Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Chloroviruses, James L. Van Etten, Irina V. Agarkova, David D. Dunigan

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Chloroviruses are large dsDNA, plaque-forming viruses that infect certain chlorella-like green algae; the algae are normally mutualistic endosymbionts of protists and metazoans and are often referred to as zoochlorellae. The viruses are ubiquitous in inland aqueous environments throughout the world and occasionally single types reach titers of thousands of plaque-forming units per ml of native water. The viruses are icosahedral in shape with a spike structure located at one of the vertices. They contain an internal membrane that is required for infectivity. The viral genomes are 290 to 370 kb in size, which encode up to 16 tRNAs and 330 …

The Use Of Probiotics To Prevent Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia In Adults, Michael Roper, Paige Douthett

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2016 to 2019

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of preventing the acquisition of ventilator- associated pneumonia with the use of probiotic supplementation, as compared to a placebo, among hospitalized adult men and women receiving more than 24 hours of mechanical ventilation. Design: Systematic Literature Review. Methods: Systematic searches were conducted through PubMed and Scopus using the search terms “ventilator”, “probiotics”, and “prevention”. Records were excluded from the analysis if they were published before 2015, full text was not available, studies other than randomized control trial or cohort studies, and if the study population was less than 18 years old. Results: Of …

Impact Of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (Mrsa) Nasal Swab On Total Duration Of Mrsa Therapy For Pneumonia Patients, Darren D. Yum, Kayihura Manigaba, Danielle Gagne, Heather Ellis

Infectious Disease

Purpose: Recent literature has highlighted MRSA nasal screening as a possible antimicrobial stewardship program tool for avoiding unnecessary empiric anti-MRSA therapy for pneumonia. MRSA is an important cause of pneumonia and clinicians must determine when empiric antimicrobial therapy directed toward this pathogen is needed. Negative MRSA nasal swab has been shown to have a high negative predictive value ( >95%) across different types of pneumonia. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of negative MRSA nasal swabs on the duration of anti-MRSA therapy in a community hospital setting.

Methods: This study will be submitted to the institutional …

Impact Of Required Antibiotic Stop Dates And Indications On Length Of Treatment In Hospitalized Patients With Pneumonia, Amanda Haddad, Kathryn Hernando, Kayihura Manigaba, Abigail Antigua

Infectious Disease

Purpose: The CDC Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs recommends implementing policies to support optimal antibiotic prescribing including documentation of dose, duration and indication. On January 31, 2017, the study institution implemented new physician order entry screens in the electronic health record requiring the input of indication and duration on all antibiotic orders. The objective of this study is to determine if implementation of mandatory indication and duration for antibiotic orders decreases antibiotic duration of therapy in hospitalized patients with pneumonia.

Methods: This study was submitted to the Institutional Review Committee for approval. The clinical pharmacy surveillance platform, …

Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease: Progressive Neurological Decline, Christine Fayad Md, Scott J. Anderson, H. Alex Akhondi Md

Internal Medicine

No abstract provided.

Genome-Wide Variation In Potyviruses, Deepti Nigam, Katherine Latourrette, Pedro F.N. Souza, Hernan Garcia Ruiz

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Potyviruses (family Potyviridae, genus Potyvirus) are the result of an initial radiation event that occurred 6,600 years ago. The genus currently consists of 167 species that infect monocots or dicots, including domesticated and wild plants. Potyviruses are transmitted in a non-persistent way by more than 200 species of aphids. As indicated by their wide host range, worldwide distribution, and diversity of their vectors, potyviruses have an outstanding capacity to adapt to new hosts and environments. However, factors that confer adaptability are poorly understood. Viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerases introduce nucleotide substitutions that generate genetic diversity. We hypothesized that selection imposed by …

Macrophage-Associated Wound Healing Contributes To African Green Monkey Siv Pathogenesis Control, Fredrik Barrenas, Kevin Raehtz, Cuiling Xu, Lynn Law, Richard R. Green, Guido Silvestri, Steven E. Bosinger, Andrew Nishida, Qingsheng Li, Wuxun Lu, Jianshui Zhang, Matthew J. Thomas, Jean Chang, Elise Smith, Jeffrey M. Weiss, Reem A. Dawoud, George H. Richter, Anita Trichel, Dongzhu Ma, Xinxia Peng, Jan Komorowski, Cristian Apetrei, Ivona Pandrea, Michael Gale Jr.

