Medical Specialties Commons^™

Antithrombin Activity Is Associated With Persistent Thromboinflammation And Mortality In Patients With Severe Covid-19 Illness, Amber Chen-Goodspeed, Goutham Dronavalli, Xu Zhang, Jeanette M Podbielski, Bela Patel, Katalin Modis, Bryan A Cotton, Charles E Wade, Jessica C Cardenas

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Severe COVID-19 illness can lead to thrombotic complications, organ failure, and death. Antithrombin (AT) regulates thromboinflammation and is a key component of chemical thromboprophylaxis. Our goal was to examine the link between AT activity and responsiveness to thromboprophylaxis, markers of hypercoagulability, and inflammation among severe COVID-19 patients.

Methods: This was a single-center, prospective observational study enrolling SARS-CoV-2-positive patients admitted to the intensive care unit on prophylactic enoxaparin. Blood was collected daily for 7 days to assess AT activity and anti-factor Xa levels. Patient demographics, outcomes, and hospital laboratory results were collected. Continuous variables were compared using Mann-Whitney tests, and …

Pregnancy And Diabetic Ketoacidosis: Fetal Jeopardy And Windows Of Opportunity, Ankia Coetzee, David R Hall, Eduard J Langenegger, Mari Van De Vyver, Magda Conradie

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) during pregnancy poses significant risks to both the mother and fetus, with an increased risk of fetal demise. Although more prevalent in women with Type I diabetes (T1D); those with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) can also develop DKA. A lack of information about DKA during pregnancy exists worldwide, including in South Africa.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the characteristics and outcomes associated with DKA during pregnancy.

METHODS: The study took place between 1 April 2020 and 1 October 2022. Pregnant women with DKA, admitted to Tygerberg Hospital's Obstetric Critical Care Unit (OCCU) …

Safety Baby Shower Intervention Improves Safe Sleep Knowledge And Self-Efficacy Among Expectant Teens, Mary E Aitken, Leanne Whiteside-Mansell, Samantha H Mullins, Shasha Bai, Beverly K Miller

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Young, minority women are less likely to follow recommendations to prevent infant sleep-related deaths putting their children at risk. This study extended the past pre/post study designs to an RCT design and included both parent report and objective observation of the sleep environment.

OBJECTIVE: This study focused on this population in a quantitative, randomized controlled trial using a low-cost, brief educational intervention, a Safety Baby Shower (SBS).

METHODS: Pregnant teens aged 13-19 (N = 147) were recruited as a dyad with a senior female caregiver and randomized to intervention or control groups.

RESULTS: Comparing self-report, safe sleep knowledge, attitudes, …

National Cross-Sectional Study On Cost Consciousness, Cost Accuracy, And National Medical Waste Reduction Initiative Knowledge Among Pediatric Hospitalists In The United States, Benjamin C Lee, Matt Hall, Ladan Agharokh, Andrew G Yu, Kavita Parikh, Samir S Shah

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Despite initiatives to reduce waste and spending, there is a gap in physician knowledge regarding the cost of commonly ordered items. We examined the relationship between pediatric hospitalists' knowledge of national medical waste reduction initiatives, self-reported level of cost-consciousness (the degree in which cost affects practice), and cost accuracy (how close an estimate is to its hospital cost) at a national level.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study used a national, online survey sent to hospitalists at 49 children's hospitals to assess their knowledge of national medical waste reduction initiatives, self-reported cost consciousness, and cost estimates for commonly ordered laboratory studies, …

Feasibility Of Quantitative Diffusion-Weighted Imaging During Intra-Procedural Mri-Guided Brachytherapy Of Locally Advanced Cervical And Vaginal Cancers, Megan C Jacobsen, Bastien Rigaud, Samantha J Simiele, Gaiane M Rauch, Matthew S Ning, Sastry Vedam, Ann H Klopp, R Jason Stafford, Kristy K Brock, Aradhana M Venkatesan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: To determine the feasibility of quantitative apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) acquisition during magnetic resonance imaging-guided brachytherapy (MRgBT) using reduced field-of-view (rFOV) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI).

