Digital Commons Network^™

Barriers To Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Uptake Among Racial/Ethnic Minorities: A Systematic Review, Trisha L Amboree, Charles Darkoh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with poor health outcomes, including cervical cancer. Racial/ethnic minority populations experience poor health outcomes associated with HPV at higher rates. A vaccine is available to protect against HPV infections and prevent HPV-related sequelae; however, vaccination rates have remained low in the United States (U.S.) population. Thus, there is an urgent need to increase the HPV vaccination rate. Moreover, little is known about barriers to HPV vaccination in racial/ethnic minority groups. This paper highlights the most recent findings on barriers experienced by these groups.

METHODS: The PubMed database was searched on July 30, 2020, for …

Preparing Nursing Homes For A Second Wave Of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19), A Rekha Murthy, Hilary Babcock, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Transmission Event Of Sars-Cov-2 Delta Variant Reveals Multiple Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Timothy Farinholt, Harsha Doddapaneni, Xiang Qin, Vipin Menon, Qingchang Meng, Ginger Metcalf, Hsu Chao, Marie-Claude Gingras, Vasanthi Avadhanula, Paige Farinholt, Charu Agrawal, Donna M Muzny, Pedro A Piedra, Richard A Gibbs, Joseph Petrosino

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: This study aims to identify the causative strain of SARS-CoV-2 in a cluster of vaccine breakthroughs. Vaccine breakthrough by a highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 strain is a risk to global public health.

METHODS: Nasopharyngeal swabs from suspected vaccine breakthrough cases were tested for SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) by qPCR (quantitative polymerase chain reaction) for Wuhan-Hu1 and alpha variant. Positive samples were then sequenced by Swift Normalase Amplicon Panels to determine the causal variant. GATK (genome analysis toolkit) variants were filtered with allele fraction ≥80 and min read depth 30x.

RESULTS: Viral sequencing revealed an infection cluster of …

Prevention And Screening Of Hpv Malignancies, Kristina R Dahlstrom, Andrew T Day, Erich M Sturgis

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

It is estimated that 5% of the global cancer burden, or approximately 690,000 cancer cases annually, is attributable to human papillomavirus (HPV). Primary prevention through prophylactic vaccination is the best option for reducing the burden of HPV-related cancers. Most high-income countries (HICs) have introduced the HPV vaccine and are routinely vaccinating adolescent boys and girls. Unfortunately, although they suffer the greatest morbidity and mortality due to HPV-related cancers, many lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have been unable to initiate and sustain vaccination programs. Secondary prevention in the form of screening has led to substantial declines in cervical cancer incidence in …

Decreased Incidence Of Infections Caused By Pathogens Transmitted Commonly Through Food During The Covid-19 Pandemic - Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, 10 U.S. Sites, 2017-2020, Logan C. Ray, Jennifer P. Collins, Patricia M. Griffin, Hazel J. Shah, Michelle M. Boyle, Paul R. Cieslak, John Dunn, Sarah Lathrop, Suzanne Mcguire, Tamara Rissman, Elaine J. Scallan Walter, Kirk Smith, Melissa Tobin-D'Angelo, Katie Wymore, Joanna Zablotsky Kufel, Beverly J. Wolpert, Robert Tauxe, Daniel C. Payne

Pathology Research and Scholarship

Foodborne illnesses are a substantial and largely preventable public health problem; before 2020 the incidence of most infections transmitted commonly through food had not declined for many years. To evaluate progress toward prevention of foodborne illnesses in the United States, the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) of CDC's Emerging Infections Program monitors the incidence of laboratory-diagnosed infections caused by eight pathogens transmitted commonly through food reported by 10 U.S. sites.* FoodNet is a collaboration among CDC, 10 state health departments, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS), and the Food and Drug Administration. This report …

Cxcl17 Is Dispensable During Hypervirulent Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Hn878 Infection In Mice, José Alberto Choreño-Parra, Micah D Dunlap, Rosemary Swanson, Luis A Jiménez-Álvarez, Marcela Muñoz-Torrico, Silvia Guzmán-Beltrán, Joaquín Zúñiga, Shabaana A Khader

2020-Current year OA Pubs

CXCL17 is a novel mucosal chemokine that mediates myeloid cell recruitment and bactericidal activity and highly expressed in the respiratory tract. However, its role in tuberculosis (TB) immunopathogenesis or protection remains unknown. In this study, we evaluated the function of CXCL17 in a mouse model of aerosol infection with the clinical W-Beijing lineage

