Publications by authors named "Hui-Chen Foreman"

: Cutaneous infections of fungal and bacterial origins are common. An accurate diagnosis-especially concerning pathogens that are difficult to isolate on culture-can be achieved using molecular methods (PCR) with a short turnaround time. : We reviewed records of skin specimens (superficial scrapings) submitted by dermatologists across the United States with a clinically suspected dermatitis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Onychomycosis is a tough fungal nail infection that can lead to further complications, prompting the need for accurate pathogen identification through testing to enhance treatment effectiveness.
  • - A study analyzing over 710,000 patient records from 2015-2024 utilized PCR testing, revealing a wider range of pathogens than previously known, particularly showing that non-dermatophyte molds and yeasts are significant in female patients and older adults.
  • - The use of advanced molecular diagnostics allows for quicker and more precise identification of the fungi causing onychomycosis, which can lead to better treatment choices and improved healthcare outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: There is an increasing number of reports of infections. This species is usually poorly responsive to terbinafine.

Areas Covered: A literature search was conducted in May 2024.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • There is a global rise in antifungal-resistant dermatophytosis, particularly due to mutations in the SQLE gene, affecting treatments with terbinafine.
  • A study analyzed 62,056 toenail samples over 18 months, finding significant increases in SQLE mutations, particularly the Phe397Leu and Phe415Ser substitutions, in onychomycosis patients.
  • The findings suggest that older individuals are at a greater risk for infections, and the actual prevalence of SQLE mutations might be underestimated among affected patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Onychomycosis is an under-recognized healthcare burden. Despite the risk of misdiagnosis, confirmatory laboratory testing is under-utilized. Histopathologic examination with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is currently the most effective diagnostic method; it offers direct detection and identification of a fungal invasion.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

There is an ongoing epidemic of chronic, relapsing dermatophytoses caused by Trichophyton indotineae that are unresponsive to one or multiple antifungal agents. Although this new species may have originated from the Indian subcontinent, there has been a notable increase of its reporting in other countries. Based on current literature, antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST) showed a large variation of terbinafine minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) (0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infects one-quarter of the world's population. Mtb and HIV coinfections enhance the comorbidity of tuberculosis (TB) and AIDS, accounting for one-third of all AIDS-associated mortalities. Humoral antibody to Mtb correlates with TB susceptibility, and engineering of Mtb antibodies may lead to new diagnostics and therapeutics.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) are cancer-causing viruses that establish lifelong infections in humans. Gene editing using the Cas9-guideRNA (gRNA) CRISPR system has been applied to decrease the latent load of EBV in human Burkitt lymphoma cells. Validating the efficacy of Cas9-gRNA system in eradicating infection in vivo without off-target effects to the host genome will require animal model systems.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Gammaherpesviruses (γHVs) have a dynamic strategy for lifelong persistence, involving productive infection, latency, and intermittent reactivation. In latency reservoirs, such as B lymphocytes, γHVs exist as viral episomes and express few viral genes. Although the ability of γHV to reactivate from latency and re-enter the lytic phase is challenging to investigate and control, it is known that the γHV replication and transcription activator (RTA) can promote lytic reactivation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We have developed a novel oxidized graphene nanoribbon-based platform (O-GNR) for gene delivery of double-stranded DNA into mammalian cells. O-GNRs, synthesized via longitudinal unzipping of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), exhibited efficient DNA loading of small dsDNA fragments. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy identified stretching peaks in the O-P-O and DNA sugar phosphate backbone that were consistent with DNA loading onto O-GNRs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Unlabelled: A challenging property of gammaherpesviruses is their ability to establish lifelong persistence. The establishment of latency in B cells is thought to involve active virus engagement of host signaling pathways. Pathogenic effects of these viruses during latency or following reactivation can be devastating to the host.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF