Digital Commons Network^™

Molecular Testing Of Environmental Samples As A Potential Source To Estimate Parasite Infection, Rojelio Mejia, Barton Slatko, Cristina Almazan, Ruben Cimino, Alejandro Krolewiecki, Natalia Montellano Duran, Jacob Edwin Valera Aspetty, Paola Andrea Vargas, Chiara Cássia Oliveira Amorim, Stefan Michael Geiger, Ricardo Toshio Fujiwara, Juan David Ramirez, Luz Marina Llangarí-Arizo, Irene Guadalupe, Liliana E Villanueva-Lizama, Julio Vladimir Cruz-Chan, María Leticia Ojeda, Eva Mereles Aranda, Sandra Ocampos Benedetti, Maritza Dalí Camones Rivera, Eddyson Montalvo Sabino, Carlos Pineda, Eric J Wetzel, Philip J Cooper

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

We discuss the potential usefulness of molecular testing of soil, dust, and water samples to detect medically important parasites, and where such testing could be used to supplement stool sampling in humans. A wide variety of parasites including protozoa and helminths, many of which are zoonotic, have an important infection reservoir in the environment. In some cases, this environmental period is essential for further parasite development. We describe the progress in implementing methods for the molecular detection of these parasites in soil across eight collaborating centers in Latin America and represent a variety of potential applications in improving our understanding …

A Review Of Studies On Hiv Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis In Community Pharmacies In States With Restrictive Pharmacist Prescription Authority In The United States, Hongmei Wang, Dominique Guinn, Xavier Roshitha Ramisetty, Thomas P Giordano, Ivy O Poon

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Community pharmacies have unparalleled potential to increase access to pre-exposure prophylaxis medications (PrEP) for HIV prevention; however, only 17 out of 50 states in the United States have statewide authority for pharmacists to provide PrEP at community pharmacies. Few studies have reported on how pharmacists overcome the legislative barrier and provide PrEP services in restrictive pharmacy prescription states. The objective of this article is to identify the existing primary literature describing pharmacist PrEP services in the community in states with restrictive prescription authority. Methods: A systemic literature review was conducted to identify the primary literature that involved community pharmacy service …

Mta-Cooperative Prmt5 Inhibitors Enhance T Cell-Mediated Antitumor Activity In Mtap-Loss Tumors, Si Chen, Jiakai Hou, Roshni Jaffery, Ashley Guerrero, Rongjie Fu, Leilei Shi, Ningbo Zheng, Ritu Bohat, Nicholas A Egan, Chengtai Yu, Sana Sharif, Yue Lu, Wei He, Shuyue Wang, Donjeta Gjuka, Everett M Stone, Pooja Anil Shah, Jordi Rodon Ahnert, Taiping Chen, Xinli Liu, Mark T Bedford, Han Xu, Weiyi Peng

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Hyperactivated protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) are implicated in human cancers. Inhibiting tumor intrinsic PRMT5 was reported to potentiate antitumor immune responses, highlighting the possibility of combining PRMT5 inhibitors (PRMT5i) with cancer immunotherapy. However, global suppression of PRMT5 activity impairs the effector functions of immune cells. Here, we sought to identify strategies to specifically inhibit PRMT5 activity in tumor tissues and develop effective PRMT5i-based immuno-oncology (IO) combinations for cancer treatment, particularly for methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP)-loss cancer.

METHODS: Isogeneic tumor lines with and without MTAP loss were generated by CRISPR/Cas9 knockout. The effects of two PRMT5 inhibitors (GSK3326595 and MRTX1719) were …

The Hcv-Melanoma Paradox: First Multi-Cohort And Molecular Net-Work Analysis Reveals Lower Incidence But Worse Outcomes—Integrating Clinical, Real-World, And In Silico Data, Essam Al Ageeli, Jawaher A. Abdulhakim, Mohammad H. Hussein, Maryam M. Alnoman, Samia S. Alkhalil, Peter P. Issa, Nader A. Nemr, Ahmed Abdelmaksoud, Dhaifallah A. Alenizi, Manal S. Fawzy, Eman A. Toraih

