Translational Medical Research Commons^™

Sertraline Is An Effective Management Option For Cholestatic Pruritus, Rudy W. Wenner

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Mayo MJ, Handem I, Saldana S, Jacobe H, Getachew Y, Rush AJ. Sertraline as a first-line treatment for cholestatic pruritus. Hepatology. 2007 Mar;45(3):666-74. doi: 10.1002/hep.21553

Intravenous Glucocorticoids Provide No Additional Benefit Over Oral Glucocorticoids In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbation, Alexander C. Waselewski

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of de Jong YP, Uil SM, Grotjohan HP, Postma DS, Kerstjens HA, van den Berg JW. Oral or IV prednisolone in the treatment of COPD exacerbations: a randomized, controlled, double-blind study. Chest. 2007;132(6):1741-1747. doi: 10.1378/chest.07-0208

Characteristics And Clinical Outcomes Of Hospitalized Patients With Community-Acquired Pneumonia Who Are Active Intravenous Drug Users, Vidyulata Salunkhe, Paula Peyrani, Leslie A. Beavin, Stephen P. Furmanek, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: Intravenous drug users (IVDU) have a 10-fold increased risk of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) compared to the general population. There is scarce data available evaluating the clinical outcomes of IVDU hospitalized patients with CAP and that data mostly focuses on mortality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics, incidence and outcomes of hospitalized patients with CAP in active intravenous drug users in Louisville, Kentucky.

Methods: This was a secondary data analysis of the University of Louisville Pneumonia study. IVDU patients were propensity score matched to a non-IVDU group. Study outcomes were time to clinical stability (TCS), …

Pulmonary Histoplasmosis In A Patient With Cough, Dyspnea, Pulmonary Nodule And Rheumatologic Manifestations: Case Report And Review, Johnson Britto

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

In this case report we describe a case of pulmonary histoplasmosis in a healthy adult female living in Kentucky. The patient presented with two months history of poly-arthralgia and myalgia, intermittent dry cough, chest tightness, exertional dyspnea, malaise, fatigue and one week history of skin rash. She did not respond to broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy and she also had extensive endocrine and rheumatologic work up that was negative. A diagnosis of histoplasmosis was established based on radiological findings as well as endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration cytology (EBUS-TBNA) of mediastinal lymph nodes demonstrating necrotizing granuloma with fungal stains positive for Histoplasma. …

A Continuum Of Disease From Community-Acquired Pneumonia To Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Pulmonary Aspergillosis: A Review On Diagnosis And Management, Bilal A. Jalil, Juan M. Galvis, Karim A. El Kersh, Mohamed Saad, Mostafa M. Fraig, Juan J. Guardiola Ii

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Aspergillosis is acquired by inhalation of spores of Aspergillus, a ubiquitous species in the environment. In normal hosts, spore inhalation rarely causes lung disease.

Pulmonary aspergillosis covers a wide spectrum of clinical syndromes depending on the interaction between Aspergillus and the host (immune-status, prior bronchopulmonary disease). It runs the gamut from invasive aspergillosis to Aspergillus bronchitis and colonization.

Invasive aspergillosis occurs in severely immunocompromised patients, typically with neutropenia. Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis affects patients with chronic structural lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mycobacterial lung disease, but without significant immunocompromise. Aspergillus bronchitis affects patients with bronchial disease such …

Coping With Chronic Fungal Rhinosinusitis: Diagnosis To Therapy, Veronica Corcino, Leslie Beavin, Shengli Lu, Ashley Ross, Carmen V. Sciortino Jr.

