Virus Diseases Commons^™

Eastern Equine Encephalitis: An Assessment Of Vermont’S Treatment Plan And The Lack Of Preventative Treatment, Lauren E. Bierman

Writing Across the Curriculum

When an avian host and the Culiseta melanura mosquito meet in fresh water hardwood swamps, the Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEE) is spread to the bird community. When that same bird is bitten by a mosquito that feeds on humans, such as the Aedes, Coquillettidia, and Culex species, the EEE virus has found its bridge vector. EEE is a rare disease in humans; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in 2010 that the virus affects an average of 6 people per year (Epidemiology & Geographic Distribution section, para 2). In 2010, blood collected from deer …

Are Oncolytic Viruses A Cure For Cancer? A Look At Reovirus, Adenovirus, And Hsv-1 In Cancer Treatment, Yehuda Rosenberg

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

This paper aims to evaluate the option of utilizing Oncolytic Viruses as a viable treatment in fighting cancer. However, due to the broad nature of the subject, a more limited purview is necessary. With that in mind, the focus will be on a few of the more researched ones: Reovirus, Adenovirus, and HSV-1. In each case, we will examine what makes each of these potential options. This will include an examination of each one's tumor-specificity. Cancer and viral physiology will be discussed as necessary to examine the distinct protein expressions in tumor cells, so that the virus's method of battling …

Implementing Incentive-Based Hiv Interventions In Zambia: The Compact Model, Sam Kalibala, Waimar Tun, Chabu Kangale, Jill Keesbury, Ray Handema, Mwaka Monze

HIV and AIDS

The Population Council received a cooperative agreement from USAID to implement the Community Mobilization for Preventive Action (COMPACT) project, to develop and determine the feasibility of “community compacts” as an innovative approach to prevent HIV in Zambian communities. The aim is to mobilize the communities through a capacity-building process that enables them to identify HIV prevention targets, develop interventions to achieve those targets, and measure the results. This study determined baseline levels of key indicators related to HIV, sexual behaviors, gender-based violence, alcohol abuse, and reproductive health. These baseline measures will be compared with midline and endline levels to assess …

Motivations For Entering Volunteer Service And Factors Affecting Productivity: A Mixed Method Survey Of Steps-Ovc Volunteer Hiv Caregivers In Zambia, Jessica Price, Tina Moyo, Stephanie Topp, Drosin Mulenga, Mardieh Dennis, Mathew Ngunga

HIV and AIDS

This study by the Population Council and the Zambia-Led Prevention Initiative was designed to examine the motivations of individuals volunteering as STEPS-OVC caregivers; to explore their experiences in service, including perceived barriers to carrying out their volunteer work and if, and how, their expectations for volunteering had been met or not; to assess individuals’ intent to continue caregiving; and to ascertain factors associated with volunteer productivity. Two main findings stand out from this study: that communitarian and religious helping values were virtually universal in the study population, and that a majority of the volunteers indicated economic and material interests and …

Chikungunya Virus Infection Results In Higher And Persistent Viral Replication In Aged Rhesus Macaques Due To Defects In Anti-Viral Immunity, Ilhem Messaoudi, Jennifer Totonchy, Thomas Totonchy, Craig N. Kreklywich, Kristen Haberthur, Laura Springgay, James D. Brien, Michael S. Diamond, Victor R. Defilippis, Daniel N. Streblow

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a re-emerging mosquito-borne Alphavirus that causes a clinical disease involving fever, myalgia, nausea and rash. The distinguishing feature of CHIKV infection is the severe debilitating poly-arthralgia that may persist for several months after viral clearance. Since its re-emergence in 2004, CHIKV has spread from the Indian Ocean region to new locations including metropolitan Europe, Japan, and even the United States. The risk of importing CHIKV to new areas of the world is increasing due to high levels of viremia in infected individuals as well as the recent adaptation of the virus to the mosquito species Aedes …

Merkel Cell Carcinoma, Cynthia L. Bartus Md, Steven Oberlender Md, Phd, Christian W. Oram Do

