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Epidemiology Of Healthcare-Associated Ventriculitis And Meningitis (Hcavm) And Community-Acquired Meningitis/Encephalitis And Evaluation Of An Off-Label Pcr Panel For Hcavm Diagnosis, Jaime Nassur, Katarina Schnell, Christine Dolon, Laura Walters, Devin Weber, Matthew Pettengill

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Healthcare-associated ventriculitis and meningitis (HCAVM) is associated with high morbidity and mortality, but rapid diagnostic tests intended to cover microorganisms that typically cause HCAVM are not commercially available. We sought to evaluate the etiology of HCAVM compared to community-acquired meningitis/encephalitis (CAME) at our healthcare system, and to study the utility of repurposing a multiplex molecular panel intended for positive blood cultures for HCAVM cases. Our epidemiologic review demonstrated that HCAVM cases were primarily caused by bacteria and fungi also associated with bloodstream infections, in contrast with CAME cases, which were primarily caused by herpesviruses and Cryptococcus. Eighty-two cerebrospinal fluid …

Immunogenicity And Efficacy Of A Rabies-Based Vaccine Against Highly Pathogenic Influenza H5n1 Virus, Nir Paran, Christoph Wirblich, Randy Albrecht, Leila Zabihi Diba, Alessandro Tarquinio, Drishya Kurup, Charalambos C. Solomides, Adolfo García-Sastre, Matthias J. Schnell

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

The recent spillover of highly pathogenic influenza A/H5N1 (HPAI-H5N1) viruses to cattle, other mammals, and humans poses a major risk to animal and human health. Virus adaptation to new species highlights the need for effective vaccines for animals and humans. We recently developed a rabies virus-based H5 vaccine encoding the HPAI-H5 antigen and presenting it on the surface of the rabies virus particle. To test the immunogenicity and efficacy of the vaccine in eliciting systemic and mucosal immune response, we vaccinated mice intramuscularly or intranasally with either live or inactivated and adjuvanted vaccine. The vaccine elicited neutralizing antibodies against RABV …

National Endowment For The Humanities Awards $38k For ‘Educating The Whole Scientist’, Dave Larsen

College of Arts and Sciences Newsroom

The project's goal is to help science majors become better, well-rounded scientists through integrated science and humanities courses.

Estimated Effectiveness Of 2024-2025 Covid-19 Vaccination Against Severe Covid-19, Kevin C Ma, Jennie H Kwon, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: As SARS-CoV-2 JN.1 lineage descendants continue to evolve, evaluating COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) against severe COVID-19 remains important to guide vaccination strategies.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the VE of the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines against COVID-19-associated hospitalization and severe in-hospital outcomes overall and by time since dose (7-89, 90-179, and ≥180 days), JN.1 descendant lineage (KP.3.1.1, XEC, LP.8.1), and spike protein mutations associated with immune evasion.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This multicenter, test-negative, case-control study conducted by the Investigating Respiratory Viruses in the Acutely Ill Network included adult patients (aged ≥18 years) hospitalized between September 1, 2024, and April 30, 2025, …

Longitudinal Multiomic Signatures Of Ards And Sepsis Inflammatory Phenotypes Identify Pathways Associated With Mortality, Narges Alipanah-Lechner, Pratik Sinha, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUNDCritically ill patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and sepsis exhibit distinct inflammatory phenotypes with divergent clinical outcomes, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. These phenotypes, derived from clinical data and protein biomarkers, were associated with metabolic differences in a pilot study.METHODSWe performed integrative multiomics analysis of blood samples from 160 patients with ARDS in the ROSE trial, randomly selecting 80 patients from each latent class analysis-defined inflammatory phenotype (hyperinflammatory and hypoinflammatory) with phenotype probability greater than 0.9. Untargeted plasma metabolomics and whole-blood transcriptomics at day 0 and day 2 were analyzed using multimodal factor analysis (MEFISTO). …

Diagnostically Complex Case Of Trivalvular Infectious Endocarditis Complicated By Hiv, Hcv, Pulmonary Septic Emboli, And Epidural Abscess, Madison Baker, Natasha Singh, Rohail A. Baig, Justin Nistico

Advances in Clinical Medical Research and Healthcare Delivery

Background:

Infective endocarditis (IE) can be visualized on echocardiograms. However, there is a significant discrepancy between transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiograms. This imaging modality is also impacted by operator dependent factors. The risk of right sided endocarditis is elevated in people who inject drugs (PWID). In individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), there is an increased risk of IE, and there is also a relationship that has yet to be fully established between hepatitis C virus (HCV) and IE.

