Infectious Disease Commons^™

Tuberculosis And Non-Communicable Disease Multimorbidity: An Analysis Of The World Health Survey In 48 Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Brendon Stubbs, Kamran Siddiqi, Helen Elsey, Najma Siddiqi, Ruimin Ma, Eugenia Romano, Sameen Siddiqi, Ai Koyanagi

Community Health Sciences

Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of mortality in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). TB multimorbidity [TB and ≥1 non-communicable diseases (NCDs)] is common, but studies are sparse. Cross-sectional, community-based data including adults from 21 low-income countries and 27 middle-income countries were utilized from the World Health Survey. Associations between 9 NCDs and TB were assessed with multivariable logistic regression analysis. Years lived with disability (YLDs) were calculated using disability weights provided by the 2017 Global Burden of Disease Study. Eight out of 9 NCDs (all except visual impairment) were associated with TB (odds ratio (OR) ranging from 1.38-4.0). Prevalence …

Knowledge And Attitude Towards Identification And Management Of Sepsis Among Resident Physicians In A Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital In Pakistan, Ainan Arshad, Abdul Aziz, Ahmed Ayaz, Syed Maaz Salahuddin, Bushra Jamil

Section of Internal Medicine

This study was conducted to determine the compliance and knowledge of sepsis guidelines among resident physicians in a tertiary care hospital of a developing country. A self-structured validated questionnaire was prepared to evaluate compliance and knowledge of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) guidelines. A total of 76 resident physicians completed the questionnaire; out of these, 51 (67%) were from Internal Medicine department and 25 (33%) were from Emergency Medicine department of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. A total of 71 (93%) participants claimed to be aware of the SSC guidelines but only 20 (26%) considered themselves very knowledgeable on …

Point-Of-Care Lung Ultrasound For Covid-19: Findings And Prognostic Implications From 105 Consecutive Patients, Kosuke Yasukawa, Taro Minami, David R Boulware, Ayako Shimada, Ernest A Fischer

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Faculty Papers

Background: The prognostic value of point-of-care lung ultrasound has not been evaluated in a large cohort of patients with COVID-19 admitted to general medicine ward in the United States. The aim of this study was to describe lung ultrasound findings and their prognostic value in patients with COVID-19 admitted to internal medicine ward.

Method: This prospective observational study consecutively enrolled 105 hospitalized participants with COVID-19 at 2 tertiary care centers. Ultrasound was performed in 12 lung zones within 24 hours of admission. Findings were assessed relative to 4 outcomes: intensive care unit (ICU) need, need for intensive respiratory support, length …

Inhibition Of Zika Virus Replication By G-Quadruplex-Binding Ligands, Indian Institute Of Technology Indore, Aryamav Pattnaik, Bikash R. Sahoo, Uma Shankar, Asit K. Pattnaik, Amit Kumar, Debasis Nayak

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-transmitted Flavivirus, emerged in the last decade causing serious diseases and affecting human health globally. Currently, no licensed vaccines or antivirals are available to combat ZIKV, although several vaccine candidates are in the pipeline. In recent years, the presence of non-canonical G-quadruplex (GQ) secondary structures in viral genomes has ignited significant attention as potential targets for antiviral strategy. In this study, we identified several novel conserved potential GQ structures by analyzing published ZIKV genome sequences using an in-house algorithm. Biophysical and biochemical analysis of the RNA sequences containing these potential GQ sequences suggested the existence of …

Covid-19 In Solid Organ Transplantation: Disease Severity And Clinical Update., Akanksha Arya, Michael Li, Nana Aburjania, Pooja Singh, Tricia. Royer, Sean Moss, Katherine A. Belden

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients are a complex, immunocompromised population in whom greater coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality has been reported compared with the general population.

METHODS: We examined a retrospective cohort of 58 SOT recipients with first-wave COVID-19, comparing patients with severe and nonsevere illness. Additionally, SOT recipients are compared with general patients with first-wave COVID-19.

