Diseases Commons^™

Water, Sanitation And Hygiene: A Leading Cause Of Viral Transmission In Pakistan?, Zouina Sarfraz, Azza Sarfraz, Aman Siddiqui, Ali Totonchian, Muzna Sarfraz, Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

No abstract provided.

Covid-19 And Family Planning In The Eastern Mediterranean Region, Azza Sarfraz, Zouina Sarfraz, Sameer Saleem Tebha, Namrata Hange, Kuchalambal Agadi, Alanna Barrios, Manish Kc, Gaurav Patel

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

No abstract provided.

Pulmonary Inflammation And Injury Triggered By Spine Surgery In Recovered Covid-19 Patients Demand Consideration, Luciano Rodrigo Lopes, Silvana Kertzer Kasinski

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Avoidance Of St-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Treatment For >1 Week Due To Covid-19 Fears, Rahul V Annabathula, Gregory J Sinner, Talal S Alnabelsi, Rachel P Goodwin, Vincent L Sorrell

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, social distancing guidelines have negatively affected the care-seeking behavior of patients with chronic medical conditions, including those with cardiovascular disease. We report the case of a 60-year-old man with vague gastrointestinal symptoms who waited more than 1 week to seek treatment for fear of COVID-19 infection. On presentation at another hospital, he was found to have had an anterior myocardial infarction, and he underwent percutaneous coronary intervention to stent an occluded proximal left anterior descending coronary artery. Subsequently, the patient experienced refractory cardiogenic shock and, during his transfer to our hospital, refractory ventricular …

Obesity, Race, And Covid-19 Mortality: Results From A Large Cohort Early In The Pandemic, Eric K. Shaw, Anyul Ferez-Pinzon, Micah Mabe, Mike Flynn, Christopher K. Senkowski

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Obesity has increased progressively in the United States and is a known risk factor for several diseases such as type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, stroke and hypertension. Amid the current pandemic, concerns have been raised about obesity as a risk factor for COVID-19 positive patients. The primary goal of this study was to explore the association between obesity and hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients. Our secondary objective was to explore the relationship between obesity and race on hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional, retrospective analysis using data from 186 hospitals from across the United …

Why Should People Use Face Masks In The Time Of Covid? The Jri Position, Jose Bordon, Alex Glynn, Forest W. Arnold

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

No Difference In Clinical Outcomes For African American And White Patients Hospitalized With Sars-Cov-2 Pneumonia In Louisville, Kentucky, Julio A. Ramirez, Stephen P. Furmanek, Thomas Chandler, Stephen S. Hanson, Dawn Balcom, Subathra Marimuthu, Sathya Krishnasamy, Jose Bordon, Rodrigo Cavallazzi, Amr Aboelnasr, Mahder A. Tella, William A. Mattingly, Ashley M. Wilde, Daisy Sangroula, Demetra Antimisiaris, Donghoon Chung, Guillermo Cabral, Gabino R Fernandez-Botran, Jiapeng Huang, Martin Gnoni, Ozan Akca, Paul Schulz, Phillip F. Bressoud, Priya Krishnan, Sally Suliman, William P. Mckinney, Bryan Moffett, Leslie A Wolf, Mark Burns, Alex Glynn, Ruth Carrico, Forest W. Arnold

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Introduction: Current literature indicates that African American individuals are at increased risk of becoming infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and suffer higher SARS-CoV-2-related mortality rates. However, there is a lack of consensus as to how the clinical outcomes of African American patients differ from those of other groups. The objective of this study was to define the clinical outcomes of African American and White hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in Louisville, Kentucky.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 CAP at eight hospitals in Louisville, Kentucky. Severity of CAP at time of hospitalization …

A Comparison Of The Evolution, Structure, And Function Of Sars-Cov And Sars-Cov-2 Spike Proteins, Tai Michaels

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

As the COVID-19 pandemic has developed into the largest pandemic of the twenty-first century, it has become apparent that this disease, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is unlike anything the modern world has faced before. Not only has the disease infected more than 16 million people worldwide, but its rapid spread has drawn global attention to the gaps in our understanding of its pathogenesis and the development of vaccines and treatments. One of the most important topics of research in the disease is the viral spike (S) protein which facilitates binding and entering host cells and plays a key role …

The Current, Scott K. Heysell

Journal of Wellness

No abstract provided.

