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Outlook Magazine, Winter 2018

Outlook Magazine

No abstract provided.

Isolation And Identification Of Probiotic Bacteria For The Management Of Epizootic Shell Disease, Grace Underwood

Open Access Master's Theses

Epizootic shell disease (ESD) is an emerging disease in the American lobster (Homarus americanus) characterized by lesions, mainly on the carapace. The diseased appearance of the shell due to the lesions has had significant negative impact upon the lobster fisheries in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, since fishers are not able to sell affected lobsters to the more lucrative live market. ESD lesions are different from other shell diseases found in the American lobster populations because they are due to a poly-microbial infection that degrades the epicuticle layer, while the pillars of the chitin matrix remain …

Vancomycin Dosing: Bayesian Derived Auc/Mic Vs. Trough Only Monitoring, Meagan Ellinger Pharmd

Pharmacy Residency

Presentation given at Great Lakes Pharmacy Residency Conference 2018

Prevalence Of Cytauxzoon Felis (Protista: Apicomplexa) In Feral Cats In Russellville Arkansas, Cynthia H. Jacobs

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Abstract

Cytauxzoon felis (C. felis) is a protozoan hemoparasite of domestic and wild felids. Transmitted by ixodid ticks, the sylvatic reservoir for this organism in North America is the bobcat (Lynx rufus) in which the infection is apparently self-limiting. In domestic cats (Felis catus), C. felis causes a highly fatal disease with a distribution that covers much of the central, southcentral and southeastern U.S. and parallels that of the primary vector, the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum). Interestingly, there appears to be an increased survival rate in domestic cats in the geographic …

Intranasal Administration Of A Two-Dose Adjuvanted Multi-Antigen Tmv-Subunit Conjugate Vaccine Fully Protects Mice Against Francisella Tularensis Lvs Challenge, Alison A. Mccormick, Aisha Shakeel, Chris Yi, Hardeep Kaur, Ahd M. Mansour, Chandra Shekhar Bakshi

Faculty Publications & Research of the TUC College of Pharmacy

Tularemia is a fatal human disease caused by Francisella tularensis, a Gram-negative encapsulated coccobacillus bacterium. Due to its low infectious dose, ease of aerosolized transmission, and lethal effects, the CDC lists F. tularensis as a Category A pathogen, the highest level for a potential biothreat agent. Previous vaccine studies have been conducted with live attenuated, inactivated, and subunit vaccines, which have achieved partial or full protection from F. tularensis live vaccine strain (LVS) challenge, but no vaccine has been approved for human use. We demonstrate the improved efficacy of a multi-antigen subunit vaccine by using Tobacco Mosaic virus (TMV) as …

The Impact Of Exos On Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Internalization By Epithelial Cells Is Independent Of Fleq And Correlates With Bistability Of Type Three Secretion System Gene Expression, Abby R. Kroken, Camille K. Chen, David J. Evans, Timothy L. Yahr, Suzanne M. J. Fleiszig

Faculty Publications & Research of the TUC College of Pharmacy

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is internalized into multiple types of epithelial cell in vitro and in vivo and yet is often regarded as an exclusively extracellular pathogen. Paradoxically, ExoS, a type three secretion system (T3SS) effector, has antiphagocytic activities but is required for intracellular survival of P. aeruginosaand its occupation of bleb niches in epithelial cells. Here, we addressed mechanisms for this dichotomy using invasive (ExoS-expressing) P. aeruginosaand corresponding effector-null isogenic T3SS mutants, effector-null mutants of cytotoxic P. aeruginosa with and without ExoS transformation, antibiotic exclusion assays, and imaging using a T3SS-GFP reporter. Except for effector-null PA103, all strains were internalized while …

Divergent Humoral Responses To 23-Valent Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine In Critically-Ill Burn And Neurosurgical Patients, Scott W. Mueller, Laura J. Baumgartner, Rob Maclaren, Robert Neumann, Arek J. Wiktor, Tyree H. Kiser, Gordon Lindberg, Luis Cava, Douglas N. Fish, Edward N. Janoff

Faculty Publications & Research of the TUC College of Pharmacy

INTRODUCTION: Critically ill hospitalized patients are at increased risk of infection so we assessed the immunogenicity of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) administered within six days of injury.

