Publications by authors named "Chris Focht"

Background: Prenatal Zika virus (ZIKV) infection leads to microcephaly and adverse neurodevelopment. The effects of postnatal ZIKV infection on the developing brain are unknown. We assessed the neurodevelopmental outcomes of children exposed postnatally during the ZIKV epidemic.

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Background: Although antivirals remain important for the treatment COVID-19, methods to assess treatment efficacy are lacking. Here, we investigated the impact of remdesivir on viral dynamics and their contribution to understanding antiviral efficacy in the multicenter Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial 1, which randomized patients to remdesivir or placebo.

Methods: Longitudinal specimens collected during hospitalization from a substudy of 642 patients with COVID-19 were measured for viral RNA (upper respiratory tract and plasma), viral nucleocapsid antigen (serum), and host immunologic markers.

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Article Synopsis
  • Zika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus transmitted mainly by mosquitoes, first found in Africa in 1947, and it spread to the Americas with significant outbreaks occurring in Brazil in 2015/16, leading to serious health issues in pregnant women and increased risks of Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults.
  • This study focuses on understanding Zika's natural history and immune response, identifying specific T cell epitopes that trigger the immune reaction during infection, using both untargeted and targeted screening methods.
  • Key findings indicate that while there is a strong immune response primarily from CD4+ T cells, the response to CD8+ T cell epitope is limited, highlighting a significant dominance of certain T cell
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Background: Vaccination is the primary strategy to reduce influenza burden. Influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) can vary annually depending on circulating strains.

Methods: We used a test-negative case-control study design to estimate influenza VE against laboratory-confirmed influenza-related hospitalizations among children (aged 6 months-17 years) across 5 influenza seasons in Atlanta, Georgia, from 2012-2013 to 2016-2017.

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Filociclovir (MBX-400, cyclopropavir) is an antiviral agent with activity against cytomegalovirus (CMV). A phase 1, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled (3:1 ratio), single-center, multiple-ascending-dose trial was conducted to assess the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of filociclovir. Filociclovir ( = 18) or placebo ( = 6) was administered as a daily oral dose (100 mg, 350 mg, or 750 mg) for 7 days to normal healthy adults (ages, 25 to 65 years) who were monitored for 22 days.

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Background: Maternal GBS colonization is associated with early-onset neonatal sepsis and extensive efforts are directed to preventing this complication. Less is known about maternal risks of GBS colonization. We seek to provide a modern estimate of the incidence and impact of maternal GBS colonization and invasive GBS disease.

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