Digital Commons Network^™

Clinical Detection Of Diagnostic Biomarker Panels Using Microfluidic Electrochemical Immunoarrays, Abby Jones

Doctoral Dissertations

Cancer is a worldwide infliction. Cancer does not discriminate. Cancer does not care if you are young or old, rich or poor, disabled or in the prime of your life. It can be caused by genetics, environmental factors and/or lifestyle. The challenge, how do we diagnose and treat such a dynamic disease? Cancer detection is expensive, invasive, inaccurate and lacks sensitivity. New methods that rely on measurements of analytes in solution for detection and quantification are promising alternatives. Panels of protein biomarkers may aid in personalized diagnosis as protein levels in patients are often upregulated or down regulated in relation …

"When The Enemy Drew Our Attention": Reconsidering Prior Restraint In The Context Of Dual Use Research Of Concern, Caine Caverly

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Through 2016 and 2017, a team led by Canadian virologist David Evans, and funded by an American pharmaceutical company, attempted to synthesize the previously extinct horsepox virus. After just six months and an expenditure of $100,000, the research team was able to successfully construct the virus “using only commercially available information, technology and tools.” In January of 2018, the team went on to publish their information in an American-based journal, PLOS ONE.

The publication was controversial because it included a potential “blueprint” for the synthesis of a genetic strand in the same viral family as the highly lethal, albeit eradicated, …

January 2020 Academic Affairs Minutes, University Of Nebraska At Kearney Academic Affairs Committee

Academic Affairs Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

Health Information Seeking Behaviour Of Academicians Towards Covid 19 In India And United Arab Emirates, Radhakrishnan Natarajan, Natarajan Sundar, Kannan Jayaraman

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The lively spread of COVID-19 has lockdown the countries across the globe. This study aims to assess the awareness, identify the best practices on protective measures against COVID-19 suggested by WHO (World Health Organization) among the academicians of India and United Arab Emirates (UAE) and also to know the preference for engaging themselves during lock-down period. A descriptive method was chosen for the research and both primary and secondary data were used in this study. Primary data were collected from the resident academics of India and United Arab Emirates. Secondary data were gathered from online resources for better understanding. An …

Survey Of Histoplasma Capsulatum In Bat Guano And Status Of Histoplasmosis In Slovenia, Central Europe, Janez Mulec, Saša Simčič, Tadeja Kotar, Romina Kofol, Sanja Stopinšek

International Journal of Speleology

There have been increasing reports on the presence of Histoplasma capsulatum in some European countries. The study investigated the presence of Histoplasma in bat guanos, speleologists with records of visiting Histoplasma-endemic regions and patients with histoplasmosis. A commercial ALPHA Histoplasma Antigen enzyme immunoassay was tested as an alternative methodology to detect Histoplasma in environment and compared with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. The presence of Histoplasma antigen in bat guanos was not confirmed by PCR. Among 14 healthy speleologists, two were indicated as having the Histoplasma antigen in urine, but expressed negative PCR-specific results for the Histoplasma antigen. Five …

Cell-Mediated Immunity Generated In Response To A Purified Inactivated Vaccine For Dengue Virus Type 1, Heather Friberg, Luis J. Martinez, Leyi Lin, Jason M. Blaylock, Rafael A. De La Barrera, Alan L. Rothman, J. Robert Putnak, Kenneth H. Eckels, Stephen J. Thomas, Richard G. Jarman, Jeffrey R. Currier

Institute for Immunology and Informatics Faculty Publications

Dengue is the most prevalent arboviral disease afflicting humans, and a vaccine appears to be the most rational means of control. Dengue vaccine development is in a critical phase, with the first vaccine licensed in some countries where dengue is endemic but demonstrating insufficient efficacy in immunologically naive populations. Since virus-neutralizing antibodies do not invariably correlate with vaccine efficacy, other markers that may predict protection, including cell-mediated immunity, are urgently needed. Previously, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research developed a monovalent purified inactivated virus (PIV) vaccine candidate against dengue virus serotype 1 (DENV-1) adjuvanted with alum. The PIV vaccine …

Stony Brook Press, V. 41, N. 01, Stony Brook University. Stony Brook Press.

