COVID-19 Commons^™

Integration Of Cardiovascular Risk Assessment With Covid-19 Using Artificial Intelligence., Jasjit S Suri, Anudeep Puvvula, Misha Majhail, Mainak Biswas, Ankush D Jamthikar, Luca Saba, Gavino Faa, Inder M Singh, Ronald Oberleitner, Monika Turk, Saurabh Srivastava, Paramjit S Chadha, Harman S Suri, Amer M Johri, Vijay Nambi, J Miguel Sanches, Narendra N Khanna, Klaudija Viskovic, Sophie Mavrogeni, John R Laird, Arindam Bit, Gyan Pareek, Martin Miner, Antonella Balestrieri, Petros P Sfikakis, George Tsoulfas, Athanasios Protogerou, Durga Prasanna Misra, Vikas Agarwal, George D Kitas, Raghu Kolluri, Jagjit Teji, Michele Porcu, Mustafa Al-Maini, Ann Agbakoba, Meyypan Sockalingam, Ajit Sexena, Andrew Nicolaides, Aditya Sharma, Vijay Rathore, Vijay Viswanathan, Subbaram Naidu, Deepak L Bhatt

Heart and Vascular Articles

Artificial Intelligence (AI), in general, refers to the machines (or computers) that mimic "cognitive" functions that we associate with our mind, such as "learning" and "solving problem". New biomarkers derived from medical imaging are being discovered and are then fused with non-imaging biomarkers (such as office, laboratory, physiological, genetic, epidemiological, and clinical-based biomarkers) in a big data framework, to develop AI systems. These systems can support risk prediction and monitoring. This perspective narrative shows the powerful methods of AI for tracking cardiovascular risks. We conclude that AI could potentially become an integral part of the COVID-19 disease management system. Countries, …

Open Drug Discovery Of Anti-Virals Critical For Canada’S Pandemic Strategy, Tania M. Bubela, E. Richard Gold, Vivek Goel, Max Morgan, Karen Mossman, Jason Nickerson, David Patrick, Aled Edwards

Office of the Provost

In the event of the current COVID-19 pandemic and in preparation for future pandemics, open science can support mission-oriented research and development, as well as commercialization. Open science shares skills and resources across sectors; avoids duplication and provides the basis for rapid and effective validation due to full transparency. It is a strategy that can adjust quickly to reflect changing incentives and priorities, because it does not rely on any one actor or sector. While eschewing patents, it can ensure high-quality drugs, low pricing, and access through existing regulatory mechanisms. Open science practices and partnerships decrease transaction costs, increase diversity …

Geographic Monitoring For Early Disease Detection (Geomedd), Andrew Curtis, Jayakrishnan Ajayakumar, Jacqueline Curtis, Sorapat Vijitakula, Justin Yax

Faculty Scholarship

Identifying emergent patterns of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at the local level presents a geographic challenge. The need is not only to integrate multiple data streams from different sources, scales, and cadences, but to also identify meaningful spatial patterns in these data, especially in vulnerable settings where even small numbers and low rates are important to pinpoint for early intervention. This paper identifies a gap in current analytical approaches and presents a near-real time assessment of emergent disease that can be used to guide a local intervention strategy: Geographic Monitoring for Early Disease Detection (GeoMEDD). Through integration of a spatial …

Clinical Prediction Of Coronavirus Disease-2019: How Accurate Can One Be?, Gabriel Aisenberg, Kevin O Hwang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background Some models based on clinical information have been reported to predict which patients have Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia but have failed so far to yield reliable results. We aimed to determine if physicians were able to accurately predict which patients, as described in clinical vignettes, had, or did not have this infection using their clinical acumen and epidemiological data. Methods Of 1177 patients under investigation for COVID-19 admitted, we selected 20 and presented them in a vignette form. We surveyed physicians from different levels of training (

Is G-Csf Dangerous In Covid-19: Why Not Use Gm-Csf?, Hillard M. Lazarus

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Chemokine Receptor Gene Polymorphisms And Covid-19: Could Knowledge Gained From Hiv/Aids Be Important?, Rajeev K. Mehlotra

Faculty Scholarship

Emerging results indicate that an uncontrolled host immune response, leading to a life-threatening condition called cytokine release syndrome (also termed “cytokine storm”), is the major driver of pathology in severe COVID-19. In this pandemic, considerable effort is being focused on identifying host genomic factors that increase susceptibility or resistance to the complications of COVID-19 and translating these findings to improved patient care. In this regard, the chemokine receptor-ligand nexus has been reported as potentially important in severe COVID-19 disease pathogenesis and its treatment. Valuable genomic insights into the chemokine receptor-ligand nexus have been gained from HIV infection and disease progression …

