Diseases Commons^™

Impact Of The Covid Pandemic On Mental Health And Training Opportunities Of Public Health Residents From 4 European Countries: A Cross-Sectional Study, Giovanna Failla, Marta Caminiti, José Chen-Xu, Giuseppina Lo Moro, Nausicaa Berselli, Madalena Cabral Ferreira, Filipa Malcata, David Peyre-Costa, Roberto Croci, Giorgia Soldà, Angelo Capodici, Caterina Morcavallo, Francesco Traglia, Fabrizio Cedrone, Ilaria Storti, Alfonso Alonso Jaquete, Martina Antinozzi, Anca Vasiliu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVES: There is little evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Public Health Residents' (PHR) mental health (MH). This study aims at assessing prevalence and risk factors for depression, anxiety and stress in European PHR during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS: Between March and April 2021, an online survey was administered to PHR from France, Italy, Portugal and Spain. The survey assessed COVID-19 related changes in working conditions, training opportunities and evaluated MH outcomes using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21. Multivariable logistic regressions were applied to identify risk factors.

RESULTS: Among the 443 respondents, many showed symptoms of depression …

Covid-19 And Pregnancy: Clinical Outcomes; Mechanisms, And Vaccine Efficacy, Deepak Kumar, Sonam Verma, Indira U Mysorekar

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues into its third year, emerging data indicates increased risks associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy, including pre-eclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, preterm birth, stillbirth, and risk of developmental defects in neonates. Here, we review clinical reports to date that address different COVID-19 pregnancy complications. We also document placental pathologies induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection, entry mechanisms in placental cells, and immune responses at the maternal-fetal interface. Since new variants of SARS-CoV-2 are emerging with characteristics of higher transmissibility and more effective immune escape strategies, we also briefly highlight the genomic and proteomic features of SARS-CoV-2 investigated to …

Distinct Temporal Trajectories And Risk Factors For Post-Acute Sequelae Of Sars-Cov-2 Infection, Chen Chen, Sairam Parthasarathy, Jacqueline M Leung, Michelle J Wu, Katherine A Drake, Vanessa K Ridaura, Howard C Zisser, William A Conrad, Victor F Tapson, James N Moy, Christopher R Defilippi, Ivan O Rosas, Bellur S Prabhakar, Mujeeb Basit, Mirella Salvatore, Jerry A Krishnan, Charles C Kim

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: The understanding of Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) can be improved by longitudinal assessment of symptoms encompassing the acute illness period. To gain insight into the various disease trajectories of PASC, we assessed symptom evolution and clinical factors associated with the development of PASC over 3 months, starting with the acute illness period.

METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study to identify parameters associated with PASC. We performed cluster and case control analyses of clinical data, including symptomatology collected over 3 months following infection.

RESULTS: We identified three phenotypic clusters associated with PASC that could be characterized as …

Trends In Disease Severity Among Critically Ill Children With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2: A Retrospective Multicenter Cohort Study In The United States, Catherine E Ross, Jeffrey P Burns, Anne V Grossestreuer, Pallav Bhattarai, Christine A Mckiernan, Jennifer D Franks, Sonja Lehmann, Jill L Sorcher, Matthew P Sharron, Kitman Wai, Haitham Al-Wahab, Konstantinos Boukas, Mark W Hall, George Ru, Anita I Sen, Hariprem R Rajasekhar, Lawrence C Kleinman, John K Mcguire, Amy S Arrington, Flor Munoz-Rivas, Christopher M Osborne, Lara S Shekerdemian

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: To describe trends in critical illness from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in children over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. We hypothesized that PICU admission rates were higher in the Omicron period compared with the original outbreak but that fewer patients needed endotracheal intubation.

DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING: This study took place in nine U.S. PICUs over 3 weeks in January 2022 (Omicron period) compared with 3 weeks in March 2020 (original period).

