Virus Diseases Commons^™

Identification Of Molecular Markers Associated With Copd In Non-Smokers And Smokers: A Bioinformatics Analysis, Agede O. Ayodele, Isa M. Wasagu, Ademola E. Fawibe, Alakija K. Salami

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background

Even though the proportional burden of COPD among never-smokers is significant in both developing and developed nations, accounting for around 30% of all COPD in the community, there is little awareness of the prevalence of COPD in this population. Understanding the molecular processes that underlie COPD in nonsmokers is essential.

Methods

Dataset (GSE146560) was acquired from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). The limma and clusterProfiler software tools were used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and conduct a functional enrichment analysis respectively.

Results

In all, 10,583 DEGs were found, of which 1,065 were up-regulated and 9,518 were down-regulated. The …

Exploring The Plausibility Of Human Ecosystem Disruption Being The Cause For Increased Viral Prevalence, Andrew Ventura

University Honors Theses

Viral diseases and their prevalence--including both the number of cases and the appearance of new viruses--has increased in the last century, and these diseases have become an increasing threat to human health and well-being. The influenza and COVID-19 pandemics served both as introductions and reminders respectively to the power these viruses have to destroy and disrupt human life. As such, it intimates a necessity to investigate possible causes for the increase in these deadly diseases. Among these plausible causes is the dilution effect hypothesis, which states that decreasing the biodiversity of an ecosystem increases a pathogen's ability to infect, both …

Assessing The Impact Of Ebola Virus Inoculum Size On Likelihood Of Infection, Joseph Lukowski

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Background: Indirect transmission of Ebola virus disease (EVD) is not uncommon but is poorly understood. Improving the understanding of the potential risk of EVD transmission from fomites should result in new or updated prevention or control measures for suspected or confirmed EVD cases or outbreaks.

Objective: This study aims to compile and understand pertinent data from peer-reviewed literature, establish the dose-response relationship between inoculum doses introduced to mucous membranes, and finally estimate the risk of EVD transmission from fomites.

Methods: A literature search was conducted through PubMed to obtain relevant data. This study employed this data to perform Poisson regression …

Hepatitis Screening, Kathryn Bland

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

Project on hepatitis screening.

Covid-19 Masking An Atypical Presentation Of Hairy Cell Leukemia, Kahmalia-Kalee Sada

North Texas GME Research Forum 2023

Hairy cell leukemia is a rare lymphoid neoplasm of small mature B cell lymphoid cells. Hairy cell leukemia only accounts for about 1 to 2 percent of adult leukemia cases. Early diagnosis of Hairy cell Leukemia is important, it is proven that without treatment the median survival of this cancer is four years. After numerous studies the age-adjusted risk of death with proper diagnosis and treatment has decreased by 85%. The greatest outcomes are seen in individuals who are younger with earlier diagnosis. Hairy Cell Leukemia is a rare leukemia seen with the classic triad of splenomegaly, pancytopenia, and “hairy” …

Does Brief Intervention In The Form Of A Lecture Improve Resident Knowledge About Hep C Screening?, Mary Dacosta, Evelyn Chicas, Kiana Clem, Shelby Collymore

North Texas GME Research Forum 2023

The prevalence for hepatitis C during 2013-2016 was about ~2.4 million. Screening helps to prevent chronic hepatitis C or start early curative treatment. USPSTF recently changed their guidelines in 2021 for Hepatitis C screening to now include all asymptomatic patients from ages from 18-79 years old without liver disease. Screening usually includes the Hepatitis C Antibody test. Further testing includes Hepatitis C mRNA PCR if screening test is positive. High risk patients should have periodic screening. Since the change, this project was done to ensure the appropriate screening and testing thereafter was done, as well as appropriate communication and documentation. …

A Case Of Viral Pneumonia And Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Mark Cheneler, Khizir Qureshi, Carlos Bahrami

North Texas GME Research Forum 2023

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the ICU setting and a continued source for investigation to improve outcomes. It is characterized by acute respiratory failure with an identifiable insult, bilateral infiltrates on imaging, and a PaO2/FiO2 ratio (PF ratio) of less than 300 mmHg. It can be further classified into mild, moderate, and severe ARDS with a PF ratio of less than 300, 200, and 100 mmHg respectfully. Treatment requires elucidation of the underlying insult to the pulmonary system and prompt treatment. Presented here is a case of ARDS secondary to herpes …

An Interesting Occurrence Of Bell’S Palsy With Atypical Presentation After Contracting Covid-19 Infection, Yen-Chung Wang, Yen-Hsiang Wang, Christian Sanchez

North Texas GME Research Forum 2023

Introduction: COVID-19 has been identified as primarily a respiratory illness, however, with its clinical manifestation of involvement with multiple organs, it is now considered a systemic illness. In particular, it also can elicit a broad spectrum of neurological symptoms. One of the proposed manifestations is Bell’s Palsy, an acute idiopathic facial nerve palsy that affects the lower motor neuron. Here we have a patient with recent COVID infection who presents with a unilateral facial droop along with unilateral weakness/tingling of extremities and was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy.

