Virus Diseases Commons^™

Sars-Cov-2 Infection In Unvaccinated High-Risk Pregnant Women In The Bronx, Ny, Usa Is Associated With Decreased Apgar Scores And Placental Villous Infarcts, Sandra E. Reznik, Patricia M. Vuguin, Alexa Cohen, Rasha Khoury, Olivier Loudig, Ridin Balakrishnan, Susan A. Fineberg, Francine Hughes, Malini Harigopal, Maureen J. Charron

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Babies born to severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected mothers are at greater risk for perinatal morbidity and more likely to receive a neurodevelopmental diagnosis in the first year of life. However, the effect of maternal infection on placental function and neonatal outcomes varies depending upon the patient population. We set out to test our hypothesis that maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection in our underserved, socioeconomically disadvantaged, mostly unvaccinated, predominantly African American and Latina population in the Bronx, NY would have effects evident at birth. Under IRB approval, 56 SARS-CoV-2-positive patients infected during the “first wave” of the pandemic with alpha …

Transmission Of Yellow Fever Vaccine Virus Through Blood Transfusion And Organ Transplantation In The Usa In 2021: Report Of An Investigation, Carolyn V. Gould, Rebecca J. Free, Julu Bhatnagar, Raymond A. Soto, Tricia L. Royer, Warren R. Maley, Sean Moss, Matthew A. Berk, Rebecca Craig-Shapiro, Rosy Priya L. Kodiyanplakkal, Lars F. Westblade, Thangamani Muthukumar, Yoram A. Puius, Amresh Raina, Azam Hadi, Kymberly A. Gyure, Danielle Trief, Marcus Pereira, Matthew J. Kuehnert, Vennus Ballen, Debra A. Kessler, Kimberly Dailey, Charles Omura, Thuy Doan, Steve Miller, Michael R. Wilson, Jennifer A. Lehman, Jana M. Ritter, Elizabeth Lee, Luciana Silva-Flannery, Sarah Reagan-Steiner, Jason O. Velez, Janeen J. Laven, Kelly A. Fitzpatrick, Amanda Panella, Emily H. Davis, Holly R. Hughes, Aaron C. Brault, Kirsten St George, Amy B. Dean, Joel Ackelsberg, Sridhar V. Basavaraju, Charles Y. Chiu, J. Erin Staples

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: In 2021, four patients who had received solid organ transplants in the USA developed encephalitis beginning 2-6 weeks after transplantation from a common organ donor. We describe an investigation into the cause of encephalitis in these patients.

METHODS: From Nov 7, 2021, to Feb 24, 2022, we conducted a public health investigation involving 15 agencies and medical centres in the USA. We tested various specimens (blood, cerebrospinal fluid, intraocular fluid, serum, and tissues) from the organ donor and recipients by serology, RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, metagenomic next-generation sequencing, and host gene expression, and conducted a traceback of blood transfusions received by …

Ifit2 Restricts Murine Coronavirus Spread To The Spinal Cord White Matter And Its Associated Myelin Pathology, Madhav Sharma, Debanjana Chakravarty, Afaq Hussain, Ajay Zalavadia, Amy Burrows, Patricia Rayman, Nikhil Sharma, Lawrence C. Kenyon, Cornelia Bergmann, Ganes C. Sen, Jayasri Das Sarma

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Interferon-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 2, Ifit2, is critical in restricting neurotropic murine-β-coronavirus, RSA59 infection. RSA59 intracranial injection of Ifit2-deficient (-/-) compared to wild-type (WT) mice results in impaired acute microglial activation, reduced CX3CR1 expression, limited migration of peripheral lymphocytes into the brain, and impaired virus control followed by severe morbidity and mortality. While the protective role of Ifit2 is established for acute viral encephalitis, less is known about its influence during the chronic demyelinating phase of RSA59 infection. To understand this, RSA59 infected Ifit2-/- and Ifit2+/+ (WT) were observed for neuropathological outcomes at day 5 (acute phase) and 30 …

Neurotropic Manifestations As A Potential Risk Factor For Schizophrenia Following In Utero Exposure To Sars-Cov-2, Mir Ali R Talpur, Omar H. Elsayed, Rif S. El-Mallakh

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: COVID-19 infection is associated with neurologic and psychiatric morbidity that suggests a direct effect of the virus or secondary effect of an inflammatory process. These neuropsychiatric consequences may increase the likelihood of schizophrenia in the offspring of women who become infected with COVID-19 during their pregnancy.

Methods: We performed a directed narrative review of the literature focusing on the proposed pathophysiological processes that lead to schizophrenia and known pathological consequences of COVID-19 infection.

