Virus Diseases Commons^™

Autoimmune Hepatitis In Patients With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection, Mohamad Mubder, Mohamed Azab, Mahendran Jayaraj, Chad Cross, Daisy Lankarani, Banreet Dhindsa, Jen-Jung Pan, Gordon Ohning

School of Medicine Faculty Research

Background: Liver disease in patients with HIV is common and typically has complex and multifactorial presentations that represent a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is rarely reported in patient with HIV and the disease course and clinical outcomes for treatment have not been well characterized. We are aiming to determine the patient characteristics, disease prevalence, and treatment outcomes from published articles of patients with HIV and AIH. Method: A systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar through February 20th, 2019 identified 15 studies that reported the outcomes of AIH in patients with HIV. …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Long-Acting Rilpivirine Prodrugs, James R. Hilaire

Theses & Dissertations

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) requires lifelong daily dosing to suppress viral replication, restore or maintain immune function and improve quality of life. As an alternative, long-acting (LA) antiretrovirals (ARVs) aim to deliver therapeutic drug concentrations over an extended period, ultimately requiring monthly or even more extended dosing intervals. Specifically, the success of recent clinical trials examining LA cabotegravir and rilpivirine (CAB and RPV LA) highlight the advent of these novel HIV-1 therapeutics. Further optimization of LA dosage forms are required and rests upon improving dosing frequency, injection volumes and tissue distribution to viral compartments. To this end, we report the synthesis …

Environmental Sampling Techniques For Herd-Level Surveillance Of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus, Jaden Carlson

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Control of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) relies on resource-intensive individual animal sampling to detect and remove persistently infected (PI) cattle. Herd-level surveillance tools would be useful for herds with unknown BVDV status and for monitoring herds with BVDV-free status. The overall objective of this thesis is to explore the viability of BVDV surveillance at a herd-level using samples collected without handling individual animals. The first objective was to determine the feasibility of using stable flies as a sampling tool to detect BVDV. The second objective was to determine the feasibility of using drinking water to detect BVDV. To accomplish …

Elucidating Immune Signaling Of Influenza A Virus And Aspergillus Fumigatus Co-Infections Through Pioneered Model Development, Meagan Danyelle Rippee-Brooks

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Bacterial co-infections with influenza A virus (IAV) are extremely serious and life-threatening. However, there exists limited understanding about the importance of fungal infections with IAV. Clinical case reports indicate that fungal co-infections do occur and suggest the IAV pandemic of 2009 had a propensity to predispose patients to secondary fungal infections more than previous IAV strains. IAV-fungal co-infections are marked by high mortality rates of 47 to 61% in previously healthy individuals between the ages of 20 and 60. Yet, the variables involved in this co-infection remain undetermined. I achieved effective recapitulation of this co-infection using a C57Bl/6 murine (mouse) …

Development Of Novel Zika And Anthrax Viral Nanoparticle Vaccines, Elizabeth Henderson

KGI Theses and Dissertations

Vaccines protect against numerous infectious diseases and prevent millions of deaths annually, but there are still many infectious diseases for which no licensed vaccine exists. Developing a new vaccine requires balancing safety and efficacy, and viral nanoparticle (VNP) vaccines possess both of these characteristics. The work herein demonstrates how tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) nanoparticles can serve as a platform to create candidate vaccines for Zika virus (ZIKV) and anthrax. In the first study, a ZIKV-specific epitope was genetically fused to TMV to create a safe and inexpensive vaccine that proved highly immunogenic in mice and led to the discovery of …

“I Don’T Want To Look Sick Skinny”: Perceptions Of Body Image And Weight Loss In Hispanics Living With Hiv In South Texas, Jordan W. Abel, Omar Allen, Delia Bullock, Erin Finley, Elizabeth Walter, Phillip Schnarrs, Barbara S. Taylor

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Objective: Obesity is rising in people with HIV (PLWH) and Hispanics. Both HIV and obesity are associated with cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. Our goal is to understand perceptions of body image and lifestyle in Hispanics with HIV to adapt interventions appropriately.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 22 Hispanic PLWH and 6 providers. Purposive sampling selected patient participants across weights and genders. Interviews were coded and analyzed using grounded theory, comparing perspectives between patients with and without obesity, and patients and providers.

Results: Participants felt obesity and diabetes were “normal” in the community. Patients exhibited understanding of healthy diet …

Role Of Gp120 Glycosylation In Sexual Transmission Of Hiv, Yingxue Sun, Adam Meadows, Najwa Zebian, Eric Arts, Carole Creuzenet

Western Research Forum

Background:

In chronic HIV patients, the viral populations are genetically diverse due to mutations introduced by the viral reverse transcriptase during HIV replication. However, more than 80% new infections result from single transmission founder (TF) viruses; therefore, targeting the TFs is key to control AIDS worldwide.

Gp120 is a glycosylated envelope protein required for HIV infection, propagation, and transmission. Glycans on gp120 influence HIV infectivity through their interactions with lectins, the carbohydrate-binding immune proteins in the host mucosa. To transmit sexually, viruses must overcome the lectin traps to access more target T cells.

Hypothesis:

TF viruses are less likely to …

An Application Of The Modifiable Areal Unit Problem: Optimizing Cluster Method Parameters To Produce Predictive Data For Hiv Outbreaks, Connor J. Chato, Art Fy Poon

Western Research Forum

Background

A popular approach to study HIV outbreaks is to cluster cases based on genetic similarity. However, there is no widely-used statistical criterion which optimizes the parameters for sequence-based clustering methods. The relationship between a cluster-defining similarity threshold and it’s associated set of clusters can be analogized to the aggregation level in the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP).

Hypothesis

Based on the selection of aggregation level for study partitions in MAUP, we present a statistical framework to optimize the similarity threshold for pairwise distance algorithm TN93 (http://github.com/veg/tn93). We hypothesize that defining this threshold includes case connections such that …

The Effect Of Disclosure On Adherence To Antiretroviral Therapy Among Adults Living With Hiv In Ethiopia: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis., Getenet Dessie, Fasil Wagnew, Henok Mulugeta, Dessalegn Amare, Dube Jara, Cheru Tesema Leshargie, Ayenew Negesse, Swati Rayasam, Sahai Burrowes

BACKGROUND: Several factors have been identified as being associated with increased adherence to antiretroviral therapy, including sero-status disclosure; however, studies examining the effect of disclosure on ART adherence in Ethiopia have had inconsistent findings. This systematic review and meta-analysis therefore aims to estimate the pooled effect of disclosure on adherence to ART among adults living with HIV in Ethiopia.

METHODS: We performed a systematic search for articles reporting on peer-reviewed, quantitative, English-language observational studies of reporting the association between self sero-status disclosure and good ART adherence in adults living with HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia during published from 2010 to 2015. We …

A Multivalent Kaposi Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus-Like Particle Vaccine Capable Of Eliciting High Titers Of Neutralizing Antibodies In Immunized Rabbits, David H. Mulama, Lorraine Z. Mustvunguma, Jennifer Totonchy, Peng Ye, Joslyn Foley, Gabriela M. Escalante, Esther Rodriguez, Ramina Nabiee, Murali Muniraju, Felix Wussow, Anne K. Barasa, Javier Gordon Ogembo

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is an emerging pathogen and the causative agent of multiple cancers in immunocompromised patients. To date, there is no licensed prophylactic KSHV vaccine. In this study, we generated a novel subunit vaccine that incorporates four key KSHV envelope glycoproteins required for viral entry in diverse cell types (gpK8.1, gB, and gH/gL) into a single multivalent KSHV-like particle (KSHV-LP). Purified KSHV-LPs were similar in size, shape, and morphology to KSHV virions. Vaccination of rabbits with adjuvanted KSHV-LPs generated strong glycoprotein-specific antibody responses, and purified immunoglobulins from KSHV-LP-immunized rabbits neutralized KSHV infection in epithelial, endothelial, fibroblast, and B …

Comorbidities And Medication Adherence Among Older Individuals Living With Hiv In The United States, Amanda M. Kong

Dissertations and Theses

The number of people living with HIV (PLWH) ≥65 years old is increasing in the United States (US) as PLWH live longer. In 2015, there were nearly 1 million people living with diagnosed HIV in the US and under 10% were age ≥65. By 2035, the proportion of PLWH in this age group is projected to be 27%. Like the general population of elderly individuals, as they age, PLWH face age-related comorbidities, many of which require routine medical care and daily medications, in addition to daily antiretroviral therapy (ART) for treatment of HIV. Previous research has found that PLWH develop …

