Public Health Commons^™

Case Report: Successful Treatment Of A Child With Covid-19 Reinfection-Induced Fulminant Myocarditis By Cytokine-Adsorbing Oxiris® Hemofilter Continuous Veno-Venous Hemofiltration And Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, Phuc H Phan, Dung T Nguyen, Nam H Dao, Ha T T Nguyen, An V Vu, Son T Hoang, Lam V Nguyen, Tung V Cao, Dien M Tran

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Indirect cardiomyocyte damage-related hyperinflammatory response is one of the key mechanisms in COVID-19-induced fulminant myocarditis. In addition to the clinical benefit of using cytokines absorption hemofiltration, the effectiveness of instituting veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) support for cardiac compromise has been reported. However, current literature enunciates a paucity of available data on the effectiveness of these novel modalities.

CASE PRESENTATION: We reported a 9-year-old boy with recurrent COVID-19 infection-causing fulminant myocarditis, who was treated successfully by using novel modalities of

CONCLUSION: We conclude that the novel highly-absorptive hemofilter CVVH and VA-ECMO may be effective treatment modalities in managing SARS-CoV-2-induced …

Exploring School Staff Perceptions Relating To Animals And Their Involvement In Interventions To Support Mental Health, Rhoda A Leos, Paula M Cuccaro, John R Herbold, Belinda F Hernandez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Given the growing awareness of the health benefits of human-animal interactions, the use of animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) in educational settings has increased over the years. While many school districts are now considering or utilizing AAIs, the literature investigating AAI-related perceptions among school stakeholders is limited with previous studies focusing on evaluating specific programs. to address this gap, a qualitative exploratory study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with school staff in the San Antonio, TX community. A total of 11 interviews were completed with staff serving preschool and elementary school age children. Data collected from interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. …

Unpacking Misinfodemic During A Global Health Crisis: A Qualitative Inquiry Of Psychosocial Characteristics In Social Media Interactions, Sofia M Olivares, Sahiti Myneni

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The pervasiveness of health information in social media has led to a modern misinformation crisis, also known as a misinfodemic. Misinfodemics have upended public health activities as clearly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study is to characterize social media content and information sources using theory-driven health behavior and psychology constructs to better understand the motifs of misinformation and their role in the dissemination of health (mis)information in Twitter posts. We analyzed 1,400 randomly selected tweets related to COVID-19 to ascertain four important variables, what is the tweet about (content), how is it structured (linguistic features), who …

Latent Linguistic Motifs In Social Media Postings Resisting Covid-19 Misinformation, Tavleen Singh, Sofia Olivares, Sahiti Myneni

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Social media has become a predominant source of information for many health care consumers. However, false and misleading information is a pervasive problem in this context. Specifically, health-related misinformation has become a significant public health challenge, impeding the effectiveness of public health awareness campaigns and resulting in suboptimal responsiveness to the communication of legitimate risk-related information. Little is known about the mechanisms driving the seeding and spreading of such information. In this paper, we specifically examine COVID-19 tweets which attempt to correct misinformation. We employ a mixed-methods approach comprising qualitative coding, deep learning classification, and computerized text analysis to understand …

Top-Ld: A Tool To Explore Linkage Disequilibrium With Topmed Whole-Genome Sequence Data, Le Huang, Jonathan D Rosen, Quan Sun, Jiawen Chen, Marsha M Wheeler, Ying Zhou, Yuan-I Min, Charles Kooperberg, Matthew P Conomos, Adrienne M Stilp, Stephen S Rich, Jerome I Rotter, Ani Manichaikul, Ruth J F Loos, Eimear E Kenny, Thomas W Blackwell, Albert V Smith, Goo Jun, Fritz J Sedlazeck, Ginger Metcalf, Eric Boerwinkle, Laura M Raffield, Alex P Reiner, Paul L Auer, Yun Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Current publicly available tools that allow rapid exploration of linkage disequilibrium (LD) between markers (e.g., HaploReg and LDlink) are based on whole-genome sequence (WGS) data from 2,504 individuals in the 1000 Genomes Project. Here, we present toP-LD, an online tool to explore LD inferred with high-coverage (∼30×) WGS data from 15,578 individuals in the NHLBI Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program. toP-LD provides a significant upgrade compared to current LD tools, as the toPMed WGS data provide a more comprehensive representation of genetic variation than the 1000 Genomes data, particularly for rare variants and in the specific populations that we …

