Digital Commons Network^™

Use Of Advanced Diagnostics For Timely Identification Of Travel-Associated Leptospira Santarosai Infection In Four Adolescents Through Plasma Microbial Cell-Free Dna Sequencing With The Karius Test, Hai Nguyen-Tran, Guliz Erdem, P Marcelo Laufer, Lori Patterson, Asim A Ahmed, William A Bower, Renee Galloway, Sara Saporta-Keating

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Leptospirosis is an important zoonotic infection worldwide. Diagnosis of leptospirosis is challenging given its nonspecific clinical symptoms that overlap with other acute febrile illnesses and limitations with conventional diagnostic testing. Alternative advanced diagnostics, such as microbial cell-free DNA (mcfDNA), are increasingly being used to aid in the diagnosis of infections and can be applied to pathogens with public health importance such as Leptospira , a nationally notifiable disease.

Methods: The Karius Test uses plasma mcfDNA sequencing to detect and quantify DNA-based pathogens. This test offered through the Karius lab detected 4 cases of Leptospira santarosai during a 5-month period …

Practical Approaches For Supporting Informed Consent In Neonatal Clinical Trials, Susan H Wootton, Matthew Rysavy, Peter Davis, Marta Thio, Mar Romero-Lopez, Lindsay F Holzapfel, Tamara Thrasher, Jaleesa D Wade, Louise S Owen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The survival and health of preterm and critically ill infants have markedly improved over the past 50  years, supported by well-conducted neonatal research. However, newborn research is difficult to undertake for many reasons, and obtaining informed consent for research in this population presents several unique ethical and logistical challenges. In this article, we explore methods to facilitate the consent process, including the role of checklists to support meaningful informed consent for neonatal clinical trials. CONCLUSION: The authors provide practical guidance on the design and implementation of an effective consent checklist tailored for use in neonatal clinical research.

Defining The Phylogenetics And Resistome Of The Major Clostridioides Difficile Ribotypes Circulating In Australia, Keeley O’Grady, Stacey Hong, Papanin Putsathit, Narelle George, Christine Hemphill, Peter G. Huntington, Tony M. Korman, Despina Kotsanas, Monica Lahra, Rodney Mcdougall, Andrew Mcglinchey, Avram Levy, Casey V. Moore, Graeme Nimmo, Louise Prendergast, Jennifer Robson, David J. Speers, Lynette Waring, Michael C. Wehrhahn, Gerhard F. Weldhagen, Richard M. Wilson, Thomas V. Riley, Daniel R. Knight

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) remains a significant public health threat globally. New interventions to treat CDI rely on an understanding of the evolution and epidemiology of circulating strains. Here we provide longitudinal genomic data on strain diversity, transmission dynamics and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of C. difficile ribotypes (RTs) 014/020 (n=169), 002 (n=77) and 056 (n=36), the three most prominent C. difficile strains causing CDI in Australia. Genome scrutiny showed that AMR was uncommon in these lineages, with resistance-conferring alleles present in only 15/169 RT014/020 strains (8.9 %), 1/36 RT056 strains (2.78 %) and none of 77 RT002 strains. Notably, ~90 …

Sars-Cov-2 Viral Load In The Nasopharynx At Time Of First Infection Among Unvaccinated Individuals, Leigh H Fisher, Jia Jin Kee, Albert Liu, Claudia M Espinosa, April K Randhawa, James Ludwig, Craig A Magaret, Samuel T Robinson, Peter B Gilbert, Ollivier Hyrien, James G Kublin, Nadine Rouphael, Ann R Falsey, Magdalena E Sobieszczyk, Hana M El Sahly, Beatriz Grinsztejn, Glenda E Gray, Karen L Kotloff, Cynthia L Gay, Brett Leav, Ian Hirsch, Frank Struyf, Lisa M Dunkle, Kathleen M Neuzil, Lawrence Corey, Yunda Huang, Paul A Goepfert, Stephen R Walsh, Lindsey R Baden, Holly Janes, Covid-19 Prevention Network (Covpn)

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Importance: SARS-CoV-2 viral load (VL) in the nasopharynx is difficult to quantify and standardize across settings, but it may inform transmission potential and disease severity.