PATIENTS: Patients less than or equal to 21 years old who screened positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection by polymerase chain reaction or …

Control Of Sars-Cov-2 Infection By Mt1-Mmp-Mediated Shedding Of Ace2, Xuanming Guo, Jianli Cao, Jian-Piao Cai, Jiayan Wu, Jiangang Huang, Pallavi Asthana, Sheung Kin Ken Wong, Zi-Wei Ye, Susma Gurung, Yijing Zhang, Sheng Wang, Zening Wang, Xin Ge, Hiu Yee Kwan, Aiping Lyu, Kui Ming Chan, Nathalie Wong, Jiandong Huang, Zhongjun Zhou, Zhao-Xiang Bian, Shuofeng Yuan, Hoi Leong Xavier Wong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is an entry receptor for SARS-CoV-2. The full-length membrane form of ACE2 (memACE2) undergoes ectodomain shedding to generate a shed soluble form (solACE2) that mediates SARS-CoV-2 entry via receptor-mediated endocytosis. Currently, it is not known how the physiological regulation of ACE2 shedding contributes to the etiology of COVID-19 in vivo. The present study identifies Membrane-type 1 Matrix Metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) as a critical host protease for solACE2-mediated SARS-CoV-2 infection. SARS-CoV-2 infection leads to increased activation of MT1-MMP that is colocalized with ACE2 in human lung …

The Prevalence Of Sars-Cov-2 Antibodies Within The Community Of A Private Tertiary University In The Philippines: A Serial Cross Sectional Study, Lourdes S. Tanchanco, Jenica Clarisse Y. Sy, Angel Belle C. Dy, Myla D. Levantino, Arianna Maever L. Amit, John Wong, Kirsten Angeles, John Paul Vergara

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a public health emergency in all sectors of society, including universities and other academic institutions. This study determined the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among administrators, faculty, staff, and students of a private tertiary academic institution in the Philippines over a 7 month period. It employed a serial cross-sectional method using qualitative and quantitative COVID-19 antibody test kits. A total of 1,318 participants were tested, showing 47.80% of the study population yielding IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 virus. A general increase in seroprevalence was observed from June to December 2021, which coincided with the vaccine roll-out of …

A New Chapter In An Evolving Pandemic: Successful Pediatric Liver Transplantation With Sars-Cov-2+ Donors, Matthew Benjamin Goss, Daniel Hao Bin Leung, Stephanie Marie Pouch, Flor M Munoz, Elizabeth Andrea Moulton, Tyler Malcolm Mccann Lambing, Sarah Koohmaraie, Nicolas Fernando Moreno, Christine A O'Mahony, John A Goss, Nhu Thao Nguyen Galván

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Amid a viral pandemic with poorly understood transmissibility and pathogenicity in the pediatric patient, we report the first pediatric liver transplants utilizing allografts from SARS-CoV-2+ donors.

METHODS: We describe the outcomes of two pediatric liver transplant recipients who received organs from SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid test-positive (NAT+) donors. Data were obtained through the respective electronic medical record system and UNet DonorNet platform.

RESULTS: The first donor was a 3-year-old boy succumbing to head trauma. One of four nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs and 1 of 3 bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) NAT tests demonstrated SARS-CoV-2 infection before organ procurement. The second donor was a …

Association Of Initial Sars-Cov-2 Test Positivity With Patient-Reported Well-Being 3 Months After A Symptomatic Illness, Lauren E Wisk, Michael A Gottlieb, Erica S Spatz, Huihui Yu, Ralph C Wang, Benjamin H Slovis, Sharon Saydah, Ian D Plumb, Kelli N O'Laughlin, Juan Carlos C Montoy, Samuel A Mcdonald, Zhenqiu Lin, Jin-Mann S Lin, Katherine Koo, Ahamed H Idris, Ryan M Huebinger, Mandy J Hill, Nicole L Gentile, Anna Marie Chang, Jill Anderson, Bala Hota, Arjun K Venkatesh, Robert A Weinstein, Joann G Elmore, Graham Nichol, Inspire Group

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: Long-term sequelae after symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection may impact well-being, yet existing data primarily focus on discrete symptoms and/or health care use.

OBJECTIVE: To compare patient-reported outcomes of physical, mental, and social well-being among adults with symptomatic illness who received a positive vs negative test result for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study was a planned interim analysis of an ongoing multicenter prospective longitudinal registry study (the Innovative Support for Patients With SARS-CoV-2 Infections Registry [INSPIRE]). Participants were enrolled from December 11, 2020, to September 10, 2021, and comprised adults (aged ≥18 years) with acute symptoms suggestive …

Effects Of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation On Adults With Post-Acute Covid-19 Syndrome, Isaac Min, Aaron Schurger

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Since its detection in December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the viral disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus, has had prominent effects on human health and mortality. Studies in previous infections of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV have found evidence of persistent symptoms in recovered patients, such as lethargy and shortness of breath. Similar residual symptoms have also been seen in recovered COVID-19 patients beyond four weeks of the initial onset of symptoms — collectively termed post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS). These symptoms include deficits in working memory. Preliminary studies done in the United States and Europe have shown a significant portion …

