Digital Commons Network^™

A Systematic Review Of Cases Of Meningitis In The Absence Of Cerebrospinal Fluid Pleocytosis On Lumbar Puncture, Michelle Troendle, Alexis Pettigrew

Emergency Medicine Publications

Background: Definitive diagnosis of meningitis is made by analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) obtained from a lumbar puncture (LP), which may take days. A timelier diagnostic clue of meningitis is pleocytosis on CSF analysis. However, meningitis may occur in the absence of pleocytosis on CSF.

Areas of Uncertainty: A diagnosis of meningitis seems less likely without pleocytosis on CSF, leading clinicians to prematurely exclude this. Further, there is little available literature on the subject.

Methods: Ovid/Medline and Google Scholar search was conducted for cases of CSF culture-confirmed meningitis with lack of pleocytosis. …

Camp Metabolism Controls Caspase-11 Inflammasome Activation And Pyroptosis In Sepsis, R. Chen, L. Zeng, S. Zhu, J. Liu, H. J. Zeh, G. Kroemer, H. Wang, T. R. Billiar, J. Jiang, R. Kang, +1 Additional Author

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Structural Variation Of Centromeric Endogenous Retroviruses In Human Populations And Their Impact On Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma, Sézary Syndrome, And Hiv Infection, M. H. Kaplan, M. Kaminski, J. M. Estes, S. D. Gitlin, J. Zahn, J. T. Elder, T. Tejasvi, E. Gensterblum, J. P. Mcgowan, R. Contreras-Galindo, +7 Additional Authors

Journal Articles

© 2019 The Author(s). Background: Human Endogenous Retroviruses type K HML-2 (HK2) are integrated into 117 or more areas of human chromosomal arms while two newly discovered HK2 proviruses, K111 and K222, spread extensively in pericentromeric regions, are the first retroviruses discovered in these areas of our genome. Methods: We use PCR and sequencing analysis to characterize pericentromeric K111 proviruses in DNA from individuals of diverse ethnicities and patients with different diseases. Results: We found that the 5′ LTR-gag region of K111 proviruses is missing in certain individuals, creating pericentromeric instability. K111 deletion (-/- K111) is seen in about 15% …

Phase Iii, Multicentre, Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, 104-Week Study Of Subcutaneous Belimumab Administered In Combination With Rituximab In Adults With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Sle): Bliss-Believe Study Protocol, Y. K. Onno Teng, I. N. Bruce, B. Diamond, R. A. Furie, R. F. Van Vollenhoven, D. Gordon, J. Groark, R. B. Henderson, M. Oldham, P. P. Tak

Journal Articles

© 2019 Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. Introduction Belimumab, an anti-B-lymphocyte-stimulator antibody, is approved for the treatment of active, autoantibody-positive systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Rituximab, a B cell-depleting anti-CD20 antibody, remains in the SLE treatment armamentarium despite failed trials in lupus nephritis and extrarenal lupus. These biologics, which operate through complementary mechanisms, might result in an enhanced depletion of circulating and tissue-resident autoreactive B lymphocytes when administered together. Thus, belimumab and rituximab combination may be a highly effective treatment of SLE. This study aims to evaluate …

Increased Plasma Levels Of The Th2 Chemokine Ccl18 Associated With Low Cd4+T Cell Counts In Hiv-1-Infected Patients With A Suppressed Viral Load, P. Malhotra, P. Haslett, B. Sherry, D. H. Shepp, P. Barber, J. Abshier, U. Roy, H. Schmidtmayerova

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Novel Bioactive And Therapeutic Dental Polymeric Materials To Inhibit Periodontal Pathogens And Biofilms, M. Chi, M. Qi, A. Lan, P. Wang, M. D. Weir, M. A. Melo, X. Sun, B. Dong, C. Li, H. H. Xu, +2 Additional Authors

