Digital Commons Network^™

A Multi‑Disciplinary Comparison Of Great Ape Gut Microbiota In A Central African Forest And European Zoo, Victor Narat, Katherine R. Amato, Noémie Ranger, Maud Salmona, Séverine Mercier‑Delarue, Stephanie Rupp, Philippe Ambata, Richard Njouom, François Simon, Tamara Giles‑Vernick, Jérôme Legoff

Publications and Research

Comparisons of mammalian gut microbiota across different environmental conditions shed light on the diversity and composition of gut bacteriome and suggest consequences for human and animal health. Gut bacteriome comparisons across different environments diverge in their results, showing no generalizable patterns linking habitat and dietary degradation with bacterial diversity. The challenge in drawing general conclusions from such studies lies in the broad terms describing diverse habitats (“wild”, “captive”, “pristine”). We conducted 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing to characterize intestinal microbiota of free-ranging sympatric chimpanzees and gorillas in southeastern Cameroon and sympatric chimpanzees and gorillas in a European zoo. We conducted …

Automatic Covid-19 Lung Infected Region Segmentation And Measurement Using Ct-Scans Images, Adel Oulefki, Sos Agaian, Thaweesak Trongtirakul, Azzeddine Kassah Laouar

Publications and Research

History shows that the infectious disease (COVID-19) can stun the world quickly, causing massive losses to health, resulting in a profound impact on the lives of billions of people, from both a safety and an economic perspective, for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. The best strategy is to provide early intervention to stop the spread of the disease. In general, Computer Tomography (CT) is used to detect tumors in pneumonia, lungs, tuberculosis, emphysema, or other pleura (the membrane covering the lungs) diseases. Disadvantages of CT imaging system are: inferior soft tissue contrast compared to MRI as it is X-ray-based Radiation exposure. …

From Ace2 To Covid-19: A Multiorgan Endothelial Disease, Richard A. Stein, Lauren M. Young

Publications and Research

Editorial

Gender And Racial Disparity For Hospital Emergency Service Usage In Usa: A Quantitative Analysis For Various Age Groups During 2010–2017., Subhendra N. Sarkar, Anthony F. Devito, Evans Lespinasse, Faisal Khosa

Publications and Research

Background: Annually emergency department (ED) services are utilized by more than 100 million Americans making ED usage trends important determinants of healthcare quality, outcomes and cost. Previous workers have demonstrated the existence of disparity in various healthcare services in USA although a comprehensive analysis has not been undertaken. Dahlgren and Whitehead rainbow model has offered insights for multiple factors of influence on an individual’s health and focuses on the relationships among these factors. The Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH; WHO initiatives) suggests that the social and environmental factors are at the root of most of the inequalities responsible …

Cryo‑Electron Microscopy Structure Of The 70s Ribosome From Enterococcus Faecalis, Eileen L. Murphy, Kavindra V. Singh, Bryant Avila, Torsten Kleffmann, Steven T. Gregory, Barbara E. Murray, Kurt L. Krause, Reza Khayat, Gerwald Jogl

Publications and Research

Enterococcus faecalis is a gram-positive organism responsible for serious infections in humans, but as with many bacterial pathogens, resistance has rendered a number of commonly used antibiotics ineffective. Here, we report the cryo-EM structure of the E. faecalis 70S ribosome to a global resolution of 2.8 Å. Structural differences are clustered in peripheral and solvent exposed regions when compared with Escherichia coli, whereas functional centres, including antibiotic binding sites, are similar to other bacterial ribosomes. Comparison of intersubunit conformations among five classes obtained after three-dimensional classification identifies several rotated states. Large ribosomal subunit protein bL31, which forms intersubunit bridges to …

The Glycocalyx And Its Role In Vascular Physiology And Vascular Related Diseases, Sheldon Weinbaum, Limary M. Cancel, Bingmei M. Fu, John M. Tarbell

Publications and Research

Purpose—In 2007 the two senior authors wrote a review on the structure and function of the endothelial glycocalyx layer (Weinbaum in Annu Rev Biomed Eng 9:121–167, 2007). Since then there has been an explosion of interest in this hydrated gel-like structure that coats the luminal surface of endothelial cells that line our vasculature due to its important functions in (A) basic vascular physiology and (B) vascular related diseases. This review will highlight the major advances that have occurred since our 2007 paper.