Objective: To characterize VL at COVID-19 diagnosis among previously uninfected and unvaccinated individuals by evaluating the association of demographic and clinical characteristics, viral variant, and trial with VL, as well as the ability of VL to predict severe disease.

Design, setting, and participants: This secondary cross-protocol analysis used individual-level data from placebo recipients from 4 harmonized, phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine efficacy trials sponsored by Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen, and Novavax. Participants were SARS-CoV-2 negative at baseline …

Experiences In Vocal Psychotherapy Of A Music Therapy Intern With Post-Covid Symptoms, Kyungwon Matilda Choi

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore my experiences in vocal psychotherapy as a music therapy intern with Long COVID symptoms. This study employed a first-person qualitative research design by assessing two personal therapy sessions with heuristic inquiry. I analyzed my experience as a client receiving 60-minute individual vocal psychotherapy sessions. The music therapist was a trained (certified) vocal psychotherapist with at least five years of clinical practice. Data were collected from recorded session audio/video and personal journals. The recorded session audio/video were transcribed so the data could be analyzed. I asked and answered the research questions as this …

The Role Of Cosmopolitan Orientation In Covid-19-Related Attitudes: Perceived Threats And Opportunities, Vaccination Willingness, And Support For Collective Containment Efforts, Angela K. Y. Leung, Brandon Koh, Verity Yu Qing Lua, James H. Liu, Sarah Y. Choi, I-Ching Lee, Michelle Lee, Mei-Hua Lin, Darrin Hodgetts, Sylvia X. Chen

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Cosmopolitan individuals identify themselves as "citizens of the world." In the present research, we tested the idea that endorsing a cosmopolitan orientation (CO) is adaptive in the COVID-19 crisis. Cosmopolitan individuals more readily transcend national parochialism, show greater concern for all humanity, and prioritize collective interests. In a two-wave multi-region investigation with six samples from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and the U.S., we first established longitudinal and cross-cultural measurement invariance of the CO scale. Next, we found that people with a higher CO tended to perceive over time a greater threat posed by COVID-19, take more safety measures, …

Benefit Of Axicabtagene Ciloleucel Versus Chemoimmunotherapy In Older Patients And/Or Patients With Poor Ecog Performance Status With Relapsed Or Refractory Large B-Cell Lymphoma After 2 Or More Lines Of Prior Therapy, Matthew A Lunning, Hai-Lin Wang, Zhen-Huan Hu, Frederick L Locke, Tanya Siddiqi, Caron A Jacobson, Sairah Ahmed, David B Miklos, Yi Lin, Brian T Hill, Armin Ghobadi, Sattva S Neelapu, Jason Westin, Chrisopher Dieyi, Polly Field, Harry Miao, Shilpa A Shahani, Anik Patel, Clare Spooner, Christine Fu, David Muramoto, Hairong Xu, Marcelo C Pasquini

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) in trials has demonstrated favorable efficacy compared with historical controls after ≥2 lines of therapy for the treatment of relapsed or refractory (R/R) large B cell lymphoma (LBCL). Herein, we compared the real-world effectiveness of axi-cel with efficacy and effectiveness of chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) in patients aged ≥65 years and patients with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) of 2. A total of 1146 patients treated with commercial axi-cel for R/R LBCL with ≥2 lines of prior therapy were included from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplantation Research prospective observational study, and 469 patients …

Interferons And Tuft Cell Numbers Are Bottlenecks For Persistent Murine Norovirus Infection, Somya Aggarwal, Forrest C. Walker, James S. Weagley, Broc T. Mccune, Xiaofen Wu, Lawrence A. Schriefer, Heyde Makimaa, Dylan Lawrence, Pratyush Sridhar, Megan T. Baldridge