Exploring Contextual Factors Influencing The Implementation Of Evidence-Based Care For Hypertension In Rwanda: A Cross-Sectional Study Using The Coach Questionnaire, Ana Baumann, Cole Hooley, Charles Goss, Vincent Mutabazi, Angela Brown, Kenneth Schechtman, Marc Twagirumukiza, Lisa De Las Fuentes, Dominic Reeds, Makeda Williams, Eugene Mutimura, Anna Bergström, Aurore Nishimwe, Cecile Ingabire, Victor Davila-Roman

Open Access Publications

IMPORTANCE: Hypertension is the largest contributor to the Global Burden of Disease. In Rwanda, as in most low-income and middle-income countries, an increasing prevalence of hypertension and its associated morbidity and mortality is causing major healthcare and economic impact. Understanding healthcare systems context in hypertension care is necessary.

OBJECTIVE: To study the hypertension healthcare context as perceived by healthcare providers using the Context Assessment for Community Health (COACH) tool.

DESIGN: A cross-sectional cohort responded to the COACH questionnaire and a survey about hypertension training.

SETTING: Three tertiary care hospitals in Rwanda.

PARTICIPANTS: Healthcare professionals (n=223).

PRIMARY OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The …

Clinical Outcomes In Patients Co-Infected With Covid-19 And Staphylococcus Aureus: A Scoping Review, Jenna Adalbert, Karan Varshney, Rachel Tobin, Rafael Pajaro

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Endemic to the hospital environment, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a leading bacterial pathogen that causes deadly infections such as bacteremia and endocarditis. In past viral pandemics, it has been the principal cause of secondary bacterial infections, significantly increasing patient mortality rates. Our world now combats the rapid spread of COVID-19, leading to a pandemic with a death toll greatly surpassing those of many past pandemics. However, the impact of co-infection with S. aureus remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to perform a high-quality scoping review of the literature to synthesize the existing evidence on the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 …

Trichomonas Vaginalis Detection In Urogenital Specimens From Symptomatic And Asymptomatic Men And Women By Use Of The Cobas Tv/Mg Test, Barbara Van Der Pol, David Eisenberg, Et Al

Open Access Publications

Trichomonas vaginalis is a prevalent sexually transmitted infection (STI). Diagnosis has historically relied on either microscopic analysis or culture, the latter being the previous gold standard. However, these tests are not readily available for male diagnosis, generally only perform well for symptomatic women, and are not as sensitive as nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs). Men are largely asymptomatic but carry the organism and transmit to their sexual partners. This multicenter, prospective study evaluated the performance of the cobas T. vaginalis/Mycoplasma genitalium (TV/MG) assay for detection of T. vaginalis DNA compared with patient infection status (PIS) defined by a combination of …

Real-World Evaluation Of The Impact Of Implementation Of The Virtuo Blood Culture System In A Tertiary Care Hospital, Miguel A Chavez, Satish Munigala, Carey-Ann D Burnham, Melanie L Yarbrough, David K Warren

Open Access Publications

The bioMérieux BacT/Alert Virtuo blood culture system used in combination with resin-containing media may enhance the growth of microorganisms. Our objective was to assess the impact of transitioning to the Virtuo system in comparison to the VersaTREK blood culture system at a tertiary care medical center. We retrospectively reviewed all blood cultures performed at a 1,250-bed academic medical center between January and December 2018 (VersaTREK) and January and December 2019 (Virtuo). Blood culture positivity rates and contamination rates were compared before and after Virtuo implementation. Of 101,438 blood cultures performed during the study period, 48,839 (48.1%) were processed preimplementation and …

Associations Between Varied Susceptibilities To Pfatp4 Inhibitors And Genotypes In Ugandan Plasmodium Falciparum Isolates., Oriana Kreutzfeld, Stephanie A. Rasmussen, Aarti A. Ramanathan, Patrick K. Tumwebaze, Oswald Byaruhanga, Thomas Katairo, Victor Asua, Martin Okitwi, Stephen Orena, Jennifer Legac, Melissa D. Conrad, Samuel L. Nsobya, Ozkan Aydemir, Jeffrey Bailey, Maelle Duffey, Brett R. Bayles, Akhil B. Vaidya, Roland A. Cooper, Philip J. Rosenthal

