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Modeling And Controlling Epidemic Outbreaks: The Role Of Population Size, Model Heterogeneity And Fast Response In The Case Of Measles, Kezban Yagci Sokat, Benjamin Armbruster

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Modelers typically use detailed simulation models and vary the fraction vaccinated to study outbreak control. However, there is currently no guidance for modelers on how much detail (i.e., heterogeneity) is necessary and how large a population to simulate. We provide theoretical and numerical guidance for those decisions and also analyze the benefit of a faster public health response through a stochastic simulation model in the case of measles in the United States. Theoretically, we prove that the outbreak size converges as the simulation population increases and that the outbreaks are slightly larger with a heterogeneous community structure. We find that …

A One Health Framework To Estimate The Cost Of Antimicrobial Resistance, Chantal Morel, Richard Alm, Christine Årdal, Alessandra Bandera, Giacomo Bruno, Elena Carrara, Giorgio Colombo, Marlieke De Kraker, Sabiha Essack, Isabel Frost, Bruno Gonzalez-Zorn, Herman Goossens, Luca Guardabassi, Stephan Harbarth, Peter Jørgensen, Souha Kanj, Tomislav Kostyanev, Ramanan Laxminarayan, Finola Leonard, Gabriel Levy Hara, Marc Mendelson, Malgorzata Mikulska, Nico Mutters, Kevin Outterson, Jesus Rodriguez Baňo, Evelina Tacconelli, Luigia Scudeller

Faculty Scholarship

Objectives/purpose

The costs attributable to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remain theoretical and largely unspecified. Current figures fail to capture the full health and economic burden caused by AMR across human, animal, and environmental health; historically many studies have considered only direct costs associated with human infection from a hospital perspective, primarily from high-income countries. The Global Antimicrobial Resistance Platform for ONE-Burden Estimates (GAP-ON€) network has developed a framework to help guide AMR costing exercises in any part of the world as a first step towards more comprehensive analyses for comparing AMR interventions at the local level as well as more harmonized …

Chronic Ulcers And Malnutrition In An African Patient\, Timothy G Singer, Monica A Bray, Audrey Chan, Saki Ikeda, Brittany Walters, Maren Y Fuller, Carla Falco

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

An 11-year-old female with a congenitally malformed left hand, sickle-cell trait, asthma, and history of appendicitis was transferred from Zambia for evaluation and treatment of widespread suppurative and ulcerative skin lesions that typically appeared following trauma to her skin. The ulcers first presented 3 years earlier but had markedly worsened in the 9 months prior to transfer, spreading circumferentially on her extremities and abdomen at the site of an appendectomy. They were painful and did not resolve with multiple courses of intravenous (IV) antibiotics and close management by a Pediatric Infectious Disease specialist working for a non-governmental organization (NGO) in …

Donor And Transplant Candidate Selection For Solid Organ Transplantation During The Covid-19 Pandemic, N Thao N Galvan, Nicolas F Moreno, Jay E Garza, Susan Bourgeois, Marion Hemmersbach-Miller, Bhamidipati Murthy, Katherine Timmins, Christine A O'Mahony, James Anton, Andrew Civitello, Puneet Garcha, Gabe Loor, Kenneth Liao, Alexis Shaffi, John Vierling, Rise Stribling, Abbas Rana, John A Goss

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel coronavirus responsible for a worldwide pandemic has forced drastic changes in medical practice in an alarmingly short period of time. Caregivers must modify their strategies as well as optimize the utilization of resources to ensure public and patient safety. For organ transplantation, in particular, the loss of lifesaving organs for transplantation could lead to increased waitlist mortality. The priority is to select uninfected donors to transplant uninfected recipients while maintaining safety for health care systems in the backdrop of a virulent pandemic. We do not yet have a standard approach to evaluating …

The Spread Of Medical Information Through Social Media Platforms, Emma Durham

Honors College Theses

Social media has exploded in the past decade making it hard to find a teenager or adult without a smartphone or tablet in their possession at all times. Social media makes it easy for people to access information and friends at the click of a button. Information is easier to spread today than it ever has been; however, with this widespread social media usage comes a rapid spread of information with little fact checking. The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a surge of medical information being posted online, and not all of it has been completely accurate. The purpose of …

