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PubMed1993

AIDS-related knowledge and attitudes of social workers in South Carolina.

This study examines the association between knowledge of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and skill among social workers in South Carolina and attitudes toward people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and AIDS. A stratified random sampling method was used to obtain a representative sample of social workers in South Carolina. Findings show that AIDS-related knowledge and skill were significantly associated with improving the general attitudes of social workers toward HIV/AIDS clients. In addition to knowledge and skill-related measures, other significant covariates of attitudes include levels of contact with HIV/AIDS clients and sensitivity to minorities. As with previous studies, demographic variables such as age and gender were not found to be significantly related to variations in attitudes toward HIV/AIDS clients. Furthermore, locality of practice and supervisory position did not significantly correlate with attitudes. The implications of these findings for social services agencies are discussed.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed2005

Anomalously high levels of uranium and other naturally occurring radionuclides in private wells in the piedmont region of South Carolina.

Anomalously high levels of uranium and 210Pb have been detected in untreated domestic groundwater wells near Simpsonville/Fountain Inn, South Carolina. Nine wells were sampled from the affected area and analyzed for total uranium, 234, 235, 238U, 226, 228Ra, 222Rn, and 210Pb as well other water quality parameters. These data augment other uranium concentration measurements and limited 226, 228Ra and 222Rn concentration measurements collected on private and public wells by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. The observed radionuclide data were compared to maximum levels published in several national surveys from the past 30 years. The total uranium concentration in the groundwater ranged from 44.3 to 5,570 microg L(-1), with one well having the second highest published concentration in the U.S. The U/U activity ratio ranged from 1.1 to 2.5. 226Ra concentrations ranged from less than the minimum detectable concentration (< MDC) to 1,154 mBq L(-1) while the 228Ra concentration ranged from < MDC to 532.8 mBq L(-1) and the 222Rn levels ranged from 62 to 1,510 Bq L(-1). The 210Pb concentrations ranged from < MDC to 844 mBq L(-1).

Background Radiation↗

PubMed2004

Cumulative impacts of dock shading on Spartina alterniflora in South Carolina estuaries.

Salt marshes dominated by Spartina alterniflora and the associated networks of tidal creeks that drain them are characteristic geographical features of southeastern estuaries, important nursery habitat areas, and preferred sites for residential development. As the size of the coastal population increases, so has the number of requests for dock permits. With each new request for a dock permit, public concerns about the cumulative environmental impacts of dock proliferation on the coastal environment have increased. The objective of this particular study was to evaluate the impacts of shading by dock structures on stem densities of S. alterniflora in South Carolina coastal marshes. Shading impacts under individual docks were extrapolated to the tidal creek (local), county, and statewide scales. Dock structures were sampled both under and next to the walkway in the Charleston Harbor area of South Carolina. The density of S. alterniflora under docks was significantly lower than that which occurred next to the docks (i.e., 5 m away) for the short-form, tall-form, and both forms combined. We estimated that shading effects from dock structures in South Carolina decreased the stem density of S. alterniflora by 71%. Dock shading effects were small when evaluated from the perspective of the amount of marsh that occurs within specific tidal creeks (0.03-0.72%), in coastal counties at a maximum dock length (0.01-0.98%), or statewide (0.01-0.13%) at a maximum dock length. However, approximately 7,000 docks have been permitted over the last decade, resulting in a loss of salt marsh equivalent to 60 ha.

Ecosystem↗

PubMed1976

Survey of leucocytozoon in in South Carolina.

An extensive survey of birds for Leucocytozoon in South Carolina during the summer of 1972 revealed that Blue Jays, Purple Grackles and domestic chickens were commonly infected. No alternate hosts were found for Leucocytozoon smithi of turkeys.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Go tell it on the mountain: Hilla Sheriff and public health in the South Carolina Piedmont, 1929 to 1940.

