Digital Commons Network^™

The Us Department Of Veterans Affairs Science And Health Initiative To Combat Infectious And Emerging Life-Threatening Diseases (Va Shield): A Biorepository Addressing National Health Threats, John B Harley, Saiju Pyarajan, Elizabeth S Partan, Lauren Epstein, Jason A Wertheim, Abhinav Diwan, Christopher W Woods, Victoria Davey, Sharlene Blair, Dennis H Clark, Kenneth M Kaufman, Shagufta Khan, Iouri Chepelev, Alexander Devine, Perry Cameron, Monica F Mccann, Mary Cloud B Ammons, Devin D Bolz, Jane K Battles, Jeffrey L Curtis, Mark Holodniy, Vincent C Marconi, Charles D Searles, David O Beenhouwer, Sheldon T Brown, Jonathan P Moorman, Zhi Q Yao, Maria C Rodriguez-Barradas, Shyam Mohapatra, Osmara Y Molina De Rodriguez, Emerson B Padiernos, Eric R Mcindoo, Emily Price, Hailey M Burgoyne, Ian Robey, Dawn C Schwenke, Carey L Shive, Ronald M Przygodzki, Rachel B Ramoni, Holly K Krull, Robert A Bonomo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has demonstrated the need to share data and biospecimens broadly to optimize clinical outcomes for US military Veterans.

Methods: In response, the Veterans Health Administration established VA SHIELD (Science and Health Initiative to Combat Infectious and Emerging Life-threatening Diseases), a comprehensive biorepository of specimens and clinical data from affected Veterans to advance research and public health surveillance and to improve diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities.

Results: VA SHIELD now comprises 12 sites collecting de-identified biospecimens from US Veterans affected by SARS-CoV-2. In addition, 2 …

A Systematic Scoping Review Of Faropenem And Other Oral Penems: Treatment Of Enterobacterales Infections, Development Of Resistance And Cross-Resistance To Carbapenems, Sumanth Gandra, Satoshi Takahashi, Fanny S Mitrani-Gold, Aruni Mulgirigama, Diogo A Ferrinho

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance is an urgent global healthcare concern. Beyond carbapenems as broad-spectrum, often 'last resort' antibiotics, oral penem antibiotics currently are approved only in Japan and India, used for the treatment of indications including urinary tract infections (UTIs). Exploring oral penem use to better understand the impact of antibiotic resistance on public health would help inform the management of infectious diseases, including UTIs.

SCOPING REVIEW METHODOLOGY: This scoping review investigated the impact of faropenem and other oral penems on Enterobacterales infection treatment and evaluated evidence for faropenem resistance and cross-resistance to carbapenems. PubMed, Embase, J-STAGE and CiNii were searched …

Listeria Motility Increases The Efficiency Of Epithelial Invasion During Intestinal Infection, Inge M. N. Wortel, Seonyoung Kim, Annie Y. Liu, Enid C. Ibarra, Mark J. Miller

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) is a food-borne pathogen that causes severe bacterial gastroenteritis, with high rates of hospitalization and mortality. Lm is ubiquitous in soil, water and livestock, and can survive and proliferate at low temperatures. Following oral ingestion of contaminated food, Lm crosses the epithelium through intestinal goblet cells in a mechanism mediated by Lm InlA binding host E-cadherin. Importantly, human infections typically occur with Lm growing at or below room temperature, which is flagellated and motile. Even though many important human bacterial pathogens are flagellated, little is known regarding the effect of Lm motility on invasion and immune evasion. …

Ubiquitin Variants Potently Inhibit Sars-Cov-2 Plpro And Viral Replication Via A Novel Site Distal To The Protease Active Site, Vera J. E. Van Vliet, Nitin Sharma, Safder S. Ganaie, Gaya K. Amarasinghe, Et Al

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has made it clear that combating coronavirus outbreaks benefits from a combination of vaccines and therapeutics. A promising drug target common to all coronaviruses-including SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2-is the papain-like protease (PLpro). PLpro cleaves part of the viral replicase polyproteins into non-structural protein subunits, which are essential to the viral replication cycle. Additionally, PLpro can cleave both ubiquitin and the ubiquitin-like protein ISG15 from host cell substrates as a mechanism to evade innate immune responses during infection. These roles make PLpro an attractive antiviral drug target. Here we demonstrate that ubiquitin …