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

The Community Mobilization For Preventive Action (Compact) Project In Zambia: A Midline Evaluation, Waimar Tun, Chabu Kangale, Scott Geibel, Meredith Sheehy, Ray Handema, Mwaka Monze

HIV and AIDS

The Population Council and its partner, Project Concern International, implemented the Community Mobilization for Preventive Action (COMPACT) HIV-prevention program in Zambia. The program works with communities to develop “compacts” through a participatory, community-led process, and assists them in working toward reaching HIV-related “benchmarks,” intended to result in a reduction in HIV-related risk behaviors and harmful norms and ultimately contribute over time to the reduction of HIV incidence. This mid-term evaluation in four of six COMPACT communities indicates that COMPACT is improving some HIV-related behaviors and attitudes, particularly those related to gender norms, multiple sex partnerships, and alcohol abuse. The report …

Relevance Of Molecular Mimicry In The Mediation Of Infectious Myocarditis, Chandirasegaran Massilamany, Sally A. Huber, Madeleine W. Cunningham, Jay Reddy

Jay Reddy Publications

Heart disease, the leading cause of death in humans, is estimated to affect one in four American adults in some form. One predominant cause of heart failure in young adults is myocarditis, which can lead to the development of dilated cardiomyopathy, a major indication for heart transplantation. Environmental microbes, including viruses, bacteria, and fungi that are otherwise innocuous, have the potential to induce inflammatory heart disease. As the list is growing, it is critical to determine the mechanisms by which microbes can trigger heart autoimmunity and, importantly, to identify their target antigens. This is especially true as microbes showing structural …

Is Telaprevir An Effective Addition To The Currently Available 48 Week Therapy Regimen In Chronic Hepatitis C Genotype 1 Patients?, Jeanette L. Nienaber

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine if the addition of telaprevir reduces treatment time and is more effective than the presently available pegylated interferon α2a-ribavirin combination 48 week therapy.

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three English language primary studies published in 2011.

DATA SOURCES: Articles selected for review, are randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trials found in peer-reviewed journals using Cochrane, Medline and PubMed databases.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: Effectiveness of telaprevir was measured by determining the potentiality of reducing treatment outcome from 48 weeks to 24 weeks and the overall success rate of …

2013 Children’S Legislative Briefing Book, Nevada Institute For Children’S Research And Policy, Children’S Advocacy Alliance, Denise Tanata Ashby, Tara Phebus

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

The purpose of this Legislative Briefing Book is to provide a quick snapshot of some of the most pressing issues facing Nevada’s children in order to provide advocates and policymakers with a stepping stone in creating positive changes to improve the lives of Nevada’s children. While this book will not cover every issue facing our children, it is intended to highlight some of those where state policy may have an impact, covering issues in education, health, safety and security, and the juvenile justice system. Diligent efforts need to be made during the 2013 Legislative Session to improve policies, procedures and …

Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program Year Three Outcome Evaluation Report For The Southern Nevada Health District, Nevada Institute For Children’S Research And Policy, Southern Nevada Health District, Dawn Davidson, Tara Phebus

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

In the fall of 2010 the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) was awarded funding from the Federal Office of Adolescent Health to implement an evidence based teen pregnancy prevention curriculum. They have partnered with the Department of Juvenile Justice Services, the Clark County Department of Family Services, and the City of Las Vegas to offer this curriculum to the youth in juvenile detention, probation, community centers, and life skills classes for youth aging out of the foster care system. The Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy (NICRP) has been contracted to complete the outcome evaluation for this program and …

Kalkidan ('Promise'): Addressing Marital Transmission Of Hiv In Ethiopia, Banchiamlack Dessalegn, Annabel Erulkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This program brief describes a Population Council initiative in three low-income areas of Ethiopia. Kalkidan (Amharic for “Promise”) is a three-year program designed to increase discussion and information-sharing on HIV and related topics between marital partners; to promote HIV prevention and health service utilization within marriage, including prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV; and to build husbands’ support of their wives, as well as investment in their health and that of their children. Kalkidan recruits and trains community-based mentors to lead parallel discussion groups of husbands and wives, who periodically come together for joint sessions. The Population Council is …

