The Relationship Between Pre-Pandemic Comorbidities With SARS-CoV-2 Infections and Hospitalizations in Black Versus White Military Service Members: A Retrospective Study.

Introduction: Comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, asthma, and cardiovascular conditions have been reported to worsen the clinical progression of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and related hospitalizations. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected the historically marginalized groups, i.e.

Evaluation of Detection and Efficacy of Decontamination of Respiratory Pathogens Including SARS-CoV-2 on Basic Military Trainee Gas Masks.

Introduction: Basic military trainee (BMT) gas mask training poses a potential mechanism of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission. After training, gas masks are decontaminated. Insufficient decontamination can lead to viral transmission in the next training class.

Evaluating sensitivity and specificity of the Biomeme Franklin™ three9 real-time PCR device and SARS-CoV-2 go-strips assay using clinical samples.

We evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of the Biomeme Franklin™ three9 Real-Time PCR Thermocycler and Biomeme SARS-CoV-2 Go-Strips in the detection of SARS-CoV-2. The Biomeme Franklin™ three9 platform is a portable, battery-operated system that could be used in remote settings. We assessed performance of the Biomeme SARS-CoV-2 detection system at a wide range of viral concentrations, examined cross-reactivity of the SARS-CoV-2 Go-Strips against several near-neighbor respiratory pathogens, and evaluated agreement against the BioFire® Respiratory Panel 2.

The Secret Menu in Health Care: A Cash Market for Imaging in California.

In addition to the prices they negotiate with private health insurers, most providers also have a cash price schedule for patients who have the wherewithal to ask and are willing to pay in full when they receive a service. This is the first study that estimates the potential cost saving of allowing privately-insured consumers to observe both in-network negotiated prices and cash prices, which is of particular interest given the growing importance of high-deductible health plans and a recent executive order mandating greater price transparency. Using data from five private health insurers and 142 imaging facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area, we estimate that patients could save between 10% and 22% of their insurer's in-network price by paying cash.

Vitamin D Status Impacts Genital Mucosal Immunity and Markers of HIV-1 Susceptibility in Women.

While vitamin D insufficiency is known to impact a multitude of health outcomes, including HIV-1, little is known about the role of vitamin D-mediated immune regulation in the female reproductive tract (FRT). We performed a pilot clinical study of 20 women with circulating 25(OH)D levels <62.5 nmol/L.

The Effect of Hormonal Contraception on Cervicovaginal Mucosal End Points Associated with HIV Acquisition.

Reproductive age women may choose to concurrently use topical antiretrovirals and hormonal contraceptives (HCs) to simultaneously prevent HIV-1 infection and unintended/mistimed pregnancy. There are conflicting data on the effect of HCs on mucosal susceptibility to HIV-1. The objective of this study was to evaluate cervicovaginal (CV) mucosal data from healthy women before and after initiation of either oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) or depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) injection.

Randomized, placebo controlled phase I trial of safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and acceptability of tenofovir and tenofovir plus levonorgestrel vaginal rings in women.

To prevent the global health burdens of human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] and unintended/mistimed pregnancies, we developed an intravaginal ring [IVR] that delivers tenofovir [TFV] at ~10mg/day alone or with levonorgestrel [LNG] at ~20μg/day for 90 days. We present safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, acceptability and drug release data in healthy women. CONRAD A13-128 was a randomized, placebo controlled phase I study.

Comparison of Mucosal Markers of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Susceptibility in Healthy Premenopausal Versus Postmenopausal Women.

The objective of this study was to characterize cervicovaginal (CV) mucosal factors modulating susceptibility to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition in healthy premenopausal (PRE) and postmenopausal (POST) women before and after treatment with estradiol (E2). We compared CV mucosal epithelial histology and immune cells, vaginal microbiota, antimicrobial activity of and soluble mucosal protein concentrations in the CV fluid lavage (CVL), and p24 antigen production after ex vivo infection of ectocervical tissues with HIV-1 among PRE women (n = 20) in the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle and POST women (n = 17) at baseline and after ∼1 month of treatment with 0.01% vaginal E2 cream.

Blocking CXCL9 Decreases HIV-1 Replication and Enhances the Activity of Prophylactic Antiretrovirals in Human Cervical Tissues.

Objectives: The interferon-gamma-induced chemokine CXCL9 is expressed in a wide range of inflammatory conditions including those affecting the female genital tract. CXCL9 promotes immune cell recruitment, activation, and proliferation. The role of CXCL9 in modulating HIV-1 infection of cervicovaginal tissues, a main portal of viral entry, however, has not been established.

Enhancing Interferon Regulatory Factor 7 Mediated Antiviral Responses and Decreasing Nuclear Factor Kappa B Expression Limit HIV-1 Replication in Cervical Tissues.

Establishment of a productive HIV-1 infection in the female reproductive tract likely depends on the balance between anti-viral and pro-inflammatory responses leading to activation and proliferation of HIV target cells. Immune modulators that boost anti-viral and depress pro-inflammatory immune responses may decrease HIV-1 infection or replication. Polyinosinic:polycytidylic [Poly (I:C)] has been reported to down-regulate HIV-1 replication in immune cell subsets and lymphoid tissues, yet the scope and mechanisms of poly (I:C) regulation of HIV-1 replication in the cervicovaginal mucosa, the main portal of viral entry in women remain unknown.

Herpes simplex virus type-2 stimulates HIV-1 replication in cervical tissues: implications for HIV-1 transmission and efficacy of anti-HIV-1 microbicides.