As director of the South Carolina units of the American Women's Hospitals and as the state's first female county health official, Hilla Sheriff combined elements of the Progressive Era's social gospel; the New Deal notion that concerned, public-spirited officials could make a difference; and a nascent feminism that led her into the controversial fields of family planning and nutrition. Sheriff's responses to endemic pellagra, innovative maternal and child health campaigns, and contraceptive research for the Milbank Memorial Fund attracted national attention and spawned programs based on her models throughout the South. Her ability to tailor programs to diverse communities--mothers who bore double burdens as textile workers, isolated farm families, mountaineers, and African Americans denied access to most health care facilities in the Jim Crow South--serves as a timeless example for those committed to community medicine.

Community Health Services↗

PubMed1975

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (tick-borne typhus) in South Carolina: an educational program and tick/rickettsial survey in 1973 and 1974.

Because the incidence of spotted fever is increasing in South Carolina, campaigns were carried out in 1973 and 1974 to provide the public and medical practitioners, through pamphlets and news media, with information about spotted fever and the ticks which transmit the causative agent, Rickettsia rickettsii. People were also invited to save and submit live ticks removed from vegetation, animals and humans, for examination by the hemolymph test. A total of 1,186 ticks consisting of 987 Dermacentor variabilis, 103 Rhipicephalus sanguineus, and 96 Amblyomma americanum were examined. Rickettsiae identified by direct immunofluorescence as members of the spotted fever group were detected in 49 (4.9%) of the D. variabilis, and 16 (16.6%) of the A. americanum ticks. Two hundred and twenty (199 D. variabilis, 17 A. americanum, and 4 R. sanguineus) were recorded as having been attached to 199 persons. Nine of these ticks (8 D. variabilis, and 1 A. americanum) were hemolymph test-positive for spotted fever-group rickettsiae. Infected ticks originated from each of the three major South Carolina biogeographic regions, namely Piedmont, Sandhill, and Coastal Plain. Since education is the first and most important step in preventing spotted fever, educational programs and tick examination services similar to those decribed, are suggested for other states with high spotted fever incidence.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in storm runoff from urban and coastal South Carolina.

Stormwater runoff was collected in urbanized areas of South Carolina to investigate the levels and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Mean concentrations of total PAHs in runoff (sum(PAHs), 14 compounds), determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, were 5590 ng/l in the city of Columbia and 282 ng/l in the coastal community of Murrells Inlet. Lower concentrations were found in estuarine water at Murrells Inlet (mean = 35 ng/l) and at undeveloped North Inlet estuary (13 ng/l). The PAH profiles in Columbia and Murrells Inlet runoff were similar to those of atmospheric particulate matter and unlike those in used crankcase oil. Examination of the aliphatic fraction of Columbia runoff samples by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection showed patterns that were more similar to used crankcase oil than to urban aerosols.

Environmental Monitoring↗

PubMed1989

Utilization of amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling by South Carolina women 35 years of age and older.

An increase in utilization of prenatal diagnosis was observed from 1985 to 1986 in South Carolina. The overall rate of 39.9% for 1986 is comparable with other areas of the U.S. Utilization was correlated with geographic residence, race, and referral source. While there was considerable variation in prenatal diagnostic test utilization between counties in South Carolina, overall utilization rates were reasonably high and continued to increase from 1985 to 1986. It will be interesting to see what effect CVS has on overall utilization rates as this new procedure becomes more established throughout the state.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Prevalence of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infection among rodents and host-seeking ticks in South Carolina.

Tissues of rodents and host-seeking adult ticks collected in the Piedmont, Sandhills, Coastal Plain, and Coastal Zone of South Carolina were cultured in attempts to isolate Borrelia burgdorferi (Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt & Brenner), the etiologic agent of Lyme disease. An exploratory, tree-based statistical analysis was used to identify ecological variables that were associated with spirochete infection among rodents and ticks. Spirochetes were isolated from tissues of 71 rodents: 22 (69%) of 32 eastern woodrats, 39 (53%) of 74 cotton mice, and 11(25%) of 44 hispid cotton rats. Rodent infection prevalences were significantly higher in the Coastal Zone than in other regions. Spirochetes were also cultured from 31 (2.6%) of 1,193 questing ticks. Prevalence of spirochetes in Ixodes affinis Neumann (19/74, 26%) was significantly higher than in I. scapularis Say (12/864, 1.3%) and other species (0/255) of ticks tested. In addition, two (9%) of 23 adult I. minor Neumann removed from woodrats contained spirochetes. Isolates from rodents and ticks were analyzed immunologically by indirect immunofluorescence and Western blots, and further characterized by polymerase chain reaction assays and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. All were determined to be B. burgdorferi sensu lato. Results of this study confirmed that B. burgdorferi is endemic in South Carolina, and that enzootic transmission cycles exist at foci in the Coastal Zone. These findings add additional evidence that I. affinis and I. minor are potentially significant maintenance vectors of the spirochete.