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background and Objectives: The relationship between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and melanoma remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the association between HCV and melanoma, assess outcomes in patients with both conditions, and explore potential molecular mechanisms connecting the two diseases. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 142 melanoma patients, including 29 with HCV-related cirrhosis, and analyzed their clinical outcomes. For external validation, we used the TriNetX Global Collaborative Network database, comprising 219,960 propensity-matched patients per group. An in silico analysis was performed to identify the molecular pathways linking HCV and melanoma. Results: In …

Humoral Immunity And Antibody Responses Against Diphtheria, Tetanus, And Pneumococcus After Immune Effector Cell Therapies: A Prospective Study, Georgios Angelidakis, Roy F Chemaly, Pranoti V Sahasrabhojane, Oscar Morado-Aramburo, Ying Jiang, Micah M Bhatti, Elizabeth Shpall, Chitra Hosing, Preetesh Jain, Kris Michael Mahadeo, Fareed Khawaja, Peter Elhajj, Jennifer A Wargo, Robert R Jenq, Nadim J Ajami, Partow Kebriaei, Ella J Ariza-Heredia

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Patients undergoing immune effector cell therapy (IECT) are at high risk for infections. We assessed seropositivity against pneumococcus, tetanus, and diphtheria in patients before and after IECT and the patients' response to vaccination. We enrolled patients who underwent IECT from January 2020 to March 2022. Antibody levels for diphtheria, tetanus, and pneumococcus were measured before IECT, at 1 month, and 3-6 months after. Eligible patients were vaccinated after IECT. In non-seroprotected patients, we discontinued testing. Before IECT, most patients had seroprotective antibody levels against tetanus (68/69, 99%) and diphtheria (65/69, 94%), but fewer did against pneumococcus (24/67, 36%). After IECT, …

Gut Phageome In Mexican Americans: A Population At High Risk For Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease And Diabetes, Suet-Ying Kwan, Caroline M Sabotta, Lorenzo R Cruz, Matthew C Wong, Nadim J Ajami, Joseph B Mccormick, Susan P Fisher-Hoch, Laura Beretta

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Mexican Americans are disproportionally affected by metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which often co-occurs with diabetes. Despite extensive evidence on the causative role of the gut microbiome in MASLD, studies determining the involvement of the gut phageome are scarce. In this cross-sectional study, we characterized the gut phageome in Mexican Americans of South Texas by stool shotgun metagenomic sequencing of 340 subjects, concurrently screened for liver steatosis by transient elastography. Inter-individual variations in the phageome were associated with gender, country of birth, diabetes, and liver steatosis. The phage signatures for diabetes and liver steatosis were subsequently determined. Enrichment of …

Development Of A Maturity Assessment Tool To Evaluate And Strengthen National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (Nitags), Eliza Dryer, Abigail Shefer, Shalini Desai, Lance Rodewald, Magdalena Bastías, Nathalie El Omeiri, Sidy Ndiaye, Kori Cook, Louise Henaff, Erin Kennedy

Staff and Researcher Publications

As dozens of new National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) were established worldwide in the past decade, and as existing NITAGs continued to play an important role in vaccine policy, global NITAG partners recognized a need for a standardized assessment tool to evaluate and strengthen their functions. This article describes the development of the NITAG Maturity Assessment Tool (NMAT), a stepwise evaluation tool that assesses NITAGs on seven key indicators of structure and process. A draft tool was developed through an iterative, consensus-based process with an expert working group before it was piloted with an economically and geographically diverse convenience …

Curcumin Alleviates Inflammatory Effects Of Ketamine Anesthesia In Postnatal Rats, Soroush Afshar Ghahremani, Abbas Raisi, Sohrab Minaei Beirami, Houman Kahroba, Mahnaz Mardani, Omid Dezfoulian, Vahideh Tarhriz

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

Curcumin has been employed in traditional medicine for over a millennium to treat various ailments, and its global use is now widespread. Chinese medicine relies heavily on curcumin as a primary element and uses it to cure infectious diseases, skin disorders, depression, and stress. It has cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and anti-diabetic properties, as well as pharmacological effects on disorders like type II diabetes, atherosclerosis, and human immunodeficiency virus replication. The anti-cancer activity of curcumin has been studied extensively with notable improvements in gastrointestinal, melanoma, urogenital, breast, and lung malignancies. We investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin on expression of tumor necrosis …

Comparison Of Multi-Parallel Quantitative Real-Time Pcrs Targeting Different Dna Regions And Detecting Soil-Transmitted Helminths In Stool, Marina Papaiakovou, Rubén O Cimino, Nils Pilotte, Julia Dunn, D Timothy J Littlewood, Steven A Williams, Alejandro J Krolewiecki, Rojelio Mejia

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Soil-transmitted helminths infect an estimated 18% of the world's population, causing a significant health burden. Microscopy has been the primary tool for diagnosing eggs from fecal samples, but its sensitivity drops in low-prevalence settings. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is slowly increasing in research and clinical settings. However, there is still no consensus on preferred qPCR targets.