RESULTS: Organs transplanted included 38 kidneys, 8 livers, 5 hearts, and 3 pancreases. Average SOT recipient age was 57.4 years; 62% were male; 46.6% were African American 36.2% were white. Comorbidities included hypertension (86%), chronic kidney disease (86%), diabetes mellitus (50%), coronary …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 96, No. 18, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Crisp, Hannah. Homesickness & COVID-19: Obstacles for Freshmen Increase Amid Strange Semester
• On Student Press Freedom Day: Stop Suing the College Heights Herald
• Mallon, Sam. Slippery Slopes – Snow, Winter
• Aboah, Henri. A Place in My Heart: Professor on 38 Years at WKU – Saundra Starks
• Broekema. Gabi. Instagram Account Glorifies the Common Chair – Chairs of Western
• Gaylord, Kaden. WKU to Play No. 6 Houston, Host Florida International University as Season Nears End – Basketball
• Toennies, Drew. Lady Toppers Travel to Florida This Weekend …

Lack Of Association Of The Abo Blood Group With Covid-19 Risk And Severity In Hospitalized Patients In Louisville, Ky, Rafael Fernandez-Botran, Meredith Cahill, Raghava S. Ambadapoodi, Evelyn Exposito Gonzalez, Stephen P. Furmanek, Ruth Carrico, Jose Bordon, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: The potential association of the ABO blood group with the risk of COVID-19 and its severity has attracted a lot of interest since the start of the pandemic. While a number of studies have reported an increased risk associated with blood type A and a reduced risk with type O, other studies have did not found a significant effect. This study aimed to define the prevalence of different ABO blood groups in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the Louisville, KY area and to investigate whether an association exists between the blood group and disease severity.

Methods: This was a retrospective …

Kl-6 Levels In Covid-19, Giuliana Scarpati

Translational Medicine @ UniSa

We present preliminary results which encourage KL‐6 evaluation as a potential biomarker for phenotyping COVID-19 patients according to disease severity.

Antimicrobial Resistance And Covid-19: Intersections And Implications, Gwenan M. Knight, Rebecca E. Glover, C Finn Mcquaid, Ioana D. Olaru, Karin Gallandat, Quentin J. Leclerc, Naomi M. Fuller, Sam J. Willcocks, Rumina Hasan, Esther Van Kleef, Clare Ir Chandler

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Before the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was among the top priorities for global public health. Already a complex challenge, AMR now needs to be addressed in a changing healthcare landscape. Here, we analyse how changes due to COVID-19 in terms of antimicrobial usage, infection prevention, and health systems affect the emergence, transmission, and burden of AMR. Increased hand hygiene, decreased international travel, and decreased elective hospital procedures may reduce AMR pathogen selection and spread in the short term. However, the opposite effects may be seen if antibiotics are more widely used as standard healthcare pathways break …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 96, No. 17, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Tolbert, Ellie. Student Teaching Transforms to Allow Virtual Instruction
• Murray, Debra. Provost Reflects on Time at WKU, As an Educator as She Prepares for Retirement – Cheryl Stevens
• Gaskin, Loren. Up for Debate: Potter College Name Change
• Meyer-Thornton, Zane & Jack Dobbs. The Sixth Annual Puppy Bowl
• Snyder, Sean. Local Doctor Finds Life-long Passion in Race-walking – Doug Johnson
• Toennies, Drew. Lady Toppers Travel to Face Top Conference Foe Rice – Basketball
• Snyder, Sean. Lady Toppers to Host Bellarmine for Home Opener – Soccer
• Moore, …

Cytokine Storms, Evolution And Covid-19, Joe Alcock, Alix Masters

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Since the identification of severe illness caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the role of the host immune system in causing disease has attracted widespread attention, along with intense interest in medical interventions that target the host immune response. A wide variety of agents have been proposed to treat a cytokine storm in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but so far, only one class of medications, corticosteroids, has proved useful. In recent decades, experimental therapies for cytokine storms have been tried and mostly failed to help patients with severe sepsis and other infections. We summarize this history in order to frame …

Chloroquine: Autophagy Inhibitor, Antimalarial, Bitter Taste Receptor Agonist In Fight Against Covid-19, A Reality Check?, Pawan Sharma, Kielan D. Mcalinden, Saeid Ghavami, Deepak A. Deshpande