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Noroviruses (NoVs) are a leading cause of viral gastroenteritis. Despite global clinical relevance, our understanding of how host factors, such as antiviral cytokines interferons (IFNs), modulate NoV population dynamics is limited. Murine NoV (MNoV) is a tractable in vivo model for the study of host regulation of NoV. A persistent strain of MNoV, CR6, establishes a reservoir in intestinal tuft cells for chronic viral shedding in stool. However, the influence of host innate immunity and permissive cell numbers on viral population dynamics is an open question. We generated a pool of 20 different barcoded viruses (CR6BC) by inserting 6-nucleotide barcodes …

Factors Associated With The Ability Of Us Nursing Homes To Accept Residents With Severe Obesity, Cynthia Mcmahan, Bianca Shieu, Alison Trinkoff, Nicholas Castle, David G Wolf, Steven Handler, John A Harris

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objectives: Severe obesity in nursing home (NH) residents is associated with specialized care needs, limited mobility, and challenges in daily living. The COVID-19 pandemic strained NH resources and exacerbated staffing shortages. This study aimed to assess the ability of US NHs to accept and care for residents with severe obesity post-COVID, as well as associated NH factors.

Design: Cross-sectional nationwide survey of NH administrators (2021-2022).

Setting and participants: 290 NHs from a national sample (n = 224) and a targeted sample in Massachusetts and New Jersey (n = 66).

Methods: A survey designed to assess how NHs approach admitting and …

Gut Microbiome Correlates Of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection: A Longitudinal, Multi-Center Study, Joohee Choi, Robert Thänert, Kimberly A Reske, Katelin B Nickel, Margaret A Olsen, Tiffany Hink, Anna Thänert, Meghan A Wallace, Bin Wang, Candice Cass, Margaret H Barlet, Emily L Struttmann, Zainab Hassan Iqbal, Steven R Sax, Victoria J Fraser, Carey-Ann D Burnham, Erik R Dubberke, Gautam Dantas, Jennie H Kwon, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Urinary tract infections (UTI) affect approximately 250 million people annually worldwide. Patients often experience a cycle of antimicrobial treatment and recurrent UTI (rUTI) that is thought to be facilitated by a gut reservoir of uropathogenic

METHODS: 125 patients with UTI caused by an antibiotic-resistant organism (ARO) were enrolled from July 2016 to May 2019 in a longitudinal, multi-center cohort study. Multivariate statistical models were used to assess the relationship between uropathogen colonization and recurrent UTI (rUTI), controlling for clinical characteristics. 644 stool samples and 895 UPEC isolates were interrogated for taxonomic composition, antimicrobial resistance genes, and phenotypic resistance. Cohort …

Immunotherapy Withdrawal By Step-Down To Mesalamine In Pediatric Patients With Ulcerative Colitis, Reka Szigeti, Richard Kellermayer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: Parents and pediatric patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) who progressed to systemic immunotherapy are concerned about lifelong risks from such treatments. There is limited knowledge about withdrawal of such agents and step-down (SD) to enteral 5-aminosalicylic acid (mesalamine) before transitioning to adult care.

METHODS: We studied nine pediatric cases with moderate to severe UC who after a median of 2.18 years of clinical remission on systemic immunotherapy stepped down to oral mesalamine treatment.

RESULTS: Average follow-up time from SD was 3.49 years. Five patients (55.5%) had sustained remission (without any flare noted) after SD during follow-up. Sustained clinical remission …

Age-Related Differences In The Mouse Corneal Epithelial Transcriptome And Their Impact On Corneal Wound Healing, Anmar Abu-Romman, Kaitlin K Scholand, Gowthaman Govindarajan, Zhiyuan Yu, Sonali Pal-Ghosh, Mary A Stepp, Cintia S De Paiva

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE: Aging is a risk factor for dry eye. We sought to identify changes in the aged mouse corneal epithelial transcriptome and determine how age affects corneal sensitivity, re-epithelialization, and barrier reformation after corneal debridement.

