Evaluation of a Virtual Reality-Based Open Educational Resource Software.

Objectives: Virtual reality (VR) teaching methods have potential to support medical students acquire increasing amounts of knowledge. EVENT (Easy VR EducatioN Tool) is an open educational resource software for immersive VR environments, which is designed for use without programming skills. In this work, EVENT was used in a medical student VR course on pancreatic cancer.

Optimized preparation pipeline for emergency phage therapy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa at Yale University.

Bacteriophage therapy is one potential strategy to treat antimicrobial resistant or persistent bacterial infections, and the year 2021 marked the centennial of Felix d'Hérelle's first publication on the clinical applications of phages. At the Center for Phage Biology & Therapy at Yale University, a preparatory modular approach has been established to offer safe and potent phages for single-patient investigational new drug applications while recognizing the time constraints imposed by infection(s). This study provides a practical walkthrough of the pipeline with an Autographiviridae phage targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa (phage vB_PaeA_SB, abbreviated to ΦSB).

Novel Approaches to Multidrug-Resistant Infections in Cystic Fibrosis.

Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) often develop respiratory tract infections with pathogenic multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and a variety of gram-negative organisms that include Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia sp., Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Achromobacter xylosoxidans, and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). Despite the introduction of new therapies to address underlying cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) dysfunction, MDRO infections remain a problem and novel antimicrobial interventions are still needed.

A Novel Zinc (II) Porphyrin Is Synergistic with PEV2 Bacteriophage against Infections.

(PsA) is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen that causes life-threatening infections in individuals with compromised immune systems and exacerbates health concerns for those with cystic fibrosis (CF). PsA rapidly develops antibiotic resistance; thus, novel therapeutics are urgently needed to effectively combat this pathogen. Previously, we have shown that a novel cationic Zinc (II) porphyrin (ZnPor) has potent bactericidal activity against planktonic and biofilm-associated PsA cells, and disassembles the biofilm matrix via interactions with eDNA In the present study, we report that ZnPor caused a significant decrease in PsA populations in mouse lungs within an in vivo model of PsA pulmonary infection.

Inhaled Bacteriophage Therapy for Multi-Drug Resistant .

The rise of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria is a global public health threat. AMR bacteria pose a challenging clinical problem, particularly for those with cystic fibrosis (CF) who are predisposed to chronic bacterial lung infections. Lytic bacteriophages (phages) offer a potential alternative to treat AMR infections, with the possible benefit that phage selection for resistance in target bacteria might coincide with reduced pathogenicity.

Novel Approaches to Multidrug-Resistant Infections in Cystic Fibrosis.

Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) often develop respiratory tract infections with pathogenic multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and a variety of gram-negative organisms that include Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia sp., Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Achromobacter xylosoxidans, and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). Despite the introduction of new therapies to address underlying cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) dysfunction, MDRO infections remain a problem and novel antimicrobial interventions are still needed.

IFN- Is Protective in Cytokine Release Syndrome-associated Extrapulmonary Acute Lung Injury.

The mechanisms by which excessive systemic activation of adaptive T lymphocytes, as in cytokine release syndrome (CRS), leads to innate immune cell-mediated acute lung injury (ALI) or acute respiratory distress syndrome, often in the absence of any infection, remains unknown. Here, we investigated the roles of IFN-γ and IL-17A, key T-cell cytokines significantly elevated in patients with CRS, in the immunopathogenesis of CRS-induced extrapulmonary ALI. CRS was induced in wild-type (WT), IL-17A- and IFN-γ knockout (KO) human leukocyte antigen-DR3 transgenic mice with 10 μg of the superantigen, staphylococcal enterotoxin B, given intraperitoneally.

Bacteriophage therapy for infections in CF.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are bacterial pathogens frequently associated with pulmonary complications and disease progression in cystic fibrosis (CF). However, these bacteria increasingly show resistance to antibiotics, necessitating novel management strategies. One possibility is bacteriophage (phages; bacteria-specific viruses) therapy, where lytic phages are administered to kill target bacterial pathogens.

Patients' views of causes of aggression by patients and effective interventions.

Objective: The authors studied patients' perceptions of the causes of aggression by patients and their recommendations for interventions to prevent assaultive behavior.

Methods: A total of 92 inpatient and outpatient veterans, the majority of whom had a psychiatric diagnosis and some a medical diagnosis, answered questions in individual interviews about whether they had ever witnessed an assault.

Results: Fifty-two participants had witnessed aggression.