Virus Diseases Commons^™

Heeding The Call Of Covid-19, David Wiebers, Valery Feigin

Animal Sentience

We are grateful to all of our commentators. They have provided a wide range of valuable perspectives and insights from many fields, revealing a broad interest in the subject matter. Nearly all the commentaries have helped to affirm, refine, expand, amplify, deepen, interpret, elaborate, or apply the messages in the target article. Some have offered critiques and suggestions that help us address certain issues in greater detail, including several points concerning industrialized farming and the wildlife trade. Overall, there is great awareness and strong consensus among commentators that any solution for preventing future pandemics and other related health crises must …

A Model For Inhalation Of Infectious Aerosol Contaminants In An Aircraft Passenger Cabin, Bert A. Silich

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Aerosol contamination of an aircraft cabin by infectious passengers is a concern of passengers, aircrew and the aviation industry. This may be especially important during a pandemic, such as COVID-19, where the full extent of aerosol transmission is not well understood. A statistical method to determine the number of infectious passengers on board along with a mathematical model estimating the contaminant concentration of aerosols in the cabin and the number of inhaled infectious particles by passengers is presented. An example is used to demonstrated how the results can be estimated during normal operations and emergency conditions with malfunctions of the …

Epigenetic Mechanisms Underlying Hiv-Infection Induced Susceptibility Of Cd4+ T Cells To Enhanced Activation-Induced Fasl Expression And Cell Death., Smita Ghare, Paula M. Chilton, Aakarsha V. Rao, Swati Joshi-Barve, Paula Peyrani, Andrea Reyes-Vega, Craig J. Mcclain, Kendall Bryant, Robert L. Cook, Mathew Freiberg, Shirish Barve

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Background:

Chronic immune activation and CD4⁺ T cell depletion are significant pathogenic features of HIV infection. Expression of Fas ligand (FasL), a key mediator of activation-induced cell death in T cells, is elevated in people living with HIV-1 infection (PLWH). However, the epigenetic mechanisms underlying the enhanced induction of FasL expression in CD4⁺ T lymphocytes in PLWH are not completely elucidated. Hence, the current work examined the effect of HIV infection on FasL promoter-associated histone modifications and transcriptional regulation in CD4⁺ T lymphocytes in PLWH.

Method:

Flow cytometric analysis was performed to examine the Fas-FasL expression on …

Teleneurology Based Management Of Infantile Spasms During Covid-19 Pandemic: A Consensus Report By The South Asia Allied West Syndrome Research Group, Priyanka Madaan, Jitendra Kumar Sahu, Jithangi Wanigasinghe, Kanij Fatema, Kyaw Linn, Mimi Lhamu Mynak, Nicolás Garófalo Gómez, Pauline Samia, Prakash Poudel, Prem Chand

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

With telehealth services rescuing patients with chronic neurological disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need for simplified teleneurology protocols for neurological disorders in children. Infantile spasms is an epileptic encephalopathy where treatment lag is a significant predictor of outcome. It is one such condition where telemedicine can make a remarkable difference when in-person consultations are delayed or are not possible. However, the adverse effect profile of the first-line therapeutic options, the need for frequent follow-up, underdeveloped telemedicine services, lack of a rational protocol, poor awareness about infantile spasms, a lesser level of parental understanding, and scarcity of pediatric …

Understanding And Promoting Racial Diversity In Healthcare Settings To Address Disparities In Pandemic Crisis Management, Azza Sarfraz, Zouina Sarfraz, Alanna Barrios, Kuchalambal Agadi, Sindhu Thevuthasan, Krunal Pandav, Manish Kc, Muzna Sarfraz, Pedram Rad, George Michel