METHODS: Corneal epithelium of female C57BL/6J (B6) mice of different ages (2, 12, 18, and 24 months) was collected, RNA extracted, and bulk RNA sequencing performed. Cornea sensitivity was measured with an esthesiometer in 2- to 3-month-old, 12- to 13-month-old, 18- to 19-month-old, and 22- to 25-month-old female and male mice. The 2-month-old and 18-month-old female and male mice underwent unilateral corneal debridement using a …

Sars-Cov-2 Viral Load In The Nasopharynx At Time Of First Infection Among Unvaccinated Individuals: A Secondary Cross-Protocol Analysis Of 4 Randomized Trials, Leigh H Fisher, Jia Jin Kee, Albert Liu, Claudia M Espinosa, April K Randhawa, James Ludwig, Craig A Magaret, Samuel T Robinson, Peter B Gilbert, Ollivier Hyrien, James G Kublin, Nadine Rouphael, Ann R Falsey, Magdalena E Sobieszczyk, Hana M El Sahly, Beatriz Grinsztejn, Glenda E Gray, Karen L Kotloff, Cynthia L Gay, Brett Leav, Ian Hirsch, Frank Struyf, Lisa M Dunkle, Kathleen M Neuzil, Lawrence Corey, Yunda Huang, Paul A Goepfert, Stephen R Walsh, Lindsey R Baden, Holly Janes, Covid-19 Prevention Network (Covpn)

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

IMPORTANCE: SARS-CoV-2 viral load (VL) in the nasopharynx is difficult to quantify and standardize across settings, but it may inform transmission potential and disease severity.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize VL at COVID-19 diagnosis among previously uninfected and unvaccinated individuals by evaluating the association of demographic and clinical characteristics, viral variant, and trial with VL, as well as the ability of VL to predict severe disease.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This secondary cross-protocol analysis used individual-level data from placebo recipients from 4 harmonized, phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine efficacy trials sponsored by Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen, and Novavax. Participants were SARS-CoV-2 negative at baseline …

Clinical Outcomes After Acute Coronary Syndromes Or Revascularization Among People Living With Hiv: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Mohammed Haji, Michael Capilupi, Michael Kwok, Nouran Ibrahim, Gerald S Bloomfield, Christopher T Longenecker, Maria C Rodriguez-Barradas, Chester N Ashong, Eric Jutkowitz, Tracey H Taveira, Michelle Richard, Jennifer L Sullivan, James L Rudolph, Wen-Chih Wu, Sebhat Erqou

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

IMPORTANCE: Clinical outcomes after acute coronary syndromes (ACS) or percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) in people living with HIV have not been characterized in sufficient detail, and extant data have not been synthesized adequately.

OBJECTIVE: To better characterize clinical outcomes and postdischarge treatment of patients living with HIV after ACS or PCIs compared with patients in an HIV-negative control group.

DATA SOURCES: Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for all available longitudinal studies of patients living with HIV after ACS or PCIs from inception until August 2023.

STUDY SELECTION: Included studies met the following criteria: patients living with …

Performance Of A Stool-Based Quantitative Pcr Assay For The Diagnosis Of Tuberculosis In Adolescents And Adults: A Multinational, Prospective Diagnostic Accuracy Study, Alexander Kay, Anca Vasiliu, Lucia Carratala-Castro, Bariki Mtafya, Jose Euberto Mendez Reyes, Nontobeko Maphalala, Shilzia Munguambe, Durbbin Mulengwa, Tara Ness, Belen Saavedra, Jason Bacha, Gugu Maphalala, Rojelio Mejia, Godwin Mtetwa, Sozinho Acacio, Patricia Manjate, Edson Mambuque, Nosisa Shiba, Nokwanda Kota, Mangaliso Ziyane, Nyanda Elias Ntinginya, Christoph Lange, H Lester Kirchner, Andrew R Dinardo, Alberto L Garcia-Basteiro, Anna Maria Mandalakas, Stool4tb Global Partnership

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Despite increasing availability of rapid molecular tests for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in high-burden settings, many people with tuberculosis are undiagnosed. Reliance on sputum as the primary specimen for tuberculosis diagnostics contributes to this diagnostic gap. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy and additive yield of a novel stool quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in three countries in Africa with high tuberculosis burdens.

METHODS: We undertook a prospective diagnostic accuracy study in Eswatini, Mozambique, and Tanzania from Sept 21, 2020, to Feb 2, 2023, to compare the diagnostic accuracy for tuberculosis of a novel stool qPCR …

Assessment Of Illness Severity In Adults Hospitalized With Acute Respiratory Tract Infection Due To Influenza, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Or Human Metapneumovirus, Ann R Falsey, Edward E Walsh, Stacey L House, Yannick Vandendijck, Marita Stevens, Eric K H Chan, Gabriela Ispas

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and human metapneumovirus (hMPV) are common respiratory viruses causing similar symptoms. Optimal tools to assess illness severity for these viruses have not been defined. Using the Hospitalized Acute Respiratory Tract Infection (HARTI) study data, we report symptom severity by clinician-rated clinical severity scores (CSS) in adults with influenza, RSV, or hMPV and correlations between CSS and patient-reported outcomes (PROs).

METHODS: HARTI was a global epidemiologic study in adults hospitalized with acute respiratory tract infections. Patients were assessed at enrollment within 24 h of admission with CSS and twice during hospitalization with CSS, Respiratory Infection …

Person-Centred Interventions To Improve Patient-Provider Relationships For Hiv Services In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review, Laura K Beres, Ashley Underwood, Noelle Le Tourneau, Christopher Galloway Kemp, Gauri Kore, Lauren Yaeger, Jingjia Li, Alec Aaron, Claire Keene, Deepthi Priyanka Mallela, Banda A A Khalifa, Aaloke Mody, Sheree Renae Schwartz, Stefan Baral, Chanda Mwamba, Kombatende Sikombe, Ingrid Eshun-Wilson, Elvin H Geng, Marie-Claude C Lavoie

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Person-centred care (PCC) has been recognized as a critical element in delivering quality and responsive health services. The patient-provider relationship, conceptualized at the core of PCC in multiple models, remains largely unexamined in HIV care. We conducted a systematic review to better understand the types of PCC interventions implemented to improve patient-provider interactions and how these interventions have improved HIV care continuum outcomes and person-reported outcomes (PROs) among people living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries.

METHODS: We searched databases, conference proceedings and conducted manual targeted searches to identify randomized trials and observational studies published up to January …

Patient Engagement In Designing, Conducting, And Disseminating Clinical Pain Research: Immpact Recommended Considerations, Simon Haroutounian, Katherine J. Holzer, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

In the traditional clinical research model, patients are typically involved only as participants. However, there has been a shift in recent years highlighting the value and contributions that patients bring as members of the research team, across the clinical research lifecycle. It is becoming increasingly evident that to develop research that is both meaningful to people who have the targeted condition and is feasible, there are important benefits of involving patients in the planning, conduct, and dissemination of research from its earliest stages. In fact, research funders and regulatory agencies are now explicitly encouraging, and sometimes requiring, that patients are …

Impact Of Gram-Negative Bacilli Resistance Rates On Risk Of Death In Septic Shock And Pneumonia, Alison M Hixon, Scott Micek, Victoria J Fraser, Marin Kollef, M Cristina Vazquez Guillamet

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. When selecting empiric antibiotics for sepsis, clinicians are encouraged to use local resistance rates, but their impact on individual outcomes is unknown. Improved methods to predict outcomes are needed to optimize treatment selection and improve antibiotic stewardship.

METHODS: We expanded on a previously developed theoretical model to estimate the excess risk of death in gram-negative bacilli (GNB) sepsis due to discordant antibiotics using 3 factors: the prevalence of GNB in sepsis, the rate of antibiotic resistance in GNB, and the mortality difference between discordant and concordant antibiotic treatments. We …

National Hiv And Hcv Screening Rates For Hospitalized People Who Use Drugs Are Suboptimal And Heterogeneous Across 11 Us Hospitals, Leo Knudsen Westgard, Laura R Marks, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: To end the HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemics, people who use drugs (PWUD) need more opportunities for testing. While inpatient hospitalizations are an essential opportunity to test people who use drugs (PWUD) for HIV and HCV, there is limited research on rates of inpatient testing for HIV and HCV among PWUD.

