Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation Of Serum Ferritin For Prediction Of Severity And Mortality In Covid-19- A Cross Sectional Study, Sibtain Ahmed, Zeeshan Ansar Ahmed, Imran Siddiqui, Naveed Haroon Rashid, Maheen Mansoor, Lena Jafri

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: Ferritin even though widely recognized as a representative of total body iron stores, its prognostic utility is linked with COVID-19. This study was aimed at evaluation of the association of ferritin with severity in Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), hospitalized patients and to test the hypothesis that it is an independent predictor of mortality.
Material and methods: This study was conducted at Chemical Pathology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University (AKU), Karachi. Medical records of all in-patients including both genders, and all age groups with documented COVID-19 from 1st March to 10^th August 2020 were reviewed. …

Predictive Modeling And Estimation Of The Doubling Time Of Confirmed Cases Of Covid-19 In Niger, Ibrahim Sidi Zakari, Hadiza Galadima

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Modeling is increasingly used to assess scenarios and make projections on the future course of new coronavirus disease. This allows for better planning of care as well as a relaxation or tightening of the restrictive measures decreed by the government and the health authorities. The data analyzed in this study covers the period from March 19 to June 05, 2020 and allowed predictions of new cases of COVID-19 based on a growth model with a growth rate that changes linearly over time. In addition, we calculated and predicted the doubling time of the number of positive cases in each region …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 96, No. 18, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Archives Records

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Crisp, Hannah. Homesickness & COVID-19: Obstacles for Freshmen Increase Amid Strange Semester
• On Student Press Freedom Day: Stop Suing the College Heights Herald
• Mallon, Sam. Slippery Slopes – Snow, Winter
• Aboah, Henri. A Place in My Heart: Professor on 38 Years at WKU – Saundra Starks
• Broekema. Gabi. Instagram Account Glorifies the Common Chair – Chairs of Western
• Gaylord, Kaden. WKU to Play No. 6 Houston, Host Florida International University as Season Nears End – Basketball
• Toennies, Drew. Lady Toppers Travel to Florida This Weekend …

Antimicrobial Resistance And Covid-19: Intersections And Implications, Gwenan M. Knight, Rebecca E. Glover, C Finn Mcquaid, Ioana D. Olaru, Karin Gallandat, Quentin J. Leclerc, Naomi M. Fuller, Sam J. Willcocks, Rumina Hasan, Esther Van Kleef, Clare Ir Chandler

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Before the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was among the top priorities for global public health. Already a complex challenge, AMR now needs to be addressed in a changing healthcare landscape. Here, we analyse how changes due to COVID-19 in terms of antimicrobial usage, infection prevention, and health systems affect the emergence, transmission, and burden of AMR. Increased hand hygiene, decreased international travel, and decreased elective hospital procedures may reduce AMR pathogen selection and spread in the short term. However, the opposite effects may be seen if antibiotics are more widely used as standard healthcare pathways break …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 96, No. 17, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Archives Records

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Tolbert, Ellie. Student Teaching Transforms to Allow Virtual Instruction
• Murray, Debra. Provost Reflects on Time at WKU, As an Educator as She Prepares for Retirement – Cheryl Stevens
• Gaskin, Loren. Up for Debate: Potter College Name Change
• Meyer-Thornton, Zane & Jack Dobbs. The Sixth Annual Puppy Bowl
• Snyder, Sean. Local Doctor Finds Life-long Passion in Race-walking – Doug Johnson
• Toennies, Drew. Lady Toppers Travel to Face Top Conference Foe Rice – Basketball
• Snyder, Sean. Lady Toppers to Host Bellarmine for Home Opener – Soccer
• Moore, …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 96, No. 16, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Archives Records

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Nutter, Abbey. Several Colleges Affected by Department Changes – Comprehensive Academic Program Evaluation
• Deppen, Laurel. WKU Professor on Kamala Harris Inauguration: There’s Still Work to Be Done – Saundra Ardrey
• Matthis, Jordan. Standing in My Truth – Rhondalyn Randolph
• Murray, Debra. State Bill to Help Students with Disciplinary Actions
• Kieser, Nick. How Fans Coped Without Live Sporting Events
• Toennies, Drew. Lady Toppers Win Triple Overtime Affair, Sweep Charlotte – Basketball
• Gaylord, Kaden. Hilltoppers Travel to Florida Atlantic University After One Week Delay – Basketball