Case Description: Patient is a 47-year-old male with a past medical history of …

West Nile Virus Encephalitis With Status Epilepticus Treated With High-Dose Steroids: A Case Study, Sherwin Thomas, Sawroop Sandhu

North Texas GME Research Forum 2023

West Nile virus (WNV) is a flavivirus endemic in the United States. WNV infection can present with a variety of non-neurologic and neurologic symptoms. Patients who present with WNV neuroinvasive disease have significant morbidity and mortality, with about 10% of cases resulting in death. There is currently no evidence-based treatment for WNV infection. Management is typically with supportive care. Some limited data shows corticosteroids as a possible treatment for neuroinvasive disease. This case report discusses a 55-year-old female patient who presented with altered mental status. She was found to be septic overnight and was found to be in status epilepticus …

Acute Thalamic Stroke In A Covid Positive Adult: A Case Report, Norberto Escobales, Daniel Kiehl, Michelle Militello, Aleger Vorbes

South Atlantic Division GME Research Day 2023

No abstract provided.

Hepatitis B Virus Screening In Asian Immigrants: Community-Based Campaign To Increase Screening And Linkage To Care, Aziza Win

South Atlantic Division GME Research Day 2023

No abstract provided.

Opportunistic Retrospective Assessment Of Huac, Bone Density, Sft And Breast Density On Ct Images And Relationship With Severity Of Covid-19, Mahmut Subasi, Mustafa Duger, Cengiz Erol, Irmak Durur-Subasi

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Aim. To evaluate mean Hounsfield unit calculation (HUAC), bone density, subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT), breast density (constitutional imaging biomarkers) and age in symptomatic patients with COVID-19, to assess their correlation with pneumonia severity. Materials and Methods. Between 11 March and 30 May 2020, 272 consecutive symptomatic female patients with COVID-19 who underwent chest CT imaging at baseline were reviewed. HUAC, bone density, SFT and breast density were evaluated retrospectively and statistically compared in cases with negative/positive PCR test results, with/without pneumonia and with mild/moderate-severe pneumonia. Univariate/multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied for estimation of moderate/severe pneumonia. Results. The parameters of …

A Cascade Of Care Of Patients With Hepatitis C Infection In A Rural State, Wollelaw Agmas, Wendy Craig, Kathleen Fairfield, Brian F. King, Elizabeth Eisenhardt, Kinna Thakarar

Journal of Maine Medical Center

Introduction: The substance misuse epidemic has fueled an increase in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. Despite the availability of sensitive screening and curative treatment, relatively few people are aware of their diagnosis and engaged in care. In this study, we aimed to identify local gaps in HCV care and inform strategies for improvement.

Methods: In this retrospective study, we assessed adult patients seen at a tertiary care center from 2015 to 2019 and who were eligible for HCV screening based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Inclusion criteria were birth from 1945 to 1965, long-term dialysis …

Physician Stress In The Era Of Covid-19 Vaccine Disparity: A Multi-Institutional Survey, Sarah Zahl, Debasis Mondal, David Tolentino, Jennifer A Fischer, Sherry Jimenez

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

CONTEXT: Healthcare workers are at a high risk of infection during infectious disease outbreaks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the availability of several vaccines against COVID-19, the absence of vaccination in patients and colleagues remains a continuous source of stress in healthcare workers. We conducted a survey of physician preceptors, both MDs and DOs, to explore the impact of differences in the patients' and colleagues' vaccination status on their well-being, stress, and burnout.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to determine whether exposure to unvaccinated patients and/or colleagues increases stress and burnout in physician preceptors by utilizing a …

Exploring The Possible Phenomenon Of Viral Interference Between The Novel Coronavirus And Common Respiratory Viruses, Spencer Deleveaux, Alexandria Clarke-Kregor, Xavier Fonseca-Fuentes, Essam Mekhaiel

