Virus Diseases Commons^™

Detecting The 2-Micron Plasmid In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Caitlin C. Allen, Eric T. Gillock

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This research is a continuation of work started by a previous student, Camryn Greving. Camryn was screening for the presence of the 2-micron plasmid using PCR primers specific for the REP2 gene, devised by Nakayashiki et al. In this research, we confirmed the presence of the plasmid by using primers specific for the RAF1 gene, which were designed by Strope et al.

Sub-Saharan Africa’S Handling Of Covid-19 Pandemic: Rwanda Versus Tanzania, Luke D. Baumel

Honors Undergraduate Conference

How has the Covid-19 outbreak in early 2020 and the pandemic that followed been handled in Sub-Saharan Africa? What was done well and what was done poorly and why? What are the implications of the way it was handled? These questions and more are answered throughout this paper, using Rwanda as an example of a Sub-Saharan African country who handled it relatively well and neighboring Tanzania as an example of a Sub-Saharan African country that mishandled the outbreak and pandemic. In early 2021, most Sub-Saharan African countries had been afflicted by Covid-19 at a relatively lower rate than many Western …

Covid-19 Vaccination In Patients With Inborn Errors Of Immunity Reduces Hospitalization And Critical Care Needs Related To Covid-19: A Usidnet Report, John Mcdonnell, Kimberley Cousins, M. Elizabeth M. Younger, Adam Lane, Hassan Abolhassani, Roshini S. Abraham, Salem Al-Tamemi, Juan Carlos Aldave-Becerra, Eman Hesham Al-Faris, Alberto Alfaro-Murillo, Suzan A. Alkhater, Nouf Alsaati, Alexa Michelle Altman Doss, Melissa Anderson, Ernestina Angarola, Barbara Ariue, Danielle E. Arnold, Amal H. Assa'ad, Caner Aytekin, Meaghan Bank, Jenna R.E. Bergerson, Jack Bleesing, John Boesing, Carolina Bouso, Nicholas Brodszki, Diana Cabanillas, Carol Cady, Meghan A. Callahan, Luke Wall, Et Al

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The CDC and ACIP recommend COVID-19 vaccination for patients with inborn errors of immunity (IEI). Not much is known about vaccine safety in IEI, and whether vaccination attenuates infection severity in IEI. OBJECTIVE: To estimate COVID-19 vaccination safety and examine effect on outcomes in patients with IEI. METHODS: We built a secure registry database in conjunction with the US Immunodeficiency Network to examine vaccination frequency and indicators of safety and effectiveness in IEI patients. The registry opened on January 1, 2022, and closed on August 19, 2022. RESULTS: Physicians entered data on 1245 patients from 24 countries. The most …

Formulation, Characterization, And In Vivo Immunogenicity Evaluation Of Heat-Stabilized Dissolvable Polymeric Microneedles, Aidan Lane Leyba

Biomedical Engineering ETDs

Since its introduction, vaccination has improved health outcomes tremendously. However, modern vaccination efforts are still difficult to implement, particularly in developing countries with warm climates. This includes complex and expensive cold-chain management of vaccines to maintain stability, a lack of medical personnel to administer parental vaccines, and needle phobia. As an alternative, dissolvable microneedles have recently been studied for their simple and painless application. In this thesis, I present a novel manufacturing process for polymer-based dissolvable microneedles, loaded with virus-like particles vaccines conjugated to TRIO or Sialokinin peptides to target malaria and arboviruses, respectively. We have performed multiple characterization studies …

Non-Thermal Plasma Reduces Hsv-1 Infection Of And Replication In Hacat Keratinocytes In Vitro, Julia Sutter, Jascha Brettschneider, Brian Wigdahl, Peter Bruggeman, Fred Krebs, Vandana Miller