Fatal Covid-19 Infection In A Patient With Long-Chain 3-Hydroxyacyl-Coa Dehydrogenase Deficiency: A Case Report, Parith Wongkittichote, James R Watson, Jennifer M Leonard, Elizabeth R Toolan, Patricia I Dickson, Dorothy K Grange

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Long-chain fatty-acyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (LCHADD) is an inborn error of long chain fatty acid oxidation with various features including hypoketotic hypoglycemia, recurrent rhabdomyolysis, pigmentary retinopathy, peripheral neuropathy, cardiomyopathy, and arrhythmias. Various stresses trigger metabolic decompensation. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic caused by the RNA virus SARS-CoV-2 with diverse presentations ranging from respiratory symptoms to myocarditis. We report a case of a patient with LCHADD who initially presented with typical metabolic decompensation symptoms including nausea, vomiting, and rhabdomyolysis in addition to mild cough, and was found to have COVID-19. She developed acute respiratory failure and refractory hypotension from …

Remotely Monitored Inactivity Due To Covid-19 Lockdowns: Potential Hazard For Heart Failure Patients, Ahmed Al Fagih, Mariam Al Onazi, Saleh Al Basiri, Fahmi Al-Kaf, Khalid Dagriri, Yahya Al Hebaishi, Sondos Samargandy, Lamia Al Shengeiti

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To study the impact of curfews during the COVID-19 pandemic, on the physical activity in patients of heart failure implanted withcardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). Methods: This was a retrospective single-center study of heart failure patients inserted with remote monitoring (RM)-capable CIED. We analyzed the transmitted data of physical activity and fluid volume status of all patients, before, and during the lockdown periods between February and April 2020. The clinical status of the patients was also evaluated. Results: Device data from 429 patients implanted with CIED capable of RM were initially evaluated. Patients with an implantable loop recorder, Brugada …

Role Of The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) Pandemic In The Upgrading Of Personal Hygiene. A Cross-Sectional Study In Saudi Arabia, Yosef M. Zakout, Fahmida Khatoon, Mohamad A. Bealy, Nuha Ar. Khalil, Awdah M. Alhazimi

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To assess the role of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in improving personal hygiene in Saudi Arabia. Methods: We administered a questionnaire distributed online between 19 and 28 May 2020 to determine alterations in personal hygiene practices during this pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic phase. Results: We included 211 respondents from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in this study. Improvement at different levels was detected in all examined personal hygiene items compared to the pre-pandemic stage. The percentages of respondents who always washed their hands after coming back home (34.1%), used soap to wash their hands (58.8%), …

Eating Habits And Lifestyle During Covid-19 Lockdown In The United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study, Leila Cheikh Ismail, Tareq M. Osaili, Maysm N. Mohamad, Amina Al Marzouqi, Amjad H. Jarrar, Dima O.Abu Jamous, Emmanuella Magriplis, Habiba I. Ali, Haleama Al Sabbah, Hayder Hasan, Latifa M.R. Almarzooqi, Lily Stojanovska, Mona Hashim, Reyad R.Shaker Obaid, Sheima T. Saleh, Ayesha S.Al Dhaheri

All Works

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. The coronavirus disease is still spreading in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with subsequent lockdowns and social distancing measures being enforced by the government. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of the lockdown on eating habits and lifestyle behaviors among residents of the UAE. A cross-sectional study among adults in the UAE was conducted using an online questionnaire between April and May 2020. A total of 1012 subjects participated in the study. During the pandemic, 31% reported weight gain and 72.2% had less than eight cups of …

Organizational Readiness Assessment In Acute And Long-Term Care Has Important Implications For Antibiotic Stewardship For Asymptomatic Bacteriuria, Melanie C Goebel, Barbara W Trautner, Yiqun Wang, John N Van, Laura M Dillon, Payal K Patel, Dimitri M Drekonja, Christopher J Graber, Bhavarth S Shukla, Paola Lichtenberger, Christian D Helfrich, Anne Sales, Larissa Grigoryan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Prior to implementing an antibiotic stewardship intervention for asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB), we assessed institutional barriers to change using the Organizational Readiness to Change Assessment.

