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Trypanosoma Cruzi Trypomastigote Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-Anchored Mucins And A Synthetic Alpha-Gal-Containing Neoglycoprotein As Potential Biomarkers And Vaccines For Chagas Disease, Igor Leandro Estevao

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Chagas disease (CD), caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is a neglected tropical disease that kills or permanently disable thousands of people annually. About 6-8 million people are estimated to be infected worldwide. Although many efforts have been made for the development of an effective immunotherapy, currently there is no vaccine to prevent or treat CD in humans. Despite their toxicity, the two current drugs for CD, benznidazole (BZN) and nifurtimox (NFX), have medium-to-high efficacy in the chronic stage of the disease and could save or improve the lives of thousands of patients. However, negative seroconversion in treated patients, as …

Comparison Of Absolute Neutrophil Count Between Hospital And Community Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Infection, Kurniyanto Kurniyanto, Widayat Djoko Santoso, Leonard Nainggolan, Juferdy Kurniawan

Jurnal Penyakit Dalam Indonesia

Introduction. The virulence factors from community acquired-methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) mainly due to toxins like Panton Valentin Leukocidin (PVL) and Phenol Soluble Modulin (PSM). Both of toxins cause decrease of value through neutrophil lysis. This study aimed to identify different value of absolute neutrophil count between hospital and community acquired MRSA. Methods. A cross sectional was conducted which included subjects who were infected by MRSA and hospitalized during 2012-2017. Classification of MRSA were divided due to its sensitivity and resistance to non-beta lactam antibiotics. Isolate that resistance to ≤ 2 antibiotics were classified as CA-MRSA. The others with resistance …

Cumulative Exposure To Solar Ultraviolet A & B Increases Apoptosis Of Peripheral Blood Cutaneous Lymphocyte Antigen (Cla)+ T-Lymphocytes In Outdoor Workers, Afif Nurul Hidayati, Saut Sahat Pohan, Widodo J. Pudjirahardjo, Isaac Effendy

Journal of General - Procedural Dermatology and Venereology Indonesia

Background: Exposure to ultraviolet A & B (UVA-UVB) plays a role in the survival of human life, but it may cause negative effects, such as immunosuppression and skin cancer. The effect of solar UVA-UVB exposure on apoptosis (Bax/Bcl-2 ratio) of peripheral blood cutaneous lymphocyte antigen (CLA)+ T-lymphocyte; the immune competent cells in the skin, has not been investigated. Apoptosis of peripheral blood CLA+ Tlymphocyte affects its function; which serves as the skin's resistance and is involved in infectious diseases, skin inflammation, and malignancies. This study observed the effect of solar UVA-UVB to apoptosis (Bax/Bcl2 ratio) of peripheral blood CLA+ …

Checkpoint Inhibitors: What Gastroenterologists Need To Know., Monjur Ahmed

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Checkpoint inhibitors are increasingly being used in clinical practice. They can cause various gastrointestinal, hepatic and pancreatic side effects. As these side effects can be serious, appropriate management is essential. The different checkpoint inhibitors with their mechanisms of action and indications, as well as evaluation and management of gastrointestinal, hepatic and pancreatic side effects, are discussed in this article.

Differential Expression Of Genes Related To Innate Immune Responses In Ex Vivo Spinal Cord And Cerebellar Slice Cultures Infected With West Nile Virus, Amber M. Paul, Parminder J.S. Vig, Deyin Lu, Ram Kuwar, Maria Lopez, Dobrivoje S. Stokic, A. Arturo Leis, Michael R. Garrett, Fengwei Bai

Publications

West Nile virus (WNV) infection results in a spectrum of neurological symptoms, ranging from a benign fever to severe WNV neuroinvasive disease with high mortality. Many who recover from WNV neuroinvasive infection present with long-term deficits, including weakness, fatigue, and cognitive problems. While neurons are a main target of WNV, other cell types, especially astrocytes, play an important role in promoting WNV-mediated central nervous system (CNS) damage. Conversely, it has been shown that cultured primary astrocytes secrete high levels of interferons (IFNs) immediately after WNV exposure to protect neighboring astrocytes, as well as neurons. However, how intrinsic responses to WNV …

Efficacy Of A T Cell-Biased Adenovirus Vector As A Zika Virus Vaccine, Brianna L. Bullard, Brigette N. Corder, Matthew J. Gorman, Michael S. Diamond, Eric A. Weaver