METHODS: We aimed to compare soil-transmitted helminth (STH) DNA detection methods by testing naïve stool samples spiked with known quantities of STH eggs and larvae. DNA extracts from spiked samples were tested using independent quantitative realtime PCR (qPCR) assays targeting ribosomal …

Houston, We Have A Problem: Diagnostic Difficulties In The Aids Patient With Tuberculosis Infection, Hector D. Preciado, Maria E. Torres, Muhammad A. Siddiqui, Liza Salloum, Lee Gelpi, Jose E. Campo Maldonado

Research Colloquium

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of infectious death worldwide with 1.5 million deaths annually and nearly 1/4th of the world’s population (1.7 billion) infected with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in 2014. Its diagnosis conventionally relies on tuberculin skin testing (TST), and Interferon-Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) which relies on the production of Interferon Gamma (IFN-y) in response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) specific antigens. IGRA is a useful tool for detecting latent TB disease, and can be used as an adjunct for the diagnosis of active TB cases. Increases in IFN-y levels might support the diagnosis of a new TB …

Expanding The Crispr Base Editing Toolbox In Drosophila Melanogaster, Michael Clark, Christina Nguyen, Hung Nguyen, Aidan Tay, Samuel J Beach, Maciej Maselko, Víctor López Del Amo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

CRISPR base editors can introduce point mutations into DNA precisely, and cytosine base editors (CBEs) catalyze C to T transitions. While CBEs have been thoroughly explored in cell culture and organisms such as mice, little is known about DNA base editing in insects. In this study, we evaluated germline editing rates of three different CBEs expressed under actin (ubiquitous) or nanos (germline) promoters utilizing Drosophila melanogaster. The original Rattus norvegicus-derived cytosine deaminase APOBEC1 (rAPO-1) displayed high base editing rates (~99%) with undetectable indel formation. Additionally, we show that base editors can be used for generating male sterility and female lethality. …

Role Of Poly(A)-Binding Protein Cytoplasmic 1, A Trna-Derived Rna Fragment-Bound Protein, In Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection, Devin V Davis, Eun-Jin Choi, Deena Ismail, Miranda L Hernandez, Jong Min Choi, Ke Zhang, Kashish Khatkar, Sung Yun Jung, Wenzhe Wu, Xiaoyong Bao

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a significant cause of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) across all demographics, with increasing mortality and morbidity among high-risk groups such as infants under two years old, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals. Although newly approved vaccines and treatments have substantially reduced RSV hospitalizations, accessibility remains limited, and response to treatment varies. This underscores the importance of comprehensive studies on host-RSV interactions. tRNA-derived RNA fragments (tRFs) are recently discovered non-coding RNAs, notable for their regulatory roles in diseases, including viral infections. Our prior work demonstrated that RSV infection induces tRFs, primarily derived from the 5'-end of …

Synthesis And Optimization Of Small Molecule Inhibitors Of Prostate Specific Antigen, Jeffery A Erickson, Ravikumar Jimmidi, Prashanth Anamthathmakula, Xuan Qin, Jian Wang, Leyi Gong, Jaehyeon Park, Gary Koolpe, Caitlin Tan, Martin M Matzuk, Feng Li, Srinivas Chamakuri, Wipawee Winuthayanon

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Semen liquefaction is a postejaculation process that transforms semen from a gel-like (coagulated) form to a water-like consistency (liquefied). This process is primarily regulated by serine proteases from the prostate gland, most prominently, prostate-specific antigen (PSA; KLK3). Inhibiting PSA activity has the potential to impede liquefaction of human semen, presenting a promising target for nonhormonal contraception in the female reproductive tract. This study employed triazole B1 as a starting compound. Through systematic design, synthesis, and optimization, we identified compound 20 (CDD-3290) as a 216 nM inhibitor of PSA with better stability in media than triazole B1. Further, we also evaluated …