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Natural hosts of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) avoid AIDS despite lifelong infection. Here, we examined how this outcome is achieved by comparing a natural SIV host, African green monkey (AGM) to an AIDS susceptible species, rhesus macaque (RM). To asses gene expression profiles from acutely SIV infected AGMs and RMs, we developed a systems biology approach termed Conserved Gene Signature Analysis (CGSA), which compared RNA sequencing data from rectal AGM and RM tissues to various other species. We found that AGMs rapidly activate, and then maintain, evolutionarily conserved regenerative wound healing mechanisms in mucosal tissue. The wound healing protein fibronectin …

Nearly Complete Genome Sequences Of 17 Enterovirus D68 Strains From Kansas City, Missouri, 2018, Suman B. Pakala, Yi Tan, Ferdaus Hassan, Annie Mai, Robert H. Markowitz, Meghan H. Shilts, Seesandra V. Rajagopala, Rangaraj Selvarangan, Suman R. Das

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Here, we report 17 nearly complete genome sequences of enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) isolated from Kansas City, MO, in 2018. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that these strains belong to subclade B3, similar to the ones that caused the 2016 epidemics in the United States but different from the 2014 outbreak B1 strains.

Plasma Cysteine/Cystine And Glutathione/Glutathione Disulfide Redox Potentials In Hiv And Copd Patients., Walter H. Watson, Jeffrey D. Ritzenthaler, Paula Peyrani, Timothy L. Wiemken, Stephen P. Furmanek, Andrea Reyes-Vega, Tom J. Burke, Yuxuan Zheng, Julio A. Ramirez, Jesse Roman

Faculty Scholarship

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is prevalent in patients infected with HIV. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that systemic oxidation correlates with loss of lung function in subjects with COPD, and that HIV infection can contribute to creating such an environment. Subjects were recruited at the University of Louisville in the following groups: HIV-infected (n = 36), COPD (n = 32), HIV and COPD (n = 28), and uninfected controls with normal lung function (n = 34). HIV infection was assessed by viral load and CD4 cell counts. Pulmonary function was determined by spirometry …

Cavitary Lesion In An Immunocompromised Adult, Syed Talha Qasmi, Turuvekere Jayaram, Enrique Rincon

Internal Medicine

No abstract provided.

Contraceptive Use Following Unintended Pregnancy Among Ugandan Women Living With Hiv, Jana Jarolimova, Jerome Kabakyenga, Kara Bennett, Winnie R. Muyindike, Annet Kembabazi, Jeffrey N. Martin, Peter W. Hunt, Yap Boum, Jessica E. Haberer, David Bangsberg, Angela Kaida, Lynn T. Matthews

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Preventing unintended pregnancy is critical for women living with HIV (WLWH) to safely achieve their reproductive goals. Family planning services should support WLWH at risk of repeat unintended pregnancies. We examined the relationship between unintended pregnancy and subsequent contraception use among WLWH in Uganda.

Study design: This was a retrospective analysis of data from a longitudinal cohort of individuals initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART), restricted to women with pregnancy (confirmed via urine β-hcg testing) between 2011–2013. The exposure of interest was intended vs unintended pregnancy, and the outcome was self-report of modern contraceptive use (hormonal methods, intrauterine device, sterilization, and/or …

Aap To Honor Dr. Jackson With Lifetime Achievement Award, Children's Mercy Hospital

Our Story Continues

Mary Anne Jackson, MD, FAAP, FPIDS, FIDSA, is a rarity among physicians. Her curriculum vitae reads like a virtual “Who’s Who” in pediatric infectious diseases. She’s served as an associate editor of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Red Book, a musthave reference for pediatricians across the nation.

Plus, she’s recently added the title of Interim Dean, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, to her long list of accomplishments. She is also a Professor of Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases specialist at Children’s Mercy Kansas City.