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a major public health concern due to the risk of congenital Zika syndrome in developing fetuses and Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults. Currently, there are no approved vaccines available to protect against infection. Adenoviruses are safe and highly immunogenic vaccine vectors capable of inducing lasting humoral and cellular immune responses. Here, we developed two Adenovirus (Ad) vectored Zika virus vaccines by inserting a ZIKV prM-E gene expression cassette into human Ad types 4 (Ad4-prM-E) and 5 (Ad5-prM-E). Immune correlates indicate that Ad5-prM-E vaccination induces both an anti-ZIKV antibody and T-cell responses whereas Ad4-prM-E vaccination only induces a …

Fly Control To Prevent Diarrhoea In Children, Jai K. Das, Yousaf Bashir Hadi, Rehana Salam, Mehar Hoda, Zohra S. Lassi, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background:
Diarrhoeal disease accounts for millions of child deaths every year. Although the role of flies as vectors of infectious diarrhoea has been established, fly control is not often mentioned as an approach to decrease childhood diarrhoea. Theoretically, fly control for decreasing diarrhoea incidence can be achieved by intervening at four different levels: reduction or elimination of fly breeding sites; reduction of sources that attract houseflies; prevention of contact between flies and disease-causing organisms; and protection of people, food, and food utensils from contact with flies.
Objectives:
To assess the impact of various housefly control measures on the incidence of …

Vitamin C In The Treatment Of Septic Shock, Alyson O. Shaughnessy, Matthew Tieszen

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2016 to 2019

Objective:To assess the efficacy of improving outcomes of septic shock treatment with the addition of Vitamin C to standard treatment compared to standard therapy alone. To assess whether or not Vitamin C has a favorable outcome in the treatment of septic shock in terms of decreasing duration of vasopressor usage, reducing duration of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and improving mortality.

Design: Systematic literature review.

Methods: Searches were conducted in PubMed and Google Scholar using the terms ascorbic acid, sepsis, septic shock, and vasopressors. In PubMed the following filters were used: humans only, clinical trials, studies within the past …

Association Between Systemic Inflammation And Nutritional Compounds In Maternal-Infant Dyads, Jessica N. Snowden

Theses & Dissertations

Many events during pregnancy and early infancy can affect infant brain development. Inflammation during pregnancy, around delivery and during early infancy appears to adversely affect infant brain development. As the brain is rapidly growing and developing from conception through early childhood, it is particularly vulnerable during this time to inflammatory insults, which may be exacerbated or ameliorated by nutritional factors. Inflammatory compounds, as well as many nutritional compounds, can be either pro- or anti-inflammatory. These compounds are of particular importance in preterm infants, who are at risk of deficiency in anti-inflammatory micronutrients typically stored as a result of prenatal maternal …

Isolated Gonococcal Extensor Tenosynovitis, Cory Lebowitz, Jonas Matzon

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a mucosal infection that has the propensity to disseminate, causing symptoms that commonly include arthralgias, skin lesions, fevers, chills, dysuria, genital discharge, septic arthritis, and/or tenosynovitis. Typically, gonococcal tenosynovitis affects the flexor sheath and is associated with arthralgias, skin lesions, or both. To the best of our knowledge, there has not been a documented case of isolated gonococcal extensor tenosynovitis. We report the case of a 16-year-old boy with isolated left upper-extremity gonococcal extensor tenosynovitis who was successfully treated with surgical debridement and antibiotic therapy.

Surveillance, Prevention And Surgical Treatments For Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Kerui Xu

Theses & Dissertations

Liver cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death, representing roughly 9.1% of all cancer mortality. Of all primary cancers of the liver, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for roughly 85%. HCC has been increasing in the U.S. and other countries. In particular, HCC places a huge burden on the Chinese population, as China alone consists of approximately 50% of the total HCC cases and deaths. In China, chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the leading cause for developing HCC. The two challenges in prevention and control of HCC experienced in China are low rates of HCC screening among the …

Business Not As Usual: How Multisectoral Collaboration Can Promote Transformative Change For Health And Sustainable Development, Shyama Kuruvilla, Rachael Hinton, Ties Boerma, Ryan Bunney, Nuria Casamitjana, Rafael Cortez, Patrizia Fracassi, Jennifer Franz-Vasdeki, Daniel Helldén, Joanne Mcmanus, Jai K. Das

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

No abstract provided.

