Publications by authors named "Erica Wilson"

Article Synopsis
  • * From May 12 to July 13, 2024, 38 states participated in testing, with 11 sites showing high levels of influenza A virus and 24 sites detecting the H5 subtype.
  • * Investigations revealed that many high-level detections corresponded with human influenza activity and identified possible animal sources, providing valuable data for future respiratory illness monitoring.
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Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) brain tumors lacking IDH1 mutations (IDHwt) have the worst prognosis of all brain neoplasms. Patients receive surgery and chemoradiotherapy but tumors almost always fatally recur.

Results: Using RNA sequencing data from 107 pairs of pre- and post-standard treatment locally recurrent IDHwt GBM tumors, we identify two responder subtypes based on longitudinal changes in gene expression.

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In this issue of Blood Cancer Discovery, Nakanishi et al. uncover a critical role for the elevated activity of the translation initiation factor eIF5A in the malignant growth of MYC-driven lymphoma. eIF5A is posttranslationally modified by hypusination through MYC oncoprotein-mediated hyperactivation of the polyamine-hypusine circuit, which may represent a promising therapeutic target because an enzyme of this circuit that is required for hypusinating eIF5A proved to be essential for lymphoma development.

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The first three SARS-CoV-2 phylogenetic lineages classified as variants of concern (VOCs) in the United States (U.S.) from December 15, 2020 to February 28, 2021, Alpha (B.

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Objectives: On September 23, 2019, the North Carolina Division of Public Health identified a legionellosis increase in western North Carolina; most patients had recently attended the North Carolina Mountain State Fair. We conducted a source investigation.

Methods: Cases were fair attendees with laboratory-confirmed legionellosis and symptom onset within 2 to 14 days (Legionnaires' disease) or ≤3 days (Pontiac fever).

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Multiple myeloma (MM) shows constitutive activation of canonical and noncanonical nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling via genetic mutations or tumor microenvironment (TME) stimulations. A subset of MM cell lines showed dependency for cell growth and survival on the canonical NF-κB transcription factor RELA alone, suggesting a critical role for a RELA-mediated biological program in MM pathogenesis. Here, we determined the RELA-dependent transcriptional program in MM cell lines and found the expression of the cell surface molecules interleukin-27 receptor-α (IL-27Rα) and the adhesion molecule JAM2 to be responsive to RELA at the messenger RNA and protein levels.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study focuses on improving the understanding of glioblastoma (GBM) tumors by developing a tool to analyze immune and cancer cell types within tumor samples using bulk RNA sequencing data.
  • Researchers created a specific single immune cell reference for GBM and combined it with existing cancer cell data to develop effective deconvolution tools for characterizing the cellular makeup of tumors.
  • The tool, named GBMdeconvoluteR, proved to be the most accurate method for quantifying cell types in GBM, revealing insights into the relationship between cancer cells and immune cells, particularly in patients with poorer prognoses.
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Delivering therapies to deeply seated brain tumours (BT) is a major clinical challenge. Magnetic drug targeting (MDT) could overcome this by rapidly transporting magnetised drugs directly into BT. We have developed a magnetic device for application in murine BT models using an array of neodymium magnets with a combined strength of 0.

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Introduction Traditionally, physical therapy has adopted a tertiary approach to preventative care. However, recent trends in fall-related injuries and deaths among older individuals suggest a dire need for earlier intervention. The Home-based Older Persons Upstreaming Prevention Physical Therapy (HOP-UP-PT) program has been developed to improve the health and overall function of community-dwelling older adults at risk of functional decline.

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Managing multiple comorbidities is common in older adults. Thus, when a medication class, such as sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, can potentially treat multiple conditions and prevent progression of chronic kidney disease, multiple guidelines must be followed when using these agents. The current article discusses risks and benefits of SGLT2 inhibitors, especially in the context of new evidence, and presents a case example.

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The isolation of a compound from a natural source involves many organic and mostly toxic solvents for extraction and purification. Natural deep eutectic solvents have been shown to be efficient options for the extraction of natural products. They have the advantage of being composed of abundantly available common primary metabolites, being nontoxic and environmentally safe solvents.