Growing Up In Rural India: An Exploration Into The Lives Of Younger And Older Adolescents In Madhya Pradesh And Uttar Pradesh, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Iram Saeed, Archana Sarkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This technical report describes the situation of adolescents according to a baseline assessment conducted in selected villages in India. The objectives of the assessment were to explore the attitudes, practices, and behaviors of adolescent girls, their adolescent brothers and if married, their husbands, with regard to sexual and reproductive matters, including HIV; their perspectives on adolescent girls’ and boys’ vulnerability to HIV and ways in which it can be mitigated; and the perspectives of parents and other critical adults in the community on the vulnerability of adolescent girls and boys to HIV. Results will be used to: (1) enhance adolescent …

Is Starting Antiretroviral Therapy (Art) In Hiv Positive Adults With Cd4 Cell Count Of <300 Cells/Μl Within Four Weeks Of Initiating New Tuberculosis (Tb) Therapy More Effective In Reducing Mortality Rates Than Starting Art Four Weeks Or Later After Initiating New Tb Therapy?, Janna Erlien

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) in HIV positive adults with CD4 cell count of /µl within four weeks of initiating new tuberculosis therapy more effective in reducing mortality rates than starting ART four weeks or later after initiating new tuberculosis therapy.

STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review of three English language primary studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2011.

DATA SOURCES: Three open label, randomized, controlled trials published in 2011, comparing the timing of ART for HIV+ adults with confirmed or suspected new TB …

Does Etravirine Decrease Central Nervous System (Cns)/Neuropsychiatric (Nps) Adverse Events Compared To Efavirenz, In Hiv Positive Patients?, Angelo D. T. Smith

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not Etravirine (ETR) decreases adverse reactions on the central nervous system (CNS) compared to Efavirenz (EFV) in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positive patients.

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three, English language, primary randomized controlled trial studies published in 2011.

DATA SOURCES: Three randomized controlled trials studying the possible decrease of ADR’s in HIV positive patients who are taking Efavirenz compared to study medication Etravirine.

OUTCOME(S) MEASURED: Outcomes measured were by surveys from patients that assess the development or cessation of CNS ADR’s. The self …

Inhibition Of The Host Translation Shutoff Response By Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Triggers Nuclear Envelope-Derived Autophagy, Kerstin Radtke, Luc English, Christiane Rondeau, David Leib

Dartmouth Scholarship

Macroautophagy is a cellular pathway that degrades intracellular pathogens and contributes to antigen presentation. Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infection triggers both macroautophagy and an additional form of autophagy that uses the nuclear envelope as a source of membrane. The present study constitutes the first in-depth analysis of nuclear envelope-derived autophagy (NEDA). We established LC3a as a marker that allowed us to distinguish between NEDA and macroautophagy in both immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. NEDA was observed in many different cell types, indicating that it is a general response to HSV-1 infection. This autophagic pathway is known to depend on the …

Late Developing Mammary Tumors And Hyperplasia Induced By A Low-Oncogenic Variant Of Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus (Mmtv) Express Genes Identical To Those Induced By Canonical Mmtv, Robert D. Bruno

School of Medical Diagnostics & Translational Sciences Publications

Background: The canonical milk-transmitted mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) of C3H mice (C3H-MMTV) rapidly induces tumors in 90% of infected animals by 8 months of age. Pro-viral insertions of C3H-MMTV into genomic DNA results in the overexpression of common core insertion site (CIS) genes, including Wnt1/10b, Rspo2, and Fgf3. Conversely, infection by either the endogenous Mtv-1 virus (in C3Hf) or the exogenous nodule-inducing virus (NIV) (in Balb/c NIV) induces premalignant mammary lesions and tumors with reduced incidence and longer latency than C3H-MMTV. Here, we asked whether Mtv-1/NIV affected the expression of core CIS genes.

Findings: We confirmed the presence of …