Persistent Tailoring Of Msc Activation Through Genetic Priming, Michael A Beauregard, Guy C Bedford, Daniel A Brenner, Leonardo D Sanchez Solis, Tomoki Nishiguchi, Abhimanyu, Santiago Carrero Longlax, Barun Mahata, Omid Veiseh, Pamela L Wenzel, Andrew R Dinardo, Isaac B Hilton, Michael R Diehl

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are an attractive platform for cell therapy due to their safety profile and unique ability to secrete broad arrays of immunomodulatory and regenerative molecules. Yet, MSCs are well known to require preconditioning or priming to boost their therapeutic efficacy. Current priming methods offer limited control over MSC activation, yield transient effects, and often induce the expression of pro-inflammatory effectors that can potentiate immunogenicity. Here, we describe a genetic priming method that can both selectively and sustainably boost MSC potency via the controlled expression of the inflammatory-stimulus-responsive transcription factor interferon response factor 1 (IRF1). MSCs engineered to …

Sensory Dysfunction, Microbial Infections, And Host Responses In Alzheimer's Disease, Praveen Bathini, Emanuele Brai, Brian J Balin, Lynn Bimler, David B Corry, Davangere P Devanand, Richard L Doty, Garth D Ehrlich, William A Eimer, Tamas Fulop, David L Hahn, Christine J Hammond, Joseph Infanti, Ruth Itzhaki, Richard Lathe, Christopher Scott Little, Rima Mcleod, Shima T Moein, Amy R Nelson, George Perry, Or A Shemesh, Rudolph E Tanzi, Wilmore C Webley, Nikki M Schultek, Lavinia Alberi Auber

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Sensory functions of organs of the head and neck allow humans to interact with the environment and establish social bonds. With aging, smell, taste, vision, and hearing decline. Evidence suggests that accelerated impairment in sensory abilities can reflect a shift from healthy to pathological aging, including the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurological disorders. While the drivers of early sensory alteration in AD are not elucidated, insults such as trauma and infections can affect sensory function. Herein, we review the involvement of the major head and neck sensory systems in AD, with emphasis on microbes exploiting sensory pathways …

Characterizing The Monomer-Dimer Equilibrium Of Ubch8/Ube2l6: A Combined Saxs And Nmr Study, Kerem Kahraman, Scott A. Robson, Oktay Göcenler, Cansu M. Yenici, Cansu D. Tozkoparan Ceylan, Jennifer M. Klein, Volker Dötsch, Emine Sonay Elgin, Arthur L. Haas, Joshua J. Ziarek, Çağdaş Dağ

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Interferon-stimulated gene-15 (ISG15) is an interferon-induced protein with two ubiquitin-like (Ubl) domains linked by a short peptide chain and is a conjugated protein of the ISGylation system. Similar to ubiquitin and other Ubls, ISG15 is ligated to its target proteins through a series of E1, E2, and E3 enzymes known as Uba7, Ube2L6/UbcH8, and HERC5, respectively. Ube2L6/UbcH8 plays a central role in ISGylation, underscoring it as an important drug target for boosting innate antiviral immunity. Depending on the type of conjugated protein and the ultimate target protein, E2 enzymes have been shown to function as monomers, dimers, or both. UbcH8 …

Reimagining Critical Care: Trends And Shifts In 21st Century Medicine, Sai Doppalapudi, Bilal Khan, Muhammad Adrish

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Critical care medicine has undergone significant evaluation in the 21st century, primarily driven by advancements in technology, changes in healthcare delivery, and a deeper understanding of disease processes. Advancements in technology have revolutionized patient monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment in the critical care setting. From minimally invasive procedures to advances imaging techniques, clinicians now have access to a wide array of tools to assess and manage critically ill patients more effectively. In this editorial we comment on the review article published by Padte S et al wherein they concisely describe the latest developments in critical care medicine.