This report describes a woman with a history of IVDU who was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, HCV, and sepsis secondary to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus …

A Case Of Fatal Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus And Encephalitis In An Immunocompetent Host With A Review Of Literature, Kellyn E. Wilkes, Rutwik Pradeep Sharma, Laurie Proia

Advances in Clinical Medical Research and Healthcare Delivery

Herpes zoster is a common disease that can have several complications. Here, we present a case of herpes zoster ophthalmicus with coexisting encephalitis that unfortunately resulted in patient mortality. A 70-year-old male with a past medical history of Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia presented to the emergency department after being found altered at home. Physical exam was notable for left-sided crusted facial rash, left conjunctival injection, and purulent drainage coming from the right eye. Given the location and appearance of his rash, he was diagnosed with herpes zoster ophthalmicus. There was suspicion for encephalitis given his altered mental status but unfortunately, …

Mycobacterium Shimoidei: A Case Report Of A Rare Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Infection In An American Patient With A Favorable Outcome, Madison Baker, Farah Majdoub, Asad Nasir

Advances in Clinical Medical Research and Healthcare Delivery

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are common environmental pathogens, but they are an uncommon cause of illness. One such mycobacteria, Mycobacterium shimoidei, was discovered in 1968 and found to cause a respiratory illness in 1975. Since then, fewer than 100 cases have been reported worldwide. Symptoms can include cough, fever, weight loss, and hemoptysis This report describes an American patient with no travel history who was found to have significant pulmonary disease caused by this rare non-tuberculous mycobacteria.

Proceeding Book Of The 17th Indonesian Occupational Medicine Updates (Iomu), Perdoki .

Occupational and Environmental Medicine Journal of Indonesia

Bali, Indonesia, 16th - 18th May 2025

Ahms 270e.50: Medical Ethics, Mary B. Mchugh

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2026-2030

No abstract provided.

Ahrc 231.02: Respiratory Critical Care, Paul J. Crockford

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2026-2030

No abstract provided.

Ahrc 250.02: Respiratory Care Laboratory Ii, Paul J. Crockford

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2026-2030

No abstract provided.

Variation In Antiviral Immunity And Inflammation Pathways Precedes Hiv-1 Infection In A High-Risk African Cohort, Mwikali Kioko, Shaban Mwangi, Lynn Fwambah, Amin Hassan, Jason Blackard, Philip Bejon, Eduard Sanders, Thumbi Ndung’U, Eunice Nduati, Abdirahman Abdi

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

BACKGROUND. Susceptibility to HIV-1 infection varies between individuals, but the biological determinants of acquisition risk remain poorly defined.

METHODS. We conducted a case-control study nested within a high-risk cohort in Kenya. We compared the plasma extracellular RNA collected before HIV-1 acquisition with that from matched uninfected individuals acting as controls to identify immunological processes linked to infection risk.

RESULTS. Individuals who later acquired HIV-1 exhibited upregulation of immune processes that facilitate viral infection, including T cell suppression and type II IFN and Th2 immune responses. In contrast, processes associated with antiviral defence and tissue repair, such as …

Covering The Care: Chronic Conditions, Including Behavioral Health, Drive A Significant Portion Of High-Utilizer Emergency Department Visits In 2023, Erica-Lyn Plante, Ms, Deborah Fournier, Jd

All Materials

This data brief summarizes a retrospective analysis of commercial, New Hampshire Medicaid, and New Hampshire Medicare claims, examining common reasons for emergency department visits among children aged 0-18, adults aged 19-44, adults aged 45-64, and adults aged 65 years and older in calendar year 2023.

Dynamical Analysis Of A Stochastic $Sei_{U}I_{R}Rs$ Epidemic Model With Vaccination And Log-Normal Ornstein-Uhlenbeck Process, Qun Liu

Faculty Publications

In this study, we develop and investigate a stochastic $SEI_{u}I_{r}RS$ (Susceptible-Exposed-Undetected infected-Detected infected-Recovered-Susceptible) epidemic model with vaccination of newborns and the disease transmission rate driven by a log-normal Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. By establishing a series of Lyapunov functions, we derive sufficient conditions for persistence in the mean of the disease in the long term under the condition $\mathcal{R}_{0}>1$ and these criteria are applied to guarantee the existence of an invariant probability measure of the stochastic system. Subsequently, we also derive sufficient conditions for eradication of the disease when the parameters $\mathcal{R}_{0}< 1$ and $\mathcal{R}_{0}^{E}< 1$. Finally, two numerical examples are given to confirm the theoretical results. This work can help us implement interventions to regulate the disease dynamics.

Patient, Family And Clinician Priorities For Critical Care Research In Asia And Africa: A James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership Using Modified Delphi And Nominal Group Techniques, Ccaa Priority Setting Partnership Steering Group, Teddy Abonyo, Sumaiya Arfin, Diptesh Aryal, Abi Beane, Martina Borellini, Arjen Dondorp, Emma Donley, Punam Gautam, Tiffany Gooden

Anaesthesiology, East Africa

Background This James Lind Alliance (JLA) Priority Setting Partnership aimed to identify and prioritise unanswered questions important to adult patients, their families and health professionals with lived experience of critical care across Asia and Africa.

Methods Modified Delphi techniques were used to generate suggestions using an online survey. Following verification, literature review and content analysis, these suggestions were iteratively codified into emergent topics. Topics were presented in a second online survey for ranking, prior to an online workshop where nominal group technique was used to identify top priority questions across stakeholder groups. Surveys were disseminated using snowballing techniques.

Findings The …

Comx 428.01: Organizations And Identity, Gregory S. Larson

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2026-2030

No abstract provided.

Ecmo Is Often Required In Pediatric Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole (Tmp-Smx) Associated Severe Respiratory Failure, Youya Wang, Jenna Miller, Mandy Morgan, Jennifer Goldman

Presentations

Background

Recent publications describe severe disease in pediatric patients with TMP-SMX associated respiratory failure progressing to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), lung transplantation and/or death. ECMO characteristics in this patient population remain poorly defined.

Methods

This is a retrospective observational report from our institutional referral Redcap database reviewing ECMO characteristics for pediatric patients (age ≤ 18 years old) patients. This includes presumed TMPSMX associated severe respiratory failure, following 6 or more days of TMP-SMX exposure and lack of other diagnostic explanation.

Results

To date, at our institution we have identified 32 total adult and pediatric with clinical criteria for TMP-SMX severe …

Transforming Blood Management Systems In Developing Countries Through Technological And Artificial Intelligence-Driven Innovations, Sandeep Bhargava, Shaun Aaron Abram, Srividhya Ragavan

Faculty Scholarship

It is critical to ensure the safe and quality supply of blood among various stakeholders; however, this remains a significant challenge in today’s world, especially in developing countries. These countries face severe problems, including blood shortages, fragmented regulatory frameworks, and inconsistent quality control measures. To tackle these challenges, countries like India are trying to implement the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and its derivative platforms to transform blood collection, testing, storage, and distribution by enabling interoperability, real-time compliance monitoring, automated donor screening, optimized inventory management, and advanced component separation. The article argues that developing countries must adopt both regulatory reform …

Clinical Evaluation Of Nasal Swab Specimens In Vtm/Utm And Respdirect Estm Using The Panther Fusion Sars-Cov-2/Flu A/B/Rsv Assay., Salika M. Shakir, Robert K. Mccall, Rangaraj Selvarangan, Dithi Banerjee, Yitz Goldstein, Christine Lansang, Rachel Bogh, Carmelle V. Remillard, Respdirect Clinical Study Group

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Respiratory viral infections by SARS-CoV-2, influenza A and B viruses, and RSV overlap in disease signs and symptomology, but differ in treatment modality. Nasal swab specimens have been shown to be an effective alternative specimen type for SARS-CoV-2 detection.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the performance of the Panther Fusion® SARS-CoV-2/Flu A/B/RSV assay in anterior nasal swab specimens (self- or healthcare professional [HCP]-) collected in either viral/universal (VTM/UTM) transport media or the Hologic® RespDirect® collection kit (RespDirect swab in enhanced specimen transport media [eSTM]).

STUDY DESIGN: A multicenter study was conducted from October 2022 to March 2024. A total of …

Good Mothers: Black Disabled Mothers & The Family Policing System, Siobhan Pokorney

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Good Mothers: Black Disabled Mothers & the Family Policing System is a qualitative study utilizing 16 in-depth individual interviews with mothers who broadly identified as Black, disabled mothers who had at least one interaction with the family policing system as adults in or around NYC. The study examines the work these mothers engage in to navigate their identities and strategically present themselves as good mothers while facing state surveillance and oppressive systems (specifically the family policing system) which automatically frame them as “unfit mothers.” It traces their experiences and the identity work that they engage in through the anticipatory trauma …

Nrsg 256.01: Pathiphysiology, Ginger M. Sillars

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2026-2030

No abstract provided.

