Digital Commons Network^™

A Peptide-Based Checkpoint Immunomodulator Alleviates Immune Dysfunction In Murine Polymicrobial Sepsis, Timothy W Phares, Vinayaka Kotraiah, Chun-Shiang Chung, Jacqueline Unsinger, Monty Mazer, Kenneth E. Remy, Cecille D. Browne, Peter Buontempo, Marc Mansour, James Pannucci, Alfred Ayala, Richard S. Hotchkiss, Gabriel M. Gutierrez

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Sepsis-induced immunosuppression involves both innate and adaptive immunity and is associated with the increased expression of checkpoint inhibitors, such as programmed cell-death protein 1 (PD-1). The expression of PD-1 is associated with poor outcomes in septic patients, and in models of sepsis, blocking PD-1 or its ligands with antibodies increased survival and alleviated immune suppression. While inhibitory antibodies are effective, they can lead to immune-related adverse events (irAEs), in part due to continual blockade of the PD-1 pathway, resulting in hyperactivation of the immune response. Peptide-based therapeutics are an alternative drug modality that provide a rapid pharmacokinetic profile, reducing the …

Transfer Transcriptomic Signatures For Infectious Diseases, Julia Di Iulio, Istvan Bartha, Roberto Spreafico, Herbert W Virgin, Amalio Telenti

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The modulation of the transcriptome is among the earliest responses to infection. However, defining the transcriptomic signatures of disease is challenging because logistic, technical, and cost factors limit the size and representativeness of samples in clinical studies. These limitations lead to a poor performance of signatures when applied to new datasets. Although the study focuses on infection, the central hypothesis of the work is the generalization of sets of signatures across diseases. We use a machine learning approach to identify common elements in datasets and then test empirically whether they are informative about a second dataset from a disease or …

Evaluation Of Serum-Derived Bovine Immunoglobulin Protein Isolate In Subjects With Decompensated Cirrhosis With Ascites, Matthew J. Stotts, Amanda Cheung, Muhammad B. Hammami, David J. Westrich Jr., Eric Anderson, Lauren Counts, Alex S. Befeler, Adrian M. Di Bisceglie, Charlene Prather

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Background Bacterial translocation plays a pivotal role in the natural course of cirrhosis and its complications. Serum-derived bovine immunoglobulin (SBI) is an oral medical food that has been shown to both reduce inflammation in the intestines and neutralize bacteria. It represents a unique intervention that has not been studied in this population. Methodology We conducted a prospective open-label trial with an eight-week treatment phase of SBI. Individuals were assessed using lactulose breath testing, serum markers for enterocyte damage and bacterial translocation, and the Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ) prior to and after completion of the treatment phase. Results We evaluated …

Phenotypic And Genomic Profiling Of Staphylococcus Argenteus In Canada And The United States And Recommendations For Clinical Result Reporting, Alireza Eshaghi, Carl Bommersbach, Sandra Zittermann, C A Burnham, Robin Patel, Audrey N Schuetz, Samir N Patel, Julianne V Kus

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Experience With Liposomal Amphotericin B In Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy, Yvonne J Burnett, Andrej Spec, Mohamed M Ahmed, William G Powderly, Yasir Hamad

Open Access Publications

Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) is a safe, effective, and convenient treatment strategy for patients receiving intravenous antimicrobials in the outpatient setting; however, data are limited describing the use and safety of liposomal amphotericin B (L-AMB). Records of patients receiving L-AMB OPAT between 1/1/2015 and 7/31/2018 were retrospectively reviewed. The primary objective was to describe the OPAT patient population discharged on L-AMB and evaluate factors associated with readmission and adverse events (AEs). Analysis was performed to evaluate for predictors of worse outcomes. Forty-two patients (67% male, median age 50 years) were identified, most of whom were treated for histoplasmosis. The …

Presepsin As A Diagnostic And Prognostic Biomarker In Sepsis, Dimitrios Velissaris, Nicholas Zareifopoulos, Vasileios Karamouzos, Evangelos Karanikolas, Charalampos Pierrakos, Ioanna Koniari, Menelaos Karanikolas

