Virus Diseases Commons^™

Independent Effects Of Hiv And Antiretroviral Therapy On The Oral Microbiome Identified By Multivariate Analyses, Clifford J. Beall, Elizabeth A. Lilly, Carolina Granada, Kelly Treas, Kenneth R. Dubois, Shahr B. Hashmi, Jose A. Vazquez, Michael E. Hagensee, Ann L. Griffen, Eugene J. Leys, Paul L. Fidel

School of Dentistry Faculty Publications

The oral microbiome is an important predictor of health and disease. We recently reported significant yet modest effects of HIV under highly active antiretroviral therapy (ART) on the oral microbiome (bacterial and fungal) in a large cohort of HIV-positive (HIV+) and matched HIV-negative (HIV-) individuals. As it was unclear whether ART added to or masked further effects of HIV on the oral microbiome, the present study aimed to analyze the effects of HIV and ART independently, which also included HIV- subjects on preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) therapy. Cross-sectional analyses of the effect of HIV devoid of ART (HIV+ ART- versus matched …

Exploring The Possible Phenomenon Of Viral Interference Between The Novel Coronavirus And Common Respiratory Viruses, Spencer Deleveaux, Alexandria Clarke-Kregor, Xavier Fonseca-Fuentes, Essam Mekhaiel

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

At the peak of the 2021 wave of the SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant in North America, there was concern for a superimposed wave of viral respiratory infections. There was, however, an apparent shift in the usual epidemiology of these pathogens, especially during the traditional influenza season from approximately October 2020 to March 2021. This article seeks to briefly describe the epidemiology of notable respiratory pathogens during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and to focus on one possible factor for the trends observed. There are many contributory elements to the observed viral trends, but in particular, we present a synopsis …

Upregulation Of Cell Surface Glycoproteins In Correlation With Kshv Lana In The Kaposi Sarcoma Tumor Microenvironment, Sara R. Privatt, Owen Ngalamika, Jianshui Zhang, Qinsheng Li, Charles Wood, John T. West

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

HIV-associated epidemic Kaposi sarcoma (EpKS) remains one of the most prevalent cancers in sub-Saharan Africa despite the widespread uptake of anti-retroviral therapy and HIV-1 suppression. In an effort to define potential therapeutic targets against KS tumors, we analyzed previously published KS bulk tumor transcriptomics to identify cell surface biomarkers. In addition to upregulated gene expression (>6-fold) in the EpKS tumor microenvironment, biomarkers were selected for correlation with KSHV latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA) expression. The cell surface glycoprotein genes identified were KDR, FLT4, ADAM12, UNC5A, ZP2, and OX40, as well as the endothelial lineage determinants Prox-1 and CD34. Each protein …

Utilizing The System Engineering Trade Study Analysis Method To Analyze Patient Aeromedical Evacuation, Sara Shaghaghi, Jeremy M. Slagley, Michael E. Miller, Gaiven Varshney

Faculty Publications

The US Air Force has gone through many aeromedical patient isolation transport system designs. The first designs were developed in response to the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. The trade study analysis part of the system engineering design method was used to analyze the historic and current aeromedical patient contamination control transport systems. A trade study is a process that evaluates alternatives based upon various “-ilities”, such as reconfigurability, flexibility, durability, cost, and more, and performs a systematic analysis to aid designers in producing a ‘good’ design alternative given the large set of possible solutions. …

Tocilizumab For Severe Covid-19 Infection And Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome In Adults And Children, Amber N. Edinoff, Edward Sanders Alpaugh, Olivia Newgaard, Irza Wajid, Rachel J. Klapper, Elyse M. Cornett, Adam M. Kaye, Praneet Iyer, Alan D. Kaye

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapidly emerged as a global pandemic, placing imminent stress and burden on healthcare resources and workers worldwide. Many patients who present with a severe COVID-19 infection are at high risk of developing severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), leading to a vast number of patients requiring mechanical ventilation and a high mortality rate. Similar to Middle East respiratory syndrome, COVID-19 demonstrates an initial viral replication phase that manifests as a variety of symptoms typically flu-like in nature, followed by a profound inflammatory response leading to rapid production of cytokines and uncontrolled inflammation. There have also been …

