Diseases Commons^™

Uncommon Presentation Of Kaposi Sarcoma In An Hiv-Negative Patient: A Case Report And Review Of The Literature, Hope Daskalakis, Nina M. Ventura, Joy Anne Lowry, Mara Weinstein Velez

Advances in Clinical Medical Research and Healthcare Delivery

Kaposi Sarcoma (KS) is a multifocal systemic disease first identified in 1872. It most commonly involves the skin, mucous membranes, lymph nodes, and gastrointestinal tract. There are four clinically distinct subtypes of KS that have been identified: Chronic or classic KS, African endemic KS, KS due to iatrogenic immunosuppression, and AIDS-related epidemic KS. The human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) has been implicated in all subtypes of KS. We present a unique case of KS in a 79-year-old male with a widespread distribution of skin lesions on his palms, soles, chest, and back. This case report highlights a novel presentation of classical …

Long Trimer-Immunization Interval And Appropriate Adjuvant Reduce Immune Responses To The Soluble Hiv-1-Envelope Trimer Base, Hongying Duan, Angela R Corrigan, Cheng Cheng, Andrea Biju, Christopher A Gonelli, Adam S Olia, I-Ting Teng, Kai Xu, Sijy O'Dell, Sandeep Narpala, Mike Castro, Leonid Serebryannyy, Jennifer Wang, Danealle K Parchment, Edward K Sarfo, Jelle Van Schooten, John-Paul Todd, Shuishu Wang, Darcy R Harris, Hui Geng, Alexander J Jafari, Vrc Production Program, Ruth A Woodward, Nicole A Doria-Rose, Kathryn E Foulds, Adrian B Mcdermott, Marit J Van Gils, Richard A Koup, Theodore C Pierson, Peter D Kwong, John R Mascola

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Soluble 'SOSIP'-stabilized HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimers elicit dominant antibody responses targeting their glycan-free base regions, potentially diminishing neutralizing responses. Previously, using a nonhuman primate model, we demonstrated that priming with fusion peptide (FP)-carrier conjugate immunogens followed by boosting with Env trimers reduced the anti-base response. Further, we demonstrated that longer immunization intervals further reduced anti-base responses and increased neutralization breadth. Here, we demonstrate that long trimer-boosting intervals, but not long FP immunization intervals, reduce the anti-base response. Additionally, we identify that FP priming before trimer immunization enhances antibody avidity to the Env trimer. We also establish that adjuvants Matrix …

Acute Neutrophilic Vasculitis (Leukocytoclasia) In 36 Covid-19 Autopsy Brains, Roy H. Rhodes, Gordon L. Love, Fernanda Da Silva Lameira, Maryam Sadough Shahmirzadi, Sharon E. Fox, Richard S. Vander Heide

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Hypercytokinemia, the renin-angiotensin system, hypoxia, immune dysregulation, and vasculopathy with evidence of immune-related damage are implicated in brain morbidity in COVID-19 along with a wide variety of genomic and environmental influences. There is relatively little evidence of direct SARS-CoV-2 brain infection in COVID-19 patients. Methods: Brain histopathology of 36 consecutive autopsies of patients who were RT-PCR positive for SARS-CoV-2 was studied along with findings from contemporary and pre-pandemic historical control groups. Immunostaining for serum and blood cell proteins and for complement components was employed. Microcirculatory wall complement deposition in the COVID-19 cohort was compared to historical control cases. Comparisons …

Covid-19 Hospital Mortality Among Patients With Invasive Mechanical Ventilation: A Comparison Between Public And Private Healthcare Services In San Luis Potosí 2020–2022, María E. Torres-Acosta, Rocío M. Cubos-Moncada, Alan Y. Martínez-Castellanos

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: During 2019, México’s total public spending on health was 5.43% of the national gross domestic product, making it one of the countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development that invested the least in developing public health systems. This study analyzes hospital mortality among intubated patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 according to type of institution in San Luis Potosí, México, from March 18, 2020, to April 7, 2022.

Methods: This is a secondary data analysis of publicly available information about mortality among intubated patients with a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 with respect to the type of hospitalization institution.

Results: …

My Covid-19 Experience, Anonymous

Community Reflections

In this writing I talked about my personal feelings during covid-19 and experiences I went through being a highschool student during a global pandemic.