METHODS: This prospective observational study compared the immunogenicity of PPSV23 among critically ill burn and neurosurgical patients at a tertiary, academic medical center. Patients received PPSV23 vaccination within six days of ICU admission per standard of care. Consent was obtained to measure concentrations of vaccine-specific IgG to 14 of 23 serotype capsule-specific IgG in serum prior to and 14-35 days following PPSV23. A successful immunologic response was defined as both a ≥2-fold …

An Improved Tobacco Mosaic Virus (Tmv)-Conjugated Multiantigen Subunit Vaccine Against Respiratory Tularemia, Ahd A. Mansour, Sukalyani Banik, Ragavan V. Suresh, Hardeep Kaur, Meenakshi Malik, Alison A. Mccormick, Chandra Bakshi

Faculty Publications & Research of the TUC College of Pharmacy

Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of the fatal human disease known as tularemia is classified as a Category A Select Agent by the Centers for Disease Control. No licensed vaccine is currently available for prevention of tularemia in the United States. Previously, we published that a tri-antigen tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) vaccine confers 50% protection in immunized mice against respiratory tularemia caused by F. tularensis. In this study, we refined the TMV-vaccine formulation to improve the level of protection in immunized C57BL/6 mice against respiratory tularemia. We developed a tetra-antigen vaccine by conjugating OmpA, DnaK, Tul4, and SucB proteins of …

A Primer On Noise-Induced Transitions In Applied Dynamical Systems, Eric Forgoston, Richard O. Moore

Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Noise plays a fundamental role in a wide variety of physical and biological dynamical systems. It can arise from an external forcing or due to random dynamics internal to the system. It is well established that even weak noise can result in large behavioral changes such as transitions between or escapes from quasi-stable states. These transitions can correspond to critical events such as failures or extinctions that make them essential phenomena to understand and quantify, despite the fact that their occurrence is rare. This article will provide an overview of the theory underlying the dynamics of rare events for stochastic …

Ontology-Guided Pre-Release Inference Disruption, Mark Stephen Daniels

Theses and Dissertations

We investigate privacy violations occurring when non-confidential patient data is combined with medical domain ontologies to disclose a patient’s protected health information (PHI). We propose a framework that detects privacy violations and eliminates undesired inferences. Our inference channel removal process is based on controlling the release of the data items that lead to undesired inferences. These data items are either blocked from release or generalized to eliminate the disclosure of the PHI. We show that our method is sound and complete. Soundness means the only inference paths generated logically follow from released data and corresponding domain knowledge. Completeness means we …

Range Expansion And The Origin Of Usa300 North American Epidemic Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Lavanya Challagundla, Isabella A. Tickler, Xavier Didelot, David C. Coleman, Anna C. Shore, Geoffrey W. Coombs, Daniel O. Sordelli, Eric L. Brown, Robert Skov, Anders Rhod Larsen, Jinnethe Reyes, Iraida E. Robledo, Guillermo J. Vazquez, Paul Rivera, Paul D. Fey, Kurt Stevenson, Shu-Hua Wang, Barry N. Kreiswirth, Jose R. Mediavilla, Cesar A. Arias, Paul J. Planet, Rathel L. Nolan, Fred C. Tenover, Richard V. Goering, D. Ashley Robinson

Biology Faculty Publications

The USA300 North American epidemic (USA300-NAE) clone of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has caused a wave of severe skin and soft tissue infections in the United States since it emerged in the early 2000s, but its geographic origin is obscure. Here we use the population genomic signatures expected from the serial founder effects of a geographic range expansion to infer the origin of USA300-NAE and identify polymorphisms associated with its spread. Genome sequences from 357 isolates from 22 U.S. states and territories and seven other countries are compared. We observe two significant signatures of range expansion, including decreases in genetic diversity …

Occupancy Of Stream-Associated Amphibians Within The Interstate 90 Snoqualmie Pass Corridor, Anne Gustafson

All Master's Theses

Detection of stream-associated amphibians in visual encounter surveys is challenging due to their cryptic nature; however, occupancy models were developed to deal with these detectability problems and provide estimates of occupancy that can also be related to site characteristics. Highway crossing risks and habitat isolation were mitigated for in recent construction of wildlife underpasses, where creeks cross Interstate 90 east of Snoqualmie Pass in Washington State. The effects of these restored underpasses on stream-associated amphibians were evaluated across 8 creeks, some with and some without restored underpasses, by comparing modeled occupancy of 3 amphibian species in stream habitat upstream, under, …

