Increased Vaccine Uptake Among Eligible Patients at a Veterans Affairs Hospital Through an Inpatient COVID-19 Vaccination Program, Atlanta, Georgia, 2021.

Objective: Inpatient vaccination is an opportunity to increase vaccine uptake among patients at high risk for severe COVID-19 illness. We designed and implemented a hospital-based COVID-19 vaccination program with the aim of increasing documentation of vaccine eligibility and COVID-19 vaccination to eligible inpatients before discharge.

Methods: We integrated a templated note into the electronic medical records and trained health care personnel to screen inpatients and document COVID-19 vaccine eligibility at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Evaluation of a Virtual Training to Enhance Public Health Capacity for COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control in Nursing Homes.

Context: Between April 2020 and May 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded more than $40 billion to health departments nationwide for COVID-19 prevention and response activities. One of the identified priorities for this investment was improving infection prevention and control (IPC) in nursing homes.

Program: CDC developed a virtual course to train new and less experienced public health staff in core healthcare IPC principles and in the application of CDC COVID-19 healthcare IPC guidance for nursing homes.

Molecular surveillance for large outbreaks of tuberculosis in the United States, 2014-2018.

Objective: This study describes characteristics of large tuberculosis (TB) outbreaks in the United States detected using novel molecular surveillance methods during 2014-2016 and followed for 2 years through 2018.

Methods: We developed 4 genotype-based detection algorithms to identify large TB outbreaks of ≥10 cases related by recent transmission during a 3-year period. We used whole-genome sequencing and epidemiologic data to assess evidence of recent transmission among cases.

Investigation of Bacterial Infections Among Patients Treated With Umbilical Cord Blood-Derived Products Marketed as Stem Cell Therapies.

Importance: The number of clinics marketing stem cell products for joint diseases, chronic pain, and most recently, COVID-19, has increased despite warnings from the US Food and Drug Administration that stem cell products for these and other indications have not been proven safe or effective.

Objective: To examine bacterial infections in 20 patients who received umbilical cord blood-derived products marketed as stem cell treatment.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This case series is a national public health investigation including case-finding, medical record review and abstraction, and laboratory investigation, including sterility testing of products and whole-genome sequencing of patient and product isolates.

-Amplified Neuroblastoma Is Addicted to Iron and Vulnerable to Inhibition of the System Xc-/Glutathione Axis.

is amplified in 20% to 25% of neuroblastoma, and -amplified neuroblastoma contributes to a large percent of pediatric cancer-related deaths. Therapy improvements for this subtype of cancer are a high priority. Here we uncover a MYCN-dependent therapeutic vulnerability in neuroblastoma.

Analysis of Severe Adverse Events Reported Among Patients Receiving Isoniazid-Rifapentine Treatment for Latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection-United States, 2012-2016.

We analyzed data from 2012 to 2016 for patients who were hospitalized or who died after ≥1 dose of isoniazid-rifapentine for treatment of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. No patients died; 15 were hospitalized. Nine patients experienced hypotension, and 5 had elevated serum aminotransferases, reinforcing the need for vigilant monitoring during treatment.

The Ewing Family of Tumors Relies on BCL-2 and BCL-X to Escape PARP Inhibitor Toxicity.

Purpose: It was recently demonstrated that the translocation contributes to the hypersensitivity of Ewing sarcoma to PARP inhibitors, prompting clinical evaluation of olaparib in a cohort of heavily pretreated Ewing sarcoma tumors. Unfortunately, olaparib activity was disappointing, suggesting an underappreciated resistance mechanism to PARP inhibition in patients with Ewing sarcoma. We sought to elucidate the resistance factors to PARP inhibitor therapy in Ewing sarcoma and identify a rational drug combination capable of rescuing PARP inhibitor activity.

Increased Synthesis of MCL-1 Protein Underlies Initial Survival of -Mutant Lung Cancer to EGFR Inhibitors and Provides a Novel Drug Target.

EGFR inhibitors (EGFRi) are effective against -mutant lung cancers. The efficacy of these drugs, however, is mitigated by the outgrowth of resistant cells, most often driven by a secondary acquired mutation in EGFR, We recently demonstrated that can arise during treatment; it follows that one potential therapeutic strategy to thwart resistance would be identifying and eliminating these cells [referred to as drug-tolerant cells (DTC)] prior to acquiring secondary mutations like We have developed DTCs to EGFRi in -mutant lung cancer cell lines. Subsequent analyses of DTCs included RNA-seq, high-content microscopy, and protein translational assays.

Targeted inhibition of histone H3K27 demethylation is effective in high-risk neuroblastoma.

High-risk neuroblastoma is often distinguished by amplification of and loss of differentiation potential. We performed high-throughput drug screening of epigenetic-targeted therapies across a large and diverse tumor cell line panel and uncovered the hypersensitivity of neuroblastoma cells to GSK-J4, a small-molecule dual inhibitor of lysine 27 of histone 3 (H3K27) demethylases ubiquitously transcribed tetratricopeptide repeat, X chromosome (UTX), and histone demethylase Jumonji D3 (JMJD3). Mechanistically, GSK-J4 induced neuroblastoma differentiation and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, with accompanying up-regulation of p53 up-regulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA) and induction of cell death.

Statistical Method to Detect Tuberculosis Outbreaks among Endemic Clusters in a Low-Incidence Setting.

We previously reported use of genotype surveillance data to predict outbreaks among incident tuberculosis clusters. We propose a method to detect possible outbreaks among endemic tuberculosis clusters. We detected 15 possible outbreaks, of which 10 had epidemiologic data or whole-genome sequencing results.

Venetoclax Is Effective in Small-Cell Lung Cancers with High BCL-2 Expression.

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an often-fatal neuroendocrine carcinoma usually presenting as extensive disease, carrying a 3% 5-year survival. Despite notable advances in SCLC genomics, new therapies remain elusive, largely due to a lack of druggable targets. We used a high-throughput drug screen to identify a venetoclax-sensitive SCLC subpopulation and validated the findings with multiple patient-derived xenografts of SCLC.

Outbreak of Drug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Among Homeless People in Atlanta, Georgia, 2008-2015.

Objectives: Our objective was to describe and determine the factors contributing to a recent drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) outbreak in Georgia.

Methods: We defined an outbreak case as TB diagnosed from March 2008 through December 2015 in a person residing in Georgia at the time of diagnosis and for whom (1) the genotype of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolate was consistent with the outbreak strain or (2) TB was diagnosed clinically without a genotyped isolate available and connections were established to another outbreak-associated patient. To determine factors contributing to transmission, we interviewed patients and reviewed health records, homeless facility overnight rosters, and local jail booking records.

Tuberculosis Outbreaks in the United States, 2009-2015.

Objectives: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides on-site epidemiologic assistance for outbreak response when the health capacity of state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments has been exceeded. We examined recent outbreaks of tuberculosis (TB) for which health departments needed assistance.

Methods: We defined a TB outbreak as detection of ≥3 TB cases related by transmission, as suggested by routine genotyping and epidemiologic linkages.

Tuberculosis Among Incarcerated Hispanic Persons in the United States, 1993-2014.

We examined the National tuberculosis surveillance system to describe Hispanic persons who were incarcerated at time of tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis and to compare their characteristics with those of non-Hispanic incarcerated TB patients. After declines between 1993 and 2002, the annual proportion of Hispanic TB patients who were incarcerated grew from 4.9% in 2003 to 8.