Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Three Cases Of Covid-19 Pneumonia That Responded To Icosapent Ethyl Supportive Treatment, Winston Suh, Ivan Urits, Omar Viswanath, Alan D. Kaye, Haresh Patel, Wade Hall, Jonathan P. Eskander

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND Icosapent ethyl, a form of eicosapentaenoic acid with anti-inflammatory activity, has been approved as an adjunctive treatment with statins in patients with hypertriglyceridemia. Icosapent ethyl is currently undergoing clinical trials to determine its anti-inflammatory effects in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This report describes 3 intensive care unit (ICU) patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 pneumonia treated with icosapent ethyl as part of their supportive care who had favorable outcomes.

CASE REPORT Case 1 was a 75-year-old man with a past medical history of hyperlipidemia, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Case 2 was …

Recovering From Covid-19 Building Closures: Guidance Document, David Krause, Cheri Marcham, John Springston, Alex Lebeau, Robert Rottersman, Timothy Froehlig, Bart Ashley

Publications

While the country comes to terms with the inevitable impact that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, will have on our lives and communities, public health authorities remain focused on breaking the chain of transmission. Managing the risk has resulted in widespread closures of businesses, schools, universities, resorts, and other facilities deemed “non-essential.” Practically speaking, this means closing buildings and ceasing operations. For building owners and operators, this poses a significant challenge to protect their assets and to ensure they are ready to reoccupy once the pandemic subsides.

Workplace Cleaning For Covid-19: Guidance Document, David Krause,, Cheri Marcham, John Springston, Alex Lebeau, Robert Rottersman, Timothy Froehlig, George (Jerry) Mccaslin

Publications

Critical and essential workplaces operating during this pandemic need to implement procedures to reduce the risk of workers, contractors, vendors, customers, and members of the community becoming infected on their premises. Outside of healthcare and paramedical facilities, the infrastructure and standard practices of infection prevention and control have not been commonplace. Establishing enhanced routine cleaning and disinfection procedures in offices, factories, warehouses, call centers, grocery stores, and other non-healthcare workplaces is a critical step in reducing exposures and infections.

Assessment Of Indiana Bat Reproductive Condition, Recapture Trends, And Temperatures Of Artificial Roosts In Kentucky, Michaela L. Rogers

Online Theses and Dissertations

Recovery of bat species impacted by white-nose syndrome (WNS) will necessarily require population growth. I assessed reproductive capability of the endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) in Kentucky, where WNS was first detected in hibernacula in April 2011. Due to loss of fat reserves associated with WNS infection, coupled with the energetic expenditures associated with pregnancy, I hypothesized mass of reproductively-active females captured during the maternity season would decrease across my data collection period (2017-2019). Further, I predicted that reproductive rates in the study population would be lower than historic rates for Kentucky. Mist net surveys around artificial maternity roosts at …

Early Host Defense Mechanisms Against La Crosse Virus Infection, Maria A. Cruz Zamora

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Given the importance of innate defense mechanisms in the skin, we have examined the interactions of the arbovirus La Crosse virus (LACV) with serum factors that serve as a first line of antiviral defense, and the outcome of LACV infection of human keratinocytes, one of the main cell types present at viral entry. Incubation of LACV derived from insect cells (I-LACV) with normal human serum in vitro did not result in neutralization, but instead stabilized LACV virions and enhanced infectivity. Enhanced infectivity was also seen with heat inactivated serum devoid of complement activity and with serum from a range of …

Targeting The Tumor Core: Hypoxia-Responsive Nanoparticles For The Delivery Of Chemotherapy To Pancreatic Tumors, Matthew I. Confeld, Babak Mamnoon, Li Feng, Heather Jensen Smith, Priyanka Ray, James Froberg, Jiha Kim, Michael A. Hollingsworth, Mohiuddin Quadir, Yongki Choi, Sanku Mallik

Journal Articles: Eppley Institute

In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), early onset of hypoxia triggers remodeling of the extracellular matrix, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, increased cell survival, the formation of cancer stem cells, and drug resistance. Hypoxia in PDAC is also associated with the development of collagen-rich, fibrous extracellular stroma (desmoplasia), resulting in severely impaired drug penetration. To overcome these daunting challenges, we created polymer nanoparticles (polymersomes) that target and penetrate pancreatic tumors, reach the hypoxic niches, undergo rapid structural destabilization, and release the encapsulated drugs. In vitro studies indicated a high cellular uptake of the polymersomes and increased cytotoxicity of the drugs under hypoxia compared to …