The AAP Section on Infectious Diseases will present Dr. Mary Anne Jackson with a …

Dose Effects Of Recombinant Adenovirus Immunization In Rodents, Eric A. Weaver

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Recombinant adenovirus type 5 (rAd) has been used as a vaccine platform against many infectious diseases and has been shown to be an effective vaccine vector. The dose of the vaccine varies significantly from study to study, making it very diffcult to compare immune responses and vaccine effcacy. This study determined the immune correlates induced by serial dilutions of rAd vaccines delivered intramuscularly (IM) and intranasally (IN) to mice and rats. When immunized IM, mice had substantially higher antibody responses at the higher vaccine doses, whereas, the IN immunized mice showed a lower response to the higher rAd vaccine doses. …

Nocardia Beijingensis: A Rare And Unusual Cause Of Intracranial Abscess, Lakshpaul Chauhan Md, Nirali Vassa Md, Elizabeth Henderson Md, Ateeq Mubarik Md, Danish M. Siddiq Md, Abdulmagid Eddib Md

Infectious Disease

Background : Nocardia species are thin, aerobic, filamentous, gram-positive bacilli that are ubiquitous in soil worldwide. Nocardia infections are divided into three main categories: pulmonary nocardiosis, disseminated nocardiosis, and cutaneous nocardiosis.

Methods : We present a case of cerebral nocardiosis in an immunocompetent patient caused by Nocardia beijingensis (NB).

Results : A 60-year-old Caucasian lady from Florida with type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, presented to the emergency room with complaints of altered mentation. Per husband, she was having episodes of emesis and diarrhea three days prior to admission that resolved however, her mentation significantly deteriorated to where she was …

Changes In Body Mass Index And Atherosclerotic Disease Risk Score After Switching From Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate To Tenofovir Alafenamide., Jason J. Schafer, Kaitlin N. Sassa, Jaclyn R. O'Connor, Ayako Shimada, Scott W. Keith, Joseph A. Desimone

College of Pharmacy Faculty Papers

Background: Switching from tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) to tenofovir alafenamide (TAF)-containing antiretroviral therapy (ART) can improve renal function and bone mineral density in people with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH). The switch can also negatively influence cholesterol, but changes in body mass index (BMI) and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk are unknown.

Methods: This retrospective observational study evaluated BMI and ASCVD risk score changes in virologically suppressed PWH who switched from TDF to TAF without switching other ART regimen components. Adults on TDF for ≥1 year with 2 consecutive HIV ribonucleic acid values/mL before a TAF switch were included. Body weight, …

The Vaccinia Virus (Vacv) B1 And Cellular Vrk2 Kinases Promote Vacv Replication Factory Formation Through Phosphorylation-Dependent Inhibition Of Vacv B12, Amber B. Rico, Zhigang Wang, Annabel T. Olson, Alexandria C. Linville, Brianna L. Bullard, Eric A. Weaver, Clinton Jones, Matthew S. Wiebea

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Comparative examination of viral and host protein homologs reveals novel mechanisms governing downstream signaling effectors of both cellular and viral origin. The vaccinia virus B1 protein kinase is involved in promoting multiple facets of the virus life cycle and is a homolog of three conserved cellular enzymes called vaccinia virus-related kinases (VRKs). Recent evidence indicates that B1 and VRK2 mediate a common pathway that is largely uncharacterized but appears independent of previous VRK substrates. Interestingly, separate studies described a novel role for B1 in inhibiting vaccinia virus protein B12, which otherwise impedes an early event in the viral lifecycle. Herein, …

Bridging The Gap On Schistosomiasis: A Cross-Sectional Study Examining The Knowledge Gap And Common Attitudes And Practices Regarding S. Mansoni Infections Among Varying Education Levels In Luanda K’Otieno, Western Kenya, Kathy Zhang

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Background: Schistosomiasis is considered one of the most prevalent neglected tropical diseases in the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the most effective strategy for schistosomiasis control is through preventive chemotherapy with praziquantel (PZQ). In order to successfully control morbidity rates, the WHO recommends mass treatment targeting high risk groups, such as school-age children and adults considered to be at risk.

Methods: This cross-sectional study examined the effects of the National School-Based Deworming Programme (NSBDP) on knowledge of schistosomiasis and subsequent prevalence rates and intensity. A total of 43 residents in Luanda K’Otieno were interviewed, and 34 of …

The Essential Role Of Carbon Metabolism In The Virulence Of Cryptococcus Neoformans, Mara Weigner

Senior Honors Theses

Cryptococcus neoformans infections are a major cause of meningoencephalitis in immunosuppressed patients worldwide. Inhaled as spores or desiccated yeast cells, C. neoformans can undergo metabolic changes in response to the new host environment that allow it to cross the blood brain barrier and cause deadly central nervous system (CNS) infections. Nutrient acquisition, and specifically carbon metabolism, is critical for survival and proliferation within the host. Notably, efficient carbon metabolism is necessary to produce the polysaccharide capsule, which is arguably C. neoformans’ most important and well-studied virulence factor. As such, a better understanding of carbon acquisition and regulation is essential for …

