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 …

Encouraging Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Uptake: A Healthcare Improvement Project, Lauren E. Woll

Dissertations

Abstract

Problem: Human papillomaviruses are the causative agents of >95% of cervical cancers, most oropharyngeal and anogenital cancers, yet the vaccination status of the population remains critically low despite Gardasil9 offering robust protection against HPV-related disease.

Methods: This quality improvement project utilized a descriptive, observational design to assess the effect of the HPV Encouragement Bundle, a two-step intervention to improve HPV vaccine uptake. Quantitative data was collected via retrospective chart review to assess the effect of the intervention on first-dose administration of Gardasil9 (series initiation), as well as overall Gardasil9 vaccine uptake.

Results: Following implementation, Gardasil9 first dose uptake increased …

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 …

Current Oral Hygiene And Recreational Behavioral Trends In Hiv Disease, Donald E. Mercante, Emily Guarisco, Elizabeth A. Lilly, Arni Rao, Kelly Treas, Clifford J. Beall, Zach Thompson, Ann L. Griffen, Eugene J. Leys, Jose A. Vazquez, Michael E. Hagensee, Paul L. Fidel

School of Dentistry Faculty Publications

Objective: HIV disease is evolving with more HIV+ persons experiencing a high quality of life with well-controlled viremia. We recently enrolled a large cohort of HIV+ and clinically relevant HIV− persons for oral microbiome analyses that included a questionnaire related to oral hygiene and recreational behaviors. Here, the questionnaire responses were analyzed for behavioral trends within the cohort, together with trends over time by comparison to a previous geographically centered HIV+ cohort. Methods: Data were collected by questionnaire at baseline visits as cross-sectional assessments. Multivariable analyses were conducted for associations of HIV status as well as age, race, and sex, …

Pandemic Response Officers: Integration Between Medical, Public Health, And Higher Education Systems To Expedite Prevention And Response., Anne C Jones, Genevive R Meredith, Donna Leong, Sabine Jamal, Rachel Buckwalter, John D Clarke, Marin Clarkberg, Allan Bishop, Frank Cantone, Claire Espey, Frank Kruppa, Mary George Opperman, Gary A Koretzky

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

CONTEXT: Research and policy studies alike have enumerated population and community health benefits of system integration between medical, public health, and social entities. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the necessity of a well-trained and adequately staffed public health and medical workforce in order to process SARS-CoV-2 cases and prevent subsequent transmission. Higher education systems, in particular, represented defined populations of exposure and transmission. Opportunities existed for collaboration and task sharing between institutions of higher education and local public health departments to limit spread and impacts.

PROGRAM: This article describes the Pandemic Response Officer (PRO) program at Cornell University, …

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.

Researching Covid To Enhance Recovery (Recover) Adult Study Protocol: Rationale, Objectives, And Design, Leora I. Horwitz, Tanayott Thaweethai, Shari B. Brosnahan, Mine S. Cicek, Megan L. Fitzgerald, Jason D. Goldman, Rachel Hess, S. L. Hodder, Vanessa L. Jacoby, Michael R. Jordan, Jerry A. Krishnan, Adeyinka O. Laiyemo, Torri D. Metz, Lauren Nichols, Rachel E. Patzer, Anisha Sekar, Nora G. Singer, Lauren E. Stiles, Barbara S. Taylor, Shifa Ahmed, Heather A. Algren, Khamal Anglin, Lisa Aponte-Soto, Hassan Ashktorab, Ingrid V. Bassett, Brahmchetna Bedi, Nahid Bhadelia

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Importance SARS-CoV-2 infection can result in ongoing, relapsing, or new symptoms or other health effects after the acute phase of infection; termed post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), or long COVID. The characteristics, prevalence, trajectory and mechanisms of PASC are ill-defined. The objectives of the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Multi-site Observational Study of PASC in Adults (RECOVER-Adult) are to: (1) characterize PASC prevalence; (2) characterize the symptoms, organ dysfunction, natural history, and distinct phenotypes of PASC; (3) identify demographic, social and clinical risk factors for PASC onset and recovery; and (4) define the biological mechanisms underlying PASC pathogenesis. …

The Effectiveness Of Disinfection Protocols In Medical School Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Labs., Harrison A. Patrizio, Riley Phyu, Thomas Boyle, Todd Schachter

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

CONTEXT: In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare-associated infections have taken center stage. Healthcare has adjusted workflows to accommodate for more robust disinfecting regiments to help protect the community. This has resulted in the need for medical institutions to reevaluate the current disinfection protocols down to the student level. The osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) laboratory provides an optimal avenue for assessing the effectiveness of medical students' ability to clean examination tables. With OMM laboratories having a high level of interaction, adequate disinfection is important for the health and safety of students and teaching faculties.