Aerosol Generation With Common Rhinologic Devices: Cadaveric Study Conducted In A Surgical Suite, Bailey Leconte, Garren M I Low, Martin J Citardi, William C Yao, Arturo A Eguia, Amber U Luong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Povidone-Iodine Solution As Sars-Cov-2 Prophylaxis For Procedures Of The Upper Aerodigestive Tract A Theoretical Framework, Syed H S Naqvi, Martin J Citardi, Davide Cattano, Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, Mark I Knackstedt, Ron J Karni

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns of inadvertent SARS-CoV-2 transmission to healthcare workers during routine procedures of the aerodigestive tract in asymptomatic COVID-19 patients. Current efforts to mitigate this risk focus on Personal Protective Equipment, including high-efficiency filtration as well as other measures. Because the reservoir for SARS-CoV-2 shedding is in the nasopharynx and nasal and oral cavities, the application of viricidal agents to these surfaces may reduce virus burden. Numerous studies have confirmed that povidone-iodine inactivates many common respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-1. Povidone-iodine also has good profile for mucosal tolerance. Thus, we propose a prophylactic treatment protocol for …

Characterization Of Community-Wide Transmission Of Sars-Cov-2 In Congregate Living Settings And Local Public Health-Coordinated Response During The Initial Phase Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Pauline D. Terebuh, Amina J. Egwiekhor, Heidi L. Gullett, Adeola O. Fakolade, Jill E. Miracle, Prakash T. Ganesh, Johnie Rose, Kurt C. Stange, Andrea D. Szabo

Faculty Scholarship

BACKGROUND: Clusters of COVID-19 cases amplify the pandemic and are critical targets for intervention, but comprehensive cluster‐level data are not collected systematically by federal or most state public health entities. This analysis characterizes COVID-19 clusters among vulnerable populations housed in congregate living settings across an entire community and describes early mitigation efforts. METHODS: The Cuyahoga County Board of Health identified and interviewed COVID-19 cases and exposed contacts, assessing possible connections to congregate living facilities within its jurisdiction from March 7, 2020, to May 15, 2020, during the first phase of the pandemic, while state of Ohio stay‐at‐home orders were in …

Potential Scenarios And Hazards In The Work Of The Future: A Systematic Review Of The Peer-Reviewed And Gray Literatures, Paul A Schulte, Jessica M K Streit, Fatima Sheriff, George Delclos, Sarah A Felknor, Sara L Tamers, Sherry Fendinger, James Grosch, Robert Sala

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

It would be useful for researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers to anticipate the hazards that workers will face in the future. The focus of this study is a systematic review of published information to identify and characterize scenarios and hazards in the future of work. Eleven bibliographic databases were systematically searched for papers and reports published from 1999 to 2019 that described future of work scenarios or identified future work-related hazards. to compile a comprehensive collection of views of the future, supplemental and ad hoc searches were also performed. After screening all search records against a set of predetermined criteria, the …

You, Me, And No One Else: Degree Of Social Distancing And Personality Predict Psychological Wellness And Relationship Quality During The Covid-19 Pandemic (Pre-Print), A Bell Cooper, Rachel E. Pauletti, Chloe' A. Didonato

Faculty and Staff Publications & Presentations

While incredibly disruptive to everyday life, the COVID-19 pandemic provides a unique opportunity to study the influence of social distancing and quarantine behaviors on mental health and relationship quality. In this study, we used a snowball sample of 519 Americans to examine whether there were relationships between personality, degree of adherence to social distancing and quarantining norms and regulations, and psychological wellness and relationship quality. We discovered several interesting patterns, some more intuitive than others. Specifically, we present evidence of several interactive effects between personality and degree of social distancing predicting psychological wellness and relationship quality with cohabitants, indicating that …

Ua3/10 President's Messages - Fall Semester, Wku President's Office - Caboni

WKU Administration Documents

President's Message emails sent by Timothy Caboni to faculty & staff during fall semester, 2020.