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Health disparities have become apparent since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. When observing racial discrimination in healthcare, self-reported incidences, and perceptions among minority groups in the United States suggest that, the most socioeconomically underrepresented groups will suffer disproportionately in COVID-19 due to synergistic mechanisms. This study reports racially-stratified data regarding the experiences and impacts of different groups availing the healthcare system to identify disparities in outcomes of minority and majority groups in the United States.
Methods: Studies were identified utilizing PubMed, Embase, CINAHL Plus, and PsycINFO search engines without date and language restrictions. The following keywords were used: …

Covid-19 Vaccine-Associated Thrombosis With Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (Tts): A Systematic Review And Post Hoc Analysis, Muhammad Usman Hafeez, Maha Ikram, Zunaira Shafiq, Azza Sarfraz, Zouina Sarfraz, Vikash Jaiswal, Muzna Sarfraz, Ivan Chérrez-Ojeda

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: A new clinical syndrome has been recognized following the COVID-19 vaccine, termed thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). The following systematic review focuses on extrapolating thrombotic risk factors, clinical manifestations, and outcomes of patients diagnosed with TTS following the COVID-19 vaccine.
Methods: We utilized the World Health Organization's criteria for a confirmed and probable case of TTS following COVID-19 vaccination and conducted a systematic review and posthoc analysis using the PRISMA 2020 statement. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS V25 for factors associated with mortality, including age, gender, anti-PF4/heparin antibodies, platelet nadir, D-dimer peak, time to event diagnosis, arterial or …

Importance Of Awareness Of Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Heather Ellis, Hale Z. Toklu

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Health care professionals hold the responsibility of reporting any adverse drug reactions in order to learn about new therapy and how best to safely care for our patients. The information derived from case publications and FDA MedWatch reports are essential to accumulate information and increase awareness for the possible risks of new drugs.

Decomposing Differences In Coronavirus Disease 2019-Related Case-Fatality Rates Across Seventeen Nations, Ashley Wendell Kranjac, Dinko Kranjac

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

As of 1 November 2020, estimated case-fatality rates associated with coronavirus disease 2019 are not uniformly patterned across the world and differ substantially in magnitude. Given the global spatial heterogeneity in case-fatality rates, we applied the Blinder-Oaxaca regression decomposition technique to identify how putative sociodemographic, structural, and environmental sources influence variation in case-fatality rates. We show that compositional and associational differences in country-level risk factors explain a substantial proportion of the coronavirus disease 2019-related case-fatality rate gap across nations. Asian countries fair better vis-à-vis case-fatality rate differences mainly due to variation in returns to sociodemographic, structural, and environmental sources among …

Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices Towards Covid-19 Among Pakistani Residents: Information Access And Low Literacy Vulnerabilities, Zafar Fatmi, Shafaq Mahmood, Waqas Hameed, Ibtisam Qazi, Muhammad Siddiqui, Anny Dhanwani, Sameen Siddiqi

Community Health Sciences

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has accentuated the need for speedy access to information. Digital divide and socio-demographic disparity create an information hiatus and therefore unhealthy practices with regard to dealing with COVID-19, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Aims: We assessed knowledge, attitudes, practices and their determinants regarding COVID-19 in Pakistan during March-April 2020.
Methods: 905 adults ≥18 years (males and females) participated: 403 from a web-based survey; 365 from an urban survey; and 137 from a rural survey. Frequency of adequate knowledge, attitudes and practices for the three populations was determined based on available global guidelines. Multivariable logistic regression …

Ua94/6/1 Covid-19 Diary, Daniel Myers

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

COVID-19 diary submitted to WKU Archives by student Daniel Myers for fall semester 2020.

Ua94/6/1 Covid-19 Diary, Michaela Snyder

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

COVID-19 diary submitted to WKU Archives by student Michaela Snyder for fall 2020 semester.