METHODS: Surveys were self-administered on paper in inpatient medicine and long-term care units at 4 Veterans Affairs facilities. Participants included providers, nurses, and pharmacists. The survey included 7 subscales: evidence (perceived strength of evidence) and six context subscales (favorability of organizational context). Responses were scored on a 5-point Likert-type scale.

RESULTS: One hundred four surveys were completed (response rate = 69.3%). Overall, the evidence subscale had the highest score; the resources subscale (mean 2.8) was …

"Some Statistical Data On Urban Waste Collection In The City Of Prizren And Ways To Evaluate Them In Useful Products", Sami Gashi, Besa Veseli, Vehebi Sofiu

UBT International Conference

The development of society is related to the high consumption of a variety of food products, the use of electro-household appliances, furniture, and its furnishing, clothing, plastic materials, etc. The increase of urban waste is considered both from the social development and the increase of the population, for example, Prishtina 1,116,355 tons/year, Prizren 90,858 tons/year, Peja 41,748 tons/year, Mitrovica 64,663 tons/year. The increase in urban waste will affect our environment (soil, water, and air). Even though our city is endangered by their lack of treatment, their quantity is constantly increasing. We need to change the concept that waste is worthless. …

Investigational Anti Sars-Covid 19 Medication, Gazmend Temaj, Kumrije Sopi Xharra, Shefki Xharra, Angelika Moder, Jasmin Nurkovic, Hilada Hefic, Rifat Hadziselimovic

UBT International Conference

The newly identified severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV- 2) that originated in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. By July 2020, the WHO reported over 17 million confirmed cases in over 200 countries around the globe. This review discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic may affect healthy people, structure and replication cycle of SARS- CoV-2; targets and therapeutics SARS- CoV-2 and anti-COVID drugs: strategies and perspectives.

Pharmacogenetics- Gene And Sars-Covid 19 Medication, Gazmend Temaj, Kumrije Sopi Xharra, Shefki Xharra, Angelika Moder, Jasmin Nurkovic, Hilada Hefic, Hilada Hefic, Rifat Hadziselimovic

UBT International Conference

An analysis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genomes collected from the patients worldwide has identified mutations in the virus that could aid in drug and vaccine development. The researchers found that the virus’s genetic diversity in most countries is similar to what it is globally, suggesting that it was introduced repeatedly by many infected people in each country rather than by a “patient zero.” The genetic analysis found 198 mutations that have occurred more than once. “Mutations in themselves are not a bad thing it is nothing to suggest SARS-CoV-2 is mutating faster or slower than expected. …

Attitudes Of Citizens Of The Republic Of Kosovo And The Identification Of Overcoming Mechanisms During The Covid-19-Coronavirus Period, Nausika Hoxha

UBT International Conference

The purpose of the research is to identify the overcoming mechanisms to citizens of Kosovo and how they feel during the quarantine. The research was conducted with quantitative design and 1053 participants, variated age 19-65, while the administration of the non- standardized questionnaire was online and consisted of 22 questions and 3 of them were opened questions. The analysis of the data was performed depending on the frequency obtained from the results of the online platform in a descriptive form, by which a questionnaire was administered where they present the percentages and graphs from the answers of the participants. The …

2020-10-31_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. Data was compiled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The information was updated daily.

Syndromic Surveillance System data is obtained from approximately 183 facilities participating in syndromic surveillance (132 Emergency Departments (ED), 51 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, and clinical impression) for fever or …

A Hybrid Agent-Based And Equation Based Model For The Spread Of Infectious Diseases, Elizabeth Hunter, Brian Mac Namee, John D. Kelleher

Articles

Both agent-based models and equation-based models can be used to model the spread of an infectious disease. Equation-based models have been shown to capture the overall dynamics of a disease outbreak while agent-based models are able to capture heterogeneous characteristics of agents that drive the spread of an outbreak. However, agent-based models are computationally intensive. To capture the advantages of both the equation-based and agent-based models, we create a hybrid model where the disease component of the hybrid model switches between agent-based and equation-based. The switch is determined using the number of agents infected. We first test the model at …

Prognostic Value Of Hla-I Homozygosity In Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Single Agent Immunotherapy, Afaf Abed, Leslie Calapre, Johnny Lo, Suzana Correia, Samantha Bowyer, Abha Chopra, Mark Watson, Muhammad A. Khattak, Michael Millward, Elin Solomonovna Gray

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background We aimed to assess the impact of genomic human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-I/II homozygosity on the survival benefit of patients with unresectable locally advanced, metastatic non-small lung cancer treated by single-agent programmed cell death protein-1/programmed death ligand 1 (PD1/PDL1) inhibitors.