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Sepsis is a condition characterized by high morbidity and mortality which is commonly encountered in an emergency and critical care setting. Despite a substantial body of research, the ideal biomarker for the diagnosis and prognostic stratification of septic patients remains unknown. This review aimed to summarize the publications referring to the validity of the biomarker presepsin when used for the detection, monitoring and prognosis in patients suffering with sepsis. This work is a narrative review based on a PubMed/Medline search conducted in order to identify all relevant publications referring to the use of presepsin in sepsis. Search was not limited …

Long-Term Mortality After Histoplasma Infection In People With Hiv, Joseph Cherabie, Patrick Mazi, Adriana M Rauseo, Chapelle Ayres, Lindsey Larson, Sasinuch Rutjanawech, Jane O'Halloran, Rachel Presti, William G Powderly, Andrej Spec

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Histoplasmosis is a common opportunistic infection in people with HIV (PWH); however, no study has looked at factors associated with the long-term mortality of histoplasmosis in PWH. We conducted a single-center retrospective study on the long-term mortality of PWH diagnosed with histoplasmosis between 2002 and 2017. Patients were categorized into three groups based on length of survival after diagnosis: early mortality (death < 90 days), late mortality (death ≥ 90 days), and long-term survivors. Patients diagnosed during or after 2008 were considered part of the modern antiretroviral therapy (ART) era. Insurance type (private vs. public) was a surrogate indicator of socioeconomic status. Out of 54 PWH infected with histoplasmosis, overall mortality was 37%; 14.8% early mortality and 22.2% late mortality. There was no statistically significant difference in survival based on the availability of modern ART (

Effects Of Community-Based Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation Models On Hiv Treatment Outcomes: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Ingrid Eshun-Wilson, Ajibola A. Awotiwon, Ashley Germann, Sophia A. Amankwaa, Nathan Ford, Sheree Schwartz, Stefan Baral, Elvin H. Geng

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation in the community and outside of a traditional health facility has the potential to improve linkage to ART, decongest health facilities, and minimize structural barriers to attending HIV services among people living with HIV (PLWH). We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effect of offering ART initiation in the community on HIV treatment outcomes.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: We searched databases between 1 January 2013 and 22 February 2021 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies that compared offering ART initiation in a community setting to offering ART initiation in a …

Placental Sampling For Understanding Viral Infections - A Simplified Protocol For The Covid-19 Pandemic, Guilherme De Moraes Nobrega, José Paulo Siqueira Guida, Rodolfo Rosa Japecanga, Arthur Antolini-Tavares, Indira Mysorekar, Maria Laura Costa

Open Access Publications

OBJECTIVE:  The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic viral disease, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The impact of the disease among the obstetric population remains unclear, and the study of the placenta can provide valuable information. Adequate sampling of the placental tissue can help characterize the pathways of viral infections.

METHODS:  A protocol of placental sampling is proposed, aiming at guaranteeing representativity of the placenta and describing the adequate conservation of samples and their integrity for future analysis. The protocol is presented in its complete and simplified versions, allowing its implementation in different complexity settings. …

Phenotype Of Peripheral Nk Cells In Latent, Active, And Meningeal Tuberculosis, José Alberto Choreño-Parra, Shabaana A. Khader, Et Al

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

A Microbiota-Directed Food Intervention For Undernourished Children, Robert Y Chen, Matthew C Hibberd, Arjun S Raman, Daniel Webber, Cyrus Zhou, Vinaik Sundaresan, Kazi Ahsan, Martin F Meier, Michael J Barratt, Jeffrey I Gordon, Et Al

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: More than 30 million children worldwide have moderate acute malnutrition. Current treatments have limited effectiveness, and much remains unknown about the pathogenesis of this condition. Children with moderate acute malnutrition have perturbed development of their gut microbiota.