OBJECTIVES: This study will evaluate the …

An Aerobic Exercise Intervention To Improve Metabolic Health Among People Living With Hiv With At-Risk Alcohol Use: The Alive-Ex Research Study Protocol, Liz Simon, Stefany D. Primeaux, Danielle E. Levitt, Brianna Bourgeois, Neil M. Johannsen, Adrianna Peters, Jameel Ahmed, Richard H. Marshall, Alexandra H. Fairchild, Tekeda F. Ferguson, Patricia E. Molina

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) in people living with HIV (PLWH) has improved life expectancy and increased risk of age-associated cardiometabolic comorbidities. At-risk alcohol use is more frequent among PLWH and increases the risk of health challenges. PLWH with at-risk alcohol use are more likely to meet criteria for prediabetes/diabetes and this is associated with impaired whole-body glucose-insulin dynamics. Methods: The Alcohol & Metabolic Comorbidities in PLWH: Evidence Driven Interventions Study (ALIVE-Ex Study, NCT03299205) is a longitudinal, prospective, interventional study to determine the effects of an aerobic exercise protocol on improving dysglycemia among PLWH with at-risk alcohol use. The intervention …

Whole Genome Sequencing Of West Nile Viruses From Animals Submitted To The Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (Cvmdl), Usa, 2021, Allison Appel

Honors Scholar Theses

West Nile Virus (WNV) causes a zoonotic disease. WNV was first isolated in Uganda in 1937 and has since become an endemic in countries such as North, South, and Central America [1]. According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, an average of 8 cases of WNV in humans have been reported since the year 2000 [2]. In this study, we focused on the genetic characterization of the viral genomic RNA of WNVs circulating in birds and mammals in the New England region. Following that aim, the complete genome sequence of two WNVs was obtained via next-generation sequencing. One sample …

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 …

Balancing Functional Tradeoffs Between Protein Stability And Ace2 Binding In The Sars-Cov-2 Omicron Ba.2, Ba.2.75 And Xbb Lineages: Dynamics-Based Network Models Reveal Epistatic Effects Modulating Compensatory Dynamic And Energetic Changes, Gennady M. Verkhivker, Mohammed Alshahrani, Grace Gupta

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Evolutionary and functional studies suggested that the emergence of the Omicron variants can be determined by multiple fitness trade-offs including the immune escape, binding affinity for ACE2, conformational plasticity, protein stability and allosteric modulation. In this study, we systematically characterize conformational dynamics, structural stability and binding affinities of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Omicron complexes with the host receptor ACE2 for BA.2, BA.2.75, XBB.1 and XBB.1.5 variants. We combined multiscale molecular simulations and dynamic analysis of allosteric interactions together with the ensemble-based mutational scanning of the protein residues and network modeling of epistatic interactions. This multifaceted computational study characterized molecular mechanisms and …

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 …

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 …

Effect Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Hpv Vaccination Rates, Jennifer Sepede, Kathy Chen

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted infection that potentiates cancer in both males and females. There are over 200 different types of HPV and while some strains, specifically HPV 6 and 11, may result in genital and skin warts, others remain clinically silent. High risk strains, HPV 16 and 18, are most associated with cervical cancer in women. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was widespread hesitancy and rejection towards vaccination. Similarly, the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine has also been met with distrust since it’s release. Studies have shown that there is a low vaccination rate due to …

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.

Breaking Down Barriers: Investigating Structural And Systemic Factors That Contribute To Covid-19 Disparities In African American Communities In New Jersey, Fazal Choudhary, Suraj Pothineni

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of millions of Americans; however, minority communities have been hit the hardest as infection rates continue to sky rocket and new variants arise. As of October 5, 2021, the CDC reports that African Americans make up a similar share of cases relative to the overall population, at about 12%, but have a significantly higher rate of deaths compared to the population, at approximately14%. African American communities are being disproportionately affected because of higher incidence of chronic diseases, inadequate access to health care, and poorer living and working conditions, which increases their vulnerability …

An Overview Of Viruses And The Infamous Sars-Cov-2, Jake Sun

The Confluence

Background information on viruses is first presented which include topics like evolution, ecology, history, identification, structure, and application. The novel SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, pandemic originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Millions of people were infected with the virus in a short time period causing urgent concern worldwide. The purpose of this review is to provide a brief and general understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 to increase awareness and actions toward preventive measures. COVID-19 is a (+) ssRNA spherical enveloped virion that causes primarily respiratory illnesses. The S protein interacts with ACE-2 receptors on the host cell to gain entry …

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 …

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.

