Digital Commons Network^™

Outcomes In Biomarker-Selected Subgroups From The Kestrel Study Of Durvalumab And Tremelimumab In Recurrent Or Metastatic Head And Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Tanguy Y Seiwert, Sophie Wildsmith, Jérôme Fayette, Kevin Harrington, Maura Gillison, Myung-Ju Ahn, Shunji Takahashi, Jared Weiss, Jean-Pascal Machiels, Shrujal Baxi, Valerie Baker, Brent Evans, Nassim Morsli, Jill Walker, Katia Real, Anne L'Hernault, Amanda Psyrri

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Selective biomarkers may improve outcomes in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC) treated with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. We investigated three independent biomarkers for association with efficacy in the randomized, phase III KESTREL study (NCT02551159) of first-line durvalumab monotherapy or durvalumab plus tremelimumab versus the EXTREME regimen: programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) immunohistochemistry, blood tumor mutational burden (bTMB) via circulating tumor DNA, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR).

METHODS: Tumor or blood samples from patients enrolled in the KESTREL study were analyzed for PD-L1, bTMB, and NLR. Associations with overall survival (OS) or objective …

Act Now: The Global Threat Of Candida Auris And The Urgent Need For Effective Countermeasures, Usman Ali, Hafsa Khan Tareen, Zouina Sarfraz, Azza Safraz, Shehar Bano

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

This letter to the editor outlines the global challenges posed by the multidrug-resistant yeast Candida auris. Highlighting its emergence, spread, and challenges in diagnosis and treatment, the letter emphasizes the rising prevalence, especially in the post- COVID-19 era. The geographical distribution, risk factors, and mortality rates are discussed, emphasizing the urgent need for a coordinated global response. The absence of a definitive management protocol and the high virulence of C. auris underscore the importance of preventive measures, targeted treatment, and ongoing research for innovative diagnostic techniques and antifungal drugs. The letter calls for a concerted effort among healthcare providers, researchers, …

Streptococcus Canis Native Aortic Valve Endocarditis Linked To Cat Exposure: A Case Report And Review, Michael S. Wang, Maria Huaringa, Lauren Feld, Ken Ochiai, Tiffany Whelan, Nicholas M. Frazier

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

Streptococcus canis is an uncommon human pathogen, but documented infections have been mostly associated with exposure to dogs. There are only five documented cases of endocarditis secondary to streptococcus canis, with all cases except one documenting exposure to a canine. We present a 74-year-old male with a history of Type 2 diabetes mellitus, CKD 3, moderate aortic stenosis and remote exposure to agent orange, who was found to have Streptococcus canis native valve endocarditis without exposure to a dog. To the best of our knowledge this case is the first case of endocarditis linked to feline exposure.

When Diagnosis Curls A Little: Partial Bowel Obstruction Due To Ascaris. L In A Young Man, Hanieh Radkhah, Mehrnia Omidali, Sadaf Parvin, Bahareh Shateri Amiri

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

Ascaris lumbricoides is a helminth commonly infecting humans, particularly in developing countries. It causes a range of clinical symptoms; However, many patients are asymptomatic. This article presents a case study of a young man who experienced diffuse abdominal pain and constipation, eventually being diagnosed with partial bowel obstruction due to Ascaris lumbricoides infection. The article emphasizes the importance of considering helminthic infections like ascariasis as a potential cause of intestinal obstruction, especially in endemic areas. Early diagnosis and intervention, including conservative management and anthelminthic drugs, can lead to a full recovery and avoid unnecessary surgery.

A Tale Of Two Diagnoses; Gout Vs Chronic Osteomyelitis. A Case Report, Mashal Imtiaz Khan, Wajiha , Ali, Ali Javed, Saadia Haleema, Yasir . Ahmed

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

Gout can potentially be diagnosed clinically and treated, if classical symptoms are present. In some cases, gout and osteomyelitis can have similar presenting signs and symptoms and it may be difficult to differentiate just on clinical presentation, routine laboratory workup and imaging like radiography or ultrasound. Arthrocentesis can be crucial in such scenarios to differentiate the two entities as missed opportunity to treat infectious etiology can have detrimental outcomes. We present a case of patient with ankle pain and swelling treated as recurrent gout, as there were no risk factors for osteomyelitis. Arthrocentesis confirmed the diagnosis of osteomyelitis and patient …