Stony Brook Press

v. 36,n. 4, v.:ill. ; 38 cm (original analog pub.)

A Multicenter Case Control Study Of Association Of Vitamin D With Breast Cancer Among Women In Karachi, Pakistan, Uzma Shamsi, Shaista Khan, Syed Iqbal Azam, Aysha Habib, Amir Maqbool, Mohammad Hanif, Tiffany Gill, Romaina Iqbal, David Callen

Community Health Sciences

Background: The prevalence of vitamin D inadequacy and breast cancer are both high among women living in Karachi, Pakistan.
Methods: A matched case control study was conducted in two hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan to evaluate the association of vitamin D (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D) concentrations, vitamin D supplementation and sun exposure with breast cancer among Pakistani women. A total of 411 newly diagnosed histologically confirmed primary breast cancer cases were enrolled and 784 controls, free of breast and any other cancers, were matched by age (year of birth ± 5 years), residence in the same geographic area and study site. Information …

Oropouche Virus Cases Identified In Ecuador Using An Optimised Qrt-Pcr Informed By Metagenomic Sequencing, Emma L. Wise, Sully Márquez, Jack Mellors, Verónica Paz, Barry Atkinson, Bernardo Gutierrez, Sonia Zapata, Josefina Coloma, Oliver G. Pybus, Simon K. Jackson, Gabriel Trueba, Gyorgy Fejer, Christopher H. Logue, Steven T. Pullan

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Isoniazid-Resistant Tuberculosis: A Problem We Can No Longer Ignore, Giorgia Sulis, Madhukar Pai

Open Access archive

No abstract provided.

Week Of January 21, 2020, New York Medical College

InTouch

• Class of 2020 Commencement Set for May 19
• Prominent Gastroenterologist to Address 24th Medical Student Research Forum
• STAR Alum is in Top 300 Scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2020

Predicting The Potential Distribution Of Amblyomma Americanum (Acari: Ixodidae) Infestation In New Zealand, Using Maximum Entropy‑Based Ecological Niche Modelling, R. K. Raghavan, A. C.G. Heath, K. E. Lawrence, R. R. Ganta, A. T. Peterson, W. E. Pomroy

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Although currently exotic to New Zealand, the potential geographic distribution of Amblyomma americanum (L.), the lone star tick, was modelled using maximum entropy (Max- Ent). The MaxEnt model was calibrated across the native range of A. americanum in North America using present-day climatic conditions and occurrence data from museum collections. The resulting model was then projected onto New Zealand using both present-day and future climates modelled under two greenhouse gas emission scenarios, representative concentration pathways (RCP) 4.5 (low) and RCP 8.5 (high). Three sets of WorldClim bioclimatic variables were chosen using the jackknife method and tested in MaxEnt using different …

Neurodevelopment Outcome Of Neonates Treated With Intraventricular Colistin For Ventriculitis Caused By Multiple Drug-Resistant Pathogens-A Case Series, Kashif Hussain, Muhammad Sohail Salat, Gul Ambreen, Javaid Iqbal

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background: Multiple-drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB)-associated neonatal ventriculitis is a life-threatening complication that needs timely diagnosis and effective treatment with broad-spectrum antimicrobials in critical-care settings. Inadequate penetration of antibiotics through the blood-brain barrier also demands an intraventricular (IVT) route of administration. This study reports mortality and neurodevelopmental sequelae of neonates till 18 months of age, who received IVT-colistin for treating MDR-GNB associated ventriculitis.
Methods: In a case series of seven neonates with ventriculitis due to MDR-GNB at NICU of Aga Khan University Hospital, Pakistan, between June 2015 and 2018, we reviewed IVT-colistin therapy in critically ill neonates. Treatment outcomes were assessed …

Spatiotemporal Epidemiology Of Varicella In Chongqing, China, 2014-2018, Hua Zhu, Han Zhao, Rong Ou, Qing Zeng, Ling Hu, Hongfang Qiu, Manoj Sharma, Mengliang Ye