Methods and materials: T2-weighted (T2w) MR and full-FOV single-shot echo planar (ssEPI) DWI were acquired in 7 patients with cervical or vaginal malignancy at baseline and prior to brachytherapy, while rFOV-DWI was acquired during MRgBT following brachytherapy applicator placement. The gross target volume (GTV) was contoured on the T2w images and registered to the ADC map. Voxels at the GTV's maximum Maurer distance comprised a central sub-volume (GTVcenter). Contour ADC mean and standard deviation were …

Intraventricular Endoscopy And Intraventricular Antibiotics In The Treatment Of Multiloculated Hydrocephalus With Ventriculitis In A Neonate And An Infant: Two Case Reports, Doriam Alejandrino Perera Valdivia, Luis Roberto Zapata Vega, Edgar Abraham Herrera Pérez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: We present two pediatric cases, a neonate and an infant, who presented with treatment-refractory ventriculitis and multiloculated hydrocephalus treated with simultaneous intraventricular endoscopy and antibiotics. This is the first report of this combined therapy in children.

CASE DESCRIPTION: Using intraventricular endoscopic surgery and antibiotics, hydrocephalus was treated with a minimum number of ventricular shunt systems. In addition, treatment-refractory ventriculitis was treated in both patients using intraventricular antibiotics.

CONCLUSION: Endoscopic surgery and intraventricular antibiotic administration are useful strategies for treating multiloculated hydrocephalus and ventriculitis in children.

Evaluating The Relationship Of In Utero Nicotine Exposure With Hypoglycemia After Delivery: An Observational Study, Mary G Johnson, Robert Suchting, Lisa M Scheid, Lindsay N Holzapfel, Aditi Chalise, Angela L Stotts, John C Chapman, Amir M Khan, Thomas F Northrup

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Hypoglycemia in neonates is common and contributes to 4.0-5.8% of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions. In utero nicotine exposure is underexplored as a potential contributor to neonatal hypoglycemia. Rat models have shown that in utero nicotine exposure can be associated with a reduction in pancreatic beta cell mass, leading to glucose dysregulation. The primary aim of this work is to study the risk of developing hypoglycemia after birth in a population of in utero nicotine-exposed neonates.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective matched cohort study that augmented an existing dataset of neonates admitted to a level IV NICU with …

Containment Measures During The Covid Pandemic: The Role Of Non-Pharmaceutical Health Policies, Michael Funke, Tai-Kuang Ho, Andrew Tsang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Many countries have imposed a set of non-pharmaceutical health policy interventions in an effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this paper is to examine the effects of the interventions, drawing on evidence from the OECD countries. A special feature here is the mechanism that underlies the impact of the containment policies. To this end, a causal mediation analysis decomposing the total effect into a direct and an indirect effect is conducted. The key finding is a dual cause-effect channel. On the one hand, there is a direct effect of the non-pharmaceutical interventions on the …

Attitudes, Perceptions, And Preferences Towards Sars Cov-2 Testing And Vaccination Among African American And Hispanic Public Housing Residents, New York City: 2020-2021, Chigozirim Izeogu, Emily Gill, Kaitlyn Van Allen, Natasha Williams, Lorna E Thorpe, Donna Shelley

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background

African American and Hispanic populations have been affected disproportionately by COVID-19. Reasons are multifactorial and include social and structural determinants of health. During the onset and height of the pandemic, evidence suggested decreased access to SARS CoV-2 testing. In 2020, the National Institutes of Health launched the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx)- Underserved Populations initiative to improve SARS CoV-2 testing in underserved communities. In this study, we explored attitudes, experiences, and barriers to SARS CoV-2 testing and vaccination among New York City public housing residents.

Methods

Between December 2020 and March 2021, we conducted 9 virtual focus groups among …

Sex-Biased Autophagy As A Potential Mechanism Mediating Sex Differences In Ischemic Stroke Outcome, Brian Noh, Louise D Mccullough, Jose F Moruno-Manchon

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Stroke is the second leading cause of death and a major cause of disability worldwide, and biological sex is an important determining factor in stroke incidence and pathology. From childhood through adulthood, men have a higher incidence of stroke compared with women. Abundant research has confirmed the beneficial effects of estrogen in experimental ischemic stroke but genetic factors such as the X-chromosome complement can also play an important role in determining sex differences in stroke. Autophagy is a self-degrading cellular process orchestrated by multiple core proteins, which leads to the engulfment of cytoplasmic material and degradation of cargo after autophagy …

A Longitudinal Seroepidemiology Study To Evaluate Antibody Response To Sars-Cov-2 Virus Infection And Vaccination In Children In Calgary, Canada From July 2020 To April 2022: Alberta Covid-19 Childhood Cohort (Ab3c) Study, Emily J Doucette, Joslyn Gray, Kevin Fonseca, Carmen Charlton, Jamil N Kanji, Graham Tipples, Susan Kuhn, Jessica Dunn, Payton Sayers, Nicola Symonds, Guosong Wu, Stephen B Freedman, James D Kellner

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Measurement of SARS-CoV-2 antibody seropositivity is important to accurately understand exposure to infection and/or vaccination in specific populations. This study aimed to estimate the serologic response to SARS-CoV-2 virus infection and vaccination in children in Calgary, Alberta over a two-year period.

METHODS: Children with or without prior SARS-CoV-2 infections, were enrolled in Calgary, Canada in 2020. Venous blood was sampled 4 times from July 2020 to April 2022 for SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid and spike antibodies. Demographic and clinical information was obtained including SARS-CoV-2 testing results and vaccination records.

RESULTS: 1035 children were enrolled and 88.9% completed all 4 visits; median …

Ethnic And Racial Differences In Self-Reported Symptoms, Health Status, Activity Level, And Missed Work At 3 And 6 Months Following Sars-Cov-2 Infection, Kelli N O'Laughlin, Robin E Klabbers, Imtiaz Ebna Mannan, Nicole L Gentile, Rachel E Geyer, Zihan Zheng, Huihui Yu, Shu-Xia Li, Kwun C G Chan, Erica S Spatz, Ralph C Wang, Michelle L'Hommedieu, Robert A Weinstein, Ian D Plumb, Michael Gottlieb, Ryan M Huebinger, Melissa Hagen, Joann G Elmore, Mandy J Hill, Morgan Kelly, Samuel Mcdonald, Kristin L Rising, Robert M Rodriguez, Arjun Venkatesh, Ahamed H Idris, Michelle Santangelo, Katherine Koo, Sharon Saydah, Graham Nichol, Kari A Stephens

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Data on ethnic and racial differences in symptoms and health-related impacts following SARS-CoV-2 infection are limited. We aimed to estimate the ethnic and racial differences in symptoms and health-related impacts 3 and 6 months after the first SARS-CoV-2 infection.

METHODS: Participants included adults with SARS-CoV-2 infection enrolled in a prospective multicenter US study between 12/11/2020 and 7/4/2022 as the primary cohort of interest, as well as a SARS-CoV-2-negative cohort to account for non-SARS-CoV-2-infection impacts, who completed enrollment and 3-month surveys (

RESULTS: Following SARS-CoV-2 infection, the majority of symptoms were similar over time between ethnic and racial groups. At …

Seizures, Vitamin D Deficiency, And Severe Hypophosphatemia: The Unique Presentation Of A Sars-Cov-2 Case, Benson Yeh, Christopher Bell, Christopher Anderson, Mack Sheraton

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a virus that belongs to the species severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (SARSr-CoV), which is related to the SARS-CoV-1 virus that caused the 2002-2004 SARS outbreak. SARS-CoV-2 causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It has been associated with electrolyte abnormalities. In this report, we discuss the case of a SARS-CoV-2-infected person presenting with recurrent seizure episodes resulting from hypophosphatemia. A 52-year-old male patient with questionable prior seizure history presented to the emergency department (ED) twice within eight days with recurring seizure episodes. While the physical examination at the first presentation was significant for …

Risk Of Depression In A Suburban Primary Care Setting Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Carman H Whiting, Pouran Yousefi, Jude K A Des Bordes, Nahid J Rianon

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Major depression is a common disorder affecting millions of adults each year. Many population-based surveys showed an increase in the number people with symptoms of depression at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our aim was to determine and compare the prevalence of depression risk in a primary care setting before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study based on retrospective review of medical records from a large suburban primary care clinic. Records of adults 18 years and older, seen between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020 and who had also been screened for …

Timing Of Invasive Mechanical Ventilation And Death In Critically Ill Adults With Covid-19: A Multicenter Cohort Study, Adam Green, Jean-Sebastien Rachoin, Christa Schorr, Phil Dellinger, Jonathan D Casey, Isabel Park, Shruti Gupta, Rebecca M Baron, Shahzad Shaefi, Krystal Hunter, David E Leaf

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: To investigate if the timing of initiation of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) for critically ill patients with COVID-19 is associated with mortality.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data for this study were derived from a multicenter cohort study of critically ill adults with COVID-19 admitted to ICUs at 68 hospitals across the US from March 1 to July 1, 2020. We examined the association between early (ICU days 1-2) versus late (ICU days 3-7) initiation of IMV and time-to-death. Patients were followed until the first of hospital discharge, death, or 90 days. We adjusted for confounding using a multivariable Cox …

Social Protection And Foundational Cognitive Skills During Adolescence: Evidence From A Large Public Works Program, Nader Aboul-Fettouh, Kevin P Lee, Natalie Kash, Kathleen Kroger, Sirunya Silapunt

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Reddit, a popular social media website, has numerous forums where users may discuss healthcare-related topics and request diagnostic and treatment advice for dermatologic conditions. We sought to analyze and grade user-submitted requests for dermatologic advice and their top responses on Reddit.

METHODS: User-submitted posts requesting diagnostic advice and their respective responses on two popular Reddit forums, SkinCareAddiction (ScA) and DermatologyQuestions (DQ), were reviewed by three board-certified dermatologists using a grading rubric designed for this study.

RESULTS: 300 posts and comments were reviewed. Diagnoses among all graders matched in 52.3% of posts with a mean grader confidence score of 4/5 …

Population-Based Linked Longitudinal Surveillance Of Pregnant People And Their Infants: A Critical Resource For Emerging, Re-Emerging, And Persistent Threats, Van T Tong, Kate R Woodworth, Erin Blau, Neha Shinde, Amanda Akosa, Suzanne M Gilboa, Dana Meaney-Delman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Public health emergencies, from Zika to COVID-19, have underscored the importance of addressing the needs of pregnant people and their infants. Recent events have underlined the critical role of mother-infant-linked longitudinal surveillance to characterize and assess the impacts of emerging, re-emerging, and persistent threats, including infectious diseases, on these populations. In partnership with state, local, and territorial health departments, CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities activated the Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies Network (SET-NET) to capture information about pregnant people with laboratory-confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) and their infants. SET-NET …

Huge Abdominopelvic Mass Arising From Cervical Fibroid Around An Infected Cervical Diverticulum: A Very Rare Case And A Review Of Literature, Arpita De, Reva Tripathi, Abhinav Jain, Safia Rana

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Primary uterine diverticula are a very rare congenital anomaly of the uterus with only 21 reported cases. Even rarer is the occurrence of primary cervical diverticula with only six cases reported so far. This is a unique case of a huge abdominopelvic mass arising from cervical fibroid around an infected cervical diverticulum. A 44 year-old, P4L4 came to the OPD with a eighteen weeks size abdomino-pelvic mass. She had a failed surgery 6 months back, attempted to remove the mass. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a cervical diverticulum which possibly had a pus collection. Relaparotomy was done. It revealed a huge …

Prevalence Of Depressive Symptoms And Correlates Among Individuals Who Self-Reported Sars-Cov-2 Infection After Optimizing The Covid-19 Response In China, Liangjia Wei, Jiao Qin, Zhifeng Lin, Xinju Huang, Jinfeng He, Dee Yu, Fei Zhang, Sisi Li, Ping Cen, Mu Li, Tong Luo, Rongjing Zhang, Shanmei Zhong, Cai Qin, Zeyu Li, Yuan Yang, Huiqi Pan, Mengdi Zhao, Xiaoqiong Wu, Junjun Jiang, Hao Liang, Li Ye, Bingyu Liang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The burden of depression symptoms has increased among individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 during COVID-19 pandemic. However, the prevalence and associated factors of depressive symptoms among individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 remain uncertain after optimizing the COVID-19 response in China.

METHODS: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among the public from January 6 to 30, 2023, using a convenience sampling method. Sociodemographic and COVID-19 pandemic-related factors were collected. The depression symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the associated factors with depressive symptoms.

RESULTS: A total of 2,726 participants completed the survey. …

Pediatric Diarrhea Patients Living In Urban Areas Have A Higher Incidence Of Clostridioides Difficile Infection, Ayodele T Adesoji, Osaro Mgbere, Charles Darkoh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a major cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and an unappreciated contributor to child mortality in low- and middle-income countries where the diagnosis may be difficult. There is little information about the prevalence of CDI among infants, children, and adolescents in Africa. Using a cross-sectional design, seventy-six samples were collected from pediatric patients presenting with diarrhea, including infants (≤ 2 years old), children (2-12 years), and adolescents (13 ≤17 years) from three hospitals between January and December 2019. Demographic data, medical history, and prior antibiotic use were recorded. Toxigenic culture and PCR were used to detect and …

Population-Based Assessment Of The Burden Of Covid-19 Infection In African Countries: A First-Year Report Card And Public Health Implications, Osaro Mgbere, Ogbonna Collins Nwabuko, Olajumoke A Olateju, Omolola E Adepoju, Winston Liaw, Charles Darkoh, Ekere James Essien

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a global health threat and poses a major burden on the African continent. We assessed the real-world burden of COVID-19 infection in African Union (AU) member states to determine the distributional patterns of epidemiological measures during the first 1 year of the pandemic.

METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study utilized COVID-19 data from publicly available data repositories of the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention and

RESULTS: A total of 3.21 million cases were reported during the 1-year period, with 2.6 million recoveries, 536,784 cases remaining active, and 77,486 deaths. Most countries (49.1%,

CONCLUSION: Understanding …

Radiographic Response To Neoadjuvant Therapy In Pleural Mesothelioma Should Serve As A Guide For Patient Selection For Cytoreductive Operations, Nathaniel Deboever, Nicolas Zhou, Daniel J Mcgrail, Katarzyna Tomczak, Jacqueline L Oliva, Hope A Feldman, Edwin Parra, Jianjun Zhang, Percy P Lee, Mara B Antonoff, Wayne L Hofstetter, Reza J Mehran, Ravi Rajaram, David C Rice, Jack A Roth, Stephen S Swisher, Ara A Vaporciyan, Mehmet Altan, Annikka Weissferdt, Anne S Tsao, Cara L Haymaker, Boris Sepesi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is associated with poor prognosis despite advances in multimodal therapeutic strategies. While patients with resectable disease may benefit from added survival with oncologic resection, patient selection for mesothelioma operations often relies on both objective and subjective evaluation metrics. We sought to evaluate factors associated with improved overall survival (OS) in patients with mesothelioma who underwent macroscopic complete resection (MCR).

METHODS: Patients with MPM who received neoadjuvant therapy and underwent MCR were identified in a prospectively maintained departmental database. Clinicopathologic, blood-based, and radiographic variables were collected and included in a Cox regression analysis (CRA). Response to …

Keeping Employees Safe During Health Crises: The Effects Of Media Exposure, Hr Practices, And Age, Shuqi Li, Henry R Young, Majid Ghorbani, Byron Y Lee, Daan Van Knippenberg, Russell E Johnson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Occupational health and safety are critical in promoting the wellness of organizations and employees. The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most life-threatening viruses encountered in recent history, providing a unique opportunity for research to examine factors that drive employee safety behavior. Drawing from terror management theory, we propose and test a moderated mediation model using data collected from employees working during a peak of the pandemic. We identify two sources of influence - one external (i.e., media exposure), and one internal (i.e., HR practices) to the organization - that shape employees' mortality salience and safety behaviors. We find that …

Unsheltered Homeless And Unstably Housed Adults Have Higher Levels Of Stress And More Health Risk Factors Than Sheltered Homeless Adults, Chaelin K Ra, Emily T Hébert, Adam Alexander, Darla E Kendzor, Robert Suchting, Michael S Businelle

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In the United States, approximately 580,000 individuals were homeless on a single night in 2020. Homelessness can be categorized into three subgroups: sheltered homeless, unsheltered homeless, and unstably housed. Few studies have examined the relations between homelessness subtypes, shelter service utilization, levels of stress experienced, and health risk factors. This study aimed to empirically examine whether shelter status the previous night was related to current stress, recent utilization of shelter-based mental health services, and current health risk factors. Data were collected at multiple homeless shelters in 2016 in the Oklahoma City area (N=575). All participants completed assessments of demographic characteristics, …

Exosomal Lipid Biomarkers Of Oligodendrocyte Pathology To Predict Scoliosis In Children With Cerebral Palsy, Nune Darbinian, Emily C Sparks, Armine Darbinyan, Nana Merabova, Tamara Tatevosian-Geller, Katie Calaku, Sarah Bachman, Huaqing Zhao, Shohreh Amini, Laura Goetzl, Solomon P Samuel, Amer Samdani, Michael E Selzer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Cerebral Palsy (CP), the most common cause of disability in children, is phenotypically heterogeneous. Approximately 20% of cases develop severe scoliosis. A pathological hallmark of CP is periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), which is due to dysmyelination, suggesting the possibility of a lipidomic abnormality. Risk factors for CP include perinatal hypoxia, prematurity, multiple gestation, ischemia, infection, and maternal alcohol consumption. There is evidence for low serum levels of omega-3 (ω-3) fatty acids in CP patients, and separately in idiopathic scoliosis. Many effects of free fatty acids (FFAs) are mediated via specific G protein-coupled free fatty acid receptors (FFARs), which play essential …

Maternal Blood Lipid Biomarkers Of Oligodendrocyte Pathology To Predict Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, Nune Darbinian, Emily C Sparks, Armine Darbinyan, Nana Merabova, Gabriel Tatevosian, Ekaterina Vadachkoria, Huaqing Zhao, Shohreh Amini, Laura Goetzl, Michael E Selzer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Up to 9.9% of children have fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), the most frequent cause of intellectual disability in the US. FASD may involve abnormal brain development, including dysmyelination, suggesting abnormal development of oligodendrocytes (OLs), which make myelin and are rich in lipids. Indeed, low serum levels of omega-3 fatty acids (ω-3) have been reported in FASD. Free fatty acids bind to specific receptors (FFARs). We have isolated cell type-specific fetal brain-derived exosomes (FB-E) from maternal blood and sampled their contents to search for lipid-related biomarkers that predict FASD.

METHODS: Blood samples were collected from two groups of pregnant …

Are Trauma Surgeons Prepared? A Survey Of Trauma Surgeons’ Disaster Preparedness Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jay Doucet, David V Shatz, Lewis J Kaplan, Eileen M Bulger, Jeannette Capella, Deborah A Kuhls, Mary Fallat, Kyle N Remick, Christopher Newton, Adam Fox, Randeep Jawa, John A Harvin, David P Blake, Marko Bukur, Jonathan Gates, James Ficke, Mark L Gestring, The American Association For Surgery Of Trauma Disaster Committee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: US trauma centers (TCs) must remain prepared for mass casualty incidents (MCIs). However, trauma surgeons may lack formal MCI training. The recent COVID-19 pandemic drove multiple patient surges, overloaded Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agencies, and stressed TCs. This survey assessed trauma surgeons' MCI training, experience, and system and personal preparedness before the pandemic compared with the pandemic's third year.

METHODS: Survey invitations were emailed to all 1544 members of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma in 2019, and then resent in 2022 to 1575 members with additional questions regarding the pandemic. Questions assessed practice type, TC characteristics, …

Novel Therapeutic Approaches To Treat Brain Cancer Combining 3d Cell Culture Models, Cold Atmospheric Plasma And Airborne Acoustic, Janith Wanigasekara

Doctoral

Glioblastoma (GBM), an adult-type diffuse grade 4 glioma (IDH wild type), is the most prevalent, aggressive, fatal, highly vascularized, malignant primary brain tumour in adults with a poor prognosis. Despite existing therapies such as surgical resection, radiation therapy and chemotherapy such as temozolomide (TMZ), patient survival remains largely unchanged over the last three decades. There is an urgent need for novel and effective therapeutic strategies that can overcome drug resistance, cross the blood brain barrier, and minimise off-target side effects that can negatively impact a patient's quality of life. The high failure rate of clinical trials is due to inefficient …

Chronic Liver Disease-Related Mortality In Diabetes Before And During The Covid-19 In The United States, Donghee Kim, Omar Alshuwaykh, Brittany B Dennis, George Cholankeril, Joshua W Knowles, Aijaz Ahmed

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Global pandemic of COVID-19 represents an unprecedented challenge. COVID-19 has predominantly targeted vulnerable populations with pre-existing chronic medical diseases, such as diabetes and chronic liver disease.

AIMS: We estimated chronic liver disease-related mortality trends among individuals with diabetes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS: Utilizing the US national mortality database and Census, we determined the quarterly age-standardized chronic liver disease-related mortality and quarterly percentage change (QPC) among individuals with diabetes.

RESULTS: The quarterly age-standardized mortality for chronic liver disease and/or cirrhosis among individuals with diabetes remained stable before the COVID-19 pandemic and sharply increased during the COIVD-19 pandemic …

Covid-19 And Pregnancy: Clinical Outcomes; Mechanisms, And Vaccine Efficacy, Deepak Kumar, Sonam Verma, Indira U Mysorekar

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues into its third year, emerging data indicates increased risks associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy, including pre-eclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, preterm birth, stillbirth, and risk of developmental defects in neonates. Here, we review clinical reports to date that address different COVID-19 pregnancy complications. We also document placental pathologies induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection, entry mechanisms in placental cells, and immune responses at the maternal-fetal interface. Since new variants of SARS-CoV-2 are emerging with characteristics of higher transmissibility and more effective immune escape strategies, we also briefly highlight the genomic and proteomic features of SARS-CoV-2 investigated to …