The Delicacy Of Breath: Tribute To Cystic Fibrosis, Natalie Minns

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

A simple breath is something that we do not completely focus on enough in the art of dance, and it can be something that we often take for granted. For my project, my goal is to not only shed light on the simple breath, but to delve deeper into its importance in someone living with a breathing condition. My ultimate goal is to allow these separate entities to coexist through a piece of choreographic work. Through the art of dance, I want to be able to bring awareness to cystic fibrosis (CF) in a more expansive and exploratory approach. This …

Espad Report 2019: Results From European School Survey Project On Alcohol And Other Drugs, Sabrina Mokinaro, Julian Vincente, Elisa Benedetti, Sonia Cerrai, Emanuala Colasante, Sharon Arpa, Pavla Chomynova, Ludwig Kraus, Karin Monshouwer, Stanislas Spika, Arsaell Mar Arnarsson, Olga Balakireva, Begona Brime Beteta, Elin Kristin Bye, Anina Chileva, Luke Clancy, Zamira Hyseni Duraku, Tatijana Durisic, Olga Ekholm, Zsuzsanna Elekes, Silvia Florescu, Biljana Kilibarda, Anna Kokkevi, Elsa Lavado, Tanja Urdih Lazar, Martina Markelic, Alojz Nociar, Silvana Oncheva, Kirsimarja Raitasalo, Ludmilla Rupsience, Janusz Sieroslawski, Julian Strizek, Lela Sturua, Johan Svensson, Diana Vanaga, Kyriakos Veresies, Sigrid Vorobjov, Pai Weihe, Rodolfo Cotichini, Loredana Fortunato, Katenna Skarupova

Reports

The main purpose of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) is to collect comparable data on substance use and other forms of risk behaviour among 15- to 16-year-old students in order to monitor trends within, as well as between, countries. Between 1995 and 2019, seven waves of data collection were conducted across 49 European countries. This report presents selected key results. The full set of data on which the current report is based, including all of the standard tables, is available online (http://www.espad.org). All tables can be downloaded in Excel format and used for further …

Selenomonas Sputigena: Growth Conditions And Projected Virulence Factors Of An Emerging Oral Pathogen, Kayla A. Keller

Theses and Dissertations

Periodontal diseases are ubiquitous diseases. They can affect people through a chronic infection that happens over a lifetime, but also as an aggressive infection that afflicts the younger population. It not only results in tooth loss and a lower quality of life, but it can also lead to fatal secondary infections like cervical cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. This study looks at Selenomonas sputigena, an emerging oral pathogen, that has been hypothesized to contribute to periodontal disease. It has been linked to fatal septicemia and has been found in increased abundance within the oral biofilm during peak infection. …

Adherence To A Home Exercise Programme Following A Clinical Programme For Non-Acute Non-Specific Low Back Pain: An Exploratory Study, Judith L'Heureux, Marie-France Coutu, Djamal Berbiche, Christian Larivière

Études primaires

Purpose:Lack of adherence to home exercise programmes is hypothesised to partially explain the modest clinical effects seen in patients with low back pain. This study explored the association between the main biopsychosocial factors and adherence using a theory-driven approach including the fear-avoidance model, the common-sense model and the working alliance concept.

Methods: A repeated measures design was used. During and after an eight-week clinical exercise programme, 48 participants with non-acute and disabling low back pain followed a home exercise programme. Questionnaires assessed home exercise adherence and biopsychosocial factors at baseline, after the eight-week clinical programme and at the six-month follow-up. …

Three-Month Efficacy Of Three Knee Braces In The Treatment Of Medial Knee Osteoarthritis In A Randomized Crossover Trial, Xavier Robert-Lachaine, Yoann Dessery, Étienne L. Belzile, Sylvie Turmel, Philippe Corbeil

Études primaires

Immediate biomechanical and functional effects of knee braces are often reported, however, the duration and type of knee brace treatment for knee osteoarthritis (KOA) remain unclear. The objective was to evaluate usage, comfort, pain, and knee adduction moment (KAM) of three knee braces each worn 3 months by patients. Twenty-four patients with KOA were assigned in a randomized crossover trial a valgus three-point bending system brace (V3P-brace), an unloader brace with valgus and external rotation functions (VER-brace) and a stabilizing brace used after ligament injuries (ACL-brace). Functional questionnaires and gait assessment were carried out before and after each brace wear …

