Epidemiology Commons^™

Characterization And Determinant Factors Of Critical Illness And In-Hospital Mortality Of Covid-19 Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Of 1,792 Patients In Kenya, Isinta M. Elijah, Endawoke Amsalu, Xuening Jian, Mingyang Cao, Eric K. Mibei, Danvas O. Kerosi, Francis G. Mwatsahu, Wei Wang, Faith Onyangore, Youxin Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Limited data is available on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), critical illness rate, and in-hospital mortality in the African setting. This study investigates determinants of critical illness and in-hospital mortality among COVID-19 patients in Kenya. We conducted a retrospective cohort study at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) in Kenya. Multivariate logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard regression were employed to determine predictor factors for intensive care unit (ICU) admission and in-hospital mortality, respectively. In addition, the Kaplan-Meier model was used to compare the survival times using log-rank tests. As a result, 346 (19.3 %) COVID-19 patients were admitted to ICU, and …

Transmission Roles Of Symptomatic And Asymptomatic Covid-19 Cases: A Modelling Study, Jianbin Tan, Yang Ge, Leonardo Martinez, Jimin Sun, Changwei Li, Adrianna Westbrook, Enfu Chen, Jinren Pan, Yang Li, Wei Cheng, Feng Ling, Zhinping Chen, Ye Shen, Hui Huang

Faculty Publications

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) asymptomatic cases are hard to identify, impeding transmissibility estimation. The value of COVID-19 transmissibility is worth further elucidation for key assumptions in further modelling studies. Through a population-based surveillance network, we collected data on 1342 confirmed cases with a 90-days follow-up for all asymptomatic cases. An age-stratified compartmental model containing contact information was built to estimate the transmissibility of symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 cases. The difference in transmissibility of a symptomatic and asymptomatic case depended on age and was most distinct for the middle-age groups. The asymptomatic cases had a 66.7% lower transmissibility rate than symptomatic …

Omicron Variants Of The Sars-Cov-2: A Potentially Significant Threat In A New Wave Of Infections, Lukasz Szarpak, Michal Pruc, Alla Navolokina, Kavita Batra, Francesco Chirico, Charles De Roquetaillade

School of Medicine Faculty Research

From the beginning, the COVID-19 pandemic turned out to be a huge challenge and burden for medical services [1]. Currently, humanity is dealing with a new wave of the virus that has evolved and presents a new challenge, mainly due to its ability to avoid immune surveillance. Indeed, our main line of defense — vaccines — may be compromised. Omicron variants are characterized by an evolutionary force unprecedented so far. Among the several sublines that have already emerged, the BA.5 strain exhibit higher transmissibility and demonstrates a worrisome immune evasion. According to several laboratory investigations, vaccination-induced antibodies are less successful …

Agreement Between Sars-Cov-2 Pcr Test Results Using Nasopharyngeal And Mid-Turbinate Specimens Among Asymptomatic Working-Age Adults, Judy Wendt Hess, Faiyaz Bhojani, Derrick Cameron, Mary Freire De Carvalho, Fayaz Momin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether mid-turbinate specimens reliably detect active infection in asymptomatic adults undergoing regular COVID-19 PCR testing.

METHODS: Qualitative agreement between 2481 paired nasopharyngeal and mid-turbinate PCR results was assessed. Mean cycle threshold values for each positive result were evaluated as an indicator of active infection.

RESULTS: Overall agreement between nasopharyngeal and mid-turbinate tests was 98.4%. Positive percent agreement was 37.2%, and negative percent agreement was ~100%. Test pairs with lower cycle thresholds (≤30 and ≤25) reached 67% and 100% positive percent agreement, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2 infections with high viral loads were detected …