Results: Schizophrenia in adult offspring has been associated with maternal infections during pregnancy by a wide range of respiratory and neurotropic pathogens. Spikes in the incidence …

Community Centred Co-Design Methodology For Designing And Implementing Socio-Behavioural Interventions To Counter Covid-19 Related Misinformation Among Marginalized Population Living In The Squatter Settlements Of Karachi, Pakistan: A Methodology Paper, Rubina Qasim, Waqas Ahmed Farooqui, Atiya Rahman, Rukhsana Haroon, Madiha Saleem, Muhammad Rafique, Fiza Noor, Afifa Ghani, Muhammad Yaqoob, Mohammad Tahir Yousafzai

Community Health Sciences

Background: Misinformation regarding COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination is damaging COVID-19 vaccine trust and acceptance in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC). Identification of misinformation and designing locally acceptable solutions are needed to improve COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. This study aimed to utilize community-led co-design methodology to evaluate misinformation regarding COVID-19 and develop contextual interventions to address misinformation in a marginalized peri urban slum communities of Landhi town Karachi, Pakistan.
Methods: This study was conducted between January and December 2021, in marginalized peri-urban slum dwellers of Muslimabad Colony, Landhi Town Karachi, Pakistan. We used a community-centred co-design methodology embedded within mixed study design …

On The Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine, Forest W. Arnold

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Amrit Kahlon, Ravina Ramnani, Kartik Rajpal, Yusra Irshad, Sudeep Chapagain, Arushee Bhatnagar, Steven B Lippmann

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Timing Of Invasive Mechanical Ventilation And Death In Critically Ill Adults With Covid-19: A Multicenter Cohort Study., Adam Green, Jean-Sebastien Rachoin, Christa Schorr, Phil Dellinger, Jonathan D Casey, Isabel Park, Shruti Gupta, Rebecca M Baron, Shahzad Shaefi, Krystal Hunter, David E Leaf

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Departmental Research

PURPOSE: To investigate if the timing of initiation of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) for critically ill patients with COVID-19 is associated with mortality.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data for this study were derived from a multicenter cohort study of critically ill adults with COVID-19 admitted to ICUs at 68 hospitals across the US from March 1 to July 1, 2020. We examined the association between early (ICU days 1-2) versus late (ICU days 3-7) initiation of IMV and time-to-death. Patients were followed until the first of hospital discharge, death, or 90 days. We adjusted for confounding using a multivariable Cox …

Implementation Of A Virtual Interprofessional Icu Learning Collaborative: Successes, Challenges, And Initial Reactions From The Structured Team- Based Optimal Patient-Centered Care For Virus Covid-19 Collaborators, Simon Zec, Nika Zorko Garbajs, Yue Dong, Ognjen Gajic, Christina Kordik, Lori Harmon, Marija Bogojevic, Romil Singh, Yuqiang Sun, Vikas Bansal, Linh Vu, Kelly Cawcutt, John M. Litell, Sarah Redmond, Elly Fitzpatrick, Kirstin J. Kooda, Michelle Biehl, Neha S. Dangayach, Viren Kaul, June M. Chae, Aaron Leppin, Mathew Siuba, Rahul Kashyap, Allan J. Walkey, Alexander S. Niven

Jefferson Hospital Staff Papers and Presentations

IMPORTANCE: Initial Society of Critical Care Medicine Discovery Viral Infection and Respiratory illness Universal Study (VIRUS) Registry analysis suggested that improvements in critical care processes offered the greatest modifiable opportunity to improve critically ill COVID-19 patient outcomes. OBJECTIVES: The Structured Team-based Optimal Patient-Centered Care for Virus COVID-19 ICU Collaborative was created to identify and speed implementation of best evidence based COVID-19 practices. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This 6-month project included volunteer interprofessional teams from VIRUS Registry sites, who received online training on the Checklist for Early Recognition and Treatment of Acute Illness and iNjury approach, a structured and systematic method …

Impact Of Covid-19 On Latinx And Black Communities, Carolina Zuluaga

Dissertations

This critical literature review project explored the impact of COVID-19 on Latinx and Black communities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of September 28, 2022, around 16% of COVID-19 cases in the United States were among Latinx people, and 14% of cases were among Black people (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Since COVID-19 began, clinicians have become more conscious of the effects of health disparities within racial and ethnic minorities, which has warranted increased advocacy by educating health and mental health providers and creating and providing resources to these communities and clinicians. The review …

Home Oxygen And Monitoring For Covid-19 Patients: A Multidisciplinary Team Approach, Mahta Salehi, Shehrose Chaudry, Rebecca B. Newman, Josette Hartnett, Suzanne J. Rose, Forugh Homayounrooz