Role Of Ciliary Proteins Adp Ribosylation Factor Like Gtpase 13b (Arl13b) And Bardet-Biedl Syndrome-8 (Bbs8) In Photoreceptor Outer Segment Morphogenesis, Maintenance, And Viability, Tanya L. Dilan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Photoreceptor neurons are modified primary cilia with an extended ciliary compartment known as the outer segment (OS). The mechanisms behind the elaboration of photoreceptor cilia, OS morphogenesis, and maintenance remain poorly understood. In this work, we focused on dissecting the role of two ciliary proteins, the small GTPase ADP-ribosylation factor-like GTPase 13B (ARL13B) and Bardet-Biedl Syndrome-8 (BBS8) in the context of photoreceptor biology. Both BBS8 and ARL13B are linked to defects in ciliogenesis (cilia development) and Retinitis Pigmentosa (vision loss). ARL13B is implicated in regulating ciliary length, and BBS8 is part of the Bardet-Biedl Syndrome complex (BBSome); the BBSome is …

Multimorbidity, Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Use, And Healthcare Expenditures Among Older Patients With Late-Stage Melanoma, Pragya Rai

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With decades of unchanged cancer care with no added survival benefit, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) changed the treatment landscape of late-stage melanoma in 2011. A key factor in determining the use of ICIs is the presence of pre-existing chronic conditions, which can influence the outcome. However, the prevalence of multimorbidity (defined as presence of two or more chronic conditions) among older patients with late-stage melanoma remains unknown. It also remains unknown if the presence of multimorbidity factors into the use of ICIs. Hospital-related factors associated with ICI use have been studied. Yet, patient-level factors, such as age, sex, marital status, …

Understanding The Host Immune Response Against Pseudomonas Aeruginosa To Develop Novel Therapeutics And Vaccines, Emel Sen Kilic

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative opportunistic bacterium that causes a broad range of acute and chronic infections. The high adaptability and emergence of multidrug-resistant strains of this bacterium pose a significant threat to human health. Particularly, pneumonia caused by this pathogen is associated with high morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. To prevent these infections, we aimed to develop novel vaccine strategies by characterizing the host immune response against P. aeruginosa. During respiratory infections, P. aeruginosa first contacts with epithelial cells along the respiratory tract. Using RNA-sequencing, we were able to characterize transcriptional changes of the epithelial cells in …

Cerebrovascular Dysfunction And Degeneration In Alzheimer’S Disease Pathophysiology, Dominic Dimitri Quintana

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a terminal illness and the most common form of dementia, which disproportionately affects the aged population. The pathophysiology of AD is characterized by neurodegeneration that slowly progresses, affecting regions of the brain that are involved in learning, memory, language, and executive function. In patients with the disease, early symptoms include non-disruptive forgetfulness that evolves into the inability to form new memories and ultimately the loss of autonomy at late stages. Histopathological hallmarks in the brain from patients with AD is the presence of amyloid-β (Aβ)-plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) deposited in the parenchyma. Since the discovery …

Effect Of Western Diet And Caloric Substitution With Apple Pomace On Fatty Acid Composition And Gene Expression In The Hypothalamus Of Growing Female Sprague-Dawley Rats, Ayad Abdulhamid Alawadi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The hypothalamus plays a major role in regulating food-intake and energy-expenditure. Hypothalamic dysfunction implicated in neurodegenerative diseases is characterized by diet-induced neuroinflammation and energy dysregulation. Apple pomace, a waste byproduct of processing, is rich in polyphenols and soluble fibers, has the potential to ameliorate diet-inducing inflammation. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of Western diet and caloric substitution of Western diet with 10% apple pomace on brain fatty acid composition and gene expression related to hypothalamic function and health in growing female rats. Growing female Sprague-Dawley rats (age 22-29 days) were randomly assigned (n=8 rats/group) to …

Mucosa-Associated Microbiota In Barrett’S Esophagus, Dysplasia, And Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Differ Similarly Compared With Healthy Controls, Shajan Peter, Amanda Pendergraft,, William Vanderpol, Mel Wilcox, Kondal R. Kyanam Kabir Baig, Casey Morrow, Jacques Izard, Peter J. Mannon

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Alterations in the composition of the human gut microbiome and its metabolites have been linked to gut epithelial neoplasia. We hypothesized that differences in mucosa-adherent Barrett’s microbiota could link to risk factors, providing risk of progression to neoplasia.