Natural Sciences and Mathematics | Faculty Scholarship

Among novel compounds under recent investigation as potential new antimalarial drugs are three independently developed inhibitors of the Plasmodium falciparum P-type ATPase (PfATP4): KAE609 (cipargamin), PA92, and SJ733. We assessed ex vivo susceptibilities to these compounds of 374 fresh P. falciparum isolates collected in Tororo and Busia districts, Uganda, from 2016 to 2019. Median IC50s were 65 nM for SJ733, 9.1 nM for PA92, and 0.5 nM for KAE609. Sequencing of pfatp4 for 218 of these isolates demonstrated many nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms; the most frequent mutations were G1128R (69% of isolates mixed or mutant), Q1081K/R (68%), G223S (25%), N1045K …

A Structural Study Of The Cytoplasmic Chaperone Effect Of 14-3-3 Proteins On Ataxin-1, Seppe Leysen, Rebecca Jane Burnley, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Lech-Gustav Milroy, Lorenzo Soini, Carolyn J Adamski, Larissa Nitschke, Rachel Davis, Tomas Obsil, Lucas Brunsveld, Tom Crabbe, Huda Yahya Zoghbi, Christian Ottmann, Jeremy Martin Davis

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Expansion of the polyglutamine tract in the N terminus of Ataxin-1 is the main cause of the neurodegenerative disease, spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1). However, the C-terminal part of the protein - including its AXH domain and a phosphorylation on residue serine 776 - also plays a crucial role in disease development. This phosphorylation event is known to be crucial for the interaction of Ataxin-1 with the 14-3-3 adaptor proteins and has been shown to indirectly contribute to Ataxin-1 stability. Here we show that 14-3-3 also has a direct anti-aggregation or "chaperone" effect on Ataxin-1. Furthermore, we provide structural and …

Maternal Resources For Care Are Associated With Child Growth And Early Childhood Development In Bangladesh And Vietnam, Sulochana Basnet, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Phuong Hong Nguyen, Spencer Moore, Mandana Arabi

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND:

Suboptimal child growth and development are significant problems in low- and middle-income countries. Maternal resources for care may help to improve growth and development. This study examined the association of maternal resources for care on child length, motor development and language development of children 12-23.9 months old.

METHODS:

We used baseline data from the Alive & Thrive household surveys collected in Bangladesh (n = 803) and Vietnam (n = 635). Resources for care were represented by maternal education, knowledge, height, well-nourishment, mental well-being, decision-making, employment, support in chores and perceived support. The regression analyses were adjusted for household wealth …

Dna-Encoded Chemistry Technology Yields Expedient Access To Sars-Cov-2m Pro Inhibitors, Srinivas Chamakuri, Shuo Lu, Melek Nihan Ucisik, Kurt M Bohren, Ying-Chu Chen, Huang-Chi Du, John C Faver, Ravikumar Jimmidi, Feng Li, Jian-Yuan Li, Pranavanand Nyshadham, Stephen S Palmer, Jeroen Pollet, Xuan Qin, Shannon E Ronca, Banumathi Sankaran, Kiran L Sharma, Zhi Tan, Leroy Versteeg, Zhifeng Yu, Martin M Matzuk, Timothy Palzkill, Damian W Young

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has killed more than 4 million humans globally, but there is no bona fide Food and Drug Administration–approved drug-like molecule to impede the COVID-19 pandemic. The sluggish pace of traditional therapeutic discovery is poorly suited to producing targeted treatments against rapidly evolving viruses. Here, we used an affinity-based screen of 4 billion DNA-encoded molecules en masse to identify a potent class of virus-specific inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) without extensive and time-consuming medicinal chemistry. CDD-1714, the initial three-building-block screening hit (molecular weight [MW] = 542.5 g/mol), was a potent inhibitor (inhibition …

Dna-Encoded Chemistry Technology Yields Expedient Access To Sars-Cov-2m Pro Inhibitors, Srinivas Chamakuri, Shuo Lu, Melek Nihan Ucisik, Kurt M Bohren, Ying-Chu Chen, Huang-Chi Du, John C Faver, Ravikumar Jimmidi, Feng Li, Jian-Yuan Li, Pranavanand Nyshadham, Stephen S Palmer, Jeroen Pollet, Xuan Qin, Shannon E Ronca, Banumathi Sankaran, Kiran L Sharma, Zhi Tan, Leroy Versteeg, Zhifeng Yu, Martin M Matzuk, Timothy Palzkill, Damian W Young