• Big Red Restart
• Bowling Green/Warren County Coronavirus Workgroup
• Climbing to Greater Heights – Strategic Plan
• COVID-19 – Campus Climate Survey – Personnel Searches – Homecoming
• COVID-19 Escalation
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Work Group
• End of Semester
• Faculty/Staff Open Forum & Convocation
• Fall Semester – Big Red Restart
• Healthy on the Hill
• Healthy on the Hill – Graves Gilbert Clinic
• Hilltopper Guarantee: WKU’s Commitment to the Commonwealth
• Salary Reductions

The Hypercoagulable State In Covid-19: Incidence, Pathophysiology, And Management, Mouhamed Yazan Abou-Ismail, Akiva Diamond, Yasmin Arafah, Lalitha Nayak

Faculty Scholarship

The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) presents with a large variety of clinical manifestations ranging from asymptomatic carrier state to severe respiratory distress, multiple organ dysfunction and death. While it was initially considered primarily a respiratory illness, rapidly accumulating data suggests that COVID-19 results in a unique, profoundly prothrombotic milieu leading to both arterial and venous thrombosis. Consistently, elevated D-dimer level has emerged as an independent risk factor for poor outcomes, including death. Several other laboratory markers and blood counts have also been associated with poor prognosis, possibly due to their connection to thrombosis. At present, the pathophysiology underlying the hypercoagulable …

Social Determinants Of Health-Related Needs During Covid-19 Among Low-Income Households With Children, Shreela V Sharma, Ru-Jye Chuang, Melinda Rushing, Brittni Naylor, Nalini Ranjit, Mike Pomeroy, Christine Markham

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Little is known about the social needs of low-income households with children during the coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Our objective was to conduct a cross-sectional quantitative and qualitative descriptive analysis of a rapid-response survey among low-income households with children on social needs, COVID-19-related concerns, and diet-related behaviors.

METHODS: We distributed an electronic survey in April 2020 to 16,435 families in 4 geographic areas, and 1,048 responded. The survey asked families enrolled in a coordinated school-based nutrition program about their social needs, COVID-19-related concerns, food insecurity, and diet-related behaviors during the pandemic. An open-ended question asked about their greatest concern. We …

Canakinumab To Reduce Deterioration Of Cardiac And Respiratory Function In Sars-Cov-2 Associated Myocardial Injury With Heightened Inflammation (Canakinumab In Covid-19 Cardiac Injury: The Three C Study), Calvin C Sheng, Debasis Sahoo, Siddharth Dugar, Robier Aguillon Prada, Tom Kai Ming Wang, Ossama K Abou Hassan, Danielle Brennan, Daniel A Culver, Prabalini Rajendram, Abhijit Duggal, A Michael Lincoff, Steven E Nissen, Venu Menon, Paul C Cremer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: In patients with Covid-19, myocardial injury and increased inflammation are associated with morbidity and mortality. We designed a proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial to evaluate whether treatment with canakinumab prevents progressive respiratory failure and worsening cardiac dysfunction in patients with SARS-CoV2 infection, myocardial injury, and high levels of inflammation.

HYPOTHESIS: The primary hypothesis is that canakiumab will shorten time to recovery.

METHODS: The three C study (canakinumab in Covid-19 Cardiac Injury, NCT04365153) is a double-blind, randomized controlled trial comparing canakinumab 300 mg IV, 600 mg IV, or placebo in a 1:1:1 ratio in hospitalized Covid-19 patients with elevations in troponin …

Covid-19 Risk And Outcomes In Patients With Substance Use Disorders, Quangqiu Wang, David C. Kaelber, Rong Xu

Faculty Scholarship

The global pandemic of COVID-19 is colliding with the epidemic of opioid use disorders (OUD) and other substance use disorders (SUD) in the United States (US). Currently, there is limited data on risks, disparity, and outcomes for COVID-19 in individuals suffering from SUD. This is a retrospective case-control study of electronic health records (EHRs) data of 73,099,850 unique patients, of whom 12,030 had a diagnosis of COVID-19. Patients with a recent diagnosis of SUD (within past year) were at significantly increased risk for COVID-19 (adjusted odds ratio or AOR=8.699 [8.411–8.997], P<10−30), an effect that was strongest for individuals with OUD (AOR=10.244 [9.107–11.524], P<10−30), followed by individuals with tobacco use disorder (TUD) (AOR=8.222 ([7.925–8.530], P<10−30). Compared to patients without SUD, patients with SUD had significantly higher prevalence of chronic kidney, liver, lung diseases, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, obesity and cancer. Among patients with recent diagnosis of SUD, African Americans had significantly higher risk of COVID-19 than Caucasians (AOR=2.173 [2.01–2.349], P<10−30), with strongest effect for OUD (AOR=4.162 [3.13–5.533], P<10−25). COVID-19 patients with SUD had significantly worse outcomes (death: 9.6%, hospitalization: 41.0%) than general COVID-19 patients (death: 6.6%, hospitalization: 30.1%) and African Americans with COVID-19 and SUD had worse outcomes (death: 13.0%, hospitalization: 50.7%) than Caucasians (death: 8.6%, hospitalization: 35.2%). These findings identify individuals with SUD, especially individuals with OUD and African Americans, as having increased risk for COVID-19 and its adverse outcomes, highlighting the need to screen and treat individuals with SUD as part of the strategy to control the pandemic while ensuring no disparities in access to healthcare support.