Inactivated Rabies Virus-Based Ebola Vaccine Preserved By Vaporization Is Heat-Stable And Immunogenic Against Ebola And Protects Against Rabies Challenge., Drishya Kurup, Christine R. Fisher, Todd G. Smith, Tiago Abreu-Mota, Yong Yang, Felix R. Jackson, Nadia Gallardo-Romero, Richard Franka, Victor Bronshtein, Matthias J. Schnell

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Ebola virus (EBOV) is a highly lethal member of the Filoviridae family associated with human hemorrhagic disease. Despite being a sporadic disease, it caused a large outbreak in 2014-2016 in West Africa and another outbreak recently in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Several vaccine candidates are currently in preclinical and clinical studies but none are stable without cold chain storage.

METHODS: We used preservation by vaporization (PBV), a novel processing technology to heat-stabilize FiloRab1 (inactivated rabies-based Ebola vaccine), a candidate Ebola vaccine, and stored the vials at temperatures ranging from 4°C to 50°C for 10 days to 12 months. …

West Nile Virus: An Old Tale, New Mystery, Seetha Venkateswaran, Patricia Gilford

Family Medicine

• West Nile Virus (WNV), belongs to the Flavivirus family, is considered an endemic disease in many states including Florida.
• In the last decade, the virus has been prominently reported in the Southern and Midwest States.
• The disease is most prevalent during the summer to fall month periods due to elevated temperatures leading to enhanced vector transmission.
• WNV is acquired via the bite of an infected mosquito particularly the Culex species, and is considered as the vector for the disease.
• Equines and humans are incidental hosts of WNV and disease transmission from these sources are rare. There are various human risk …

Dmbt1 Inhibition Of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Twitching Motility Involves Its N-Glycosylation And Cannot Be Conferred By The Scavenger Receptor Cysteine-Rich Bacteria-Binding Peptide Domain., Jianfang Li, Stephanie J Wan, Matteo M E Metruccio, Sophia Ma, Kamran Nazmi, Floris J Bikker, David J. Evans, Suzanne M J Fleiszig

Faculty Publications & Research of the TUC College of Pharmacy

The scavenging capacity of glycoprotein DMBT1 helps defend mucosal epithelia against microbes. DMBT1 binding to multiple bacterial species involves its conserved Scavenger Receptor Cysteine-Rich (SRCR) domains, localized to a 16-mer consensus sequence peptide, SRCRP2. Previously, we showed that DMBT1 bound Pseudomonas aeruginosa pili, and inhibited twitching motility, a pilus-mediated movement important for virulence. Here, we determined molecular characteristics required for twitching motility inhibition. Heat-denatured DMBT1 lost capacity to inhibit twitching motility and showed reduced pili binding (~40%). Size-exclusion chromatography of Lys-C-digested native DMBT1 showed that only high-Mw fractions retained activity, suggesting involvement of the N-terminal containing repeated SRCR domains with …

Reduction Of Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (Cauti) In A Critical Care Setting, Deborah Jackson, Lindsey Lucas, Shawn Taylor, Jonathan Archibald, Stephen Tyzik, Suneela Nayak, Ruth Hanselman, Amy Sparks

Operations Transformation

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common type of healthcare associated infections. Seventy five percent are related to indwelling urinary catheters. These infections come with increased morbidity and mortality risk. A team of intensive care providers at a large academic tertiary medical center initiated a quality improvement project to reduce the number of CAUTIs.

Baseline data established the total number of catheter days and CAUTIs by month. A subsequent root cause analysis was completed and several counter measures were developed to include a KPI implementation to track that all intensive care providers are educated in CAUTI and creation of …

Human Polyomavirus Jcpyv And Its Role In Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy And Oncogenesis, Luis Del Valle, Sergio Piña-Oviedo

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

The human neurotropic virus JCPyV, a member of the family, is the opportunistic infectious agent of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML), a fatal disease seen in severe immunosuppressive conditions and, during the last decade, in patients undergoing immunotherapy. JCPyV is a ubiquitous pathogen with up to 85% of the adult population word-wide exhibiting antibodies against it. Early experiments demonstrated that direct inoculation of JCPyV into the brain of different species resulted in the development of brain tumors and other neuroectodermal-derived neoplasias. Later, several reports showed the detection of viral sequences in medulloblastomas and glial tumors, as well as expression of the …

Rig-I-Like Receptors Direct Inflammatory Macrophage Polarization Against West Nile Virus Infection., Amy E. L. Stone, Richard Green, Courtney Wilkins, Emily A. Hemann, Michael Gale Jr.