Journal Articles

© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Periodontitis is a common infectious disease characterized by loss of tooth-supporting structures, which eventually leads to tooth loss. The heavy burden of periodontal disease and its negative consequence on the patient’s quality of life indicate a strong need for developing effective therapies. According to the World Health Organization, 10–15% of the global population suffers from severe periodontitis. Advances in understanding the etiology, epidemiology and microbiology of periodontal pocket flora have called for antibacterial therapeutic strategies for periodontitis treatment. Currently, antimicrobial strategies combining with polymer science have attracted tremendous interest in the …

Practical Guidance For Clinical Microbiology Laboratories: Viruses Causing Acute Respiratory Tract Infections, C. L. Charlton, E. Babady, C. C. Ginocchio, T. F. Hatchette, R. C. Jerris, Y. Li, M. Loeffelholz, Y. S. Mccarter, M. B. Miller, S. J. Drews, +4 Additional Authors

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Hydroxyurea For Children With Sickle Cell Anemia In Sub-Saharan Africa, L. Tshilolo, G. Tomlinson, T. N. Williams, B. Santos, P. Olupot-Olupot, A. Lane, B. Aygun, S. E. Stuber, K. Mcelhinney, +59 Additional Authors

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Proceeding Report Of The Second Symposium On Hidradenitis Suppurativa Advances (Shsa) 2017, E. Shavit, A. Alavi, F. G. Bechara, R. G. Bennett, M. Bourcier, R. Cibotti, S. Daveluy, J. W. Frew, A. Garg, M. A. Lowes, +20 Additional Authors

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Examination Of Fluconazole-Induced Alopecia In An Animal Model And Human Cohort, G. R. Thompson, C. R. Krois, V. K. Affolter, A. D. Everett, E. K. Varjonen, V. R. Sharon, A. Singapuri, M. Dennis, I. Mchardy, S. D. White, +6 Additional Authors

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Retrospective Review Of The Patient Cases At A Major Trauma Center In Nairobi, Kenya And Implications For Emergency Care Development, Julie Saleeby, Justin G. Myers, Karen Ekernas, Katherine Hunold, Ali Wangara, Alice Maingi, Peyton Wilson, Vincent Mutiso, Sarah Zamamiri, Daniel Bacon, Wes Davis, John Suder, Yash Agrawal, Ogar Ogar, Ian B.K. Martin, Stephen Dunlop

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Introduction

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are continuing to experience a “triple burden” of disease - traumatic injury, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and communicable disease with maternal and neonatal conditions (CD&Ms). The epidemiology of this triad is not well characterised and poses significant challenges to resource allocations, administration, and education of emergency care providers. The data collected in this study provide a comprehensive description of the emergency centre at Kenya's largest public tertiary care hospital.

Methods

This study is a retrospective chart review conducted at Kenyatta National Hospital of all patient encounters over a four-month period. Data were collected from financial …

Cecal Perforation In The Setting Of Campylobacter Jejuni Infection, Seema Jain, Weston Betrner, Dane Olevian, Dhiraj Yadav

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Campylobacter infection is the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide, yet life-threatening complications are extremely rare. We present a 32-year-old previously healthy man who presented with dysentery from Campylobacter jejuni, which was complicated by cecal perforation and secondary bacterial peritonitis.

Metabolic Deregulation Of The Blood-Outer Retinal Barrier In Retinitis Pigmentosa, Wei Wang, Ashwini Kini, Yekai Wang, Tingting Liu, Yao Chen, Eric Vukmanic, Douglas Emery, Yongqing Liu, Xiaoqin Lu, Lei Jin, San Joon Lee, Patrick Scott, Xiao Liu, Kevin Dean, Qingxian Lu, Enzo Fortuny, Robert James, Henry J. Kaplan, Jianhai Du, Douglas C. Dean