Covid Reflection, Anonymous

Community Reflections

The first couple of weeks of quarantine from the Covid-19 virus were not that bad. It was nice to spend more time with my parents and be able to just stay at home and do nothing. School was online for the first time and zoom was new to everyone. Teachers were very relaxed with the schoolwork and the zoom meetings. This lead to a lot of free time. I would mostly just play video games or spend time with my family since I couldn’t leave the house, and everyone was on edge about this virus. We would take precautions such …

My Covid Experience, Anonymous

Community Reflections

In 2020, our world was shaken by the Covid-19 Pandemic. Everyday life ceased to be what it once was. When Covid-19 began spreading throughout my area I was halfway through my freshman year of high school. I was in school every day from 7:30-2:45 and followed school with going dance. I was still getting comfortable with the change in my life that was being a high school student. Each day was an adjustment, but I was finally beginning to feel the ease of my routine when I received the email from my school that we would have two weeks off …

My Life Was Altered, Anonymous

Community Reflections

My life was altered in March of 2020. This pandemic created an unimaginable world. The cause of the COVID-19 pandemic still remains a mystery. My experience began on March 12, 2020, when my school gave us two weeks off to allow time for this illness to pass.

Remembering Covid-19, Anonymous

Community Reflections

The COVID-19 pandemic changed many aspects of my life, and personally it felt like it was for the better. During this extended period of time when I was at home doing school online, and not able to attend my extracurricular activities, I found out who I really was as a person. The whole quarantine time was like one long therapy session where you could sit and reflect about your past and future, and what you wanted to make of it. One main thing that everyone seemed to go through was finding new hobbies.

Covid Memory, Anonymous

Community Reflections

This document describes my experiences and reactions to the initial and outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

My Old Self Vanished, Olivia Anonymous

Community Reflections

Being an adolescent during the COVID 19 pandemic was something that I would never wish upon my greatest enemy. Growing up during a time of isolation was incredibly lonely and confusing. Instead of making connections and living a normal life, we were forced to hide behind masks and remain away from each other. In a time where I was supposed to be developing and gathering life experience, life was taken away from me.

My Teenage Covid Experience, Anonymous

Community Reflections

It was March 2020 and COVID 19 headlines took over the news. This new disease had the world so frightened. It was quickly becoming a pandemic, which is something I had never seen in my lifetime. In fact, it was sometime that neither had my parents nor grandparents experienced. The funeral home in my town had a huge amount of body bags in anticipation of a massive death toll.

We Lost Ourselves, Anonymous

Community Reflections

My content reflects how I struggled during the covid pandemic in 2020 on Long Island.

Nobody Knew, Anonymous

Community Reflections

Nobody ever knew what was coming in March of 2020, as a sophomore in highschool I never knew that life was going to change drastically. A few weeks prior to the announcement of school closing I remember some people talking about this new sickness that was running rampant through China. By the beginning of March everyone was talking about Covid. There were some cases throughout the United States. Finally on Friday March 13th my school took to facebook to announce they would be closing the school for two weeks.

Covid-19 Impact, Anonymous

Community Reflections

In March 2020, I was a freshman in high school living one of the most exciting years of my life. Making new friends and quickly adapting to an exciting environment was amazing until it ended. At first I was confused but mostly ecstatic to have two workless weeks at home. Covid-19 was a blessing at first until I realized the fatal threat this pandemic proposed.

Quarantine Ups And Downs, Anonymous

Community Reflections

The traumatic outbreak of Covid-19 had started March 13, 2020 as I was sitting in health class as a freshman in highschool. There were rumors spreading that school was getting shut down because of this Covid-19. No one knew what this disease really was. However, everyone around me was jumping with joy because we had the rest of our school week off. When I arrived home that day, the news channel was already on and it was all about this outbreak. After that first week of staying home from school, the number of people with this disease kept increasing.

Pennsylvannia Football Player Tackles Covid-19, Anonymous

Community Reflections

My content reflects my high school experience with the pandemic and trying to juggle continuing football training with keeping in touch with friends while abiding current spatial rules.

