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Progress Notes, Lehigh Valley Health Network

Progress Notes

No abstract provided.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For February 2014, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For May 2014, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For April 2014, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Division Of Research And Economic Development Monthly Report For June 2014, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

The monthly reports include statistics for project proposals and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments at the University of Rhode Island.

Choppi: A Web Tool For The Analysis Of Immunogenicity Risk From Host Cell Proteins In Cho-Based Protein Production, Chris Bailey-Kellogg, Andres H. Gutiérrez, Leonard Moise, Frances Terry, William D. Martin, Anne S. De Groot

Institute for Immunology and Informatics Faculty Publications

Despite high quality standards and continual process improvements in manufacturing, host cell protein (HCP) process impurities remain a substantial risk for biological products. Even at low levels, residual HCPs can induce a detrimental immune response compromising the safety and efficacy of a biologic. Consequently, advanced-stage clinical trials have been cancelled due to the identification of antibodies against HCPs. To enable earlier and rapid assessment of the risks in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO)-based protein production of residual CHO protein impurities (CHOPs), we have developed a web tool called CHOPPI, for CHO Protein Predicted Immunogenicity. CHOPPI integrates information regarding the possible presence …

Hcv Epitope, Homologous To Multiple Human Protein Sequences, Induces A Regulatory T Cell Response In Infected Patients, Phyllis T. Losikoff, Sasmita Mishra, Francis Terry, Andres Gutierrez, Matt T. Ardito, Loren Fast, Martha Nevola, William D. Martin, Chris Bailey-Kellogg, Anne S. De Groot, Stephen H. Gregory

Institute for Immunology and Informatics Faculty Publications

Background & Aims: Spontaneous resolution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections depends upon a broad T cell response to multiple viral epitopes. Most patients fail to clear infections spontaneously, however, and develop chronic disease. The elevated number and function of CD3⁺CD4⁺CD25⁺FoxP3⁺ regulatory T_(reg) cells in HCV-infected patients suggest the role of T_reg cells in impaired viral clearance. The factors contributing to increased T_reg cell activity in chronic hepatitis C cases remain to be delineated.

Methods: Immunoinformatics tools were used to predict promiscuous, highly-conserved HLA-DRB1- restricted immunogenic consensus sequences …

Effect Of Temperature On Feeding Period Of Larval Blacklegged Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) On Eastern Fence Lizards, Eric L. Rulison, Roger A. Lebrun, Howard S. Ginsberg

Plant Sciences and Entomology Faculty Publications

Ambient temperature can influence tick development time, and can potentially affect tick interactions with pathogens and with vertebrate hosts. We studied the effect of ambient temperature on duration of attachment of larval blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis Say, to eastern fence lizards, Sceloporus undulatus (Bosc & Daudin). Feeding periods of larvae that attached to lizards under preferred temperature conditions for the lizards (WARM treatment: temperatures averaged 36.6°C at the top of the cage and 25.8°C at the bottom, allowing behavioral thermoregulation) were shorter than for larvae on lizards held under cool conditions (COOL treatment temperatures averaged 28.4°C at top of cage …

Impact Of Appropriate Antimicrobial Therapy For Patients With Severe Sepsis And Septic Shock – A Quality Improvement Study, Paula K. O. Yokota, Alexandre R. Marra, Marines D. V. Martino, Elivane S. Victor, Marcelino S. Durão, Michael B. Edmond, Oscar F. P. Dos Santos

Internal Medicine Publications

Background

There is ample literature available on the association between both time to antibiotics and appropriateness of antibiotics and clinical outcomes from sepsis. In fact, the current state of debate surrounds the balance to be struck between prompt empirical therapy and care in the choice of appropriate antibiotics (both in terms of the susceptibility of infecting organism and minimizing resistance arising from use of broad-spectrum agents). The objective of this study is to determine sepsis bundle compliance and the appropriateness of antimicrobial therapy in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock and its impact on outcomes.