Methods—A literature search mainly focusing on the role of the glycocalyx in the two major areas described above …

Unprotected On The Job: How Exclusion From Safety And Health Laws Harms California Domestic Workers, Isaac Jabola-Carolus

Publications and Research

Since its creation in 1973, California’s Occupational Safety and Health Act has excluded an entire class of workers—those employed in private households as nannies, housecleaners, home health aides, and home attendants. This report documents the human cost of their exclusion at a time when COVID-19 and ecological disaster compound typical workplace hazards. Based on a recent survey of over 700 domestic workers across the Los Angeles and San Francisco metropolitan areas, the report offers a large-scale snapshot of safety and health challenges faced by this workforce. Findings demonstrate that job-related injuries, illness, and violence are common; that employers rarely provide …

What Do We Learn When The Unknown Suddenly Appears?, Kari Singletary, Linda Paradiso

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Protocol For A National Probability Survey Using Home Specimen Collection Methods To Assess Prevalence And Incidence Of Sars-Cov-2 Infection And Antibody Response, Aaron J. Siegler, Patrick S. Sullivan, Travis Sanchez, Ben Lopman, Mansour Fahimi, Charles Sailey, Martin Frankel, Richard Rothenberg, Colleen F. Kelley, Heather Bradley

Publications and Research

Purpose: The U.S. response to the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic has been hampered by early and ongoing delays in testing for infection; without data on where infections were occurring and the magnitude of the epidemic, early public health responses were not data-driven. Understanding the prevalence of SARSCoV- 2 infections and immune response is critical to developing and implementing effective public health responses. Most serological surveys have been limited to localities that opted to conduct them and/or were based on convenience samples. Moreover, results of antibody testing might be subject to high false positive rates in the setting of low prevalence of immune …

Moral Dilemma Of A Physician And Mother In The Midst Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sarah Rosanel, Joshua Fogel

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Market Integration And Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infection Among The Shuar Of Amazonian Ecuador, Theresa E. Gildner, Tara J. Cepon-Robins, Melissa A. Liebert, Samuel S. Urlacher, Joshua M. Schrock, Christopher J. Harrington, Felicia C. Madimenos, J. Josh Snodgrass, Lawrence S. Sugiyama

Publications and Research

Background

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections have many negative health outcomes (e.g., diarrhea, nutritional deficiencies) that can also exacerbate poverty. These infections are generally highest among low-income populations, many of which are also undergoing market integration (MI; increased participation in a market-based economy). Yet the direct impact of MI-related social and environmental changes on STH infection patterns is poorly understood, making it unclear which lifestyle factors should be targeted to better control disease spread. This cross-sectional study examines if household infrastructure associated with greater MI is associated with lower STH burdens among Indigenous Ecuadorian Shuar.

Methods

Neuroinvasion, Neurotropic, And Neuroinflammatory Events Of Sars-Cov-2: Understanding The Neurological Manifestations In Covid-19 Patients, Yassine Yachou, Abdeslem El Idrissi, Vladimir Belapasov, Said Ait Benali

Publications and Research

Respiratory viruses are opportunistic pathogens that infect the upper respiratory tract in humans and cause severe illnesses, especially in vulnerable populations. Some viruses have neuroinvasive properties and activate the immune response in the brain.These immune events may be neuroprotective or they may cause long-term damage similar to what is seen in some neurodegenerative diseases. The new “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2” (SARS-CoV-2) is one of the Respiratory viruses causing highly acute lethal pneumonia coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with clinical similarities to those reported in “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus” (SARS-CoV) and the “Middle East Respiratory SyndromeCoronavirus” (MERS-CoV) including neurological …

Coverage Of The 2019 Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus Outbreak On News Media, Corey H. Basch, Joseph Fera, Christie Jaime, Nasia Quininoes

Publications and Research

Background: The media plays as an important role in delivering information about emergent issues, such as the Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) outbreak of 2019. As such, there has been an increase in news coverage of vector-borne disease coverage due to a rise in emerging or re-emerging arboviruses.

Methods: The purpose of this study was to describe the content of news clips related to the recent (2019) EEEV outbreak in the United States.