Predictive Performance Of Different Ntcp Techniques For Radiation-Induced Esophagitis In Nsclc Patients Receiving Proton Radiotherapy, Mei Chen, Zeming Wang, Shengpeng Jiang, Jian Sun, Li Wang, Narayan Sahoo, G Brandon Gunn, Steven J Frank, Cheng Xu, Jiayi Chen, Quynh-Nhu Nguyen, Joe Y Chang, Zhongxing Liao, X Ronald Zhu, Xiaodong Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This study aimed to compare the predictive performance of different modeling methods in developing normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) models for predicting radiation-induced esophagitis (RE) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving proton radiotherapy. The dataset was composed of 328 NSCLC patients receiving passive-scattering proton therapy and 41.6% of the patients experienced ≥ grade 2 RE. Five modeling methods were used to build NTCP models: standard Lyman-Kutcher-Burman (sLKB), generalized LKB (gLKB), multivariable logistic regression using two variable selection procedures-stepwise forward selection (Stepwise-MLR), and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO-MLR), and support vector machines (SVM). Predictive performance was internally …

A Multi-Task Gaussian Process Self-Attention Neural Network For Real-Time Prediction Of The Need For Mechanical Ventilators In Covid-19 Patients, Kai Zhang, Siddharth Karanth, Bela Patel, Robert Murphy, Xiaoqian Jiang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has overwhelmed the capacity of healthcare resources and posed a challenge for worldwide hospitals. The ability to distinguish potentially deteriorating patients from the rest helps facilitate reasonable allocation of medical resources, such as ventilators, hospital beds, and human resources. The real-time accurate prediction of a patient's risk scores could also help physicians to provide earlier respiratory support for the patient and reduce the risk of mortality.

METHODS: We propose a robust real-time prediction model for the in-hospital COVID-19 patients' probability of requiring mechanical ventilation (MV). The end-to-end neural network model incorporates the Multi-task …

Association Of Alcohol Use And Physical Activity With Body Mass Index In Mexican-Origin Adults, Natalia I Heredia, Qiong Dong, Shine Chang, Lorna H Mcneill

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Studies across racial/ethnic groups indicate that physical activity (PA) and alcohol consumption are positively associated, and that alcohol consumption is negatively associated with body mass index (BMI), but this relationship is less often evaluated in Hispanics. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationships between alcohol consumption, PA, and BMI in Hispanic adults.

METHODS: In this secondary data analysis of a Mexican-American cohort, we collected self-reported PA, alcohol consumption, and demographics, and measured height and weight. Linear regression assessed the association between PA and alcohol consumption with BMI, controlling for covariates. Total sample for analyses was n …

External Validation Of A Model Determining Risk Of Neoplastic Progression Of Barrett’S Esophagus In A Cohort Of Us Veterans, Theresa H Nguyen, Aaron P Thrift, Gyanprakash A Ketwaroo, Xianglin L Du, Luis Leon Novelo, Rollin George, Daniel G Rosen, Hashem B El-Serag

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) in those with Barrett's esophagus (BE) is 11-fold greater than the general population. It remains unclear which BE patients are at highest risk of progression to EAC. We aimed to validate a predictive model risk-stratifying BE patients.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study at the Houston Veteran Affairs Medical Center of consecutive patients with a new diagnosis of BE from November 1990 to January 2019. Study follow-up was through February 2020. Patients were excluded if they had no follow-up EGD with esophageal biopsy sampling after the initial BE-diagnosing EGD or evidence …

