scholarly journals Evidence for a Potential Pre-Pandemic SARS-like Coronavirus Among Animals in North America

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor J Hancock ◽  
Peyton Hickman ◽  
Niloo Kazerooni ◽  
Melissa Kennedy ◽  
Stephen Anthony Kania ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cross Reactivity ◽  
Central China ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
University Of Tennessee ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The University

In late 2019, a novel coronavirus began circulating within humans in central China. It was designated SARS-CoV-2 because of its genetic similarities to the 2003 SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV). Now that SARS-CoV-2 has spread worldwide, there is a risk of it establishing new animal reservoirs and recombination with native circulating coronaviruses. To screen local animal populations in the United States for exposure to SARS-like coronaviruses, we developed a serological assay using the receptor binding domain (RBD) from SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2's RBD differs from common human and animal coronaviruses allowing us to identify animals previously infected with SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-2. Using an indirect ELISA for SARS-CoV-2's RBD, we screened serum from wild and domestic animals for the presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2's RBD. Surprisingly pre-pandemic feline serum samples submitted to the University of Tennessee Veterinary Hospital were ~70% positive for anti-SARS RBD antibodies. This was independent of prior infection with a feline coronavirus (FCoV), eliminating the possibility of FCoV cross-reactivity. We also identified several white-tailed deer from South Carolina that were also positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. These results bring up an intriguing possibility of a circulating agent (likely a coronavirus) with enough similarity to the SARS RBD to generate cross-reactive antibodies. Finding seropositive cats and white-tailed deer prior to the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, further highlights our lack of information about circulating coronaviruses in other species.

scholarly journals Substance Use Disorder: A Model for Integration in Undergraduate Medical Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 238212052110258
Author(s):  
Haritha Pavuluri ◽  
Nicolas Poupore ◽  
William Michael Schmidt ◽  
Samantha Gabrielle Boniface ◽  
Meenu Jindal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
South Carolina ◽  
Substance Use Disorder ◽  
The United States ◽  
University Of South Carolina ◽  
Community Recovery ◽  
School Of Medicine ◽  
Treatment Gaps ◽  
The University

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a debilitating chronic illness with significant morbidity and mortality across the United States. The AAMC and LCME have supported the efforts for more effective medical education of SUD to address the existing stigma, knowledge, and treatment gaps. The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and associated social, economic, and behavioral impacts have added to this urgency. The University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville (USCSOMG), in collaboration with community organizations, has successfully implemented an integrated SUD education curriculum for medical students. Students learn about SUD in basic sciences, receive case-based education during clinical exercises, and are provided the opportunity to become a recovery coach and participate in the patient and family recovery meetings through this curriculum during preclinical years. During the clinical years, SUD education is enhanced with exposure to Medication for Addition Treatment (MAT). Students also partake in the care coordination of patients with SUD between the hospital and community recovery organizations. All students receive MAT waiver training in their final year and are prepared to prescribe treatment for SUD upon graduation. The experiences in this integrated curriculum integration can perhaps assist other organizations to implement similar components and empower the next generation of physicians to be competent and effective in treating patients with SUD.

scholarly journals Development of a Smartphone-Based Nanozyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Quantitative Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Phosphoprotein in Blood

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bochao Liu ◽  
Ze Wu ◽  
Chaolan Liang ◽  
Jinhui Lu ◽  
Jinfeng Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Cross Reactivity ◽  
Quantitative Detection ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Primary Screening ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Acid Test ◽  
Control Samples

Since December 2019, a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in a global pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Although viral nucleic acid test (NAT) has been applied predominantly to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA for confirmation diagnosis of COVID-19, an urgent need for alternative, rapid, and sensitive immunoassays is required for primary screening of virus. In this study, we developed a smartphone-based nanozyme-linked immunosorbent assay (SP-NLISA) for detecting the specific nucleocapsid phosphoprotein (NP) of SARS-CoV-2 in 37 serum samples from 20 COVID-19 patients who were diagnosed by NAT previously. By using SP-NLISA, 28/37 (75.7%) serum samples were detected for NP antigens and no cross-reactivity with blood donors’ control samples collected from different areas of China. In a control assay using the conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), only 7/37 (18.91%) serum samples were detected for NP antigens and no cross-reactivity with control samples. SP-NLISA could be used for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 NP antigen in primary screening of SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals.