Discrepancy Between Pcr Based Sars-Cov-2 Tests Suggests The Need To Re-Evaluate Diagnostic Assays, Zain Mushtaq, Sadia Shakoor, Akber Kanji, Najma Shaheen, Asghar Nasir, Zeeshan Ansar Ahmed, Imran Ahmed, Syed Faisal Mahmood, Rumina Hasan, Zahra Hasan

Section of Internal Medicine

Objective: We investigated the discrepancy between clinical and PCR-based diagnosis of COVID-19. We compared results of ten patients with mild to severe COVID-19. Respiratory samples from all cases were tested on the Roche SARS-CoV-2 (Cobas) assay, Filmarray RP2.1 (bioMereiux) and TaqPath™ COVID19 (Thermofisher) PCR assays.
Results: Laboratory records of ten patients with mild to severe COVID-19 were examined. Initially, respiratory samples from the patients were tested as negative on the SARS-CoV-2 Roche® assay. Further investigation using the BIOFIRE® Filmarray RP2.1 assay identified SARS-CoV-2 as the pathogen in all ten cases. To investigate possible discrepancies between PCR assays, additional testing was …

Post-Acute Sequelae Of Covid-19 (Pasc): Association With Inflammation And Autoimmunity, Raghava S. Ambadapoodi, Fnu Deepti, Javaria Anwer Mbbs, Rafael Fernandez-Botran

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

It has become increasingly evident that a high percentage of patients that recover from acute COVID-19 infection continue to suffer from a variety of persistent symptoms even months after viral clearance, the most common ones being fatigue, dyspnea, anosmia, dysgeusia, cognitive dysfunction, and psychological problems, including anxiety and depression. This syndrome, known as Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), can severely affect the life quality and represents an important health care concern. The exact causes for the symptoms observed in patients with PASC remain to be adequately characterized, but are likely to be associated with multiple factors, including residual disease and/or …

Griffithsin And Carrageenan Combination Results In Antiviral Synergy Against Sars-Cov-1 And 2 In A Pseudoviral Model, Sahar Alsaidi, Nadjet Cornejal, Oneil Mahoney, Claudia Melo, Neeharika Verma, Thierry Bonnaire, Theresa Chang, Barry R. O'Keefe, James Sailer, Thomas M. Zydowsky, Natalia Teleshova, José A. Fernández Romero

Publications and Research

Over 182 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 4 million deaths have been reported to date around the world. It is essential to identify broad-spectrum antiviral agents that may prevent or treat infections by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) but also by other coronaviruses that may jump the species barrier in the future. We evaluated the antiviral selectivity of griffithsin and sulfated and non-sulfated polysaccharides against SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 using a cytotoxicity assay and a cell-based pseudoviral model. The half-maximal cytotoxic concentration (CC50) and half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) were determined for each compound, using a dose-response-inhibition …

Covid-19 Deliveries: Maternal Features And Neonatal Outcomes, Viviana Zlochiver, Blair Tilkens, Ana Cristina Perez Moreno, Fatima Aziz, M. Fuad Jan

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Integrated, data-driven criteria are necessary to evaluate delivery outcomes in pregnancies affected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This study analyzed maternal demographics, clinical characteristics, treatments, and delivery outcomes of 85 ethnically diverse, adult pregnant women who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at the time of delivery. Median maternal and gestational ages were 27 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 23–31) and 39 weeks (IQR: 37.3–40.0), respectively. Of the 85 SARS-CoV-2–positive participants, 67 (79%) had no COVID-19 symptoms at the time of routine COVID-19 admission testing, 14 (16%) reported mild COVID-19 symptoms, and 4 (5%) presented …

Risk Of Infection And Transmission Of Sars-Cov-2 Among Children And Adolescents In Households, Communities And Educational Settings: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Omar Irfan, Jiang Li, Kun Tang, Zhicheng Wang, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Woman and Child Health

