority women more often call the police. Income, education, and employment status do not appear to shape the police reporting decisions of women. Finally, women who call the police are also likely to have experienced severe forms of violence including threats with weapons, injury, and the destruction of their property.

Sexual network structure as an indicator of epidemic phase

Abstract: Ascertaining epidemic phase for a sexually transmitted disease (STD) has depended on secular trend data which often contain significant artefacts. The usefulness of sexual network structure as an indicator of STD epidemic phase is explored in an analysis of community wide genital chlamydia reports, with network analysis of interviewed cases and linked sexual partners, in Colorado Springs, USA, 1996 to 1999. In this period, the chlamydia case rate per 100 000 increased by 46%. Three quarters of cases (n= 4953) were interviewed, nominating 7365 partners; these, combined with index cases, made up the 9114 persons in the network. Epidemiologic analysis of cases suggests that secular trend increases are artefactual. Network analysis supports this view: overall network structure is fragmented and dendritic, notably lacking the cyclic (closed loops) structures associated with network cohesion and thus with efficient STD transmission. Comparison of network structure with that of an intense STD outbreak (characterised by numerous cyclic structures) suggests low level or declining endemic rather than epidemic chlamydia transmission during the study interval. These observations accord with intuitive and stochastic predictions.