Digital Commons Network^™

From Pachymeningitis Hemorrhagica To Abusive Head Trauma: A Journey Through The Centuries, Oliver Berthold, Flora Blangis, Christopher Spencer Greeley

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The development of medical knowledge follows specific principles. These also apply to abusive head trauma. The seminal literature from the early 20th century is based on earlier research from Europe, which is fundamental to understand the evolution of understanding and nomenclature of abusive head trauma. A review of original medical literature on intracranial injuries in children, published in German, English, and French, was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar for articles before 1950. The primary search focused on subdural hemorrhages and pachymeningitis in children, followed by a snowball search of references. Full texts of available manuscripts were reviewed. Primary literature …

Two Decades Of Diagnostic Safety Research: Advances, Challenges, And Next Steps, Sundas Khan, Andrea Bradford, Christina L Cifra, Hardeep Singh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Since the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, various research efforts have accelerated progress to understand and improve diagnostic safety. In this opinion piece, we summarize two decades of progress in methods for identifying and learning from diagnostic errors and provide recommendations for future research. Multiple methods have been used to quantify diagnostic errors in various clinical settings, thereby facilitating a deeper understanding of the nature and magnitude of the problem and enabling studies of contributing factors. However, the use of standardized definitions of a diagnostic error and/or diagnostic safety event, …

Foreword: Addressing Diagnostic Error: The First 10 Years, Mark L Graber, Edward P Hoffer, Hardeep Singh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Alterations In Cardiovascular Parameters In 5xfad Murine Model, Andrea G Marshall, Dominique Stephens, Kit Neikirk, Sepiso K Masenga, Bryanna Shao, Amber Crabtree, Zer Vue, Heather K Beasley, Edgar Garza-Lopez, Estevão Scudese, Benjamin I Rodriguez, Han Le, Steven Damo, George E Taffet, Okwute M Ochayi, Ronald Mcmillan, Jeremiah M Afolabi, Vernat Exil, Ashton Oliver, Vineeta Sharma, Pamela Martin, Amadou Gaye, Chanel Harris, Briar Tomeau, Lacara Bell, Markis Hamilton, Taneisha Gillyard, Railyn Webster, Marcus Jackson, Prem Prakash, Shanilah Frierson, Chandravanu Dash, Margaret Mungai, Annet Kirabo, Jennifer A Gaddy, Nelson Wandira, Antentor Hinton, Anilkumar K Reddy

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a global health issue, affecting over 6 million people in the United States, with that number expected to increase as the population ages. As a neurodegenerative disorder that affects memory and cognitive functions, it is well established that AD is associated with cardiovascular risk factors beyond only cerebral decline. In this study, we measured hemodynamic parameters related to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular function in 5xFAD mice with AD and their littermates. Specifically, we measured cardiovascular pulse wave velocity parameters, a marker of arterial stiffness and cardiovascular risk, and cerebrovascular pulse wave velocity, a novel technique to measure …

Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Leading To A New Diagnosis Of Sweet Syndrome And Monoclonal Gammopathy Of Unknown Significance, Nidhi Rawat, Meron Gebrehiwot, Jason Raw, Jeyaprakash Ramachandran

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

We present a rare case of Sweet syndrome with underlying monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS) which initially presented as upper respiratory tract infection.

Case Presentation

A 52-year-old woman presented with a complaint of sore throat for 6 days, productive cough and fever for 5 days, and red, pruritic, circular, tender rashes on face, arms and trunk for 2 days. There was a past history of similar self-limiting rashes presenting intermittently for 1.5 years. She also reported to be taking tablet ibuprofen, as required for the past 1-2 years, for cervical spondylosis. On integumentary examination, widespread, red, tender, annular …