Background: There is uncertainty with respect to SARS-CoV-2 transmission in children (0-19 years) with controversy on effectiveness of school-closures in controlling the pandemic. It is of equal importance to evaluate the risk of transmission in children who are often asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic carriers that may incidentally transmit SARS-CoV-2 in different settings. We conducted this review to assess transmission and risks for SARS-CoV-2 in children (by age-groups or grades) in community and educational-settings compared to adults.
Methods: Data for the review were retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, WHO COVID-19 Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) Database, WanFang Database, Latin …

Reducing Covid-19 Quarantine With Sars-Cov-2 Testing: A Simulation Study, Bo Peng, Wen Zhou, Rowland W Pettit, Patrick Yu, Peter G Matos, Alexander L Greninger, Julie Mccashin, Christopher I Amos

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 testing on shortening the duration of quarantines for COVID-19 and to identify the most effective choices of testing schedules.

DESIGN: We performed extensive simulations to evaluate the performance of quarantine strategies when one or more SARS-CoV-2 tests were administered during the quarantine. Simulations were based on statistical models for the transmissibility and viral loads of SARS-CoV-2 infections and the sensitivities of available testing methods. Sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of perturbations in model assumptions on the outcomes of optimal strategies.

RESULTS: We found that SARS-CoV-2 testing can effectively reduce the …

Baricitinib In The Treatment Of A Critical Patient With Covid-19 Pneumonia: A Case Report, Nishant Patel, Dylan Goldsmith, Forest W. Arnold

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

A 72-year-old male presented to the emergency department with a chief complaint of diarrhea after having tested positive for COVID-19 two days prior. He initially had minimal respiratory complaints, but was eventually transferred to the intensive care unit for acute hypoxic respiratory failure. In addition to dexamethasone, remdesivir, and antibiotics, the patient was treated with baricitinib, a Janus kinase inhibitor that was recently granted emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. He had an extensive and complicated hospital course and had to be placed on mechanical ventilation, ultimately undergoing tracheostomy. After …

Poster: Sars-Cov-2 Neuroinvasion, Heather M. Tatusko

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Over the last century, science and literature has reported neurological manifestations during various disease outbreaks as well as long-term sequelae following epidemics and pandemics. Some of the first neurological symptoms reported with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19; caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-Cov-2]) were anosmia and dysgeusia, suggesting SARS-CoV-2 penetrance of the central nervous system (CNS). To date, the definite clinical and pathological basis of CNS involvement of SARS-CoV-2 remains poorly understood, with the neurovirulence of SARS-CoV-2 and its neuroinvasive potential remaining largely unknown. The author’s poster will explore neurological manifestations of COVID-19 disease, the direct and indirect …

A Cross Sectional Evaluation Of The Corona-Score For Swift Identification Of Sars-Cov-2 Infection At A Tertiary Care Hospital In Pakistan, Sibtain Ahmed, Muhammad Umer Naeem Effendi, Zeeshan Ansar Ahmed, Imran Siddiqui, Lena Jafri

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: The Corona-Score is one of the first and most widely used predictive model for coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The purpose of this study was to validate the performance of Corona-Score in a cohort of Pakistani patients pursuing care for suspected infection.
Methods: After seeking institution's ethical committee exemption, results of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, absolute lymphocyte and neutrophil counts, chest x-ray findings and demographics of suspected COVID-19 cases with respiratory symptoms were recouped from electronic medical record. The pre-validated score as proposed by Kurstjens S et al., was calculated. The subjects were divided into SARS-CoV-2 …

A Review Of The Cardiac And Cardiovascular Effects Of Covid-19 In Adults And Children, Bibhuti B Das, S Kristen Sexon Tejtel, Shriprasad Deshpande, Lara S Shekerdemian

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) typically affects the respiratory system but can involve the cardiovascular system. Cardiac complications of COVID-19 can result directly from myocarditis or indirectly from numerous other mechanisms. Differentiating between primary and secondary cardiovascular involvement-our focus in this review-may help to identify the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the heart in adults and children.

