Translational Medical Research Commons^™

How To Prevent Covid-19 In Nurses And Physicians In The Hospital Setting: Universal Test-And-Isolate For All Patients Admitted To Hospitals, Julio A. Ramirez, Ruth Carrico, Forest W. Arnold, Paul Schulz

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Defining The Burden Of Covid-19 In The Kentuckiana Area: Incidence, Epidemiology & Clinical Outcomes Of Patients With Covid-19, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Rationale: Early evaluation of the burden of disease that COVID-19 may produce in a community is critical to appropriately allocate resources for COVID-19 prevention and treatment.

Objective: The primary objective of this study is to define the incidence, epidemiology, and clinical outcomes of patients with COVID-19 in the Louisville, Kentucky, and southern Indiana region (Kentuckiana) of the USA.

Methods: This will be a retrospective observational study of patients in the Kentuckiana region with the diagnosis of COVID-19.

Louisville Coronavirus Surveillance Program, Julio A. Ramirez, Kenneth E. Palmer, Ruth Carrico, Forest W. Arnold, Donghoon Chung, Leslie A Wolf

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

An important feature of COVID-19, the disease produced by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is the high number of health care workers (HCWs) that acquire the disease. In an initial report of 138 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia in China, 40 patients (29%) were HCWs. One reason why HCWs are at higher risk of acquiring COVID-19 is that some patients with COVID-19 are admitted to the hospital without the classical presentation and are therefore not tested for the disease early during hospitalization. Presently in the US, it is recommended to test for COVID-19 when physicians suspect the disease. This subjective approach …

Endemic Human Coronaviruses In Hospitalized Adults With Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Results From The Louisville Pneumonia Study, Forest W. Arnold, Mark V. Burns, Kamran Mahmood, Darmaan Aden, Stephen P. Furmanek, Mahder A. Tella, Connor Glick, Anupama Raghuram, Leslie A. Beavin, Rodrigo Cavallazzi, Dawn Balcom, Leslie A. Wolf, Kenneth E. Palmer, Ruth Carrico, Julio A. Ramirez, The Center Of Excellence For Research In Infectious Diseases (Cerid) Coronavirus Study Group

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Introduction: There are four endemic serotypes of human coronavirus (HCoV) that may cause community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in humans. The clinical syndrome of CAP due to HCoVs is not well characterized. The objectives of this study were to evaluate incidence, epidemiology, and outcomes of CAP in adults due to HCoV and to compare them with CAP due to influenza.

Methods: The Louisville Pneumonia Study (LPS) is a prospective observational study of hospitalized adult patients with CAP in the city of Louisville. Patients enrolled in the LPS in whom a respiratory viral panel polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was obtained were evaluated. Incidence, …

Community-Acquired Pneumonia Due To Endemic Human Coronaviruses Compared To 2019 Novel Coronavirus: A Review, Julio A. Ramirez, Ruth Carrico, Rodrigo Cavallazzi, Leslie A. Beavin, Anupama Raghuram, Mark V. Burns, Kamran Mahmood, Darmaan Aden, Angeline Prabhu, Dawn Balcom, Stephen P. Furmanek, Leslie A Wolf, Kenneth E. Palmer, Mahder A. Tella, Connor Glick, Forest W. Arnold, The Center Of Excellence For Research In Infectious Diseases (Cerid) Coronavirus Study Group

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

The human coronaviruses (HCoVs) are an important etiology of community-acquired respiratory tract infections. Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) may be caused by serotypes of endemic HCoVs or highly pathogenic HCoVs. In this review, we compared clinical characteristics, management, outcomes, and infection control practices for patients with CAP due to endemic HCoVs versus patients with CAP due to 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

Community-Acquired Pneumonia Pathogenesis In Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Julio A. Ramirez, Rodrigo Cavallazzi

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Association Of Urine Levels Of C-Reactive Protein With Clinical Outcomes In Patients With Pneumonia: A Pilot Study, Subathra Marimuthu, Vidyulata Salunkhe, Stephen P. Furmanek, Leslie A Wolf