Animals↗

PubMed2025

Exploring the Virome of Blackberry and Wild Rubus spp. in South Carolina.

Numerous viruses infect blackberry, and they are associated with virus disease complexes with complicated etiologies. Blackberry virus diseases limit the lifespan of blackberry production in the Southeastern United States. Although some previous research has been conducted to understand which viruses are prevalent in South Carolina, a comprehensive study on the virome of blackberry has not been done in this region. Additionally, the role of wild Rubus as a virus inoculum source is likely underappreciated and represents a potential opportunity for disease management. We took a comprehensive approach to characterize viral genome sequences from known and novel viruses using metatranscriptomic sequencing of blackberry and wild Rubus spp. leaf samples collected in 2021 from eight sites across South Carolina. We detected 17 known and 6 novel plant viruses and describe relevant genome sequence information. Although the etiologies of these novel viruses are yet to be elucidated, they should be considered part of the blackberry/wild Rubus virome and further studied. We describe instances of potential connectivity of virus populations between cultivated blackberry and wild Rubus for several viruses at several sites. In addition to plant viruses, we describe numerous viruses likely associated with foliar fungi, referred to as Rubus leaf-associated viruses. This study revealed a diverse landscape of both known and novel viruses in blackberry and wild Rubus in South Carolina and has stimulated topics for future research, such as temporal analyses of virus spread at the landscape scale and investigating potential vectors and the biological relevance of novel viruses.

crop↗

PubMed2005

South Carolina cancer treatment facility combines operational efficiency with patient-centered design to provide a better patient experience.

To better serve their patient population, South Carolina Oncology Associates consolidated their services from 4 locations into a freestanding, 107,000 square foot facility. The new facility houses comprehensive cancer treatment services in a patient-centered facility. The design has also created excellent throughput flow, enabling South Carolina Oncology Associates to enhance their service offering without requiring additional staff.

Cancer Care Facilities↗

PubMed2003

Teen pregnancy in South Carolina: a local needs assessment of Charleston County.

Although there has been recent improvement, teen pregnancy continues to be a significant problem, especially in South Carolina where the birth rate to adolescents is higher than the national average. As this is a complex issue, many different interventions including both primary and secondary prevention as well as modification of programs to fit each individual community will be necessary. One initial approach to pregnancy prevention program implementation is a needs assessment of current interventions compared with teen birth rates in a community. This report of a needs assessment for Charleston County revealed a discrepancy between the location of most pregnancy prevention programs (urban areas of the county) and the higher teen birth rates (rural areas of the county,) establishing areas that will be targeted for additional services. Other counties throughout South Carolina may find this approach useful in coordination of community efforts to reduce teen pregnancy.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Exploring the service needs and experiences of persons with TBI and their families: the South Carolina experience.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: This article presents the results of four focus groups with persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their families living in South Carolina. The objective was to learn what participants perceive their service needs to be and where they experience service gaps in the existing system of TBI services. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Four focus groups were conducted. In each group, a convenience sample of persons < 5 years post-injury and family members responded to 10 semi-structured questions. MAIN OUTCOMES: Qualitative content analysis revealed overwhelming consensus regarding the need for (1) early, continuous, comprehensive service delivery; (2) information/education; (3) formal/informal advocacy; (4) empowerment of persons with TBI/families; and (5) human connectedness/social belonging. CONCLUSIONS: Persons with TBI and families in South Carolina experience the service system as unorganized, uneducated, unresponsive and uncaring. Effective strategies are needed that link services into an ongoing continuum of TBI care, increase TBI-specific education and awareness and foster social re-integration.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Distribution, abundance, and seasonal activities of ticks collected from rodents and vegetation in South Carolina.