Erratum To <[Transplant Cell Ther 2023 Jul;29(7):438e1-438e16 Epub 2023 Mar 9]>, Melissa R Hines, Tristan E Knight, Kevin O Mcnerney, Mark B Leick, Tania Jain, Sairah Ahmed, Matthew J Frigault, Joshua A Hill, Michael D Jain, William T Johnson, Yi Lin, Kris M Mahadeo, Gabriela M Maron, Rebecca A Marsh, Sattva S Neelapu, Sarah Nikiforow, Amanda K Ombrello, Nirav N Shah, Aimee C Talleur, David Turicek, Anant Vatsayan, Sandy W Wong, Marcela V Maus, Krishna V Komanduri, Nancy Berliner, Jan-Inge Henter, Miguel-Angel Perales, Noelle V Frey, David T Teachey, Matthew J Frank, Nirali N Shah

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Sensitivity And Specificity Of The Cobas Liat Ct/Ng/Mg Nucleic Acid Test In A Clinical Laboratory Setting And Point-Of-Care Location, B Van Der Pol, R Arcenas, C Boraas, S Chavoustie, L L. Crane, N D'Empaire, A C. Ermel, G Harnett, F Hinestrosa, S House, Rebecca A. Lillis, J Miller, A Mills, R Poblete, S A. Young

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Sexually transmitted infections, e.g., Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), and Mycoplasma genitalium (MG), present with similar signs/symptoms and are often treated empirically due to delays in receiving diagnostic test results. This study evaluated the clinical performance of the Cobas Liat CT/NG/MG nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) in detecting these pathogens in a point-of-care (POC) setting. This non-interventional, multicenter study recruited symptomatic/asymptomatic participants from 13 geographically diverse POC sites across the USA. Prospective clinician- and self-collected specimens (urine/vaginal swabs) were used to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the Cobas Liat CT/NG/MG test relative to the composite reference standard (CRS), …

Screening For Trypanosoma Cruzi In Patients Living With The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (Pwh) In The Peruvian Amazon, Silvia Otero-Rodriguez, Martin Casapia-Morales, Lilia-Lorena Pinedo-Ramirez, Esperanza Merino, Eva H Clark, José-Manuel Ramos-Rincón

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: Chagas disease (CD) - Trypanosoma cruzi infection - in people living with HIV (PWH), particularly those with advanced CD4 T cell depletion, can lead to severe syndromes affecting the central nervous system and the heart.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study to screen for CD among PWH in Iquitos, Peru, between October 2023 and May 2024, with the objective of understanding the frequency of infection in this population. Adults with confirmed HIV attending outpatient services at two regional hospitals were enrolled. Two ELISA tests (lysate and recombinant) were used, and discordant results were adjudicated by indirect chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA). …

Pediatric Vs Adult Invasive Aspergillosis In Cancer And Hematopoietic Transplant Patients: Insights From A Matched Cohort At A Tertiary Cancer Center, Saliba Wehbe, Ramia Zakhour, Ray Hachem, Ying Jiang, Hiba Dagher, Roseen Salman, Anne-Marie Chaftari, Issam I Raad

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a life-threatening infection in immunocompromised patients, including those with hematologic malignancies and hematopoietic stem cell transplants. While adult IA has been well characterized, data on pediatric populations remain limited, and potential age-related differences are often overlooked in current management guidelines.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective matched cohort study at a tertiary cancer center, evaluating IA cases diagnosed over a 31-year period. Pediatric patients (≤18 years) with proven or probable IA were matched 1:3 with adult IA cases based on year of diagnosis, underlying disease, and history of hematopoietic cell transplantation. We compared demographics, clinical presentation, …

Influence Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Anatomy Higher Education Around The World, Sneh Patel, Santanu De

FDLA Journal

The Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) disrupted the higher education sector worldwide in several disciplines, especially those in healthcare as well as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) that require active, experiential learning via practical application of concepts centering around anatomy. Dynamic instructional and technological interventions took place rapidly in an effort to minimize the adverse repercussions of moving away from traditional means of education in these critical scientific fields. COVID-19 necessitated administrators, faculty, students, and interns at colleges, universities, medical/ healthcare science programs and residencies to pursue teaching, learning, and assessment of anatomy courses/curricula through innovative strategies without compromising …