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

Introduction: During the initial COVID-19 pandemic peak, Stamford Hospital implemented a home oxygen program (HOP) to create a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary outpatient initiative without sacrificing a safe discharge. Primary care physicians monitored program participants, whose only indication for remaining admitted was an oxygen requirement. We retrospectively examined participant co-morbidities and outcomes, including death and readmission rates to evaluate HOP safety.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of program participants discharged between April 2020-Janurary 2021 was performed. Variables included demographics, oxygen requirement, days enrolled in the HOP, and major comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes (DM), hypertension (HTN), obesity, chronic kidney disease, malignancies …

Center Based Cardiac Rehabilitation Outcomes Associated With Covid-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Comparative Cohort Study, Haley Williams, Kayla Woodworth

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects: College of Nursing

Background: Traditional cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a multidisciplinary, multifaceted program for cardiac patients. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, health care, including center-based CR (CBCR) programs, were closed to in-person sessions. Even with the return to CBCR participation, patient outcomes may have been affected by this disruption in care. The goal of this study was to determine if CR participation outcomes differed before and after CBCR program closure due to Covid-19.

Methods: A retrospective comparative cohort design was used to examine CR participant outcome data before and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Convenience sampling of CR participants at a large, urban …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Post-Recovery Memory, Chelsea Mcnamara, Alison Mancuso

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for the covid-19 pandemic, has had profound effects on countries worldwide. As the pandemic progressed, clinical and patient data continued to mount. A subset of symptoms named “Long Covid Syndrome” persisted in patients after recovering from infection. One commonly reported but understudied symptom was a deficit in memory function. Although commonly reported, prevalence of ‘brain fog’ has yet to be characterized using patient data. Using Rowan Medicine electronic patient data, we were able to collect information on patients before and after the emergence of the coronavirus. Data was collected on reported memory-related symptoms as well as …

Whole Body Cryotherapy As A Novel Treatment For Long Covid Syndrome Associated Brain Fog, James Mack, Brandon Goodwin, Paras Patel, Kyra Herman, Daniel Casal, Emily Levenson

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

SARS-CoV-2, which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), was first discovered in December 2019 in Wuhan, China when adults began presenting with severe pneumonia of an unknown cause. SARS-CoV-2 can cause a wide range of clinical manifestations. SARS-CoV-2 can penetrate the olfactory mucosa and may enter the brain through the cribriform plate along the olfactory tract, through vagal or trigeminal pathways, or pass through the blood-brain barrier. Once inside the brain, levels of inflammatory cytokines are increased and can lead to altered learning, memory, neuroplasticity, hallucinations, nightmares, cognitive and attention deficits, new-onset anxiety and depression, and psychosis. A theoretical treatment for …

The Effectiveness Of Cleaning Protocols In Medical School Omm Labs By Medical Students, Harrison Patrizio, Riley Phyu, Thomas Boyle, Todd Schachter

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, disinfection in healthcare has taken center stage. Healthcare has adjusted workflows to accommodate for more robust cleaning regimens to help protect the community. This has resulted in the need for medical institutions to reevaluate the current cleaning protocols down to the student level. Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) lab provides an optimal avenue for assessing medical student’s examination table cleaning effectiveness. With OMM labs being an activity with a high level of interaction, the quality of examination table cleaning is important for the health and safety of students and teaching faculties. Our study highlights that …

Development Of Schizophrenia In A Genetically Predisposed Individual Following Covid-19, Sung Kang, Jonathan Yuh, Timothy Wong

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

We present a patient who is a 56-year-old female with a psychiatric history of anxiety disorder and a medical history of hypercholesterolemia and hyperthyroidism, who was admitted to the hospital after a witnessed seizure at an inpatient psychiatric facility. This patient’s family history is significant for her mother experiencing unspecified psychotic disorder that required psychiatric hospitalization. Our patient was first admitted to the psychiatric hospital after exhibiting worsening paranoid delusions and hallucinations that began several months prior. The patient had reportedly begun locking herself in the restroom and screaming “get out, they’re spying on me”, referring to her next-door neighbors …

Factors That Influence The Decision To Get Vaccinated Against Covid-19, Rhea Bhargava, Meghan H. Foos, Brandy M. Gotti, Alexandra L. Mulvenna, Taylor O. Smith, Danielle Cooley, Venkateswar Venkataman