Assessing The Established Competency Categories Of The Biosafety, Infection Prevention, And Public Health Professions: A Guide For Addressing Needed Professional Development Training For The Current And Next Pandemic, Robert J Emery, Scott J Patlovich, Kristin G King, John M Lowe, Janelle Rios

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A recent series of widespread infectious disease outbreaks has highlighted commonalities and differences between three key professions that operate on the front lines of response in support of research and/or direct healthcare providers: biosafety, infection prevention, and public health. This assessment, which builds upon previous study by the authors, examines the stated professional competency categories for these three areas, highlighting similarities and differences. This assessment is important as these professions are being drawn together in an operational environment driven by the current pandemic and inevitably future disease outbreaks. Cross-training opportunities for the various professions are proposed.

Responding To Natural And Industrial Disasters: Partnerships And Lessons Learned, Elaine Symanski, Heyreoun An Han, Inkyu Han, Michelle Mcdaniel, Kristina W Whitworth, Sheryl Mccurdy, William Brett Perkison, Amal Rammah, P Grace Tee Lewis, George L Delclos, Elena Craft, Melissa Bondy, Cheryl Lyn Walker, Loren Hopkins, José Guillermo Cedeño Laurent, Daisy James

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to provide insights learned from disaster research response (DR2) efforts following Hurricane Harvey in 2017 to launch DR2 activities following the Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) fire in Deer Park, Texas, in 2019.

METHODS: A multidisciplinary group of academic, community, and government partners launched a myriad of DR2 activities.

RESULTS: The DR2 response to Hurricane Harvey focused on enhancing environmental health literacy around clean-up efforts, measuring environmental contaminants in soil and water in impacted neighborhoods, and launching studies to evaluate the health impact of the disaster. The lessons learned after Harvey enabled rapid DR2 …

External Validation Of A Model Determining Risk Of Neoplastic Progression Of Barrett's Esophagus In A Cohort Of Us Veterans, Theresa H Nguyen, Aaron P Thrift, Gyanprakash A Ketwaroo, Xianglin L Du, Luis Leon Novelo, Rollin George, Daniel G Rosen, Hashem B El-Serag

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) in those with Barrett's esophagus (BE) is 11-fold greater than the general population. It remains unclear which BE patients are at highest risk of progression to EAC. We aimed to validate a predictive model risk-stratifying BE patients.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study at the Houston Veteran Affairs Medical Center of consecutive patients with a new diagnosis of BE from November 1990 to January 2019. Study follow-up was through February 2020. Patients were excluded if they had no follow-up EGD with esophageal biopsy sampling after the initial BE-diagnosing EGD or evidence …

Integrative Analysis Of Clinical And Epigenetic Biomarkers Of Mortality, Tianxiao Huan, Steve Nguyen, Elena Colicino, Carolina Ochoa-Rosales, W David Hill, Jennifer A Brody, Mette Soerensen, Yan Zhang, Antoine Baldassari, Mohamed Ahmed Elhadad, Tanaka Toshiko, Yinan Zheng, Arce Domingo-Relloso, Dong Heon Lee, Jiantao Ma, Chen Yao, Chunyu Liu, Shih-Jen Hwang, Roby Joehanes, Myriam Fornage, Jan Bressler, Joyce B J Van Meurs, Birgit Debrabant, Jonas Mengel-From, Jacob Hjelmborg, Kaare Christensen, Pantel Vokonas, Joel Schwartz, Sina A Gahrib, Nona Sotoodehnia, Colleen M Sitlani, Sonja Kunze, Christian Gieger, Annette Peters, Melanie Waldenberger, Ian J Deary, Luigi Ferrucci, Yishu Qu, Philip Greenland, Donald M Lloyd-Jones, Lifang Hou, Stefania Bandinelli, Trudy Voortman, Brenner Hermann, Andrea Baccarelli, Eric Whitsel, James S Pankow, Daniel Levy

