Allergy and Immunology Commons^™

Evaluation Of The Efficacy Of Synthetic Glycovaccines Against Both Murine Acute Chagas Disease And Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, Colin D. Knight

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Chagas disease (CD) and cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) are neglected tropical diseases caused by the protozoan trypanosomatids, Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp., respectively. There are approximately 6-8 million people infected with T. cruzi worldwide and ~300,000 people in the US. Between 700,000 and 1.2 million new cases of CL occur worldwide yearly. The approved chemotherapies for both diseases are partially effective and may cause serious adverse events, resulting in premature treatment interruption. Moreover, no effective vaccine for either disease is available. Therefore, developing a vaccine that would provide effective cross-protection against both diseases would provide a cost-effective alternative to the existing …

Neural Damage Following Francisella Tularensis Infection, Anahis Tena

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the impact of Francisella tularensis infection on the brain, focusing on its anatomical localization, effects on synaptic health, and behavioral and cognitive consequences in mice. Employing a combination of fluorescent tagging, confocal and light sheet microscopy, the study first maps bacterial foci within the brain, anticipating a concentration in the limbic system, particularly the hippocampus. Subsequently, it examines synaptic function post-infection using calcium imaging in various neuronal cultures, expecting a decrease in calcium signaling indicative of synaptic impairment. Finally, behavioral assays like the forced swim test, object recognition test, and Morris Water Maze assess the cognitive and …

A Case Report: Kikuchi Disease Associated With A Positive Auto-Immune Panel Triggered By Covid-19 Infection., Andrew Graef, Aimee Willett, Andrew-Huy Dang, Jayalakshmi Balakrishna, Charles Nicely, Robert Baiocchi

Ambulatory and Primary Care Articles

Kikuchi disease (KD) is a rare, benign inflammatory condition characterized by fever and cervical lymphadenopathy. While the pathogenesis is largely unknown, Kikuchi disease onset has strong associations with various infections and autoimmune conditions. There are few reported cases of Kikuchi disease triggered by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection or vaccination. A 43-year-old Filipina female with a history of anemia and recent uncomplicated COVID-19 infection one month prior presented with a one-month history of progressive weakness, fatigue, anorexia with 30-pound weight loss, fevers, odynophagia, and new-onset hematemesis. Initial laboratory findings were most significant for a markedly elevated ferritin level prompting initial …

Navigating Relapsed Hepatoblastoma: Predictive Factors And Surgical Treatment Strategy, Andres F Espinoza, Kalyani R Patel, Priya B Shetty, Richard S Whitlock, Pavel Sumazin, Xinjian Yu, Stephen F Sarabia, Martin Urbicain, Andras Heczey, Prakash Masand, Sarah E Woodfield, Dolores H López-Terrada, Sanjeev A Vasudevan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: Hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most common primary hepatic malignancy in childhood. Relapse occurs in more than 50% of high-risk patients with a high mortality due to ineffective salvage therapies. The purpose of this study is to identify risk factors for relapsed HB and predictors of survival in a single tertiary referral center.

Methods: A retrospective chart review showed 129 surgically treated HB patients from October 2004 to July 2020. Of the cohort, 22 patients presented with relapsed HB. Relapse was defined as re-appearance of malignancy after 4 weeks of normalized AFP and disappearance of all tumors on imaging.

Results: …

Microbial Products Linked To Steatohepatitis Are Reduced By Deletion Of Nuclear Hormone Receptor Shp In Mice, Ryan Mifflin, Jung Eun Park, Mikang Lee, Prasant Kumar Jena, Yu-Jui Yvonne Wan, Hazel A Barton, Mirjavid Aghayev, Takhar Kasumov, Li Lin, Xinwen Wang, Robert Novak, Feng Li, He Huang, Leah P Shriver, Yoon-Kwang Lee

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Deletion of the nuclear hormone receptor small heterodimer partner (Shp) ameliorates the development of obesity and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in mice. Liver-specific SHP plays a significant role in this amelioration. The gut microbiota has been associated with these metabolic disorders, and the interplay between bile acids (BAs) and gut microbiota contributes to various metabolic disorders. Since hepatic SHP is recognized as a critical regulator in BA synthesis, we assessed the involvement of gut microbiota in the antiobesity and anti-NASH phenotype of Shp−/− mice. Shp deletion significantly altered the levels of a few conjugated BAs. Sequencing the 16S …

Endometrial Tgfβ Signaling Fosters Early Pregnancy Development By Remodeling The Fetomaternal Interface, Sydney E Parks, Ting Geng, Diana Monsivais

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The endometrium is a unique and highly regenerative tissue with crucial roles during the reproductive lifespan of a woman. As the first site of contact between mother and embryo, the endometrium, and its critical processes of decidualization and immune cell recruitment, play a leading role in the establishment of pregnancy, embryonic development, and reproductive capacity. These integral processes are achieved by the concerted actions of steroid hormones and a myriad of growth factor signaling pathways. This review focuses on the roles of the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) pathway in the endometrium during the earliest stages of pregnancy through the …

Metabolic Dysfunction, Triglyceride-Glucose Index, And Risk Of Severe Asthma Exacerbation, Kristen A Staggers, Charles Minard, Michelle Byers, Drew A Helmer, Tianshi David Wu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Metabolic conditions may worsen asthma. There is a need to define a composite biomarker of metabolic dysfunction that has relevance to asthma outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of the triglyceride-glucose index (TyG), a biomarker of metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance, with risk of severe asthma exacerbation.

METHODS: A 5-year retrospective cohort of patients with asthma receiving health care from the US Veterans Health Administration from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2019, was constructed. Fasting TyG values were extracted. Patients were followed for a severe asthma exacerbation, defined as an asthma-related corticosteroid prescription fill or an emergency encounter …

Kounis Syndrome – Anaphylaxis-Induced Acute Coronary Syndrome, Austin T. Thacker Do, Brachman Herzig Oms, Brendan Robinson Do, Ahad Anjum Do

Advances in Clinical Medical Research and Healthcare Delivery

Kounis syndrome is an underdiagnosed condition in which anaphylaxis triggers vasospastic acute coronary syndrome, either with or without underlying coronary artery disease. The prevalence of this syndrome among hospitalized patients for allergic/hypersensitivity/anaphylactic reactions in the United States is 1.1%, with a 7% rate of all-cause inpatient mortality. This article presents an anaphylaxis-induced acute coronary syndrome case in a patient with underlying coronary artery disease. The pathophysiological mechanism of anaphylactic-induced acute coronary syndrome involves the inflammatory mediators of type I hypersensitivity reactions.

Quality Of Life Is Lower In Food Allergic Adolescents Compared To Young Children At A Community Educational Symposium, Diem-Tran I Nguyen, Kathleen Pitts, Kristen A Staggers, Carla M Davis

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

INTRODUCTION: Food allergies (FA) can detrimentally impact physical, emotional, and psychological quality of life (QoL) among pediatric patients. Given the changes from childhood into adolescence, the impact of FA on QoL likely evolves with age. The purpose of this study was to determine whether QoL differed between adolescents and children with FA who participated in a Food Allergy Symposium (FAS).

METHODS: Patients with confirmed FA were recruited at an educational community symposium in September 2018 and September 2019. Patients and/or their parents were invited to complete the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaires (FAQLQ). The Food Allergy Independent Measure (FAIM) …

Wire Snare Close Loop: A Novel Technique To Retrieve Embolized Devices, Manish Bansal, Gary E Stapleton, Srinath T Gowda, Athar M Qureshi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Ada Deficiency: Improvement In Immune Function After Enzyme Replacement Therapy, Esosa Adah, Nikita Raje

Posters

Introduction: Adenosine deaminase (ADA)-deficient severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) is characterized by severe lymphocytopenia affecting T-, and B-,lymphocytes, with non-immunological manifestations including neurodevelopmental deficits, sensorineural deafness, and skeletal abnormalities. Treatment modalities include enzyme replacement therapy(ERT) and/or autologous gene therapy or hematopoietic stem cell treatment. We report a 9-month-old female with ADA deficient T-B-NK+ SCID treated with ERT while awaiting stem cell treatment. Case Description: A 9-month-old female with a history of failure to thrive, hypotonia and loss of developmental milestones had genetic testing done that showed variants ADA c.911 T>G, c.302G>A. She was admitted for further work up. Lymphocyte …

Investigating The Association Between Mast Cell Activation Syndrome And Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Ishaan Jakhar, Maggie Urschler, Medha Singh, Suman Sahil, Hassan Ahmad

Posters

Investigating the Association between Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and Irritable Bowel Syndrome Introduction Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) involves the inappropriate release of chemical mediators resulting in varied episodic symptoms. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common functional abdominal disorder where mucosal immune alterations play a key role. Since mast cells function as gatekeepers for the intestinal interface, we examined what proportion of patients diagnosed with MCAS also had IBS along with comorbid risk factors. Methods All patients in our study were 18 years of age or older. We used Cerner Healthfacts to gather our cohorts of patients with MCAS, …

Evaluating A Newborn Infant With Pancytopenia For Whim Syndrome, Shayan Sazdar, Thao Le, Nikita Raje

Posters

Introduction Warts, hypogammaglobulinemia, infections, and myelokathexis (WHIM) syndrome is a rare immunodeficiency caused by a gain-of-function mutation in CXCR4. A complication of WHIM syndrome is severe neutropenia, which can result in fatal bacterial infections. Given the rarity of the disease and variability of clinical presentations, WHIM syndrome can be difficult to diagnose and manage. Case Description A full term male infant was hospitalized for hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy after delivery. Physical exam was unremarkable. During his hospitalization, he was found to have progressive pancytopenia. Initial lymphocyte subsets showed a significant T cell lymphopenia of 1325 mm3 CD3+, 920 mm3 CD4+, 390 …

Evaluating Patients With Recurrent Fever And Elevated Igd, Thao Le, Nikita Raje

Posters

Introduction: Hyperimmunoglobulinemia D with periodic fever syndrome (HIDS) often presents within the first year of life. Symptoms include fevers, chills, headache, lymphadenopathy, and abdominal pain. Patients may be misdiagnosed as other autoinflammatory syndromes, resulting in delay of treatment. Case: A 16-year-old female presented for evaluation of recurrent fever. Her fevers started at two months of age, occurred one to two times a month, and were associated with headache, abdominal pain, and fatigue . At 18-months, she was diagnosed with periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, adenitis (PFAPA). She was treated with prednisone and an adenotonsillectomy but her fevers persisted. . At …

Establishment Of A Consensus Protocol To Explore The Brain Pathobiome In Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment And Alzheimer’S Disease: Research Outline And Call For Collaboration, Richard Lathe, Nikki M Schultek, Brian J Balin, Garth D Ehrlich, Lavinia Alberi Auber, George Perry, Edward B Breitschwerdt, David B Corry, Richard L Doty, Robert A Rissman, Peter L Nara, Ruth Itzhaki, William A Eimer, Rudolph E Tanzi, Intracell Research Group Consortium Collaborators

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Microbial infections of the brain can lead to dementia, and for many decades microbial infections have been implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. However, a causal role for infection in AD remains contentious, and the lack of standardized detection methodologies has led to inconsistent detection/identification of microbes in AD brains. There is a need for a consensus methodology; the Alzheimer's Pathobiome Initiative aims to perform comparative molecular analyses of microbes in post mortem brains versus cerebrospinal fluid, blood, olfactory neuroepithelium, oral/nasopharyngeal tissue, bronchoalveolar, urinary, and gut/stool samples. Diverse extraction methodologies, polymerase chain reaction and sequencing techniques, and bioinformatic tools will …

Toll-Like Receptor 4 And Cd11b Expressed On Microglia Coordinate Eradication Of Candida Albicans Cerebral Mycosis, Yifan Wu, Shuqi Du, Lynn H Bimler, Kelsey E Mauk, Léa Lortal, Nessim Kichik, James S Griffiths, Radim Osicka, Lizhen Song, Katherine Polsky, Lydia Kasper, Peter Sebo, Jill Weatherhead, J Morgan Knight, Farrah Kheradmand, Hui Zheng, Jonathan P Richardson, Bernhard Hube, Julian R Naglik, David B Corry

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The fungal pathogen Candida albicans is linked to chronic brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the molecular basis of brain anti-Candida immunity remains unknown. We show that C. albicans enters the mouse brain from the blood and induces two neuroimmune sensing mechanisms involving secreted aspartic proteinases (Saps) and candidalysin. Saps disrupt tight junction proteins of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to permit fungal brain invasion. Saps also hydrolyze amyloid precursor protein (APP) into amyloid β (Aβ)-like peptides that bind to Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and promote fungal killing in vitro while candidalysin engages the integrin CD11b (Mac-1) on microglia. …

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome In Children (Mis-C): Is There A Relationship To Typhus?, Sravani Mannuru, Juliana Hager, Jacob Smith

Research Colloquium

The United Kingdom first reported in April 2020 a group of eight previously healthy children with a link to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) that presented with systemic inflammation and multi-organ involvement, now named multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reported over 1000 cases since the primary discovery as of October 2020 with 20 total deaths. [1] The clinical features of MIS-C have been previously compared to inflammatory syndromes including Kawasaki disease (KD) and toxic shock syndrome (TSS). We describe the clinical presentation and management for 3 pediatric cases with …

Vaccination With A Replication-Defective Cytomegalovirus Vaccine Elicits A Glycoprotein B-Specific Monoclonal Antibody Repertoire Distinct From Natural Infection, Sarah M Valencia, Eric Rochat, Melissa J Harnois, Maria Dennis, Helen S Webster, Bhavna Hora, Amit Kumar, Hsuan-Yuan Sherry Wang, Leike Li, Daniel Freed, Ningyan Zhang, Zhiqiang An, Dai Wang, Sallie R Permar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the leading infectious congenital infection globally and the most common viral infection in transplant recipients, therefore identifying a vaccine for HCMV is a top priority. Humoral immunity is a correlate of protection for HCMV infection. The most effective vaccine tested to date, which achieved 50% reduction in acquisition of HCMV, was comprised of the glycoprotein B protein given with an oil-in-water emulsion adjuvant MF59. We characterize gB-specific monoclonal antibodies isolated from individuals vaccinated with a disabled infectious single cycle (DISC) CMV vaccine, V160, and compare these to the gB-specific monoclonal antibody repertoire isolated from naturally-infected individuals. …

Covid-19 As A Second Hit For Anti-Phospholipid Syndrome, Himabindu Kolli, Pooja Maknoor, Celin Rajan, Nevin Varghese

Research Colloquium

Background: Anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by venous and arterial thrombosis, usually in setting of underlying autoimmune disorders. Here, we present a case of anti-phospholipid syndrome post covid infection.

Case Presentation: 41-year-old lady presented to the ER with complaints of left sided facial droop for 3-day duration. On further evaluation, she was found to have subacute ischemic stroke and was managed with anticoagulation and supportive treatment. Past medical history is significant for a recent diagnosis of Covid infection and for subsequent development of lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT). She was started on anticoagulation with rivaroxaban for …

Manajemen Koinfeksi Malaria Berat Dengan Hiv Belum Mendapat Terapi Antiretrovirus Di Era Pandemi Covid-19: Sebuah Laporan Kasus, Paul Harijanto, Rosye Mawuntu, Novia Rusli, Randy Adiwinata, Agung Nugroho

Jurnal Penyakit Dalam Indonesia

Severe malaria is a serious infectious disease that required immediate diagnosis and prompt treatment. Severe malaria may result several organ failures which is similar with other infectious diseases like SARS-CoV-2, sepsis, dengue, and HIV infection. Most of those infection have similar symptoms such as fever, myalgia, and headache, therefore physician should have high suspicion regarding co-infection with other infectious agents. The overlapping symptoms of co-infections may become a challenge for physician in diagnosing and delivering prompt therapy. Failure to deliver prompt treatment may lead to fatal outcome such as in severe malaria case. Stigmatization of all patients with fever and …