Xpert Mtb/Rif Ultra Assay For Tuberculosis Disease And Rifampicin Resistance In Children, Alexander W Kay, Maia Madison, Katie Scandrett, Tara Ness, Pauline Amuge, Leeberk Raja Inbaraj, Mukesh Kumar Sathya Narayanan, Lucia González Fernández, Michael Eisenhut, Nazir Ismail, Alexei Korobitsyn, Sabine E Verkuijl, Annemieke Brands, Kerri Viney, Tiziana Masini, Anna M Mandalakas, Karen R Steingart, Yemisi Takwoingi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: In 2023, an estimated 1.3 million children (aged 0-14 years) became ill with tuberculosis, and 166,000 children (aged 0-15 years) died from the disease. Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Xpert Ultra) is a molecular World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended rapid diagnostic test that detects Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and rifampicin resistance. This is an update of a Cochrane review first published in 2020 and last updated in 2022. Parts of the current update informed the 2024 WHO updated guidance for the diagnosis of tuberculosis.

Objectives: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of Xpert Ultra for detecting pulmonary tuberculosis, tuberculous meningitis, lymph node tuberculosis, and …

Sperm And Offspring Production In A Nonobstructive Azoospermia Mouse Model Via Testicular Mrna Delivery Using Lipid Nanoparticles, Daisuke Mashiko, Chihiro Emori, Yuki Hatanaka, Daisuke Motooka, Chen Pan, Yuki Kaneda, Martin M Matzuk, Masahito Ikawa

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Microsurgical testicular sperm extraction (microTESE) with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) represents the current standard treatment for nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA). However, cures remain unavailable for NOA patients lacking retrievable haploid cells. mRNA supplementation could be a potential treatment for genetic defects leading to impaired spermatogenesis. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have emerged as mRNA delivery vehicles with minimal risk of genome integration; however, their ability to selectively deliver mRNA to specific cell types remains limited. To overcome this, microRNA (miRNA) target sequences were incorporated into mRNA constructs to restrict expression specifically to germ cells. Using pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 subunit alpha 2 (PDHA2) knockout …

Everolimus And Low-Dose Tacrolimus After Heart Transplant In Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Christopher S Almond, Kevin P Daly, Erin L Albers, Juan C Alejos, Rebecca Ameduri, Scott R Auerbach, Lynsey Barkoff, Aliessa P Barnes, Matthew J Bock, Arene Butto, Waldemar F Carlo, Chesney D Castleberry, Maryanne R Chrisant, Shriprasad R Deshpande, William J Dreyer, Melanie D Everitt, Brian Feingold, Selena Gonzales, Seth A Hollander, Steven J Kindel, Gloria L Klein, Ashwin K Lal, Jacqueline M Lamour, Joanne Lee, Minmin Lu, Irene D Lytrivi, Shelley D Miyamoto, Elfriede Pahl, David M Peng, Thomas D Ryan, Tajinder P Singh, Jennifer A Su, David L Sutcliffe, A Marian Ybarra, Steven Zangwill, Joseph W Rossano, Lynn A Sleeper

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Importance: Studies suggest that everolimus may reduce the risk of rejection, cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and cytomegalovirus (CMV) after heart transplant. Everolimus use is controversial because of data demonstrating higher infection deaths when everolimus is introduced de novo after transplant. It is unclear whether everolimus is safe and effective when initiated at 6 months posttransplant in children, a population in which median graft survival is limited to 15 years and randomized clinical trials are lacking.

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of everolimus combined with low-dose tacrolimus to prevent major adverse transplant events (MATEs) in …

Regorafenib Pulmonary Toxicity: A Case Of Cavitary Lung Disease And Ards Treated With Infliximab, Michael Dong, Mackenzie Kramer, Tanmay Gandhi, Gautam George

Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine Faculty Papers

Regorafenib-induced pneumonitis and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are rare and poorly characterized toxicities. We describe a 43-year-old male with metastatic colorectal cancer who developed hypoxic respiratory failure after two cycles of regorafenib. Imaging revealed cavitary lung lesions and diffuse ground glass opacities. Despite antibiotics and high-dose corticosteroids, his condition deteriorated, requiring ICU admission and mechanical ventilation. Bronchoalveolar lavage revealed bacterial pathogens, and he was treated for pneumonia. After multidisciplinary discussion, he was assessed to have regorafenib-induced pneumonitis as a major driver of his respiratory failure, and after limited steroid response, infliximab was administered with marked respiratory improvement. However, he …

Large Language Models As Information Providers For Appropriate Antimicrobial Use: Computational Text Analysis And Expert-Rated Comparison Of Chatgpt, Claude And Gemini, Marcello Di Pumpo, Maria Rosaria Gualano, Danilo Buonsenso, Francesca Raffaelli, Daniele Donà, Vittorio Maio, Patrizia Laurenti, Walter Ricciardi, Leonardo Villani

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: Antimicrobial resistance is a critical public health threat. Large language models (LLMs) show great capability for providing health information. This study evaluates the effectiveness of LLMs in providing information on antibiotic use and infection management.

METHODS: Using a mixed-method approach, responses to healthcare expert-designed scenarios from ChatGPT 3.5, ChatGPT 4.0, Claude 2.0 and Gemini 1.0, in both Italian and English, were analysed. Computational text analysis assessed readability, lexical diversity and sentiment, while content quality was assessed by three experts via DISCERN tool.

RESULTS: 16 scenarios were developed. A total of 101 outputs and 5454 Likert-scale (1-5) scores were obtained …

Alterations Of The Upper Respiratory Microbiome Among Children Living With Hiv Infection In Botswana, Sweta M Patel, John Farirai, Mohamed Z Patel, Sifelane Boiditswe, Leabaneng Tawe, Shimane Lekalake, Mogomotsi Matshaba, Andrew P Steenhoff, Tonya Arscott-Mills, Kristen A Feemster, Samir S Shah, Nathan Thielman, Coleen K Cunningham, Lawrence A David, David M Murdoch, Matthew S Kelly

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Children living with HIV (CLWH) are at high risk of colonization and infection by respiratory pathogens, though this risk can be reduced by other microbes in the upper respiratory microbiome. The impact of HIV infection on the pediatric upper respiratory microbiome is poorly understood, and we sought to address this knowledge gap by identifying associations between HIV infection and the nasopharyngeal microbiomes of Batswana children. We enrolled Batswana CLWH (< 5 years) and age- and sex-matched HIV-exposed, uninfected and HIV-unexposed, uninfected children in a cross-sectional study. We used shotgun metagenomic sequencing to compare nasopharyngeal microbiomes by HIV status. Among the 143 children in this study, HIV and HIV-associated immunosuppression were associated with alterations in nasopharyngeal microbiome composition, including lower abundances of Corynebacterium species associated with resistance to bacterial pathogen colonization. These findings suggest that the upper respiratory microbiome may contribute to the high risk of respiratory infections among CLWH.

Investigating Patient Non-Attendance To Healthcare Appointments In Türkiye: Data From A State Hospital And An Oral And Dental Health Center, Eyüp Sari, Ali̇ Ni̇yazi̇ Kurtcebe, Ci̇han Döğer, Recep Aydin

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: To determine the frequency and reasons for appointment nonattendance in a state hospital and a dental health center in a densely populated district of Türkiye, and to identify related factors to guide preventive measures.

Materials and methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study included patients who scheduled appointments at Ankara Etimesgut State Hospital and Etimesgut Oral and Dental Health Center through the Centralized Patient Appointment System (Merkezi Hekim Randevu Sistemi; MHRS) in February 2024. Nonattendees were contacted in March 2024 to determine reasons for nonattendance.

Results: A total of 30,552 appointments were analyzed (1978 dental, 28,574 hospital). The overall nonattendance rate …

Fear Of Covid-19 And Hygiene Behaviors: A Study Of Secondary School Students In İstanbul ​, Zozan Göksu, Hayri̇ye Kirkoyun Uysal, Mehmet Demi̇rci̇, Di̇lek Dülger, Seda Eki̇ci̇

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: This study investigates the relationship between fear of COVID-19, measured using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), and the hygiene behaviors of secondary school students, assessed with the Hygiene Behavior Scale (HBS).