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) initiates with diminished rod photoreceptor function, causing peripheral and nighttime vision loss. However, subsequent loss of cone function and high-resolution daylight and color vision is most debilitating. Visual pigment-rich photoreceptor outer segments (OS) undergo phagocytosis by the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and the RPE also acts as a blood-outer retinal barrier transporting nutrients, including glucose, to photoreceptors. We provide evidence that contact between externalized phosphatidylserine (PS) on OS tips and apical RPE receptors activates Akt, linking phagocytosis with glucose transport to photoreceptors for new OS synthesis. As abundant mutant rod OS tips shorten in RP, Akt activation …

Adaptive Design Of A Clinical Decision Support Tool: What The Impact On Utilization Rates Means For Future Cds Research, D. Mann, R. Hess, T. Mcginn, R. Mishuris, S. Chokshi, L. Mccullagh, P. D. Smith, J. Palmisano, S. Richardson, D. A. Feldstein

Journal Articles

© The Author(s) 2019. OBJECTIVE: We employed an agile, user-centered approach to the design of a clinical decision support tool in our prior integrated clinical prediction rule study, which achieved high adoption rates. To understand if applying this user-centered process to adapt clinical decision support tools is effective in improving the use of clinical prediction rules, we examined utilization rates of a clinical decision support tool adapted from the original integrated clinical prediction rule study tool to determine if applying this user-centered process to design yields enhanced utilization rates similar to the integrated clinical prediction rule study. MATERIALS & METHODS: …

A Rare Case Of Hiv-Induced Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy., A. Sajan, S. Zahid, J. Stumph, D. Griepp, S. Saba, N. Ilyas, I. M. Mc Farlane

Journal Articles

Background:Acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP) is an uncommon form of neuropathy in HIV-infected patients that can cause pain, sensory disturbance, and motor weakness. Case presentation:A 23-year-old African American male with past medical history of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), Lyme disease, and sexually transmitted infections including syphilis and chlamydia presented with acute back pain radiating to bilateral lower extremities with worsening right foot weakness for four days. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) studies including meningoencephalitis panel were negative as well as blood tests for Lyme disease and HIV antibody testing. Patient was initially treated with penicillin for positive treponemal serology but without improvement in …

Septic Emboli Of The Lung Due To Fusobacterium Necrophorum, A Case Of Lemierre's Syndrome, S. Habib, K. Rajdev, A. H. Siddiqui, M. Azam, A. Memon, M. Chalhoub

Journal Articles

© 2019 The Authors Fusobacterium necrophorum plays a causal role in a rare and life-threatening condition, Lemierre's syndrome. It is characterized by infection involving the posterior compartment of the lateral pharyngeal space complicated by septic suppurative thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein with F. necrophorum bacteremia and metastatic abscesses, primarily to the lung and pulmonary septic emboli. Herein, we present a very rare case of oropharyngeal infection complicated by Lemierre's syndrome with characteristic septic emboli to the lungs presenting as sore throat in a previously healthy patient. A 23-year-old woman presented with sore throat and was found to be in …

Combination Therapy With Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole And Caspofungin In A Case Of Severe Pneumocystis Pneumonia, R. Koshy, T. Chen

Journal Articles

© 2019 The Authors Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX, co-trimoxazole, or bactrim) has been the standard first-line treatment against Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) for decades. However, adverse effects and cases of treatment failure have led to a search for alternative agents. We present a case of a 50 year old immune compromised female whose course of PCP did not improve until Caspofungin was added to TMP-SMX.

Live Usability Testing Of Two Complex Clinical Decision Support Tools: Observational Study, S. Richardson, D. Feldstein, T. Mcginn, L. S. Park, S. Khan, R. Hess, P. D. Smith, R. G. Mishuris, L. Mccullagh, D. Mann

Journal Articles

© 2019 Journal of Medical Internet Research. All rights reserved. Background: Potential of the electronic health records (EHR) and clinical decision support (CDS) systems to improve the practice of medicine has been tempered by poor design and the resulting burden they place on providers. CDS is rarely tested in the real clinical environment. As a result, many tools are hard to use, placing strain on providers and resulting in low adoption rates. The existing CDS usability literature relies primarily on expert opinion and provider feedback via survey. This is the first study to evaluate CDS usability and the provider-computer-patient interaction …