Material

This study was …

Impact Of Appropriate Antimicrobial Therapy For Patients With Severe Sepsis And Septic Shock – A Quality Improvement Study, Paula K. O. Yokota, Alexandre R. Marra, Marines D. V. Martino, Elivane S. Victor, Marcelino S. Durão, Michael B. Edmond, Oscar F. P. Dos Santos

Internal Medicine Publications

Background

There is ample literature available on the association between both time to antibiotics and appropriateness of antibiotics and clinical outcomes from sepsis. In fact, the current state of debate surrounds the balance to be struck between prompt empirical therapy and care in the choice of appropriate antibiotics (both in terms of the susceptibility of infecting organism and minimizing resistance arising from use of broad-spectrum agents). The objective of this study is to determine sepsis bundle compliance and the appropriateness of antimicrobial therapy in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock and its impact on outcomes.

Material

This study was …

Clinical And Microbiologic Efficacy Of A Water Filter Program In A Rural Honduran Community, Jaclyn Arquiette, Michael P. Stevens, Jean M. Rabb, Kakotan Sanogo, Patrick Mason, Gonzalo Bearman

VCU Health Publications

Water purification in the rural Honduras is a focus of the nonprofit organization Honduras Outreach Medical Brigade Relief Effort (HOMBRE). We assessed water filter use and tested filter microbiologic and clinical efficacy. A 22-item questionnaire assessed water sources, obtainment/storage, purification, and incidence of gastrointestinal disease. Samples from home clay-based filters in La Hicaca were obtained and paired with surveys from the same home. We counted bacterial colonies of four bacterial classifications from each sample. Sixty-five surveys were completed. Forty-five (69%) individuals used a filter. Fifteen respondents reported diarrhea in their home in the last 30 days; this incidence was higher …

Reduction Of The Hiv Protease Inhibitor-Induced Er Stress And Inflammatory Response By Raltegravir In Macrophages, Xiaoxuan Zhang, Risheng Cao, Ruping Liu, Renping Zhao, Yi Huang, Emily C. Gurley, Phillip B. Hylemon, William M. Pandak, Guangji Wang, Luyong Zhang, Xiaokun Li, Huiping Zhou

Microbiology and Immunology Publications

Background

HIV protease inhibitor (PI), the core component of highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) for HIV infection, has been implicated in HAART-associated cardiovascular complications. Our previous studies have demonstrated that activation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is linked to HIV PI-induced inflammation and foam cell formation in macrophages. Raltegravir is a first-in-its-class HIV integrase inhibitor, the newest class of anti-HIV agents. We have recently reported that raltegravir has less hepatic toxicity and could prevent HIV PI-induced dysregulation of hepatic lipid metabolism by inhibiting ER stress. However, little information is available as to whether raltegravir would also prevent HIV PI-induced inflammatory …

Antigen Transfer From Exosomes To Dendritic Cells As An Explanation For The Immune Enhancement Seen By Ige Immune Complexes, Rebecca K. Martin, Keith B. Brooks, Frida Henningsson, Birgitta Heyman, Daniel H. Conrad

Microbiology and Immunology Publications

IgE antigen complexes induce increased specific T cell proliferation and increased specific IgG production. Immediately after immunization, CD23+ B cells capture IgE antigen complexes, transport them to the spleen where, via unknown mechanisms, dendritic cells capture the antigen and present it to T cells. CD23, the low affinity IgE receptor, binds IgE antigen complexes and internalizes them. In this study, we show that these complexes are processed onto B-cell derived exosomes (bexosomes) in a CD23 dependent manner. The bexosomes carry CD23, IgE and MHC II and stimulate antigen specific T-cell proliferation in vitro. When IgE antigen complex stimulated bexosomes …

Antigen Transfer From Exosomes To Dendritic Cells As An Explanation For The Immune Enhancement Seen By Ige Immune Complexes, Rebecca K. Martin, Keith B. Brooks, Frida Henningsson, Birgitta Heyman, Daniel H. Conrad