Understanding Of Aerosol Transmission Of Covid 19 In Indoor Environments, Adama Barro, Cathal O'Toole, Jacob S. Lopez, Matthew Quinones, Sherene Moore

Publications and Research

Our reason for discussing severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or 2019 novel corona virus (Covid-19), is to understand its aerosol transmission characteristics in indoor spaces and to mitigate further spread of this disease by designing a new HVAC system. The problem that we are tackling is the spread of covid-19 droplets through aerosol transmission by looking at potential engineering solutions to the existing HVAC systems. The purpose is to eradicate the spread of the COVID-19 by testing indoor spaces in an effort to understand the effectiveness of ventilation controls. We believe that scientists and engineers have not …

Covid-19 Viral Testing Disparities In Los Angeles City, Laura Cyphers

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Hispanic and Black communities have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality (California Department of Public Health, 2020). Inequitable access to viral testing resources may have exacerbated these COVID-19-related racial and ethnic health disparities. For example, reports from the Los Angeles Department of Public Health revealed glaring viral testing disparities in April 2020 (early pandemic), with predominantly White communities in Los Angeles County receiving 65% more tests than Hispanic and Black communities. In response, California statewide testing was expanded for communities of color (Vann et al., 2020). To investigate access to viral testing in Los Angeles City, the current …

Imagining A Lean And Agile Digital Health Ecosystem - A Measure Of Pandemic Responsiveness, Zainab Samad, Sana Mahmood, Sameen Siddiqi, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Section of Cardiology

No abstract provided.

Leading Change During The Convergence Of An Epidemic And A Pandemic, Sarah Oerther, Daniel B. Oerther

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

As the first wave of COVID-19 cases spread around the globe in early 2020, the healthcare community adopted a medical model that emphasized the use of resources to mitigate viral spread (Oerther & Watson, 2020). Schools, churches, and businesses shutdown, and healthcare facilities – from outpatient clinics to inpatient elective surgeries – were closed or cancelled. Even long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes, limited access of visitors to patients in an attempt at mitigation. And for six months, the healthcare community focused almost exclusively on a medical response to COVID-19, securing stockpiles of ventilators and fast-tracking vaccine development.

The World On Pause: A Children's Book About Living During A Pandemic, Amanda Desmarais

Senior Honors Projects

Life as we now know it has drastically changed since March 2020. Over 60 million people throughout the world have been infected with COVID-19. Unfortunately, over a million have died from the virus in a short period of time. The last pandemic occurred in 1918, many years before most of us were born. Since the pandemic is a health crisis most generations have never experienced, adults and children alike are learning to cope simultaneously. It is difficult to teach children coping mechanisms during these chaotic and unfamiliar times. Family members can’t set positive examples if their coping techniques are inconsistent. …

Non-Prescription Sale Of Syringes In Monterey County, Ruby Ramos Godoy

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

I have interned for the Monterey County Health Department in the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Prevention Program. My capstone project focuses on a community problem targeting high HIV and Hepatitis C (HCV) transmission rates in Monterey County. There are high HIV and HCV rates among injection drug users (IDUs), and many of our community members may partake in these harmful activities. The cause of these high HIV and HCV rates is because there are limited amounts of pharmacies selling syringes without a prescription, which then causes the high HIV and HCV rates among injection drug users and low life expectancy …

Informing Strategy To Ensure Detection: Perceptions Of Coronavirus Testing In A Southeastern U.S. Urban Homeless Population, Colleen Bell, Theodore Bosi, Barbara L. Gracious

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Introduction: Attitudes of those in the homeless population toward testing, particularly during a pandemic, are critical to understand, so that they and their communities may be safely triaged and protected. Homeless persons are more likely to be exposed during viral epidemics, and have greater vulnerability for more severe viral illness, due to greater medical comorbidities. The literature reflects a dearth of published papers describing the perceptions, interest, and motivations of homeless people to seek or receive viral testing, despite their status as a high-risk population.

