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Item Could the SARS-CoV-2 infection be acquired from Smartphones?(College of Health Science of Jimma University, 2020-09-01) Law, Siukan; Alnasser, Ali Hassan A.; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Medicine, School of MedicineBased on the provided information, smartphone devices can be a mediator in the transmission of infectious diseases, including SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare centers and the community. It is known that smartphones are no longer only for phone calls, but their use is necessary for communication, health information, e-learning, and medical consultations. Strategies should go beyond the imposition of behavioral controls for individuals with a commitment to regularly disinfect smartphones, portable electronic medical record devices, etc. Besides, finding alternative ways to use these devices in a clinical setting is paramount importance.Item COVID-19 and saliva: A primer for dental health care professionals(Wiley, 2020-08-23) Srinivasan, Mythily; Thyvalikakath, Thankam P.; Cook, Blaine N.; Zero, Domenick T.; Oral Pathology, Medicine and Radiology, School of DentistryTo contain the COVID‐19 pandemic, it is essential to find methods that can be used by a wide range of health care professionals to identify the virus. The less potential contagious nature of the collection process, the ease of collection and the convenience of frequent collection for real‐time monitoring makes saliva an excellent specimen for home‐based collection for epidemiological investigations. With respect to COVID‐19, the use of saliva offers the added advantages of greater sensitivity and potential for detection at an early stage of infection. However, the advantages from a diagnostic perspective also reflect the potential risk to dental professionals from saliva from infected patients. Although not validated in COVID‐19 patients, but by extension from studies of SARS‐CoV‐1 studies, it is suggested that using antimicrobial mouthrinses such as chlorhexidine, hydrogen peroxide or sodium hypochlorite solutions could reduce the viral load in saliva droplets and reduce the risk of direct transmission. Because large saliva droplets could deposit on inanimate surfaces, changing the personal protective equipment including the clinical gown, gloves, masks, protective eye wear and face shield between patients, as well as decontamination of the work surfaces in the clinic, could reduce the risk of indirect contact transmission.Item COVID-19: How Do We Stay Safe?(American Thoracic Society, 2020-07-10) Carlos, W. Graham; Dela Cruz, Charles S.; Cao, Bin; Gross, Jane E.; Pasnick, Susan; Jamil, Shazia; Medicine, School of MedicineItem COVID-19: What do we know?(Elsevier, 2020-09-21) Marshall, Steve; Duryea, Michael; Huang, Greg; Kadioglu, Onur; Mah, James; Palomo, Juan Martin; Rossouw, Emile; Stappert, Dina; Stewart, Kelton; Tufekci, Eser; Orthodontics and Oral Facial Genetics, School of DentistryCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic caused by the pathogen severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).1 Preliminary assessments suggest the virus is highly transmittable and infectious,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 with similarities in nosocomial and super-spreading events seen with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 1 (SARS-CoV-1) in 2003.8 Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 display a wide range of host responses including no symptoms, mild nonrespiratory symptoms, severe respiratory illness, or organ dysfunction and death.1,5 The American Association of Orthodontists Council on Scientific Affairs was charged with examining the literature to determine the best evidence for questions pertaining to COVID-19 and its impact on the practice of orthodontics.Item Global Trends of Monkeypox-Related Articles: A Bibliometric Analysis Over the Last Five Decades (1964 – July 14, 2022)(Elsevier, 2023) Kamal, Manar Ahmed; Farahat, Ramadan Abdelmoez; Awad, Ahmed K.; Tabassum, Shehroze; Labieb, Fatma; Bejan, Cosmin A.; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Dhama, Kuldeep; Dergaa, Ismail; Medicine, School of MedicineBackground: The first human monkeypox (MPX) case was identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1970 with an outbreak in 2010 and the first human MPX case in the UK in 2022. In this study, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of the literature on monkeypox based on the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) of the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) to identify relevant topics and trends in monkeypox research. Methods: We searched the Web of Science from 1964 until July 14, 2022, for all publications using the keywords "Monkeypox" and "Monkeypox virus." Results were compared using numerous bibliometric methodologies and stratified by journal, author, year, institution, and country-specific metrics. Results: Out of 1170 