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has killed more than 4 million humans globally, but there is no bona fide Food and Drug Administration–approved drug-like molecule to impede the COVID-19 pandemic. The sluggish pace of traditional therapeutic discovery is poorly suited to producing targeted treatments against rapidly evolving viruses. Here, we used an affinity-based screen of 4 billion DNA-encoded molecules en masse to identify a potent class of virus-specific inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) without extensive and time-consuming medicinal chemistry. CDD-1714, the initial three-building-block screening hit (molecular weight [MW] = 542.5 g/mol), was a potent inhibitor (inhibition …

Relationship Between Food Insecurity And Smoking Status Among Women Living With And At Risk For Hiv In The Usa: A Cohort Study, Lila A. Sheira, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Judith Hahn, Kartika Palar, Elise D. Riley, Tracey E. Wilson, Adebola Adedimeji, Daniel Merenstein, Mardge Cohen, Eryka L. Wentz, Adaora A. Adimora, Ighovwerha Ofotokun, Lisa Metsch, Janet M. Turan, Phyllis C. Tien, Sheri D. Weiser

Faculty Publications

Objectives People living with HIV (PLHIV) in the USA, particularly women, have a higher prevalence of food insecurity than the general population. Cigarette smoking among PLHIV is common (42%), and PLHIV are 6–13 times more likely to die from lung cancer than AIDS related causes. This study sought to investigate the associations between food security status and smoking status and severity among a cohort of predominantly low-income women of colour living with and without HIV in the USA.

Design Women enrolled in an ongoing longitudinal cohort study from 2013 to 2015.

Setting Nine participating sites across the USA.

Participants 2553 …

Comprehensive Characterization Of Covid-19 Patients With Repeatedly Positive Sars-Cov-2 Tests Using A Large Us Electronic Health Record Database, Xiao Dong, Yujia Zhou, Xiao-Ou Shu, Elmer V Bernstam, Rebecca Stern, David M Aronoff, Hua Xu, Loren Lipworth

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In the absence of genome sequencing, two positive molecular tests for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) separated by negative tests, prolonged time, and symptom resolution remain the best surrogate measure of possible reinfection. Using a large electronic health record database, we characterized clinical and testing data for 23 patients with repeatedly positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test results ≥60 days apart, separated by ≥2 consecutive negative test results. The prevalence of chronic medical conditions, symptoms, and severe outcomes related to coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) illness were ascertained. The median age of patients was 64.5 years, 40% were Black, and 39% …

Protection Levels Of N95-Level Respirator Substitutes Proposed During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Safety Concerns And Quantitative Evaluation Procedures, David Ballard, Alex Scott, Broc Burke, Jason Morris, Connie Gan, Jesse Hu, Udayabhanu Jammalamadaka, Sena Sayood, Stephen Liang, Bruno Maranhao, J. Tyler Bertroche, Nirah Shomer, Pamela Woodard, Kathleen Meacham, Et Al

Open Access Publications

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic has precipitated widespread shortages of filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) and the creation and sharing of proposed substitutes (novel designs, repurposed materials) with limited testing against regulatory standards. We aimed to categorically test the efficacy and fit of potential N95 respirator substitutes using protocols that can be replicated in university laboratories.

SETTING: Academic medical centre with occupational health-supervised fit testing along with laboratory studies.

PARTICIPANTS: Seven adult volunteers who passed quantitative fit testing for small-sized (n=2) and regular-sized (n=5) commercial N95 respirators.

METHODS: Five open-source potential N95 respirator substitutes were evaluated and compared with commercial National Institute …

Drug Susceptibility Of Plasmodium Falciparum In Eastern Uganda: A Longitudinal Phenotypic And Genotypic Study, Patrick K. Tumwebaze, Thomas Katairo, Martin Okitwi, Oswald Byaruhanga, Stephen Orena, Victor Asua, Marvin Duvalsaint, Jennifer Legac, Sevil Chelebieva, Frida G. Ceja, Stephanie A. Rasmussen, Melissa D. Conrad, Samuel L. Nsobya, Ozkan Aydemir, Jeffrey A. Bailey, Brett R. Bayles, Philip J. Rosenthal, Roland A. Cooper

Natural Sciences and Mathematics | Faculty Scholarship

Background: Treatment and control of malaria depends on artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) and is challenged by drug resistance, but thus far resistance to artemisinins and partner drugs has primarily occurred in southeast Asia. The aim of this study was to characterise antimalarial drug susceptibility of Plasmodium falciparum isolates from Tororo and Busia districts in Uganda.