Results: Only 3 of the important topics identified were mentioned in a majority of the 110 videos analyzed. These topics were, mosquito mentioned as transmitter, prevention by …

Medical Resource Use And Costs Of Treating Sickle Cell-Related Vaso-Occlusive Crisis Episodes: A Retrospective Claims Study, Nirmish Shah, Menaka Bhor, Lin Xie, Jincy Paulose, Huseyin Yuce

Publications and Research

Background: The study investigated the economic burden of vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) among sickle cell disease (SCD) patients, through assessment of overall utilization and costs and costs per VOC episode (regarding the number of VOC episodes and health care setting, respectively).

Methods: Using the Medicaid Analytic Extracts database, the first SCD-related diagnosis claim (index claim) between June 1, 2009–December 31, 2012 was identified among eligible adults. Patients were required to have continuous medical and pharmacy benefits for 6 months pre- and 12 months post-index. Discrete VOC claims identified within a 3-day gap were combined as a single VOC episode. Annual all-cause …

Enhancing Global Health Communication During A Crisis: Lessons From The Covid-19 Pandemic, Scott C. Ratzan, Silvia Sommarivac, Lauren Rauh

Publications and Research

Background/objective: The understanding and practice of public health crisis communication are improved through the study of responses to past crises, but require retooling for present challenges. The ‘Addressing Ebola and other outbreaks’ checklist contains guiding principles built upon maxims developed from a World Health Organization consultation in response to the mad cow (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) crisis that were later adopted for Ebola. The purpose of this article is to adapt the checklist for the health communication challenges and public health practices that have emerged during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The communication challenges of promoting vaccine acceptance are used …

A Diverse And Inclusive Academic Membership For All, Victor Puac-Polanco, Alfredo Morabia

Publications and Research

With the growing recognition that diversity and inclusion are essential for the improvement of science and innovation, this commentary provides some perspectives on three findings in the DeVilbiss et al. (2020)'s article and provide points of discussion on factors and strategies to consider when drafting diversity and inclusion programs for the Society for Epidemiologic Research.

Studying Public Perception About Vaccination: A Sentiment Analysis Of Tweets, Viju Raghupathi, Jie Ren, Wullianallur Raghupathi

Publications and Research

Text analysis has been used by scholars to research attitudes toward vaccination and is particularly timely due to the rise of medical misinformation via social media. This study uses a sample of 9581 vaccine-related tweets in the period 1 January 2019 to 5 April 2019. The time period is of the essence because during this time, a measles outbreak was prevalent throughout the United States and a public debate was raging. Sentiment analysis is applied to the sample, clustering the data into topics using the term frequency–inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) technique. The analyses suggest that most (about 77%) of the …

A National Prospective Cohort Study Of Sars/Cov2 Pandemic Outcomes In The U.S.: The Chasing Covid Cohort, Mckaylee Robertson, Sarah Kulkarni, Amanda Berry, Chloe Mirzayi, Andrew Maroko, Rebecca Zimba, Drew Westmoreland, Christina Grov, Angela Parcesepe, Levi Waldron, Denis Nash

Publications and Research

Introduction: The Chasing COVID Cohort (C 3 ) study is a US-based, geographically and socio-demographically diverse sample of adults (18 and older) enrolled into a prospective cohort study during the upswing of the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We used internet-based strategies to enroll C 3 participants beginning March 28th, 2020. Following baseline questionnaire completion, study participants will be contacted monthly (for 6 months) to complete assessments of engagement in non-pharmaceutical interventions (e.g., use of cloth masks, avoiding large gatherings); COVID-19 symptoms; SARS/COV2 testing and diagnosis; hospitalizations; healthcare access; and uptake of health messaging. Dried blood spot (DBS) specimens will be …

Covid-19 And Inequity: A Comparative Spatial Analysis Of New York City And Chicago Hot Spots, Andrew Maroko, Denis Nash, Brian Pavilonis

Publications and Research

There have been numerous reports that the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic has disproportionately impacted traditionally vulnerable communities, including well-researched social determinants of health, such as racial and ethnic minorities, migrants, and the economically challenged. The goal of this ecological cross-sectional study is to examine the demographic and economic nature of spatial hot and cold spots of SARS-CoV-2 rates in New York City and Chicago as of April 13, 2020.