A Phase 1a/1b Clinical Trial Design To Assess Safety, Acceptability, Pharmacokinetics And Tolerability Of Intranasal Q-Griffithsin For Covid-19 Prophylaxis, Henry W. Nabeta, Maryam Zahin, Joshua L. Fuqua, Elizabeth D. Cash, Ingrid Leth, Michael Strauss, Jeanne Novak, Lin Wang, Angela Siegwald, Rachel A. Sheppard, Shesh N. Rai, Lisa C. Rohan, Sharon Hillier, Gerald W. Dryden, Kevin L. Potts, Kenneth E. Palmer

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic remains an ongoing threat to global public health. Q-Griffithsin (Q-GRFT) is a lectin that has demonstrated potent broad-spectrum inhibitory activity in preclinical studies in models of Nipah virus and the beta coronaviruses SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: Here, we propose a clinical trial design to test the safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), and tolerability of intranasally administered Q-GRFT for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection as a prophylaxis strategy. The initial Phase 1a study will assess the safety and PK of a single dose of intranasally administered Q-GRFT. If found safe, the safety, PK, and tolerability of multiple doses …

Sars-Cov-2 Spike Conformation Determines Plasma Neutralizing Activity Elicited By A Wide Panel Of Human Vaccines, John E. Bowen, Young-Jun Park, Cameron Stewart, Jack T. Brown, William K. Sharkey, Alexandra C. Walls, Anshu Joshi, Kumail Ahmed, Asefa Shariq, Najeeha Talat Iqbal

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Numerous safe and effective coronavirus disease 2019 vaccines have been developed worldwide that use various delivery technologies and engineering strategies. We show here that vaccines containing prefusion-stabilizing S mutations elicit antibody responses in humans with enhanced recognition of S and the S1 subunit relative to postfusion S as compared with vaccines lacking these mutations or natural infection. Prefusion S and S1 antibody binding titers positively and equivalently correlated with neutralizing activity, and depletion of S1-directed antibodies completely abrogated plasma neutralizing activity. We show that neutralizing activity is almost entirely directed to the S1 subunit and that variant cross-neutralization is mediated …

Sars-Cov-2 Incubation Period According To Vaccination Status During The Fifth Covid-19 Wave In A Tertiary-Care Center In Spain: A Cohort Study, Jordi Cortés Martínez, Daewoo Pak, Gabriela Abelenda-Alonso, Klaus Langohr, Jing Ning, Alexander Rombauts, Mireia Colom, Yu Shen, Guadalupe Gómez Melis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The incubation period of an infectious disease is defined as the elapsed time between the exposure to the pathogen and the onset of symptoms. Although both the mRNA-based and the adenoviral vector-based vaccines have shown to be effective, there have been raising concerns regarding possible decreases in vaccine effectiveness for new variants and variations in the incubation period.

Methods: We conducted a unicentric observational study at the Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, using a structured telephone survey performed by trained interviewers to estimate the incubation period of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in a cohort of Spanish hospitalized patients. The …

Cardiovascular Outcomes In Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease And Covid-19: A Multi-Regional Data-Linkage Study, Emilie J Lambourg, Peter J Gallacher, Robert W Hunter, Moneeza Siddiqui, Eve Miller-Hodges, James D Chalmers, Dan Pugh, Neeraj Dhaun, Samira Bell

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Data describing cardiovascular outcomes in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are lacking. We compared cardiovascular outcomes of patients with and without COVID-19, stratified by CKD status.

METHODS: This retrospective, multi-regional data-linkage study utilised individual patient-level data from two Scottish cohorts. All patients tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Cohort 1 between 1 February 2020 and 31 March 2021 and in Cohort 2 between 28 February 2020 and 8 February 2021 were included.