Comparing Antigenaemia- And Microfilaraemia As Criteria For Stopping Decisions In Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination Programmes In Africa, Wilma A. Stolk, Luc E. Coffeng, Fatorma K. Bolay, Obiora A. Eneanya, Peter U. Fischer, T. Déirdre Hollingsworth, Benjamin G. Koudou, Aboulaye Méité, Edwin Michael, Joaquin M. Prada, Rocio M. Caja Rivera, Swarnali Sharma, Panayiota Touloupou, Gary J. Weil, Sake J. De Vlas

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Mass drug administration (MDA) is the main strategy towards lymphatic filariasis (LF) elimination. Progress is monitored by assessing microfilaraemia (Mf) or circulating filarial antigenaemia (CFA) prevalence, the latter being more practical for field surveys. The current criterion for stopping MDA requires <2% CFA prevalence in 6- to 7-year olds, but this criterion is not evidence-based. We used mathematical modelling to investigate the validity of different thresholds regarding testing method and age group for African MDA programmes using ivermectin plus albendazole.

METHODOLGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We verified that our model captures observed patterns in Mf and CFA prevalence during annual MDA, assuming that CFA tests are positive if at least one adult worm is present. We then assessed how well elimination can be predicted from CFA prevalence in 6-7-year-old children or from Mf or CFA prevalence in the 5+ or 15+ …

Nosocomial Outbreak Of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus Faecium (Vre) St796, Switzerland, 2017 To 2020, Vanja Piezzi, Nasstasja Wassilew, Andrew Atkinson, Stéphanie D'Incau, Tanja Kaspar, Helena Mb Seth-Smith, Carlo Casanova, Pascal Bittel, Philipp Jent, Rami Sommerstein, Niccolò Buetti, Jonas Marschall

2020-Current year OA Pubs

A large clonal outbreak caused by vancomycin-resistant

Using Outbreak Data To Estimate The Dynamic Covid-19 Landscape In Eastern Africa, Mark Wamalwa, Henri E.Z. Tonnang

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: The emergence of COVID-19 as a global pandemic presents a serious health threat to African countries and the livelihoods of its people. To mitigate the impact of this disease, intervention measures including self-isolation, schools and border closures were implemented to varying degrees of success. Moreover, there are a limited number of empirical studies on the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to control COVID-19. In this study, we considered two models to inform policy decisions about pandemic planning and the implementation of NPIs based on case-death-recovery counts. Methods: We applied an extended susceptible-infected-removed (eSIR) model, incorporating quarantine, antibody and vaccination …

Studying Changes And Addressing The Effects Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Restaurants, Nael Mohamed Nabil Alsarrag

BAU Journal - Creative Sustainable Development

Several everyday activities were majorly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, adapting these activities to become safe for people to perform and become "covid-friendly" required many studies. Dining out in restaurants was one of the major activities that were affected by this pandemic. Permanently or partially closed, restaurants adapted quickly to sidewalk pickups, and excessive delivery demand, and accordingly, their menus and even the staffing were shortened. Several months later, the foodservice industry was one of the first to move a step forward against coronavirus and positively adapt by coming up with creative and innovative ways to be able to re-open …

A Common Mechanism Links Epstein‐Barr Virus Infections And Autoimmune Diseases, Luwen Zhang

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) infection is associated with a variety of the autoimmune diseases. There is apparently no unified model for the role of EBV in autoimmune diseases. In this article, the development of autoimmune diseases is proposed as a simple two‐step process: specific autoimmune initiators may cause irreversible changes to genetic materials that increase autoimmune risks, and autoimmune promoters promote autoimmune disease formation once cells are susceptible to autoimmunity. EBV has several types of latencies including type III latency with higher proliferation potential. EBV could serve as autoimmune initiators for some autoimmune diseases. At the same time, EBV may play …

November 30, 2022 Greenmail, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

GreenMail (student newsletter through 2024)

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Instrumental Support From Family On Medication Adherence Among Tuberculosis Patients, Astuti Yuni Nursasi, Mega Hasanul Huda, Syifa Widya Rahmasari

Kesmas

Instrumental support is concrete and tangible, for instance, helping to provide food or accompanying patients to health care facilities. However, its impact on medication adherence among tuberculosis patients in Indonesia needs to be explored. This study aimed to examine the impact of instrumental support from family on tuberculosis patients’ adherence to medication in Bogor City, West Java Province, Indonesia. A cross-sectional study involving 106 participants with an age average of 39.7 (SD = 14.9) was conducted in 12 primary health care (PHC). The independent variables (age, sex, education, employment status, wealth index, and the distance between home and PHC) of …

So2 Concentration And The Occurrence Of Acute Respiratory Infection In Children Under Five, Puji Amrih Lestari, Budi Haryanto

Kesmas

Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia, with 10.7 million inhabitants with poor air quality as of 2020. Higher levels of pollution often come with an increase in the number of health risks and pneumonia cases. This study aimed to determine the association between SO2 concentration and the occurrence of acute respiratory infection (ARI) in children under five. An ecological time series design was implemented during the study by utilizing secondary data of SO2 concentrations and ARI from the Indonesian Agency for Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysics, the Special Capital Region of Jakarta Environmental, and Health Office. Statistical correlation tests were …

Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices (Kap) Towards Covid-19 Pandemic Among Pregnant Women In A Tertiary Hospital In Karachi, Pakistan, Sumaira Naz, Syeda Dur E Shawar, Shamila Saleem, Ayesha Malik, Amir Raza

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of the pregnant population during the COVID-19 pandemic in a tertiary care hospital.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. KAP towards COVID-19 was assessed using 21-item questionnaires. A score for each category was calculated and points were summed. The outcome variables of KAP were compared with demographic characteristics. Data were analyzed by using SPSS 19.
Results: A total of 377 patients participated in the study. The majority of the patients were multiparous (36.8%) in the age group of …

Population Demography, Spatial Ecology, And Habitat Use Of The Florida Box Turtle (Terrapene Bauri) On A Barrier Island, Michael D. Mills

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Turtles are one the most threatened vertebrate groups in the world due to anthropogenic threats such as habitat loss and overexploitation. In addition to occupying a range that has been vulnerable to major habitat loss, the Florida box turtle (Terrapene bauri) is particularly at risk of overexploitation due to its popularity in the pet trade. Sanibel Island is a barrier island in southwest Florida that has experienced major habitat loss and is the site of a recent poaching event. In response to these threats, studies of both the population demography and spatial ecology were conducted on Sanibel’s Florida box turtle …

Hiv Care Experiences And Health Priorities During The First Wave Of Covid-19: Clients' Perspectives - A Qualitative Study In Lusaka, Zambia, Njekwa Mukamba, Anjali Sharma, Chanda Mwamba, Herbert Nyirenda, Marksman Foloko, Kasapo Lumbo, Katerina Christopoulos, Sandra Simbeza, Kombatende Sikombe, Charles B Holmes, Elvin H Geng, Izukanji Sikazwe, Carolyn Bolton-Moore, Laura K Beres

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The novel COVID-19 pandemic threatened to disrupt access to human immunodeficiency (HIV) treatment for persons living with HIV (PLHIV), two-thirds of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa. To inform a health system response supportive of continuity of care, we sought to understand clients' HIV care experiences and health priorities during the first wave of COVID-19 outbreak in Lusaka, Zambia.

METHODS: Leveraging a study cohort of those who completed periodic SMS surveys on HIV care, we purposefully sampled 25 PLHIV after first confirmed COVID-19 case was reported in Zambia on 18

RESULTS: All participants were aware of COVID-19, and HIV care …

Acute Viral Hepatitis A In Children An Epidemiological And Clinical Course In Babylon, Firas Makki Wadday, Adnan Handhil Aljothary

Muthanna Medical Journal

The hepatitis A virus, a picornavirus, is a common cause of hepatitis worldwide. Spread of infection is generally by feco-oral route. Hepatitis A is endemic in developing countries, and most residents are exposed in childhood. The aim of study is to evaluate epidemiology, clinical course, and laboratory profile of hepatitis A in children. Method: In this cross-sectional investigation, 250 children identified with acute viral hepatitis A by IgM antiHAV were hospitalized to our infectious unit from March 2018 to December 2018. The child's location of residence, source of drinking water, manner of fecal sewage, nursery attendance, eating outside the house, …

Lessons Learned: Covid-19 In Post-Corrections Secured Behavioral Rehabilitation, Jennifer G. Jones, Maria Devalpine, Erica J. Lewis

Virginia Journal of Public Health

Background: The COVID-19 case rate on June 5, 2020, for prisoners in the United States (US) was 5.5 times higher than the US population case rate (Saloner et al., 2020). Secure facilities were challenged to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. One secure behavioral rehabilitation facility made many changes to facility and program protocols to meet this challenge.