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

DNA methylation (DNAm) has been reported to be associated with many diseases and with mortality. We hypothesized that the integration of DNAm with clinical risk factors would improve mortality prediction. We performed an epigenome-wide association study of whole blood DNAm in relation to mortality in 15 cohorts (n = 15,013). During a mean follow-up of 10 years, there were 4314 deaths from all causes including 1235 cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths and 868 cancer deaths. Ancestry-stratified meta-analysis of all-cause mortality identified 163 CpGs in European ancestry (EA) and 17 in African ancestry (AA) participants at p < 1 × 10

Regularized Regression On Compositional Trees With Application To Mri Analysis, Bingkai Wang, Brian S Caffo, Xi Luo, Chin-Fu Liu, Andreia V Faria, Michael I Miller, Yi Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A compositional tree refers to a tree structure on a set of random variables where each random variable is a node and composition occurs at each non-leaf node of the tree. As a generalization of compositional data, compositional trees handle more complex relationships among random variables and appear in many disciplines, such as brain imaging, genomics and finance. We consider the problem of sparse regression on data that are associated with a compositional tree and propose a transformation-free tree-based regularized regression method for component selection. The regularization penalty is designed based on the tree structure and encourages a sparse tree …

Gene-Lifestyle Interactions In The Genomics Of Human Complex Traits, Vincent Laville, Timothy Majarian, Yun J Sung, Karen Schwander, Mary F Feitosa, Daniel I Chasman, Amy R Bentley, Charles N Rotimi, L Adrienne Cupples, Paul S De Vries, Michael R Brown, Alanna C Morrison, Aldi T Kraja, Mike Province, C Charles Gu, W James Gauderman, Charge Gene-Lifestyle Interactions Working Group, D C Rao, Alisa K Manning, Hugues Aschard

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The role and biological significance of gene-environment interactions in human traits and diseases remain poorly understood. To address these questions, the CHARGE Gene-Lifestyle Interactions Working Group conducted series of genome-wide interaction studies (GWIS) involving up to 610,475 individuals across four ancestries for three lipids and four blood pressure traits, while accounting for interaction effects with drinking and smoking exposures. Here we used GWIS summary statistics from these studies to decipher potential differences in genetic associations and G×E interactions across phenotype-exposure-ancestry combinations, and to derive insights on the potential mechanistic underlying G×E through in-silico functional analyses. Our analyses show first that …

Multi-Phenotype Analyses Of Hemostatic Traits With Cardiovascular Events Reveal Novel Genetic Associations, Gerard Temprano-Sagrera, Colleen M Sitlani, William P Bone, Miguel Martin-Bornez, Benjamin F Voight, Alanna C Morrison, Scott M Damrauer, Paul S De Vries, Nicholas L Smith, Maria Sabater-Lleal

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Multi-phenotype analysis of genetically correlated phenotypes can increase the statistical power to detect loci associated with multiple traits, leading to the discovery of novel loci. This is the first study to date to comprehensively analyze the shared genetic effects within different hemostatic traits, and between these and their associated disease outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: To discover novel genetic associations by combining summary data of correlated hemostatic traits and disease events.

METHODS: Summary statistics from genome wide-association studies (GWAS) from seven hemostatic traits (factor VII [FVII], factor VIII [FVIII], von Willebrand factor [VWF] factor XI [FXI], fibrinogen, tissue plasminogen activator [tPA], plasminogen …

Hiv Response Interventions That Integrate Hiv Molecular Cluster And Social Network Analysis: A Systematic Review, Daniel J Gore, Kellie Schueler, Santhoshini Ramani, Arno Uvin, Gregory Phillips, Moira Mcnulty, Kayo Fujimoto, John Schneider

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Due to improved efficiency and reduced cost of viral sequencing, molecular cluster analysis can be feasibly utilized alongside existing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention strategies. The goal of this paper is to elucidate how HIV molecular cluster and social network analyses are being integrated to implement HIV response interventions. We searched PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library databases for studies incorporating both HIV molecular cluster and social network data. We identified 32 articles that combined analyses of HIV molecular sequences and social or sexual networks. All studies were descriptive. Six studies described network interventions informed by molecular and social data …

Understanding Implementation Strategies To Support Classroom-Based Physical Activity Approaches In Elementary Schools: A Qualitative Study, Timothy J Walker, Jacob Szeszulski, Michael C Robertson, Paula M Cuccaro, Maria E Fernandez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Classroom-based physical activity approaches can improve children's physical activity levels during school. However, the implementation of these approaches remains a challenge. The purpose of this study was to examine implementation strategies to support the delivery of classroom-based physical activity approaches from the perspectives of elementary school staff.