Can Lessons From The Covid-19 Pandemic Help Define A Strategy For Global Pediatric Radiology Education?, Jennifer Lynn Nicholas

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Covid-19 Pathways For Brain And Heart Injury In Comorbidity Patients: A Role Of Medical Imaging And Artificial Intelligence-Based Covid Severity Classification: A Review., Jasjit S Suri, Anudeep Puvvula, Mainak Biswas, Misha Majhail, Luca Saba, Gavino Faa, Inder M Singh, Ronald Oberleitner, Monika Turk, Paramjit S Chadha, Amer M Johri, J Miguel Sanches, Narendra N Khanna, Klaudija Viskovic, Sophie Mavrogeni, John R Laird, Gyan Pareek, Martin Miner, David W Sobel, Antonella Balestrieri, Petros P Sfikakis, George Tsoulfas, Athanasios Protogerou, Durga Prasanna Misra, Vikas Agarwal, George D Kitas, Puneet Ahluwalia, Raghu Kolluri, Jagjit Teji, Mustafa Al Maini, Ann Agbakoba, Surinder K Dhanjil, Meyypan Sockalingam, Ajit Saxena, Andrew Nicolaides, Aditya Sharma, Vijay Rathore, Janet N A Ajuluchukwu, Mostafa Fatemi, Azra Alizad, Vijay Viswanathan, Pudukode R Krishnan, Subbaram Naidu

Trauma and Acute Care Articles

Artificial intelligence (AI) has penetrated the field of medicine, particularly the field of radiology. Since its emergence, the highly virulent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has infected over 10 million people, leading to over 500,000 deaths as of July 1st, 2020. Since the outbreak began, almost 28,000 articles about COVID-19 have been published (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); however, few have explored the role of imaging and artificial intelligence in COVID-19 patients-specifically, those with comorbidities. This paper begins by presenting the four pathways that can lead to heart and brain injuries following a COVID-19 infection. Our survey also offers insights into the role that imaging …

Quantifying The Decrease In Emergency Department Imaging Utilization During The Covid-19 Pandemic At A Multicenter Healthcare System In Ohio, Keval D. Parikh, Nikhil H. Ramaiya, Elias G. Kikano, Sree Harsha Tirumani, Jonathan Pierce, Carl Butcher, Jeffrey L. Sunshine, Donna M. Plecha

Faculty Scholarship

PURPOSE: To illustrate the change in emergency department (ED) imaging utilization at a multicenter health system in the state of Ohio during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted assessing ED imaging volumes between March 1, 2020, and May 11, 2020, during the COVID-19 crisis. A rolling 7-day total value was used for volume tracking and comparison. Total imaging utilization in the ED was compared with new COVID-19 cases in our region. Utilization was first categorized by modality and then by plain films and computed tomography (CT) scans grouped by body part. CT imaging of the chest …

Comparison Of Sars-Cov-2 Detection From Nasopharyngeal Swab Samples By The Roche Cobas 6800 Sars-Cov-2 Test And A Laboratory-Developed Real-Time Rt-Pcr Test, Elisabet Pujadas, Nnaemeka Ibeh, Matthew M Hernandez, Aneta Waluszko, Tatyana Sidorenko, Vanessa Flores, Biana Shiffrin, Numthip Chiu, Alicia Young-Francois, Michael D Nowak, Alberto E Paniz-Mondolfi, Emilia M Sordillo, Carlos Cordon-Cardo, Jane Houldsworth, Melissa R Gitman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The urgent need to implement and rapidly expand testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has led to the development of multiple assays. How these tests perform relative to one another is poorly understood. We evaluated the concordance between the Roche Diagnostics cobas 6800 SARS-CoV-2 test and a laboratory-developed test (LDT) real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction based on a modified Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocol, for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in samples submitted to the Clinical Laboratories of the Mount Sinai Health System. A total of 1006 nasopharyngeal swabs in universal transport medium from persons under …

G-Csf And Gm-Csf Are Different. Which One Is Better For Covid-19?, Hillard M. Lazarus

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Covid-19 Wku Staff Reference Guide, Wku Staff Senate

Staff Council

Document prepared by WKU Staff Senate Executive Committee along with campus leadership to answer questions that staff have regarding COVID-19.

Comparison Of Abbott Id Now, Diasorin Simplexa, And Cdc Fda Emergency Use Authorization Methods For The Detection Of Sars-Cov-2 From Nasopharyngeal And Nasal Swabs From Individuals Diagnosed With Covid-19, Daniel D. Rhoads, Sree S. Cherian, Lisa M. Stempak, Christine L. Schmotzer, Navid Sadri

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Cbt-Informed Interventions For Essential Workers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kathy Benhamou, Alexandra Piedra

Student Scholarship

Essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic face heightened levels of anxiety and depression due to increased work demands, lack of adequate personal protective equipment, fear of contracting the virus, and fear of spreading it to loved ones. This is a time of urgent need for mental health support for workers affected by the pandemic crisis. Clinicians may employ empirically supported interventions derived from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and related therapies. Psychological First Aid, an evidence-based crisis intervention, may be utilized to emphasize basic needs and support, but is intended as an acute disaster intervention. Given that a pandemic is an …

Acute Effusive Pericarditis: A Late Complication Of Covid-19., Kelli Fox, Jessica A Prokup, Kyle Butson, Kim Jordan

Heart and Vascular Articles

As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, the medical community continues to discover novel clinical manifestations of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. Often, extrapulmonary manifestations occur simultaneously with pulmonary disease. However, there is a paucity of literature describing the cardiac manifestations of COVID-19 in the absence of pulmonary findings. We report a rare case of acute pericarditis presenting with pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade in a 43-year-old man diagnosed with COVID-19. This case emphasizes the importance of continued investigation regarding diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 and its related symptoms.

Covid-19 Pandemic Impact On Decreased Imaging Utilization: A Single Institutional Experience, Keval D. Parikh, Nikhil H. Ramaiya, Elias G. Kikano, Sree Harsha Tirumani, Himanshu Pandya, Bart Stovicek, Jeffrey L. Sunshine, Donna M. Plecha

Faculty Scholarship

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Predictive models and anecdotal articles suggest radiology practices were losing 50-70% of their normal imaging volume during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using actual institutional data, we investigated the change in imaging utilization and revenue during this public health crisis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Imaging performed within the 8-week span between March 8-April 30, 2020 was categorized into the COVID-19 healthcare crisis timeframe. The first week of this date range and the 10 weeks prior were used to derive the normal practice expected volume. A rolling seven-day total value was used for volume tracking and comparison. Total imaging utilization was …

Respiratory Viral Panels And Pediatric Airway Evaluation: The Role Of Testing For Upper Respiratory Infections To Stratify Perioperative Risk., Weston L Niermeyer, Jessica Ball, Noah Worobetz, Tran Bourgeois, Amanda Onwuka, Candice Burrier, Tendy Chiang

Ambulatory and Primary Care Articles

OBJECTIVES: Children admitted with stridor and respiratory distress comprise a complex patient group that requires the otolaryngologist to decide when to assess and intervene with direct laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy (DLB). Historically, the diagnosis of viral upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) can lead to postponement of surgery due to concerns of perioperative complications related to acute illness. Respiratory viral panels (RVP) are often used to confirm the presence of recent or active viral infection and can affect the differential diagnosis of upper airway obstruction. This study examined whether positive RVP testing is associated with perioperative complications and operative findings in pediatric …

Should Asymptomatic And Low-Risk Individuals Be Tested For Sars-Cov-2?, Ashwini R. Sehgal

Faculty Scholarship

Because people with asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections are an important source of transmission, widespread testing has the potential to identify and isolate such individuals, quarantine their contacts, and prevent further spread. However, testing for a condition in a group with low disease prevalence may lead to numerous false positive results. This study quantifies the tradeoff between reducing transmission by true positives and unnecessary isolation and quarantine due to false positives.

Class A G Protein-Coupled Receptor Antagonist Famotidine As A Therapeutic Alternative Against Sars-Cov2: An In Silico Analysis, Joseph Thomas Ortega, Beata Jastrzebska

Faculty Scholarship

The pandemic associated with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV2) and its disease named COVID-19 challenged the scientific community to discover effective therapeutic solutions in a short period. Repurposing existing drugs is one viable approach that emphasizes speed during these urgent times. Famotidine, a class A G protein-coupled receptor antagonist used for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux was recently identified in an in silico screening. Additionally, a recent retrospective clinical report showed that the treatment with famotidine provided a good outcome in patients infected with SARS-CoV2. A clinical trial testing effectiveness of famotidine in combination with hydroxychloroquine is …

Ua3/10 Big Red Restart, Wku President's Office - Caboni

WKU Administration Documents

Report regarding reopening procedures for WKU after COVID-19 shutdown.