Publications by authors named "Cash M"

We monitored SARS-CoV-2 variants in Haiti from 2020-2023. Despite Haitian COVID-19 travel restrictions and in the setting of a vaccination rate of 2.7%, the timing and lineage evolution of the Haiti epidemic mirrored what was occurring in the rest of the world.

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The French composer, Maurice Ravel, at the peak of his career, showed signs of a progressive disorder that affected his ability to function with verbal and musical language, as noted by the neurologist Théophile Alajouanine. The worsening of the disease led to a craniotomy, performed in 1937, which failed to reveal the cause of his illness, and he died shortly thereafter. A lack of post-mortem neuropathological evidence precluded a definitive diagnosis of the illness, which remained enigmatic.

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Article Synopsis
  • Critically ill children with pre-existing mental health conditions may face worse health outcomes, as indicated by a study evaluating their clinical outcomes compared to those without such conditions.
  • The study analyzed 1,999 pediatric patients aged 12-18 from a large health database, finding that those with mental health issues had a significantly higher risk of dying within a year (odds ratio 8.97).
  • The results suggest a troubling association between pre-existing mental health conditions and increased mortality risk, but the wide confidence interval indicates that more research is needed to establish clearer conclusions and understand the long-term impacts.
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  • The study explores the relationship between HIV-related comorbidities and chronic inflammation, focusing on how cannabidiol (CBD) may help reduce this inflammation in people living with HIV (PLWH).
  • Researchers analyzed gene expression changes in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from PLWH after at least one month of CBD treatment, studying around 41,000 PBMCs using single-cell RNA sequencing.
  • Results revealed a distinct gene expression pattern associated with anti-inflammatory effects in myeloid cells, suggesting that CBD treatment positively impacts gene expression in these immune cells.
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Objective: This study aimed to determine athletic trainer compliance with emergency medicine and athletic training evidence-based guidelines for the on-the-field management of common pediatric sports-related injury and illness.

Methods: A questionnaire was distributed electronically to selected members of the National Athletic Trainer Association. The questionnaire included 10 clinical scenarios describing common sports-related injury/illness (closed head injury, cervical spine injury, blunt chest injury, blunt abdominal injury, ankle injury, knee injury with laceration, heat-related illness).

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The 2010 cholera epidemic in Haiti was thought to have ended in 2019, and the Prime Minister of Haiti declared the country cholera-free in February 2022. On September 25, 2022, cholera cases were again identified in Port-au-Prince. We compared genomic data from 42 clinical Vibrio cholerae strains from 2022 with data from 327 other strains from Haiti and 1,824 strains collected worldwide.

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Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with pulmonary hypertension (PH) through a complex and bidirectional relationship. The prevalence of OSA and other forms of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) among children with PH is not well understood. A better understanding could help elucidate contributing factors for PH, guide diagnostic testing, and inform therapies.

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Parenteral prostanoid therapy (PPT) can result in supranormal cardiac index (SCI; >4 L/min/m) in pediatric pulmonary hypertension (PPH) patients. We evaluated the incidence, hemodynamic factors, and outcomes associated with SCI in PPH. This retrospective cohort study included 22 PPH patients on PPT from 2005 to 2020.

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Mayaro virus (MAYV) is an emergent arthropod-borne virus that causes an acute febrile illness accompanied by arthralgia, similar to chikungunya virus. Increasing urbanization of MAYV outbreaks in the Americas has led to concerns for geographic expansion and spillover. Given the potential importance of this pathogen, we sought to fill critical gaps in knowledge regarding MAYV infectivity and geographic variation.

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Introduction: While substantial research has focused on the contribution of sex hormones to driving elevated levels of alcohol drinking in female rodents, fewer studies have investigated how genetic influences may underlie sex differences in this behavior.

Methods: We used the Four Core Genotypes (FCG) mouse model to explore the contribution of sex chromosome complement (XX/XY) and gonad type [ovaries ()/testes ()] to ethanol (EtOH) consumption and quinine-resistant drinking across two voluntary self-administration tasks: limited access consumption in the home cage and an operant response task.

Results: For limited access drinking in the dark, XY/ (vs.

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Objective: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) survivors are at risk for long-term exercise impairment and pulmonary morbidity, but the generalizability of prior reported cohorts are limited by reduced disease severity and older surgical eras. We assessed the mid-childhood exercise and pulmonary function outcomes in a contemporary cohort of CDH survivors.

Study Design: In this retrospective cohort study, we identified 36 consecutive pediatric CDH survivors who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and spirometry from 2014 to 2021.

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Toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 serotype Ogawa was introduced involuntarily into Haiti in October 2010, and virtually all of the clinical strains isolated during the first 5 years of the epidemic were Ogawa. Inaba strains were identified intermittently prior to 2015, with diverse mutations resulting in a common phenotype. In 2015, the percentage of clinical infections due to the Inaba serotype began to rapidly increase, with Inaba supplanting Ogawa as the dominant serotype during the subsequent 4 years.