scholarly journals A Report from the NIMBioS/DySoC Investigative Workshop on the Mathematics of Gun Violence

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelby Scott
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Gun Violence ◽  
Biological Synthesis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Public Concern ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
University Of Tennessee ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
The University

Gun violence is a central public concern in the United States, annually leading to the deaths of 36,000 individuals and the non-fatal injuries of 85,000 others. It has been called an epidemic and a public health crisis. In May of 2019, a diverse group of researchers participated in a workshop at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. This workshop was sponsored by the Center for the Dynamics of Social Complexity (DySoC) and the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS). The objectives of this workshop were to review the existing approaches on the mathematics and modeling of gun violence, identify and prioritize areas in the field that require further research, develop cross-disciplinary collaborations to gain new perspectives, and suggest research and data collection that could assist evidence-based policy recommendations. The purpose of this report is to present some of the responses to the mentioned objectives and to suggest areas of future research .

scholarly journals Comparative Performance of SARS-CoV-2 Detection Assays Using Seven Different Primer-Probe Sets and One Assay Kit

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arun K. Nalla ◽  
Amanda M. Casto ◽  
Meei-Li W. Huang ◽  
Garrett A. Perchetti ◽  
Reigran Sampoleo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Cross Reactivity ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Comparative Performance ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
The University ◽  
Testing Protocols ◽  
Probe Set

ABSTRACT Nearly 400,000 people worldwide are known to have been infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) beginning in December 2019. The virus has now spread to over 168 countries including the United States, where the first cluster of cases was observed in the Seattle metropolitan area in Washington. Given the rapid increase in the number of cases in many localities, the availability of accurate, high-throughput SARS-CoV-2 testing is vital to efforts to manage the current public health crisis. In the course of optimizing SARS-CoV-2 testing performed by the University of Washington Clinical Virology Lab (UW Virology Lab), we evaluated assays using seven different primer-probe sets and one assay kit. We found that the most sensitive assays were those that used the E-gene primer-probe set described by Corman et al. (V. M. Corman, O. Landt, M. Kaiser, R. Molenkamp, et al., Euro Surveill 25:2000045, 2020, https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.3.2000045) and the N2 set developed by the CDC (Division of Viral Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/rt-pcr-panel-primer-probes.pdf). All assays tested were found to be highly specific for SARS-CoV-2, with no cross-reactivity with other respiratory viruses observed in our analyses regardless of the primer-probe set or kit used. These results will provide valuable information to other clinical laboratories who are actively developing SARS-CoV-2 testing protocols at a time when increased testing capacity is urgently needed worldwide.

scholarly journals Characterization of Anaplasma phagocytophilum Major Surface Protein 5 and the Extent of Its Cross-Reactivity with A. marginale

2007 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 262-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. I. Strik ◽  
A. R. Alleman ◽  
A. F. Barbet ◽  
H. L. Sorenson ◽  
H. L. Wamsley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Anaplasma Phagocytophilum ◽  
Indirect Elisa ◽  
Surface Protein ◽  
Anaplasma Marginale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cross Reactivity ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Major Surface Protein ◽  
Major Surface

ABSTRACT Major surface protein 5 (Msp5) of Anaplasma marginale is highly conserved in the genus Anaplasma and the antigen used in a commercially available competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) for serologic identification of cattle with anaplasmosis. This study analyzes the degrees of conservation of Msp5 among various isolates of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and the extent of serologic cross-reactivity between recombinant Msp5 (rMsp5) of Anaplasma marginale and A. phagocytophilum. The msp5 genes from various isolates of A. phagocytophilum were sequenced and compared. rMsp5 proteins of A. phagocytophilum and A. marginale were used separately in an indirect ELISA to detect cross-reactivity in serum samples from humans and dogs infected with A. phagocytophilum and cattle infected with A. marginale. Serum samples were also tested with a commercially available competitive ELISA that uses monoclonal antibody ANAF16C1. There were 100% sequence identities in the msp5 genes among all of the A. phagocytophilum isolates from the United States and a horse isolate from Sweden. Sheep isolates from Norway and dog isolates from Sweden were 99% identical to one another but differed in 17 base pairs from the United States isolates and the horse isolate. Serologic cross-reactivity was identified when serum samples from cattle infected with A. marginale were reacted with rMsp5 of A. phagocytophilum and when serum samples from humans and dogs infected with A. phagocytophilum were reacted with rMsp5 of A. marginale in an indirect-ELISA format. Serum samples from dogs or humans infected with A. phagocytophilum did not cross-react with rMsp5 of A. marginale when tested with the commercially available cELISA. These results suggest that rMsp5 of A. phagocytophilum is highly conserved among United States and European isolates and that serologic distinction between A. phagocytophilum and A. marginale infections cannot be accomplished if rMsp5 from either organism is used in an indirect ELISA.