Current Aats Guidelines On Surgical Treatment Of Infective Endocarditis, G. B. Pettersson, S. T. Hussain

Journal Articles

© Annals of Cardiothoracic Surgery. The 2016 American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) guidelines for surgical treatment of infective endocarditis (IE) are question based and address questions of specific relevance to cardiac surgeons. Clinical scenarios in IE are often complex, requiring prompt diagnosis, early institution of antibiotics, and decision-making related to complications, including risk of embolism and timing of surgery when indicated. The importance of an early, multispecialty team approach to patients with IE is emphasized. Management issues are divided into groups of questions related to indications for and timing of surgery, pre-surgical work-up, preoperative antibiotic treatment, surgical risk assessment, …

Neurogenesis In Neurodegenerative Diseases: Role Of Mfg-E8, C. Cheyuo, M. Aziz, P. Wang

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of The Panther Fusion And Bd Max Gbs Assays For Detection Of Group B Streptococcus In Prenatal Screening Specimens., G. J. Berry, F. Zhang, R. Manji, S. Juretschko

Journal Articles

Streptococcus agalactiae, or Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is the cause of early and late-onset GBS disease in neonates and can present as septicemia, meningitis, and pneumonia. Our objective was to compare the performance of two FDA-approved nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), the Panther Fusion and BD MAX™ systems, for detection of group B Streptococcus (GBS) in vaginal-rectal screening specimens. A total of 510 vaginal-rectal prepartum specimens were tested simultaneously in both NAATs following broth enrichment. Assay agreement was calculated using the kappa statistics. Overall agreement between assays was 99.0% (505/510; 95% CI: 0.951 to 0.997; kappa = 0.974). Discordant results …

Performance Evaluation Of The Luminex Aries® C. Difficile Assay In Comparison To Two Other Molecular Assays Within A Multi-Hospital Health Care Center., S. Juretschko, R. Manji, R. Khare, S. Das, S. Dunbar

Journal Articles

Clostridioides difficile infections (CDI) remain a serious issue in the U.S. Both fast and accurate diagnosis of CDI is paramount to achieve immediate infection control initiation, triaging and isolation, as well as appropriate antibiotic treatment. However, both, over- and under-diagnosis can lead to adverse patient outcomes, such as unnecessary administration of antibiotics or unwanted spread of spores in any hospital setting, respectively. In this prospective study, we evaluated the FDA-cleared ARIES® C. difficile Assay and compared its performance and workflow characteristics to the BD MAX Cdiff and Xpert C.difficile/Epi assays. Out of 302 samples tested, 55 (18.2%) samples were positive, …

Quantitative Human Immunodeficiency Virus (Hiv)-1 Antibodies Correlate With Plasma Hiv-1 Rna And Cell-Associated Dna Levels In Children On Antiretroviral Therapy, M. Mcmanus, J. Henderson, A. Gautam, R. Brody, E. R. Weiss, D. Persaud, E. Mick, K. Luzuriaga, V. Bonagura, I. Febo, +22 Additional Authors

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Homozygous Nlrp1 Gain-Of-Function Mutation In Siblings With A Syndromic Form Of Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis, S. B. Drutman, F. Haerynck, F. L. Zhong, D. Hum, N. J. Hernandez, S. Belkaya, F. Rapaport, S. J. De Jong, V. R. Bonagura, J. Laurent-Casanova, +13 Additional Authors

Journal Articles

© 2019 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (JRRP) is a rare and debilitating childhood disease that presents with recurrent growth of papillomas in the upper airway. Two common human papillomaviruses (HPVs), HPV-6 and -11, are implicated in most cases, but it is still not understood why only a small proportion of children develop JRRP following exposure to these common viruses. We report 2 siblings with a syndromic form of JRRP associated with mild dermatologic abnormalities. Whole-exome sequencing of the patients revealed a private homozygous mutation in NLRP1, encoding Nucleotide-Binding Domain Leucine-Rich Repeat Family Pyrin …