Methods We collected blood from 170 patients with advanced lung cancer treated with immunotherapy at two major oncology centers in Western Australia. Genomic DNA was extracted from white blood cells and used for HLA-I/II high-resolution typing. HLA-I/II homozygosity was tested for association with survival outcomes. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression models were constructed to determine whether HLA homozygosity was an …

Antibacterial Activities Of The Extracts Of Allium Sativum (Garlic) And Allium Cepa (Onion) Against Selected Pathogenic Bacteria, Sherifat O. Enejiyon, Al-Hassan A. Abdulrahman, Abdulameen S. Adedeji, Ramatu Abdulsalam, Mary U. Oyedum

Tanzania Journal of Science

Although many antibiotics have been developed against bacterial diseases, the problems of antibiotic resistance and toxicity have made the continuous search for newer drugs an existential necessity. This study determined the phytochemical components and antibacterial activities of Allium sativum and Allium cepa against Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli. The phytochemical analysis was carried out using standard methods. The antibacterial activities of the aqueous, ethanol and acetone extracts of both plants at different concentrations were determined against all the test organisms using agar well diffusion method. All the extracts were found to contain important phytochemicals …

The Use Of Penalized Regression Analysis To Identify County-Level Demographic And Socioeconomic Variables Predictive Of Increased Covid-19 Cumulative Case Rates In The State Of Georgia, Holly L. Richmond, Joana Tome, Haresh Rochani, Isaac Chun-Hai Fung, Gulzar H. Shah, Jessica S. Schwind

Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Environmental Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Systemic inequity concerning the social determinants of health has been known to affect morbidity and mortality for decades. Significant attention has focused on the individual-level demographic and co-morbid factors associated with rates and mortality of COVID-19. However, less attention has been given to the county-level social determinants of health that are the main drivers of health inequities. To identify the degree to which social determinants of health predict COVID-19 cumulative case rates at the county-level in Georgia, we performed a sequential, cross-sectional ecologic analysis using a diverse set of socioeconomic and demographic variables. Lasso regression was used to identify variables …

One Out Of Ten: Low Sampling Efficiency Of Cloth Dragging Challenges Abundance Estimates Of Questing Ticks, Siiri Nyrhilä, Jani J. Sormunen, Satu Mäkelä, Ella Sippola, Eero J. Vesterinen, Tero Klemola

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) act as important vectors of zoonotic pathogens. For instance, Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. spirochetes pose a severe health risk as aetiological agents of Lyme borreliosis. Commonly, to study the abundance of questing (host-seeking) ticks, a 1 m2 piece of cloth is dragged over vegetation for a determined distance. Here, we designed a tick-sampling study to estimate the sampling efficiency of this standard method. We established 10 m dragging transects in a hemiboreal mixed forest patch in SW Finland for a 5-day monitoring period. Five of the transects were cloth-dragged 3× a day, whereas another five transects were …

Global Research Output On ‘Coronavirus Disease-2019’ (Covid-19), Seema Parmar, Suman Ghalawat, Ashwani Kumar

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Purpose: The present study reflects the trend and growth of publications on COVID-19 viral disease spreading around the world. With the emergence of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China in December 2019, scholars started publishing their researches in form of different kind of publications.

Methodology: The data has been extracted from the Scopus database using key TERMS Covid-19 and corona virus 2019.

Findings: During six month period around ten thousand publications are contributed by scientists around the globe. The literature produced in different fields but highest output is made in the field of Medicine. BMJ and Journal of Medical Virology journals …

Exploration Of Antiviral Effects Of Rna-Dependent Rna Polymerases 3, 4 And 5 In Arabidopsis., Eli R. Kallison, Aleksandra Beric, Blake Meyers

IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Cal Poly Humboldt

Small RNAs play a number of vital roles in plants, including viral resistance. A particular class of small RNA that regulates plant defense from pathogens, among other functions, is known as small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). A key player in the biogenesis pathway of siRNAs are RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerases (RDRs). There are six RDR proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana, three of which have well documented roles (RDRs 1, 2 and 6), and three of which have no documented role. Here, we look at the functions of the unstudied RDRs, RDRs 3, 4 and 5, to see whether they affect antiviral resistance.