The Impact Of Web-Based Visitor Education On Human-Tibetan Macaque (Macaca Thibetana) Interactions At Mt. Huangshan, China, Kirili Stauch

All Master's Theses

Daily visitor-macaque interactions lead to higher rates of macaque aggression (macaque-human, intragroup), macaque self-directed behaviors (SDBs), and zoonotic disease transfer. At the Valley of the Wild Monkeys in Mt. Huangshan, China, I made an educational website with site-specific information (e.g., guidelines for conduct, park rules, conservation) available and unavailable through QR codes for an equal number of randomized days. I recorded visitor-Tibetan macaque (Macaca thibetana) behaviors on all days using human and macaque ethograms. Past researchers at this site found positive correlations between decibel levels and macaque SDBs, as such decibel levels were recorded daily. I compared the …

Life In The Dirt: Factors Influencing The Behavior And Distribution Of Spea Intermontana In Eastern Washington State, Corey Brumbaugh

All Master's Theses

I divided my thesis into two major studies focusing on the Great Basin Spadefoot Toad, Spea intermontana, at the Beverley Dunes (Beverley, WA). The first study explored the effects of temperature and water level on the rate of metamorphosis. We gathered data on rates of development, survival, body mass, snout-vent length, and hind leg length of metamorphs under 4 treatments: 20C x High Water, 30C x High Water, 20C x Water Loss, and 30C x Water Loss. These data show that temperature has a stronger effect on the overall rate of metamorphosis of Great Basin Spadefoot Toads. The second …

Preparing The Yucatan Black Howler Monkey For Its Return To The Wild: An Assessment Of Wildtracks' Approach To Rehabilitation And Reintroduction, Blanca Ponce

All Master's Theses

Nearly half of non-human primates are in danger of extinction due to the negative impact of anthropogenic activities. Among the species most negatively affected is the family Atelidae (Di Fiore, Link, & Campbell, 2011). For this reason, non-human primates remain a central focus in global conservation efforts. Some of these efforts include welfare-based rehabilitation, re-introduction, and habitat preservation (Guy et al., 2014). Re-introduction projects have contributed significantly to conservation efforts, improved the lives of individual organism, promoted community education, and conservation values (Baker, 2002). However, Seddon et al. (2007) reveals that often, very little development and post-release monitoring goes into …

Volk V. Demeerleer Study, Patricia C. Kuszler, Terry J. Price, University Of Washington School Of Law, Center For Law, Science And Global Health

Center for Law in Science & Global Health

The University of Washington School of Law Center for Law, Science and Global Health was asked to “convene a study on the Washington State Supreme Court decision Volk v. DeMeerleer, 386 P.3d 254 (Wash. 2016).” The Volk case elaborated on the duty of mental health providers to protect foreseeable victims of a dangerous patient. The goal of the study was to evaluate whether or not this case “substantially changed the law [in Washington] on the duty of care owed to third parties by mental health providers and whether it has had an impact on access to mental health services …

Strategies To Combat Antibiotic Resistance, Amit Singhai

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Liability For Vaccine Injury: The United States, The European Union, And The Developing World, Mary S. Holland

Emory Law Journal

The 2017 Thrower Symposium focused on how law addresses serious global public health challenges. The World Health Organization (WHO) and other national health bodies strongly recommend vaccines in many circumstances. Yet there is a scientific consensus that vaccines can and do cause harm and death in certain individuals, even when vaccines are properly manufactured and appropriately administered. In the United States, vaccine manufacturers have attained an extremely high level of liability protection through legislation and judicial interpretation. The 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (the Vaccine Act); the 2005 Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (the PREP Act); and Bruesewitz …

The Cdc¿S Communicable Disease Regulations: Striking The Balance Between Public Health & Individual Rights, James J. Misrahi

Emory Law Journal

On January 19, 2017, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a final rule to update regulations administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) relating to the control of communicable diseases at 42 C.F.R part 70 (interstate) and part 71 (foreign). The final rule significantly enhances the CDC¿s previous regulations that were largely silent regarding procedures for federal isolation, quarantine, and conditional release, and thus lacked transparency regarding the rights and remedies of individuals subject to these actions. The newly revised communicable disease regulations are consistent with the CDC¿s governing statutory authority, principles of …