METHODS: In this study, we provided a microbiota-directed complementary food prototype (MDCF-2) or a ready-to-use supplementary food (RUSF) to 123 slum-dwelling Bangladeshi children with moderate acute malnutrition between the ages of 12 months and 18 months. The supplementation was given twice daily for 3 months, followed by 1 month of monitoring. We obtained weight-for-length, weight-for-age, and length-for-age z scores and mid-upper-arm circumference …

Optimized Polyepitope Neoantigen Dna Vaccines Elicit Neoantigen-Specific Immune Responses In Preclinical Models And In Clinical Translation, Lijin Li, Xiuli Zhang, Xiaoli Wang, Samuel W Kim, John M Herndon, Michelle K Becker-Hapak, Beatriz M Carreno, Nancy B Myers, Mark A Sturmoski, Michael D Mclellan, Christopher A Miller, Tanner M Johanns, Benjamin R Tan, Gavin P Dunn, Timothy P Fleming, Ted H Hansen, S Peter Goedegebuure, William E Gillanders

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Preclinical studies and early clinical trials have shown that targeting cancer neoantigens is a promising approach towards the development of personalized cancer immunotherapies. DNA vaccines can be rapidly and efficiently manufactured and can integrate multiple neoantigens simultaneously. We therefore sought to optimize the design of polyepitope DNA vaccines and test optimized polyepitope neoantigen DNA vaccines in preclinical models and in clinical translation.

METHODS: We developed and optimized a DNA vaccine platform to target multiple neoantigens. The polyepitope DNA vaccine platform was first optimized using model antigens in vitro and in vivo. We then identified neoantigens in preclinical breast cancer …

A Risk Assessment Tool For Resumption Of Research Activities During The Covid-19 Pandemic For Field Trials In Low Resource Settings, Suzanne M Simkovich, Victor G Davila-Roman, Lisa De Las Fuentes, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

RATIONALE: The spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 has suspended many non-COVID-19 related research activities. Where restarting research activities is permitted, investigators need to evaluate the risks and benefits of resuming data collection and adapt procedures to minimize risk.

OBJECTIVES: In the context of the multicountry Household Air Pollution Intervention (HAPIN) trial conducted in rural, low-resource settings, we developed a framework to assess the risk of each trial activity and to guide protective measures. Our goal is to maximize the integrity of reseach aims while minimizing infection risk based on the latest scientific understanding of the virus.

METHODS: We …

Pfmfr3: A Multidrug-Resistant Modulator In Plasmodium Falciparum, Frances Rocamora, Purva Gupta, Eva S Istvan, Madeline R Luth, Emma F Carpenter, Krittikorn Kümpornsin, Erika Sasaki, Jaeson Calla, Nimisha Mittal, Krypton Carolino, Edward Owen, Manuel Llinás, Sabine Ottilie, Daniel E Goldberg, Marcus C S Lee, Elizabeth A Winzeler

2020-Current year OA Pubs

In malaria, chemical genetics is a powerful method for assigning function to uncharacterized genes. MMV085203 and GNF-Pf-3600 are two structurally related napthoquinone phenotypic screening hits that kill both blood- and sexual-stage

The Clinical Course Of Coronavirus Disease 2019 In A Us Hospital System: A Multistate Analysis, Aaloke Mody, Patrick G Lyons, Cristina Vazquez Guillamet, Andrew Michelson, Sean Yu, Angella Sandra Namwase, Pratik Sinha, William G Powderly, Keith Woeltje, Elvin H Geng

2020-Current year OA Pubs

There are limited data on longitudinal outcomes for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalizations that account for transitions between clinical states over time. Using electronic health record data from a hospital network in the St. Louis, Missouri, region, we performed multistate analyses to examine longitudinal transitions and outcomes among hospitalized adults with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 with respect to 15 mutually exclusive clinical states. Between March 15 and July 25, 2020, a total of 1,577 patients in the network were hospitalized with COVID-19 (49.9% male; median age, 63 years (interquartile range, 50-75); 58.8% Black). Overall, 34.1% (95% confidence interval (CI): 26.4, 41.8) had …

Postoperative Complications Are Associated With Long-Term Changes In The Gut Microbiota Following Colorectal Cancer Surgery, Felix C F Schmitt, Martin Schneider, William Mathejczyk, Markus A Weigand, Jane C Figueiredo, Christopher I Li, David Shibata, Erin M Siegel, Adetunji T Toriola, Cornelia M Ulrich, Alexis B Ulrich, Sébastien Boutin, Biljana Gigic

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Changes in the gut microbiome have already been associated with postoperative complications in major abdominal surgery. However, it is still unclear whether these changes are transient or a long-lasting effect. Therefore, the aim of this prospective clinical pilot study was to examine long-term changes in the gut microbiota and to correlate these changes with the clinical course of the patient. Methods: In total, stool samples of 62 newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patients undergoing primary tumor resection were analyzed by 16S-rDNA next-generation sequencing. Stool samples were collected preoperatively in order to determine the gut microbiome at baseline as well as at …