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the launch of the vaccine, healthcare workers have been encouraging people to get vaccinated to prevent the spread of the virus. However, there is a significant number of people who are vaccine hesitant, or uncertain about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and its booster. Vaccine hesitancy represents a state of opportunity to make positive change; therefore, it is crucial for healthcare workers to identify those who are in this population. When factors contributing to the vaccine hesitancy, including gender, age, ethnicity, education level, and income were studied, it was found that women, those …

The Effectiveness Of Examination Table Cleaning Protocols In Osteopathic Family Medicine Offices, Riley Phyu, Harrison A. Patrizio, Thomas Boyle, Todd Schachter

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Contaminated environmental surfaces are responsible for acquisition of healthcare associated infections. In 2002 there were approximately 1.7 million healthcare associated infections, resulting in about 99,000 annual deaths. Appropriate disinfection of environmentally contaminated surfaces are required to reduce transmission of pathogens. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence is being used in hospital settings to audit the cleanliness in the hospital settings. However, there is a paucity of literature in different healthcare settings outside of hospital settings. This may unintentionally result in a more relaxed cleaning protocol in outpatient settings.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of disinfecting protocol in osteopathic family medicine offices using …

Herpesviriae Infection Of The Corneal Endothelium, Behnam Rabiee, Chandani Patel, Mansab Jafri, Hamad Hussain, Michael Gaspari, Muhamad Festok, Imtiaz Chaudhry, Iftikhar Chaudhry, Asim Farooq

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background

- The corneal endothelium plays a vital role in maintaining corneal clarity by regulating the amount of fluid in the corneal stroma.

- Corneal endotheliitis is defined as inflammation of the corneal endothelial layer that leads to corneal edema and haziness, and subsequent loss of vision.

- Most common causes include cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and varicella zoster virus (VZV).

- Because corneal endothelial cells cannot regenerate following injury, early diagnosis is essential in proper management and preventing loss of corneal endothelial cells.

In this review we aim to gather the most recent knowledge on viral corneal …

Case Report And Brief Review: Co-Infection Covid-19 Virus And Influenza A Virus, James Espinosa, Umar Sannoh, Alan Lucerna

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

We report the case of a 45 year old male who presented to the an emergency department with a complaint of myalgias, chills and sore throat of a two day duration. The patient tested positive for COVID-19 virus as well as Influenza A virus. The purpose of this brief review is to discuss what is known about co-infection of COVID-19 and influenza A.

Echinomycin As A Promising Therapeutic Agent Against Kshv-Related Malignancies, Jungang Chen, Zhen Lin, Jiao Song, Karlie Plaisance-Bonstaff, Jennifer James, Shengyu Mu, Steven R. Post, Lu Dai, Zhiqiang Qin

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the etiologic agent of several human cancers, including Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) and primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), which preferentially arise in immunocompromised patients while lack of effective therapeutic options. Oncoproteins Myc and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF1α) have been found closely related to KSHV infection, replication and oncogenesis. However, the strategies of dual targeting these two oncoproteins have never been developed and tested for treatments of KSHV-related malignancies. In the current study, we report that treatment of echinomycin dramatically regresses cell growth both in vitro-cultured KSHV + tumor cells and in vivo KS or PEL xenograft mice models, …

Identification Of Molecular Markers Associated With Copd In Non-Smokers And Smokers: A Bioinformatics Analysis, Agede O. Ayodele, Isa M. Wasagu, Ademola E. Fawibe, Alakija K. Salami

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background

Even though the proportional burden of COPD among never-smokers is significant in both developing and developed nations, accounting for around 30% of all COPD in the community, there is little awareness of the prevalence of COPD in this population. Understanding the molecular processes that underlie COPD in nonsmokers is essential.

Methods

Dataset (GSE146560) was acquired from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). The limma and clusterProfiler software tools were used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and conduct a functional enrichment analysis respectively.

Results

In all, 10,583 DEGs were found, of which 1,065 were up-regulated and 9,518 were down-regulated. The …

Assessing The Impact Of Ebola Virus Inoculum Size On Likelihood Of Infection, Joseph Lukowski

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Background: Indirect transmission of Ebola virus disease (EVD) is not uncommon but is poorly understood. Improving the understanding of the potential risk of EVD transmission from fomites should result in new or updated prevention or control measures for suspected or confirmed EVD cases or outbreaks.

Objective: This study aims to compile and understand pertinent data from peer-reviewed literature, establish the dose-response relationship between inoculum doses introduced to mucous membranes, and finally estimate the risk of EVD transmission from fomites.