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Continuous Infusion Of Epoprostenol As Salvage Therapy For Severe Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Jenna Rousseau, Jie Chi

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Barst RJ, Rubin LJ, Long WA, McGoon MD, Rich S. A comparison of continuous intravenous epoprostenol (prostacyclin) with conventional therapy for primary pulmonary hypertension. New Eng J Med. 1996;334(5):296-301. doi: 10.1056/nejm199602013340504

The Transfusion Threshold For Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding Is A Hemoglobin Of 7.0 G/Dl Or Less, Matthew J. Ouellette , D.O., Katherine S. Lee , M.D., Daniel P. Noack, Aaron Simpson , M.D., Rana K. Zaban , D.O., Chelsea Gonzalez , D.O., Racha El-Ladki , D.O.

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Villanueva C, Colomo A, Bosch A, Concepcion M, Hernandez-Gea V, Aracil C. Transfusion strategies for acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding. New Eng J Med. 2013;368(1):11-21. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1211801

Correction Of Abnormal Coagulation Parameters As Prophylaxis For Post-Procedural Bleeding Is Unnecessary Prior To Ultrasound-Guided Thoracentesis, Eric Walton

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Hibbert RM, Atwell TD, Lekah A, et al. Safety of ultrasound-guided thoracentesis in patients with abnormal preprocedural coagulation parameters. Chest. 2013;144(2):456-463. doi: 10.1378/chest.12-2374.

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation May Have Clinical Utility In Reducing Incidence Of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection, Jeremy A. Grekin

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Tariq R, Pardi DS, Tosh PK, Walker RC, Razonable RR, Khanna S. Fecal microbiota transplantation for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection reduces recurrent urinary tract infection frequency. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2017 Oct 30;65(10):1745–1747. doi: 10.1093/cid/cix618

Early Oral Refeeding In Acute Pancreatitis Reduces Length Of Hospital Stay, Sylvie B. Polsky

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Lariño-Noia J, Lindkvist B, Iglesias-García J, Seijo-Ríos S, Iglesias-Canle J, Domínguez-Muñoz J. Early and/or immediately full caloric diet versus standard refeeding in mild acute pancreatitis: A randomized open-label trial. Pancreatology. 2014;14(3):167-173. doi: 10.1016/j.pan.2014.02.008.

Heparin Bridging Therapy Is Not Necessary For Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Undergoing Temporary Interruption Of Warfarin Therapy For Elective Invasive Procedures Or Surgery, Shannon Paquette

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Douketis JD, Spyropoulos AC, Kaatz S, et al. Perioperative bridging anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation. New Engl J Med. Aug 2015;373(9):823-833. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1501035

Exploring The Role Of Ceftaroline In The Treatment Of Community-Acquired Pneumonia, Zachary Meyer

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of File TM Jr, Low DE, Eckburg PB, Talbot GH, Friedland HD, Lee J, Llorens L, Critchley IA, Thye DA, FOCUS 1 investigators. FOCUS 1: a randomized, double-blinded, multicentre, Phase III trial of the efficacy and safety of ceftaroline fosamil versus ceftriaxone in community-acquired pneumonia. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2011 Apr;66 Suppl 3:iii19-32. doi: 10.1093/jac/dkr096

Implementing A Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Intervention For Safer Conception Among Hiv Serodiscordant Couples: Recommendations For Health Care Providers, Mari-Lynn Drainoni, Dea L. Biancarelli, Ashley A. Leech, Meg Sullivan, Angela R. Bazzi

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Couples in HIV serodiscordant relationships frequently desire children. Although partners who are virally suppressed pose almost no risk of transmitting HIV to their partners, partners who are inconsistently on therapy may transmit HIV to their partners when attempting to conceive. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an available safer conception strategy for these couples but is not consistently offered. We sought to better understand barriers to PrEP implementation for couples seeking conception and patient perceptions on what providers could do to encourage use. We conducted in-depth, qualitative interviews with 11 participants representing six couples taking PrEP for safer conception in a safety-net …

Endorepellin Remodels The Endothelial Transcriptome Toward A Pro-Autophagic And Pro-Mitophagic Gene Signature., Thomas Neill, Eva Andreuzzi, Zi-Xuan Wang, Stephen C. Peiper, Maurizo Mongiat, Renato V. Iozzo