Sars-Cov-2 Antibody Seroprevalence In Jakarta, Indonesia, Iwan Ariawan, Hafizah Jusril, Muhammad N Farid, Pandu Riono, Wiji Wahyuningsih, Widyastuti Widyastuti, Dwi Oktavia T L Handayani, Endang Sri Wahyuningsih, Rebekka Daulay, Retno Henderiawati, Safarina G. Malik, Rintis Noviyanti, Leily Trianty, Nadia Fadila, Khin Saw Aye Myint, Frilasita A. Yudhaputri, Neeraja Venkateswaran, Kodumudi Venkateswaran, Venkatachalam Udhayakumar, William A. Hawley, Juliette Morgan, Paul M. Pronyk

Kesmas

The SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics in low- and middle-income countries remain poorly understood. This study aimed to estimate the SARS-CoV-2 antibodies seroprevalence in Jakarta, Indonesia, and to increase knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in urban settings. A population-based serosurvey among individuals aged one year or older was conducted in Jakarta. Employing a multistage sampling design, samples were stratified by district, slum, and non-slum residency, sex, and age group. Blood samples were tested for IgG against three different SARS-CoV-2 antigens. Seroprevalence was estimated after applying sample weights and adjusting for cluster characteristics. In March 2021, this study collected 4,919 respondents. The weighted estimate …

Risk Of Transmission Of Respiratory Viruses During Aerosol-Generating Medical Procedures (Agmps) Revisited In The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review, Jenine Leal, Brenlea Farkas, Liza Mastikhina, Jordyn Flanagan, Becky Skidmore, Charleen Salmon, Devika Dixit, Stephanie Smith, Stephen Tsekrekos, Bonita Lee, Joseph Vayalumkal, Jessica Dunn, Robyn Harrison, Melody Cordoviz, Roberta Dubois, Uma Chandran, Fiona Clement, Kathryn Bush, John Conly, Oscar Larios

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: In many jurisdictions healthcare workers (HCWs) are using respirators for aerosol-generating medical procedures (AGMPs) performed on adult and pediatric populations with all suspect/confirmed viral respiratory infections (VRIs). This systematic review assessed the risk of VRIs to HCWs in the presence of AGMPs, the role respirators versus medical/surgical masks have on reducing that risk, and if the risk to HCWs during AGMPs differed when caring for adult or pediatric patient populations.

MAIN TEXT: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central, Cochrane SR, CINAHL, COVID-19 specific resources, and MedRxiv for English and French articles from database inception to September 9, 2021. Independent …

International Prevalence And Mechanisms Of Sars-Cov-2 In Childhood Arterial Ischemic Stroke During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Lauren A Beslow, Shannon C Agner, Jonathan D Santoro, Dipak Ram, Jenny L Wilson, Dana Harrar, Brian Appavu, Stuart M Fraser, Thomas Rossor, Marcela D Torres, Manoëlle Kossorotoff, Yenny C Zuñiga Zambrano, Marta Hernández-Chávez, Sahar M A Hassanein, Dimitrios Zafeiriou, Michael M Dowling, Ilona Kopyta, Nicholas V Stence, Timothy J Bernard, Nomazulu Dlamini

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Data from the early pandemic revealed that 0.62% of children hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) had an acute arterial ischemic stroke (AIS). In a larger cohort from June 2020 to December 2020, we sought to determine whether our initial point estimate was stable as the pandemic continued and to understand radiographic and laboratory data that may clarify mechanisms of pediatric AIS in the setting of SARS-CoV-2.

METHODS: We surveyed international sites with pediatric stroke expertise to determine numbers of hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 patients <18 >years, numbers of incident AIS cases among children (29 days to <18 >years), frequency …

Implementation Of Multi-Level Interventions To Mitigate Risk Of Sars-Cov-2 Delta Variant At A Public University In Southern United States, Keena N. Arbuthnot, Rebecca C. Christofferson, Edward J. Trapido, John H. Pardue, John N. Perret, William F. Tate

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, navigating the implementation of public health measures in a politically charged environment for a large state entity was challenging. However, Louisiana State University (LSU) leadership developed and deployed an effective, multi-layered mitigation plan and successfully opened in-person learning while managing cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the fourth surge. We describe the plan to provide a framework for other institutions during this and future responses. The goals were 3-fold: maintain a quality learning environment, mitigate risk to the campus community, and ensure that LSU operations did not contribute to …