Microbiology and Immunology Publications

IgE antigen complexes induce increased specific T cell proliferation and increased specific IgG production. Immediately after immunization, CD23+ B cells capture IgE antigen complexes, transport them to the spleen where, via unknown mechanisms, dendritic cells capture the antigen and present it to T cells. CD23, the low affinity IgE receptor, binds IgE antigen complexes and internalizes them. In this study, we show that these complexes are processed onto B-cell derived exosomes (bexosomes) in a CD23 dependent manner. The bexosomes carry CD23, IgE and MHC II and stimulate antigen specific T-cell proliferation in vitro. When IgE antigen complex stimulated bexosomes …

An Emerging Mycoplasma Associated With Trichomoniasis, Vaginal Infection And Disease, Jennifer M. Fettweis, Myrna G. Serrano, Bernice Huang, J. Paul Brooks, Abigail L. Glascock, Nihar U. Sheth, Vaginal Microbiome Consortium, Jerome F. Strauss Iii, Kimberly K. Jefferson, Gregory A. Buck

Microbiology and Immunology Publications

Humans are colonized by thousands of bacterial species, but it is difficult to assess the metabolic and pathogenic potential of the majority of these because they have yet to be cultured. Here, we characterize an uncultivated vaginal mycoplasma tightly associated with trichomoniasis that was previously known by its 16S rRNA sequence as “Mnola.” In this study, the mycoplasma was found almost exclusively in women infected with the sexually transmitted pathogen Trichomonas vaginalis, but rarely observed in women with no diagnosed disease. The genomes of four strains of this species were reconstructed using metagenome sequencing and assembly of DNA from …

An Emerging Mycoplasma Associated With Trichomoniasis, Vaginal Infection And Disease, Jennifer M. Fettweis, Myrna G. Serrano, Bernice Huang, J. Paul Brooks, Abigail L. Glascock, Nihar U. Sheth, Vaginal Microbiome Consortium, Jerome F. Strauss Iii, Kimberly K. Jefferson, Gregory A. Buck

Microbiology and Immunology Publications

Humans are colonized by thousands of bacterial species, but it is difficult to assess the metabolic and pathogenic potential of the majority of these because they have yet to be cultured. Here, we characterize an uncultivated vaginal mycoplasma tightly associated with trichomoniasis that was previously known by its 16S rRNA sequence as “Mnola.” In this study, the mycoplasma was found almost exclusively in women infected with the sexually transmitted pathogen Trichomonas vaginalis, but rarely observed in women with no diagnosed disease. The genomes of four strains of this species were reconstructed using metagenome sequencing and assembly of DNA from four …

Skin Condition Secondary To Elbow Dislocation In A Collegiate Diver, Brandi Leigh Anders

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Objective: The purpose of the case study is to inform athletic trainers about complications with post-surgical athletes caused from the materials used during or after the surgery.

Background: A nineteen year old female collegiate cheerleader with previous left elbow injuries developed a rash post-surgery to repair the elbow’s instability.

Differential Diagnosis: The differential diagnosis for this athlete included a medial collateral ligament tear, ulnar neuritis, elbow subluxation and cubital tunnel narrowing.

Treatment: The athlete had been placed in a posterior splint for two weeks. The athlete noticed a red, itchy patch around each of the stiches which began to itch …

Therapeutic Efficacy Of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Against Sepsis Induced Multi-Organ Dysfunction Syndrome In Sprague Dawley Rats, Nandini Durga Prasanna Kumar Manne

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Sepsis is a generalized term that signifies the presence of a pathogen in the blood stream to which the body responds by eliciting a systemic inflammatory response. Although sepsis is the leading cause of death in non-coronary intensive care units in United States, there are currently no FDA approved therapeutic drugs to treat this disorder. Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO₂) have been shown to exhibit anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial properties both in vitro and in vivo. Whether CeO₂ nanoparticles can be used for the treatment of sepsis is currently unclear.

To investigate whether CeO₂ nanoparticles can …

Community And Global Public Health Curriculum Map 2013-2014, Sean M. Stone, Char Booth, Dani Brecher, M. Sara Lowe, Natalie Tagge

Curriculum Maps

This map displays degree requirements, courses, faculty information, clubs & organizations, and Library resources associated with community and global public health across the seven Claremont Colleges (7Cs) for the 2013-14 academic year. It was compiled using public information drawn from Colleges websites, course schedules and catalogs, and the Claremont Colleges Library website.