METHODS: We conducted individual interviews with elementary school staff from a mid-sized school district in Texas. Interviews lasted approximately 60 min and were audio recorded and transcribed for analyses. We used directed content analysis and an iterative categorization approach to identify emerging themes related to implementation strategies.

RESULTS: We interviewed 15 participants …

Midlife Determinants Of Healthy Cardiovascular Aging: The Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities (Aric) Study, Xiaoming Jia, Caroline Sun, Vijay Nambi, Salim S Virani, George Taffet, Eric Boerwinkle, Jan Bressler, Chiadi Ndumele, B Gwen Windham, James A De Lemos, Kunihiro Matsushita, John William Mcevoy, Ron C Hoogeveen, Elizabeth Selvin, Christie M Ballantyne

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Risk factor cutoffs are derived from associations with clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD), but how these risk factors associate with preserved cardiovascular health into old age is not well studied. We investigated midlife determinants of healthy versus nonhealthy cardiovascular aging in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

METHODS: ARIC participants were categorized by cardiovascular status in older age (mean age 75.8 ± 5.3 years, range 66-90): healthy, subclinical disease (assessed by biomarkers and left ventricular function), clinical CVD (coronary heart disease, stroke, or heart failure), or prior death. We examined associations of midlife (mean age 52.1 ± …

Better Care For Older Hispanics: Identifying Priorities And Harmonizing Care, Rafael Samper-Ternent, Mary Tinetti, Lee A Jennings, Rebeca Wong, Jennifer Arney, Aanand D Naik

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Host And Gut Microbial Tryptophan Metabolism And Type 2 Diabetes: An Integrative Analysis Of Host Genetics, Diet, Gut Microbiome And Circulating Metabolites In Cohort Studies, Qibin Qi, Jun Li, Bing Yu, Jee-Young Moon, Jin C Chai, Jordi Merino, Jie Hu, Miguel Ruiz-Canela, Casey Rebholz, Zheng Wang, Mykhaylo Usyk, Guo-Chong Chen, Bianca C Porneala, Wenshuang Wang, Ngoc Quynh Nguyen, Elena V Feofanova, Megan L Grove, Thomas J Wang, Robert E Gerszten, Josée Dupuis, Jordi Salas-Salvadó, Wei Bao, David L Perkins, Martha L Daviglus, Bharat Thyagarajan, Jianwen Cai, Tao Wang, Joann E Manson, Miguel A Martínez-González, Elizabeth Selvin, Kathryn M Rexrode, Clary B Clish, Frank B Hu, James B Meigs, Rob Knight, Robert D Burk, Eric Boerwinkle, Robert C Kaplan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: Tryptophan can be catabolised to various metabolites through host kynurenine and microbial indole pathways. We aimed to examine relationships of host and microbial tryptophan metabolites with incident type 2 diabetes (T2D), host genetics, diet and gut microbiota.

METHOD: We analysed associations between circulating levels of 11 tryptophan metabolites and incident T2D in 9180 participants of diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds from five cohorts. We examined host genome-wide variants, dietary intake and gut microbiome associated with these metabolites.