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Finding relevant biomarkers as a potential predictor of severity for patients hospitalized with community acquired pneumonia (CAP), in addition to the clinical scoring system, could advance progress towards more effective patient management. The inflammatory marker, C-reactive protein (CRP), which is elevated in the pathogenesis of many infectious diseases, may be a key biomarker target for CAP. Previous studies have shown that serum CRP may be a useful diagnostic marker for pneumonia in hospitalized patients with acute respiratory symptoms. The main aims of this study were to determine the correlation between serum and urine CRP levels in hospitalized patients with CAP, …

A Woman With A Lung Infiltrate And Brain Abscesses: Case Discussion From The University Of Louisville Hospital, Veronica Corcino, Viswanathan Nagarajan, Forest W. Arnold

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Pneumonia Severity Indices As Mortality Predictors, Connor L. English, Thomas Chandler, Brian E. Guinn, Stephen P. Furmanek, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

BACKGROUND

The leading cause of infectious disease death in the United States is community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Several pneumonia severity indices exist and are widely used as tools to assist physicians regarding site of care based on risk of death. However, limited data exists that discerns which of the most commonly used severity scores is the best predictor of mortality across multiple time points. The objective of this study is to determine the best mortality predictor at different time points between four of the most commonly used pneumonia severity scores.

METHODS

This was a secondary analysis of a prospective, multicenter, population-based, …

A Man With Acute Severe Pneumonia: Case Discussion From The University Of Louisville Hospital, Viswanathan Nagarajan, Srinivas R. Dontineni, Veronica Corcino, Forest W. Arnold

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Current And Future Antiviral Medications To Treat Influenza: Mechanisms Of Action, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Real-Time Pcr Assay For Pneumocystis Jirovecii On The Luminex Aries® Platform, Subathra Marimuthu, Kuldeep Ghosh, Leslie A Wolf

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is an opportunistic infection caused by the fungus Pneumocystis jirovecii. Infection with P. jirovecii can result in serious illness in patients with a weakened immune system, and can lead to death if it is not properly diagnosed and treated. Direct detection of P. jirovecii in lower respiratory tract specimens such as bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is preferred for rapid diagnosis, a laboratory service currently not available locally. We report here the development of a diagnostic real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay using BAL specimens to detect P. jirovecii. By targeting the multi-copy mitochondrial large subunit ribosomal …

Towards Multi-Lingual Pneumonia Research Data Collection Using The Community-Acquired Pneumonia International Cohort Study Database, William A. Mattingly, Kimberley A. Buckner, Senen Pena

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: Although multilingual interfaces are preferred by most users when they have a choice, organizations are often unable to support and troubleshoot problems involving multiple user languages. Software that has been structured with multiple languages and data interlinking considerations early in its development is more likely to be easily maintained. We describe the process of adding multilingual support to the CAPO international Cohort study database using REDCap.

Methods: Using Google Translate API we extend the supported Spanish language version of REDCap to the most recent version used by CAPO, 8.1.4. We then translate the English data dictionary for CAPO to …

Clinical Research In Pneumonia: Role Of Artificial Intelligence, Timothy L. Wiemken, Robert R. Kelley, William A. Mattingly, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae Infections: A Review Of Epidemiology And Treatment Options, Julie Harting

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Beta-Lactam Plus Macrolide Vs Fluoroquinolone For Empiric Therapy Of Hospitalized Patients With Cap: Results From The University Of Louisville Pneumonia Study, Vidyulata Salunkhe, Stephen P. Furmanek, Forest W. Arnold

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background

Current guidelines recommend a β-lactam plus a macrolide or fluoroquinolone monotherapy as initial empiric antibiotic therapy for treatment of patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Multiple studies have shown different results comparing the two regimens for the treatment of CAP. Our objective, in a city-wide prospective study, was to compare outcomes among hospitalized patients with CAP who received empiric treatment either with a β-lactam plus a macrolide or fluoroquinolone monotherapy.