This project was completed as part of an IMLS Sparks! Ignition grant in 2013-14.

Novel Neuroprotective Gsk-3Β Inhibitor Restricts Tat-Mediated Hiv-1 Replication, Irene Guendel, Sergey N. Iordanskiy, Rachel Van Duyne, Kylene Kehn-Hall, Mohammed Saifuddin, Ravi Das, Elizabeth Jaworski, Gavin C. Sampey, Svetlana Senina, Leonard Shultz, Aarthi Narayanan, Chen Hao, Benjamin Lepene, Chen Zeng, Fatah Kashanchi

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

The implementation of new antiretroviral therapies targeting transcription of early viral proteins in postintegrated HIV-1 can aid in overcoming current therapy limitations. Using high-throughput screening assays, we have previously described a novel Tat-dependent HIV-1 transcriptional inhibitor named 6-bromoindirubin-3′-oxime (6BIO). The screening of 6BIO derivatives yielded unique compounds that show potent inhibition of HIV-1 transcription. We have identified a second-generation derivative called 18BIOder as an inhibitor of HIV-1 Tat-dependent transcription in TZM-bl cells and a potent inhibitor of GSK-3β kinase in vitro. Structurally, 18BIOder is half the molecular weight and structure of its parental compound, 6BIO. More importantly, we also …

Suppression Of Aquaporin, A Mediator Of Water Channel Control In The Carcinogenic Liver Fluke, Opisthorchis Viverrini, Sirikanda Thanasuwan, Supawadee Piratae, Paul J. Brindley, Alex Loukas, Sasithorn Kaewkes, Thewarach Laha

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Background

Opisthorchiasis and Opisthorchis viverrini-associated bile duct cancer represent major public health threats in Thailand and Laos. The tegument of this food borne fluke plays pivotal roles in parasite metabolism, homeostasis and osmoregulation. Excretory/secretory products also pass from the fluke to the biliary environment, products that likely underlie pathogenesis of liver fluke infection. Aquaporins (AQPs), belong to the major intrinsic protein superfamily of integral plasma membrane channel proteins that selectively transport water across cell membranes. AQPs play key roles as water and ion transport channels through the tegument of helminth parasites.

Methods

Here, two forms of AQP mRNAs from the …

Bioclojure: A Functional Library For The Manipulation Of Biological Sequences, Jordan L. Plieskatt, Gabriel Rinaldi, Paul J. Brindley, Xinying Jia, Jeremy Potriquet, Jeffrey M. Bethony, Jason Mulvenna

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Motivation: BioClojure is an open-source library for the manipulation of biological sequence data written in the language Clojure. BioClojure aims to provide a functional framework for the processing of biological sequence data that provides simple mechanisms for concurrency and lazy evaluation of large data sets.

Results: BioClojure provides parsers and accessors for a range of biological sequence formats, including UniProtXML, Genbank XML, fasta and fastq. In addition it provides wrappers for key analysis programs, including BLAST, SignalP, TMHMM and InterProScan, and parsers for analyzing their output. All interfaces leverage Clojure's functional style and emphasize laziness and composability, so that BioClojure, …

Schistosomes And Snails: A Molecular Encounter, Matty Knight, Halime D. Arican-Goktas, Wannaporn Ittiprasert, Edwin C. Odoemelam, Andre N. Miller, Joanna M. Bridger

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Biomphalaria glabrata snails play an integral role in the transmission of Schistosoma mansoni, the causative agent for human schistosomiasis in the Western hemisphere. For the past two decades, tremendous advances have been made in research aimed at elucidating the molecular basis of the snail/parasite interaction. The growing concern that there is no vaccine to prevent schistosomiasis and only one effective drug in existence provides the impetus to develop new control strategies based on eliminating schistosomes at the snail-stage of the life cycle. To elucidate why a given snail is not always compatible to each and every schistosome it encounters, B. …

