Background. Common cold viruses create significant health and financial burdens, and understanding key loci of transmission would help focus control strategies. This study (1) examines factors that influence when individuals transition from a negative to positive test (acquisition) or a positive to negative test (loss) of rhinovirus (HRV) and other respiratory tract viruses in 26 households followed weekly for one year, (2) investigates evidence for intrahousehold and interhousehold transmission and the characteristics of individuals implicated in transmission, and (3) builds data-based simulation models to identify factors that most strongly affect patterns of prevalence. Methods. We detected HRV, coronavirus, paramyxovirus, influenza and bocavirus with the FilmArray polymerase chain reaction (PCR) platform (BioFire Diagnostics, LLC). We used logistic regression to find covariates affecting acquisition or loss of HRV including demographic characteristics of individuals, their household, their current infection status, and prevalence within their household and across the population. We apply generalized linear mixed models to test robustness of results. Results. Acquisition of HRV was less probable in older individuals and those infected with a coronavirus, and higher with a higher proportion of other household members infected. Loss of HRV is reduced with a higher proportion of other household members infected. Within households, only children and symptomatic individuals show evidence for transmission, while between households only a higher number of infected older children (ages 5-19) increases the probability of acquisition. Coronaviruses, paramyxoviruses and bocavirus also show evidence of intrahousehold transmission. Simulations show that age-dependent susceptibility and transmission have the largest effects on mean HRV prevalence. Conclusions. Children are most likely to acquire and most likely to transmit HRV both within and between households, with infectiousness concentrated in symptomatic children. Simulations predict that the spread of HRV and other respiratory tract viruses can be reduced but not eliminated by practices within the home.
The data set includes individual images of mouse cochleae, both scanning electron micrographs and fluorescent micrographs, used to generate aggregated data described in Pecha PP, Almishaal AA, Mathur PD, et al. Role of Free Radical Formation in Murine Cytomegalovirus–Induced Hearing Loss. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. 2020;162(5):709-717. doi:10.1177/0194599820901485 and Objectives
The goal of the study was to determine whether reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediates cytomegalovirus (CMV)–induced labyrinthitis.
Study Design
Murine model of CMV infection.
Subjects and Methods
Nrf2 knockout mice were inoculated with murine CMV. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) were then performed on these and uninfected controls. BALB/c mice were inoculated with murine CMV to determine whether a marker for ROS production, dihydroethidium (DHE), is expressed 7 days after inoculation. Finally, 2 antioxidants—D-methionine and ACE-Mg (vitamins A, C, and E with magnesium)—were administered 1 hour before and after infection in inoculated mice for 14 days. Temporal bones were harvested at postnatal day 10 for DHE detection. ABR and DPOAE testing was done at postnatal day 30. Scanning electron microscopy was also performed at postnatal day 30 to evaluate outer hair cell integrity.
Results
Nrf2-infected mice had worse hearing than uninfected mice (P < .001). A statistically significant increase in DHE fluorescence was detected in BALB/c-infected mice as compared with uninfected mice 7 days after inoculation. D-methionine- and ACE-Mg-treated mice demonstrated an attenuation of the DHE fluorescence and a significant improvement in ABR and DPOAE thresholds when compared with untreated infected controls (P < .0001). Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated less outer hair cell loss in the treated versus untreated infected controls.
Conclusion
These results demonstrate for the first time that excessive ROS mediates CMV-induced hearing loss in a mouse model.
The Purkinje system (PS) and the His bundle have been recently implicated as an important driver of the rapid activation rate after 1-2 minutes of ventricular fibrillation (VF). It is unknown whether activations during VF propagate through the His-Purkinje system to other portions of the the working myocardium (WM). Little is known about restitution characteristic differences between the His bundle and working myocardium at short cycle lengths. In this study, rabbit hearts (n=9) were isolated, Langendorff- perfused, and electromechanically uncoupled with blebbistatin (10 μM). Pacing pulses were delivered directly to the His bundle. By using standard glass microelectrodes, action potentials duration (APD) from the His bundle and WM were obtained simultaneously over a wide range of stimulation cycle lengths (CL). The global F-test indicated that the two restitution curves of the His bundle and the WM are statistically significantly different (P<0.05). Also, the APD of the His bundle was significantly shorter than that of WM throughout the whole pacing course (P<0.001). The CL at which alternans developed in the His bundle vs. the WM were shorter for the His bundle (134.2±13.1ms vs. 148.3±13.3ms, P<0.01) and 2:1 block developed at a shorter CL in the His bundle than in WM (130.0±10.0 vs. 145.6±14.2ms, P<0.01). The His bundle APD was significantly shorter than that of WM under both slow and rapid pacing rates, which suggest that there may be an excitable gap during VF and that the His bundle may conduct wavefronts from one bundle branch to the other at short cycle lengths and during VF.