Fcrider: A Recombinant Fc Nanoparticle With Endogenous Adjuvant Activities For Hybrid Immunization, Changchuin Mao, Karen Eberle, Xiaojie Chen, Yiming Zhou, Jun Li, Hong Xin, Wenda Gao

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

Active immunization (vaccination) induces long-lasting immunity with memory, which takes weeks to months to develop. Passive immunization (transfer of neutralizing antibodies) provides immediate protection, yet with high cost and effects being comparatively short-lived. No currently approved adjuvants are compatible with formulations to combine active and passive immunizations, not to mention their huge disparities in administration routes and dosage. To solve this, we engineered the Fc fragment of human IgG1 into a hexamer nanoparticle and expressed its afucosylated form in Fut8−/− CHO cells, naming it “FcRider.” FcRider is highly soluble with long-term stability, easily produced at high levels equivalent to those …

Identification Of A Clade-Specific Hla-C*03:02 Ctl Epitope Gy9 Derived From The Hiv-1 P17 Matrix Protein, Samuel Kyobe, Savannah Mwesigwa, Gyaviira Nkurunungi, Gaone Retshabile, Moses Egesa, Eric Katagirya, Marion Amujal, Busisiwe C Mlotshwa, Lesedi Williams, Hakim Sendagire, On Behalf Of The Cafgen Consortium, Dithan Kiragga, Graeme Mardon, Mogomotsi Matshaba, Neil A Hanchard, Jacqueline Kyosiimire-Lugemwa, David Robinson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Efforts towards an effective HIV-1 vaccine have remained mainly unsuccessful. There is increasing evidence for a potential role of HLA-C-restricted CD8+ T cell responses in HIV-1 control, including our recent report of HLA-C*03:02 among African children. However, there are no documented optimal HIV-1 CD8+ T cell epitopes restricted by HLA-C*03:02; additionally, the structural influence of HLA-C*03:02 on epitope binding is undetermined. Immunoinformatics approaches provide a fast and inexpensive method to discover HLA-restricted epitopes. Here, we employed immunopeptidomics to identify HLA-C*03:02 CD8+ T cell epitopes. We identified a clade-specific Gag-derived GY9 (GTEELRSLY) HIV-1 p17 matrix epitope potentially restricted to HLA-C*03:02. Residues …

Parasitic Contamination Of Soil In The Southern United States, Christine Crudo Blackburn, Sally Mingshuang Yan, David Mccormick, Lauren Nicholas Herrera, Roumen Borilov Iordanov, Mark Daniel Bailey, Maria Elena Bottazzi, Peter J Hotez, Rojelio Mejia

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Parasites are generally associated with lower income countries in tropical and subtropical areas. Still, they are also prevalent in low-income communities in the southern United States. Studies characterizing the epidemiology of parasites in the United States are limited, resulting in little comprehensive understanding of the problem. This study investigated the environmental contamination of parasites in the southern United States by determining each parasite's contamination rate and burden in five low-income communities. A total of 499 soil samples of approximately 50 g were collected from public parks and private residences in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas. A technique using …

Human Papillomavirus Vaccination And Human Papillomavirus-Related Cancer Rates, Victor Adekanmbi, Itunu Sokale, Fangjian Guo, Jessica Ngo, Thao N Hoang, Christine D Hsu, Abiodun Oluyomi, Abbey B Berenson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

IMPORTANCE: To inform the design and implementation of targeted interventions to reduce the future burden of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers in Texas, it is necessary to examine the county and health service region (HSR) levels of (1) the proportion of children and teenagers aged 9 to 17 years who initiated and were up to date for HPV vaccination series and (2) HPV-related cancer incidence rates (IRs).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate temporal trends and geospatial patterns of HPV vaccination initiation and up-to-date status as well as HPV-related cancer rates at county and HSR levels in Texas.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This population-based …

The Il-6 Hypothesis In Covid-19: A Phase 2, Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study To Evaluate The Efficacy And Safety Of Free Il-6 Sequestration By The Monoclonal Antibody Sirukumab In Severe And Critical Covid-19, Robert L. Gottlieb, Meredith Clement, Paul Cook, Audra Deveikis, Kap Sum Foong, Philip Robinson, Jihad Slim, Cedric W. Spak, Annemie Buelens, Katleen Callewaert, Sandra De Meyer, Wai Ling Mo, Inge Verbrugge, Liesbeth Van Wesenbeeck, Yanli Zhuang, Jason W. Chien, Magda Opsomer, Erika Van Landuyt