Concurrent Atlantoaxial Septic Arthritis And Septic Thrombosis Of The Ophthalmic Vein Due To Staphylococcus Aureus: A Case Report And Review Of The Literature, Robin L.P. Jump

Faculty Scholarship

Atlantoaxial joint septic arthritis and superior ophthalmic vein thrombosis are uncommon manifestations of Staphylococcus aureus infection. A 68-year-old man presented with acute-onset neck pain and diplopia. Imaging studies revealed atlantoaxial septic arthritis and right superior ophthalmic vein thrombosis. Blood cultures grew methicillin-susceptible S. aureus. We review the literature describing these 2 uncommon manifestations of a common pathogen.

Sitc 2018 Workshop Report: Immuno-Oncology Biomarkers: State Of The Art., Lisa H Butterfield, Mary L Disis, Bernard A Fox, David R Kaufman, Samir N Khleif, Ena Wang

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Identification of biomarkers in cancer immunotherapy that predict therapeutic response and/or limit adverse events are a critical need in the field. To address recent progress and hurdles around cancer biomarker development and utilization, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) convened a workshop, "Immuno-Oncology Biomarkers: State of the Art," on May 16-17, 2018. Topics discussed included challenges in handling biospecimens, identification and validation of new biomarkers, data sharing, and collaborating across disciplines to advance biomarker development. Panel discussions followed session presentations to help foster participant conversation and discuss future projects and collaborations. The results of the Workshop include the development …

Clostridium Sporogenes Bacteremia In An Immunocompetent Patient, Waiel Abusnina, Mena Shehata, Emhemmid S. Karem, Zeynep C. Koc, Elie Khalil

Internal Medicine

Of the 200 Clostridium spp. known to exist, approximately 30 have been associated with human disease. Commonly found in soil, marine sediment and mammalian intestinal tracts, these gram-positive bacilli are known to cause infections ranging from cellulitis to septicemia. Isolates that are identified by clinical microbiology laboratories include Clostridium perfrigens species in 20–40% of cases. However, when Clostridium sporogenes is identified, is rarely considered to be pathogenic. We present a case of Clostridium sporogenes bacteremia secondary to lower limb cellulitis and osteomyelitis in an immunocompetent patient.

Screening, Brief Intervention, And Referral To Treatment For Alcohol Misuse In Primary Care, Sai-Han Ackerman Yu

Doctor of Nursing Practice

An annual average of 88,000 deaths in the United States from 2006 to 2010 has been attributed to alcohol misuse, defined as risky or heavy alcohol consumption. Heavy or risky alcohol use for all adults aged 65 and older and for women aged 18 and older is defined as consuming more than 7 drinks per week and/or 3 drinks per day. For men aged 18 to 65 years of age, heavy or risky alcohol use is defined as consuming more than 14 drinks a week and/or 4 drinks a day. Chronic alcohol misuse increases the incidence of heart problems, cognitive …

Sofosbuvir, Velpatasvir, And Voxilaprevir For Treatment Of Recurrent Hepatitis C Virus Infection After Liver Transplantation., Maria G Cardona-Gonzalez, Jason D Goldman, Lawrence Narayan, Diana M Brainard, Kris V Kowdley

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

There are limited data on direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment options for previously treated patients with recurrent genotype 3 (GT3) hepatitis C virus (HCV) after liver transplantation. Sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir (SOF/VEL/VOX) is currently approved for treatment of HCV in patients with prior treatment with DAAs. We report the first published experience using SOF/VEL/VOX after liver transplantation for a DAA-experienced patient with severe hepatitis due to early recurrent GT3 HCV. The patient was treated with SOF/VEL/VOX that was extended to a total duration of 16 weeks and was intensified with ribavirin (RBV) starting at week 8 due to persistent viremia during treatment. Sustained virologic …

Risk Stratification Of Febrile Infants ≤60 Days Old Without Routine Lumbar Puncture., Paul L. Aronson, Marie E. Wang, Eugene D. Shapiro, Samir S. Shah, Adrienne G. Deporre, Russell J Mcculloh, Christopher M. Pruitt, Sanyukta Desai, Lise E. Nigrovic, Richard D. Marble, Rianna C. Leazer, Sahar N. Rooholamini, Laura F. Sartori, Fran Balamuth, Christopher Woll, Mark I. Neuman, Febrile Young Infant Research Collaborative

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Video Abstract: media-1vid110.1542/5840460609001PEDS-VA_2018-1879

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the Rochester and modified Philadelphia criteria for the risk stratification of febrile infants with invasive bacterial infection (IBI) who do not appear ill without routine cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) testing.