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

At the peak of the 2021 wave of the SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant in North America, there was concern for a superimposed wave of viral respiratory infections. There was, however, an apparent shift in the usual epidemiology of these pathogens, especially during the traditional influenza season from approximately October 2020 to March 2021. This article seeks to briefly describe the epidemiology of notable respiratory pathogens during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and to focus on one possible factor for the trends observed. There are many contributory elements to the observed viral trends, but in particular, we present a synopsis …

Independent Effects Of Hiv And Antiretroviral Therapy On The Oral Microbiome Identified By Multivariate Analyses, Clifford J. Beall, Elizabeth A. Lilly, Carolina Granada, Kelly Treas, Kenneth R. Dubois, Shahr B. Hashmi, Jose A. Vazquez, Michael E. Hagensee, Ann L. Griffen, Eugene J. Leys, Paul L. Fidel

School of Dentistry Faculty Publications

The oral microbiome is an important predictor of health and disease. We recently reported significant yet modest effects of HIV under highly active antiretroviral therapy (ART) on the oral microbiome (bacterial and fungal) in a large cohort of HIV-positive (HIV+) and matched HIV-negative (HIV-) individuals. As it was unclear whether ART added to or masked further effects of HIV on the oral microbiome, the present study aimed to analyze the effects of HIV and ART independently, which also included HIV- subjects on preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) therapy. Cross-sectional analyses of the effect of HIV devoid of ART (HIV+ ART- versus matched …

Upregulation Of Cell Surface Glycoproteins In Correlation With Kshv Lana In The Kaposi Sarcoma Tumor Microenvironment, Sara R. Privatt, Owen Ngalamika, Jianshui Zhang, Qinsheng Li, Charles Wood, John T. West

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

HIV-associated epidemic Kaposi sarcoma (EpKS) remains one of the most prevalent cancers in sub-Saharan Africa despite the widespread uptake of anti-retroviral therapy and HIV-1 suppression. In an effort to define potential therapeutic targets against KS tumors, we analyzed previously published KS bulk tumor transcriptomics to identify cell surface biomarkers. In addition to upregulated gene expression (>6-fold) in the EpKS tumor microenvironment, biomarkers were selected for correlation with KSHV latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA) expression. The cell surface glycoprotein genes identified were KDR, FLT4, ADAM12, UNC5A, ZP2, and OX40, as well as the endothelial lineage determinants Prox-1 and CD34. Each protein …

Coarse-Grained Molecular Simulations And Ensemble-Based Mutational Profiling Of Protein Stability In The Different Functional Forms Of The Sars-Cov-2 Spike Trimers: Balancing Stability And Adaptability In Ba.1, Ba.2 And Ba.2.75 Variants, Gennady M. Verkhivker, Mohammed Alshahrani, Grace Gupta

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Evolutionary and functional studies have suggested that the emergence of Omicron variants can be determined by multiple fitness tradeoffs including immune escape, binding affinity, conformational plasticity, protein stability, and allosteric modulation. In this study, we embarked on a systematic comparative analysis of the conformational dynamics, electrostatics, protein stability, and allostery in the different functional states of spike trimers for BA.1, BA.2, and BA.2.75 variants. Using efficient and accurate coarse-grained simulations and atomistic reconstruction of the ensembles, we examined the conformational dynamics of the spike trimers that agree with the recent functional studies, suggesting that BA.2.75 trimers are the most stable …

Various Synthetic Pathways Towards Efavirenz And Its Analogs; The Replacement Of The Side Chain, Elizabeth S. Bautista

Selected Honors Theses

Cyclopropyl acetylene (CA) is a key intermediate in the synthesis of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reverse transcriptase inhibitor, Efavirenz (EFV), an antiviral drug used to treat HIV. CA is an expensive raw material, difficult to obtain, and employed in the preparation of medications to combat acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It was found that the structure could be synthesized by the utilization of PCl5; however, this resulted in unwanted ring opening products. To address this issue, a one pot synthesis was developed using Ph3PCl2 as a mild chlorinating agent. In addition, a new analog has been proposed substituting the cyclopropyl …

Intergenerational Change In Hiv/Aids-Related Stigma In Cato Manor, Mijin Cho

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In South Africa, the world’s epicenter of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, HIV-related stigma and stigma-enforcing stereotypes continue to serve as major health barriers to receiving adequate HIV prevention and treatment. While there continues to be a rise in research and advocacy, there is a need to study HIV stigma through a multigenerational lens that addresses the changing HIV/AIDS stigma in the post-apartheid era. Using qualitative methodology, this study aims to explore the generational differences in perceived HIV stigma between females in their 20s and above 50 years of age (as denoted by “50s+”) living in Cato Manor, South Africa. The study …