publications initially selected, 1163 entered our analysis, with 65.26 % (n = 759) being original research articles and 9.37 % (n = 109) being review articles. Most MPX publications were in 2010, with 6.02 % (n = 70), followed by 2009 and 2022 at 5.67 % (n = 66) each. The USA was the country with the highest number of publications, with n = 662 (56.92 %) of total publications, followed by Germany with n = 82 (7.05 %), the UK with n = 74 (6.36 %), and Congo with n = 65 (5.59 %). Journal of Virology published the highest number of MPX publications, followed by Virology Journal and Emerging Infectious Diseases with n = 52 (9.25 %), n = 43 (7.65 %), and n = 32 (5.69 %) publications, respectively. The top contributing institutions were the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Conclusion: Our analysis provides an objective and robust overview of the current literature on MPX and its global trends; this information could serve as a reference guide for those aiming to conduct further MPX-related research and as a source for those seeking information about MPX.Item Hajj and Umrah Mass Gatherings and COVID-19 Infection(Springer Nature, 2020-11-03) Hoang, Van-Thuan; Gautret, Philippe; Memish, Ziad A.; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Medicine, School of MedicinePurpose of review: We discuss the risk of COVID-19 in religious mass gathering events including Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. Recent findings: The risk of transmission of respiratory viruses including COVID-19 is particularly high due to the overcrowding conditions at the Hajj and Umrah. The profile of the Hajj pilgrims who tend to be older and with multiple comorbidities corresponds to that of individuals at risk for severe COVID-19. In order to avoid a COVID-19 outbreak with potential spreading to many countries through returning pilgrims, Saudi Arabia suspended the Umrah, and access to the 2020 Hajj was very limited. Summary: A clear relation between early suspension of religious mass gatherings and lower occurrence of COVID-19 transmission in countries that took such measures promptly was noticed. There are lessons to national and international health organizations for other mass gatherings in the context of the pandemic.Item Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus.(Thieme, 2020-04-18) Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Memish, Ziad A.; Medicine, School of MedicineEmerging infectious diseases continue to be of a significant importance worldwide with the potential to cause major outbreaks and global pandemics. In 2002, the world had witnessed the appearance of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus in China which disappeared abruptly within 6 months. About a decade later, a new and emerging novel coronavirus named the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was described in a patient from Saudi Arabia. These two coronaviruses shared multiple similarities in the epidemiology, clinical presentations, and posed challenges in its prevention and management. Seven years since its discovery, MERS-CoV continues to be a lethal zoonotic pathogen capable of causing severe pneumonia with high case fatality rates and the ability to cause large health care-associated outbreaks.Item Molecular aspects of MERS-CoV(Springer Nature, 2017) Rabaan, Ali A.; Bazzi, Ali M.; Al-Ahmed, Shamsah H.; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Medicine, School of MedicineMiddle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a betacoronavirus which can cause acute respiratory distress in humans and is associated with a relatively high mortality rate. Since it was first identified in a patient who died in a Jeddah hospital in 2012, the World Health Organization has been notified of 1735 laboratory-confirmed cases from 27 countries, including 628 deaths. Most cases have occurred in Saudi Arabia. MERS-CoVancestors may be found in OldWorld bats of the Vespertilionidae family. After a proposed bat to camel switching event, transmission of MERS-CoV to humans is likely to have been the result of multiple zoonotic transfers from dromedary camels. Human-to-human transmission appears to require close contact with infected persons, with outbreaks mainly occurring in hospital environments. Outbreaks have been associated with inadequate infection prevention and control implementation, resulting in recommendations on basic and more advanced infection prevention and control measures by the World Health Organization, and issuing of government guidelines based on these recommendations in affected countries including Saudi Arabia. Evolutionary changes in the virus, particularly in the viral spike protein which mediates virus-host cell contact may potentially increase transmission of this virus. Efforts are on-going to identify specific evidence-based therapies or vaccines. The broad-spectrum antiviral nitazoxanide has been shown to have in vitro activity against MERS-CoV. Synthetic peptides and candidate vaccines based on