Do State Lines Make Public Health Emergencies Worse? Federal Versus State Control Of Quarantine, Polly J. Price

Emory Law Journal

This Symposium Article explores the origins and limits of the federal government¿s interstate quarantine power. In the event of a public health emergency, state and local political boundaries may generate self-interested measures that risk substantial harm to neighboring states. To more effectively stem a national epidemic and to better protect the interests of regional populations, should the federal government step in to override a state¿s protective quarantine? Neither current statutory authority nor how we have thought about it in the past prevents a greater national role. This Article shows how to expand our view of the federal government¿s interstate quarantine …

North-South Collaborations To Promote Health Innovation In Africa, Dennis C. Liotta

Emory Law Journal

The significant interest in and reference to regional innovation networks for health capacity building within international and regional public health and development strategies has not been matched with the operational support they need. There is little guidance about how to create and sustain such networks and about how north-south collaborations can contribute to their success. This Article describes a model for building African health capacity through regional health innovation networks that focuses on the complete pathway from idea to commercialization of health technologies, and it suggests guidelines for effective north-south collaborations to support this approach. In doing so, the Article …

A Case Report Of Apatemon Gracilis (Szidat, 1928) Infectionin Domestic Geese In Mainland China, Dandan Liu, Zhennan Zhuo, Jianping Tao, Jinjun Xu

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

This is the first report of the diagnosis and treatment of Apatemon gracilis infection in domestic geese in mainland China confirmed at the molecular level. The mortality of geese reached 10% (150/1500). Necropsy examinations confirmed hemorrhagic inflammation of the small intestine and blood and catarrhal mucus in the enteric cavity. A large number of flukes were found in the first third of the small intestine, with one end buried in the intestinal mucosa, forming lesions at the absorption sites. The ITS-1 sequence of the parasites was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis confirmed that the isolated worms were …

Molecular Detection Of Virulent Mannheimia Haemolytica And Pasteurella Multocida In Lung Tissues Of Pneumonic Sheep From Semiarid Tropics, Rajasthan, India, Fateh Singh, Ganesh Gangaram Sonawane, Rajendra Kumar Meena

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The present study was planned to detect the genetic elements of Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida in pneumonic sheep lungs. Pneumonia was diagnosed on the basis of gross pathological lesions. Lung tissues were collected at necropsy of sheep (n = 96) and subjected to isolation of total DNA. The M. haemolytica-specific PHSSA and Rpt2 genes, and the P. multocidaspecific KMT1 and the Omp87 genes were amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A housekeeping gene targeting the sheep cellular mitochondrial 12S ribosomal DNA was used as an internal control. PCR reactions were optimized using the positive and negative controls. Gene-specific PCR …

Investigation Of The Efficiency And Safety Of Tilmicosin Phosphate In Treating Experimentalmycoplasmal Infections In Pigs, Xiaohui Zhang, Jinzhe Pan, Ning Wu, Shu Tang, Xiangdong Lei, Yangyang Sun, Joerg Hartung, Endong Bao

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

In order to evaluate the in vivo therapeutic effect of oral administration of tilmicosin phosphate on mycoplasmal pneumonia in swine and its safety for the infected swine, the model of mycoplasmal pneumonia disease in swine was established by artificial infection, and indices such as efficiency, cure rate, death rate, the score of lung lesion, and the routine blood tests, blood biochemistry, and routine urine tests of tested swine were determined. The results showed that all of the dosage groups of 100 mg/L, 80 mg/L, 60 mg/L of 10% tilmicosin phosphate soluble powder demonstrated distinct therapeutic effects on mycoplasmal pneumonia in …

Prognostic Value Of Interferon-Gamma, Interleukin-6, And Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha In The Radiation Response Of Patients Diagnosed With Locally Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer And Glioblastoma Multiforme, Çi̇ğdem Damla Deni̇z, Mehmet Gürbi̇lek, Mehmet Koç

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: This study aimed to investigate the effect of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) on interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), which are critical markers of the clinical radiation response of patients with locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Materials and methods: Thirty patients who were treated with CRT and 20 healthy controls were prospectively evaluated. Circulating levels of cytokines were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay procedure. Post-CRT and pre-CRT levels were compared. Results: Post-CRT, TNF-α and IFN-γ levels were significantly lower than pre-CRT levels in the NSCLC and GBM groups, respectively. The statistical analysis did …