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a lifelong pathogen characterized by asymptomatic latent infection in the trigeminal ganglia (TG), with periodic outbreaks of cold sores caused by virus reactivation in the TG and subsequent replication in the oral mucosa. While antiviral therapies can provide relief from cold sores, they are unable to eliminate HSV-1. We provide experimental results that highlight non-thermal plasma (NTP) as a new alternative therapy for HSV-1 infection that would resolve cold sores faster and reduce the establishment of latent infection in the TG. Additionally, this study is the first to explore the use of NTP …

In Silico Analysis Of C-Type Lectins As Co-Infection Receptors Of Dengue And Chikungunya Viruses In Aedes Aegypti, Munawir Sazali, R. C. Hidayat Soesilohadi, Nastiti Wijayanti, Tri Wibawa, Arif Nur Muhammad Ansori

Makara Journal of Science

Aedes aegypti is a primer vector of dengue virus (DENV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV). The susceptibility of mosquitoes to DENV and CHIKV depends on their recognition receptor of pathogens. C-type lectins (CTLs) are an important mediator of virus infection in A. aegypti. This study aims to identify potential receptors and determine the binding affinity between ligand–receptor interaction, CTLs and virus envelopes (DENV-1, 2, 3, and 4 and CHIKV) interaction based on in silico analysis. Sample sequences were obtained from GenBank (NCBI), and 10 CTLs were acquired from VectorBase. Homology modeling based on a minimum standard of 20% was processed …

Development Of Solitary Keratoacanthoma From A Cutaneous Wart, Joshua M. Ninan, Veronica Salazar

Research Symposium

Background: Common cutaneous warts, referred to in medicine as verrucae vulgaris, are proliferative lesions caused by human papillomavirus. These lesions are mostly benign and usually resolve without incident, except in the case of the patient mentioned in this report. Our patient developed a solitary keratoacanthoma, currently accepted as a clinical variant of squamous cell carcinoma, as a result of several risk factors and traumatic exposure. The current literature does not have an established association of HPV with solitary keratoacanthomas. This case report explores the presentation and pathogenesis of solitary keratoacanthomas within the setting of HPV.

Case Presentation: 48-year-old Caucasian female …

Contralateral Second Dose Improves Antibody Responses To A 2-Dose Mrna Vaccination Regimen, Sedigheh Fazli, Archana Thomas, Abram E. Estrada, Hiro A. P. Ross, David Xthona Lee, Steven Kazmierczak, Mark K. Slifka, David Montefiori, William B. Messer, Marcel E. Curlin

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

BACKGROUND. Vaccination is typically administered without regard to site of prior vaccination, but this factor may substantially affect downstream immune responses. METHODS. We assessed serological responses to initial COVID-19 vaccination in baseline seronegative adults who received second-dose boosters in the ipsilateral or contralateral arm relative to initial vaccination. We measured serum SARSCoV-2 spike–specific Ig, receptor-binding domain–specific (RBD-specific) IgG, SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid–specific IgG, and neutralizing antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2.D614G (early strain) and SARS-CoV-2.B.1.1.529 (Omicron) at approximately 0.6, 8, and 14 months after boosting. RESULTS. In 947 individuals, contralateral boosting was associated with higher spike-specific serum Ig, and this effect increased over time, …

Viral Epitope Scanning Reveals Correlation Between Seasonal Hcovs And Sars-Cov-2 Antibody Responses Among Cancer And Non-Cancer Patients, Salum J. Lidenge, Dicle Yalcin, Sydney J. Bennett, Owen Ngalamika, Brenda B. Kweyamba, Chacha J. Mwita, For Yue Tso, Julius Mwaiselage, John T. West, Charles Wood

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Seasonal coronaviruses (HCoVs) are known to contribute to cross-reactive antibody (Ab) responses against SARS-CoV-2. While these responses are predictable due to the high homology between SARS-CoV-2 and other CoVs, the impact of these responses on susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection in cancer patients is unclear. To investigate the influence of prior HCoV infection on anti-SARS-CoV-2 Ab responses among COVID-19 asymptomatic individuals with cancer and controls without cancers, we utilized the VirScan technology in which phage immunoprecipitation and sequencing (PhIP-seq) of longitudinal plasma samples was performed to investigate high-resolution (i.e., epitope level) humoral CoV responses. Despite testing positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 Ab in …