In both cities, cold spots (clusters of low SARS-CoV-2 rate ZIP code tabulation areas) demonstrated typical protective factors associated with the social determinants of health and the ability to …

Estimating Population Immunity Without Serological Testing, Andrew Lesniewski

Publications and Research

We propose an approximate methodology for estimating the overall level of immunity against COVID-19 in a population that has been affected by the recent epidemic. The methodology relies on the currently available mortality data and utilizes the properties of the SIR model. We illustrate the application of the method by estimating the recent levels of immunity in 10 US states with highest case numbers of COVID-19.

Efficacy Of Glutathione Therapy In Relieving Dyspnea Associated With Covid-19 Pneumonia: A Report Of 2 Cases, Richard I. Horowtiz, Phyllis R. Freeeman, James Bruzzese

Publications and Research

Purpose: Infection with COVID-19 potentially can result in severe outcomes and death from “cytokine storm syndrome”, resulting in novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) with severe dyspnea, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), fulminant myocarditis and multiorgan dysfunction with or without disseminated intravascular coagulation. No published treatment to date has been shown to adequately control the inflammation and respiratory symptoms associated with COVID-19, apart from oxygen therapy and assisted ventilation. We evaluated the effects of using high dose oral and/or IV glutathione in the treatment of 2 patients with dyspnea secondary to COVID-19 pneumonia.

Methods: Two patients living in New York City …

Combating Sars-Cov-2: Leveraging Microbicidal Experiences With Other Emerging/Re-Emerging Viruses, M. Khalid Ijaz, Syed A. Sattar, Joseph R. Rubino, Raymond W. Nims, Charles P. Gerba

Publications and Research

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Wuhan City, China, late in December 2019 is another example of an emerging zoonotic virus that threatens public health and international travel and commerce. When such a virus emerges, there is often insufficient specific information available on mechanisms of virus dissemination from animal to human or from person to person, on the level or route of infection transmissibility or of viral release in body secretions/excretions, and on the survival of virus in aerosols or on surfaces. The effectiveness of available virucidal agents and hygiene practices as interventions for disrupting …

Coronavirus Transmission In The Dental Setting, Susan H. Davide, Anty Lam, Christine Macarelli

Publications and Research

Oral health professionals should remain up-to-date on the coronavirus, and clinical measures to prevent its transmission in the dental setting.

Cov Genome Tracker: Tracing Genomic Footprints Of Covid-19 Pandemic, Saymon Akther, Edgaras Bezrucenkovas, Brian Sulkow, Christopher Panlasigui, Li Li, Wei-Gang Qiu, Lia Di

Publications and Research

Genome sequences constitute the primary evidence on the origin and spread of the 2019-2020 Covid-19 pandemic. Rapid comparative analysis of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 genomes is critical for disease control, outbreak forecasting, and developing clinical interventions. CoV Genome Tracker is a web portal dedicated to trace Covid-19 outbreaks in real time using a haplotype network, an accurate and scalable representation of genomic changes in a rapidly evolving population. We resolve the direction of mutations by using a bat-associated genome as outgroup. At a broader evolutionary time scale, a companion browser provides gene-by-gene and codon-by-codon evolutionary rates to facilitate the search for molecular …

Impact Of Meteorological Factors On The Covid-19 Transmission: A Multicity Study In China, Jiangtao Liu, Ji Zhou, Jinxi Yao, Xiuxia Zhang, Lanyu Li, Xiaocheng Xu, Xiaotao He, Bo Wang, Shihua Fu, Tingting Niu, Jun Yan, Yanjun Shi, Xiaowei Ren, Jingping Niu, Weihao Zhu, Sheng Li, Bin Luo, Kai Zhang

Publications and Research

The purpose of the present study is to explore the associations between novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19) case counts and meteorological factors in 30 provincial capital cities of China. We compiled a daily dataset including confirmed case counts, ambient temperature (AT), diurnal temperature range (DTR), absolute humidity (AH) and migration scale index (MSI) for each city during the period of January 20th to March 2nd, 2020. First, we explored the associations between COVID-19 confirmed case counts, meteorological factors, and MSI using non-linear regression. Then, we conducted a two-stage analysis for 17 cities with more than 50 confirmed cases. In …