While several studies have qualitatively investigated age- and region-dependent adhesion between the vitreous and retina, no studies have directly measured the vitreoretinal strength of adhesion. In this study, we developed a rotational peel device and associated methodology to measure the maximum and steady-state peel forces between the vitreous and the retina. Vitreoretinal adhesion in the equator and posterior pole were measured in human eyes from donors ranging 30 to 79 years of age, and in sheep eyes from premature, neonatal, young lamb, and young adult sheep. In human eyes, maximum peel force in the equator (7.24 ± 4.13 mN) was greater than in the posterior pole (4.08 ± 2.03 mN). This trend was especially evident for younger eyes from donors 30 to 39 years of age. After 60 years of age, there was a significant decrease in the maximum equatorial (4.69 ± 2.52 mN, p = 0.016) and posterior pole adhesion (2.95 ± 1.25 mN, p = 0.037). In immature sheep eyes, maximum adhesion was 7.60 ± 3.06 mN, and did not significantly differ between the equator and posterior pole until young adulthood. At this age, the maximum adhesion in the equator nearly doubled (16.67 ± 7.45 mN) that of the posterior pole, similar to the young adult human eyes. Light microscopy images suggest more disruption of the inner limiting membrane (ILM) in immature sheep eyes compared to adult sheep eyes. Interestingly, in human eyes, ILM disruption was significantly greater in the posterior pole (p < 0.05) and in people over 60 years of age (p < 0.02). These findings supplement the current discussion surrounding age-related posterior vitreous detachment, and the risk factors and physiological progressions associated with this condition. In addition, these data further our understanding of the biomechanical mechanisms of vitreoretinal adhesion, and can be used to develop age- appropriate computational models simulating retinal detachment, hemorrhaging, or retinal trauma.
See Creveling CJ, Colter J, Coats B. 2018. Changes in vitreoretinal adhesion with age and region in human and sheep eyes. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2018.00153.
Current treatments for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections require intravenously delivered vancomycin; however, systemically delivered vancomycin has its problems. To determine the feasibility and safety of locally delivering vancomycin hydrochloride (~25 mg/Kg) to the medullary canal of long bones, we conducted a pharmacokinetics study using a rat tibia model. We found that administering the vancomycin intraosseously resulted in very low concentrations of vancomycin in the blood plasma and the muscle surrounding the tibia, reducing the risk for systemic toxicity, which is often seen with traditional intravenous administration of vancomycin. Additionally, we were able to inhibit the development of osteomyelitis in the tibia if the treatment was administered locally at the same time as a bacterial inoculum (i.e., Log10 7.82 CFU/mL or 6.62x107 CFU/mL), when compared to an untreated group. These findings suggest that local intramedullary vancomycin delivery can achieve sufficiently high local concentrations to prevent development of osteomyelitis while minimizing systemic toxicity.
This dataset provides access to data from personnel records of miner employment from 1900–1919. Records from the Utah Copper Company are handwritten and contain the following employee information: name, date employed, address, dependents, age, weight, height, eyes, hair, gender, and nationality. Data has been transcribed and released as a .tsv (Tab Separated Values) file. Technical metadata has been redacted.
This dataset contains room occupancy during the study period at University of Utah hospital. Admission, Discharge, and Transfer (ADT) data is captured in participating hospitals to characterize room occupancy and non-occupancy in wards. These data are pulled from multiple sources collected during the study by study staff as well as harvested EHR data. Data were adjudicated and compiled into one comprehensive file. Data manipulation included redaction of dates, replaced with study days 1-n, as well as transformation from long format to wide for ease of use.
The objective of using the wireless sensors was to improve understanding of the heterogeneity of healthcare worker (HCW) contact with patients and the physical environment in patients’ rooms. The framework and design were based on contact networks with a) nodes defined by HCW’s, rooms, and items in the room and b) edges defined by HCW’s in the room, near the bed, and touching items. Nodes had characteristics of HCW role and room number. Edges had characteristics of day, start time, and duration. Thus, patterns and heterogeneity could be understood within contexts of time, space, roles, and patient characteristics. At the University of Utah Hospital Cardiovascular ICU (CVICU), a 20-bed unit, we collected data for 54 days. HCW contact with patients was measured using wireless sensors to capture time spent in patient rooms as well as time spent near the patient bed. HCW contact with the physical environment was measured using wireless sensors on the following items in patient rooms: door, sink, toilet, over-bed table, keyboard, vital signs monitor touchscreen, and cart. HCW’s clipped a sensor to their clothing or lanyard. This dataset contains cleaned sensor pings of RFD reads between healthcare worker worn sensors and environmental sensors placed in facility using methods described in the "Data Cleaning Steps" section.
The microbiology data represents the microorganisms recovered during the study period at the University of Utah hospital from samples collected from patients, environmental surfaces, and healthcare personnel (HCP) hands using premoistened sponges. Patient samples were collected daily from the axilla, groin, and perianal areas or stool. Environmental samples were collected daily from room surfaces and unit common areas (such as bed rails, overbed tables, door handles, computer keyboards, and other high-touch areas). HCP hands were periodically sampled upon HCP exit from a patient room after engaging in health care activities. Samples were collected from the 20-bed University of Utah Hospital Cardiovascular ICU (CVICU) over a 54 day period. The information from these datasets can be used to understand how different organisms appear and move throughout a hospital ward over a period of time.
A comprehensive geochemical and stratigraphic study of Cretaceous coal-bearing strata in Utah and western Colorado was performed to evaluate geologic trends in REE-enrichment, as well as elucidate enrichment mechanisms. Preliminary portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analyses (n = 5659) was combined with Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) analyses (n = 135) on particularly REE-enriched samples. Sampling and analyses from active and historic mines as well as nearby cores and outcrops were performed with an emphasis on sedimentary, stratigraphic, geographic, and mining context.