METHODS: Eleven hospital sites were included in the study. Each site created a cohort of inpatient encounters associated with injection drug use. From these cohorts, we collected data on HCV and HIV testing rates and HIV testing consent policies from 65 276 PWUD hospitalizations.

RESULTS: Hospitals …

Integrating Medical Librarians Into Infectious Disease Rounding Teams: Survey Results From A Pilot Implementation Study, Mia T Vogel, Lauren H Yaeger, Jason P Burnham

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Medical librarians participating as infectious disease rounding team members add value by facilitating knowledge acquisition and dissemination and by improving clinical decision making. This pilot study implementing medical librarians on infectious disease rounding teams was a well-received and beneficial intervention to study participants.

High Rates Of Missed Hiv Testing Among Oral Prep Users In The United States From 2018-2021: A National Assessment On Compliance With Hiv Testing Recommendations Of The Cdc Prep Guidelines, Jason Baron, Tamar Tchelidze, Benjamin Labrot, Joseph Yao, Kenneth H Mayer, Daniel Kuritzkes, Nicole Robinson, Rupa R Patel

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends HIV testing every 3 months in oral PrEP users. We performed a national assessment of HIV testing compliance among oral PrEP users.

METHODS: We analyzed 408 910 PrEP prescriptions issued to 39 809 PrEP users using a national insurance claims database that contained commercial and Medicaid claims. We identified PrEP use based on pharmacy claims and outpatient diagnostic coding. We evaluated the percentage of PrEP prescription refills without HIV testing (identified by CPT codes) within the prior 3, 6, and 12 months using time to event methods. We performed subgroup …

Computationally Restoring The Potency Of A Clinical Antibody Against Omicron, Thomas A Desautels, Suzanne M Scheaffer, Bradley Whitener, James B Case, Larissa B Thackray, Michael S Diamond, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the promise of monoclonal antibody-based prophylactic and therapeutic drugs

Sexual Satisfaction, An Indicator Of Sexual Health And Well-Being? Insights From Sti/Hiv Prevention Research In European Men Who Have Sex With Men, Karel Blondeel, Massimo Mirandola, Lorenzo Gios, Cinta Folch, Christiana Noestlinger, Maddalena Cordioli, Petra Sutter, Marleen Temmerman, Igor Toskin

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Introduction Although sexual health has been holistically defined to include sexual satisfaction, it has been largely absent in health services and sexual and reproductive health and rights programmes in many parts of the world. We propose sexual satisfaction as a useful indicator, as one of the proxy measures for sexual health and well-being and as a component of well-being in general.

Methods The Sialon II project is a multicentre biological and behavioural cross-sectional community-based survey implemented across 13 European cities during 2013–2014 among men who have sex with men. Sexual satisfaction was explored using one single item: ‘How satisfied are …

Silver Nanoparticle Biosynthesis Utilizing Ocimum Kilimandscharicum Leaf Extract And Assessment Of Its Antibacterial Activity Against Certain Chosen Bacteria, Horyomba Siaka Ouandaogo, Souleymane Diallo, Eddy Odari, Johnson Kinyu

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The use of plants in the biological production of silver nanoparticles for antibacterial applications is a growing field of research. In the current work, we formulated Ocimum kilimandscharicum extracts using silver nanoparticles, and evaluated its potential antibacterial activity. Aqueous and methanol plant extracts were used to reduce silver nitrate at different time intervals (30 to 150 minutes) and pH (2 to 11). The UV-visible absorption spectrum recorded for methanol and aqueous extracts revealed a successful synthesis of AgNPs for methanol and aqueous extracts. The antimicrobial activity of the AgNPs was evaluated against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Salmonella choleraesuius ATCC 10708, …