Methods

This was a propensity score matched case-control study of the University of Louisville Pneumonia Study. It was a prospective population-based cohort study of all hospitalized adults with CAP. …

Characteristics And Clinical Outcomes Of Hospitalized Patients With Community-Acquired Pneumonia Who Are Active Intravenous Drug Users, Vidyulata Salunkhe, Paula Peyrani, Leslie A. Beavin, Stephen P. Furmanek, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: Intravenous drug users (IVDU) have a 10-fold increased risk of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) compared to the general population. There is scarce data available evaluating the clinical outcomes of IVDU hospitalized patients with CAP and that data mostly focuses on mortality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics, incidence and outcomes of hospitalized patients with CAP in active intravenous drug users in Louisville, Kentucky.

Methods: This was a secondary data analysis of the University of Louisville Pneumonia study. IVDU patients were propensity score matched to a non-IVDU group. Study outcomes were time to clinical stability (TCS), …

Pulmonary Histoplasmosis In A Patient With Cough, Dyspnea, Pulmonary Nodule And Rheumatologic Manifestations: Case Report And Review, Johnson Britto

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

In this case report we describe a case of pulmonary histoplasmosis in a healthy adult female living in Kentucky. The patient presented with two months history of poly-arthralgia and myalgia, intermittent dry cough, chest tightness, exertional dyspnea, malaise, fatigue and one week history of skin rash. She did not respond to broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy and she also had extensive endocrine and rheumatologic work up that was negative. A diagnosis of histoplasmosis was established based on radiological findings as well as endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration cytology (EBUS-TBNA) of mediastinal lymph nodes demonstrating necrotizing granuloma with fungal stains positive for Histoplasma. …

A Continuum Of Disease From Community-Acquired Pneumonia To Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Pulmonary Aspergillosis: A Review On Diagnosis And Management, Bilal A. Jalil, Juan M. Galvis, Karim A. El Kersh, Mohamed Saad, Mostafa M. Fraig, Juan J. Guardiola Ii

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Aspergillosis is acquired by inhalation of spores of Aspergillus, a ubiquitous species in the environment. In normal hosts, spore inhalation rarely causes lung disease.

Pulmonary aspergillosis covers a wide spectrum of clinical syndromes depending on the interaction between Aspergillus and the host (immune-status, prior bronchopulmonary disease). It runs the gamut from invasive aspergillosis to Aspergillus bronchitis and colonization.

Invasive aspergillosis occurs in severely immunocompromised patients, typically with neutropenia. Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis affects patients with chronic structural lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mycobacterial lung disease, but without significant immunocompromise. Aspergillus bronchitis affects patients with bronchial disease such …

Coping With Chronic Fungal Rhinosinusitis: Diagnosis To Therapy, Veronica Corcino, Leslie Beavin, Shengli Lu, Ashley Ross, Carmen V. Sciortino Jr.

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Adult Patients Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Hospitalized For Community-Acquired Pneumonia In The United States: Incidence And Outcomes, Leslie A. Beavin, Stephen P. Furmanek, Paula Peyrani, Anupama Raghuram, Forest W. Arnold, Mark Burns, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common infectious reason for hospitalization of adults in the United States (US), including those with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). While there are studies detailing the incidence and outcomes for all adults with CAP we are not aware of a recent study detailing incidence and outcomes in adult HIV patients hospitalized with CAP. The objectives of this study were (1) to define the current incidence and outcomes of adult HIV patients hospitalized with CAP in Louisville, Kentucky, and (2) to estimate the burden of CAP in the US HIV adult population.

Methods: This was a …

A Software Tool For Automated Upload Of Large Clinical Datasets Using Redcap And The Capo Database, William A. Mattingly, Christopher Sinclair, Danna Williams, Matthew Grassman, Stephen Furmanek, Kimberley Buckner, Mohammad Tahboub

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Introduction: Obtaining clinical data from healthcare sources is necessary for conducting clinical research. New technologies now allow for connecting a research database to Electronic Medical Records remotely, allowing the automatic import of clinical research data. In this paper we design and evaluate a REDCap extension to import clinical records from an external health database.

