Translational Medical Research Commons^™

Adipose-Derived Stromal Vascular Fraction Therapy Improves Age-Related Adrenergic Mediated Microvascular Dysfunction And Increases Revascularization Potential Following Injury., Gabrielle Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The role of the microcirculation is to balance blood flow and oxygen delivery to meet local metabolic and oxygen demands. With advancing age, the health of the endothelium declines leading to improper augmentation of the microcirculation; decreasing vasoreactivity and angiogenic potential which can further increase the risk of ischemia. The multiple contributing factors that drive the decline in endothelial health with age make traditional pharmacological interventions challenging whereas cell-based therapies can exert multifactorial gains. Adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction (SVF) is an emerging therapeutic for its easily accessible, autologous, anti-inflammatory, and angiogenic properties. It is a heterogenous population comprised of leukocyte …

Impact Of Pooling Samples On Analytic Sensitivity Of A Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase Pcr Assay For Sars Cov-2, Subathra Marimuthu, Stephen P. Furmanek, Holly Aliesky, Leslie A. Wolf

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

During the COVID-19 pandemic, laboratories experienced periods of shortages for certain critical materials required to meet the high demand for SARS-CoV-2 testing. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration provided a template for molecular diagnostic testing, including guidance for a specimen pooling process in order to evaluate performance of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid amplification assay. This study aimed to evaluate the testing of pooled specimens consisting of four nasopharyngeal swab specimens using the Luminex ARIES^® nucleic acid amplification platform. Results indicated that there was a loss of analytic sensitivity with pooled nasopharyngeal swab samples, demonstrating that this approach should be …

Post-Acute Sequelae Of Covid-19 (Pasc): Association With Inflammation And Autoimmunity, Raghava S. Ambadapoodi, Fnu Deepti, Javaria Anwer Mbbs, Rafael Fernandez-Botran

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

It has become increasingly evident that a high percentage of patients that recover from acute COVID-19 infection continue to suffer from a variety of persistent symptoms even months after viral clearance, the most common ones being fatigue, dyspnea, anosmia, dysgeusia, cognitive dysfunction, and psychological problems, including anxiety and depression. This syndrome, known as Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), can severely affect the life quality and represents an important health care concern. The exact causes for the symptoms observed in patients with PASC remain to be adequately characterized, but are likely to be associated with multiple factors, including residual disease and/or …

Streptococcus Anginosus Lung Infection And Empyema: A Case Report And Review Of The Literature, Nishita Tripathi, Kuldeep Ghosh, Anupama Raghuram

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Streptococcus milleri group (SMG) also referred to as the Streptococcus anginosus group. These are Gram-positive, variable hemolysis, catalase negative, microaerophilic, non-motile facultative anaerobes which have been known to cause abscesses in humans. We report a case of empyema caused by Streptococcus anginosus in a patient with an unresolved pneumonia for over a month. In early October 2018, the patient presented to an emergency room with the complaints of shortness of air, productive cough, chills, subjective fever and weight loss for 4 weeks. A chest X-ray revealed a left lower lobe pneumonia. He was treated with 250 mg of azithromycin for …

H1n1 Influenza Virus (Swine Flu): A Comprehensive Insight Into Escalating Catch-22 Scenarios, Muhammad Shahzaib, Ehsan Ul Haq

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Introduction: Viruses have always been a major cause of various disastrous pandemics in mankind’s history. H1N1 became a threat when its original strain was first discovered back in the swine flu pandemic of 2009. It became highly catastrophic on a large scale because none of the therapeutic interventions and methodologies that were already present at the time were effective against the virus.

Methods: A vast amount of literature and research is available regarding H1N1 influenza from different reputable sources online. The data were gathered with the contrasting and relative situations of 1918 and 2009 pandemics in mind. The overall extracted …

The Role Of Rapid Diagnostic Point Of Care Igg/Igm Antibody Tests In The Diagnosis Of Sars-Cov-2 Infection, Nishita Tripathi, Daniya Sheikh, Dawn Balcom

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: Current testing of symptomatic patients for SARS-CoV-2 involves the use of nucleic acid amplification tests, also known as genetic, RNA, or polymerase chain reaction (PCR), to detect viral RNA. The initial use of point of care (POC) antibody tests, also known as serological tests, in the management of SARS-CoV-2 infection was limited. In this review, we determine the significance of POC antibody serological tests and explore their possible role in the diagnosis and management of patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Methods: A literature search was conducted in Google Scholar, PubMed, and Embase, supplemented by searching the Centers for …

How Immune T-Cell Augmentation Can Help Prevent Covid-19: A Possible Nutritional Solution Using Ketogenic Lifestyle, Ravi K. Kamepalli Md,Fidsa,Cwsp

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Coping With Chronic Fungal Rhinosinusitis: Diagnosis To Therapy, Veronica Corcino, Leslie Beavin, Shengli Lu, Ashley Ross, Carmen V. Sciortino Jr.

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of The Local And Systemic Cytokine Response Profiles In Patients With Community-Acquired Pneumonia. Relationship With Disease Severity And Outcomes., Rafael Fernandez-Botran, Timothy Lee Wiemken, Robert R. Kelley, Paula Peyrani, Jose Bordon, Rodrigo Cavallazzi, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

The goals of this study were to investigate the relationship of systemic and local cytokine responses with time to clinical stability (TCS) in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and to develop a model to integrate multiple cytokine data into “cytokine response profiles” based on local vs. systemic and pro- vs. anti-inflammatory cytokine patterns in order to better understand their relationships with measures of CAP severity and outcomes. Forty hospitalized patients enrolled through the Community Acquired Pneumonia Inflammatory Study Group (CAPISG) were analyzed. Based on the ranked distribution of the levels of eight different pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines (IL-1b, IL-6, IL-8, …

The Role Of Nicotine, A7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors And Extracellular Matrix Remodeling In Pulmonary Fibrosis., Glenn Ward Vicary

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The median survival for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients from diagnosis is a dismal 3 years. This condition is characterized by pulmonary fibroproliferation and excess production and disordered deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins resulting in obliteration of the original tissue architecture, loss of lung function and eventual death due to respiratory failure. The main hindrance to the development of effective treatments against pulmonary fibrosis is the late detection of its progression and is often of unknown cause. Tobacco smoke represents the most important environmental factor linked to the development of pulmonary fibrosis, with over 60% of IPF patients current …

Acrolein Is A Critical Mediator Of Alcohol-Induced Liver And Intestinal Injury In Alcoholic Liver Disease., Wei-Yang (Jeremy) Chen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol consumption can cause alcoholic liver disease (ALD), which remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Chronic alcohol consumption causes a pro-oxidant environment in the liver and increases hepatic lipid peroxidation. Acrolein is the most reactive and toxic aldehyde generated through lipid peroxidation. Acrolein forms protein adducts and triggers endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and hepatocyte apoptosis, which are recognized etiologic factors in ALD. Several studies have established the critical role of the gut-liver axis in ALD pathogenesis, wherein alcohol-induced gut barrier dysfunction contributes to liver injury. This study investigates, in vitro and in vivo, the …