What About Anosmia From Covid-19 ?, Sharanya S E Santhi, Sara Elnour, Steven B Lippmann

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Drug-Target Network Study Reveals The Core Target-Protein Interactions Of Various Covid-19 Treatments, Yulin Dai, Hui Yu, Qiheng Yan, Bingrui Li, Andi Liu, Wendao Liu, Xiaoqian Jiang, Yejin Kim, Yan Guo, Zhongming Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a dramatic loss of human life and devastated the worldwide economy. Numerous efforts have been made to mitigate COVID-19 symptoms and reduce the death rate. We conducted literature mining of more than 250 thousand published works and curated the 174 most widely used COVID-19 medications. Overlaid with the human protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, we used Steiner tree analysis to extract a core subnetwork that grew from the pharmacological targets of ten credible drugs ascertained by the CTD database. The resultant core subnetwork consisted of 34 interconnected genes, which were associated with 36 …

Assessing Covid-19 Booster Hesitancy And Its Correlates: An Early Evidence From India, Geetanjali C. Achrekar, Kavita Batra, Yashashri Urankar, Ravi Batra, Naved Iqbal, Sabiha A. Choudhury, Deepti Hooda, Roohi Khan, Suraj Arora, Aditi Singh, Francesco Chirico, Manoj Sharma

School of Medicine Faculty Research

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 mutants, waning immunity, and breakthrough infections prompted the use of booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to fight against the pandemic. India started booster doses in January 2022 and it is critical to determine the intention of booster dose uptake and its correlates. Therefore, the current cross-sectional study aimed to investigate booster dose acceptability and associated predictors among the Indian population. A convenience sampling technique was utilized to recruit a sample of 687 Indian residents. A 55-item psychometric validated survey tool was used to assess booster dose acceptability, vaccine literacy and vaccine confidence. Univariate, bivariate, and …

Gain-Of-Signal Assays For Probing Inhibition Of Sars-Cov-2 Mpro/3clpro In Living Cells, Seyed Arad Moghadasi, Morgan A Esler, Yuka Otsuka, Jordan T Becker, Sofia N Moraes, Constance B Anderson, Srinivas Chamakuri, Christopher Belica, Chloe Wick, Daniel A Harki, Damian W Young, Louis Scampavia, Timothy P Spicer, Ke Shi, Hideki Aihara, William L Brown, Reuben S Harris

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The main protease, Mpro, of SARS-CoV-2 is required to cleave the viral polyprotein into precise functional units for virus replication and pathogenesis. Here, we report quantitative reporters for Mpro function in living cells in which protease inhibition by genetic or chemical methods results in robust signal readouts by fluorescence (enhanced green fluorescent protein [eGFP]) or bioluminescence (firefly luciferase). These gain-of-signal systems are scalable to high-throughput platforms for quantitative discrimination between Mpro mutants and/or inhibitor potencies as evidenced by validation of several reported inhibitors. Additional utility is shown by single Mpro amino acid variants and structural information combining to demonstrate that …

Treating Cytokine Storm In Patients With Covid-19, Ahmed Abdelhaleem, Deekshitha Turaka, Shameera Shaik Masthan, Steven B Lippmann

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

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 …

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 …

Factors Associated With Covid-19 Death In The United States: Cohort Study, Uan-I Chen, Hua Xu, Trudy Millard Krause, Raymond Greenberg, Xiao Dong, Xiaoqian Jiang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Since the initial COVID-19 cases were identified in the United States in February 2020, the United States has experienced a high incidence of the disease. Understanding the risk factors for severe outcomes identifies the most vulnerable populations and helps in decision-making.

Objective: This study aims to assess the factors associated with COVID-19-related deaths from a large, national, individual-level data set.