Methods: A quality improvement project consisting of a cross-sectional survey took place at 8 SARS-CoV-2 …

Covid-19 Needs Assessment And Support For Primary Care Practices In Western North Carolina, Sheri Denslow, Jill Fromewick, Kacey Scott, Jesse Bossingham, Brian Cass, Bryan Hodge, Erica L. Richman, Tammy Garrity, Kathleen Mottus, Jacqueline R. Halladay

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background: It is critical to ensure that Primary Care Providers (PCPs) have adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), supplies, training, staffing, and contingency planning during pandemics, particularly in rural areas. In March 2020, during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC), in collaboration with the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at UNC Chapel Hill, rapidly created and conducted a needs assessment of PCPs in western North Carolina (WNC).

Methods: A group of twenty volunteers conducted a telephone survey of PCPs in a 16 county region of WNC. Practices were asked about their …

Acute Ischemic Stroke As The Presenting Feature Of Covid-19 In The Young And Pregnant, Nermila A. Ballmick, Jiri F. Kubac, Hossein Akhondi

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Introduction: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an emerging and rapidly evolving public health issue that has become globally widespread and an overwhelming pandemic. Clinical manifestations of the disease include asymptomatic carrier states, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and even multiorgan dysfunction. Here, we present a unique and rare case of an acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in an asymptomatic pregnant woman with no predisposing medical illnesses.

Discussion: An 18-year-old G2P1 African American woman at 7 weeks gestational age with no significant medical or family history presenting to the Emergency Department during the initial phases of the pandemic with complaints of new onset left …

Covid-19: Best Practices And The Way Forward, Juliana Nwauwa

Student Scholarly Projects

COVID-19 is a global health emergency that originated in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. It was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020, and since then has affected more than 53,507,282 individuals and claimed the lives of more than 1,305,164 around the globe. It is a respiratory virus transmitted from person to person through airborne aerosols and droplets from infected individuals and direct contact with infected surfaces.

Numerous factors, such as socioeconomic status, population density, pre-existing health conditions, and lack of health insurance, have contributed to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 among certain demographic groups. The COVID-19 impact ranges from …

Strategies To Improve Coverage Of Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (Tcv) Immunization Campaign In Karachi, Pakistan, Farah Qamar Naz, Rabab Batool, Sonia Qureshi, Miqdad Ali, Tahira Sadaf, Junaid Mehmood, Khalid Iqbal, Akram Sultan, Noah Duff, Mohammad Tahir Yousafzai

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

The emergence and spread of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) typhoid in Karachi, Pakistan led to an outbreak response in Lyari Town, Karachi utilizing a mass immunization campaign with typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV), Typbar TCV®. The mass immunization campaign, targeted Lyari Town, Karachi, one of the worst affected towns during the XDR typhoid outbreak. Here we describe the strategies used to improve acceptance and coverage of Typbar TCV in Lyari Town, Karachi. The mass immunization campaign with Typbar TCV was started as a school- and hospital-based vaccination campaign targeting children between the age of 6 months to 15 years old. A dose …

Open For Business: Offering Physical Library Spaces In The Covid Era, Katie Sparks, Hannah Rogers

Southern Chapter/Medical Library Association Annual Conference

Objective: Our goal was to safely reopen physical library spaces at the Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library for use by various Emory University user groups including students, faculty, and staff during the COVID pandemic of 2020. Because our university brought a subset of students back to campus, we felt it was important to offer safe, socially distanced seating and workstations in the library.

Methods: In collaboration with Emory University’s environmental and safety health officers, we made determinations of the number of seats that could safely be offered. Seating was removed or cordoned off or otherwise signposted. We implemented a reservations …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 96, No. 13, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Burned Out – COVID-19
• Payne, Michael. 15 Years with the Bagel Brothers – Sandra Hurley
• Hargrove, Matthew. Hilltoppers Get in the Win Column, Home Finale Up Next - Football
• Kieser, Nick. All Eyes on the Spring – Basketball, Softball, Soccer, Baseball
• Leboutier, Addison. Little Flock of Jesus Christ Fellowship Comes Home – Clarence Tapp
• Cox, Alex. Editorial Cartoon re: Kamala Harris
• What a Kamala Harris Vice Presidency Means for Young People of Color
• Lattimer, Jacob. Student Government Association Sustainability Committee Looks to Make an Impact …