Prevalence And Factors Associated With Frailty Among Older Adults Living With Hiv Compared To Their Uninfected Peers From The Kenyan Coast, Patrick Nzivo Mwangala, Carophine Nasambu, Ryan G. Wagner, Charles R. Newton, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

Objectives: a) To document the prevalence and correlates of frailty among older adults living with HIV (OALWH) and their uninfected peers, and b) Investigate HIV status as an independent predictor of frailty.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between 2020 and 2021 at the Kenyan coast among 440 older adults aged ≥50 years (257 OALWH). Frailty was assessed using the Reported Edmonton Frail Scale. Logistic regression was used to examine the correlates of frailty.

Results: The prevalence of frailty was significantly higher among OALWH (24%) than their uninfected peers (13%). HIV seropositivity was not independently associated with frailty. Sleeping difficulties, …

Prevalence Of Dengue Virus Among Healthy Blood Donors In Mombasa County, Kenya, Festus Mulakoli, George Gachara, Eric Ndombi, Samoel Khamadi

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Introduction: Dengue fever (DF) is a viral infection caused by a flavivirus called Dengue virus. The virus has four known serotypes (named DENV 1-4) that circulate between humans and Aedes mosquitoes throughout the tropical region of the world. The virus is transmitted primarily by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti or, to a lesser extent, Aedes albopictus. Current evidence from published case studies shows that blood transfusions can transmit Dengue infection in hyperendemic regions in the tropics. It is important to note that 75% of people infected with DENV show no symptoms. Therefore, an infected individual could …

Ikaros Expression Drives The Aberrant Metabolic Phenotype Of Macrophages In Chronic Hiv Infection, Cecilia Vittori, Celeste Faia, Dorota Wyczechowska, Amber Trauth, Karlie Plaisance-Bonstaff, Mary Meyaski-Schluter, Krzysztof Reiss, Francesca Peruzzi

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

The increased risk for acquiring secondary illnesses in people living with HIV (PLWH) has been associated with immune dysfunction. We have previously found that circulating monocytes from PLWH display a trained phenotype. Here, we evaluated the metabolic profile of these cells and found increased mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis of monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) from PLWH. We additionally found that cART shifted the energy metabolism of MDMs from controls toward increased utilization of mitochondrial respiration. Importantly, both downregulation of IKAROS expression and inhibition of the mTOR pathway reversed the metabolic profile of MDMs from PLWH and cART-treated control-MDMs. Altogether, this study reveals …

A Tale Of Two Viruses: Why Smallpox Was Eradicated And Polio Persists, Katherine G. Mcgough, Erin N. Bodine

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics

The smallpox and poliomyelitis (polio) viruses were, at a time, one of the largest threats to global public health killing millions until global eradication campaigns were put into effect. Vaccination led to the eradication of smallpox and the elimination of polio for most of the world. However, polio continues to persist at endemic levels in Pakistan and Afghanistan. We developed ODE models of smallpox and polio to explore differences in transmission dynamics and determine if the underlying biology has made poliomyelitis more difficult to eradicate. Our model analysis shows there are multiple factors which should allow polio to have a …

Building Research Capacity In Low- And Middle-Income Countries And Pandemic Preparedness: Lessons Learned And Future Directions, Peter H. Kilmarx, Karen A. Goralesk, Erum Khan, John F. Lindo, Nancy Gore Saravia

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Research capacity is a critical component of pandemic preparedness, as highlighted by the challenges faced during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Recent global initiatives, such as the Research & Development Task Force of the Global Health Security Agenda and the World Health Assembly's resolution on strengthening clinical trials, emphasize the need for robust research capabilities. This Perspective discusses the experiences of leaders in infectious disease research and capacity building in low- and middle-income countries, focusing on Colombia, Jamaica, and Pakistan. These case studies underscore the importance of collaborative efforts, interdisciplinary training, and global partnerships in pandemic response. The experiences …

Long-Term Open-Label Vebicorvir For Chronic Hbv Infection: Safety And Off-Treatment Responses, Man-Fung Yuen, Scott Fung, Xiaoli Ma, Tuan Nguyen, Tarek Hassanein, Hie-Won Hann, Magdy Elkhashab, Ronald Nahass, James Park, Ira Jacobson, Walid Ayoub, Steven-Huy Han, Edward Gane, Katie Zomorodi, Ran Yan, Julie Ma, Steven Knox, Luisa Stamm, Maurizio Bonacini, Frank Weilert, Alnoor Ramji, Michael Bennett, Natarajan Ravendhran, Sing Chan, Douglas Dieterich, Paul Yien Kwo, Eugene Schiff, Ho Bae, Jacob Lalezari, Kosh Agarwal, Mark Sulkowski

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The investigational first-generation core inhibitor vebicorvir (VBR) demonstrated safety and antiviral activity over 24 weeks in two phase IIa studies in patients with chronic HBV infection. In this long-term extension study, patients received open-label VBR with nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NrtIs).