Methods: A cohort study was conducted using data from the Optum de-identified COVID-19 electronic health record (EHR) data set; 1,271,033 adult participants were observed from February 1, 2020, to August 31, 2020, until their deaths due to COVID-19, deaths …

Covid-19 Booster Vaccination Hesitancy In The United States: A Multi-Theory-Model (Mtm) Based National Assessment, Kavita Batra, Manoj Sharma, Chia-Liang Dai, Jagdish Khubchandani

School of Medicine Faculty Research

Background: Despite the availability of COVID-19 vaccines and the proven benefits of vaccinations outweighing the potential risks, hesitancy to accept vaccines and additional doses remains a persistent problem. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to investigate hesitancy, confidence, literacy, and the role of the multi-theory model (MTM) constructs in COVID-19 booster uptake. Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized a 52-item psychometric valid web-based survey conducted during the month of October 2021 to recruit a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistical tests were used to analyze the data. Results: Among the booster hesitant group (n = …

Consumption, Nicotine Dependence And Motivation For Smoke Cessation During Early Stages Of Covid-19 Pandemic In Brazil: A Cross-Sectional Study, Ana Paula Coelho Figueira Freire, Bruna A.S. Medina, Marceli R. Leite, Tainá O. Lopes, Ester T. Santos, Milena M. Ferreira, Bruna S.A. Silva, Margaret A. Cavalcante, Francis L. Pacagnelli

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of Education and Professional Studies

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic may have changed smoking habits. For the smoking population, information regarding smoking habits and the pandemic could potentially aid COVID-19 prevention and control measures. Our study aimed to analyze the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on tobacco consumption, nicotine dependence levels, and motivation for smoking cessation. We also collected information from smokers regarding their awareness of the consequences of tobacco use and the increased risks smokers have for severe complications from COVID-19.

Methods: In the survey for this observational cross-sectional study, 122 smokers responded to an online form. The participants provided general data about their smoking …

Covid-19, Vaccination, And Heart Transplantation, Forest W. Arnold

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Are Antipyretic Medications Compatible With Sars-Cov-2 Vaccines?, Sharanya S E Santhi, Niguma Rayamajhi, Steven B Lippmann

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Mechanistic Origin Of Different Binding Affinities Of Sars-Cov And Sars-Cov-2 Spike Rbds To Human Ace2, Zhi-Bi Zhang, Yuan-Ling Xia, Jian-Xin Shen, Wen-Wen Du, Yun-Xin Fu, Shu-Qun Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (RBDCoV2) has a higher binding affinity to the human receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) than the SARS-CoV RBD (RBDCoV). Here, we performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, binding free energy (BFE) calculations, and interface residue contact network (IRCN) analysis to explore the mechanistic origin of different ACE2-binding affinities of the two RBDs. The results demonstrate that, when compared to the RBDCoV2-ACE2 complex, RBDCoV-ACE2 features enhanced dynamicsand inter-protein positional movements and increased conformational entropy and conformational diversity. Although the inter-protein electrostatic attractive interactions are the primary determinant for the high ACE2-binding affinities of …

Colonic Epithelial Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (Ace2) Expression In Blacks And Whites: Potential Implications For Pathogenesis Covid-19 Racial Disparities, Mart De La Cruz, David P Nunes, Vaishali Bhardwaj, Deepika Subramanyan, Caroline Zaworski, Priya Roy, Hemant K Roy

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Covid-19 toll is disproportionate in Blacks although the mechanisms remain incompletely understood. From a biological perspective, several host proteins have received most attention as logical susceptibility targets. Specifically, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) serves as the epithelial cell receptor and acts in concert with transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2). Intriguingly, ACE2 can also suppress the inflammatory response and therefore may impact the severity of Covid-19 infections (from the exuberant immune response a.k.a. "cytokine storm"). We, therefore, assessed expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in Blacks versus Whites.