Methods: The purpose of this program evaluation was to assess newly implemented infection control measures at a secure behavioral rehabilitation facility and to inform policy and procedure recommendations for the mitigation of COVID-19 transmission in congregate living facilities in the future. Case rates, …

Evaluation Of Recruitment Strategies On Inclusiveness Of Populations At Risk For Health Disparities In The Statewide Remote Online Covidsmart Registry, Marilyn M. Bartholmae, Amira A. Roess, Keith D. Renshaw, Brian L. Levy, Matvey V. Karpov, Joshua M. Sill, Sunita Dodani

Virginia Journal of Public Health

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic affected health research practices. The large-scale impacts of COVID-19 and restrictions on face-to-face interaction led to increased use of remote online data collection methods. However, it is unclear if such efforts led to the representation of populations at risk for health disparities. We evaluated whether multiple recruitment strategies would capture a representative sample of individuals at risk for health disparities.

Methods

The COVIDsmart registry collected clinical, social, economic, and behavioral data in the state of Virginia from March to November, 2021. Seven hundred eighty-two adult participants were enrolled. We compared the representation of COVIDsmart participants at …

Acceptance Of New Travel Norms Among Potential Umrah And Hajj Pilgrims: An Empirical Investigation, Siti Sara Ibrahim, Mohd Hafiz Hanafiah, Muhammad Azlan Shah Badar

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper investigates how Umrah and Hajj travellers’ needs and wants are influenced by their acceptance (behaviour) of new norms practices (social distancing, hygiene standards, wearing face masks) in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The cross-sectional survey utilises the purposive sampling method with 216 respondents. Partial-least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLSSEM) was used to confirm the study model and test the hypotheses. Additionally, this study validates the role of age in influencing the new norms of travel behaviour through the PLS-SEM multi-group analysis (MGA). Path Analysis results revealed that psychological needs, safety needs and selfactualisation influence the new norms of …

Covid-19 And The Holy Land Of Lalibela World Heritage Site, Ethiopia, Dagnachew Nega, Balew Baye, Amare Kindu

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Ethiopia is the home of many tourist sites. Among these is Lalibela, one of the most famous and most visited World Heritage Sites. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism industry was severely affected. Thus, the main objective of the study is to investigate the impacts and solutions for the prevalence of COVID-19 at the holy land of Lalibela, the World Heritage Site. The study followed descriptive research design. The target population of the study were the local communities, religious fathers, local tourist guides, culture and tourism experts and hotel workers. The research was conducted through non-probability sampling techniques. …

Tourism And Crisis: Comparing The Impacts Of Covid-19 And Natural Disasters On The Hajj And Umrah Industry, Udin Supriadi Dr, Mohammad Rindu Fajar Islamy Mr, Ahmad Fuadin Mr, Muhammad A. Rahkman Mr

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This study aims to compare the impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic and Natural Disasters on the Hajj and Umrah industries. This pilgrimage substantially contributes to foreign exchange earnings; therefore, the negative potential caused by disasters must be a significant concern for policymakers in this sector. In recent years, religious-based tourism, especially the hajj and umrah (the out-of-season pilgrimage to Mecca), has experienced significant rise of demand worldwide. To explore the impact of various disasters on this industry, using the purposive sampling method, semi-structured interviews were conducted with travel agents in Bandung over the course of two months. The findings from …

2022-11-29_Michiganoverview_Covidsymptoms, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Syndromic Surveillance System Data

The Syndromic Surveillance System Data report was obtained from Michigan's COVID-19 dashboard, from under the link "​Coronavirus Symptoms": https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/stats/coronavirus-symptoms. Data was compiled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The information was updated twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays.