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Although immunization against varicella using vaccines has been proven to be significant and effective in the past decades, varicella remains a major public health concern for many developing countries. Varicella vaccination has not been introduced into routine immunization programs in China, and varicella outbreaks have continued to occur. Taking the city of Chongqing, which has a high prevalence of varicella, as an example, this study explored the spatiotemporal epidemiology of varicella. Based on the reported data of varicella cases from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2018 in Chongqing, hot spots and space-time clusters of varicella were identified using spatial …

Social Values For Health Technology Assessment In Canada: A Scoping Review Of Hepatitis C Screening, Diagnosis And Treatment, Caroline O'Keefe-Markman, Kristina Dawn Lea, Christopher Mccabe, Elaine Hyshka, Tania M. Bubela

Office of the Provost

Background: Health care system decision makers face challenges in allocating resources for screening, diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C. Approximately 240,000 individuals are infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Canada. Populations most affected by HCV include Indigenous people, people who inject drugs, immigrants and homeless or incarcerated populations as well as those born between 1946 and 1965. Curative but expensive drug regimens of novel direct acting antivirals (DAAs) are available. We aim to identify social values from academic literature for inclusion in health technology assessments.
Methods: We conducted a scoping review of academic literature to identify and analyze …

Table Of Contents

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

No abstract provided.

Buying Healthy Goats And Keeping Them That Way, Susan Kerr

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Abstract

Starting a goat herd with healthy animals prevents expense and effort eliminating infectious diseases. Pre-purchase testing and examinations are worth their cost because of the savings realized through fewer animal illnesses, increased production, lower medication costs, and reduced culling. Key management practices such as hoof trimming, vaccinating, body condition scoring, and assessing parasite loads are needed to maintain herd health. Biosecurity practices must become routine to prevent the introduction and/or spread of contagious diseases. Several goat diseases are contagious to humans, so biosecurity measures must address this concern. Excellent record-keeping helps producers monitor health and production trends, document treatments, …

Common And Reportable Infectious Diseases Of Small Ruminants, Pamela A. Hunter

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Abstract Keeping a herd healthy is the goal of every livestock producer. Deviation from a normal state of health leads to disease. It can have more than one cause, vary in severity, and differ from one animal to another. Of the three major categories that diseases are commonly grouped in, infectious diseases make up the largest. These are caused by “agents” and are capable of being transmitted from one animal to another, or from animals to man. While each disease can have its own clinical signs, failure to diagnose and prevent its spread can lead to catastrophic consequences to a …

Clinical Controversies In Anticoagulation Monitoring And Antithrombin Supplementation For Ecmo, Meghan M Chlebowski, Sirine Baltagi, Mel Carlson, Jerrold H Levy, Philip C Spinella

Open Access Publications

During extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a delicate balance is required to titrate systemic anticoagulation to prevent thrombotic complications within the circuit and prevent bleeding in the patient. Despite focused efforts to achieve this balance, the frequency of both thrombotic and bleeding events remains high. Anticoagulation is complicated to manage in this population due to the complexities of the hemostatic system that are compounded by age-related developmental hemostatic changes, variable effects of the etiology of critical illness on hemostasis, and blood-circuit interaction. Lack of high-quality data to guide anticoagulation management in ECMO patients results in marked practice variability among centers. One …

Avian Bornaviral Ganglioneuritis: Current Debates And Unanswered Questions, Susan Boatright-Horowitz

Psychology Faculty Publications

Avian bornaviral ganglioneuritis, often referred to as parrot wasting disease, is associated with a newly discovered avian virus from the taxonomic family Bornaviridae. Research regarding the pathogenesis and treatment for this disease is ongoing, with implications for understanding other emerging human and nonhuman diseases, as well as the health and ecology of wildlife. At this time, numerous questions remain unanswered regarding the transmission of the disease, best practices for diagnostic sampling and testing, and whether currently used drug therapies are effective or harmful for afflicted birds. The pathogenesis of the disease also remains unclear with many birds showing resistance to …

What Can Be Done About A Disruptive Physician? A Legal Analysis, Samuel D. Hodge Jr.