Methods: In this prospective longitudinal study, P falciparum isolates were collected from patients aged 6 months or older presenting at the Tororo District Hospital (Tororo district, a site with relatively low malaria incidence) or Masafu General Hospital (Busia district, a high-incidence site) in eastern Uganda …

Shea Pediatric Leadership Council Commentary: Personal Protective Equipment During Care Of Children With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome In Children (Mis-C), Martha L. Muller, Latania K. Logan, Larry K. Kociolek, Judith A. Guzman-Cottrill, Allison H. Bartlett, Joshua K. Schaffzin, Karen A Ravin, Lorry G Rubin, Jason Lake, Carolyn Caughell, Lynn Ramirez-Avila, Shea Pediatric Leadership Council

Pediatrics Research and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Tcf7l2 Genetic Variants Do Not Influence Insulin Sensitivity Or Secretion Indices In Autoantibody-Positive Individuals At Risk For Type 1 Diabetes, Maria J Redondo, Megan V Warnock, Ingrid M Libman, Laura E Bocchino, David Cuthbertson, Susan Geyer, Alberto Pugliese, Andrea K Steck, Carmella Evans-Molina, Dorothy Becker, Jay M Sosenko, Fida Bacha, Type 1 Diabetes Trialnet Study Group

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Objective: We aimed to test whether type 2 diabetes (T2D)-associated TCF7L2 genetic variants affect insulin sensitivity or secretion in autoantibody-positive relatives at risk for type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Research design and methods: We studied autoantibody-positive TrialNet Pathway to Prevention study participants (N = 1,061) (mean age 16.3 years) with TCF7L2 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) information and baseline oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to calculate indices of insulin sensitivity and secretion. With Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons, P values < 0.0086 were considered statistically significant.

Results: None, one, and two T2D-linked TCF7L2 alleles were present in 48.1%, 43.9%, and 8.0% of the participants, respectively. Insulin sensitivity …

Uptake Of Co-Testing With Hpv And Cytology For Cervical Screening: A Population-Based Evaluation In The United States, Jack Cuzick, Ruofei Du, Rachael Adcock, Walter Kinney, Nancy Joste, Ruth M. Mcdonald, Kevin English, Salina M. Torres, Debbie Saslow, Cosette M. Wheeler

Pathology Research and Scholarship

OBJECTIVES: Human papillomavirus (HPV) testing for cervical screening has been shown to increase the yield of precancerous disease and reduce the incidence of cervical cancer more than cytology alone. Here we document the state-wide uptake of co-testing with HPV and cytology in women aged 30-64 years as recommended by national and international bodies.

METHODS: Registry-based study of all screening cytology and HPV tests in New Mexico from 2008 to 2019 among women aged 21-64 years, with a focus on cytology negative tests to distinguish co-testing from reflex HPV testing to triage equivocal or mildly abnormal cytology.

RESULTS: A total of …

Future Directions For Hiv Service Delivery Research: Research Gaps Identified Through Who Guideline Development, Nathan Ford, Ingrid Eshun-Wilson, Wole Ameyan, Morkor Newman, Lara Vojnov, Meg Doherty, Elvin Geng

Open Access Publications

Nathan Ford and co-authors discuss the systematic identification of research gaps in improving HIV service delivery.

Covid-19 In Patients With Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders And Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody Disease In North America: From The Covims Registry, Scott D Newsome, Anne H Cross, Robert J Fox, June Halper, Pamela Kanellis, Bruce Bebo, David Li, Gary R Cutter, Kottil W Rammohan, Amber Salter

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To describe the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disease (MOGAD).