Microbiota Functional Activity Biosensors For Characterizing Nutrient Metabolism In Vivo, Darryl A. Wesener, Zachary W. Beller, Samantha L. Peters, Amir Rajabi, Gianluca Dimartino, Richard J. Giannone, Robert L. Hettich, Jeffrey I. Gordon

Open Access Publications

Methods for measuring gut microbiota biochemical activities in vivo are needed to characterize its functional states in health and disease. To illustrate one approach, an arabinan-containing polysaccharide was isolated from pea fiber, its structure defined, and forward genetic and proteomic analyses used to compare its effects, versus unfractionated pea fiber and sugar beet arabinan, on a human gut bacterial strain consortium in gnotobiotic mice. We produced 'Microbiota Functional Activity Biosensors' (MFABs) consisting of glycans covalently linked to the surface of fluorescent paramagnetic microscopic glass beads. Three MFABs, each containing a unique glycan/fluorophore combination, were simultaneously orally gavaged into gnotobiotic mice, …

The Structure And Diversity Of Strain-Level Variation In Vaginal Bacteria, Brett A Tortelli, Amanda L Lewis, Justin C Fay

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The vaginal microbiome plays an important role in human health and species of vaginal bacteria have been associated with reproductive disease. Strain-level variation is also thought to be important, but the diversity, structure and evolutionary history of vaginal strains is not as well characterized. We developed and validated an approach to measure strain variation from metagenomic data based on SNPs within the core genomes for six species of vaginal bacteria:

Norovirus Evolution In Immunodeficient Mice Reveals Potentiated Pathogenicity Via A Single Nucleotide Change In The Viral Capsid, Forrest C Walker, Ebrahim Hassan, Stefan T. Peterson, Rachel Rodgers, Lawrence A. Schriefer, Cassandra E. Thompson, Yuhao Li, Gowri Kalugotla, Carla Blum-Johnston, Dylan Lawrence, Broc T. Mccune, Vincent R. Graziano, Larissa Lushniak, Sanghyun Lee, Alexa N. Roth, Stephanie M. Karst, Timothy J. Nice, Jonathan J. Miner, Craig B. Wilen, Megan T. Baldridge

Open Access Publications

Interferons (IFNs) are key controllers of viral replication, with intact IFN responses suppressing virus growth and spread. Using the murine norovirus (MNoV) system, we show that IFNs exert selective pressure to limit the pathogenic evolutionary potential of this enteric virus. In animals lacking type I IFN signaling, the nonlethal MNoV strain CR6 rapidly acquired enhanced virulence via conversion of a single nucleotide. This nucleotide change resulted in amino acid substitution F514I in the viral capsid, which led to >10,000-fold higher replication in systemic organs including the brain. Pathogenicity was mediated by enhanced recruitment and infection of intestinal myeloid cells and …

Epithelial Il-33 Appropriates Exosome Trafficking For Secretion In Chronic Airway Disease, Ella Katz-Kiriakos, Deborah F Steinberg, Colin E Kluender, Omar A Osorio, Catie Newsom-Stewart, Arjun Baronia, Derek E Byers, Michael J Holtzman, Dawn Katafiasz, Kristina L Bailey, Steven L Brody, Mark J Miller, Jennifer Alexander-Brett

Open Access Publications

IL-33 is a key mediator of chronic airway disease driven by type 2 immune pathways, yet the nonclassical secretory mechanism for this cytokine remains undefined. We performed a comprehensive analysis in human airway epithelial cells, which revealed that tonic IL-33 secretion is dependent on the ceramide biosynthetic enzyme neutral sphingomyelinase 2 (nSMase2). IL-33 is cosecreted with exosomes by the nSMase2-regulated multivesicular endosome (MVE) pathway as surface-bound cargo. In support of these findings, human chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) specimens exhibited increased epithelial expression of the abundantly secreted IL33Δ34 isoform and augmented nSMase2 expression compared with non-COPD specimens. Using an Alternaria-induced …