Disease Risk Of Reintroducing Primates Confiscated From The Illegal Wildlife Trade, Ana Patricia Mendoza Becerra

Dissertations

Zoonotic infections are easily shared between human and other primates, and thus primate trafficking poses a high risk of introducing zoonotic pathogens into urban environments as well as spreading human-associated diseases into natural environments when infected primates are released. The magnitude of these risks has not been thoroughly studied in the context of primate trafficking and rehabilitation of Neotropical primates. In this dissertation, I address some knowledge gaps in disease risk analysis of reintroducing trafficked primates. In chapter 1, I describe the dynamics, diversity, and composition of live wildlife trafficking in urban markets in Peru. I found these markets are …

Structure-Based Regulatory Role For The 5'Utr Of Rcnmv Rna2, Jennifer S H Im, Jasmine R Sheppard, K Andrew White

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Red clover necrotic mosaic virus (RCNMV) is a segmented positive-strand RNA virus consisting of RNA1 and RNA2. Previous studies demonstrated that efficient translation of RCNMV RNA2 requires de novo synthesis of RNA2 during infections, suggesting that RNA2 replication is required for its translation. We explored a potential mechanism underlying the regulation of replication-associated translation of RNA2 by examining RNA elements in its 5' untranslated region (5'UTR). Structural analysis of the 5'UTR suggested that it can form two mutually exclusive configurations: a more thermodynamically stable conformation, termed the 5'-basal stem structure (5'BS), in which 5'-terminal sequences are base paired, and an …

Performance Of A Sars-Cov-2 Rt-Pcr Assay With Non-Traditional Specimen Types, Subathra Marimuthu, Holly Aliesky, Heather Ness, Daniya Sheikh, Sathya Rashmit, Dawn Balcom, Leslie A. Wolf

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

During the first two years of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, nasopharyngeal (NP) specimens were the gold standard for clinical diagnostic testing. As information about the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causing the pandemic continued to be shared, it was clear that the virus could be detected in other specimen types during an active infection. The University of Louisville Infectious Diseases Laboratory accepted non-traditional specimen types, most without a paired, positive NP result, for research purposes only to support local epidemiology efforts. A real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay originally validated for NP specimens was used …

What? Now A Respiratory Syncytial Virus Epidemic, Aya Allam, Steven B Lippmann

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Adapting International Clinical Trials During Covid-19 And Beyond, Kamala Thriemer, Kamala Thriemer, Mohammad Shafiul Alam, Bipin Adhikari, Rupam Tripura, Mohammad Sharif Hossain, Michael Christian, Najia Bano Ghanchi, Hellen Mnjala, Muhammad Asim

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting restrictions, particularly travel restrictions, have had significant impact on the conduct of global clinical trials. Our clinical trials programme, which relied on in-person visits for training, monitoring and capacity building across nine low- and middle-income countries, had to adapt to those unprecedented operational challenges. We report the adaptation of our working model with a focus on the operational areas of training, monitoring and cross-site collaboration.
The new working model: Adaptations include changing training strategies from in-person site visits with three or four team members to a multi-pronged virtual approach, with generic online training for …

Endogenous Mirna-Based Innate-Immunity Against Sars-Cov-2 Invasion Of The Brain, Walter J. Lukiw, Aileen I. Pogue

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

The severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, possesses an unusually large positive-sense, single-stranded viral RNA (ssvRNA) genome of about ~29,903 nucleotides (nt). In many respects, this ssvRNA resembles a very large, polycistronic messenger RNA (mRNA) possessing a 5′-methyl cap (m7GpppN), a 3′- and 5′-untranslated region (3′-UTR, 5′-UTR), and a poly-adenylated (poly-A+) tail. As such, the SARS-CoV-2 ssvRNA is susceptible to targeting by small non-coding RNA (sncRNA) and/or microRNA (miRNA), as well as neutralization and/or inhibition of its infectivity via the human body’s natural complement of about ~2650 miRNA species. Depending on host cell and tissue …