Syndromic Surveillance System data is obtained from approximately 216 facilities participating in syndromic surveillance (139 Emergency Departments (ED), 77 Urgent Cares) across the State of Michigan. The reporting is based on individuals who present at EDs and may not be representative of the overall population. The coronavirus-like symptoms query searches visit free-text (chief complaint, triage notes, …

Genetic And Environmental Drivers Of Microbial Colonization In Wild Birds, Sage Rohrer

Dissertations

Wild birds are teeming with microorganisms, ranging from commensal bacteria to eukaryotic parasites. These microbes impact host health in diverse ways; some long-term residents may aid digestion or provide immune system training, while others at times may induce disease. However, the factors driving the varying colonization patterns seen across taxa are still not fully understood, and wild avian populations are particularly understudied when compared to mammalian or domesticated systems. This work examines the relative importance of genetic and environmental factors driving microbiome composition and function in wild birds. We collected fecal and blood samples from Galapagos penguins (Spheniscus mendiculus …

Tuberculosis And Covid-19 Lung Lesions Revealed By High-Resolution Three-Dimensional Imaging, Jeff Hansen

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Covid-19 Newsletter (Vol. 147), Center For Disaster Medicine, New York Medical College

COVID-19 Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Targeted Therapeutics And Novel Signaling Pathways In Non-Alcohol-Associated Fatty Liver/Steatohepatitis (Nafl/Nash), Dhriti Sinha, Nicholas R De Lay

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The C-terminal domain (CTD) of the major endoribonuclease RNase E not only serves as a scaffold for the central RNA decay machinery in gram-negative bacteria but also mediates coupled degradation of small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) and their cognate target transcripts following RNA chaperone Hfq-facilitated sRNA-mRNA base pairing. Despite the crucial role of RNase E CTD in sRNA-dependent gene regulation, the contribution of particular residues within this domain in recruiting sRNAs and mRNAs upon base pairing remains unknown. We have previously shown that in Escherichia coli, the highly conserved 3'-5'-exoribonuclease polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase) paradoxically stabilizes sRNAs by limiting access of …

Immunity To Poliovirus In Afghanistan: A Household Sampling Method For Serological Assessment Based On Geographical Information Systems, Amalia Mendes, Ari Whiteman, Benjamin Nygren, Brian Kaplan, Imtiaz Hussain, Sajid Bashir Soofi, Maureen Martinez, Noha H. Farag

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Afghanistan continues to experience challenges affecting polio eradication. Mass polio vaccination campaigns, which aim to protect children under the age of 5, are a key eradication strategy. To date, the polio program in Afghanistan has only employed facility-based seroprevalence surveys, which can be subject to sampling bias. We describe the feasibility in implementing a cross-sectional household poliovirus seroprevalence survey based on geographical information systems (GIS) in three districts. Digital maps with randomly selected predetermined starting points were provided to teams, with a total target of 1,632 households. Teams were instructed to navigate to predetermined starting points and enrol the closest …

Routine Immunization Coverage And Immunization Card Retention In Pakistan: Results From A Cross-Sectional National Survey, Imtiaz Hussain, Ahmad Khan, Dale A. Rhoda, Imran Ahmed, Muhammad Umer, Uzair Ansari, Muhammad Akram Shah, Soofia Yunus, Sajid Bashir Soofi, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Immunization is one of the most successful public health interventions available, saving millions of lives from death and disability each year. Therefore, improving immunization coverage is a high priority for the Government of Pakistan and essential to progress toward universal health coverage. This survey reports the national and provincial/regional coverage and determinants of fully, partially, and not-vaccinated children aged 12–23 months, antigen-wise coverage, percentage of home-based vaccination records (HBR) retention, and reasons for nonretention; dropout, timeliness, and prevalence of missed opportunities for simultaneous vaccination (MOSV).
Methods: The survey was a descriptive cross-sectional national household survey carried out across Pakistan. …

Editorial: Biodiversity, Ecosystem Functions And Services: Interrelationship With Environmental And Human Health, Yixin Zhang, Zhenhong Wang, Yonglong Lu, Alex L. Zuo

School of Medicine Publications

No abstract provided.

Community Health Worker Certification Program - Motivational Interview, Advocacy, Communication And Conflict Resolution, Stella Antony

DNP Qualifying Manuscripts

Background: Rural population accounts for 15% of the population in the United States of America. Rural residents have a higher risk of health disparities than urban populations. The significant health inequities in the underprivileged population include a higher incidence of chronic diseases, lack of access to healthy foods, health care, health insurance, unhealthy eating habits, poor socioeconomic status, cultural and language barriers, and lack of health literacy.

Problem: The population in Fresno and Tulare County in Central Valley, California, is underprivileged, lacks access to proper health care and has higher rates of health disparities. The Save the Children organization’s Community …