Respiratory Tract Diseases Commons^™

Optimizing Antibiotic Strategies With A Clinical Pathway Approach: Enhanced Initiation And De-Escalation In Community-Acquired Pneumonia, Ahmad Behzadpour

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains a leading cause of hospitalization, mortality, and health care expenditure worldwide. Inappropriate use of broad-spectrum antibiotics contributes to antimicrobial resistance, adverse drug events, and increased costs. Antibiotic stewardship and standardized clinical pathways are key strategies to improve prescribing practices.

Methods

This quality improvement (QI) initiative was conducted at a 240-bed tertiary care teaching hospital from January 2023 through January 2025. A CAP-specific digital clinical pathway was developed using Curbside Health® and integrated into the electronic health record (EHR), accessible through a structured order set to support real-time clinical decision-making. The intervention included provider education and …

Quantification Of Mouse Tracheal Epithelial Cell Differentiation With Cilia Defects, Olivia V. Allen

Honors Thesis

Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) is an autosomal recessive disorder that affects 1 in every 7,500 live births. PCD results from motile cilia defects, impairing mucociliary clearance and causing chronic respiratory infections. Our lab studies include three PCD mouse lines — bgh (Spef2), nm1054 (Cfap221), and Cfap54^gt/gt (Cfap54). Prior transcriptomic data led us to hypothesize that PCD mutant mouse tracheal epithelial cells (MTECs) exhibit reduced differentiation into ciliated cells. MTECs from the trachea of the Wild Type (WT) and the PCD mutant mouse lines were cultured at an Air Liquid Interface (ALI) to start …

Hyperglycemia And Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Cards Toxin Impacts On Lung Epithelial And Fibroblast Injury And Recovery, Alejandra Y. Delgado, Naila Villagomez, Shuri Magdalene

Posters - 2026

Mycoplasma pneumoniae CARDS toxin induces cytotoxicity and inflammation in lung epithelial cells²·¹⁰·¹¹, while hyperglycemia independently elevates ROS and disrupts fibroblast repair¹·⁵·⁸, contributing to the heightened respiratory infection severity seen in diabetic patients¹. However, the interaction between hyperglycemic conditions and CARDS toxin-induced lung injury remains unexplored.

This study investigates how increasing high-glucose (HG) pre-conditioning modifies CARDS toxin-induced injury and recovery in A549⁶ and IMR-90⁷ cells compared to normal glucose (NG ≈ 5mM) controls. We hypothesized that increasing glucose pre-conditioning concentrations would produce a dose-dependent increase in CARDS toxin-induced oxidative stress¹² and inflammatory cytokine production¹⁵ in IMR-90 and A549 compared with normal …

Signaling Response Of Epinephrine Treated Cards Toxin-Infected Thp-1 Macrophages, Trinity Martinez

Posters - 2026

Aspiration pneumonia is a common mild case of pneumonia, a disease where the lungs are inflamed and filled with fluid, compromising respiration and gas exchange. One common cause of mild pneumonia is bacterial infection via a pathogen known as Mycoplasma pneumoniae. M. pneumoniae causes a variety of respiratory illness- ranging from pharyngitis, tracheobronchitis, mild pneumonia- and in rare cases encephalitis. M. pneumoniae produces the CARDS toxin, which participates in ADP-ribosylation and vacuolization (Kannan et al., 2006)1. The CARDS toxin causes aspiration pneumonia by paralyzing the cilia that lines the respiratory tract. Epinephrine, or Adrenaline- is a hormone that is medically …

Effects Of Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Cards Toxin On Lung Fibroblast Function, Shuri Magdalene

Posters - 2026

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common respiratory pathogen whose virulence depends largely on the community-acquired respiratory distress syndrome (CARDS) toxin, a 591-amino-acid ADP-ribosylating protein¹. CARDS toxin induces immune responses²˒³, causes vacuolation in lung epithelial cells, and contributes to the inflammatory and pathological features of pneumonia. IMR-90 fibroblasts. IMR-90 cells are human fetal lung fibroblasts widely used to study responses to inflammatory signals, extracellular matrix production, and lung injury or repair. Rationale. Fibroblasts are key drivers of tissue remodeling and fibrosis during lung injury. Defining how CARDS toxin influences fibroblast programs in inflammation, cell-cycle control, and matrix remodeling²˒³ will clarify how M. …

The Count Of White Blood Cells And Body Mass Index In The Smoker Population Of Tehsil, Dhirkot, District Bagh, Badra Younis, Muhammad Shahbaz, Ayesha Chattha, Anum Sadiq, Zakia Arif, Syeda Sabahat Fiaz

Journal of Bioresource Management

During this study, a total of 145 blood samples was collected from individuals aged between 16-65 years from tehsil Dhir Kot. Among them, 110 were smokers and 35 were non-smokers. Samples were taken in an evacuated container having Ethylene Diamine Tetra acetic Acid. Leucocyte count was done by using a hemocytometer and body mass index (BMI) was measured by using the formula BMI= kg/m². Among the smokers, 53 (48 %) individuals have normal BMI and out of the normal BMI, 47 (89 %) individuals have normal BMI and normal WBCs, but 3 (6 %) smokers had normal BMI …