Circulating Mitochondrial Dna Is An Early Indicator Of Severe Illness And Mortality From Covid-19, Davide Scozzi, Marlene Cano, Lina Ma, Dequan Zhou, Ji Hong Zhu, Jane A. O'Halloran, Charles Goss, Adriana M. Rauseo, Zhiyi Liu, Sanjaya K. Sahu, Mohsen Ibrahim, Ramsey Hachem, Daniel Kreisel, Philip A. Mudd, Hrishikesh S. Kulkarni, Andrew E. Gelman, Et Al

Open Access Publications

BackgroundMitochondrial DNA (MT-DNA) are intrinsically inflammatory nucleic acids released by damaged solid organs. Whether circulating cell-free MT-DNA quantitation could be used to predict the risk of poor COVID-19 outcomes remains undetermined.MethodsWe measured circulating MT-DNA levels in prospectively collected, cell-free plasma samples from 97 subjects with COVID-19 at hospital presentation. Our primary outcome was mortality. Intensive care unit (ICU) admission, intubation, vasopressor, and renal replacement therapy requirements were secondary outcomes. Multivariate regression analysis determined whether MT-DNA levels were independent of other reported COVID-19 risk factors. Receiver operating characteristic and area under the curve assessments were used to compare MT-DNA levels with …

Evaluation Of Optimal Blood Culture Incubation Time To Maximize Clinically Relevant Results From A Contemporary Blood Culture Instrument And Media System, Eric M Ransom, Zahra Alipour, Meghan A Wallace, Carey-Ann D. Burnham

Open Access Publications

Timely diagnosis of microorganisms in blood cultures is necessary to optimize therapy. Although blood culture media and systems have evolved for decades, the standard interval for incubation prior to being discarded as negative has remained 5 days. Here, we evaluated the optimal incubation time for the BacT/Alert Virtuo blood culture detection system (bioMérieux) using FA Plus (aerobic) and FN Plus (anaerobic) resin culture bottles in routine clinical use. Following institutional review board (IRB) approval, a retrospective review evaluated the outcomes of 158,710 bottles collected between November 2018 and October 2019. The number of positive blood bottles was 13,592 (8.6%); 99% …

Pharmacokinetic And Pharmacodynamic Profiling Of Minocycline For Injection Following A Single Infusion In Critically Ill Adults In A Phase Iv Open-Label Multicenter Study (Acumin), Thomas P Lodise, Yasir Hamad, Et Al

Open Access Publications

Intravenous (i.v.) minocycline is increasingly used to treat infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR)

Areas Of Metabolomic Exploration For Helminth Infections, Jeffrey D Whitman, Judy A Sakanari, Makedonka Mitreva

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Helminths represent a diverse category of parasitic organisms that can thrive within a host for years, if not decades, in the absence of treatment. As such, they must establish mechanisms to subsist off their hosts, evade the immune system, and develop a niche among the other cohabiting microbial communities. The complex interplay of biologically small molecules (collectively known as the metabolome) derived from, utilized by, or in response to the presence of helminths within a host is an emerging field of study. In this Perspective, we briefly summarize the current existing literature, categorize key host-pathogen-microbiome interfaces that could be studied …

Seroprevalence Of Sars-Cov-2 Antibodies In Children And Adults In St. Louis, Missouri, Usa, Brittany K Smith, Andrew B Janowski, Jonathan E Danis, Ian B Harvey, Haiyan Zhao, Ya-Nan Dai, Christopher W Farnsworth, Ann M Gronowski, Stephen Roper, Daved H Fremont, David Wang

Open Access Publications

Reported coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case counts likely underestimate the true prevalence because mild or asymptomatic cases often go untested. Here, we use a sero-survey to estimate the seroprevalence of IgG antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the St. Louis, MO, metropolitan area in a symptom-independent manner. Five hundred three adult and 555 pediatric serum/plasma samples were collected from patients presenting to Barnes-Jewish Hospital or St. Louis Children's Hospital between 14 April 2020 and 12 May 2020. We developed protocols for in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) using spike and nucleoprotein and used the assays to estimate …

