Infectious Disease Commons^™

Alterations In Phosphorylation Of Hepatocyte Ribosomal Protein S6 Control Plasmodium Liver Stage Infection., Elizabeth K K Glennon, Laura S Austin, Nadia Arang, Heather S Kain, Fred D Mast, Kamalakannan Vijayan, John D Aitchison, Stefan H I Kappe, Alexis Kaushansky

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Plasmodium parasites are highly selective when infecting hepatocytes and induce many changes within the host cell upon infection. While several host cell factors have been identified that are important for liver infection, our understanding of what facilitates the maintenance of infection remains incomplete. Here, we describe a role for phosphorylated ribosomal protein S6 (Ser235/236) (p-RPS6) in Plasmodium yoelii-infected hepatocytes. Blocking RPS6 phosphorylation prior to infection decreases the number of liver stage parasites within 24 h. Infected hepatocytes exhibit elevated levels of p-RPS6 while simultaneously abrogating the induction of phosphorylation of RPS6 in response to insulin stimulation. This is in contrast …

Alterations In Phosphorylation Of Hepatocyte Ribosomal Protein S6 Control Plasmodium Liver Stage Infection., Elizabeth K K Glennon, Laura S Austin, Nadia Arang, Heather S Kain, Fred D Mast, Kamalakannan Vijayan, John D Aitchison, Stefan H I Kappe, Alexis Kaushansky

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Plasmodium parasites are highly selective when infecting hepatocytes and induce many changes within the host cell upon infection. While several host cell factors have been identified that are important for liver infection, our understanding of what facilitates the maintenance of infection remains incomplete. Here, we describe a role for phosphorylated ribosomal protein S6 (Ser235/236) (p-RPS6) in Plasmodium yoelii-infected hepatocytes. Blocking RPS6 phosphorylation prior to infection decreases the number of liver stage parasites within 24 h. Infected hepatocytes exhibit elevated levels of p-RPS6 while simultaneously abrogating the induction of phosphorylation of RPS6 in response to insulin stimulation. This is in contrast …

Favorable Outcomes With Ventricular Assist Device Exchange, Megan Carroll, Meghan Tooman, Markian Bochan, Christopher Salerno, Ashwin Ravichandran

The VAD Journal

Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy remains a vital therapeutic option for patients with end-stage heart failure. Unfortunately, adverse events can occur and progress to require consideration for device exchange once the failure of medical management becomes evident, especially when heart transplantation is not possible in a timely manner. The aim of this analysis is to describe the incidence and outcomes of LVAD exchanges at our institution. Between April 2008 and May 2017, 397 patients underwent LVAD implantation, with 32 of those patients subsequently receiving exchange upon the recommendation of our multidisciplinary team due to refractory infection (n=12), device malfunction …

Watchful Waiting And Antibiotic Stewardship: A Quality Improvement Project, Rebecca Couper

Seton Hall University DNP Final Projects

Antibiotic misuse and overuse are major contributors to antibiotic resistance which is responsible for the death of 23,000 American’s annually. There is a growing body of evidence that antibiotic stewardship programs are successful in reducing antibiotic prescribing rates while maintaining safe patient care. Research supports a multifaceted approach with an ongoing commitment to antibiotic stewardship. This quality improvement project aimed to reduce the overuse of antibiotics in pediatric acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs), improve the percentage of children who received laboratory confirmation for the diagnosis and treatment of streptococcal pharyngitis, and to implement and measure the efficacy of watchful waiting …

A Human Papillomavirus-Independent Cervical Cancer Animal Model Reveals Unconventional Mechanisms Of Cervical Carcinogenesis, Chunbo He, Xiangmin Lv, Cong Huang, Peter C. Angeletti, Guohua Hua, Jixin Dong, Jin Zhou, Zhengfeng Wang, Bowen Ma, Xingcheng Chen, Paul F. Lambert, Bo R. Rueda, John S. Davis, Cheng Wang

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

HPV infections are common in healthy women and only rarely cause cervical cancer, suggesting that individual genetic susceptibility may play a critical role in the establishment of persistent HPV infection and the development of cervical cancer. Here, we provide convincing in vitro and in vivo evidence showing that differential expression and activation of YAP1 oncogene determine individual susceptibility to HPV infection and cervical carcinogenesis. We found that hyperactivation of YAP1 in mouse cervical epithelium was sufficient to induce invasive cervical cancer. Cervical epithelial cell-specific HPV16 E6/E7 and YAP1 double-knockin mouse model demonstrated that high-risk HPV synergized with hyperactivated YAP1 to …

Mucormycosis - Dual Therapy With Prolonged Survival, Maydelin Pecchio, Yariela Osabio, Yariela Morales, Forest W. Arnold

Journal of Refugee & Global Health

Mucorales fungal infection is a fungal disease with potentially fatal outcomes. The most frequent involvement in humans comes from the orders known as Mucorales and Entomophthorales. Mucorales is more acute and has a predilection for immunocompromised patients. Mucorales are associated with an affinity for vessels, which leads to invasion and infarction of tissue. Mucormycosis is a devastating complication that can be a life threatening fungal invasion in many patients in an immunocompromised state.