Arachidin 3 Modulation Of Lipid Metabolism In Rotavirus Infections, Stormey Wisdom

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rotavirus (RV) can cause severe and deadly gastroenteritis in young children, infants, and immunocompromised individuals. Previous studies have shown that arachidin 3 (A3) inhibits RV replication, and that RV replication is dependent on the presence of lipids. This study investigated the alteration of lipid metabolism by A3 in RV infected HT29.f8 cells. A decrease in the RV regulation of lipid biosynthesis genes was observed with the addition of A3 using qRT-PCR. Also, immunofluorescent and histochemical staining for neutral fats, a major component of cellular lipid droplets, revealed an increased accumulation with both RV and RV+A3 when compared to no virus …

The Association Between Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Reactivation And Alzheimer’S Disease, Andrew Allee

BIO 410 Spring 2019 Research Papers

This review will focus on the interaction of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and its causative role in pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) noting specifically, the epidemiological relevance of addressing this problem, as well as the molecular pathways associated. HSV-1 reactivation tends to be one of the primary causative events that is responsible for many of the pathologies associated with AD, such as: amyloid beta (Aβ) accumulation caused by malfunctioning cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) as well as tau hyperphosphorylation. HSV-1 reactivation is a primary causative event in downstream dysfunction and is also shown to be directed by …

The Effects Of Autophagy On The Replication Of Zika Virus, Mohammed Marghani

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Zika virus is an enveloped virus with a single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome. The Zika virus is a member of the Flaviviridae family of viruses that was discovered to infect humans in 1952. The Flavivirus envelope is decorated by many copies of two membrane proteins that facilitate viral entry. The virus is primarily transmitted through mosquito bites. Another method by which Zika virus could be transmitted is through sexual contact with Zika infected partners or from an infected pregnant woman to fetus known as congenital transmission. Infected patients suffer from self-limiting febrile illness including headaches, skin rash myalgia, and conjunctivitis. Zika …

Crispr/Cas9 Driven Eradication Of Hiv-1 In Infected Human Genome, Sydney Loechler

Senior Seminars and Capstones

Once infected with HIV-1, the host immune system is incapable of ridding itself of the virus. HIV-1 uses latent viral reservoirs (LR) within CD4+ T cells to replicate. Within these reservoirs, HIV-1 is able to go into a latent state where it cannot be detected by the host's immune system or current HIV-1 treatments. By utilizing viewing assays and CRISPR-Cas9, there may be a possibility to identify, isolate, and then cut out HIV-1 from an infected cell. Two possible viewing assays have been proposed and studied in recent research. PCR assays are quicker and easier to administer while viral outgrowth …

Development Of A Long-Acting Nanoformulation Of Dolutegravir For Prevention And Treatment Of Hiv-1 Infection, Brady Sillman

Theses & Dissertations

Dolutegravir (DTG) is a potent human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integrase strand-transfer inhibitor (INSTI) with a high barrier to viral drug resistance. However, opportunities to improve its profile abound. These include extending the drug’s apparent half-life, increasing penetrance to “putative” viral reservoirs, and reducing inherent toxicities. These highlight, in part, the need for long-acting, slow effective release antiretroviral therapy (LASER ART) delivery schemes. A long-acting (LA) DTG was made by synthesizing a hydrophobic and lipophilic prodrug encased with poloxamer (P407) surfactant. This modified DTG (MDTG) reduced systemic metabolism and polarity, increased lipophilicity and membrane permeability, improved encapsulation, and formed …

Deicing Salts Influence Ranavirus Outbreaks In Wood Frog (Lithobates Sylvaticus) Tadpoles, Sarah Jacobson

Honors Scholar Theses

Ecosystems are increasingly being exposed to anthropogenic stressors that could make animals and thus populations more susceptible to disease. For example, the application of deicing salts to roads is increasing in the northeastern United States. Chronic stress that larval amphibians experience when living in vernal pools with high salinity may alter their susceptibility to ranavirus, a pathogen responsible for mass mortality events worldwide. This project quantifies the effects of road salts and ranavirus exposure on larval wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) growth and survival. Using outdoor mesocsoms, we raised wood frog tadpoles in salt treatments and then exposed them …

For Your Eyes Only, Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus Case Study, Alexander Fishman, Jared Ward, Richard Pescatore