RESULTS: Overall, 86 964 patients were tested for SARS-CoV-2. There were 36 904 patients (mean±sd age 61±21 …

Factors Associated With Loss Of Motivation And Hesitation To Work Amongst Frontline Health Care Providers During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey From A Developing Country, Mehreen Malik, Syeda Tayyaba Rehan, Farheen Malik, Jawad Ahmed, Chaudhary Abdul Fatir, Hassan Ul Hussain, Asiyah Aman, Muhammad Junaid Tahir

Department of Anaesthesia

Background: The COVID-19 took over the world in 2020 and a lockdown has been imposed seeing its fast spread. Frontline health care workers (HCWs) were reported frequently with a lack of motivation, hesitancy and unwillingness to perform their duties during this pandemic. This cross-sectional survey aims to evaluate the factors associated with lack of motivation and increased hesitancy among the frontline HCWs to perform their duties during COVID-19 pandemic.
Materials and methods: A total of 239 HCWs were included in this web-based cross-sectional study, who have worked during the COVID-19 pandemic. The anonymous online questionnaire was sent to all faculty, …

Outcomes Of Gynecologic Cancer Surgery During The Covid-19 Pandemic: An International, Multicenter, Prospective Covidsurg-Gynecologic Oncology Cancer Study, Christina Fotopoulou, Tabassum Khan, Juraj Bracinik, James Glasbey, Nadeem Abu-Rustum, Luis Chiva, Anna Fagotti, Keiichi Fujiwara, Rahel Ghebre, Murat Gutelkin, Thomas O Konney, Joseph Ng, Rene Pareja, Rajkumar Kottayasamy Seenivasagam, Jalid Sehouli, Shylasree T S Surappa, Aneel Bhangu, Elaine Leung, Sudha Sundar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The CovidSurg-Cancer Consortium aimed to explore the impact of COVID-19 in surgical patients and services for solid cancers at the start of the pandemic. The CovidSurg-Gynecologic Oncology Cancer subgroup was particularly concerned about the magnitude of adverse outcomes caused by the disrupted surgical gynecologic cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic, which are currently unclear.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the changes in care and short-term outcomes of surgical patients with gynecologic cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hypothesized that the COVID-19 pandemic had led to a delay in surgical cancer care, especially in patients who required more extensive …

Case Growth Analysis To Inform Local Response To Covid-19 Epidemic In A Diverse Us Community, Marcia C De Oliveira Otto, Frances A Brito, Ji Yun Tark, Eric Bakota, Jose-Miguel Yamal, Dritana Marko, Shreela V Sharma, Michael R Brown, Savitri N Appana, Alison M Rector, Stephen H Linder, Jennifer Kiger, Karen C Tseng, Alanna C Morrison, Eric Boerwinkle

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Early detection of new outbreak waves is critical for effective and sustained response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a growth rate analysis using local community and inpatient records from seven hospital systems to characterize distinct phases in SARS-CoV-2 outbreak waves in the Greater Houston area. We determined the transition times from rapid spread of infection in the community to surge in the number of inpatients in local hospitals. We identified 193,237 residents who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 via molecular testing from April 8, 2020 to June 30, 2021, and 30,031 residents admitted within local healthcare institutions with a positive …

Thromboembolism In Children With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome: A Literature Review, Neethu M Menon, Lakshmi V Srivaths

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a hyperinflammatory response observed in children several weeks to months after acute infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). On review of all published cases of thromboembolism (TE) as a complication of MIS-C, 33 cases of TE were found with incidence ranging from 1.4 to 6.5%. TE occurred mostly in children aged 12 years and above. One-third of the cases were cerebral infarcts and the remaining cases included intracardiac and radial arterial thromboses, upper and lower extremity deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and splenic infarcts. Five were asymptomatic cases and 3/33 (9%) …

Wastewater-Informed Public Health Intervention Playbook

Sustain Magazine

As the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic quickly spread from country to country and continent to continent in 2020, governments and scientists needed a way to track COVID-19 through populations in order to position public health interventions in the most impactful locations. Having a decision-based risk framework may help to guide policy creation that could minimize or prevent possible outbreaks and surges of infection within communities. The University of Louisville in partnership with Louisville’s Department of Public Health and Wellness tested this strategy in 2021 and 2022. This Wastewater-Informed Public Health Intervention Playbook describes the decisions and actions of that academic and public …

Omicron Variants Of The Sars-Cov-2: A Potentially Significant Threat In A New Wave Of Infections, Lukasz Szarpak, Michal Pruc, Alla Navolokina, Kavita Batra, Francesco Chirico, Charles De Roquetaillade

School of Medicine Faculty Research

From the beginning, the COVID-19 pandemic turned out to be a huge challenge and burden for medical services [1]. Currently, humanity is dealing with a new wave of the virus that has evolved and presents a new challenge, mainly due to its ability to avoid immune surveillance. Indeed, our main line of defense — vaccines — may be compromised. Omicron variants are characterized by an evolutionary force unprecedented so far. Among the several sublines that have already emerged, the BA.5 strain exhibit higher transmissibility and demonstrates a worrisome immune evasion. According to several laboratory investigations, vaccination-induced antibodies are less successful …

Sars-Cov-2 Invasion And Pathological Links To Prion Disease, Walter J. Lukiw, Vivian R. Jaber, Aileen I. Pogue, Yuhai Zhao

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the COVID-19 disease, is a highly infectious and transmissible viral pathogen that continues to impact human health globally. Nearly ~600 million people have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, and about half exhibit some degree of continuing health complication, generically referred to as long COVID. Lingering and often serious neurological problems for patients in the post-COVID-19 recovery period include brain fog, behavioral changes, confusion, delirium, deficits in intellect, cognition and memory issues, loss of balance and coordination, problems with vision, visual processing and hallucinations, encephalopathy, encephalitis, neurovascular or cerebrovascular insufficiency, and/or …

Urban Monitoring Of Antimicrobial Resistance During A Covid-19 Surge Through Wastewater Surveillance, Anthony Harrington, Van Vo, Katerina Papp, Richard L. Tillett, Ching-Lan Chang, Hayley Baker, Shirley Shen, Amei Amei, Cassius Lockett, Daniel Gerrity, Edwin C. Oh

Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine Faculty Research

During the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, infected patients presented with symptoms similar to bacterial pneumonias and were treated with antibiotics before confirmation of a bacterial or fungal co-infection. We reasoned that wastewater surveillance could reveal potential relationships between reduced antimicrobial stewardship, specifically misprescribing antibiotics to treat viral infections, and the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in an urban community. Here, we analyzed microbial communities and AMR profiles in sewage samples from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and a community shelter in Las Vegas, Nevada during a COVID-19 surge in December 2020. Using a respiratory pathogen and AMR enrichment …

Menstrual Irregularities Following Covid-19 Vaccination: A Global Cross-Sectional Survey, Azza Sarfraz, Zouina Sarfraz, Muzna Sarfraz, Zainab Nadeem, Miguel Felix, Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination generates protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection. There is no clear evidence of COVID-19 vaccine-induced menstrual irregularities.
Objective: To identify potential menstrual irregularities following COVID-19 vaccine among females.
Methods: A worldwide cross-sectional survey study was conducted from June 10, 2021, to July 10, 2021 using online mediums. The survey consisted of 15 questions divided into baseline characteristics, vaccination status and dosage, menstruation and relate factors, and thoughts and knowledge about menstrual irregularities. Non-probability convenience sampling method was used including 510 responses. The results were tabulated, with bivariate analysis and chi-square test results. The sensitivity …

Igg Antibodies To Sars-Cov-2 In Asymptomatic Blood Donors At Two Time Points In Karachi, Muhammad Hasan, Bushra Moiz, Shama Qaiser, Kiran I. Masood, Zara Ghous, Areeba Hussain, Natasha Bahadur Ali, Syed Hani Abidi, Kulsoom Ghias, Erum Khan, Zahra Hasan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Introduction: An estimated 1.5 million cases were reported in Pakistan until 23 March, 2022. However, SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing capacity has been limited and the incidence of COVID-19 infections is unknown. Volunteer healthy blood donors can be a control population for assessment of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in the population. We determined COVID-19 seroprevalence during the second pandemic wave in Karachi in donors without known infections or symptoms in 4 weeks prior to enrollment.
Materials and methods: We enrolled 558 healthy blood donors at the Aga Khan University Hospital between December 2020 and February 2021. ABO blood groups were determined. Serum IgG reactivity …

Omicron Spike Function And Neutralizing Activity Elicited By A Comprehensive Panel Of Vaccines, John E. Bowen, Amin Addetia, Ha V Dang, Cameron Stewart, Jack T. Brown, William K. Sharkey, Kaitlin R. Sprouse, Kumail Ahmed, Asefa Shariq Ansari, Najeeha Talat Iqbal

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant of concern comprises several sublineages, with BA.2 and BA.2.12.1 having replaced the previously dominant BA.1 and with BA.4 and BA.5 increasing in prevalence worldwide. We show that the large number of Omicron sublineage spike mutations leads to enhanced angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) binding, reduced fusogenicity, and severe dampening of plasma neutralizing activity elicited by infection or seven clinical vaccines relative to the ancestral virus. Administration of a homologous or heterologous booster based on the Wuhan-Hu-1 spike sequence markedly increased neutralizing antibody titers and breadth against BA.1, BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and …