Materials and methods: Included in this cross-sectional study were 206 secondary school students. The study data were analyzed using multivariate linear regression.

Results: No relationship was found between the fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S) score of the student sample and the mean total HBS and subdimension values (p > 0.05). It was noted that positive hygiene behaviors decreased as the scale score increased. Students with retired mothers scored …

Functional Roles Of The Complement Immune System In Cardiac Inflammation And Hypertrophy, Kathryn D Hok, Haydn E Rich, Anthony Shadid, Lavanya Gunamalai, Tingting Weng-Mills, Rajarajan A Thandavarayan, Nirmal K Banda, Marie-Francoise Doursout, Marcos I Restrepo, Pooja Shivshankar

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

Cardiac inflammation and hypertrophy develop as a pathologic response to an array of insults, such as myocardial infarctions, chronic systemic hypertension, and valvular defects. Due to the high prevalence of such conditions, there is an increasing need to prevent and halt cardiac hypertrophy. Because cardiac damage and subsequent remodeling can lead to arrhythmias, heart failure, and even sudden cardiac death, inhibition of cardiac hypertrophy is key to reducing cardiovascular-related mortality. The immune system is the driving force behind inflammatory reactions. All three pathways of complement system activation-classical, lectin, and alternative-are implicated in developing cardiac damage, inflammation, and hypertrophy due to …

Establishing Priority Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship Interventions In The Us: Findings From A Delphi Consensus Study, Harry Obeng, Emmanuel Tetteh, Sara Malone, Lauren Walsh, Tyler Walsh, Fernando J Bula-Rudas, Ritu Banerjee, Adam W Brothers, Joshua C Herigon, Katie Namtu, Scott Weissman, Daniel Riggsbee, Jared Olson, Debra Lynn Palazzi, Ann Wirtz, Matthew Sattler, Jessica Tansmore, Brittany A Rodriguez, Monica Abdelnour, Joshua R Watson, Alison C Tribble, Jessica Gillon, Mari Nakamura, Sarah Jones, Jason G Newland, Virginia R Mckay

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background/objectives: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global health threat, with children at higher risk due to developmental differences in drug metabolism, limited treatment options and inappropriate antibiotic use. Pediatric antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) face implementation challenges, often relying on adult-based guidelines and limited pediatric-specific evidence. This study aimed to identify and prioritize the most critical areas for pediatric ASP intervention development through a structured, multi-round Delphi consensus process with experts in antimicrobial stewardship and infectious diseases.

Method: A four-round modified Delphi process was conducted to identify and prioritize key pediatric ASP interventions. Experts in antimicrobial stewardship and infectious diseases …

Vaccine And Treatment Evaluation Units: A Historical Perspective, Robert B Belshe, David I Bernstein, Kathryn M Edwards, Sharon E Frey, Wendy A Keitel, Myron M Levine, John J Treanor, Peter F Wright

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

On 27 February 1962, Surgeon General Luther Terry announced a new vaccine development program within the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Initially, the plan had three components: (1) special laboratories and facilities for development of prototype vaccines; (2) pilot lot production facilities and preliminary vaccine trial sites; and (3) larger lot production capacity and expanded human testing. Respiratory viruses were targeted as the top priority for vaccine development. Over 5 decades, this program has evolved and expanded to include multiple academic vaccine evaluation sites within the network, now labeled as the Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units (VTEUs). …