Covid-19 Infection Outcome In African American Renal Transplant Recipients: Detroit Medical Center, Claudia Jarrin Tejada Md, Mareena Zachariah Md, Angela Cruz Md, Shakir Hussein Md, Elizabeth Wilpula Pharmd, Nicole Meeks, Jeffrey A. Wolff Msn, Agacnp-Bc, Pranatharthi Chandrasekar Md

Medical Student Research Symposium

Background: Transplant recipients are more vulnerable to infections including COVID-19, given their comorbidities and chronic immunosuppression. Most preliminary care series report rapid clinical progression and higher mortality compared to the general population.

Methods: Retrospective study at Harper University Hospital - Detroit Medical Center. Twenty-five renal transplant recipients (RTR) presenting consecutively with COVID-19 symptoms and positive NP swab PCR for SARS-CoV2 between 03/01/2020 - 05/01/2020 were included. Data on demographics, clinical presentation, laboratory findings, management and outcomes were collected.

Results: Patients had a median age of 56, all African American and deceased donor transplant recipients. Most had hypertension …

The Cardiovascular Manifestations Of Covid-19: A Review Of The Literature And Institutional Experience, Gina Polsinelli, Steven J. Korzeniewski, Oksana M. Doubrovski, James Paxton

Medical Student Research Symposium

The cardiovascular health of those infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) plays a major role in rates of hospitalization, mortality risk, and rates of mechanical ventilation. In patients with COVID-19, acute myocardial injury and history of cardiovascular disease are both independently established risk factors for poor patient prognosis. In addition to myocardial injury, numerous acute cardiovascular manifestations of COVID-19 disease have been identified. Previous work on this topic typically focused either upon a general description of the acute cardiovascular manifestations and sequalae of COVID-19, or upon broad-based clinical outcomes associated with COVID-19 in patients with history of …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 96, No. 15, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Archives Records

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Bertucci, Leo. An Alumnus’ Journey to Shape Education – Gary Houchens
• Latimer, Jacob. Student Government Association Prepares for Another Unusual Semester
• Differing State & WKU Quarantine Guidelines Are Confusing, But It Has to Be Done
• Pepke, Brenna. The Man Behind the Tie – Tyreon Clark, Boys to Men Leadership Group of Kentucky
• Gaylord, Kaden. Hilltoppers Series Against Old Dominion Postponed – Basketball
• Snyder, Sean. Kicking It Again, Lady Topper Soccer is Back
• Kieser, Nick. Views: Charles Bassey Continues to Bulk Resume for NBA

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 96, No. 14, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Archives Records

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Deppen, Laurel. In Loving Memory of Our Friend, Elliott Wells
• Collins, Michael. Quarantine Housing Relocates, Updates Meals
• Deppen, Laurel. The Only Consistent Thing is Change
• Mallon, Sam. Delayed – Maggie Smith
• Bertucci, Leo. WKU Aids in Contact Tracing for Spring 2021
• Murray, Debra. COVID-19 Vaccine
• Kieser, Nick. TOPCARE Focuses on Athletes’ Mental Health
• Toennies, Drew. Lady Toppers to Host Middle Tennessee State University – Basketball
• Gaylord, Kaden. Hilltoppers Poised for Second Sweep – Basketball

Short-Range Forecasting Of Covid-19 During Early Onset At County, Health District, And State Geographic Levels Using Seven Methods: Comparative Forecasting Study, Christopher Lynch, Ross Gore

VMASC Publications

BACKGROUND:

Forecasting methods rely on trends and averages of prior observations to forecast COVID-19 case counts. COVID-19 forecasts have received much media attention, and numerous platforms have been created to inform the public. However, forecasting effectiveness varies by geographic scope and is affected by changing assumptions in behaviors and preventative measures in response to the pandemic. Due to time requirements for developing a COVID-19 vaccine, evidence is needed to inform short-term forecasting method selection at county, health district, and state levels.