Circumventing Qpcr Inhibition To Amplify Mirnas In Plasma, Jordan L. Plieskatt, Yanjung Feng, Gabriel Rinaldi, Jason Mulvenna, Jeffrey M. Bethony, Paul J. Brindley

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Circulating microRNAs (c-miRNAs) have be identified in saliva, urine and blood, which has led to increasing interest in their development as biomarkers for diverse diseases including cancers. One of the key advantages of c-miRNAs over other biomarkers is the ability to be amplified and quantified by quantitative PCR (qPCR). However, at phlebotomy when whole blood is dispensed into heparinized tubes, residual levels of the anti-coagulant lithium heparin may remain in the plasma and hence with RNA isolated from the plasma. This can confound the detection of c-miRNAs by qPCR because it inhibits reverse transcriptase (RT). Here we present a procedure, …

Schistosome And Liver Fluke Derived Catechol-Estrogens And Helminth Associated Cancers., José M. Correia Da Costa, Nuno Vale, Maria J. Gouveia, Mónica C. Botelho, Banchob Sripa, Lúcio L. Santos, Júlio H. Santos, Gabriel Rinaldi, Paul J. Brindley

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Infection with helminth parasites remains a persistent public health problem in developing countries. Three of these pathogens, the liver flukes Clonorchis sinensis, Opisthorchis viverrini and the blood fluke Schistosoma haematobium, are of particular concern due to their classification as Group 1 carcinogens: infection with these worms is carcinogenic. Using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) approaches, we identified steroid hormone like (e.g., oxysterol-like, catechol estrogen quinone-like, etc.) metabolites and related DNA-adducts, apparently of parasite origin, in developmental stages including eggs of S. haematobium, in urine of people with urogenital schistosomiasis, and in the adult stage of O. viverrini. Since these kinds of …

Guardian Engagement, Rachel Baywal, Jessica Carag, Laura Johns, John-Hanson Machado, Sarah Rothenberg, Indira Singh, Christie Toolin, Meghana Vijaysimha

ISCOPES Posters and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Fusion, 2014, George Washington University, William H. Beaumont Medical Research Honor Society

Fusion

No abstract provided.

Cuentos - 2014, George Washington University, Medical Faculty Associates

Cuentos

Cuentos is the humanities magazine of the George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates Department of Internal Medicine.

A Case Control Study Of Environmental And Occupational Exposures Associated With Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Nasal Carriage In Patients Admitted To A Rural Tertiary Care Hospital In A High Density Swine Region, Leah Schinasi, Steve Wing, Kerri L. Augustino, Keith M. Ramsey, Delores L. Nobles, David B. Richardson, Lance B. Price, Maliha Aziz, Pia Macdonald, Jill R. Stewart

Environmental and Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Background

Distinct strains of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have been identified on livestock and livestock workers. Industrial food animal production may be an important environmental reservoir for human carriage of these pathogenic bacteria. The objective of this study was to investigate environmental and occupational exposures associated with nasal carriage of MRSA in patients hospitalized at Vidant Medical Center, a tertiary hospital serving a region with intensive livestock production in eastern North Carolina.

Methods

MRSA nasal carriage was identified via nasal swabs collected within 24 hours of hospital admission. MRSA carriers (cases) were gender and age matched to non-carriers (controls). …

Gauging Regional Differences In The Hiv Prevalence Rate Among Injection Drug Users In The U.S., Jichuan Wang, Brian Kelly

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

This article aims to introduce and demonstrate the application of the standardization and decomposition analysis (SDA) method to gauge differences in HIV prevalence rates among injection drug users (IDUs) across regions (Northeast, South, Midwest, and West) in the U.S. Using the SDA, the regional HIV prevalence rates were standardized and a rate difference between regions was decomposed into component effects, such as the “real” rate difference, and component effects attributed to differences in specific compositions of confounding factors. A total of 9,824 injection drug users (IDUs) retrieved from the national database of the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Cooperative Agreement …