METHODS: Patients in this study (NCT03780543) previously received VBR + NrtI or placebo + NrtI in parent studies 201 (NCT03576066) or 202 (NCT03577171). After receiving VBR + NrtI for ≥52 weeks, stopping criteria (based on the treatment history and hepatitis B e antigen status in the parent studies) were applied, and patients either discontinued both VBR …

Coagulopathy In Severe Covid-19 Patients: Causes, Concerns And Current Treatment Regimen, Tanusree Sengupta, Arun Luiz, Chennakesavan Suganthi, Samarpan Majumder

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

Elevated D-dimer and fibrinogen level, mild thrombocytopenia, modest prolongation of prothrombin time, and activated partial thromboplastin time, are key indicators of coagulopathy, and have been consistently reported in severely ill COVID-19 patients. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-induced coagulopathy can develop serious venous and arterial thromboembolic complications. Endothelial dysfunction and hypercoagulability, triggered mostly by overproduction of inflammatory cytokines as an immune response to the infection, are the pivotal factors responsible for the above-mentioned coagulation disorder. Thus, low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), which has both anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory properties, has been reported to improve disease prognosis. However, there have been increasing reports of venous thromboembolic …

Coronavirus Update Spring 2024, The Coronavirus Planning Team

University Briefings & Virtual Events

We are looking forward to welcoming our students back for the spring semester. As we prepare for a rewarding and fun few months, we want to remind you of our COVID protocols.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), levels of the virus are currently higher than they have been since the first Omicron wave. That said, severe outcomes are lower than in previous winters.

Cook, John Loy, 1838-1878 (Sc 3709), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3709. Biographical data on John L. Cook, a physician of Henderson, Kentucky. Includes an 1878 article on yellow fever by Cook, published in the Louisville Medical News just prior to his death from the disease; a memorial address read before the McDowell Medical Society at Hopkinsville, Kentucky after his death; and information on his wife Annie.

Emerging Stroke Risk Factors: A Focus On Infectious And Environmental Determinants, Sajid Hameed, Nurose Karim, Mohammad Wasay, Narayanaswamy Venketasubramanian

Section of Neurology

This review focuses on emerging risk factors for stroke, including air pollution and climate change, gut microbiota, high altitude, and systemic infection. Up to 14% of all stroke-associated mortality is attributed to air pollution and is more pronounced in developing countries. Fine particulate matter and other air pollutants contribute to an increased stroke risk, and this risk appears to increase with higher levels and duration of exposure. Short term air pollution exposure has also been reported to increase the stroke risk. The gut microbiota is a complex ecosystem of bacteria and other microorganisms that reside in the digestive system and …

From Static Web To Metaverse: Reinventing Medical Education In The Post-Pandemic Era, Kadriye O. Lewis, Vitaliy Popov, Syeda Sadia Fatima

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

The World Wide Web and the advancement of computer technology in the 1960s and 1990s respectively set the ground for a substantial and simultaneous change in many facets of our life, including medicine, health care, and medical education. The traditional didactic approach has shifted towards more dynamic and interactive methods, leveraging technologies such as simulation tools, virtual reality, and online platforms. At the forefront is the remarkable evolution that has revolutionized how medical knowledge is accessed, disseminated, and integrated into pedagogical practices. The COVID-19 pandemic also led to rapid and large-scale adoption of e-learning and digital resources in medical education …

Ascending Paralysis: A Case Of West Nile Virus, Samantha Rudy, Claire Levinson, Lauren Gilbert, Michaela Snow, Robyn Kramer

Continental, MidAmerica, & Mountain Divisions GME Research Day 2024

No abstract provided.

Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis In Covid-19, Patel Dharmik, Adit Dharia, Muddassir Salman

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2024

No abstract provided.