OBJECTIVE:

COVID-19 forecasts keep the public informed and contribute to public policy. As such, proper understanding of forecasting purposes …

Effectiveness Of Standard Precautions In The Prevention Of Covid-19, Tazeen Saeed Ali, Shah Zeb, Asghar Ali, Zahir Munir, Sumia Andleeb Abbasi

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Background: COVID-19 is the novel pandemic that has caused exponential deaths worldwide and damaged health care systems of developed as well as developing regions. Many of the HCWs across the countries are getting affected by this infection and losing their lives.
Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the level of compliance with SPs for the prevention of COVID-19 transmission among HCWs and identify its associated factors.
Methods: An analytical cross sectional study was conducted on 877 HCWs in nine different tertiary care hospitals of Sindh. HCWs were retrieved using universal sampling. Data was collected using self-reporting questionnaire. …

Detect Schools Study Protocol: A Prospective Observational Cohort Surveillance Study Investigating The Impact Of Covid-19 In Western Australian Schools, Marianne J. Mullane, Hannah M. Thomas, Melanie Epstein, Joelie Mandzufas, Narelle Mullan, Alexandra Whelan, Karen Lombardi, Tina Barrow, Sherlynn Ang, Adele Leahy, Ewan Cameron, Leanne Lester, Matt Cooper, Paul Stevenson, Mitch Hartman, Anne Mckenzie, Francis Mitrou, Stephen R. Zubrick, Juli Coffin, Donna Cross, Asha C. Bowen, Peter Gething

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction: Amidst the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, understanding the transmission dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is key to providing peace of mind for the community and informing policy-making decisions. While available data suggest that school-aged children are not significant spreaders of SARS-CoV-2, the possibility of transmission in schools remains an ongoing concern, especially among an aging teaching workforce. Even in low-prevalence settings, communities must balance the potential risk of transmission with the need for students' ongoing education. Through the roll out of high-throughput school-based SARS-CoV-2 testing, enhanced follow-up for individuals exposed to COVID-19 and wellbeing surveys, this study investigates the dynamics …

Application Of One-, Three-, And Seven-Day Forecasts During Early Onset On The Covid-19 Epidemic Dataset Using Moving Average, Autoregressive, Autoregressive Moving Average, Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average, And Naïve Forecasting Methods, Christopher J. Lynch, Ross Gore

VMASC Publications

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread rapidly across the world since its appearance in December 2019. This data set creates one-, three-, and seven-day forecasts of the COVID-19 pandemic's cumulative case counts at the county, health district, and state geographic levels for the state of Virginia. Forecasts are created over the first 46 days of reported COVID-19 cases using the cumulative case count data provided by The New York Times as of April 22, 2020. From this historical data, one-, three-, seven, and all-days prior to the forecast start date are used to generate the forecasts. Forecasts are created using: …

Understanding And Promoting Racial Diversity In Healthcare Settings To Address Disparities In Pandemic Crisis Management, Azza Sarfraz, Zouina Sarfraz, Alanna Barrios, Kuchalambal Agadi, Sindhu Thevuthasan, Krunal Pandav, Manish Kc, Muzna Sarfraz, Pedram Rad, George Michel

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Health disparities have become apparent since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. When observing racial discrimination in healthcare, self-reported incidences, and perceptions among minority groups in the United States suggest that, the most socioeconomically underrepresented groups will suffer disproportionately in COVID-19 due to synergistic mechanisms. This study reports racially-stratified data regarding the experiences and impacts of different groups availing the healthcare system to identify disparities in outcomes of minority and majority groups in the United States.
Methods: Studies were identified utilizing PubMed, Embase, CINAHL Plus, and PsycINFO search engines without date and language restrictions. The following keywords were used: …