regions of the spike protein have shown promise in rodent and non-human primate models. GLS-5300, a prophylactic DNA-plasmid vaccine encoding S protein, is the first MERS-CoV vaccine to be tested in humans, while monoclonal antibody, m336 has given promising results in animal models and has potential for use in outbreak situations.Item Perturbations of Plasmodium Puf2 Expression and RNA-seq of Puf2-Deficient Sporozoites Reveal a Critical Role in Maintaining RNA Homeostasis and Parasite Transmissibility(Wiley, 2013) Lindner, Scott E.; Mikolajczak, Sebastian A.; Vaughan, Ashley M.; Moon, Wonjong; Joyce, Brad R.; Sullivan, William J., Jr.; Kappe, Stefan H. I.; Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of MedicineMalaria's cycle of infection requires parasite transmission between a mosquito vector and a mammalian host. We here demonstrate that the Plasmodium yoelii Pumilio-FBF family member Puf2 allows the sporozoite to remain infectious in the mosquito salivary glands while awaiting transmission. Puf2 mediates this solely through its RNA-Binding Domain (RBD) likely by stabilizing or hastening the degradation of specific mRNAs. Puf2 traffics to sporozoite cytosolic granules, which are negative for several markers of stress granules and P-bodies, and disappear rapidly after infection of hepatocytes. In contrast to previously described Plasmodium berghei pbpuf2− parasites, pypuf2− sporozoites have no apparent defect in host infection when tested early in salivary gland residence, but become progressively noninfectious and prematurely transform into EEFs during prolonged salivary gland residence. The premature overexpression of Puf2 in oocysts causes striking deregulation of sporozoite maturation and infectivity while extension of Puf2 expression in liver stages causes no defect, suggesting that the presence of Puf2 alone is not sufficient for its functions. Finally, by conducting the first comparative RNA-seq analysis of Plasmodium sporozoites, we find that Puf2 may play a role in directly or indirectly maintaining the homeostasis of specific transcripts. These findings uncover requirements for maintaining a window of opportunity for the malaria parasite to accommodate the unpredictable moment of transmission from mosquito to mammalian host.Item Placement on COVID-19 Units Does Not Increase Seroconversion Rate of Pediatric Graduate Medical Residents(Frontiers Media, 2021-04-29) Crisci, Timothy; Arregui, Samuel; Canas, Jorge; Hooks, Jenaya; Chan, Melvin; Powers, Cory; Schwaderer, Andrew L.; Hains, David S.; Starr, Michelle C.; Pediatrics, School of MedicineBackground: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its associated disease COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) has presented graduate medical education (GME) training programs with a unique set of challenges. One of the most pressing is how should hospital systems that rely on graduate medical residents provide appropriate care for patients while protecting trainees. This question is of particular concern as healthcare workers are at high risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure. Objective: This cross-sectional study sought to assess the impact of hospital COVID-19 patient placement on pediatric graduate medical residents by comparing rates of SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion rates of residents who worked on designated COVID-19 teams and those who did not. Methods: Forty-four pediatric and medicine–pediatric residents at Riley Children's Hospital (Indianapolis, IN) were tested for SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG seroconversion in May 2020 using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (Abnova catalog no. KA5826), 2 months after the first known COVID-19 case in Indiana. These residents were divided into two groups: those residents who worked on designated COVID-19 teams, and those who did not. Groups were compared using χ2 or Fisher exact test for categorical variables, and continuous variables were compared using Student t testing. Results: Forty-four of 104 eligible residents participated in this study. Despite high rates of seroconversion, there was no difference in the risk of SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion between residents who worked on designated COVID-19 teams (26% or 8/31) and those who did not (31% or 4/13). Eleven of 44 residents (25%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 IgG, whereas only 5/44 (11.4%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 IgM, without a detectable difference between exposure groups. Conclusion: We did not observe a difference in SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion between different exposure groups. These data are consistent with growing evidence supporting the efficacy of personal protective equipment. Further population-based research on the role of children in transmitting the SARS-CoV-2 virus is needed to allow for a more evidence-based approach toward managing the COVID-19 pandemic.