METHODS: The COVID-19 Infections in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Related Diseases (COViMS) Registry collected data on North American patients with MS and related diseases with laboratory-positive or highly suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection. Deidentified data were entered into a web-based registry by health care providers. Data were analyzed using

RESULTS: As of June 7, 2021, 77 patients with NMOSD and 20 patients with MOGAD were reported in the COViMS Registry. Most patients with NMOSD were …

Secondary Bacterial Pneumonias And Bloodstream Infections In Patients Hospitalized With Covid-19, Max W Adelman, Divya R Bhamidipati, Alfonso C Hernandez-Romieu, Ahmed Babiker, Michael H Woodworth, Chad Robichaux, David J Murphy, Sara C Auld, Colleen S Kraft, Jesse T Jacob

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Use Of Human Tissue Stem Cell-Derived Organoid Cultures To Model Enterohepatic Circulation, Sarah E Blutt, Sue E Crawford, Carolyn Bomidi, Xi-Lei Zeng, James R Broughman, Matthew Robertson, Cristian Coarfa, Mary Elizabeth M Tessier, Tor Savidge, F Blaine Hollinger, Steven A Curley, Mark Donowitz, Mary K Estes

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The use of human tissue stem cell-derived organoids has advanced our knowledge of human physiological and pathophysiological processes that are unable to be studied using other model systems. Increased understanding of human epithelial tissues including intestine, stomach, liver, pancreas, lung, and brain have been achieved using organoids. However, it is not yet clear whether these cultures recapitulate in vivo organ-to-organ signaling or communication. In this work, we demonstrate that mature stem cell-derived intestinal and liver organoid cultures each express functional molecules that modulate bile acid uptake and recycling. These organoid cultures can be physically coupled in a Transwell system and …

Hiv-1 Viral Protein R Couples Metabolic Inflexibility With White Adipose Tissue Thermogenesis, Neeti Agarwal, Dinakar Iyer, Pradip Saha, Aaron R Cox, Yan Xia, Netanya S Utay, Anoma Somasundaram, Ulrich Schubert, Jordan E Lake, Sean M Hartig, Ashok Balasubramanyam

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Persons living with HIV (PLWH) manifest chronic disorders of brown and white adipose tissues that lead to diabetes and metabolic syndrome. The mechanisms that link viral factors to defective adipose tissue function and abnormal energy balance in PLWH remain incompletely understood. Here, we explored how the HIV accessory protein viral protein R (Vpr) contributes to adaptive thermogenesis in two mouse models and human adipose tissues. Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) gene expression was strongly increased in subcutaneous white adipose tissue (WAT) biopsy specimens from PLWH and in subcutaneous WAT of the Vpr mice, with nearly equivalent mRNA copy number. Histology and …

Applying The Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle In Medical Education To Refine An Antibiotics Therapy Active Learning Session, Stacey Rose, Richard Hamill, Andrew Caruso, Nital P Appelbaum

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Active learning improves learner engagement and knowledge retention. The application of continuous quality improvement methodologies, such as the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework, may be useful for optimizing medical education, including active learning sessions. We aimed to enhance student satisfaction and achievement of learning outcomes by applying the PDSA framework to an antibiotic utilization curriculum for medical students.

METHODS: Guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework, between February 2017 and July 2019, we developed, implemented, and revised an active learning session for medical students, focused on appropriate utilization of antibiotics during their Internal Medicine clerkship.

RESULTS: Across twelve sessions, 367 students (83.4%) completed …

Potential Immunomodulatory Properties Of Biologically Active Components Of Spices Against Sars-Cov-2 And Pan Β-Coronaviruses, Sourodip Sengupta, Debina Bhattacharyya, Grishma Kasle, Souvik Karmakar, Omkar Sahu, Anirban Ganguly, Sankar Addya, Jayasri Das Sarma

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-induced COVID-19 has emerged as a defining global health crisis in current times. Data from the World Health Organization shows demographic variations in COVID-19 severity and lethality. Diet may play a significant role in providing beneficial host cell factors contributing to immunity against deadly SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. Spices are essential components of the diet that possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiviral properties. Hyperinflammation, an aberrant systemic inflammation associated with pneumonia, acute respiratory failure, and multiorgan dysfunction, is a major clinical outcome in COVID-19. Knowing the beneficial properties of spices, we hypothesize that spice-derived bioactive components …

Progression Of Sars-Cov-2 Seroprevalence In St. Louis, Missouri, Through January 2021, Brittany K Smith, Andrew B Janowski, Arim C Fremont, Lucas J Adams, Ya-Nan Dai, Christopher W Farnsworth, Ann M Gronowski, Stephen M Roper, David Wang, Daved H Fremont

Open Access Publications

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seropositivity was assessed for 3,066 individuals visiting hospitals in St. Louis, Missouri, during July 2020, November 2020, or January 2021. Seropositivity in children increased from 5.22% in July to 21.16% in January. In the same time frame, seropositivity among adults increased from 4.52% to 19.03%, prior to initiation of mass vaccination.