Methods: Many hospital EHRs are designed to use secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) repositories for data communication. We develop a REDCap plugin to connect to an external SFTP file repository for the import of clinical record data. We use the CAPO instance of REDCap and a …

Bacteremic Pneumococcal Pneumonia: A Longitudinal Study In 279 Adult Patients From A Single Center, Jorge H. Gentile, Claudia Hernandez, Monica D. Sparo, Edgardo M. Rodriguez, Carolina Ceriani, Florencia Bruggesser

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: Bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia (BPP) is the most common clinical presentation of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). Although it has been extensively studied, there is little knowledge in our region in relation to burden of disease, demographic and outcome features.

Methods: We conducted a prospective, longitudinal, observational study from 1989 to 2015 in adult patients with BPP, in order to deepen our knowledge of the characteristics of this disease in our community hospital in Tandil, Argentina.

Results: 279 patients were included. The mean incidence was 2.8/1000 admissions with a sharp decrease in the last two years, reaching 0.8/1000 admissions. Mean patient …

An Hiv-Positive Patient With Copd Admitted To The Icu With Respiratory Failure, Bhavani Puskur, Veronica Corcino, Srikant Ramachandruni, Viswanathan Nagarajan, Forest W. Arnold

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Non-Resolving Community Acquired Pneumonia (Cap) Due To Blastomyces Dermatitidis (Pulmonary Blastomycosis): Case Report And Review Of Literature, Johnson Britto

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

In this case report, we describe a case of progressive acute pulmonary blastomycosis in a healthy adult living in Kentucky, initially presenting with flu like illness with a left sided consolidation, who did not respond to antibiotic therapy. Patient’s clinical condition deteriorated with development of necrotizing bronchopneumonia, mediastinal lymphadenopathy, tree-in-bud reticulonodularity and pleural effusion. A diagnosis of progressive pulmonary blastomycosis was established by radiological findings as well as transbronchial needle aspiration cytology and bronchoalveolar lavage culture demonstrating Blastomyces dermatitidis. Patient showed significant clinical improvement with resolution of pulmonary lesions on antifungal treatment. Since symptoms of blastomycosis are often similar to …

Effectiveness Of The Influenza Vaccine In Preventing Hospitalizations Of Patients With Influenza Community-Acquired Pneumonia, Thomas Chandler, Stephen P. Furmanek, Connor L. English, Connor Glick, Wesley Trail, Lara Daniels, Ugochukwu Owolabi, Ruth Carrico, Julio A. Ramirez, Timothy L. Wiemken

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Introduction: Influenza vaccination is the primary strategy for prevention of influenza infection. Influenza infection can vary from mild or even asymptomatic illness to severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Although many national and international investigators and organizations report annual estimates of influenza vaccine effectiveness for prevention of influenza infection in the community, few studies report estimates for the prevention of hospitalizations due to influenza CAP, the most severe form of the infection. The objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine for prevention of hospitalization in patients with influenza-associated CAP.

Methods: This was a test-negative study using …

Duration Of Antibiotic Therapy For Patients With Bacteremic Staphylococcus Aureus Community-Acquired Pneumonia, Julio A. Ramirez, Thomas File, Daniel Musher

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Real-Time Pcr Detection Of Mycoplasma Pneumoniae, Chlamydia Pneumoniae And Legionella Pneumophila In Respiratory Specimens Using The Aries® System, Subathra Marimuthu, Leslie A. Wolf, James T. Summersgill

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mpn), Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn), and Legionella pneumophila (Lpn) can cause both epidemic and endemic occurrences of acute respiratory disease and are responsible for up to 22% of cases of community acquired pneumonia. Due to the limited availability of FDA-approved molecular diagnostic assays, we developed and evaluated a multiplexed Real-time PCR assay for the detection of these agents in two respiratory specimen types on the Luminex ARIES® instrument. The instrument provides for nucleic acid extraction plus PCR amplification and target detection in the same cassette. The ARIES® instrument generates a cycle threshold value and a confirmatory melt curve …

Communication Between Clinicians And The Hospital-Based Microbiology Laboratory: Strategies For 2018 And Beyond, Hans H. Liu

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.