Implementation Of Mrsa Nasal Swabs As An Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention To Decrease Anti-Mrsa Therapy In Covid-19 Infection, Alaina Dekerlegand, Emily Johnston, Britney Mellor, Melanie Rae Schrack, Catherine O’Neal

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

In the early stages of treating patients with SARS-CoV-2, limited information was available to guide antimicrobial stewardship interventions. The COVID-19 Task Force and Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee, at a 988-bed academic medical center, implemented the use of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal swab polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing to assist with the de-escalation of anti-MRSA therapy in patients with suspected superimposed bacterial pneumonia in COVID-19. A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the impact of MRSA nasal swab PCR testing on the rate of anti-MRSA therapy between 13 April 2020 and 26 July 2020. A total of 122 patients were included …

Demonstrating New-Onset Or Worsened Sudomotor Function Post-Covid-19 On Comparative Analysis Of Autonomic Function Pre-And Post-Sars-Cov-2 Infection, Aditi Varma-Doyle, Nicole R. Villemarette-Pittman, Paul Lelorier, John England

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Autonomic dysfunction including sudomotor abnormalities have been reported in association with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Objective: There are no previous studies that have compared autonomic function objectively in patients pre- and post- SARS-CoV-2 infection. We aimed to identify if SARS-CoV-2 virus is triggering and/or worsening dysautonomia by comparing autonomic function tests in a group of patients pre-and post-SARS-CoV-2 infection. Design/methods: Six participants were enrolled and divided into two groups. The first group of 4 participants reported worsened autonomic symptoms post-SARS-CoV-2 infection. These individuals had their first autonomic test prior to COVID-19 pandemic outbreak (July 2019–December 2019). Autonomic function testing was repeated …

Covid-19 Newsletter (Vol. 153), Center For Disaster Medicine, New York Medical College

COVID-19 Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Covid-19 Newsletter (Vol. 152), Center For Disaster Medicine, New York Medical College

COVID-19 Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Enteropathogens On Faltering Growth In A Resource-Limited Setting, Furqan Kabir, Junaid Iqbal, Zehra Jamil, Najeeha Talat Iqbal, Fatima Aziz, Adil Kalam, Sahrish Muneer, Aneeta Hotwani, Sheraz Ahmed, Fayyaz Umrani, Sana Syed, Kamran Sadiq, Syed Asad Ali

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Introduction: Environmental enteropathy is an important contributor to childhood malnutrition in the developing world. Chronic exposure to fecal pathogens leads to alteration in intestinal structure and function, resulting in impaired gut immune function, malabsorption, and growth faltering leading to environmental enteropathy.
Methods: A community-based intervention study was carried out on children till 24 months of age in Matiari district, Pakistan. Blood and fecal specimens were collected from the enrolled children aged 3-6 and 9 months. A real-time PCR-based TaqMan array card (TAC) was used to detect enteropathogens.
Results: Giardia, Campylobacter spp., enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC), Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), …

Outcomes Of Patients With Copd During The Covid Pandemic, Jacob Hentges, Julia Fashner

East Florida Division GME Research Day 2023

A scoping review of COVID-19's impact on healthcare delivery and health outcomes found disruptions in care delivery and a shift towards telemedicine(1). Another study found no significant change in the length of stay for patients admitted to the hospital for COPD exacerbation during the pandemic period compared to the pre-pandemic period(2).

We conducted a secondary analysis of HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital data to compare the outcomes of patients with COPD before (Jan 2018 – Feb 2020) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 – Dec 2021). The data included patients aged over 18 years who were diagnosed with COPD …

Myocarditis With Concurrent Monkeypox: More Than An Association?, Anwar Alshaakh Moh'd Mari, Jorge Restrepo, Minh Q. Ho, Mohammed Ahmed

North Florida Division GME Research Day 2023

No abstract provided.