A Case Of Plesiomonas Bacteremia Without Reported Freshwater Exposure, Abigail E. Mcdonald

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Introduction: Plesiomonas shigelloides is a member of the Enterobacteriaceae family generally found in freshwater. There is little substantive data about the prevalence or distribution of Plesiomonas within the United States. Plesiomonas are most commonly associated with mild, self-limited watery diarrhea among healthy individuals followed by infective colitis. Bacteremia is the most common extraintestinal manifestation of Plesiomonas. Few cases of Plesiomonas bacteremia can be found in the literature.

Clinical Findings: An elderly female with multiple comorbidities was admitted to our hospital for evaluation of generalized cramping abdominal pain of several days duration. She denied any freshwater or saltwater exposure. The …

International Conference On Pharmaceutical And Natural Sciences, University For Business And Technology - Ubt

UBT International Conference

UBT Annual International Conference is the 9th international interdisciplinary peer reviewed conference which publishes works of the scientists as well as practitioners in the area where UBT is active in Education, Research and Development. The UBT aims to implement an integrated strategy to establish itself as an internationally competitive, research-intensive university, committed to the transfer of knowledge and the provision of a world-class education to the most talented students from all background. The main perspective of the conference is to connect the scientists and practitioners from different disciplines in the same place and make them be aware of the recent …

Syndromic Surveillance Markers Associated With Dengue In Saint Lucia, Brendan Lee

Walden University Research Conference

This study was executed to identify the specific clinical symptoms associated with dengue in Saint Lucia. A retrospective, non-experimental study was designed using syndromic surveillance data from the Ministry of Health and Wellness Saint Lucia from 2009-2017. Results allowed the demonstration of a significant relationship between undifferentiated fever, acute respiratory infections or fever with respiratory signs, gastroenteritis, and dengue. These results potentially can be used by clinicians in Saint Lucia to more quickly identify cases of dengue that may have otherwise not have included dengue in an initial differential diagnoses list, especially in light of a current regional dengue epidemic. …

Scent-Based Rapid Screening, Anonymous

Defensive Publications Series

Many businesses engage in temperature monitoring, e.g., by the use of handheld IR thermometers or IR cameras, to ensure that a visitor to the business is not running a temperature which is a sign of the visitor being a potential carrier of an infectious disease such as COVID-19. However, such detection methods are imprecise and not particularly effective if the visitor is an asymptomatic person. This disclosure describes the use of scented strips to determine if a visitor may be infected. Visitors are requested to identify the smell of a strip dispensed by an automated dispenser machine or by a …

Surveillance Of Multidrug-Resistant Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli In Hospitalized Patients And Community Settings In The South Of Lebanon, Nourhan Darwich, Ali Samaha, Hanan Al Nuqaidan, Ahmad Tassi, Mirna Fawaz

BAU Journal - Health and Wellbeing

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is one of the common infectious diseases in both hospitals as well as community settings; they are recognized to be among the most serious worldwide bacterial infections impacting 150 million people globally every year. The purpose of this study was to assess the changing antibiotics resistance profile for uropathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from community and hospital setting over a period of time (2018–2019) with a special emphasis on ESBL/MDR producing Escherichia coli. A descriptive retrospective study was conducted among patients with uropathogenic Escherichia coli from both community and hospital settings in south Lebanon. Out of 863 …

Nutrition, Exercise, And Mental Health, Jamie Baum

Diet, Food, Exercise, and Nutrition (D-FEND)

Understand factors that can impact our mental health

Understand how certain foods can benefit our mental health

Understand how exercise can benefit our mental health

2020-10-30_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. Data was compiled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The information was updated daily.

Syndromic Surveillance System data is obtained from approximately 183 facilities participating in syndromic surveillance (132 Emergency Departments (ED), 51 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, and clinical impression) for fever or …

Flu And Covid-19: How To Tell The Difference This Winter And Stay Safe, Alicia Rohan

Browse All News

No abstract provided.