Dose Dispensing Tool For Pediatric Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis, Miza Mwanza, Ebony N. Smith, Jamie H. Au, Wei Wei Buchsteiner

ENGS 89/90 Reports

There are no current second-line antibiotics for children with Multidrug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR TB). Current methods to treat pediatric MDR TB consist of splitting up adult formulated pills in accordance to the WHO’s recommended dosages, which depend on the weight and age of the child. This process is very inconsistent, tedious, and time consuming when using the state-of-the-art tools (kitchen knives, standard pill cutters). Under the sponsorship of Health Advocacy Innovations (HAI), we developed a mechanical tool that makes ingesting pills for child patients more convenient, consistent, and swift. Our dose-dispensing tool cuts pills into quarters, stores 30 pills, dispenses …

Dengue Fever Presenting As Quadriparesis Due To Hypokalaemia: A Rare Presentation, Syed Muhammad Zubair, Syed Ahsan Ali, Saira Furqan

Section of Internal Medicine

Dengue is one of the leading causes of arthropod borne viral haemorrhagic fever. Majority of the times, it clinically manifests as fever, arthralgia and rash; however, we present a case of a young man who presented with progressively increasing weakness of all four limbs. Initial investigations showed low potassium, hence he was managed as hypokalaemic periodic paralysis. With initial history of fever and low platelets, dengue was suspected. Dengue antibody was checked which came out to be positive. Potassium was replaced which led to improvement in power of his limbs. He was discharged in a stable condition with a diagnosis …

Neutralizing Antibody Against Enterovirus D68 In Children And Adults Before 2014 Outbreak, Kansas City, Missouri, Usa, Christopher J. Harrison, William C. Weldon, Barbara A. Pahud, Mary Anne Jackson, M. Steven Oberste, Rangaraj Selvarangan

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

© 2019, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All rights reserved. We evaluated enterovirus D68 seroprevalence in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, from samples obtained during 2012-2013. Neutralizing antibodies against Fermon and the dominant 2014 Missouri isolate were universally detected. Titers increased with age. Widespread circulation of enterovirus D68 occurred before the 2014 outbreak. Research is needed to determine a surrogate of protection.

Yap1-Lats2 Feedback Loop Dictates Senescent Or Malignant Cell Fate To Maintain Tissue Homeostasis, Chunbo He, Xiangmin Lv, Cong Huang, Guohua Hua, Bowen Ma, Xingcheng Chen, Peter C. Angeletti, Jixin Dong, Jin Zhou, Zhengfeng Wang, Bo R. Rueda, John S. Davis, Cheng Wang

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Dysfunction of the homeostasis-maintaining systems in specific cell types or tissues renders the organism susceptible to a range of diseases, including cancers. One of the emerging mechanisms for maintaining tissue homeostasis is cellular senescence. Here, we report that the Hippo pathway plays a critical role in controlling the fate of ovarian cells. Hyperactivation of Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1), the major effector of the Hippo pathway, induces senescence in cultured primary human ovarian surface epithelial cells (hOSEs). Large tumor suppressor 2 (LATS2), the primary upstream negative regulator of YAP1, is elevated in both YAP1-induced and natural replicative-triggered senescence. Deletion of LATS2 …

Early Dexamethasone Administration In Adults With Suspected Meningitis Lowers Morbidity And Mortality, Dana Siegel

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of de Gans J, van de Beek D, Investigators EDiABMS. Dexamethasone in adults with bacterial meningitis. New Eng J Med. 2002;347(20):1549-1556. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa021334.

Severity Of Disease And Mortality For Hospitalized Patients With Community-Acquired Viral Pneumonia Compared To Patients With Community-Acquired Bacterial Pneumonia, Richard Y. Kim, Thomas Chandler, Stephen P. Furmanek, Timothy Lee Wiemken, Rodrigo Cavallazzi

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: There exists a large body of literature to help identify, diagnose, treat, and manage community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Despite this, there is little data that directly compares the clinical syndromes and complications of pure bacterial pneumonia to pure viral pneumonia. Our study compares the clinical presentation, morbidity and mortality of viral vs. bacterial etiologies of CAP.

Methods: This was a secondary data analysis of the Community-Acquired Pneumonia Organization (CAPO) international study database. Data was collected concerning patient demographics, physical examination findings, laboratory findings, radiological findings, severity of illness, and clinical outcomes and stratified according to the two study groups, CAVP …

Inflammatory Arthritis And Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection: A Diagnostic And Management Challenge For Knee Arthroplasty In Endemic Areas, Obada Hasan, Riaz Hussain Lakhdawala, Vickash Kumar, Syed Faisal Mahmood, Shahryar Noordin