Outcomes Of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding In Hospitalized Covid-19 Patients In The United States: A Propensity-Score Matched Analysis Of A Large National Database, Moon Ryu, Mohammed Quazi, Niloy Ghosh, Karthik Gangu, Amir H Sohail, Asif Farooq, Babu Sriram , Maringanti, Aman Goyal, Anupa Patel, Muhammad Salman Khan, Abu Baker Sheikh

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

Patients with cirrhosis that are hospitalized with COVID-19 infection have been found to have worse outcomes. No comparative study has been conducted between gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding in patients with cirrhosis who are diagnosed with COVID-19. We utilized the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database to perform a retrospective analysis of 24, 050 patients diagnosed with cirrhosis and COVID-19. The identified patients were separated into variceal bleeding, nonvariceal bleeding, and no (or neither) GI bleeding groups. After performing propensity sample matching and multivariate analysis of mortality, we found no significant differences in mortality among the three groups. However, the variceal bleed group …

Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Hospital Admission Rate, Length Of Stay, And Mortality Rate For Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbation: A Retrospective Study., Omar Abdulfattah, Akshay Kohli, Peter White, Cynthia Michael, Zainab Alnafoosi

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is a common cause of hospital admissions. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has large impact on patients with pulmonary diseases. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on patients with AECOPD. METHOD: Retrospective study with two cohorts, the first period included patients with AECOPD before COVID-19 pandemic; the second period included patients with AECOPD since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic. The length of stay (LOS), number of patients requiring mechanical ventilation, and allcause mortality were calculated. RESULTS: There was a total of 55 (44.72%) patients in the pre-COVID …

Perceived Moral Distress Among Patient-Facing Healthcare Professionals During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sarah Sumner, Karen Colorafi, Teresa Rangel

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

Background:

The most common framework for ethical decision-making in healthcare is principalism which is founded on three ethical traditions: utilitarianism, achieving the most good for the most people; deontology, upholding moral obligations to individuals; and virtue ethics, doing what is virtuous regardless of the consequences. Principalism is further guided by four principles: 1) respect for autonomy; 2) beneficence, the duty to do good; 3) nonmaleficence, the duty to do no harm; and 3) justice, the duty to treat similar cases similarly. Patient-facing healthcare professionals (HCPs) commonly expect all moral values will be considered when decisions are made that impact patients …

Carbon Dots For Drug Delivery And Diagnostic Applications, Sneha Bhat

International Conference on ‘NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY'

No abstract provided.

Revolutionizing Healthcare: The Promise Of Microbivores, Clottocytes And Respirocytes In Nanorobotics., Jeyasankari S

International Conference on ‘NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY'

No abstract provided.

Characteristics Of Patients With Low Hepatitis C Treatment Rates In Urban Medical Center Clinics, Rana Khamis, Crisshy Auguste, Paul H. Naylor Phd, Milton G. Mutchnik Md

Medical Student Research Symposium

The objective of this study was to determine whether there were different characteristics between HCV patients who were treated and those not treated after their first visit to a Gastroenterology (GI) or Infectious Disease (ID) clinic. This information might identify potential targets for remedial actions that could be performed to increase the number of treated patients.

Data was collected from 2019 HCV patient EMR charts including patient demographics, treatment history, and laboratory studies. We defined success as receiving treatment by July 2020 (6-18 months after the first visit).

We found that of 587 patients with HCV who were seen at …

Cidofovir In The Treatment Of Bk Virus–Associated Hemorrhagic Cystitis Following Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; A Medication Use And Safety Analysis, Ryan Nazareno, Lea Monday Md, Pharmd, Dhaval Edward Macdonald Patel

Medical Student Research Symposium

BK virus hemorrhagic cystitis (BKV-HC) is a complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (AlloHCT) for which optimal management is uncertain. Intravenous (IV) and intravesicular (IVES) cidofovir have been used with varying degrees of success in small case series of six to 33 patients. While some series have investigated side effects, none have examined medication errors. A retrospective single-center case series of AlloHCT patients with BKV-HC given IV or IVES cidofovir (CDV) from 2018 to 2022 at an urban cancer center in Detroit, MI. Our primary objective was to determine the incidence of CDV related medication errors (ME) and perform …

Peer-To-Peer Model To Educate And Spread Awareness Of Vaccines In Detroit, Sofia Howson, Jennifer Schmidt, Catherine Maples, Jack Mcconnell, Soham Desai, Rebekah Pitpitan, Teena Chopra, Matthew W. Seeger

Medical Student Research Symposium

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, national vaccination rates show a dangerous decline with Detroit being amongst the lowest with only 41.3% of adolescents completing the vaccine series. The Vaccine Ambassador program was created to mitigate the decline in vaccination rates through the education and empowerment of youth via train-the-trainer model of education.