Cardio-Pulmonary Sequelae In Recovered Covid-19 Patients: Considerations For Primary Care, Zouina Sarfraz, Azza Sarfraz, Alanna Barrios, Radhika Garimella, Asimina Dominari, Manish Kc, Krunal Pandav, Juan C. Pantoja, Varadha Retnakumar, Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Current literature lacks characterization of the post-recovery sequelae among COVID-19 patients. This review characterizes the course of clinical, laboratory, radiological findings during the primary infection period, and the complications post-recovery. Primary care findings are presented for long-COVID care.
Methods: Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, 4 databases were searched (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL Plus, Scopus) through December 5, 2020, using the keywords "COVID-19 and/or recovered and/or cardiovascular and/or long-term and/or sequelae and/or sub-acute and/or complication." We included published peer-reviewed case reports, case series, and cross-sectional studies providing the clinical course of COVID-19 infection, and cardiopulmonary complications of patients who recovered from COVID-19, …

The Influence Of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (Covid-19) On Parkinson’S Disease: An Updated Systematic Review, Vikash Jaiswal, Danah Alquraish, Zouina Sarfraz, Azza Sarfraz, Shavy Nagpal, Prakriti Singh Shrestha, Dattatreya Mukherjee, Prathima Guntipalli, Diana F. Sánchez Velazco, Arushee Bhatnagar

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: COVID-19 has affected global communities with multiple neurological complications in addition to other critical medical issues. COVID-19 binds to the host's angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors, which are expressed in the neurons and glial cells, acting as an entry port to the central nervous system (CNS). ACE2 receptors are abundantly expressed on dopamine neurons, which may worsen the prognosis of motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). SARS-CoV-2 may lead to an indirect response via immune-mediated cytokine storms and propagate through the CNS leading to damage. In this systematic review, we aim to provide thorough analyses of associations between COVID-19 …

Imaging Patterns Of Encephalopathy In Patients With Covid-19, Kumail Khandwala, Fatima Mubarak, Nadeem Ahmad

Department of Radiology

The aim of this retrospective observational study was to describe the neuroimaging manifestations of patients with COVID-19. This study was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan from March to July 2020. COVID-19 patients with neurological symptoms and positive neuroimaging were included after confirmation of COVID-19 by polymerase chain reaction test (PCR). In the 12 included patients, seizures and altered mentation were predominant neurological manifestations. Three cases had acute watershed infarcts (25%), two cases had posterior cerebral artery territorial infarcts (16.7%), two cases had periventricular corona radiata infarcts (16.7%), three cases had hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (25%), two cases had …

Association Between Race/Ethnicity And Covid-19 Disease Outcomes In The United States: A Qualitative Systematic Review Of The Literature, Jacob Smith

MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years

Background/Objective: As studies have shown disparities in coronavirus disease-19 prevalence and severity, we sought to evaluate differences in outcomes of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection by race/ethnicity.

Design: Systematic review

Data Source: Studies from PubMed were included.

Review methods: Articles published in English language from January 1, 2019 through March 22, 2020. Studies included were observational studies that examined racial or ethnic disparities in SARS-CoV-2 infection outcomes in the United States. One reviewer performed data extraction.

Results: Out of a possible 1,944 articles, 99 observational studies (82 individual-level and 17 population-level) were included. Differential rates of hospitalization or otherwise severe illness …

Covid-19 Employee Health Checks, Remote Work, And Disability Law, Elizabeth Pendo

All Faculty Scholarship

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities, about 61 million individuals in the U.S. The law’s protections in the workplace are especially important during COVID-19, which has worsened pre-existing disparities experienced by people with disabilities. The ADA also applies to new strategies to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection in the workplace. This Chapter will focus on two strategies that impact individuals with and without disabilities – employee health screening, testing and vaccination policies, and new or expanded remote work programs.