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus is a reactivation of a latent Varicella Zoster Virus that specifically involves the eye. The reactivation often occurs during immunocompromised states which allows latent virus in the dorsal root ganglia of sensory nerves to begin viral replication an d s pread via peripheral axons. Diagnosis is based on two characteristic findings; herpetic lesions on the eyelids, forehead, or elsewhere within the V1 dermatome, and ocular findings. Symptoms can vary but are often quite painful. Some patients experience a prodrome of tingling sensation prior to the appearance of a zoster dermatitis . HZO can also present initially as …

Viral Whole Genome Sequencing For Antiviral Resistance In A Child With Dock8 Deficiency And Recurrent Hsv-1, Sean Stout, A. L. Greninger, Rangaraj Selvarangan, A. F. Freeman, Brandon D. Newell, Erin Stahl, Dwight Yin

Posters

We present the case of a child with dedicator of cytokinesis 8 (DOCK8) deficiency and chronic, resistant HSV-1 mucocutaneous infections to illustrate the clinical utility of viral whole genome sequencing to detect active and latent HSV resistance mutations.

Investigating Virus Clearance Via Ph Inactivation During Biomanufacturing, Wenbo Xu

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the processing of biopharmaceuticals, viral clearance and viral safety are important for the development of monoclonal antibodies. Murine xenotropic leukemia virus (XMuLV) is one of the retroviruses, recommended by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a model virus for viral clearance via inactivation from therapeutics derived from Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO). A robust and effective method was investigated to clear or inactivate endogenous viruses by low pH inactivation. The effects of different conductivity and inactivated time on XMuLV clearance was determined. Acetate buffer was prepared with different conductivity, and 2% XMuLV was spiked into acetate buffer. XMuLV virus …

Preventing Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis In Salmonid Fish Along The Columbia River Basin, Whitney L. Wright

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Annual Conference

Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is a member of the Rhabdoviridae family and causes infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN) disease in many salmonid species during the juvenile or “fry” stage of life. IHNV is endemic to Western North America and occurs in the Columbia River Basin, where Steelhead and Chinook salmon are the most abundant IHNV-vulnerable species. IHNV can cause an epidemic in wild or farmed stocks, killing 90-95 percent of the fish it infects. Transmission is currently understood to occur by direct exposure through the gills, and the virus is shed typically from asymptomatic or clinically ill carrier adults at …

Male Determining Gene Nix May Bring An End To Transmission Of Diseases Through Mosquitoes, Mohammed Mahdi

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Female mosquitoes take blood from humans to gain protein needed to produce eggs, and in the process they can transmit viruses, such as Zika, Dengue, and chikungunya, or parasites, such as malaria. Male mosquitoes do not transmit diseases. This literature review will examine what is known about how sex is determined in mosquitoes and how this can be used to manipulate the females that spread diseases to humans. Using CRISPR Cas9, the lab of Zhijian Tu removed the Nix gene from mosquito embryos; all of these were feminized. Ectopic overexpression of Nix gene product in mosquito embryos caused even genetically …

A Surveillance Study On Culex Sp. In Southeast Kansas And Prevalence Of West Nile Virus In The Mosquito Population, Sara Goins, Anuradha Ghosh

Posters

West Nile virus (WNV) is the most common mosquito-borne disease in Kansas and the United States. Several species of mosquitoes are responsible for transmission of arboviruses but Culex species are the primary vector for WNV in Kansas and the United States. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 80 percent of people infected with WNV show no symptoms. But for the remaining 20 percent, symptoms can include headaches, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. Even less commonly, about one in every 150 people develop serious symptoms affecting the central nervous system, including brain and …

Increasing Hepatitis C Infection Related To Growing Opioid Epidemic, Chelsea Poell, Barbara Mcclaskey

Posters

Hepatitis C (HCV) is rapidly growing and has become the most common blood-borne infection throughout the United States. The objective of this study was to compare trends in rates of injection drug use (IDU), spe­cifically opioid injection, with national trends in the incidence of acute HCV infection to assess whether these events correlated over time. The methodology was a literature review. To test for trends researchers calculated the annual incidence rate, demographics, and risk characteristics of reported cases of acute HCV infection using surveillance data from 2004 to 2014. They also analyzed the annual percentage of admissions to substance use …

Shingrix Revaccination And Vaccination In Vulnerable Populations, Laressa Bethishou, Luma Munjy, John Andraos