METHODS: Archived mucosal biopsies from colonoscopic biopsies of visually normal rectal mucosa without concurrent …

Epidemiology, Clinical Ramifications, And Cellular Pathogenesis Of Covid-19 Mrna-Vaccination-Induced Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes: A State-Of-The-Heart Review, Talal Almas, Sarah Rehman, Eyad Mansour, Tarek Khedro, Ali Alansari, Jahanzeb Malik, Norah Alshareef, Vikneswaran Raj Nagarajan, Abdulla Hussain Al-Awaid, Reema Alsufyani

Medical College Documents

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has overwhelming healthcare systems globally. To date, a myriad of therapeutic regimens has been employed in an attempt to curb the ramifications of a severe COVID-19 infection. Amidst the ongoing pandemic, the advent and efficacious uptake of COVID-19 vaccination has significantly reduced disease-related hospitalizations and mortality. Nevertheless, many side-effects are being reported after COVID-19 vaccinations and myocarditis is the most commonly reported sequelae post vaccination. Majority of these diseases are associated with COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Various studies have established a temporal relationship between these complications, yet the causality and the underlying pathogenesis remain hypothetical. In …

Monitoring Sars-Cov-2 In Wastewater During New York City's Second Wave Of Covid-19: Sewershed-Level Trends And Relationships To Publicly Available Clinical Testing Data, Catherine Hoar, Francoise Chauvin, Alexander Clare, Hope Mcgibbon, Esmeraldo Castro, Samantha Patinella, Dimitrios Katehis, John J. Dennehy, Monica Trujillo, Davida S. Smyth, Andrea I. Silverman

Publications and Research

New York City's wastewater monitoring program tracked trends in sewershed-level SARS-CoV-2 loads starting in the fall of 2020, just before the start of the city's second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak. During a five-month study period, from November 8, 2020 to April 11, 2021, viral loads in influent wastewater from each of New York City's 14 wastewater treatment plants were measured and compared to new laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases for the populations in each corresponding sewershed, estimated from publicly available clinical testing data. We found significant positive correlations between viral loads in wastewater and new COVID-19 cases. The strength of the …

Determinants Of Covid-19 Vaccinations Among A State-Wide Year-Long Surveillance Initiative In A Conservative Southern State, Lídia Gual-Gonzalez, Maggie S.J. Mccarter, Kyndall Dye-Braumuller, Stella Self, Connor H. Ross, Chloe Rodriguez-Ramos, Virginie G. Daguise, Melissa Nolan Ph.D., Mph

Faculty Publications

By the end of 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in over 54 million cases and more than 800,000 deaths in the United States, and over 350 million cases and more than 5 million deaths worldwide. The uniqueness and gravity of this pandemic have been reflected in the public health guidelines poorly received by a growing subset of the United States population. These poorly received guidelines, including vaccine receipt, are a highly complex psychosocial issue, and have impacted the successful prevention of disease spread. Given the intricate nature of this important barrier, any single statistical analysis methodologically fails to address all …

Travel Ban Effects On Sars-Cov-2 Transmission Lineages In The Uae As Inferred By Genomic Epidemiology, Andreas Henschel, Samuel F. Feng, Rifat A. Hamoudi, Gihan Daw Elbait, Ernesto Damiani, Fathimathuz Waasia, Guan K. Tay, Bassam H. Mahboub, Maimunah Hemayet Uddin, Juan Acuna, Eman Alefishat, Rabih Halwani, Herbert F. Jelinek, Farah Mustafa, Nawal Alkaabi, Habiba S. Alsafar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Global and local whole genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 enables the tracing of domestic and international transmissions. We sequenced Viral RNA from 37 sampled Covid-19 patients with RT-PCR-confirmed infections across the UAE and developed time-resolved phylogenies with 69 local and 3,894 global genome sequences. Furthermore, we investigated specific clades associated with the UAE cohort and, their global diversity, introduction events and inferred domestic and international virus transmissions between January and June 2020. The study comprehensively characterized the genomic aspects of the virus and its spread within the UAE and identified that the prevalence shift of the D614G mutation was due to …

Of Vascular Defense, Hemostasis, Cancer, And Platelet Biology: An Evolutionary Perspective, David G Menter, Vahid Afshar-Kharghan, John Paul Shen, Stephanie L Martch, Anirban Maitra, Scott Kopetz, Kenneth V Honn, Anil K Sood