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Objective: To determine whether a multifaceted initiative resulted in maintained reduction in inappropriate treatment of asymptomatic pyuria (ASP) or bacteriuria (ASB) in the emergency department (ED).

Design: Single-center, retrospective study.

Methods: Beginning in December 2015, a series of interventions were implemented to decrease the inappropriate treatment of ASP or ASB in the ED.

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• LV IMD is a rare complication of blunt chest trauma. • Associated papillary muscle avulsion led to severe MR. • Transthoracic echocardiography provides a rapid diagnosis of this rare entity.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cholera remains a significant health threat in Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as shown by the analysis of 24 Vibrio cholerae O1 strains from 2015-2017.
  • The study identified two key strain lineages, including a recently noted lineage linked to an existing cluster in the Lake Kivu region, suggesting ongoing pathogen evolution.
  • Researchers discovered a new strain of cholera bacteriophage, ICP1, which is genetically different from those found in Asia, indicating complex interactions between phage and bacteria affecting cholera's evolution and transmission.
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The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had a significant impact worldwide. Currently, the most common detection methods for the virus are polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and lateral flow tests. PCR takes more than an hour to obtain the results and lateral flow tests have difficulty with detecting the virus at low concentrations.

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We screened 65 longitudinally collected nasal swab samples from 31 children aged 0-16 years who were positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Omicron BA.1. By day 7 after onset of symptoms, 48% of children remained positive by rapid antigen test.

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A subset of octogenarians and older maintain normal cognitive function (CNOO) despite high prevalence and incidence of cognitive decline attributed to neurodegeneration or aging in the population. The rostral prefrontal cortex (rPFC) and hippocampal formation are brain regions integral to cognition, namely attention and memory, facilitated in part by cholinergic innervation. We hypothesized that preserved cholinergic neurotransmission in these regions contributes to intact cognition in the CNOO.

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The effects exuded by cannabis are a result of the cannabinoids trans-Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), and is dependent upon their pharmacological interaction and linked to the two cannabinoids' concentrations and ratios. Based on current literature and trends of increasing cannabis potency, we postulate that most medical cannabis products with THC and CBD have ratios capable of producing significant acute intoxication and are similar to recreational products. We will test this by organizing products into clinically distinct categories according to TCH:CBD ratios, evaluating the data in terms of therapeutic potential, and comparing the data obtained from medical and recreational programs and from states with differing market policies.

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Antiretroviral therapy (ART) can sustain the suppression of plasma viremia to below detection levels. Infected individuals undergoing a treatment interruption exhibit rapid viral rebound in plasma viremia which is fueled by cellular reservoirs such as CD4 T cells, myeloid cells, and potentially uncharacterized cellular sources. Interrogating the populations of viruses found during analytical treatment interruption (ATI) can give insights into the biologically competent reservoirs that persist under effective ART as well as the nature of the cellular reservoirs that enable viral persistence under ART.

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The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern (VOC) has raised questions regarding vaccine protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection, transmission, and ongoing virus evolution. Twenty-three mildly symptomatic "vaccination breakthrough" infections were identified as early as January 2021 in Alachua County, Florida, among individuals fully vaccinated with either the BNT162b2 (Pfizer) or the Ad26 (Janssen/J&J) vaccines. SARS-CoV-2 genomes were successfully generated for 11 of the vaccine breakthroughs, and 878 individuals in the surrounding area and were included for reference-based phylogenetic investigation.

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Background: Current SARS-CoV-2 detection platforms lack the ability to differentiate among variants of concern (VOCs) in an efficient manner. CRISPR/Cas (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR-associated) based detection systems have the potential to transform the landscape of COVID-19 diagnostics due to their programmability; however, most of these methods are reliant on either a multi-step process involving amplification or elaborate guide RNA designs.

Methods: Three Cas12b proteins from Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris (AacCas12b), Alicyclobacillus acidiphilus (AapCas12b), and Brevibacillus sp.

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Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Delta variant has caused a dramatic resurgence in infections in the United Sates, raising questions regarding potential transmissibility among vaccinated individuals.

Methods: Between October 2020 and July 2021, we sequenced 4439 SARS-CoV-2 full genomes, 23% of all known infections in Alachua County, Florida, including 109 vaccine breakthrough cases. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to evaluate associations between viral RNA burden and patient characteristics.

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Article Synopsis
  • - SARS-CoV-2 is the virus behind COVID-19, affecting mainly the respiratory system but also causing significant vascular and neurological issues, especially in "long hauler" patients.
  • - The Spike protein of the virus interacts with important cellular receptors (ACE2, TMPRSS2, NRP1) that are found on lung and brain cells, influencing both viral entry and cell dysfunction.
  • - Research shows that treating neuroblastoma cells with retinoic acid increases the levels of these receptors, which may enhance understanding of how SARS-CoV-2 affects neurons and blood vessels, aiding in potential diagnostics and treatment strategies for COVID-19 patients.
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