A Cascade Of Care Of Patients With Hepatitis C Infection In A Rural State, Wollelaw Agmas, Wendy Craig, Kathleen Fairfield, Brian F. King, Elizabeth Eisenhardt, Kinna Thakarar

Journal of Maine Medical Center

Introduction: The substance misuse epidemic has fueled an increase in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. Despite the availability of sensitive screening and curative treatment, relatively few people are aware of their diagnosis and engaged in care. In this study, we aimed to identify local gaps in HCV care and inform strategies for improvement.

Methods: In this retrospective study, we assessed adult patients seen at a tertiary care center from 2015 to 2019 and who were eligible for HCV screening based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Inclusion criteria were birth from 1945 to 1965, long-term dialysis …

Physician Stress In The Era Of Covid-19 Vaccine Disparity: A Multi-Institutional Survey, Sarah Zahl, Debasis Mondal, David Tolentino, Jennifer A Fischer, Sherry Jimenez

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

CONTEXT: Healthcare workers are at a high risk of infection during infectious disease outbreaks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the availability of several vaccines against COVID-19, the absence of vaccination in patients and colleagues remains a continuous source of stress in healthcare workers. We conducted a survey of physician preceptors, both MDs and DOs, to explore the impact of differences in the patients' and colleagues' vaccination status on their well-being, stress, and burnout.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to determine whether exposure to unvaccinated patients and/or colleagues increases stress and burnout in physician preceptors by utilizing a …

Coarse-Grained Molecular Simulations And Ensemble-Based Mutational Profiling Of Protein Stability In The Different Functional Forms Of The Sars-Cov-2 Spike Trimers: Balancing Stability And Adaptability In Ba.1, Ba.2 And Ba.2.75 Variants, Gennady M. Verkhivker, Mohammed Alshahrani, Grace Gupta

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Evolutionary and functional studies have suggested that the emergence of Omicron variants can be determined by multiple fitness tradeoffs including immune escape, binding affinity, conformational plasticity, protein stability, and allosteric modulation. In this study, we embarked on a systematic comparative analysis of the conformational dynamics, electrostatics, protein stability, and allostery in the different functional states of spike trimers for BA.1, BA.2, and BA.2.75 variants. Using efficient and accurate coarse-grained simulations and atomistic reconstruction of the ensembles, we examined the conformational dynamics of the spike trimers that agree with the recent functional studies, suggesting that BA.2.75 trimers are the most stable …

Intergenerational Change In Hiv/Aids-Related Stigma In Cato Manor, Mijin Cho

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In South Africa, the world’s epicenter of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, HIV-related stigma and stigma-enforcing stereotypes continue to serve as major health barriers to receiving adequate HIV prevention and treatment. While there continues to be a rise in research and advocacy, there is a need to study HIV stigma through a multigenerational lens that addresses the changing HIV/AIDS stigma in the post-apartheid era. Using qualitative methodology, this study aims to explore the generational differences in perceived HIV stigma between females in their 20s and above 50 years of age (as denoted by “50s+”) living in Cato Manor, South Africa. The study …

Oral Health Considerations For Aging Patients Living With Hiv/Aids, Madeleine Daily Dds, Susan Liu Dds, Yuna Park Dds, Mph, Ms, Emily Byington Msw, Ivette Estrada Ma, Mphil, Sunil Wadhwa Dds, Carol Kunzel Phd

The New York State Dental Journal

People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) have an increased life expectancy due to advances in antiretroviral therapy. In 1996, the life expectancy for a 20-year old living with HIV was 39-years old; today, it is >70-years old. As life expectancy increases, PLWH are burdened with age-associated comorbidities. This paper reviews the interaction between aging and HIV and how it affects social, physical, and oral health issues. The shift in demographics presents new challenges for clinicians in how to identify, address, and manage these complex manifestations. This review summarizes how to approach HIV-related changes when providing care as a dental clinician.

Virtual And In Vitro Screening Of Natural Products Identifies Indole And Benzene Derivatives As Inhibitors Of Sars-Cov-2 Main Protease (MPro), Dony Ang, Riley Kendall, Hagop S. Atamian

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The rapid spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) resulted in serious health, social, and economic consequences. While the development of effective vaccines substantially reduced the severity of symptoms and the associated deaths, we still urgently need effective drugs to further reduce the number of casualties associated with SARS-CoV-2 infections. Machine learning methods both improved and sped up all the different stages of the drug discovery processes by performing complex analyses with enormous datasets. Natural products (NPs) have been used for treating diseases and infections for thousands of years and represent a valuable resource for drug discovery when combined with …

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 …