Section of Orthopaedic Surgery

Tuberculosis continues to be one of the most challenging health problems more prevalent in developing countries. Pakistan ranks 5th in tuberculosis prevalence among the high-burden countries. Prosthetic joint infection of the knee by acid fast bacilli is a rare and distressing complication, occurring in nearly 1% of primary joint arthroplasties requiring prolonged medical treatment and multiple surgeries. A recent publication extensively reviewed English literature from 1952 to 2016, and repor ted only 64 prosthetic joint infec tion with tuberculosis, of which 27 cases involved the knee. Tuberculosis is a global health problem adding to the challenges that arthroplasty surgeons face …

Structural Variation Of Centromeric Endogenous Retroviruses In Human Populations And Their Impact On Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma, Sézary Syndrome, And Hiv Infection, M. H. Kaplan, M. Kaminski, J. M. Estes, S. D. Gitlin, J. Zahn, J. T. Elder, T. Tejasvi, E. Gensterblum, J. P. Mcgowan, R. Contreras-Galindo, +7 Additional Authors

Journal Articles

© 2019 The Author(s). Background: Human Endogenous Retroviruses type K HML-2 (HK2) are integrated into 117 or more areas of human chromosomal arms while two newly discovered HK2 proviruses, K111 and K222, spread extensively in pericentromeric regions, are the first retroviruses discovered in these areas of our genome. Methods: We use PCR and sequencing analysis to characterize pericentromeric K111 proviruses in DNA from individuals of diverse ethnicities and patients with different diseases. Results: We found that the 5′ LTR-gag region of K111 proviruses is missing in certain individuals, creating pericentromeric instability. K111 deletion (-/- K111) is seen in about 15% …

Increased Plasma Levels Of The Th2 Chemokine Ccl18 Associated With Low Cd4+T Cell Counts In Hiv-1-Infected Patients With A Suppressed Viral Load, P. Malhotra, P. Haslett, B. Sherry, D. H. Shepp, P. Barber, J. Abshier, U. Roy, H. Schmidtmayerova

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Combination Therapy With Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole And Caspofungin In A Case Of Severe Pneumocystis Pneumonia, R. Koshy, T. Chen

Journal Articles

© 2019 The Authors Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX, co-trimoxazole, or bactrim) has been the standard first-line treatment against Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) for decades. However, adverse effects and cases of treatment failure have led to a search for alternative agents. We present a case of a 50 year old immune compromised female whose course of PCP did not improve until Caspofungin was added to TMP-SMX.

Implementing A Discharge Navigator Reducing 30-Day Readmissions For Heart Failure And Sepsis Populations, Karen Weeks

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Clinical Projects, 2016-2019

A national focus for healthcare reform is preventing hospital readmissions. Thirty-day unplanned hospital readmissions impact patient outcomes and are costly to the healthcare system. This project explored the impact between the discharge navigator and 30-day unplanned readmissions for heart failure and sepsis populations in a 238-bed community hospital located in central Virginia. The primary aim of this discharge navigator project was to reduce 30-day readmissions for the heart failure and sepsis populations to meet the goals of the top quartile for like hospitals and the evaluation of cost avoidance for these readmissions. Heart failure and sepsis populations are high risks …

Design And Characterization Of A Consensus Hemagglutinin Vaccine Immunogen Against H3 Influenza A Viruses Of Swine, Haiyan Sun, Jung-Hyang Sur, Sarah Vitosh-Sillman, David J. Steffen, Hiep Vu

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

The substantial genetic diversity exhibited by influenza A viruses of swine (IAV-S) represents the main challenge for the development of a broadly protective vaccine against this important pathogen. The consensus vaccine immunogen has proven an effective vaccinology approach to overcome the extraordinary genetic diversity of RNA viruses. In this project, we sought to determine if a consensus IAV-S hemagglutinin (HA) immunogen would elicit broadly protective immunity in pigs. To address this question, a consensus HA gene (designated H3-CON.1) was generated from a set of 1,112 H3 sequences of IAV-S recorded in GenBank from 2011 to 2015. The consensus HA gene …

Antibiotic Resistance Of Streptococcus Pneumoniae In The United States And Latin American Countries: Contributing Factors And Potential Solutions, Brian Sherman

Theses and Graduate Projects

Antibiotics have been heralded as one of the greatest contributions to modern medicine.

While antibiotics have been documented throughout many parts of the world, it was the discovery of penicillin in 1928 that marked the modern era of medicine.1 An antibiotic is a natural, semi-synthetic, or synthetic compound that interferes with the growth of, or results in the death of a microorganism, specifically bacteria.2 These medications are used to treat or prevent infection of humans or animals. With the advent of antibiotics, many infections that would cause significant morbidity and mortality were greatly reduced. The 1930s-1960s is regarded as the …

Long-Term Outcomes Of Neonatal Herpes Simplex Virus Infection And Treatment, Genesis M. Brador

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The prevalence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection globally is high, and although there is no cure for it, the antiviral drug acyclovir is used to alleviate symptoms. There are two types of HSV: HSV-1, which typically infects the oral area, and HSV-2, which is associated with genital infections. A mother who carries the infection may transmit it to a neonate in different ways, most commonly via vaginal delivery in the presence of active lesions. There are three types of HSV disease that affect newborns: skin, eyes or mouth (SEM) disease, central nervous system (CNS) disease, or disseminated disease. The …