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

The recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic poses one of the greatest challenges to modern medicine. Therefore, identification of new therapeutic strategies seems essential either based on novel vaccines or drugs or simply repurposing existing drugs. Notably, due to their known safety profile, repurposing of existing drugs is the fastest and highly efficient approach to bring a therapeutic to a clinic for any new indication. One such drug that has been used extensively for decades is chloroquine (CQ, with its derivatives) either for malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Accumulating body of evidence from experimental pharmacology suggests that CQ and related analogues also activate …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 96, No. 16, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Nutter, Abbey. Several Colleges Affected by Department Changes – Comprehensive Academic Program Evaluation
• Deppen, Laurel. WKU Professor on Kamala Harris Inauguration: There’s Still Work to Be Done – Saundra Ardrey
• Matthis, Jordan. Standing in My Truth – Rhondalyn Randolph
• Murray, Debra. State Bill to Help Students with Disciplinary Actions
• Kieser, Nick. How Fans Coped Without Live Sporting Events
• Toennies, Drew. Lady Toppers Win Triple Overtime Affair, Sweep Charlotte – Basketball
• Gaylord, Kaden. Hilltoppers Travel to Florida Atlantic University After One Week Delay – Basketball

Pandemic Makes Chronic Disease Prevention A Priority., Karen S. Kmetik, Alexis Skoufalos, David B. Nash

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

This article is the authors' final version prior to publication in Population Health Management, Volume 24, Issue 1, February 2021, Pages 1-2

Final publication is available from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers https://doi.org/10.1089/pop.2020.0126

Health In Environment: Reduce Surgical Site Infections By Applying Florence Nightingale's Environmental Theory, Anna Rana

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Surgical site infection is one of the most common causes of readmission in hospitals and it also leads to an overall increased burden. This can be decreased by applying basic concepts of Nightingale (1860) "Environmental Theory" while giving care to the patients. Keeping in view Nightingale's environmental theory, this paper aims to discuss the case of a patient suffering from a surgical site infection. It will help readers to understand the environmental factors which affect the patients' health and provide a way to promote healing and fast recovery by modifying their environment.

Rapid, Successful Adoption Of Virtual Outpatient Cardiology Care During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Lesley Jones Larson, D Christensen, S Long, Lian Wang, Kateri Spinelli, Xiaoyan Huang

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Epidemiology And Outcomes Of Hospitalized Adults With Sars-Cov-2 Community-Acquired Pneumonia In Louisville, Kentucky, Julio A. Ramirez, T'Shura Ali, Thomas Chandler, Stephen P. Furmanek, Daniya Sheikh, Vidyulata Salunkhe, Steven Gootee, Mohammad Tahboub, William A. Mattingly, Demetra Antimisiaris, Jiapeng Huang, Jose Bordon, Rodrigo Cavallazzi, Paul Schulz, William P. Mckinney, Dawn Balcom, Mark Burns, Ruth Carrico, Forest W. Arnold, Cerid Covid-19 Study Group

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: During the ongoing pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), SARS-CoV-2 community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) has been the primary cause of hospitalization. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of 1,013 patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 CAP from September 2020 through March 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of 1,013 patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 CAP at eight of the adult hospitals in the city of Louisville from September 2020 through March 2021. Patients with 1) a positive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for SARS-CoV-2, 2) fever, cough, or …

Primary Care In A Pandemic: A Qualitative Study On The Impact Of Covid-19 On Workplace Wellness, Oriana Pando, Amy Cunningham, Erin Kelley, Randa Sifri, Kelsey Smith

Phase 1

Introduction:

On March 16, 2020, the city of Philadelphia announced a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The Primary Care Department of Thomas Jefferson Hospital had to alter operations to protect patients, providers and staff. These changes included an increase in telehealth, personal protective equipment (PPE), spacing in-person visits, and working from home. This study was designed to qualitatively assess how these changes have impacted providers and staff in Jefferson’s primary care settings.

Methods:

We conducted 31 qualitative semi-structured interviews with employees of Jefferson Primary Care practices. Though, our population was heavily skewed toward clinical staff (N=9), …

Comparing The Quality Of An In-Person Versus Virtual Diabetes Education Course Due To Covid 19 Pandemic, Allie Hamilton, Rickie Brawer, Phd

Phase 1

Introduction: Group diabetes education courses are proven to improve patients’ diabetes knowledge and metabolic control. Due to the COVID19 pandemic, Stephen Klein Wellness Center (SKWC) shifted their diabetes education course to an online format over Zoom. This study aimed to investigate difference in patient experience and course effectiveness between the in-person and online courses.

Methods: The population for this study includes 89 patients at SKWC that completed either the in-person or online diabetes education course. Participant satisfaction was measured with phone interviews and a survey. Course effectiveness was measured using surveys to assess the change in patients’ weight, amount of …

The Quest For Conquering Covid-19: Updates From The Laboratory, David B. Nash

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.