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

"Herpes zoster, also known as shingles, is a painful cutaneous eruption that develops following the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes chickenpox.¹ About 1 in 3 people in the United States will develop shingles, with an estimated 1 million cases occurring annually. Anyone with a history of chickenpox is at risk for shingles, but the risk increases with age and in patients who are immunocompromised.²"

Large Scale Dynamical Model Of Macrophage/Hiv Interactions, Sean T. Bresnahan, Matthew M. Froid

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Properties emerge from the dynamics of large-scale molecular networks that are not discernible at the individual gene or protein level. Mathematical models - such as probabilistic Boolean networks - of molecular systems offer a deeper insight into how these emergent properties arise. Here, we introduce a non-linear, deterministic Boolean model of protein, gene, and chemical interactions in human macrophage cells during HIV infection. Our model is composed of 713 nodes with 1583 interactions between nodes and is responsive to 38 different inputs including signaling molecules, bacteria, viruses, and HIV viral particles. Additionally, the model accurately simulates the dynamics of over …

An In Vitro And In Vivo Evaluation Of The Anticancer Potential Of Resveratrol And Pterostilbene Against Hpv-E6 Positive Cancers, Kaushiki Chatterjee

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Cervical cancer remains as one of the most prevalent cancers effecting women globally. Lack of awareness and affordable prophylactic and therapeutic options in developing countries drive the need for alternative low-cost approaches. Dietary polyphenols have gained increased attention as possible anti-cancer agents. Our study aims to investigate whether two natural structural analogs, resveratrol and pterostilbene, exhibit anti-HPV (Human papillomavirus) activity in cervical cancer. To determine the efficacy of these polyphenols, extensive in vitro and in vivo analyses were carried out. For the in vitro studies we utilized human HeLa cells (HPV18 positive) and murine TC1 cells (HPV 16 oncogene positive). …

Src Family Kinase Inhibitors Block Translation Of Alphavirus Subgenomic Mrnas, Rebecca Broeckel, Sanjay Sarkar, Nicholas A. May, Jennifer Totonchy, Craig N. Kreklywich, Patricia Smith, Lee Graves, Victor R. Defilippis, Mark T. Heise, Thomas E. Morrison, Nathaniel Moorman, Daniel N. Streblow

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Alphaviruses are arthropod-transmitted RNA viruses that can cause arthralgia, myalgia, and encephalitis in humans. Since the role of cellular kinases in alphavirus replication is unknown, we profiled kinetic changes in host kinase abundance and phosphorylation following chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection of fibroblasts. Based upon the results of this study, we treated CHIKV-infected cells with kinase inhibitors targeting the Src family kinase (SFK)–phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)–AKT–mTORC signaling pathways. Treatment of cells with SFK inhibitors blocked the replication of CHIKV as well as multiple other alphaviruses, including Mayaro virus, O’nyong-nyong virus, Ross River virus, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus. Dissecting the effect of …

Strategies Employed By Community-Based Service Providers To Address Hiv-Associated Neurocognitive Challenges: A Qualitative Study, Renato M. Liboro, Sean B. Rourke, Francisco Ibanez-Carrasco, Andrew Easton, Daniel Pugh, Claudia Medina, Allan Rae, Paul A. Shuper, Lori E. Ross

Psychology Faculty Research

Background: HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders and other causes of neurocognitive challenges experienced by people living with HIV (PLWH) persist as public health concerns in developed countries. Consequently, PLWH who experience neurocognitive challenges increasingly require social support and mental health services from community-based providers in the HIV sector. Methods: Thirty-three providers from 22 AIDS service organizations across Ontario, Canada, were interviewed to determine the strategies they used to support PLWH experiencing neurocognitive difficulties. Thematic analysis was conducted to determine key themes from the interview data. Results: Three types of strategies were identified: (a) intrapersonal, (b) interpersonal, and (c) organizational. Intrapersonal strategies involved …

Women And Hiv: Understanding And Addressing Stigma—Evidence From The Population Council, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

Over the last 20 years, the Population Council has carried out extensive work examining the intersection of stigma and gender and its impact on HIV-related outcomes. This brief summarizes key Population Council findings from a range of studies which elucidate the experiences of stigma among women and highlights avenues for addressing stigma to mitigate women’s risk and burden of HIV.