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Upregulation of IL-6 has been associated with worse prognosis in COVID-19 patients. Impact on IL-6 signalling has mostly been limited to clinical outcomes in IL-6 receptor antagonist trials. Methods: We performed a phase 2, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (NCT04380961) of US-based hospitalised adults (< 85 years) with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe (low levels of supplemental oxygen) or critical disease (high levels of oxygen supplementation). Patients received sirukumab 5 mg/kg or placebo single dose IV on Day 1 plus standard of care. The primary endpoint was time to sustained clinical improvement up to Day 28 based on an ordinal scale. Secondary endpoints included clinical improvement, all-cause mortality, and safety. Following an interim analysis, the protocol was amended to only recruit patients with critical COVID-19. Findings: From May 2020 to March 2021, 209 patients were randomised; 112 had critical disease (72 sirukumab, 40 placebo) at baseline. Median time to sustained clinical improvement in critical patients was 17 and 23 days in the sirukumab and placebo groups (HR, 1∙1; 95% CI, 0∙66–1∙88; p > 0∙05). At Day 28, 59∙4% versus 55∙0% of patients achieved clinical improvement with sirukumab versus placebo and rates of all-cause mortality were 24∙6% versus 30∙0%, respectively. Rates of grade ≥ 3 adverse events were comparable between the sirukumab and placebo groups (25∙9% vs 32∙9%; all patients). Interpretation: In critical COVID-19 patients who received sirukumab, there …

Characterization Of High-Risk-Other Human Papillomavirus Genotypes In Papanicolaou Tests, High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions, And Cervical Cancer, Caitlin E. Witt, Elizabeth F. Sutton, Ashley M. Stansbury, Ashley N. Winters, Luke C. Konur, Meng Luo, Jennifer E. Cameron, Beverly Ogden

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: The objective of this study was to determine the human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes of high-risk-other HPV Papanicolaou (Pap) tests and of biopsy tissues from patients with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HGSIL) or cervical cancer. High-risk-other HPV status was determined with the cobas HPV Test (Roche Diagnostics, North America) that identifies 12 high-risk, non-16/18 HPV genotypes. We hypothesized that we would find genotypes of HPV in our population that are not covered by the 9-valent HPV vaccine. Methods: For this retrospective cohort study, we randomly selected 50 high-risk-other HPV Pap test samples from 2018 from our pathology department registries for …

Complete Genome Sequence Of An Indian Outbreak Strain Of Chikungunya Virus, Eshna Laha, Deepak Jena, Viplov K. Biswas, Sharad Singh, Sunil K. Raghav, Asit K. Pattnaik, Soma Chattopadhyay

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Here, we report the complete genome sequence of an Indian strain of chikungunya virus isolated from an infected patient from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, during a massive outbreak in 2005–2006. The genome length spans 11,811 nucleotides and has a poly(A) tail of 29 residues at the 3′ end.

Panel Stacking Is A Threat To Consensus Statement Validity, Kasper P Kepp, Preben Aavitsland, Marcel Ballin, Francois Balloux, Stefan Baral, Kevin Bardosh, Howard Bauchner, Eran Bendavid, Raj Bhopal, Daniel T Blumstein, Paolo Boffetta, Florence Bourgeois, Adam Brufsky, Peter J Collignon, Sally Cripps, Ioana A Cristea, Nigel Curtis, Benjamin Djulbegovic, Oliver Faude, Maria Elena Flacco, Gordon H Guyatt, George Hajishengallis, Lars G Hemkens, Tammy Hoffmann, Ari R Joffe, Terry P Klassen, Despina Koletsi, Dimitrios P Kontoyiannis, Ellen Kuhl, Carlo La Vecchia, Tea Lallukka, John Lambris, Michael Levitt, Spyros Makridakis, Helena C Maltezou, Lamberto Manzoli, Ana Marusic, Clio Mavragani, David Moher, Ben W Mol, Taulant Muka, Florian Naudet, Paul W Noble, Anna Nordström, Peter Nordström, Nikolaos Pandis, Stefania Papatheodorou, Chirag J Patel, Irene Petersen, Stefan Pilz, Nikolaus Plesnila, Anne-Louise Ponsonby, Manuel A Rivas, Andrea Saltelli, Manuel Schabus, Michaéla C Schippers, Holger Schünemann, Marco Solmi, Andreas Stang, Hendrik Streeck, Joachim P Sturmberg, Lehana Thabane, Brett D Thombs, Athanasios Tsakris, Simon N Wood, John P A Ioannidis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Consensus statements can be very influential in medicine and public health. Some of these statements use systematic evidence synthesis but others fail on this front. Many consensus statements use panels of experts to deduce perceived consensus through Delphi processes. We argue that stacking of panel members toward one particular position or narrative is a major threat, especially in absence of systematic evidence review. Stacking may involve financial conflicts of interest, but nonfinancial conflicts of strong advocacy can also cause major bias. Given their emerging importance, we describe here how such consensus statements may be misleading, by analyzing in depth a …