METHODS: We performed a case-control study of febrile infants ≤60 days old presenting to 1 of 9 emergency departments from 2011 to 2016. For each infant with IBI (defined as a blood [bacteremia] and/or CSF [bacterial meningitis] culture with growth of a pathogen), controls without IBI were matched by site and date of visit. Infants were excluded if they appeared ill or had a …

Retrospective Analysis Of Guideline Recommended Antiretroviral Regimens And Vaccination Schedules For Adult Patients With Human Immunodeficiency Virus (Hiv) In An Infectious Diseases Clinic, Jose A. Roman Pharmd, Jarrod W. Kile Rph, Bcps, Amy Slenker Md, Hope Kincaid Mph, Cph

Department of Pharmacy

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of Screening, Prevention, And Management For Hepatitis B Patients Between The Us And Chinese Healthcare Systems, Thomas Chen, James D. Plumb, Md

Phase 1

Introduction: Hepatitis B (HBV) is a complex disease entity with potentially serious outcomes, including developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HBV is estimated to be responsible for about 50-80% of HCC cases worldwide, and 75-95% of HCC cases in HBV endemic regions.¹ HBV and HCC are great concerns especially in East Asian countries like China. In China, HCC ranks as the 2^nd most common cancer and 2^nd in cancer mortality, both behind only lung cancer.¹ China is considered an endemic HBV region, with about 100-150 million people infected. In comparison, only an estimated 550,000-2 million people are chronically …

Presentation And Outcomes After Medical And Surgical Treatment Versus Medical Treatment Alone Of Spontaneous Infectious Spondylodiscitis: A Systematic Literature Review And Meta-Analysis., Davis G Taylor, Avery L Buchholz, Durga R Sure, Thomas J Buell, James H Nguyen, Ching-Jen Chen, Joshua M Diamond, Perry A Washburn, James Harrop, Christopher I Shaffrey, Justin S Smith

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Study Design: Systematic literature review.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to (1) describe the clinical features, disabilities, and incidence of neurologic deficits of pyogenic spondylodiscitis prior to treatment and (2) compare the functional outcomes between patients who underwent medical treatment alone or in combination with surgery for pyogenic spondylodiscitis.

Methods: A systematic literature review was performed using PubMed according to PRISMA guidelines. No year restriction was put in place. Statistical analysis of pooled data, when documented in the original report (ie, number of patients with desired variable and number of patients evaluated), was conducted to determine the most …

Non-Neutralizing Antibodies Elicited By Recombinant Lassa-Rabies Vaccine Are Critical For Protection Against Lassa Fever., Tiago Abreu-Mota, Katie R. Hagen, Kurt Cooper, Peter B. Jahrling, Gene Tan, Christoph Wirblich, Reed F. Johnson, Matthias J. Schnell

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

Lassa fever (LF), caused by Lassa virus (LASV), is a viral hemorrhagic fever for which no approved vaccine or potent antiviral treatment is available. LF is a WHO priority disease and, together with rabies, a major health burden in West Africa. Here we present the development and characterization of an inactivated recombinant LASV and rabies vaccine candidate (LASSARAB) that expresses a codon-optimized LASV glycoprotein (coGPC) and is adjuvanted by a TLR-4 agonist (GLA-SE). LASSARAB elicits lasting humoral response against LASV and RABV in both mouse and guinea pig models, and it protects both guinea pigs and mice against LF. We …

Development Of Onchocerca Volvulus In Humanized Nsg Mice And Detection Of Parasite Biomarkers In Urine And Serum., John B. Patton, Sasisekhar Bennuru, Mark L. Eberhard, Jessica A. Hess Ligas, April R. Torigian, Sara Lustigman, Thomas B. Nutman, David Abraham

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The study of Onchocerca volvulus has been limited by its host range, with only humans and non-human primates shown to be susceptible to the full life cycle infection. Small animal models that support the development of adult parasites have not been identified.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We hypothesized that highly immunodeficient NSG mice would support the survival and maturation of O. volvulus and alteration of the host microenvironment through the addition of various human cells and tissues would further enhance the level of parasite maturation. NSG mice were humanized with: (1) umbilical cord derived CD34+ stem cells, (2) fetal derived liver, …