Cytomegalovirus And Nodular Gastric Lesions: A Case Report, Tyler Jones, Daniel Bishev, Vidya Kollu

North Florida Division GME Research Day 2023

No abstract provided.

Kaposi Sacroma In A 27 Year Old Man: A Case Report, Duyen Quach, Kayla Nguyen, Andrew Youssef, Diego Arellano, Jorge Leiva

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Day 2023

No abstract provided.

Empagliflozin Induced Fanconi Syndrome In A Patient With Covid-19, Nicole Fernandez, Gilad Guez, Edgar Escasinas

Capital Division GME Research Day 2023

No abstract provided.

Improving Group B Streptococcus Susceptibility Testing, Sofia Sarduy, Michelle Ozcan

North Florida Division GME Research Day 2023

No abstract provided.

Pancytopenia, Enterovirus Infection, And Pcr Testing, Stephen Mock, Salome Herzstein, Andrea Horbey

East Florida Division GME Research Day 2023

Introduction: This is a case of a patient presenting with fever, rash, and vomiting. Upon further studies, patient was found to have pancytopenia which started an extensive hospital work up.

Case Description: A previously healthy 9- year-old female presented to the emergency department with 3 days of tactile fever, 2 days of rash, and 1 day of nonbilious nonbloody emesis. The rash initially appeared on the trunk and by the day of admission, had begun to spread peripherally to the extremities. The rash on the abdomen was described as mild, generalized, blanchable and maculopapular. The rash on the extremities was …

Does Remdesivir Increase The Risk Of Pneumothorax In Covid-19 Patients?, Rebecca Smidy, Michael Gindi, Dhruv Reddy, Jacob Poliakoff

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2023

COVID-19, sars-cov-2, Remdesivir, Pneumothorax

A Case Of Coxsackievirus Type B-Induced Myocarditis Presenting With Gi Symptoms, Daniel Karpel, Jason Nguyen, Cristina Benites, Mohammed Akram, Francini Alcocer-Guzman, Evelyn Garcia, Shany Quevedo, Ambar Sekulits, Livasky Concepcion Perez

East Florida Division GME Research Day 2023

Please see supplemental content for full abstract with references.

Myocarditis affects 1.5 million people worldwide and in chronic forms can lead to heart failure. This inflammatory disorder is a primary cause of dilated cardiomyopathy globally and is frequently a complication of viral infections. Although Coxsackievirus B3 continues to be a prominent causative agent, further exploration has discovered a number of Coxsackie serotypes responsible for myocarditis. Despite being a well-known contributor to congestive heart failure, there is a lack of conventional techniques available to aid in diagnosis, making diagnosing acute viral myocarditis a complex and tedious process. We discuss the case …

Anti-Nmda Encephalitis In A Patient With Active Covid-19 Infection, Ali Abu-Alya, Janita Sidhu, Hamza Hansoti, Tyler Voss-Hamrick, Venkatachalam Veerappan, Ruhin Sidhu

Far West Division GME Research Day 2023

No abstract provided.

Case Based Review On Headaches And Cerebral Venous Thromboembolism Post Covid-19 Infection, Aishwarya Raich, Tanvir Khosla, Vishnu Halthore, Ali Abu-Alya, Venkatachalam Veerappan

Far West Division GME Research Day 2023

No abstract provided.

Intracerebral Hemorrhage And Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome Ina Patient With Covid-19, Matthew Bear, Branden Wilson, Aswin Srinivasan, Amar Hasan, Salman Alim, Mohamad Ezzeldin

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Day 2023

No abstract provided.

Attitudes Towards Hiv Testing In Pregnant And Non-Pregnant Women, Sashia Malone, Susan Greene

South Atlantic Division GME Research Day 2023

No abstract provided.

Factors Contributing To Ventilator Dependent Days In Covid-19, Isaac Ginsberg, Samantha Eteve, Bryan Lunt, Kenneth Krell

Continental, MidAmerica, & Mountain Divisions GME Research Day 2023

No abstract provided.