Ixodid ticks were collected from live-trapped rodents and by flagging vegetation at sites in the Piedmont, Sandhills, Coastal Plain, and Coastal Zone of South Carolina from May 1994 through December 1995. A total of 1,514 ticks was recovered from 237 live-trapped rodents. Host-attached species included Ixodes minor Neumann (n = 818), Dermacentor variabilis (Say) (n = 346), Amblyomma maculatum Koch (n = 209), Ixodes affinis Neumann (n = 89), and Ixodes scapularis Say (n = 52). Species of questing adult ticks collected from vegetation were Ix. scapularis (n = 1,627), Amblyomma americanum L. (n = 1,052), D. variabilis (n = 649), A. maculatum (n = 134), Ix. affinis (n = 70), and Dermacentor albipictus (Packard) (n = 3). Geographic distribution and seasonal activities of most stages and species are presented. This report includes the first detailed description of the seasonal activities of all active stages of Ix. minor in the United States, and documents that this tick is well established in the southern Coastal Zone of South Carolina.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Ten-year changes in birthweight distributions of black and white infants, South Carolina.

The birthweight distributions of Black and White infants in South Carolina were compared for the paired-year periods 1975-76 and 1985-86. No discernible changes in birthweight distributions between the two time periods were observed especially among Black infants. The distributions among White infants reflected an overall improvement in birthweight most noticeably above 2500g.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Investigation of a ricin-containing envelope at a postal facility--South Carolina, 2003.

On October 15, 2003, an envelope with a threatening note and a sealed container was processed at a mail processing and distribution facility in Greenville, South Carolina. The note threatened to poison water supplies if demands were not met. The envelope was isolated from workers and other mail and removed from the facility, and an investigation was begun. On October 21, laboratory testing at CDC confirmed that ricin was present in the container. To assess the human health effects related to possible ricin exposure, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) and CDC interviewed all workers at the postal facility and initiated statewide surveillance for illness consistent with ricin exposure during October 15-29. On October 22, the facility was closed for a detailed epidemiologic and environmental investigation. This report summarizes the results of the investigation, which found no evidence of environmental contamination and no cases of ricin-associated illness. Clinicians and public health officials should be vigilant for illnesses suggestive of ricin exposure.

Environmental Exposure↗

PubMed2005

Self-reported physical activity among South Carolina adults trying to maintain or lose weight.

OBJECTIVES: The obesity epidemic is related to widespread physical inactivity in the United States. This study determined the proportion of South Carolinians trying to maintain or lose weight and within that subpopulation, the number who practiced a restricted diet and engaged in physical activity. METHODS: Data from the 2002 South Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey were used to classify adults who were trying to maintain weight or lose weight. Self-reported prevalence of restricted diet and participation in physical activity were investigated. Of those who reported weight control practices, levels of physical activity were analyzed to determine if those trying to maintain weight or lose weight were meeting the national guidelines for moderate or vigorous physical activity. RESULTS: More than 70% of South Carolina adults reported trying to control their weight and the majority reported using physical activity for weight control. Though the majority reported use of restricted diet and physical activity, more than one-half of those individuals did not meet the minimum standards for physical activity designed for heart health. CONCLUSIONS: Although most adults who are trying to maintain or lose weight are participating in physical activity, public health efforts need to focus on encouraging these adults to increase their levels of physical activity to meet the minimum standards for health benefits. Health care providers have an opportunity to educate and encourage patients about the recommended levels of physical activity to obtain maximum health benefits.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

An initial investigation of the status of Borrellia burgodorferi and its suspected primary vector, Ixodes scapularis, in South Carolina.

Based on a survey of hunter-harvested deer, the suspected primary vector of Lyme disease in the Southeast, I. scapularis, is most prevalent in sandhill and coastal plain counties of South Carolina. None of 271 I. scapularis examined were found to be infected with the Lyme disease spirochete. However, many more specimens of I. scapularis, A. americanum, and other tick species must be examined before an accurate estimate of the probability of acquiring Lyme disease in South Carolina can be made.

Animals↗