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Regulation of autophagy by proteolytically cleaved fragments of heparan sulfate proteoglycans is a novel and current research focus in tumor biology. Endorepellin is the C-terminal angiostatic fragment of the heparan sulfate proteoglycan perlecan and induces autophagy in endothelial cells. To further investigate this property, we used NanoString, a digital PCR platform for measuring pre-defined transcripts in biological samples to analyze a custom subset of 95 autophagy-related genes in human umbilical vein endothelial cells treated with ultrapure human recombinant endorepellin. We discovered an endorepellin-evoked pro-autophagic and pro-mitophagic gene expression signatures, which included two coordinately up-regulated mitochondrial-associated genes encoding the E3 ubiquitin …

Ticagrelor Reduces Thromboinflammatory Markers In Patients With Pneumonia, Travis R. Sexton, Guoying Zhang, Tracy E. Macaulay, Leigh Ann Callahan, Richard Charnigo, Olga A. Vsevolozhskaya, Zhenyu Li, Susan S. Smyth

Gill Heart & Vascular Institute Faculty Publications

Despite treatment advances for sepsis and pneumonia, significant improvements in outcome have not been realized. Antiplatelet therapy may improve outcome in pneumonia and sepsis. In this study, the authors show that ticagrelor reduced leukocytes with attached platelets as well as the inflammatory biomarker interleukin (IL)-6. Pneumonia patients receiving ticagrelor required less supplemental oxygen and lung function tests trended toward improvement. Disruption of the P2Y₁₂ receptor in a murine model protected against inflammatory response, lung permeability, and mortality. Results indicate a mechanistic link between platelets, leukocytes, and lung injury in settings of pneumonia and sepsis, and suggest possible therapeutic approaches …

Ischemic Stroke Damage Is Reduced By Inhibition Of Il-6 Signaling With To Cilizumab, Jacob Hudobenko

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Introduction:

Stroke is the leading cause of serious long-term disability and is the 5^th leading cause of death causing approximately 130,000 deaths in the United States every year {1}. Stroke is also the 2^nd leading cause of death in American women {2}. Women are 33% more likely to require nursing home care then men, have a higher lifetime risk of stroke and are 13% less likely to receive thrombolytic (clot busting) treatment than men {2}. Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine involved in the regulation of the immune system in multiple disease states such as rheumatoid …

Perinatal Nicotine With Or Without Early Life Influenza Infection Leads To Lung Dysfunction With Age., Ryan Carroll Mcallister

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Obstructive Airway Diseases (OADs) affect millions of people worldwide, and are characterized by chronic inflammation and tissue remodeling in the lung. It has been proposed that the development of OAD is greatly influenced (and perhaps pre-determined) by early life events, such as maternal smoking or a viral infection. However, direct evidence of this is limited and the mechanisms involved remain unclear. Our laboratory previously developed a murine model of perinatal nicotine exposure, and reported that nicotine leads to airway remodeling and decreased pulmonary function in the offspring. We discovered these effects were mediated through the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR). …

High Fat Diet Upregulates Fatty Acid Oxidation And Ketogenesis Via Intervention Of Ppar-Γ., Kunal Sikder, Sanket Kumar Shukla, Neel Patel, Harpreet Singh, Khadija Rafiq

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Systemic hyperlipidemia and intracellular lipid accumulation induced by chronic high fat diet (HFD) leads to enhanced fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and ketogenesis. The present study was aimed to determine whether activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) by surplus free fatty acids (FA) in hyperlipidemic condition, has a positive feedback regulation over FAO and ketogenic enzymes controlling lipotoxicity and cardiac apoptosis.

METHODS: 8 weeks old C57BL/6 wild type (WT) or PPAR-γ-/- mice were challenged with 16 weeks 60% HFD to induce obesity mediated type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and diabetic cardiomyopathy. Treatment course was followed by echocardiographic measurements, glycemic and …