International Prevalence And Mechanisms Of Sars-Cov-2 In Childhood Arterial Ischemic Stroke During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Lauren A Beslow, Shannon C Agner, Jonathan D Santoro, Dipak Ram, Jenny L Wilson, Dana Harrar, Brian Appavu, Stuart M Fraser, Thomas Rossor, Marcela D Torres, Manoëlle Kossorotoff, Yenny C Zuñiga Zambrano, Marta Hernández-Chávez, Sahar M A Hassanein, Dimitrios Zafeiriou, Michael M Dowling, Ilona Kopyta, Nicholas V Stence, Timothy J Bernard, Nomazulu Dlamini

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Data from the early pandemic revealed that 0.62% of children hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) had an acute arterial ischemic stroke (AIS). In a larger cohort from June 2020 to December 2020, we sought to determine whether our initial point estimate was stable as the pandemic continued and to understand radiographic and laboratory data that may clarify mechanisms of pediatric AIS in the setting of SARS-CoV-2.

METHODS: We surveyed international sites with pediatric stroke expertise to determine numbers of hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 patients <18 >years, numbers of incident AIS cases among children (29 days to <18 >years), frequency …

Implementation Of Multi-Level Interventions To Mitigate Risk Of Sars-Cov-2 Delta Variant At A Public University In Southern United States, Keena N. Arbuthnot, Rebecca C. Christofferson, Edward J. Trapido, John H. Pardue, John N. Perret, William F. Tate

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, navigating the implementation of public health measures in a politically charged environment for a large state entity was challenging. However, Louisiana State University (LSU) leadership developed and deployed an effective, multi-layered mitigation plan and successfully opened in-person learning while managing cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the fourth surge. We describe the plan to provide a framework for other institutions during this and future responses. The goals were 3-fold: maintain a quality learning environment, mitigate risk to the campus community, and ensure that LSU operations did not contribute to …

Real-World Third Covid-19 Vaccine Dosing And Antibody Response In Patients With Hematologic Malignancies, Michael A. Thompson, Sigrun Hallmeyer, Veronica E. Fitzpatrick, Yunqi Liao, Michael P. Mullane, Stephen C. Medlin, Kenneth Copeland, James L. Weese

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: This study sought to describe the changes in immune response to a third dose of either Pfizer’s or Moderna’s COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (3V) among patients with hematologic malignancies, as well as associated characteristics

Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed pre-3V and post-3V data on 493 patients diagnosed with hematologic malignancies across a large Midwestern health system between August 28, 2021, and November 1, 2021. For antibody testing, S1 spike antigen of the SARS-CoV-2 virus titer was used to determine serostatus.

Results: Among 493 participants, 274 (55.6%) were seropositive both pre- and post-3V (+/+) while 115 (23.3%) seroconverted to positive …

What About Anosmia From Covid-19 ?, Sharanya S E Santhi, Sara Elnour, Steven B Lippmann

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Gain-Of-Signal Assays For Probing Inhibition Of Sars-Cov-2 Mpro/3clpro In Living Cells, Seyed Arad Moghadasi, Morgan A Esler, Yuka Otsuka, Jordan T Becker, Sofia N Moraes, Constance B Anderson, Srinivas Chamakuri, Christopher Belica, Chloe Wick, Daniel A Harki, Damian W Young, Louis Scampavia, Timothy P Spicer, Ke Shi, Hideki Aihara, William L Brown, Reuben S Harris

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The main protease, Mpro, of SARS-CoV-2 is required to cleave the viral polyprotein into precise functional units for virus replication and pathogenesis. Here, we report quantitative reporters for Mpro function in living cells in which protease inhibition by genetic or chemical methods results in robust signal readouts by fluorescence (enhanced green fluorescent protein [eGFP]) or bioluminescence (firefly luciferase). These gain-of-signal systems are scalable to high-throughput platforms for quantitative discrimination between Mpro mutants and/or inhibitor potencies as evidenced by validation of several reported inhibitors. Additional utility is shown by single Mpro amino acid variants and structural information combining to demonstrate that …

Treating Cytokine Storm In Patients With Covid-19, Ahmed Abdelhaleem, Deekshitha Turaka, Shameera Shaik Masthan, Steven B Lippmann

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.