Assess The Impacts Of Human Mobility Change On Covid-19 Using Differential Equations With Google Community Mobility Data, Nao Yamamoto

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 96, No. 12, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Kieser, Nick. Boyce Store, 1869 to COVID-19
• Bertucci, Leo. Barren River COVID-19 Data Still Delayed
• Frazier, Keilen. Joe Biden Their Time
• Extending the Withdrawal Date Is Not Enough – Pass / D / Fail Option
• Reynolds, Easton. WKU Extends the Deadline to Withdraw a Class
• Mallon, Sam. WKU, Barren River Area Child Advocacy Center Initiative Aims to Curb Child Abuse, Neglect – Child Welfare Education
• Hargrove, Matthew. Hilltoppers Drop Game at Florida Atlantic University, Southern Mississippi Visits the Hill Saturday – Football
• Gaylord, Kaden. Time …

FacebookʼS Latest Attempt To Address Vaccine Misinformation — And Why ItʼS Not Enough, Ana Santos Rutschman

All Faculty Scholarship

On October 13, 2020 Facebook announced the adoption of a series of measures to promote vaccine trust “while prohibiting ads with misinformation that could harm public health efforts.” In the post written by Kang-Xing Jin (head of health) and Rob Leathern (director of product management), the company explained that the new measures were designed with an emphasis on encouraging widespread use of this yearʼs flu vaccine, as well as in anticipation of potential COVID-19 vaccines becoming available in the near future.

The changes focus mainly on the establishment of a multiprong informational campaign about the seasonal flu vaccine, which includes …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 96, No. 11, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Murray, Debra. Campaigning During COVID-19
• Stryker, Shane. Third Party Candidates Present Options Outside Democrats & Republicans
• WKU Young Democrats
• WKU College Republicans
• Serrano, Francisco. A Voice of Change for the Young Generation
• Thornton, Maggie. Kentucky’s 1^st Congressional District
• Holland, Kelley. Kentucky’s 2^nd Congressional District
• Latimer, Jacob. Senate Candidates on College-Level Issues – Mitch McConnell, Amy McGrath
• Collins, Michael. District 20 Candidates on the Issues – Patti Minter, Leanette Lopez
• Who’s Running for City Commission?

Associations Between Household-Level Exposures And All-Cause Diarrhea And Pathogen-Specific Enteric Infections In Children Enrolled In Five Sentinel Surveillance Studies, Josh M. Colston, Abu S G. Faruque, M Jahangir Hossain, Debasish Saha, Suman Kanungo, Inácio Mandomando, Muhammad Imran Nisar, Anita K. M. Zaidi, Richard Omore, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Diarrheal disease remains a major cause of childhood mortality and morbidity causing poor health and economic outcomes. In low-resource settings, young children are exposed to numerous risk factors for enteric pathogen transmission within their dwellings, though the relative importance of different transmission pathways varies by pathogen species. The objective of this analysis was to model associations between five household-level risk factors-water, sanitation, flooring, caregiver education, and crowding-and infection status for endemic enteric pathogens in children in five surveillance studies. Data were combined from 22 sites in which a total of 58,000 stool samples were tested for 16 specific enteropathogens using …

Attenuation Of Interferon Responses In The Obese Host And Ramifications For Influenza Virus Evolution, Rebekah Reed Honce

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The most insidious pandemic of modern life does not arise from an infectious agent but rather from malnutrition. With its global incidence tripling over the past three decades, obesity is a major public health concern. Obesity’s rising prevalence has also illuminated its impact on communicable diseases. Following the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus pandemic, obesity was identified as a risk factor for increased disease severity and mortality in infected individuals. Obesity causes a chronic state of meta-inflammation with systemic implications for immunity, including delayed antiviral responses to influenza virus infection, poor recovery, and impaired immunological memory. However, the majority of …