Overview Of The Zoonotic Potential And Coinfection Of Sars-Cov-2 In Indonesia, Muhammad Khaliim Jati Kusala, Ni Luh Putu Indi Dharmayanti

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

In the ASEAN region, Indonesia has the highest overall COVID-19 infection score. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic first emerged in China and then transmitted sporadically throughout the world. Animals and humans can be infected with the corona virus, so this disease is classified as a zoonotic disease. This review aims to gather information regarding the potential of SARS-CoV-2 as a zoonotic disease and coinfections with several other pathogens in Indonesia. This study collected data demonstrating the potential for COVID-19 to be transmitted from humans to animals, as an evidenced by positive test results for the Bat Coronavirus Antigen in bats. Cats have …

Uncommon Presentation Of Kaposi Sarcoma In An Hiv-Negative Patient: A Case Report And Review Of The Literature, Hope Daskalakis, Nina M. Ventura, Joy Anne Lowry, Mara Weinstein Velez

Advances in Clinical Medical Research and Healthcare Delivery

Kaposi Sarcoma (KS) is a multifocal systemic disease first identified in 1872. It most commonly involves the skin, mucous membranes, lymph nodes, and gastrointestinal tract. There are four clinically distinct subtypes of KS that have been identified: Chronic or classic KS, African endemic KS, KS due to iatrogenic immunosuppression, and AIDS-related epidemic KS. The human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) has been implicated in all subtypes of KS. We present a unique case of KS in a 79-year-old male with a widespread distribution of skin lesions on his palms, soles, chest, and back. This case report highlights a novel presentation of classical …

Long Trimer-Immunization Interval And Appropriate Adjuvant Reduce Immune Responses To The Soluble Hiv-1-Envelope Trimer Base, Hongying Duan, Angela R Corrigan, Cheng Cheng, Andrea Biju, Christopher A Gonelli, Adam S Olia, I-Ting Teng, Kai Xu, Sijy O'Dell, Sandeep Narpala, Mike Castro, Leonid Serebryannyy, Jennifer Wang, Danealle K Parchment, Edward K Sarfo, Jelle Van Schooten, John-Paul Todd, Shuishu Wang, Darcy R Harris, Hui Geng, Alexander J Jafari, Vrc Production Program, Ruth A Woodward, Nicole A Doria-Rose, Kathryn E Foulds, Adrian B Mcdermott, Marit J Van Gils, Richard A Koup, Theodore C Pierson, Peter D Kwong, John R Mascola

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Soluble 'SOSIP'-stabilized HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimers elicit dominant antibody responses targeting their glycan-free base regions, potentially diminishing neutralizing responses. Previously, using a nonhuman primate model, we demonstrated that priming with fusion peptide (FP)-carrier conjugate immunogens followed by boosting with Env trimers reduced the anti-base response. Further, we demonstrated that longer immunization intervals further reduced anti-base responses and increased neutralization breadth. Here, we demonstrate that long trimer-boosting intervals, but not long FP immunization intervals, reduce the anti-base response. Additionally, we identify that FP priming before trimer immunization enhances antibody avidity to the Env trimer. We also establish that adjuvants Matrix …

Acute Neutrophilic Vasculitis (Leukocytoclasia) In 36 Covid-19 Autopsy Brains, Roy H. Rhodes, Gordon L. Love, Fernanda Da Silva Lameira, Maryam Sadough Shahmirzadi, Sharon E. Fox, Richard S. Vander Heide