Physician Agreement On The Diagnosis Of Sepsis In The Intensive Care Unit: Estimation Of Concordance And Analysis Of Underlying Factors In A Multicenter Cohort, B. K. Lopansri, R. R. Miller, J. P. Burke, M. Levy, S. Opal, M. Narasimhan, A. Tsegaye, S. Hahn, P. Mayo, R. B. Brandon, +19 Additional Authors

Journal Articles

© 2019 The Author(s). Background: Differentiating sepsis from the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) in critical care patients is challenging, especially before serious organ damage is evident, and with variable clinical presentations of patients and variable training and experience of attending physicians. Our objective was to describe and quantify physician agreement in diagnosing SIRS or sepsis in critical care patients as a function of available clinical information, infection site, and hospital setting. Methods: We conducted a post hoc analysis of previously collected data from a prospective, observational trial (N = 249 subjects) in intensive care units at seven US hospitals, …

Related Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Donors Experience More Severe Symptoms And Less Complete Recovery At One Year Compared To Unrelated Donors, M. A. Pulsipher, B. R. Logan, D. M. Kiefer, P. Chitphakdithai, M. L. Riches, D. Rizzo, P. Anderlini, R. Bayer, I. Sahdev, B. E. Shaw, +51 Additional Authors

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Neurogenesis In Neurodegenerative Diseases: Role Of Mfg-E8, Cletus Cheyuo, Monowar Aziz, Ping Wang

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Neurodegenerative diseases are devastating medical conditions with no effective treatments. Restoration of impaired neurogenesis represents a promising therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative diseases. Milk fat globule-epidermal growth factor-factor VIII (MFG-E8) is a secretory glycoprotein that plays a wide range of cellular functions including phagocytosis of apoptotic cells, anti-inflammation, tissue regeneration, and homeostasis. The beneficial role of MFG-E8 has been shown in cerebral ischemia (stroke), neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, and traumatic brain injury. In stroke, MFG-E8 promotes neural stem cell proliferation and their migration toward the ischemic brain tissues. These novel functions of MFG-E8 are primarily mediated …

Antibodies In The Diagnosis, Prognosis, And Prediction Of Psychotic Disorders., Thomas A Pollak, Jonathan P Rogers, Robert G Nagele, Mark Peakman, James M Stone, Anthony S David, Philip Mcguire

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

Blood-based biomarker discovery for psychotic disorders has yet to impact upon routine clinical practice. In physical disorders antibodies have established roles as diagnostic, prognostic and predictive (theranostic) biomarkers, particularly in disorders thought to have a substantial autoimmune or infective aetiology. Two approaches to antibody biomarker identification are distinguished: a "top-down" approach, in which antibodies to specific antigens are sought based on the known function of the antigen and its putative role in the disorder, and emerging "bottom-up" or "omics" approaches that are agnostic as to the significance of any one antigen, using high-throughput arrays to identify distinctive components of the …

Implementing A Discharge Navigator Reducing 30-Day Readmissions For Heart Failure And Sepsis Populations, Karen Weeks

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Clinical Projects, 2016-2019

A national focus for healthcare reform is preventing hospital readmissions. Thirty-day unplanned hospital readmissions impact patient outcomes and are costly to the healthcare system. This project explored the impact between the discharge navigator and 30-day unplanned readmissions for heart failure and sepsis populations in a 238-bed community hospital located in central Virginia. The primary aim of this discharge navigator project was to reduce 30-day readmissions for the heart failure and sepsis populations to meet the goals of the top quartile for like hospitals and the evaluation of cost avoidance for these readmissions. Heart failure and sepsis populations are high risks …

Graduate Medical Education Annual Report 2018-2019, Children's Mercy Hospital

GME Annual Reports

Annual report of the Children's Mercy Hospital Graduate Medical Education department, including pediatric residency, internal medicine/pediatrics residency, fellowship programs, medical students, continuing medical education, and library services.