A Rare And Challenging Polymicrobial Pleural Infection Involving Cupriavidus Pauculus In A Patient With Rheumatoid Arthritis And Multiple Complications, Moiz Ahmed Khan, Syeda Samiya Kamal, Muhammad Muneeb, Summaya Zafar

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

A 58-year-old female with a 15-year history of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and a history of treatment consisting of methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine, leflunomide, and chronic prednisolone therapy, presented with fever, productive cough, dyspnea, and left leg cellulitis. She developed septic shock complicated by tension pneumothorax requiring emergency thoracostomy and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Pleural fluid culture grew Cupriavidus pauculus, a rare environmental gram-negative bacillus, alongside Burkholderia cepacia and Candida parapsilosis, indicating polymicrobial infection which was most likely predisposed by patient's immunosuppressed state from RA and prolonged steroid use. Treatment consisted of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, meropenem, fluconazole, and cardiopulmonary support, and culminated in …

High-Flow Oxygen Therapy In Ild Exacerbations: An Imperfect Therapy, Kathleen Spritzer, Jesse Roman, Ross Summer, Gautam George

Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Factors Associated With Upstaging In Patients With Resectable Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Modern Institutional Sample, Sneha Alaparthi, Hamza Rshaidat, Luke Meredith, Scott H. Koeneman, Christina Grindley, Jacob Heilizer, Purab Kothari, Prarthna Chandar, Tyler Grenda, Nathaniel R. Evans Iii, Olugbenga T. Okusanya

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: There is significant value in predicting and better assessing patients who are at risk of post-surgery upstaging in lung cancer. The objective of this study is to review patients who were upstaged following resection and evaluate their clinical and demographic data to elucidate which factors portend an increased risk of pathologic upstaging at our institution (the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital).

METHODS: A retrospective review of institutional data was performed between 2011 and 2023. Patients with stage I-II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were included. Patients were excluded if they received neoadjuvant systemic therapy, including chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy, and were …

Disease Burden Of Asthma Patients Utilizing Short-Acting Beta-2 Agonist-Only Inhalers As Rescue In The United States, Njira Lugogo, Rena C. Moon, Yen Chung, Joy David, Omar Motawakel, Ning A. Rosenthal, Neil Skolnik

Department of Family & Community Medicine Faculty Papers

Purpose: We aimed to describe the disease burden of asthma and examine relationships between short-acting beta-2 agonist (SABA) use and asthma exacerbations. Patients and Methods: This retrospective cohort study used geographically diverse Premier Healthcare Database (PHD) and linked insurance claims (10/01/2021-09/30/2022) for US patients aged ≥18 years with a SABA-only prescription and a history of asthma exacerbation within 12 months before index date (the earliest SABA prescription date). Three asthma control groups were defined based on SABA usage: well controlled-low (0–1 prescriptions), not well controlled-medium (2–3 prescriptions), very poorly controlled-high (≥4 prescriptions). Four asthma severity groups were defined using asthma …

Miliary Mimicry: Rapidly Progressive Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma Presenting As Suspected Miliary Tuberculosis, Bailey Weidner, Max Wei, Amaar Ahmad, Bailey Trinkino, Chakradhar Kotaru

Continental and Mountain Divisions GME Resarch Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Sweet Drop To Lung Pop: Sertraline-Induced Pneumothorax In Aep, Jeanette Adereti, Laaraeb Nadeem, Azad Patel, Ariana Azimi-Shooshtari, Ramesh Babu Kesavan

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Invasive Aspergillosis In An Immunocompetent Patient, Grant Haden, Alexis Lopez Cruz, Julianna Vecchio, Munanchui Poudel, Sahista Kapadia, Zuhair Ali

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

A Study On Metastatic Primary Lung Adenocarcinoma In A Marijuana Smoker, Sarah Hendee, Cristina Lee, Maria Aguirre, Dmitriy Scherbak

Continental and Mountain Divisions GME Resarch Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Pulmonary Tumor Thrombotic Microangiopathy Presenting As Rapidly Progressive Pulmonary Hypertension: A Case Report, Ali Basaran, Jacob Slowinski, Tesnim Hamdan, Kumaraswamy Nutalapati, Jason Stanberry, Ahmed Tarbay, Dunn Ryan

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Shrinking Lung Syndrome In An Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease, Saul Alvarado Maldonado, Justin Gisel, Osama Srour

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Combined Lung Adenocarcinoma And Carcinoid: A Rare Tumor, Nicholas D'Souza, Tanay Jadhav, Renu Khode

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Necrotizing Pneumonia And Alveolar-Pleural Fistula After Foreign Body Aspiration, Vineet Madishetty, Adam Hurwitz, Ritvik Peesapati, Jessica Neugebauer, James Flanagan

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Advanced Reperfusion Therapies For Intermediate-Risk Pulmonary Embolism: A Systematic Review And Network Meta-Analysis, Ajith Vivek, Sarah Mohamed, Klaudio Alla, Sushant Sunkaraneni, Michael Denney, Vikram Shah, Fagunkumar Modi

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Efficacy Of Ensifentrine In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Copd): A Meta-Analysis Of Randomized Controlled Trials, Muhammad Abdullah, Mustafa Bin Tahir, Natalya Ahsan, Michael Moore, Nagaraja Sharma, Salman Muddassir

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.