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Article Synopsis
  • An indoor convention held in NYC from November 19-21, 2021, attracted around 53,000 attendees and implemented safety measures including HEPA filtration, mandatory masks, and vaccination requirements.
  • Following the event, the first community-acquired case of the Omicron variant in the U.S. was reported, leading to investigations by the CDC and health departments regarding potential COVID-19 transmission among attendees.
  • Of 4,560 attendees tested, 119 (2.6%) tested positive for COVID-19, primarily showing a correlation between positive cases and attendance at certain venues like bars and nightclubs, but widespread transmission at the event was not confirmed.
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  • Natural killer (NK) cells play a crucial role in attacking intracellular infections and cancer, and their activity is leveraged in oncolytic virus (OV) therapy to boost anti-tumor immunity.
  • Research on reovirus, a type of oncolytic virus, shows that it activates human NK cells through type I interferon (IFN-I) signaling, enhancing their ability to kill tumor cells while impacting their proliferation.
  • Despite the activation of NK cells, treatment with reovirus led to a temporary decrease in certain NK cell subsets in circulation, suggesting they relocate to lymphoid tissues where they can better coordinate immune responses against tumors.
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Purpose: Procalcitonin is a precursor hormone to calcitonin that increases in response to systemic inflammation, especially of bacterial origin, and is otherwise undetectable in healthy states. Studies have shown that following effective antimicrobial treatment, procalcitonin levels steadily decline. To be utilized however, procalcitonin levels determinations must be ordered at specific times during a patient's antimicrobial treatment.

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Diabetes is one of the most common disease states in older adults and there are significant risks to the use of antidiabetic medications. The older adult population varies greatly in functional ability, independence, and cognition. These factors, along with increased risk of hypoglycemia, falls, and other comorbidities, add to the complexity of creating medication regimens to treat diabetes in older adults.

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COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough infection surveillance helps monitor trends in disease incidence and severe outcomes in fully vaccinated persons, including the impact of the highly transmissible B.1.617.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study analyzed 112 deaths attributed to SARS-CoV-2 among individuals under 21 in the U.S. between February and July 2020, highlighting demographic and clinical characteristics.* -
  • Most decedents were male (63%), with a median age of 17, and a significant number identified as Black (28%) or Hispanic (46%); many had underlying health conditions like obesity and asthma.* -
  • Children who died from COVID-19 were more likely to have pre-existing health issues compared to those who met criteria for multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), which affected 14% of the decedents.*
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With the palliative care workforce shortage and changes in advance care planning reimbursement, many institutions are requesting that palliative care specialists provide serious illness communication training across their institution's workforce. Based on our experience training clinicians to use the Partners Serious Illness Conversation Guide, a structured guide to teach basic palliative care communication skills, we propose a set of best practices to help others teach use of a communication guide at their institution, including fostering a safe learning environment, explicit teaching of structured communication, and preparing cofacilitators to adapt to differing skill levels of learners.

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Chlamydial infections in humans are widely distributed and are responsible for a variety of acute and chronic diseases. Both and can lead to chronic conditions that have been linked to complications and sequelae. This study aimed to develop a culture method in order to detect antichlamydial activity of different extracts obtained from native Argentinian plants used as antimicrobials in local ethnomedicine and to evaluate their inhibitory activity over and growth.

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SARS-CoV-2 testing data in North Carolina during the first three months of the state's COVID-19 pandemic were analyzed to determine if there were disparities among intersecting axes of identity including race, Latinx ethnicity, age, urban-rural residence, and residence in a medically underserved area. Demographic and residential data were used to reconstruct patterns of testing metrics (including tests per capita, positive tests per capita, and test positivity rate which is an indicator of sufficient testing) across race-ethnicity groups and urban-rural populations separately. Across the entire sample, 13.

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Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive adult glioma with a median survival of 14 months. While standard treatments (safe maximal resection, radiation, and temozolomide chemotherapy) have increased the median survival in favorable O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT)-methylated GBM (~21 months), a large proportion of patients experience a highly debilitating and rapidly fatal disease. This study examined GBM cellular energetic pathways and blockade using repurposed drugs: the glycolytic inhibitor, namely dicholoroacetate (DCA), and the partial fatty acid oxidation (FAO) inhibitor, namely ranolazine (Rano).

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Preventing transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), in institutes of higher education presents a unique set of challenges because of the presence of congregate living settings and difficulty limiting socialization and group gatherings. Before August 2020, minimal data were available regarding COVID-19 outbreaks in these settings. On August 3, 2020, university A in North Carolina broadly opened campus for the first time since transitioning to primarily remote learning in March.

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Article Synopsis
  • Since February 2020, the U.S. has reported about 6.5 million COVID-19 cases and approximately 190,000 deaths, with a focus on individuals under 21 years old.
  • Among the 121 deaths in this age group during the early pandemic, 63% were males, and most were aged between 10-20 years, with a significant percentage being Hispanic and Black.
  • About 75% of those who died had underlying medical conditions, highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring and effective prevention strategies as schools reopen.
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Context: Although the importance of palliative care (PC) integration in the emergency department (ED) has long been recognized, few formalized programs have been reported, and none have evaluated the experience of ED clinicians with embedded PC.

Objectives: We evaluate the experience of ED clinicians with embedded PC in the ED during the coronavirus disease pandemic.

Methods: ED clinicians completed a survey about their perceptions of embedded PC in the ED.

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