Delayed Treatment Of Acute Myocardial Infarction With Ventricular Septal Rupture Due To Patient Fear During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Minar Chhetry, Reema Bhatt, Nathan H Tehrani, Dimitrios V Avgerinos, Charles A Mack, Samuel J Lang, Xuming Dai

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandmic, more patients are presenting with complications late after acute myocardial infarction. We report the case of a 71-year-old man who delayed seeking medical care for 2 weeks, despite progressive shortness of breath, cough, and tactile fever, for fear of contracting COVID-19 in the hospital. Clinical and echocardiographic evaluation revealed a ventricular septal rupture secondary to acute myocardial infarction. The patient underwent urgent cardiac catheterization, followed by successful saphenous vein grafting to the left anterior descending coronary artery and open surgical repair of the ventricular septal rupture with a bovine pericardial patch. This case …

Microbial Science Research In The Post-Covid Environment, Nguyen K Nguyen, Carey-Ann D Burnham, Arturo Casadevall, Mary K Estes, Rebecca V Ferrell, Suzanne M J Fleiszig, Speakers, Moderators, And Panelists Of The Asm Virtual Symposium: Microbial Science Research In The Post-Covid Environment

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Since early 2020, the world has witnessed the unprecedented accomplishments of the scientific community in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In the meantime, we also learned valuable lessons and recognized the challenges that hindered our successes. In this article, we synthesize the ideas discussed at the ASM Virtual Symposium: Microbial Science Research in the Post-COVID Environment on 10 November 2020. We propose three new approaches that microbiology researchers can embrace to overcome these challenges. Moreover, we suggest broad systematic changes to focus on social impacts, teamwork, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe these values are …

Concurrent Covid-19 Infection In Children With Acute Appendicitis: A Report Of Three Cases, Maximo J. Acevedo, Dylan Steffey, Johanne E. Dillon, James T. Lee, David J. Worhunsky

Radiology Faculty Publications

Literature describing patients with concomitant COVID-19 infection with acute appendicitis in pediatric patients is growing, and understanding the clinical picture of such patients is relevant in their treatment. We report 3 male children who were surgically treated for acute appendicitis and had concomitant SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our first patient was a 12-year-old male who presented with symptoms indicative of appendicitis but no respiratory symptoms associated with COVID-19 (eg cough, shortness of breath). Laboratory evaluation revealed leukopenia and an elevated C-reactive protein; imaging was consistent with acute appendicitis and an acute pulmonary viral infection. Though he lacked diffuse peritonitis on physical examination …

Multi-Subunit Sars-Cov-2 Vaccine Design Using Evolutionarily Conserved T- And B- Cell Epitopes, Burkitkan Akbay, Syed Hani Abidi, Mahmoud A A. Ibrahim, Zhussipbek Mukhatayev, Syed Ali

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has created a public health crisis worldwide. Although vaccines against the virus are efficiently being rolled out, they are proving to be ineffective against certain emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. The high degree of sequence similarity between SARS-CoV-2 and other human coronaviruses (HCoV) presents the opportunity for designing vaccines that may offer protection against SARS-CoV-2 and its emerging variants, with cross-protection against other HCoVs. In this study, we performed bioinformatics analyses to identify T and B cell epitopes originating from spike, membrane, nucleocapsid, and envelope protein sequences found to be evolutionarily conserved among seven major HCoVs. Evolutionary conservation of …

Effect Of Clinical Isolate Or Cleavage Site Mutations In The Sars-Cov-2 Spike Protein On Protein Stability, Cleavage, And Cell-Cell Fusion, Chelsea T. Barrett, Hadley E. Neal, Kearstin Edmonds, Carole L. Moncman, Rachel Thompson, Jean M. Branttie, Kerri Beth Boggs, Cheng-Yu Wu, Daisy W. Leung, Rebecca E. Dutch