Changes Of Serum Spd-1 Levels In Hbeag-Positive Chronic Hepatitis B Patients With Entecavir Treatment And Correlation With Curative Effect, Chunhua Bi, Deyu Huang, Jing Jiang, Yueping Jiang, Hui Wang, Cheng Bian, Zibin Tian

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: This study aimed to assess expression changes of serum sPD-1 levels in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients with entecavir treatment and explore the correlation with the curative effect. Materials and methods: A total of 220 HBeAg-positive CHB patients and 207 healthy individuals were included. sPD-1 levels and virological and biochemical responses were assessed at baseline and at 12, 24, and 48 weeks in CHB patients a er antiviral therapy. Results: sPD-1 levels in HBeAg-positive CHB patients before treatment were signi cantly lower than those of healthy controls. After entecavir treatment, sPD-1 levels increased gradually over time. At 48 weeks …

Microbiological And Clinical Data Analysis Of 32 Patients With Nocardia Infections In Yantai, Hong-Xia Yu, Ming Liu, Zeng-Hui Pu, Yan Liu, Mao-Mao Zhao

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Nocardia is an opportunistic pathogen that mostly a ects hosts with immune de ciencies. Recently, the widespread use of immunosuppressive agents and antitumor drugs has led to an increasing number of Nocardia infections being reported. However, it is di cult to con rm this diagnosis owing to the slow growth of the bacterium and its complex resultant clinical manifestations, potentially delaying treatment and increasing mortality. us, further knowledge on the clinical characteristics of Nocardia infection is required. Hence, this study aimed to review the demographics, comorbidities, clinical presentation, microbiology, treatment, and outcomes of Nocardia infections in Yantai. Materials and …

Hand Infection In Patients With Diabetes: A Series Of 17 Cases And A Pooled Analysis Of The Literature, Anil Murat Öztürk, Serhat Uysal, Ilgin Yildirim Şi̇mşi̇r, Hi̇lmi̇ Güngör, Meltem Taşbakan

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: The aim of this study was to report the clinical characteristics and the treatment outcomes of hand infections in diabetic patients and to review the literature. Materials and methods: The medical records of 17 patients with diabetic hand infections admitted to the Diabetic Foot Care Center of two di erent clinics from January 2012 to October 2017 were reviewed. To perform the pooled analysis, published series (32 studies) were searched in two international databases (www.scopus.com and www.pubmed.com). Results: Of the 17 patients (mean age 61.7 ± 8.5 years), 8 (47.1%) were female. All cases were type 2 diabetes mellitus. …

Ankaferd Blood Stopper With Antibiofilm Potential Successfully Inhibits The Extracellularmatrix Degradation Enzymes And Promotes Wound Healing Of 3t3 Fibroblasts In Vitro, Ruki̇ye Boran, Tuba Baygar, Nurdan Saraç, Aysel Uğur

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: The potential inhibitory effects of Ankaferd Blood Stopper (ABS) against biofilm formation of oral microorganisms and its capacity for collagenase, hyaluronidase, and elastase inhibitions that have important roles in wound healing have been investigated. Materials and methods: The wound healing potential was determined by its inhibition ability on collagenase, hyaluronidase, and elastase enzyme activities and was evaluated via scratch wound healing assay on murine 3T3 fibroblasts. The antibiofilm activity was tested against eight oral microorganisms using the crystal violet staining method. Results: At 10% ABS successfully inhibited the biofilm formation of the tested microorganisms. Enzyme inhibition analysis revealed that …

Tuberculin Skin Test Response In Patients With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Onanti-Tnf Therapy, Kenan Barut, Sezgi̇n Şahi̇n, Amra Adrovi̇c, Muhammet Köşker, Ömer Kiliç, Yildiz Camcioğlu, Haluk Cezmi̇ Çokuğraş, Necla Akçakaya, Betül Sözeri̇, Özgür Kasapçopur

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of biologic drugs on the tuberculin skin test in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Materials and methods: A total of 234 biologic drug-using juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients and 45 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. The tuberculin skin test results of the patients, which had been routinely provided during follow-up, were obtained from the patient files. Tuberculin skin test values of ≥ 5 mm were considered to be positive. Results: The mean diameter of tuberculin skin test induration was 4.99 ± 6.84 mm (IQR: 0-10 mm) and 7.83 …