The program was implemented over the course of two years with a total of 28 high school students who received education on the history and mechanism of vaccines, herd immunity, and how to effectively communicate. The program was created in collaboration with physicians in Infectious Diseases and a professor …

Vaccine Hesitancy Among Youth Living With Hiv In Detroit, Madeline B. Simone

Medical Student Research Symposium

Vaccine hesitancy among youth with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was evaluated to determine if the pandemic affected vaccine acceptance. A retrospective chart review was conducted to analyze vaccine rates over a five-year (pre-post COVID) in one university-based clinic. Results indicated a variation in acceptance rates between vaccines, with the MenACWY, MenB, tetanus, and HPV having the highest acceptance rates and COVID-19 and annual flu vaccine having the lowest acceptance rates. Vaccine hesitancy did not correlate with HIV treatment hesitancy nor with aversion to needles. Negative messaging around vaccines from a variety of sources appeared to be the primary factor in …

Management Of Sepsis With The Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment, Jeanna Adams

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

Abstract

Background:

Sepsis can be a source of morbidity and mortality particularly when there are delays in treatment. Early identification may improve time to antimicrobial administration. The quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) is an evidence-based practice screening tool that, when in used in conjunction with the Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) criteria can enhance recognition and treatment of sepsis. On a suburban Southern California hospital Neurological/Telemetry Unit the qSOFA is automatically calculated in the electronic medical record (EMR) but the bedside nurses were unaware of its availability and value. In addition, sepsis was not being identified in a timely …

Histories, Cultural Contexts, Health Status, Wildlife Contact Characteristics, And Perception Towards Covid-19 Of The Urak Lawoi Ethnic Group In Koh Lanta District, Krabi Province Of Thailand: A Qualitative Study, Kanokwan Suwannarong, Paisit Boonyakawee, Thanomsin Ponlap, Kannika Thammasutti, Phitsanuruk Kanthawee, Nisachon Bubpa, Chularat Boonyakawee, Vittaya Pulkird, Junsri Changnum

Journal of Health Research

Background: The Urak Lawoi ethnic group is an indigenous community residing in the Andaman Sea of southern Thailand and are engaged in various activities related to wild animals. This qualitative study was conducted from November 2022 to February 2023 to collect information on wildlife contact characteristics and determine the level of awareness and understanding of zoonotic diseases and COVID-19 risks among this ethnic group in Koh Lanta district, Krabi province.

Methods: This qualitative study collected data through key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs). The study respondents included 29 Urak Lawoi village health volunteers (VHVs), To Mo …

Lipid Profile In Relation To Body Mass Index Among Agricultural Workers Of Various Ethnicities In Thai Border ., Pitakpong Panta, Sorawit Boonyathee, Parichat Ong-Artborirak, Prakasit Tonchoy, Supakarn Kantow, Sasivimol Bootsikeaw, Nisarat Auttama, Monchanok Choowanthanapakorn, Katekaew Seangpraw, Dech Dokpuang

Journal of Health Research

Background: Ethnic minorities working in the agricultural industry in Thai border communities face a crisis of obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to diet and less physical activity. The objective was to examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and lipid markers in this population.

Methods: This is an observational, cross-sectional study among ethnic minorities in Thai border communities (n=468). We collected medical history and clinical data through exams and a questionnaire. We evaluated the association between categorical variables using the Chi-square test, and the association between variables using the point-biserial correlation test.

Results: Among all …

Dalbavancin Sequential Therapy For Gram-Positive Bloodstream Infection: A Multicenter Observational Study, Nicholas Rebold, Sara Alosaimy, Jeffrey C. Pearson, Brandon Dionne, Ahmad Taqi, Abdalhamid Lagnf, Kristen Lucas, Mark Biagi, Nicholas Lombardo, Joshua Eudy, Daniel T. Anderson, Monica V. Mahoney, Wesley D. Kufel, Joseph A. D'Antonio, Bruce M. Jones, Jeremy J. Frens, Tyler Baumeister, Matthew Geriak, George Sakoulas, Dimitrios Farmakiotis, Dino Delaportas, Jeremy Larew, Michael P. Veve, Michael J. Rybak