Methods: A literature search was conducted through PubMed to obtain relevant data. This study employed this data to perform Poisson regression …

Covid-19 Masking An Atypical Presentation Of Hairy Cell Leukemia, Kahmalia-Kalee Sada

North Texas GME Research Forum 2023

Hairy cell leukemia is a rare lymphoid neoplasm of small mature B cell lymphoid cells. Hairy cell leukemia only accounts for about 1 to 2 percent of adult leukemia cases. Early diagnosis of Hairy cell Leukemia is important, it is proven that without treatment the median survival of this cancer is four years. After numerous studies the age-adjusted risk of death with proper diagnosis and treatment has decreased by 85%. The greatest outcomes are seen in individuals who are younger with earlier diagnosis. Hairy Cell Leukemia is a rare leukemia seen with the classic triad of splenomegaly, pancytopenia, and “hairy” …

Does Brief Intervention In The Form Of A Lecture Improve Resident Knowledge About Hep C Screening?, Mary Dacosta, Evelyn Chicas, Kiana Clem, Shelby Collymore

North Texas GME Research Forum 2023

The prevalence for hepatitis C during 2013-2016 was about ~2.4 million. Screening helps to prevent chronic hepatitis C or start early curative treatment. USPSTF recently changed their guidelines in 2021 for Hepatitis C screening to now include all asymptomatic patients from ages from 18-79 years old without liver disease. Screening usually includes the Hepatitis C Antibody test. Further testing includes Hepatitis C mRNA PCR if screening test is positive. High risk patients should have periodic screening. Since the change, this project was done to ensure the appropriate screening and testing thereafter was done, as well as appropriate communication and documentation. …

A Case Of Viral Pneumonia And Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Mark Cheneler, Khizir Qureshi, Carlos Bahrami

North Texas GME Research Forum 2023

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the ICU setting and a continued source for investigation to improve outcomes. It is characterized by acute respiratory failure with an identifiable insult, bilateral infiltrates on imaging, and a PaO2/FiO2 ratio (PF ratio) of less than 300 mmHg. It can be further classified into mild, moderate, and severe ARDS with a PF ratio of less than 300, 200, and 100 mmHg respectfully. Treatment requires elucidation of the underlying insult to the pulmonary system and prompt treatment. Presented here is a case of ARDS secondary to herpes …

An Interesting Occurrence Of Bell’S Palsy With Atypical Presentation After Contracting Covid-19 Infection, Yen-Chung Wang, Yen-Hsiang Wang, Christian Sanchez

North Texas GME Research Forum 2023

Introduction: COVID-19 has been identified as primarily a respiratory illness, however, with its clinical manifestation of involvement with multiple organs, it is now considered a systemic illness. In particular, it also can elicit a broad spectrum of neurological symptoms. One of the proposed manifestations is Bell’s Palsy, an acute idiopathic facial nerve palsy that affects the lower motor neuron. Here we have a patient with recent COVID infection who presents with a unilateral facial droop along with unilateral weakness/tingling of extremities and was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy.

Case Description: Patient is a 47-year-old male with a past medical history of …

West Nile Virus Encephalitis With Status Epilepticus Treated With High-Dose Steroids: A Case Study, Sherwin Thomas, Sawroop Sandhu

North Texas GME Research Forum 2023

West Nile virus (WNV) is a flavivirus endemic in the United States. WNV infection can present with a variety of non-neurologic and neurologic symptoms. Patients who present with WNV neuroinvasive disease have significant morbidity and mortality, with about 10% of cases resulting in death. There is currently no evidence-based treatment for WNV infection. Management is typically with supportive care. Some limited data shows corticosteroids as a possible treatment for neuroinvasive disease. This case report discusses a 55-year-old female patient who presented with altered mental status. She was found to be septic overnight and was found to be in status epilepticus …

Hepatitis B Virus Screening In Asian Immigrants: Community-Based Campaign To Increase Screening And Linkage To Care, Aziza Win

South Atlantic Division GME Research Day 2023

No abstract provided.

Opportunistic Retrospective Assessment Of Huac, Bone Density, Sft And Breast Density On Ct Images And Relationship With Severity Of Covid-19, Mahmut Subasi, Mustafa Duger, Cengiz Erol, Irmak Durur-Subasi

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Aim. To evaluate mean Hounsfield unit calculation (HUAC), bone density, subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT), breast density (constitutional imaging biomarkers) and age in symptomatic patients with COVID-19, to assess their correlation with pneumonia severity. Materials and Methods. Between 11 March and 30 May 2020, 272 consecutive symptomatic female patients with COVID-19 who underwent chest CT imaging at baseline were reviewed. HUAC, bone density, SFT and breast density were evaluated retrospectively and statistically compared in cases with negative/positive PCR test results, with/without pneumonia and with mild/moderate-severe pneumonia. Univariate/multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied for estimation of moderate/severe pneumonia. Results. The parameters of …