Social Media Self-Regulation And The Rise Of Vaccine Misinformation, Ana Santos Rutschman

All Faculty Scholarship

This essay examines the main characteristics and shortcomings of mainstream social media responses to vaccine misinformation and disinformation. Parts I and II contextualize the recent expansion of vaccine information and disinformation in the online environment. Part III provides a survey and taxonomy of ongoing responses to vaccine misinformation adopted by mainstream social media. It further notes the limitations of current self-regulatory modes and illustrates these limitations by presenting a short case study on Facebook—the largest social media vehicle for vaccine-specific misinformation, currently estimated to harbor approximately half of the social media accounts linked to vaccine misinformation. Part IV examines potential …

A Novel Augmented Deep Transfer Learning For Classification Of Covid-19 And Other Thoracic Diseases From X-Rays, Fouzia Atlaf, Syed M. S. Islam, Naeem K. Janjua

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Deep learning has provided numerous breakthroughs in natural imaging tasks. However, its successful application to medical images is severely handicapped with the limited amount of annotated training data. Transfer learning is commonly adopted for the medical imaging tasks. However, a large covariant shift between the source domain of natural images and target domain of medical images results in poor transfer learning. Moreover, scarcity of annotated data for the medical imaging tasks causes further problems for effective transfer learning. To address these problems, we develop an augmented ensemble transfer learning technique that leads to significant performance gain over the conventional transfer …

Covid-19 Disease Severity And Death In Relation To Vitamin D Status Among Sars-Cov-2-Positive Uae Residents, Habiba Alsafar, William B. Grant, Rafiq Hijazi, Maimunah Uddin, Nawal Alkaabi, Guan Tay, Bassam Mahboub, Fatme Al Anouti

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Insufficient blood levels of the neurohormone vitamin D are associated with increased risk of COVID-19 severity and mortality. Despite the global rollout of vaccinations and promising preliminary results, the focus remains on additional preventive measures to manage COVID-19. Results conflict on vitamin D’s plausible role in preventing and treating COVID-19. We examined the relation between vitamin D status and COVID-19 severity and mortality among the multiethnic population of the United Arab Emirates. Our observational study used data for 522 participants who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at one of the main hospitals in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Only 464 of those …

Covid-19 Vaccine-Associated Thrombosis With Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (Tts): A Systematic Review And Post Hoc Analysis, Muhammad Usman Hafeez, Maha Ikram, Zunaira Shafiq, Azza Sarfraz, Zouina Sarfraz, Vikash Jaiswal, Muzna Sarfraz, Ivan Chérrez-Ojeda

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: A new clinical syndrome has been recognized following the COVID-19 vaccine, termed thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). The following systematic review focuses on extrapolating thrombotic risk factors, clinical manifestations, and outcomes of patients diagnosed with TTS following the COVID-19 vaccine.
Methods: We utilized the World Health Organization's criteria for a confirmed and probable case of TTS following COVID-19 vaccination and conducted a systematic review and posthoc analysis using the PRISMA 2020 statement. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS V25 for factors associated with mortality, including age, gender, anti-PF4/heparin antibodies, platelet nadir, D-dimer peak, time to event diagnosis, arterial or …

Teleneurology Based Management Of Infantile Spasms During Covid-19 Pandemic: A Consensus Report By The South Asia Allied West Syndrome Research Group, Priyanka Madaan, Jitendra Kumar Sahu, Jithangi Wanigasinghe, Kanij Fatema, Kyaw Linn, Mimi Lhamu Mynak, Nicolás Garófalo Gómez, Pauline Samia, Prakash Poudel, Prem Chand

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

With telehealth services rescuing patients with chronic neurological disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need for simplified teleneurology protocols for neurological disorders in children. Infantile spasms is an epileptic encephalopathy where treatment lag is a significant predictor of outcome. It is one such condition where telemedicine can make a remarkable difference when in-person consultations are delayed or are not possible. However, the adverse effect profile of the first-line therapeutic options, the need for frequent follow-up, underdeveloped telemedicine services, lack of a rational protocol, poor awareness about infantile spasms, a lesser level of parental understanding, and scarcity of pediatric …

Online Medical Education And Examinations During Covid-19: Perspectives Of A Teaching Associate, Syed Mujtaba Baqir, Fatima Mustansir

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has not only challenged global health systems but also social, economic, and educational systems. In this short communication, our focus is on its impact on medical education in Pakistan. We discuss the structure of undergraduate medical education in Pakistan; and how it has evolved in the wake of COVID-19. We describe our role as teaching associates (TAs) at the Aga Khan University (AKU); and how it has enabled us to be a part of the transition to online medical education, with a specific focus on online examinations in medical schools.