RESULTS: Tryptophan, four kynurenine-pathway metabolites (kynurenine, kynurenate, xanthurenate and quinolinate) and indolelactate were positively associated with T2D risk, while indolepropionate was inversely associated with …

On The Front Lines Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: Occupational Experiences Of The Intimate Partner Violence And Sexual Assault Workforce, Leila Wood, Rachel Voth Schrag, Elizabeth Baumler, Dixie Hairston, Shannon Guillot-Wright, Elizabeth Torres, Jeff R Temple

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In the face of increasing risk for intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an urgent need to understand the experiences of the workforce providing support to survivors, as well as the evolving service delivery methods, shifting safety planning approaches, and occupational stress of frontline workers. We addressed this gap by conducting an online survey of members of IPV and sexual assault workforce using a broad, web-based recruitment strategy. In total, 352 staff from 24 states participated. We collaborated with practitioner networks and anti-violence coalitions to develop the brief survey, which included questions about …

Part I Antimicrobial Resistance: Bacterial Pathogens Of Dermatologic Significance And Implications Of Rising Resistance, Saira George, Fiorinda F Muhaj, Celine D Nguyen, Stephen K Tyring

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Although the COVID-19 pandemic has been the defining global health crisis of our time, public health officials have been sounding the alarm of another ominous threat for years: an impending antimicrobial resistance crisis. In dermatology, antibiotics are often used for prolonged courses in the treatment of skin and soft tissue infections and common inflammatory skin conditions, increasing the risk of microbiome alteration and antibiotic-related adverse effects, all while exerting consequential selective pressures on both pathogenic and bystander bacteria. In this review, we hope to raise awareness of the crisis of antimicrobial resistance and review resistance concerns related to dermatology-relevant bacterial …

Pneumothorax And Pneumomediastinum In Covid-19: A Case Series, Stephan Reyes, Brad Roche, Farah Kazzaz, Daniel Ocazionez, Aditya P Lal, Rosa M Estrada-Y-Martin, Sujith V Cherian

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

COVID- 19 has become a major pandemic affecting more than 11 million people worldwide. Common radiological manifestations of COVID-19 include peripheral based ground-glass or consolidative opacities; however, pneumothorax and pneumo-mediastinum are very rare manifestations; even more so within patients not on mechanical ventilation. We present a case series of 5 patients with COVID-19 who either presented with or developed spontaneous pneumothorax or pneumo-mediastinum within the course of hospitalization. With the exception of one patient, all other patients developed pneumothorax as a late manifestation in their illness; more than 10 days after initial symptom onset in COVID-19. From within this case …

Knowledge-Based Planning For The Radiation Therapy Treatment Plan Quality Assurance For Patients With Head And Neck Cancer, Wenhua Cao, Mary Gronberg, Adenike Olanrewaju, Thomas Whitaker, Karen Hoffman, Carlos Cardenas, Adam Garden, Heath Skinner, Beth Beadle, Laurence Court

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using a knowledge-based planning technique to detect poor quality VMAT plans for patients with head and neck cancer. We created two dose-volume histogram (DVH) prediction models using a commercial knowledge-based planning system (RapidPlan, Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA) from plans generated by manual planning (MP) and automated planning (AP) approaches. DVHs were predicted for evaluation cohort 1 (EC1) of 25 patients and compared with achieved DVHs of MP and AP plans to evaluate prediction accuracy. Additionally, we predicted DVHs for evaluation cohort 2 (EC2) of 25 patients for which we intentionally …

Impact Of Covid19 On Maxillofacial Fractures In The Province Of L’Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy Review Of 296 Patients Treated With Statistical Comparison Of The Two-Year Pre-Covid19 And Covid19, Filippo Giovannetti, Ettore Lupi, Danilo Di Giorgio, Secondo Scarsella, Antonio Oliva, Desiderio Di Fabio, Paolo Prata, Giada Petricca, Valentino Valentini

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The aim of this study was to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the epidemiology of maxillofacial trauma in a regional trauma center in L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy, during the first wave of the pandemic and comparted it to an equivalent period from 2015 to 2018. The authorshave retrospectively analyzed personal data, site of trauma, etiology, and mechanism of injury. Statistical analysis has been carried out utilizing IBM SPSS Statistics software (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) and significance was accepted for P values of 0.05) as opposed to the etiology in which the road traffic accidents decreased in favor of …