Surgical Management Of Retroperitoneal Hydatid Cysts - Results On A Group Of Six Patients, Dragos George Popa, Cosmin Vasile Obleaga, Ana Maria Rukie Ahmet, Cristin Constantin Vere, Vlad Ionuț Ducu, Cecil Sorin Mirea, Dan Nicolae Florescu, Mihai Călin Ciorbagiu, Dragoş Marian Popescu, Costin Teodor Streba, Lucian Florescu, Teodor Sas, Lorena Sas

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Objectives. Hydatid disease is a potentially lethal parasitic condition caused by the larvae of Echinococcus Granulosus; it is found in humans and more commonly in domestic and wild animals in endemic areas. This pathology is frequently encountered in the liver, the hydatid cyst with retroperitoneal location representing a rarely encountered form of evolution. Materials and Methods. In the present paper, we present a study carried out on 6 patients hospitalized in the Surgery Department of the Craiova County Emergency Clinical Hospital. These patients were diagnosed between 2002-2022 with retroperitoneal hydatid cyst or with multiple cysts (including retroperitoneal), being operated and …

Management Of Macrovascular Diabetic Complications: A Single-Center Case Series Analysis Of Consecutively Attending Patients In Primary Care, Sanda Maria Crețoiu, Mihaela Adela Iancu, Laura Maria Condur, Teodor Salmen, Andreea Steriu, Ana Maria Alexandra Stănescu, Irina Anca Eremia, Cristina Mihaela Olariu, Eliza Elena Cinteză, Camelia Cristina Diaconu

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Introduction. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is increasing, with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) being a major health priority for any public health system. Increased arterial stiffness in patients with diabetes will lead to the appearance of vascular complications. Increased arterial stiffness in patients with diabetes usually leads to vascular complications. Any earlier diagnosis of impaired macrovascular evidence may lead to improved outcomes in patient care. The objective of our study was to assess and evaluate the finger-toe pulse wave velocity (ftPWV), as a measure of arterial stiffness, in order to assist with early detection of macrovascular diabetic complications. Materials and …

Open Versus Laparoscopic Appendectomy: A Literature Review, Nicole Kiril Nikolov, Hannah Theresa Reimer, Alvin Sun, Benjamin David Bunnell, Zachary Isaac Merhavy

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Appendectomy is the most common emergency abdominal surgery in the United States. Open appendectomy has been the standard procedure for decades, whereas laparoscopic appendectomy is a newer, less-invasive method of removing the appendix. This review intends to elucidate the similarities and differences between these two procedures as well as explore the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. Socioeconomic factors, associated costs, preoperative imaging, operative time and methods, length of hospital stay, recovery time, and complications associated with open and laparoscopic appendectomy are discussed. Overall, laparoscopic appendectomy has shorter hospital stays and recovery times, requires less analgesics, and results in better …

Advocate Health Care Annual Report And Community Benefit Report, 1995, Advocate Health - Midwest

Historical Documents - Combined

Advocate Health Care, Oak Brook, IL: Annual report and community benefit report for Advocate Health Care titled "Partnerships". This is the first report following the merging of EHS Health Care and Lutheran General HealthSystem to form Advocate Health Care in January 1995. Includes a directory, map of all sites, and a list of administration.

Observational Analysis For Predicting Initial Spikes In Testing Volume Of Cohorts Inside And Outside Of A Regional Covid-19 Screening Program, Adam M. Franks, Seth Bergeron, Tammy Bannister, Justin Spradling, Tamara Lowe, Paris Johnson, Rajan Lamichhane, Stephen M. Petrany

Marshall Journal of Medicine

BACKGROUND Containing the highly contagious SARs-CoV-2 pathogen requires a safe and effective screening program. The aim of this observational cohort study is to analyze a regional testing center and identify factors predicting testing rates that direct supply and staffing needs.

METHODS A drive-through SAR-CoV-2 regional testing facility was created. Number of tests and positive results were collected for eighteen months. Data for testing demand was compared to positive results, percent positive rates (PPR), known external factors, and county PPR. Dissimilarities were contrasted with dynamic time warp and a detailed agreement analysis. The Grainger’s test was utilized to assess the degree …