College of Osteopathic Medicine (TUN) Publications and Research

RIG-I-Like Receptors (RLRs) RIG-I, MDA5, and LGP2, are vital pathogen recognition receptors in the defense against RNA viruses. West Nile Virus (WNV) infections continue to grow in the US. Here, we use a systems biology approach to define the contributions of each RLR in the innate immune response to WNV. Genome-wide RNAseq and bioinformatics analyses of macrophages from mice lacking either RLR reveal that the RLRs drive distinct immune gene activation and response polarization to mediate an M1/inflammatory signature while suppressing the M2/wound healing phenotype. While LGP2 functions to modulate inflammatory signaling, RIG-I and MDA5 together are essential for M1 …

Longitudinal Quantification Of Adenovirus Neutralizing Responses In Zambian Mother-Infant Pairs: Impact Of Hiv-1 Infection And Its Treatment, Sara R. Privatt, Brianna L. Bullard, Eric A. Weaver, Charles Wood, John T. West

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Vaccination offers the most cost-effective approach to limiting the adverse impact of infectious and neoplastic diseases that reduce the quality of life in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, it is unclear what vaccine vectors would be most readily implementable in the setting and at what age they should be applied for maximal efficacy. Adenoviruses (Ad) and Ad-based vectors have been demonstrated to induce effective humoral and cellular immune responses in animal models and in humans. However, because immunity associated with Ad infection is lifelong, there exists a debate as to whether pre-existing immunity might decrease the efficacy of Ad vectored vaccines. …

Small But Mighty: Letters-To-The-Editor Published On The Zika Virus, 1952 - 2018, Frances A. Delwiche

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Objective:

To conduct a bibliometric analysis of Letters-to-the-Editor published on the Zika Virus between 1952 and 2018.

Methods:

A PubMed search was conducted on the terms (Zika OR ZIKV). Results were limited to Publication Date = 1952-2018, and Publication Type = Letter. Results were exported to EndNote, and the full-text (PDF) of each Letter was examined. Non-Letters, duplicates, irrelevant results, and incorrectly indexed items were excluded. Letters discovered serendipitously were added. The total number of Letters published and their date distribution was determined. The Letters were categorized as Reader Response, Author Reply, Observation, Case Report, or Research. Additional parameters …

Antibiotic Resistance And Molecular Characterization Of Bacteremia Escherichia Coli Isolates From Newborns In The United States., Bryan K. Cole, Marko Ilikj, Cindy B. Mccloskey, Susana Chavez-Bueno

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Escherichia coli is a major cause of neonatal sepsis. Contemporary antibiotic resistance data and molecular characterization of neonatal E. coli bacteremia isolates in the US are limited.

METHODS: E. coli blood isolates, antibiotic susceptibility data, and clinical characteristics were obtained from prospectively identified newborns from 2006 to 2016. The E. coli isolates were classified using an updated phylogrouping method and multi-locus sequence typing. The presence of several virulence traits was also determined.

RESULTS: Forty-three newborns with E. coli bacteremia were identified. Mean gestational age was 32.3 (SD±5.4) weeks. Median age was 7 days (interquartile range 0-10). Mortality (28%) occurred …

When An Infected Meniscus Portends A Perforated Viscus, Michelle Hannon, Stephen Zachariah, Neha Bansal Etherington, Anusha Govind, Devin Weber, Bryan Hess

Division of Infectious Diseases and Environmental Medicine Faculty Papers

A 59-year-old woman with a status of post–renal transplant 7 years prior for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease on tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil presented with subacute left knee and right wrist pain. She received local steroid injections to both areas as an outpatient without improvement in her symptoms. She had recently traveled to India, her home country, to visit relatives. Aspiration of the knee revealed 4+ acid fast bacilli on smear, and she was taken for surgical debridement. She was started on empiric antibiotics for presumed infection with rapidly growing mycobacteria. Her course was complicated by acute onset abdominal pain …

Making Sure Your Voice Is Heard Lgbtqi Documentation For End Of Life, Kenneth J. Mangano Bhas, Mcm

Patient Care Services / Nursing

No abstract provided.

Price Variance For Malaria Prophylaxis Among Northeastern Us Pharmacies, Marcelo Gareca Md, Mark Knouse Md

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.