Capsule Carbohydrate Structure Determines Virulence In Acinetobacter Baumannii, Yuli Talyansky, Travis B. Nielsen, Jun Yan, Ulrike Carlino-Macdonald, Gisela Di Venanzio, Somnath Chakravorty, Amber Ulhaq, Mario F. Feldman, Thomas A. Russo, Evgeny Vinogradov, Brian Luna, Meredith S. Wright, Mark D. Adams, Brad Spellberg

Open Access Publications

Acinetobacter baumannii is a highly antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogen for which novel therapeutic approaches are needed. Unfortunately, the drivers of virulence in A. baumannii remain uncertain. By comparing genomes among a panel of A. baumannii strains we identified a specific gene variation in the capsule locus that correlated with altered virulence. While less virulent strains possessed the intact gene gtr6, a hypervirulent clinical isolate contained a spontaneous transposon insertion in the same gene, resulting in the loss of a branchpoint in capsular carbohydrate structure. By constructing isogenic gtr6 mutants, we confirmed that gtr6-disrupted strains were protected from phagocytosis in vitro and …

Characterization And Localization Of Antigens For Serodiagnosis Of Human Paragonimiasis, Kurt C Curtis, Kerstin Fischer, Young-Jun Choi, Makedonka Mitreva, Gary J Weil, Peter U Fischer

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Paragonimiasis is a foodborne trematode infection that affects 23 million people, mainly in Asia. Lung fluke infections lead frequently to chronic cough with fever and hemoptysis, and are often confused with lung cancer or tuberculosis. Paragonimiasis can be efficiently treated with praziquantel, but diagnosis is often delayed, and patients are frequently treated for other conditions. To improve diagnosis, we selected five Paragonimus kellicotti proteins based on transcriptional abundance, recognition by patient sera, and conservation among trematodes and expressed them as His-fusion proteins in Escherichia coli. Sequences for these proteins have 76-99% identity with amino acid sequences for orthologs in the …

Ccr5 Inhibition In Critical Covid-19 Patients Decreases Inflammatory Cytokines, Increases Cd8 T-Cells, And Decreases Sars-Cov2 Rna In Plasma By Day 14, Bruce K Patterson, Philip A Mudd, Et Al

Open Access Publications

OBJECTIVE: Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is now a global pandemic. Emerging results indicate a dysregulated immune response. Given the role of CCR5 in immune cell migration and inflammation, we investigated the impact of CCR5 blockade via the CCR5-specific antibody leronlimab on clinical, immunological, and virological parameters in severe COVID-19 patients.

METHODS: In March 2020, 10 terminally ill, critical COVID-19 patients received two doses of leronlimab via individual emergency use indication. We analyzed changes in clinical presentation, immune cell populations, inflammation, as well as SARS-CoV-2 plasma viremia before and 14 days after treatment.

RESULTS: Over the …

Progress Towards Onchocerciasis Elimination In Côte D'Ivoire: A Geospatial Modelling Study, Obiora A. Eneanya, Benjamin G. Koudou, Meite Aboulaye, Aba Ange Elvis, Yeo Souleymane, Marie-Madeleine Kouakou, Gary J. Weil, Peter U. Fischer

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: Côte d'Ivoire has had 45 years of intervention for onchocerciasis by vector control (from 1975 to 1991), ivermectin mass drug administration (MDA) (from 1992 to 1994) and community directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTi) from 1995 to the present. We modeled onchocerciasis endemicity during two time periods that correspond to the scale up of vector control and ivermectin distribution, respectively. This analysis illustrates progress towards elimination during these periods, and it has identified potential hotspots areas that are at risk for ongoing transmission.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: The analysis used Ministry of Health skin snip microfilaria (MF) prevalence and intensity data …

A Timely Call To Arms: Covid-19, The Circadian Clock, And Critical Care, Jeffrey Haspel, Minjee Kim, Phyllis Zee, Tanja Schwarzmeier, Sara Montagnese, Satchidananda Panda, Adriana Albani, Martha Merrow

2020-Current year OA Pubs

We currently find ourselves in the midst of a global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the highly infectious novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Here, we discuss aspects of SARS-CoV-2 biology and pathology and how these might interact with the circadian clock of the host. We further focus on the severe manifestation of the illness, leading to hospitalization in an intensive care unit. The most common severe complications of COVID-19 relate to clock-regulated human physiology. We speculate on how the pandemic might be used to gain insights on the circadian clock but, more importantly, on …