Pharmacy Faculty Scholarship

Introduction Long-acting lipoglycopeptides such as dalbavancin may have utility in patients with Gram-positive bloodstream infections (BSI), particularly in those with barriers to discharge or who require prolonged parenteral antibiotic courses. A retrospective cohort study was performed to provide further multicenter real-world evidence on dalbavancin use as a sequential therapy for Gram-positive BSI. Methods One hundred fifteen patients received dalbavancin with Gram-positive BSI, defined as any positive blood culture or diagnosed with infective endocarditis, from 13 centers geographically spread across the United States between July 2015 and July 2021. Results Patients had a mean (SD) age of 48.5 (17.5) years, the …

The Utility Of Interventional Anesthesia, Kylie Daguio, Kiley Jackson, Samantha Boever, Andrew Chang, James Keane, Leonard B. Goldstein

SOMA Faculty Publications

no abstract

Why Is This Man's Urine Flaky?, Brittney Hulsey

PA Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Assessing Psychometric Predictors Of Academic And Life Success For High School Students In A Stem-Based Program In Rural Alabama, Robin Bartlett, Alan Mckendall, Sherron Mckendall, Paige Johnson, Ann Chester

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The Health Sciences and Technology Academy of Alabama (HSTA-AL) is an academic program focused on health sciences enrichment offered through the College of Nursing at the University of Alabama to address the state’s nursing and biomedical professionals shortage (i.e., a 10:1,000 nursing to population ratio). This paper examines outcomes addressing social, academic, and life success from the participants’ perspective. The one-sample-pretest-posttest designed study evaluated whether there was a difference between baseline and year 1 levels of community engagement and academic intentions for the 23 students for which paired data were obtained. Analyses show promising outcomes from baseline to year one …

Bilateral Agreements As An Instrument To Regulate Mobility Of Healthcare Professionals: A Case Study On India, Banantika Datta, Rupa Chanda

Working Papers

Global demand for health workforce has increased in recent decades, especially in developed countries, thus drawing health workers from developing countries. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of health worker availability. Shortage of healthcare workers aggravated by the pandemic resulted in policies to attract and retain foreign health workers in several receiving countries, which have direct repercussions on the already burdened health systems of the source developing countries. Issues like brain drain and how to mitigate its impact on developing countries are still important concerns. It requires us to first identify countries with a critical shortage of health …

Altered Mitochondrial Respiration In Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Of Post-Acute Sequelae Of Sars-Cov-2 Infection, Sahera Dirajlal-Fargo, Jared C. Durieux, Grace A. Mccomsey

Faculty Scholarship

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) mitochondrial respiration was measured ex vivo from participants without a history of COVID (n = 19), with a history of COVID and full recovery (n = 20), and with PASC (n = 20). Mean mitochondrial basal respiration, ATP-linked respiration, maximal respiration, spare respiration capacity, ATP-linked respiration, and non-mitochondrial respiration were highest in COVID + PASC+ (p ≤ 0.04). Every unit increase in non-mitochondrial respiration, ATP-linked respiration, basal respiration, spare respiration capacity, and maximal respiration increased the predicted odds of PASC between 1 % and 6 %. Mitochondrial dysfunction in PBMCs may be contributing to the …

Wastewater Surveillance For Identifying Sars-Cov-2 Infections In Long-Term Care Facilities, Kentucky, Usa, 2021–2022, James W. Keck, Reuben Adatorwovor, Matthew Liversedge, Blazan Mijotavich, Cullen Olsson, William D. Strike, Atena Amirsoleimani, Ann Noble, Soroosh Torabi, Alexus Lori Rockward, Mohammad Dehghan Banadaki, Ted Smith, Parker Lacy, Scott M. Berry

UK CARES Faculty Publications

Persons living in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) were disproportionately affected by COVID-19. We used wastewater surveillance to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection in this setting by collecting and testing 24-hour compos- ite wastewater samples 2–4 times weekly at 6 LTCFs in Kentucky, USA, during March 2021–February 2022. The LTCFs routinely tested staff and symptomatic and exposed residents for SARS-CoV-2 using rapid antigen tests. Of 780 wastewater samples analyzed, 22% (n = 173) had detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The LTCFs reported 161 positive (of 16,905) SARS-CoV-2 clinical tests. The wastewater SARS-CoV-2 signal showed vari- able correlation with clinical test data; we observed the strongest …

What Hospitality And Tourism Higher Educators Learned From Covid-19: A Case Of Turkiye, Ayse Collins, Ayse S. Dulger, Muharrem Tuna, Muzaffer Uysal