The Role Of Non-Neuronal Acetylcholine In Urogenital Chlamydial Infection, Jessica R. Lockhart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chlamydia trachomatiscauses a bacterial sexually transmitted infection, Chlamydia, that is often chronic and casues reproductive complications in women. We hypothesized that Chlamydia infection increases local acetylcholine (ACh) production, which regulates the host’s inflammatory response to the infection. Female mice infected with C. muridarumwere sacrificed at days 3, 9, 15, and 21 post-infection, genital tract tissues harvested, and immunohistochemistry performed to enumerate ACh-producing cells. Infection increased the number of ACh-producing cells in cervical tissue at days 3,15, and 21 post-infection (pi), uterine tissue at day 3 and 9 pi, and ovarian tissue day 3, 15, and 21 pi. These …

Evaluation Of The Hiv Infant Tracking System (Hitsystem) To Optimise Quality And Efficiency Of Early Infant Diagnosis: A Cluster-Randomised Trial In Kenya., Sarah Finocchario-Kessler, Brad Gautney, Anlin Cheng, Catherine Wexler, May Maloba, Niaman Nazir, Samoel Khamadi, Raphael Lwembe, Melinda Brown, Thomas A. Odeny, Jacinda K. Dariotis, Matthew Sandbulte, Natabhona Mabachi, Kathy Goggin

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: The HIV Infant Tracking System (HITSystem) is a web-based intervention linking providers of early infant diagnosis, laboratory technicians, and mothers and infants to improve outcomes for HIV-exposed infants. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the HITSystem on key outcomes of early infant diagnosis.

METHODS: We did a cluster-randomised trial at six hospitals in Kenya, which were matched on geographic region, resource level, and volume of patients (high, medium, and low). We randomly allocated hospitals within a matched pair to either the HITSystem (intervention; n=3) or standard of care (control; n=3). A random number generator was used to assign …

Characterizing The Gut Microbiota During Plasmodium Infection And Antimalarial Treatment., Joshua E. Denny

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plasmodium, the parasitic cause of malaria, is a global pathogen, annually causing 216 million infections and 445,000 deaths. As drug resistance continues develop and no effective vaccine is available, it is critical to understand the factors underlying the severity of this disease. Plasmodium is an extra-gastrointestinal tract infection where the parasite infects red blood cells causing clinical malaria. However, recent publications have pointed to interactions between the gut microbiota and malaria. With this in mind, the role of the gut microbiota in malaria infection was studied. C57BL/6 mice from different vendors displayed differential resistance and susceptibility to severe malaria, …

The Effect Of Dehydration On Metabolism And Energy Substrate Utilization, Zachary Robert Lewis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure hormonal and metabolic markers in humans to see if simulating dehydration would emulate measures that are seen in prediabetic humans. 60 volunteers were divided into equal categories by sex and body mass index of normal or overweight. Participants completed two oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) after being intravenously infused with a isotonic or hypertonic saline solution for 120 minutes in a counter balanced order. All trials began with a euhydrated subject with a urine specific gravity (USG)

Safely Reducing Opioid Use For Chronic Pain In A Large, Rwca-Funded, Hiv Primary Care Practice, Joseph L. Yozviak Do, Facp, Nicholas P. Blankenberg Rn, Julie E. Vitale, Carlos Castillo Rn, Jonathan A. Asayag Msw, Veronica L. Cruz Msw, Margaret Hoffman-Terry Md, Facp, Marcelo Gareca Md, Amy Slenker Md, Robin Heacock Rn, Toby P. Goida Rn, Victoria Matos Rn, Vickie Cunningham Bsn, Rn

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Advancing Universal Health Coverage In South Asian Cities: A Framework, Alayne M. Adams, Devaki Nambiar, Sameen Siddiqi, Bushra Binte Alam, Srinath Reddy

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Reentry Programs On Healthcare Accessibility And Resulting Emergency Department Strain By Ex-Inmates: An Integrative Literature Review, Kaitlyn Muratori

Grace Peterson Nursing Research Colloquium

THE EFFECTS OF REENTRY PROGRAMS ON HEALTHCARE ACCESSIBILITY AND RESULTING EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT STRAIN BY EX-INMATES

Kaitlyn Muratori

Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Christina Lattner

Background: Ex-inmates are significantly more likely to use emergency rooms to seek treatment for substance abuse, mental health disorders, or poor management of chronic conditions which, if not treated on a community level, ultimately contributes to overboarding in the emergency department.

Objectives: The purpose of this literature review is to use current research to examine the relationship between reentry programs across the US and healthcare accessibility, as well as the resulting strain of emergency room misuse by ex-inmates. …