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The trimeric severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein (S) is the sole viral protein responsible for both viral binding to a host cell and the membrane fusion event needed for cell entry. In addition to facilitating fusion needed for viral entry, S can also drive cell-cell fusion, a pathogenic effect observed in the lungs of SARS-CoV-2-infected patients. While several studies have investigated S requirements involved in viral particle entry, examination of S stability and factors involved in S cell-cell fusion remain limited. A furin cleavage site at the border between the S1 and S2 subunits (S1/S2) has …

Coagulopathy In Covid-19: A Review, Shannon Ginty

International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences

Recent data has demonstrated that the pathophysiology of severe COVID-19 infection is associated with a significant pulmonary coagulopathy. Thrombotic complications have been reported in approximately 35-45% of patients with severe COVID-19. Entry of SARS-CoV-2 into the host cells leads to dysregulation in inflammatory signalling pathways, disrupting the normal coagulation mechanism. The hypercoagulability with abnormal clot formation is attributed to the inappropriately elevated immune response, culminating in a ‘cytokine storm’ with high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and subsequent thrombosis. The coagulopathy in COVID-19 affects many coagulation parameters such as D-dimer levels, fibrinogen levels, platelet count and prothrombin time. Coagulation parameters must …

Full Issue: The International Undergraduate Journal Of Health Sciences, Volume 1, Issue 1, June 2021, Iujhs Full Issue

International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences

The full June 2021 issue (Volume 1, Issue 1) of the International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences

Phycobilins As Potent Food Bioactive Broad-Spectrum Inhibitors Against Proteases Of Sars-Cov-2 And Other Coronaviruses: A Preliminary Study, Brahmaiah Pendyala, Ankit Patras, Chandravanu Dash

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

In the 21st century, we have witnessed three coronavirus outbreaks: SARS in 2003, MERS in 2012, and the ongoing pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The search for efficient vaccines and development and repurposing of therapeutic drugs are the major approaches in the COVID-19 pandemic research area. There are concerns about the evolution of mutant strains (e.g., VUI – 202012/01, a mutant coronavirus in the United Kingdom), which can potentially reduce the impact of the current vaccine and therapeutic drug development trials. One promising approach to counter the mutant strains is the “development of effective broad-spectrum antiviral drugs” against coronaviruses. This …

An Assessment Of Outpatient Clinic Room Ventilation Systems And Possible Relationship To Disease Transmission, Kristin G King, George L Delclos, Eric L Brown, Susan Tortolero Emery, Jose Miguel Yamal, Robert J Emery

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: With healthcare shifting to the outpatient setting, this study examined whether outpatient clinics operating in business occupancy settings were conducting procedures in rooms with ventilation rates above, at, or below thresholds defined in the American National Standards Institute/American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers/American Society for Health Care Engineering Standard 170 for Ventilation in Health Care Facilities and whether lower ventilation rates and building characteristics increase the risk of disease transmission.

METHODS: Ventilation rates were measured in 105 outpatient clinic rooms categorized by services rendered. Building characteristics were evaluated as determinants of ventilation rates, and risk of disease …

Invasive Therapies For Acute Coronary Syndromes In The Covid-19 Era, Sanket Borgaonkar, Joshua Hahn, Marilyne Daher, Waleed Kayani, Hani Jneid

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To identify and address the challenges associated with the care of ACS patients during the coronavirus 2019 pandemic.

RECENT FINDINGS: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a considerable global impact with over 2.0 million deaths worldwide so far. There has been considerable evidence suggesting that COVID-19 increases the risk of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). We propose characterizing ACS patients into 3 distinct categories to better assist in appropriate triage and management: critically ill patients, non-critically ill ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients, and non-critically ill non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI)/unstable angina (UA) patients. We thoroughly review treatments strategies, …

Oral Manifestations Of Covid-19, Ibeth Erazo

Publications and Research

Some oral manifestations have been observed in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, there is still a question about whether these lesions are due to coronavirus infection or secondary manifestations resulting from patient's stress, medications, and/or other related immunosuppressive factors and systemic conditions or by the actions of opportunistic infections brought by other viruses, bacteria, and fungi in the oral cavity. There is growing evidence that angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the main host cell receptor of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is highly expressed on the cells of the oral mucosal epithelia and of the salivary glands, …