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We have established considerable expertise in studying the role of platelets in cancer biology. From this expertise, we were keen to recognize the numerous venous-, arterial-, microvascular-, and macrovascular thrombotic events and immunologic disorders are caused by severe, acute-respiratory-syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. With this offering, we explore the evolutionary connections that place platelets at the center of hemostasis, immunity, and adaptive phylogeny. Coevolutionary changes have also occurred in vertebrate viruses and their vertebrate hosts that reflect their respective evolutionary interactions. As mammals adapted from aquatic to terrestrial life and the heavy blood loss associated with placentalization-based live birth, platelets …

Prognostic And Predictive Biomarkers In Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Treated With Tocilizumab In A Randomized Controlled Trial, Jennifer Tom, Min Bao, Larry Tsai, Aditi Qamra, David Summers, Montserrat Carrasco-Triguero, Jacqueline Mcbride, Carrie M Rosenberger, Celia J F Lin, William Stubbings, Kevin G Blyth, Jordi Carratalà, Bruno François, Thomas Benfield, Derrick Haslem, Paolo Bonfanti, Cor H Van Der Leest, Nidhi Rohatgi, Lothar Wiese, Charles Edouard Luyt, Farrah Kheradmand, Ivan O Rosas, Fang Cai

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVES: To explore candidate prognostic and predictive biomarkers identified in retrospective observational studies (interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase, ferritin, lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, d-dimer, and platelets) in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia after treatment with tocilizumab, an anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody, using data from the COVACTA trial in patients hospitalized with severe coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia.

DESIGN: Exploratory analysis from a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial.

SETTING: Hospitals in North America and Europe.

PATIENTS: Adults hospitalized with severe coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia receiving standard care.

INTERVENTION: Randomly assigned 2:1 to IV tocilizumab 8 mg/kg or placebo.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN …

Sars-Cov-2 Infection Increases Risk Of Acute Kidney Injury In A Bimodal Age Distribution, Erica C Bjornstad, Gary Cutter, Pramod Guru, Shina Menon, Isabella Aldana, Scott House, Nancy M Tofil, Catherine A St Hill, Yasir Tarabichi, Valerie M Banner-Goodspeed, Amy B Christie, Surapaneni Krishna Mohan, Devang Sanghavi, Jarrod M Mosier, Girish Vadgaonkar, Allan J Walkey, Rahul Kashyap, Vishakha K Kumar, Vikas Bansal, Karen Boman, Mayank Sharma, Marija Bogojevic, Neha Deo, Lynn Retford, Ognjen Gajic, Katja M Gist, Sccm Discovery Virus Investigators Group

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV2 develop acute kidney injury (AKI) frequently, yet gaps remain in understanding why adults seem to have higher rates compared to children. Our objectives were to evaluate the epidemiology of SARS-CoV2-related AKI across the age spectrum and determine if known risk factors such as illness severity contribute to its pattern.

METHODS: Secondary analysis of ongoing prospective international cohort registry. AKI was defined by KDIGO-creatinine only criteria. Log-linear, logistic and generalized estimating equations assessed odds ratios (OR), risk differences (RD), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for AKI and mortality adjusting for sex, pre-existing comorbidities, race/ethnicity, illness severity, …

Immune Response To Sars-Cov-2 Variants: A Focus On Severity, Susceptibility, And Preexisting Immunity, Eman Alefishat, Herbert F. Jelinek, Mira Mousa, Guan K. Tay, Habiba S. Alsafar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The heterogeneous phenotypes among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has drawn worldwide attention, especially those with severe symptoms without comorbid conditions. Immune responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative virus of COVID-19, occur mainly by the innate immune response via the interferon (IFN)-mediated pathways, and the adaptive immunity via the T lymphocyte and the antibody mediated pathways. The ability of the original Wuhan SARS-CoV-2 strain, and possibly more so with new emerging variants, to antagonize IFN-mediated antiviral responses can be behind the higher early viral load, higher transmissibility, and milder symptoms compared to SARS-CoV and are …