Biological Sex Influences Susceptibility To Acinetobacter Baumannii Pneumonia In Mice, Sílvia Pires, Adeline Peignier, Jeremy Seto, Davida S. Smyth, Dane Parker

Publications and Research

Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) is an extremely versatile multidrug-resistant pathogen with a very high mortality rate; therefore, it has become crucial to understand the host response during its infection. Given the importance of mice for modeling infection and their role in preclinical drug development, equal emphasis should be placed on the use of both sexes. Through our studies using a murine model of acute pneumonia with A. baumannii, we observed that female mice were more susceptible to infection. Likewise, treatment of male mice with estradiol increased their susceptibility to infection. Analysis of the airway compartment revealed enhanced inflammation and reduced …

Congenital Zika Syndrome - Background And Nutrition Care Of Affected Infants, Ann Gaba, Ghada Soliman

Publications and Research

This review provides a history and overview of Zika infection, with special attention to resultant birth defects and the nutrition care required by Zika affected infants.

C-Di-Gmp Modulates Type Iv Msha Pilus Retraction And Surface Attachment In Vibrio Cholerae, Kyle A. Floyd, Calvin K. Lee, Wujing Xian, Mahmoud Nametalla, Aneesa Valentine, Benjamin Crair, Shiwei Zhu, Hannah Q. Hughes, Jennifer L. Chlebek, Daniel C. Wu, Jin Hwan Park, Ali M. Farhat, Charles J. Lomba, Courtney K. Ellison, Yves V. Brun, Javier Campos-Gomez, Ankur B. Dalia, Jun Liu, Nicolas Biais, Gerard C. L. Wong, Fitnat H. Yildiz

Publications and Research

Biofilm formation by Vibrio cholerae facilitates environmental persistence, and hyperinfectivity within the host. Biofilm formation is regulated by 3’,5’-cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) and requires production of the type IV mannose-sensitive hemagglutinin (MSHA) pilus. Here, we show that the MSHA pilus is a dynamic extendable and retractable system, and its activity is directly controlled by c-di-GMP. The interaction between c-di-GMP and the ATPase MshE promotes pilus extension, whereas low levels of c-di-GMP correlate with enhanced retrac- tion. Loss of retraction facilitated by the ATPase PilT increases near-surface roaming motility, and impairs initial surface attachment. However, prolonged retraction upon surface attach- ment results …

Paleopathological Research In Continental China: Introduction To The Special Section, Elizabeth Berger, Kate Pechenkina

Publications and Research

We set out to assemble this special issue of IJPP with three goals in mind: (1) to familiarize Anglophone readers with research on paleopathology conducted by Chinese scholars; (2) to enhance interest in paleopathological research among Chinese scholars, and to foster the use of differential diagnosis as the key mode of paleopathological analysis; and (3) to initiate integration of pathological analysis of human skeletal collections with historical records documenting early medical practices, epidemics, development and age-related diseases, and demographic records.

The collection of papers that follows present new data, from a range of time periods and geographic and social contexts, …

Transposon Mutagenesis In Mycobacterium Kansasii Links A Small Rna Gene To Colony Morphology And Biofilm Formation And Identifies 9,885 Intragenic Insertions That Do Not Compromise Colony Outgrowth, William C. Budell, Gabrielle A. Germain, Niklas Janisch, Zaid Mckie-Krisberg, Anitha D. Jayaprakash, Andrew E. Resnick, Luis E. N. Quadri

Publications and Research

Mycobacterium kansasii (Mk) is a resilient opportunistic human pathogen that causes tuberculosis-like chronic pulmonary disease and mortality stemming from comorbidities and treatment failure. The standard treatment of Mk infections requires costly, long-term, multidrug courses with adverse side effects. The emergence of drug-resistant isolates further complicates the already challenging drug therapy regimens and threatens to compromise the future control of Mk infections. Despite the increasingly recognized global burden of Mk infections, the biology of this opportunistic pathogen remains essentially unexplored. In particular, studies reporting gene function or generation of defined mutants are scarce. Moreover, no transposon (Tn) mutagenesis tool has been …