Multimodal Reprogramming Of The Tumor Microenvironment By Mmr And Dual Checkpoint Blockade In Hepatocellular Carcinoma Models, Mulu Z. Tesfay, Aleksandra Cios, Khandoker Usran Ferdous, Randal S. Shelton, Bahaa Mustafa, Camila C. Simoes, Murat Gokden, Isabelle R. Miousse, Kimberly J. Krager, Marjan Boerma, Alicja Urbaniak, Anuradha Kunthur, Sri Obulareddy, Joshua M. Eichhorn, Steven R. Post, Jean Christopher Chamcheu, Omeed Moaven, Chiswili Y. Chabu, Dan G. Duda, Matteo Conti, Bruno Nardo, Rang Govindarajan, Martin E. Fernandez-Zapico, Lewis R. Roberts, Mitesh J. Borad, Martin J. Cannon, Alexei G. Basnakian, Bolni M. Nagalo

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, thus, there is an urgent need to develop more effective therapeutic options for this dismal condition. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are associated with improved response to immune checkpoint blockade in HCC, but their low abundance in most cases limits their therapeutic efficacy. Here, we demonstrate, in mice, that low-dose intratumoral immunovirotherapy with the trivalent measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) induces superior tumor-growth delay and extended host survival compared to individually administered vaccines for measles, mumps, or rubella viruses. Further, our results show that MMR therapy synergizes with PD-1 and …

Practicing With Intent: How To Teach An Old Dogma New Tricks, Matthew C Phillips, Kusha Davar, Sarah Freling, Steven Y C Tong, Todd C Lee, Emily G Mcdonald, Travis B Nielsen, Noah Wald-Dickler, Alfredo J Mena Lora, Rachael A Lee, Fergus Hamilton, Daniel M Musher, Rodrigo P L Costa, Bassam Ghanem, Rachel Baden, Brad Spellberg

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Clinicians are constantly bombarded with an onslaught of newly published data, yet they must make clinical decisions despite a dearth of clinical data. Sometimes, they may fall back on clinical practices entrenched by experience, unaware that they are upheld by dogmatic tradition rather than robust evidence. Ideally, the totality of evidence must be assessed and utilized for clinical decision-making, irrespective of entrenched orthodoxy. Here, we explore the questions, how much evidence is needed to revise established clinical practices and, more fundamentally, can data alone truly catalyze such shifts.

Correlation Of Immunological Biomarkers And Severity Of Pneumonia In Pediatric Patients, Dhifaf Abdulrhaman, Mohammed B Hassan

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

Among children under five, pneumonia stands as a major contributor to both illness and death, creating a significant challenge for global health efforts. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between radiological severity, clinical parameters (such as fever and oxygen saturation), and laboratory markers (including CRP levels, white blood cell count, and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio) in pediatric patients with pneumonia. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 51 hospitalized children with severe pneumonia admitted to Al Mansour Pediatric Hospital in Baghdad from July 2024 to February 2025. The results revealed a strong association between radiologic severity and clinical indicators, with higher …

Assessing Spatial Variability In Observed Infectious Disease Spread In A Prospective Time-Space Series, Chih-Chieh Wu, Chien-Hsiun Chen, Shann-Rong Wang, Sanjay Shete

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Most of the growing prospective analytic methods in space-time disease surveillance and intended functions of disease surveillance systems focus on earlier detection of disease outbreaks, disease clusters, or increased incidence. The spread of the virus such as SARS-CoV-2 has not been spatially and temporally uniform in an outbreak. With the identification of an infectious disease outbreak, recognizing and evaluating anomalies (excess and decline) of disease incidence spread at the time of occurrence during the course of an outbreak is a logical next step. We propose and formulate a hypergeometric probability model that investigates anomalies of infectious disease incidence spread at …

Vaccine Value Profile For Schistosomiasis, Gavin Yamey, Kaci Kennedy Mcdade, Roy M Anderson, Sarah M Bartsch, Maria Elena Bottazzi, David Diemert, Peter J Hotez, Bruce Y Lee, Donald Mcmanus, Adebayo J Molehin, Meta Roestenberg, David Rollinson, Afzal A Siddiqui, Miriam Tendler, Joanne P Webster, Hong You, Raphaël M Zellweger, Caroline Marshall