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Hypercytokinemia, the renin-angiotensin system, hypoxia, immune dysregulation, and vasculopathy with evidence of immune-related damage are implicated in brain morbidity in COVID-19 along with a wide variety of genomic and environmental influences. There is relatively little evidence of direct SARS-CoV-2 brain infection in COVID-19 patients. Methods: Brain histopathology of 36 consecutive autopsies of patients who were RT-PCR positive for SARS-CoV-2 was studied along with findings from contemporary and pre-pandemic historical control groups. Immunostaining for serum and blood cell proteins and for complement components was employed. Microcirculatory wall complement deposition in the COVID-19 cohort was compared to historical control cases. Comparisons …

Covid-19 Hospital Mortality Among Patients With Invasive Mechanical Ventilation: A Comparison Between Public And Private Healthcare Services In San Luis Potosí 2020–2022, María E. Torres-Acosta, Rocío M. Cubos-Moncada, Alan Y. Martínez-Castellanos

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: During 2019, México’s total public spending on health was 5.43% of the national gross domestic product, making it one of the countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development that invested the least in developing public health systems. This study analyzes hospital mortality among intubated patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 according to type of institution in San Luis Potosí, México, from March 18, 2020, to April 7, 2022.

Methods: This is a secondary data analysis of publicly available information about mortality among intubated patients with a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 with respect to the type of hospitalization institution.

Results: …

My Covid-19 Experience, Anonymous

Community Reflections

In this writing I talked about my personal feelings during covid-19 and experiences I went through being a highschool student during a global pandemic.

Covid Reflection, Anonymous

Community Reflections

The first couple of weeks of quarantine from the Covid-19 virus were not that bad. It was nice to spend more time with my parents and be able to just stay at home and do nothing. School was online for the first time and zoom was new to everyone. Teachers were very relaxed with the schoolwork and the zoom meetings. This lead to a lot of free time. I would mostly just play video games or spend time with my family since I couldn’t leave the house, and everyone was on edge about this virus. We would take precautions such …

My Covid Experience, Anonymous

Community Reflections

In 2020, our world was shaken by the Covid-19 Pandemic. Everyday life ceased to be what it once was. When Covid-19 began spreading throughout my area I was halfway through my freshman year of high school. I was in school every day from 7:30-2:45 and followed school with going dance. I was still getting comfortable with the change in my life that was being a high school student. Each day was an adjustment, but I was finally beginning to feel the ease of my routine when I received the email from my school that we would have two weeks off …

My Life Was Altered, Anonymous

Community Reflections

My life was altered in March of 2020. This pandemic created an unimaginable world. The cause of the COVID-19 pandemic still remains a mystery. My experience began on March 12, 2020, when my school gave us two weeks off to allow time for this illness to pass.

Remembering Covid-19, Anonymous

Community Reflections

The COVID-19 pandemic changed many aspects of my life, and personally it felt like it was for the better. During this extended period of time when I was at home doing school online, and not able to attend my extracurricular activities, I found out who I really was as a person. The whole quarantine time was like one long therapy session where you could sit and reflect about your past and future, and what you wanted to make of it. One main thing that everyone seemed to go through was finding new hobbies.

Covid Memory, Anonymous

Community Reflections

This document describes my experiences and reactions to the initial and outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

My Old Self Vanished, Olivia Anonymous

Community Reflections

Being an adolescent during the COVID 19 pandemic was something that I would never wish upon my greatest enemy. Growing up during a time of isolation was incredibly lonely and confusing. Instead of making connections and living a normal life, we were forced to hide behind masks and remain away from each other. In a time where I was supposed to be developing and gathering life experience, life was taken away from me.

My Teenage Covid Experience, Anonymous

Community Reflections

It was March 2020 and COVID 19 headlines took over the news. This new disease had the world so frightened. It was quickly becoming a pandemic, which is something I had never seen in my lifetime. In fact, it was sometime that neither had my parents nor grandparents experienced. The funeral home in my town had a huge amount of body bags in anticipation of a massive death toll.

We Lost Ourselves, Anonymous

Community Reflections

My content reflects how I struggled during the covid pandemic in 2020 on Long Island.