Methods: Paired biopsies from both diseased and nonaffected esophagus (as well as gastric cardia and gastric juice for comparison) from patients with intestinal metaplasia (n = 10), low grade dysplasia (n = 10), high grade dysplasia (n = 10), esophageal adenocarcinoma (n = 12), and controls (n = 10) were processed for mucosa-associated bacteria …

The Impact Of Lifestyle Medicine On Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Kelli L. Noble

DNP Research Projects

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease worldwide. The main risk factor for the development of NAFLD is metabolic syndrome. Women are at greatest risk, typically in their 5th to 6th decade of life. The more aggressive form of NAFLD is nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) which is characterized by inflammation associated with NAFLD. NASH has the greatest tendency to progress into cirrhosis. However, lifestyle intervention has been shown to effectively treat, and even reverse NAFLD. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to lend additional research and demonstrate improvement in NAFLD through lifestyle intervention with 1) …

The Observational Investigation Of Vitamin D And The Effect On Hypertension (Oiveh) Study, Warren Burke

DNP Research Projects

Background

It is uncertain if vitamin D supplementation improves cardiovascular health, more specifically, the systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and the data from previous trials investigating supplementation and the effects on the blood pressure are limited.

Methods

The following scholarly project was a retrospective observational study, examining randomly selected participants with chronic kidney disease and hypertension from a local nephrology practice. The Student’s t-test, Pearson’s r correlation, and ANOVA statistical tests were utilized to determine if vitamin D supplementation improved the systolic and diastolic blood pressures.

Results

A total of 260 participants were examined. The mean systolic blood pressure …

Evaluating The Impact Of Malaria Education On Student Missionaries, Julie Mckinney

DNP Research Projects

Malaria has been studied for years, and yet remains one of the most significant vector-borne diseases that travelers encounter in malaria-endemic regions (CDC, 2019). Education is noted to be critical in disease prevention, management, and eradication. Student missionaries are at high risk for infection and can have a global influence that is improved through education. A pilot study was conducted on eleven students with a pre-test and post-test design after a malaria education webinar. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the baseline level of education in student missionaries, as well as to assess the effect of malaria …

Reducing Hypertension Through Faith Community Nursing, Michelle White

DNP Research Projects

Hypertension affects approximately 31.1% of adults (1.39 million) worldwide. It continues to be a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease and strokes, the leading causes of death in the United States (Mills, Stefanescu, & He, 2020). Hypertension is expected to increase due to the aging population and unhealthy lifestyle choices of the American people (American Heart Association [AHA], 2018a). Therefore, effective strategies are required to manage hypertension in order to decrease stroke and cardiovascular events that can save the lives of many Americans. National programs such as Healthy People 2020 are working to achieve blood pressure control within the United …

Molecular Genetic Cancer Screening: Role Of Prediction Of Colorectal Disease In The Clinic Setting, Samantha Spinks

DNP Research Projects

Colorectal Cancer is the third most common cancer in men and women and the second leading cause of cancer related deaths (ACS, 2019). Colonoscopy screening can prevent colon cancer by early detection and removal of adenomatous colon polyps. The ACS has been lowered from age 50 to 45 due to an increase in the prevalence of colon cancer in people below the age of 50 years of age. Molecular genetic screening is a tool that providers can use to identify patients who are at risk for premature adenomas. People who have a genetic variant are more likely to develop adenomas …

Sé Un Héroe Tú También, Samantha S. Rohe, Sophie Cemaj

Books: Pediatrics

This children's book explains COVID-19 and how to decrease the incidence of transmissions.

Be A Hero Too, Samantha S. Rohe, Sophie Cemaj

Books: Pediatrics

This children's book explains COVID-19 and how to decrease the incidence of transmissions.