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Schistosomiasis is caused by parasitic flatworms (Schistosoma). The disease in humans can be caused by seven different species of Schistosoma: S. mansoni, S. japonicum, S. haematobium, S. malayensis, S. mekongi, S. guineensis and S. intercalatum, as well as by hybrids between species, including livestock schistosome species. People are infected when exposed to infested water and the parasite larvae penetrate the skin. Poor and rural communities are typically the most affected, and the general population who lives in affected areas and is exposed to contaminated water is at risk. Areas with poor access to safe water and adequate sanitation are also …

Advancing Peptide-Based Vaccines Against Candida: A Comparative Perspective On Liposomal And Synthetic Formulations, Hong Xin

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

The growing threat of multidrug-resistant fungal pathogens, especially Candida auris, has underscored the need for effective antifungal vaccines. This commentary highlights recent advances in peptide-based vaccination using the SNAP (Spontaneous Nanoliposome Antigen Presentation) platform, focusing on the FM-SNAP vaccine, a bivalent liposomal formulation targeting the surface-expressed peptides fructose bisphosphate aldolase (Fba) and methionine synthase (Met6). Compared to earlier constructs such as MP12, FM-SNAP achieves superior immunogenicity and long-lasting protection at lower antigen doses. It elicits balanced Th1/Th2 cytokine responses and demonstrates durable efficacy in both immunocompetent and complement-deficient mouse models. The platform's compatibility with clinically approved adjuvants (MPLA and QS-21), …

Use Of Modified Z-Domain Peptides To Specifically Label The Constant Region Of Immunoglobulin G And Vegf, Madeline Allen

Department of Chemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Antibodies are increasingly being used in medicinal therapies due to their ability to specifically bind to a target antigen. This fundamental behavior of antibodies has been used as a key component in drug development to address common problems with traditional drug molecules such as off-targeting, fast drug clearance, and low efficacy. This thesis provides some background into how antibodies can be used as potential treatments for a few diseases. Chapter 1 begins with an overview of the human immune system, and the role antibodies play within it. Then, the variety of ways in which antibodies can be used as medicinal …

Cervical And Tumor-Associated Microbiomes In Botswana Women With And Without Hiv With Carcinoma Of The Cervix Before And After Definitive Chemoradiation, Travis T Sims, Kyoko Yoshida-Court, Molly B El Alam, Pleasure Ramatlho, Rebecca Ketlametswe, Matthew S Ning, Erle S Robertson, Kathleen M Schmeler, Lauren E Colbert, Ann H Klopp, Surbhi Grover

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: Cervical cancer remains a significant public health concern globally and particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where high rates of HIV infection exacerbate cervical cancer incidence. Understanding the cervical microbiome and its role in cancer progression is essential, especially in regions where both cervical cancer incidence and HIV prevalence are high. This study aimed to characterize the cervical microbiome in women living with HIV (WLWH) and HIV-negative women with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix in Botswana, compare the microbiome between before and after chemoradiation therapy (CRT) in WLWH, and assess the prognostic value of specific microbial taxa for overall survival …

Nrf2 Hyperactivation As A Driver Of Radiotherapy Resistance And Suppressed Antitumor Immunity In Head And Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Rutulkumar Patel, Kalil Saab, Lixia Luo, Yan Ma, Rashid Abdullah Osman, Nerissa T Williams, Jeffrey Everitt, Maciej J Zelazowski, Patricia Castro, William K Decker, William H Hudson, Jeffrey N Myers, Vlad C Sandulache, Mitchell J Frederick, Yvonne M Mowery, David G Kirsch

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: Alterations in the KEAP1/NFE2L2 (NRF2)/CUL3 pathway occur in ∼20% of human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) and are associated with resistance to standard-of-care therapy. However, this pathway's role in radiotherapy resistance in HNSCC has not been well studied.

Experimental design: We generated genetically engineered mouse models and developed primary murine cancer cell lines harboring mutations commonly observed in human HNSCC, including inducible activation of PIK3CA and deletion of Trp53, with or without Keap1 loss. Primary tumors were initiated via 4-hydroxytamoxifen injection ± the tobacco carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene (BAP) into the oral buccal mucosa. Tumors were analyzed by Western …