Strategies For The Development Of Metalloimmunotherapies, Xiaoqi Sun, Xingwu Zhou, Xiaoyue Shi, Omar A Abed, Xinran An, Yu Leo Lei, James J Moon

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Metal ions play crucial roles in the regulation of immune pathways. In fact, metallodrugs have a long record of accomplishment as effective treatments for a wide range of diseases. Here we argue that the modulation of interactions of metal ions with molecules and cells involved in the immune system forms the basis of a new class of immunotherapies. By examining how metal ions modulate the innate and adaptive immune systems, as well as host-microbiota interactions, we discuss strategies for the development of such metalloimmunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and other immune-related diseases.

Determinant Of 30-Day Mortality Of Pulmonary Legionellosis: Do Coinfections Matter?, Takahiro Matsuo, Sebastian Wurster, Ying Jiang, Jeffrey Tarrand, Scott E Evans, Dimitrios P Kontoyiannis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We retrospectively reviewed 64 cases of cancer with pulmonary legionellosis (Legionella pneumophila in 73%). Nearly all patients received Legionella-active antibiotics, yet 30-day mortality was 23%. Independent predictors of 30-day mortality were hyponatremia, bilateral lung involvement, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score ≥5. Lung coinfections were common (31%) but did not significantly increase mortality.

Beneficial Effects Of Lactobacillus Plantarum On Growth Performance, Immune Status, Antioxidant Function And Intestinal Microbiota In Broilers, Xiao Xiao, Tiantian Cui, Songke Qin, Tao Wang, Jinsong Liu, Lihan Sa, Yanping Wu, Yifan Zhong, Caimei Yang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) has been globally regarded as antibiotic alternative in animal farming in the past few years. However, the potential function of L. plantarum in broilers has not been systemically explored. In this study, a total of 560 one-day-old yellow-feathered broilers were randomly divided into 3 groups, fed with basal diet and drank with L. plantarum HJZW08 (LP) at the concentration of 0 (CON), 1000 × 10^5 (LP1000), and 2000 × 10^5 CFU/L (LP2000) for 70 d. Results showed that the body weight (BW), average daily …

Lessons Learnt From Broad-Spectrum Coronavirus Antiviral Drug Discovery, Andrew A Bolinger, Jun Li, Xuping Xie, Hongmin Li, Jia Zhou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Highly pathogenic coronaviruses (CoVs), such as severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome CoV (MERS-CoV), and the most recent SARS-CoV-2 responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, pose significant threats to human populations over the past two decades. These CoVs have caused a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations ranging from asymptomatic to severe distress syndromes (ARDS), resulting in high morbidity and mortality.

Areas covered: The accelerated advancements in antiviral drug discovery, spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, have shed new light on the imperative to develop treatments effective against a broad spectrum of CoVs. This perspective discusses strategies and …

Determinant Of 30-Day Mortality Of Pulmonary Legionellosis: Do Coinfections Matter?, Takahiro Matsuo, Sebastian Wurster, Ying Jiang, Jeffrey Tarrand, Scott E Evans, Dimitrios P Kontoyiannis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We retrospectively reviewed 64 cases of cancer with pulmonary legionellosis (Legionella pneumophila in 73%). Nearly all patients received Legionella-active antibiotics, yet 30-day mortality was 23%. Independent predictors of 30-day mortality were hyponatremia, bilateral lung involvement, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score ≥5. Lung coinfections were common (31%) but did not significantly increase mortality.