The Role Of Manganese In Streptococcus Sanguinis, Tanya M. Puccio

Theses and Dissertations

Streptococcus sanguinis is primarily associated with oral health as a commensal bacterium. As an opportunistic pathogen, S. sanguinis is capable of colonizing heart valve vegetations, leading to the disease infective endocarditis. Previous studies from our lab have identified the high-affinity manganese transporter SsaACB as important for endocarditis virulence. The impact that manganese depletion has on S. sanguinis had never been evaluated and a secondary manganese transporter has not been identified. Thus, we employed the use of a fermentor to control large-scale growth over time and depleted manganese in an ΔssaACB mutant using a metal chelator, EDTA. The changes in …

Genetic And Cellular Models For The Study Of Ptk2b And Adam10 In Adaptive Thermogenesis And Metabolism, Jared S. Farrar

Theses and Dissertations

In a cellular model, we demonstrate that the non-receptor protein tyrosine kinase 2 beta (PTK2B) plays a critical role in mouse cultured beige adipocyte differentiation. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knock-out of Ptk2b results in non-differentiating white adipocytes and differentiated beige adipocytes with significantly reduced thermogenic gene and protein expression, enlarged lipid droplet size, and altered mitochondrial respiration. Together, these data in a cell culture system provide evidence for a role of PTK2B in the differentiation of mouse beige adipocytes.

In the process of developing a new mouse model utilizing the adipocyte selective Adipoq-Cre transgenic mouse, strong genetic linkage between a gene …

Role Of Nurd In Acute Leukemia Cell Survival, Javeria Aijaz

Theses and Dissertations

Depletion of the ATPase component of the Nucleosome Remodeling and Deacetylase (NuRD) complex, CHD4, reduces acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell survival. This study identified other NuRD components, as potential therapeutic targets for disrupting protein-protein interactions within NuRD. In addition to AML, we established that T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (T-ALL) cell lines responded similarly to CHD4 depletion.

Greater than 90% depletion of either MBD2 or MBD3 (the mutually exclusive two DNA binding NuRD paralogues) – was unremarkable, but complete depletion of MBD3 increased apoptosis and genotoxic sensitivity. Combined depletion of MBD-NuRD proteins augmented apoptosis observed with complete MBD3 depletion - indicating …

Investigating The Role Of Oncogene C-Terminal Binding Protein (Ctbp) In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Kranthi Kumar Chougoni

Theses and Dissertations

The transcriptional coregulator CtBP2 has been implicated as an oncogene in colon, prostate, breast and ovarian cancers. Previously, we reported overexpression of CtBP2 in human PDAC specimens. However, its exact role in PDAC is still unclear. In the current study, we attempt to delineate the oncogenic role CtBP2 in PDAC growth and metastasis. Using an orthotopic syngeneic pancreatic tumor mouse model (CKP), we found that deletion of Ctbp2 decreases PDAC tumor growth, proliferation, metastasis, EMT and significantly prolongs survival. Further, we identified significant downregulation of Erbb3 mRNA levels upon deletion of Ctbp2 in CKP PDAC cells As ErbB3 signaling was …

The Functional Importance Of Methyl Cpg Binding Domain Proteins 2 And 3 In Regulating Fetal Hemoglobin Expression In Human Adult Erythroid Cells, Alexander Azzo

Theses and Dissertations

Humans undergo two developmental switches in the predominantly expressed β-like globin chain during embryogenesis and fetal development. The first switch from embryonic (ε) to fetal (γ) occurs around week 5 of embryonic development, while the second switch from fetal to adult (β) globin occurs shortly after birth. By adulthood, fetal hemoglobin represents only 1-2% of total hemoglobin in the blood. As sufficiently elevated levels of fetal hemoglobin are beneficial for improving clinical outcomes in sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia, the mechanisms that enforce silencing of fetal hemoglobin expression postnatally are of great clinical significance. The methyl-CpG binding domain protein MBD2 …

Signaling Mechanism Responsible For 5-Ht2a Receptor Tolerance To Psychedelic Induced Head-Twitch Behavior In Mice, Audrey R. Mcmurtrie

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in psychedelic compounds stemming from their promising use as therapeutic agents and research tools that can be used to treat and study several neuropsychiatric disorders. Psychedelics have proven useful in a broad range of these diseases - they serve as models for psychosis in schizophrenia but have also had promising results in treating major depressive disorder, anxiety, and other common disorders. Decreased stigmatization surrounding psychedelics has further increased their use in research and clinical settings. In light of these trends and the promising nature of their use, a thorough understanding of …