Pityriasis Rosea-Like Rash After Messenger Rna Covid-19 Vaccination: A Case Report And Review Of The Literature, Jordan E Buckley, Laura N Landis, Ronald P Rapini

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A spectrum of cutaneous reactions to SARs-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccines have been reported in the literature. We present a case of a pityriasis rosea-like rash occurring after Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination and review cases of pityriasis rosea (PR)/PR-like eruption (PR-LE) after mRNA COVID-19 vaccine published in the medical literature. Of the 30 cases found, none experienced severe adverse effects and the rash resolved in an average of 5.6 weeks. It is important for physicians to be aware of this self-limited reaction so they can reassure and appropriately counsel patients that it is safe to receive subsequent vaccine doses despite the cutaneous eruption. …

Are Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone (Trh) And Analog Taltirelin Viable Reversal Agents Of Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression?, Marieke Hyke Algera, Joseph F Cotten, Monique Van Velzen, Marieke Niesters, Martijn Boon, Daniel S Shoham, Kaye E Dandrea, Rutger Van Der Schrier, Albert Dahan

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Opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD) is a potentially life-threatening complication of opioid consumption. Apart from naloxone, an opioid antagonist that has various disadvantages, a possible reversal strategy is treatment of OIRD with the hypothalamic hormone and neuromodulator thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH). In this review, we performed a search in electronic databases and retrieved 52 papers on the effect of TRH and TRH-analogs on respiration and their efficacy in the reversal of OIRD in awake and anesthetized mammals, including humans. Animal studies show that TRH and its analog taltirelin stimulate breathing via an effect at the preBötzinger complex, an important respiratory rhythm generator …

A Roadmap To Clinical Trials For Flash, Paige A Taylor, Jean M Moran, David A Jaffray, Jeffrey C Buchsbaum

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While FLASH radiation therapy is inspiring enthusiasm to transform the field, it is neither new nor well understood with respect to the radiobiological mechanisms. As FLASH clinical trials are designed, it will be important to ensure we can deliver dose consistently and safely to every patient. Much like hyperthermia and proton therapy, FLASH is a promising new technology that will be complex to implement in the clinic and similarly will require customized credentialing for multi-institutional clinical trials. There is no doubt that FLASH seems promising, but many technologies that we take for granted in conventional radiation oncology, such as rigorous …

Detoxification Role Of Metabolic Glutathione S-Transferase (Gst) Genes In Blood Lead Concentrations Of Jamaican Children With And Without Autism Spectrum Disorder, Mohammad H Rahbar, Maureen Samms-Vaughan, Sori Kim, Sepideh Saroukhani, Jan Bressler, Manouchehr Hessabi, Megan L Grove, Sydonnie Shakspeare-Pellington, Katherine A Loveland

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Glutathione S-transferases (GST) are involved in the detoxification of exogenous chemicals including lead (Pb). Using data from 344 pairs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) cases and age- and sex-matched typically developing (TD) controls (2−8 years old) from Jamaica, we investigated the interaction between three GST genes and ASD status as determinants of blood Pb concentrations (BPbCs). We found that ASD cases had lower geometric mean BPbCs than TD children (1.74 vs. 2.27 µg/dL, p < 0.01). Using a co-dominant genetic model, ASD cases with the Ile/Val genotype for the GSTP1 Ile105Val polymorphism had lower GM BPbCs than TD controls, after adjusting for a known interaction between GSTP1 and GSTT1, child’s parish, socioeconomic status, consumption of lettuce, fried plantains, and canned fish (Ile/Val: 1.78 vs. 2.13 µg/dL, p = 0.03). Similarly, among carriers of the I/I or I/D (I*) genotype for GSTT1 and GSTM1, ASD cases had lower adjusted GM BPbCs than TD controls (GSTT1 I*: 1.61 vs. 1.91 µg/dL, p = 0.01; GSTM1 I*: 1.71 vs. 2.04 µg/dL, p = 0.01). Our findings suggest that genetic polymorphisms in GST genes may influence detoxification of Pb by the enzymes they encode in Jamaican children with and without ASD.