Herpes Simplex virus Type-2 (HSV-2) increases the risk of HIV-1 acquisition, yet the mechanism for this viral pathogen to regulate the susceptibility of the cervicovaginal mucosa to HIV-1 is virtually unknown. Using ex vivo human ectocervical tissue models, we report greater levels of HIV-1 reverse transcription, DNA integration, RNA expression, and virions release in HIV-1/HSV-2 co-infected tissues compared with HIV-1 only infected tissues (P<0.05).

Enhanced HIV-1 replication in ex vivo ectocervical tissues from post-menopausal women correlates with increased inflammatory responses.

Knowledge about early innate immune responses at the mucosal surfaces of the female genital tract is important in understanding the pathogenesis of heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1). As estradiol decreases inflammatory responses, we postulated that an estradiol-deficient state such as post-menopause could enhance expression of inflammatory factors that stimulate HIV-1 replication. We compare HIV-1 integration, transcription, and viral p24 release levels among ectocervical tissues obtained from pre- and post-menopausal donors.

IL-8 decreases HIV-1 transcription in peripheral blood lymphocytes and ectocervical tissue explants.

IL-8 is enhanced in the peripheral blood and lymphoid tissue of HIV-infected individuals, suggesting that IL-8 is important in the pathogenesis of HIV-1 infection and progression to AIDS. Characterizing the mechanisms of IL-8 regulation of HIV-1 replication may be relevant in addressing the role of IL-8 as a therapeutic target in HIV-1 infection. We evaluated replication of primary R5-tropic HIV-1 in peripheral blood lymphocytes and ectocervical tissue explants infected in vitro in the presence of physiological concentrations of IL-8 found in the serum and genital tract secretions of HIV-infected individuals.

HIV type 1 infection in women: increased transcription of HIV type 1 in ectocervical tissue explants.

Background: Mucosal surfaces of the female reproductive tract are the main routes of heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), but the contribution of each of the reproductive sites to mucosal transmission is unknown.

Methods: We compared levels of HIV-1 transcription between ectocervical and endometrial tissue explants infected ex vivo with HIV-1.

Results: We detected higher levels of HIV-1 transcription in the ectocervix.

Estradiol and progesterone regulate HIV type 1 replication in peripheral blood cells.

Endogenous levels of estradiol and progesterone fluctuate in the peripheral blood of premenopausal women during the reproductive cycle. We studied the effects of these sex hormones on HIV-1 replication in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). We compared HIV-1 replication in PBMCs infected in the presence of mid-secretory (high concentrations) and mid-proliferative (low concentrations) or in the absence of sex hormones.

Antibody screening database for protein kinetic modeling.

Knowledge-based proteomic studies rely on the availability of quality antibodies. The increasing number of commercially available antibodies covers a wide range of protein networks; however, performance of each antibody can vary, depending on what type of cells, treatments, and time points are studied. Here, we describe an antibody database in which we screened 279 antibodies against multiple cell lysates after various treatments and from different time points.

HIV-1 infection of the female reproductive tract.

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infects cells within mucosal tissues, including those of the female reproductive tract (FRT). The mechanism of viral transmission within the FRT and the mode of viral spread to the periphery are not completely understood. We performed phenotypical analyses and infectivity studies of primary FRT cells to identify potential targets of infection within the FRT.

Chemokine receptor expression in the human ectocervix: implications for infection by the human immunodeficiency virus-type I.

Human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 (HIV-1) is a sexually transmitted pathogen that can infect cells in the female reproductive tract (FRT). The mechanism of viral transmission within the FRT and the mode of viral spread to the periphery are not well understood. To characterize the frequency of potential targets of HIV infection within the FRT, we performed a systematic study of the expression of HIV receptors (CD4, galactosyl ceramide (GalCer)) and coreceptors (CXCR4 and CCR5) on epithelial cells and leucocytes from the ectocervix.

Synergy between IL-8 and GM-CSF in reproductive tract epithelial cell secretions promotes enhanced neutrophil chemotaxis.

Neutrophils occur in tissues of the female reproductive tract (FRT) under non-infected conditions. These cells generally enter tissues under the influence of chemoattractants called chemokines. Primary epithelial cells (EC) from FRT were a potent source of chemokines, IL-8 being the chief neutrophil chemoattractant secreted.

Transmission of HIV-1 by primary human uterine epithelial cells and stromal fibroblasts.

Women can become infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) after the heterosexual transmission of virus from an infected male partner. To understand the events that result in transmission of HIV-1 across the female reproductive tract, we characterized the life-cycle events of HIV-1 in primary cultures of human uterine epithelial cells and stromal fibroblasts. Epithelial cells and stromal fibroblasts released virus particles after exposure to either X4- or R5-tropic strains of HIV-1.

Protein kinase Calpha (PKCalpha) acts upstream of PKCtheta to activate IkappaB kinase and NF-kappaB in T lymphocytes.

NF-kappaB is an ubiquitous transcription factor that is a key in the regulation of the immune response and inflammation. T-cell receptor (TCR) cross-linking leads to NF-kappaB activation, an IkappaB kinase (IKK)-dependent process. However, the upstream kinases that regulate IKK activity following TCR activation remain to be fully characterized.

Effect of tyrosine kinase inhibitors on tyrosine phosphorylation and motility parameters in human sperm.

Tyrosine phosphorylation has recently been associated with capacitation and suggested as a regulator of sperm movement, especially characterizing hyperactivation. The objective of this study was to verify if tyrosine phosphorylation of human sperm proteins was essentially required for the maintenance of motility as well as the development of hyperactivation. Washed sperm were incubated for 6 h in Ham's F10 + 0.