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 …

Nebulizer-Based Systems To Improve Pharmaceutical Aerosol Delivery To The Lungs, Benjamin M. Spence

Theses and Dissertations

Combining vibrating mesh nebulizers with additional new technologies leads to substantial improvements in pharmaceutical aerosol delivery to the lungs across therapeutic administration methods. In this dissertation, streamlined components, aerosol administration synchronization, and/or Excipient Enhanced Growth (EEG) technologies were utilized to develop and test several novel devices and aerosol delivery systems. The first focus of this work was to improve the poor delivery efficiency, e.g., 3.6% of nominal dose (Dugernier et al. 2017), of aerosolized medication administration to adult human subjects concurrent with high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy, a form of continuous-flow non-invasive ventilation (NIV). The developed Low-Volume Mixer-Heater (LVMH) …

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 …