Nobody Knew, Anonymous

Community Reflections

Nobody ever knew what was coming in March of 2020, as a sophomore in highschool I never knew that life was going to change drastically. A few weeks prior to the announcement of school closing I remember some people talking about this new sickness that was running rampant through China. By the beginning of March everyone was talking about Covid. There were some cases throughout the United States. Finally on Friday March 13th my school took to facebook to announce they would be closing the school for two weeks.

Covid-19 Impact, Anonymous

Community Reflections

In March 2020, I was a freshman in high school living one of the most exciting years of my life. Making new friends and quickly adapting to an exciting environment was amazing until it ended. At first I was confused but mostly ecstatic to have two workless weeks at home. Covid-19 was a blessing at first until I realized the fatal threat this pandemic proposed.

Quarantine Ups And Downs, Anonymous

Community Reflections

The traumatic outbreak of Covid-19 had started March 13, 2020 as I was sitting in health class as a freshman in highschool. There were rumors spreading that school was getting shut down because of this Covid-19. No one knew what this disease really was. However, everyone around me was jumping with joy because we had the rest of our school week off. When I arrived home that day, the news channel was already on and it was all about this outbreak. After that first week of staying home from school, the number of people with this disease kept increasing.

Pennsylvannia Football Player Tackles Covid-19, Anonymous

Community Reflections

My content reflects my high school experience with the pandemic and trying to juggle continuing football training with keeping in touch with friends while abiding current spatial rules.

Prevalence And Factors Associated With Frailty Among Older Adults Living With Hiv Compared To Their Uninfected Peers From The Kenyan Coast, Patrick Nzivo Mwangala, Carophine Nasambu, Ryan G. Wagner, Charles R. Newton, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

Objectives: a) To document the prevalence and correlates of frailty among older adults living with HIV (OALWH) and their uninfected peers, and b) Investigate HIV status as an independent predictor of frailty.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between 2020 and 2021 at the Kenyan coast among 440 older adults aged ≥50 years (257 OALWH). Frailty was assessed using the Reported Edmonton Frail Scale. Logistic regression was used to examine the correlates of frailty.

Results: The prevalence of frailty was significantly higher among OALWH (24%) than their uninfected peers (13%). HIV seropositivity was not independently associated with frailty. Sleeping difficulties, …

Prevalence Of Dengue Virus Among Healthy Blood Donors In Mombasa County, Kenya, Festus Mulakoli, George Gachara, Eric Ndombi, Samoel Khamadi

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Introduction: Dengue fever (DF) is a viral infection caused by a flavivirus called Dengue virus. The virus has four known serotypes (named DENV 1-4) that circulate between humans and Aedes mosquitoes throughout the tropical region of the world. The virus is transmitted primarily by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti or, to a lesser extent, Aedes albopictus. Current evidence from published case studies shows that blood transfusions can transmit Dengue infection in hyperendemic regions in the tropics. It is important to note that 75% of people infected with DENV show no symptoms. Therefore, an infected individual could …

Ikaros Expression Drives The Aberrant Metabolic Phenotype Of Macrophages In Chronic Hiv Infection, Cecilia Vittori, Celeste Faia, Dorota Wyczechowska, Amber Trauth, Karlie Plaisance-Bonstaff, Mary Meyaski-Schluter, Krzysztof Reiss, Francesca Peruzzi

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

The increased risk for acquiring secondary illnesses in people living with HIV (PLWH) has been associated with immune dysfunction. We have previously found that circulating monocytes from PLWH display a trained phenotype. Here, we evaluated the metabolic profile of these cells and found increased mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis of monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) from PLWH. We additionally found that cART shifted the energy metabolism of MDMs from controls toward increased utilization of mitochondrial respiration. Importantly, both downregulation of IKAROS expression and inhibition of the mTOR pathway reversed the metabolic profile of MDMs from PLWH and cART-treated control-MDMs. Altogether, this study reveals …