Biom 402.01: Pathogenic Microbes, Amanda L. Andreas

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2026-2030

No abstract provided.

Phar 310.01: Pharmacy Practice Ii, Rachael L. Zins

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2026-2030

No abstract provided.

Anth 513.01: Seminar In Bioarchaeology & Skeletal Biology, Meradeth H. Snow

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2026-2030

No abstract provided.

Comx 422.01: Communication And Technology, Gregory S. Larson

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2026-2030

No abstract provided.

Epidemiology And Outcomes Of Sporotrichosis: A Descriptive Real-World Analysis From A Global Cohort, Samantha Schapiro, Nicholas Pulciano, Julian Galindo-Ramirez, Nicholas Rau, Jose Tuells, Nelson Iván Agudelo Higuita, George R. Thompson Iii, Daniel B. Chastain, Andrés F. Henao-Martínez

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Sporotrichosis is a dimorphic fungal infection of increasing global relevance. Although usually cutaneous or lymphocutaneous, disseminated disease occurs in immunocompromised hosts. Large-scale data on its epidemiology, treatment and outcomes remain limited.

Objectives: To characterise the clinical features, comorbidities, antifungal prescribing patterns and one-year mortality associated with sporotrichosis, with emphasis on patients with HIV and other forms of immunosuppression.

Patients/methods: We performed a retrospective global cohort study using the TriNetX Research Network. Adults (≥ 18 years) diagnosed with sporotrichosis were identified using ICD-9/10 codes (1995-2024). Demographics, comorbidities, laboratory parameters and antifungal prescriptions were analysed. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality …

The Global Cancer Crisis: A Review Of Growing Burden, Deepening Inequality And Initiatives For Prevention And Early Detection, Charles Yankah, Jonathan Nwiloh, Carlos Mestres, Abdelmalek Bouzid, Tom Mwambu, Andrew Duncan, Mohamed Debieche, Samuel Omokhodion, Uvie Onakpoya, Matthias Angres

General Surgery, East Africa

Cancer constitutes one of the most urgent global health crises, with over 20 million new cases diagnosed annually worldwide, claiming 10 million lives. This devastating burden disproportionately affects vulnerable populations: 75% of cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries despite these regions having lower reported incidence rates. Lung cancer leads the global toll, representing 12% of all cases but 19% of deaths, followed by breast cancer (12% of cases) and colorectal cancer (9.6%). A stark geographical inequity defines the cancer landscape—while wealthy regions such as North America, Northern Europe and Australia report the highest incidence rates, Africa and Latin …

Integration Of One Health Activities Into Professional Student Education: Successes, Challenges, And Considerations, Karen Gruszynski, Mary Beth Babos, Reagan Bishop, Debra Sullivan, Laroy Brandt

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Interprofessional Education (IPE) creates opportunities for multiple disciplines to learn from each other and develop soft skills to improve patient care. One Health similarly emphasizes collaborative and interdisciplinary practice while recognizing the interconnectedness between human, animal, and environmental health. Despite the intersection of IPE and One Health, the meaningful integration of One Health within IPE remains uneven and difficult to operationalize. This perspective synthesizes experiences from multi-college programs implementing One Health-oriented IPE, highlighting successes, challenges, and structural requirements. We argue that for One Health to be successfully integrated into IPE for professional students, it requires extensive logistical planning, coordinated institutional …

Controlled Antibiotic Release From Emulsion-Loaded Alginate And Fibrin Hydrogels Using Ultrasound, Ziba Ghareh Nazi Fam, Asia Winslow, Mario Fabiilli, Sam Varghese, Brian Oeffinger, Flemming Forsberg, Noreen Hickok, Lauren Delaney

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

Postoperative infections remain a major complication after spinal fusion surgery, often caused by biofilm-forming bacteria that resist short-term antibiotic prophylaxis. Vancomycin (VAN) is sometimes delivered locally during surgery; however, levels diminish rapidly, leaving patients vulnerable to late-onset infections. We developed a composite hydrogel integrating perfluorohexane-based emulsions within alginate or fibrin matrices to enable both sustained and ultrasound-triggered VAN release. Water-in-oil-in-water emulsions were prepared using fluorosurfactant-stabilized perfluorohexane as the volatile oil phase, then embedded in hydrogels and exposed to ultrasound (2.5 MHz, 5.5 MPa peak negative pressure) to initiate acoustic droplet vaporization for triggered release. Drug release was quantified spectrophotometrically and …