Journal of Global Education and Research

Among all the sectors, the hospitality and tourism sector has been detrimentally affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This research aimed to determine how changes have been experienced specifically in the Turkish tourism higher education and tourism sector. Twenty-seven academics from the hospitality and tourism education departments were interviewed. Most agreed that restrictions have limited student access to hands-on practical courses and internships, which are crucial to developing necessary competencies. Moreover, the results showed the curriculum does not always meet the needs of the hospitality industry for a trained and skilled workforce. The challenge is to decide what …

The Immunopathological Landscape Of Human Pre-Tcrα Deficiency: From Rare To Common Variants., Marie Materna, Ottavia M Delmonte, Marita Bosticardo, Mana Momenilandi, Peyton E Conrey, Bénédicte Charmeteau-De Muylder, Clotilde Bravetti, Rebecca Bellworthy, Axel Cederholm, Frederik Staels, Christian A Ganoza, Samuel Darko, Samir Sayed, Corentin Le Floc'h, Masato Ogishi, Darawan Rinchai, Andrea Guenoun, Alexandre Bolze, Taushif Khan, Adrian Gervais, Renate Krüger, Mirjam Völler, Boaz Palterer, Mahnaz Sadeghi-Shabestari, Anne Langlois De Septenville, Chaim A Schramm, Sanjana Shah, John J Tello-Cajiao, Francesca Pala, Kayla Amini, Jose S Campos, Noemia Santana Lima, Daniel Eriksson, Romain Lévy, Yoann Seeleuthner, Soma Jyonouchi, Manar Ata, Fatima Al Ali, Anna Stittrich, Caroline Deswarte, Anaïs Pereira, Jérôme Mégret, Tom Le Voyer, Paul Bastard, Laureline Berteloot, Michaël Dussiot, Natasha Vladikine, Paula P Cardenas, Emmanuelle Jouanguy, Mashael Alqahtani, Amal Hasan, Thangavel Alphonse Thanaraj, Jérémie Rosain, Fahd Al Qureshah, Vito Sabato, Marie Alexandra Alyanakian, Marianne Leruez-Ville, Flore Rozenberg, Elie Haddad, Jose R Regueiro, Maria L Toribio, Judith R Kelsen, Mansoor Salehi, Shahram Nasiri, Mehdi Torabizadeh, Hassan Rokni-Zadeh, Majid Changi-Ashtiani, Nasimeh Vatandoost, Hossein Moravej, Seyed Mohammad Akrami, Mohsen Mazloomrezaei, Aurélie Cobat, Isabelle Meyts, Etsushi Toyofuku, Madoka Nishimura, Kunihiko Moriya, Tomoyuki Mizukami, Kohsuke Imai, Laurent Abel, Bernard Malissen, Fahd Al-Mulla, Fowzan Sami Alkuraya, Nima Parvaneh, Horst Von Bernuth, Christian Beetz, Frédéric Davi, Daniel C Douek, Rémi Cheynier, David Langlais, Nils Landegren, Nico Marr, Tomohiro Morio, Mohammad Shahrooei, Rik Schrijvers, Sarah E Henrickson, Hervé Luche, Luigi D Notarangelo, Jean-Laurent Casanova, Vivien Béziat

Faculty Research 2024

We describe humans with rare biallelic loss-of-function PTCRA variants impairing pre–a T cell receptor (pre-TCRa) expression. Low circulating naive ab T cell counts at birth persisted over time, with normal memory ab and high gd T cell counts. Their TCRa repertoire was biased, which suggests that noncanonical thymic differentiation pathways can rescue ab T cell development. Only a minority of these individuals were sick, with infection, lymphoproliferation, and/or autoimmunity. We also report that 1 in 4000 individuals from the Middle East and South Asia are homozygous for a common hypomorphic PTCRA variant. They had normal circulating naive ab T cell …

Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Human Genetic Variants Associated With Fatal Outcome From Lassa Fever., Dylan Kotliar, Siddharth Raju, Shervin Tabrizi, Ikponmwosa Odia, Augustine Goba, Mambu Momoh, John Demby Sandi, Parvathy Nair, Eric Phelan, Ridhi Tariyal, Philomena E Eromon, Samar Mehta, Refugio Robles-Sikisaka, Katherine J Siddle, Matt Stremlau, Simbirie Jalloh, Stephen K Gire, Sarah Winnicki, Bridget Chak, Stephen F Schaffner, Matthias Pauthner, Elinor K Karlsson, Sarah R Chapin, Sharon G Kennedy, Luis M Branco, Lansana Kanneh, Joseph J Vitti, Nisha Broodie, Adrianne Gladden-Young, Omowunmi Omoniwa, Pan-Pan Jiang, Nathan Yozwiak, Shannon Heuklom, Lina M Moses, George O Akpede, Danny A Asogun, Kathleen Rubins, Susan Kales, Anise N Happi, Christopher O Iruolagbe, Mercy Dic-Ijiewere, Kelly Iraoyah, Omoregie O Osazuwa, Alexander K Okonkwo, Stefan Kunz, Joseph B Mccormick, S Humarr Khan, Anna N Honko, Eric S Lander, Michael B A Oldstone, Lisa Hensley, Onikepe A Folarin, Sylvanus A Okogbenin, Stephan Günther, Hanna M Ollila, Ryan Tewhey, Peter O Okokhere, John S Schieffelin, Kristian G Andersen, Steven K Reilly, Donald S Grant, Robert F Garry, Kayla G Barnes, Christian T Happi, Pardis C Sabeti

Faculty Research 2024

Infection with Lassa virus (LASV) can cause Lassa fever, a haemorrhagic illness with an estimated fatality rate of 29.7%, but causes no or mild symptoms in many individuals. Here, to investigate whether human genetic variation underlies the heterogeneity of LASV infection, we carried out genome-wide association studies (GWAS) as well as seroprevalence surveys, human leukocyte antigen typing and high-throughput variant functional characterization assays. We analysed Lassa fever susceptibility and fatal outcomes in 533 cases of Lassa fever and 1,986 population controls recruited over a 7 year period in Nigeria and Sierra Leone. We detected genome-wide significant variant associations with Lassa …

Claudin-1 As A Novel Target Gene Induced In Obesity And Associated To Inflammation, Fibrosis, And Cell Differentiation, Pablo Fernández-García, Siri D. Taxerås, Marjorie Reyes-Farias, Lorena González, Andrea Soria-Gondek, Silvia Pellitero, Jordi Tarascó, Pau Moreno, Lauro Sumoy, Jacqueline M. Stephens, Lindsey G. Yoo, María Galán, Adriana Izquierdo, Gema Medina-Gómez, Laura Herrero, Patricia Corrales, Francesc Villarroya, Rubén Cereijo, David Sánchez-Infantes

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Objective: T lymphocytes from visceral and subcutaneous white adipose tissues (vWAT and sWAT, respectively) can have opposing roles in the systemic metabolic changes associated with obesity. However, few studies have focused on this subject. Claudin-1 (CLDN1) is a protein involved canonically in tight junctions and tissue paracellular permeability. We evaluated T-lymphocyte gene expression in vWAT and sWAT and in the whole adipose depots in human samples. Methods: A Clariom D-based transcriptomic analysis was performed on T lymphocytes magnetically separated from vWAT and sWAT from patients with obesity (Cohort 1; N = 11). Expression of candidate genes resulting from that analysis …

Adaptation Of The Client Diagnostic Questionnaire For East Africa, Edith Kamaru Kwobah, Suzanne Goodrich, Jayne Lewis Kulzer, Michael Kanyesigye, Sarah Obatsa, Julius Cheruiyot, Lorna Kiprono, Colma Kibet, Felix Ochieng, Lukoye Atwoli

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Research increasingly involves cross-cultural work with non-English-speaking populations, necessitating translation and cultural validation of research tools. This paper describes the process of translating and criterion validation of the Client Diagnostic Questionnaire (CDQ) for use in a multisite study in Kenya and Uganda. The English CDQ was translated into Swahili, Dholuo (Kenya) and Runyankole/Rukiga (Uganda) by expert translators. The translated documents underwent face validation by a bilingual committee, who resolved unclear statements, agreed on final translations and reviewed back translations to English. A diagnostic interview by a mental health specialist was used for criterion validation, and Kappa statistics assessed the strength …

Reducing Harm: The Legal Viability Of Supervised Consumption Sites In Georgia, Kathleen Kassa

Georgia State University Law Review

Every five minutes in the United States, someone dies from a drug overdose. This public health crisis, referred to as the opioid epidemic, caused the federal government and many states and localities to issue public health emergency declarations. Despite billions of dollars in funding and response at every level of government, overdoses continue to increase.

The complexity of addiction prevention and treatment, socioeconomic inequalities, and the stigmatization of drug use make the opioid crisis difficult to solve. The severity of the epidemic led many jurisdictions to adopt once-controversial harm reduction approaches aimed at reducing the stigma and negative impacts of …