Pace Law Review

House, a medical drama about an infectious disease specialist, entertained television audiences for years as the irascible and pill-popping physician solved medical mysteries with the zeal of a modern-day Sherlock Holmes while playing mind games with his coworkers. Uncanny intuition and eccentric thinking earned the physician great respect but his bullish behavior and antisocial tendencies were a distraction at the hospital. Not only did Dr. House clash with his fellow physicians but he also insulted patients, flouted hospital rules and caused great conflict with the hospital administrators. In fact, his actions often crossed the line into obnoxiousness and rage causing …

The Enigmatic Spelaeorhynchidae Oudemans, 1902 (Acari: Mesostigmata) Blood-Feeding Ectoparasites Infesting Neotropical Bats, With Catalog And Notes On A Collection From The Manú Biosphere Reserve In Peru, Donald Gettinger, Madalyne Epperson, Candy Hermasillo, Scott L. Gardner

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

A survey of ectoparasites associated with bats collected along an elevational transect in the Manú Biosphere Reserve, Peru, includes specimens of two species of an unusual and rarely collected family of parasitic mites, the Spelaeorhynchidae Oudemans, and reveals information on the natural occurrence of these infections. In lowland rainforest (450–1,000 m) along the Rio Alto Madre de Dios, Spelaeorhynchus soaresi Peracchi was recorded exclusively infecting two species of frugivorous Carollia, C. brevicauda and C. perspicillata. At higher elevations in the mountains and cloud forests, Spelaeorhynchus praecursor Neumann exclusively infected two species of nectarivorous Anoura, A. cultrata and A. …

Insights About Diversity Of Tetrabothriidae (Eucestoda) Among Holarctic Alcidae (Charadriiformes): What Is Tetrabothrius Jagerskioeldi?, Eric P. Hoberg, Kaylen Marie Soudachanh

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

Tetrabothriid cestodes are characteristic helminths that infect species of seabirds globally. We begin with the exploration of the diversity of tapeworms of the genus Tetrabothrius Rudolphi, 1819 (Eucestoda: Tetrabothriidae), some of which are distributed among seabirds of the family Alcidae (Charadriiformes) at boreal to higher latitudes of Holarctic seas. During the course of 2 decades of field inventory from 1975 through the early 1990s (in addition to earlier collections assembled by Robert L. Rausch and colleagues in Alaska initiated in the late 1940s), an extensive series of tapeworm specimens attributable to species of Tetrabothrius was recovered from seabirds across the …

Substance Abuse Treatment In Correctional Versus Non-Correctional Settings: Analysis Of Racial/Ethnic And Gender Differences, George Pro, Ricky Camplain, Samantha Sabo, Julie Baldwin, Paul A. Gilbert

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background

Alcohol and drug abuse are widespread in the US. Substance abuse treatment services are effective, but utilization of services is low, particularly among African Americans, Hispanics, and women. Substance abuse is strongly associated with incarceration, and African Americans and Hispanics make up a disproportionate percentage of individuals with substance abuse problems involved in the criminal justice system. High treatment need, low treatment uptake, and the association between substance abuse and incarceration have led, in part, to correctional institutions filling the treatment gap by increasingly providing safety-net treatment services. We sought to better understand racial/ethnic and gender differences in determinants …

Oakwood, English Department

Oakwood

No abstract provided.

Perfect Timing: Circadian Rhythms, Sleep, And Immunity - An Nih Workshop Summary, Jeffrey A Haspel, Andrew E Gelman, Brian S Kim, Et Al

Open Access Publications

Recent discoveries demonstrate a critical role for circadian rhythms and sleep in immune system homeostasis. Both innate and adaptive immune responses - ranging from leukocyte mobilization, trafficking, and chemotaxis to cytokine release and T cell differentiation -are mediated in a time of day-dependent manner. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently sponsored an interdisciplinary workshop, "Sleep Insufficiency, Circadian Misalignment, and the Immune Response," to highlight new research linking sleep and circadian biology to immune function and to identify areas of high translational potential. This Review summarizes topics discussed and highlights immediate opportunities for delineating clinically relevant connections among biological rhythms, …

Assessing The Feasibility Of A Life History Calendar To Measure Hiv Risk And Health In Older South Africans, Enid Schat, Lucia Knight, Robert F. Belli, Sanyu A. Mojola

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Life history calendars capture patterns of behavior over time, uncovering transitions and trajectories. Despite the growing numbers of older persons living with HIV in southern Africa, little is known about how HIV testing and risk unfold in this population. Operationalizing a life course approach with the use of an innovative Testing and Risk History Calendar [TRHC], we collected pilot data on older South Africans’ risk and HIV testing. We found older persons were able to provide (1) reference points to facilitate recall over a 10-year period, (2) specifics about HIV tests during that decade, and (3) details that contextualize the …

Factors That Influence Health-Related Quality Of Life And Satisfaction With Care Among Adults At A Community-Based Aids Service Organization, Robert T. Dodge

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) to describe health-related quality of life and satisfaction with care among adults at a community-based AIDS service organization, and (b) to identify the socio-demographic variables that influence health-related quality of life and satisfaction with care. The theoretical frameworks that guided this study were the Wilson and Cleary's (1995) health-related quality of life conceptual model of patient outcomes and Ware's (1978) taxonomy of patient satisfaction. The research design consisted of a nonexperimental, descriptive and correlational study that was designed to describe health-related quality of life and satisfaction with care among adults at a …

Structure Of The Cell-Binding Component Of The Clostridium Difficile Binary Toxin Reveals A Di-Heptamer Macromolecular Assembly, Xingjian Xu, Raquel Godoy-Ruiz, Kaylin A. Adipietro, Christopher Peralta, Danya Ben-Hail, Kristeny M. Varney, Mary E. Cook, Braden M. Roth, Paul T. Wilder, Thomas Cleveland, Alexander Grishaev, Heather M. Neu, Sarah L. J. Michel, Wenbo Yu, Dorothy Beckett, Richard R. Rustand, Catherine Lancaster, John W. Loughney, Adam Kristopeit, Sianny Christantii, Jessica W. Olson, Alexander D. Mackerell, Amedee Des Georges, Edwin Pozharski, David J. Weber

Advanced Science Research Center

Targeting Clostridium difficile infection is challenging because treatment options are limited, and high recurrence rates are common. One reason for this is that hypervirulent C. difficile strains often have a binary toxin termed the C. difficile toxin, in addition to the enterotoxins TsdA and TsdB. The C. difficile toxin has an enzymatic component, termed CDTa, and a pore-forming or delivery subunit termed CDTb. CDTb was characterized here using a combination of singleparticle cryoelectron microscopy, X-ray crystallography, NMR, and other biophysical methods. In the absence of CDTa, 2 di-heptamer structures for activated CDTb (1.0 MDa) were solved at atomic resolution, including …

Status Of Torch Positivity Among The Children Presented With Congenital Hydrocephalus, Sk Mukherjee, Dm Arman, Ha Roy, Rk Khan, S Afreen, Ma Hossain, Ziauddin - Md, Sm Ekramullah, Mm Rahman, Ma Yusuf, Mj Islam

Peninsula Medical School

Introduction: ToRCH is an acronym for four congenital infections that are sometimes difficult to distinguish: Toxoplasmosis, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV). This group of organisms produces serious Central Nervous System (CNS) and other infections, which are potentially preventable and treatable. Methods: Neonates and infants with hydrocephalus (N = 65) identified via the outpatient department of the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital (NINS&H), were prospectively screened for ToRCH antibodies. Hydrocephalus secondary to Tumor or Trauma was excluded from this study. Results: Evidence of 75.38 % (p = <0.05) patient was positive for TORCH antibodies. Toxoplasma Gondi (T. Gondii) IgG 18.5 % ( p= <0.05 ), CMV IgM 9.2 % (p = <0.05), CMV Ig G47.7% ( p = <0.5), Rubella, and HSV 1 & 2 antibodies were also identified. Conclusion: The vast majority of cases of neonatal hydrocephalus at one institution was post-infectious in etiology and related to ToRCH infections. Many of these cases could be prevented with improved screening and treatment. While study of a single institution may not be the representative of the entire population, further study and implementation of a standardized screening protocol would likely benefit this population. Bang. J Neurosurgery 2020; 9(2): 121-125