scholarly journals Toward Our Reformation

2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 101-104
Author(s):  
David L. Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Islamic Law ◽  
The United States ◽  
Protestant Reformation ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
University Of Tennessee ◽  
Rubber Stamp ◽  
P 16 ◽  
The University ◽  
Abuse Of Women

Understandably, Muslims tend to bristle at the common quip by non-Muslims (especially in the West) that Islam is badly in need of a “Reformation” – referring to the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation that, despite the violence it unleashed in Europe for the next two centuries, did actually engender some positive changes within the Catholic church. No people, regardless of who they are or where they live, like outsiders telling them that they need to set their house in order. This book, by contrast, is written by an insider telling other insiders (Muslims) that Islamic law needs serious revamping, a weighty charge indeed. The author faces an extra hurdle based on the fact that he does not belong to the traditional ulama class, the gatekeepers of Islamic jurisprudence. Farooq earned a Ph.D. in economics at the University of Tennessee, taught in the United States for over a decade, and now heads the Bahrain Institute for Banking and Finance’s Centre for Islamic Finance. Rashid Rida would have said in his day that Farooq represents the new face of the ulama: one well versed in many aspects of the Islamic sciences and yet, because of his parallel expertise in the modern sciences, one who could provide indispensable guidance to society in the name of Islam. Why does Islam need a reformation? Much of the book seeks to expose the abuse, misapplication, and distortion of the Shari‘ah committed by states and individual ulama alike, for it “is being used to rubber stamp extremist, violent behavior, the abuse of women, and the unfair control and imprisonment of human beings” (p. 16). Speaking of South Asia in particular, he writes that the following are “prevalent”: “[t]he torture and persecution of brides over their dowry, the throwing of acid onto girls who do not either want to accept a proposal of marriage or to concede to extramarital sex, the practice of honor killings and so on …” (p. 86) ...  

scholarly journals CANNING AND TASTING EVALUATION OF THE SOUTHERNPEA COOPERATIVE TRIAL IN ARKANSAS

HortScience ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 876e-876
Author(s):  
Danielle Williams ◽  
Teddy Morelock ◽  
Eddy Stiles
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
The United States ◽  
University Of Arkansas ◽  
Yield Data ◽  
Breeding Lines ◽  
Industry Standards ◽  
Yield Trial ◽  
Cooperative Trial ◽  
Water Salt ◽  
The University

There are four southernpea breeding programs left in the United States: USDA-South Carolina, Louisiana, Texas and the largest at University of Arkansas. Selected breeding lines from these programs are grown in the Southernpea Cooperative Trial along with industry standards as checks. The yield trial is conducted in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. Each location collects yield data; at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville samples are also canned at the Department of Food Science Pilot Plant Facility. The process we use for canning southernpeas is similar to that used in the industry. Dry weights are recorded then soaked overnight in water. Imbibed weights are recorded after the peas are drained, blanched, and cooled. A weighed amount of peas are placed in each can; prepared brine (water, salt, and preservatives) is poured to the top of the can. The cans are sealed then cooked in a retort. The cans set a month before the tasting evaluation. For the tasting evaluation we use a minimum of 10 individuals for a consumer panel. Panelists rate pea color, liquor color, wholeness, texture, flavor, and the general appearance on a scale of 1–10, 10 being best. The industry standards are included, these are used as checks. This allows breeders to see how their lines look and taste as a canned product.

scholarly journals Cross-reactive neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 by serum antibodies from recovered SARS patients and immunized animals

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanmei Zhu ◽  
Danwei Yu ◽  
Yang Han ◽  
Hongxia Yan ◽  
Huihui Chong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Receptor Binding ◽  
Cross Reactivity ◽  
Social Stability ◽  
Receptor Binding Domain ◽  
Serum Antibodies ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
S Protein ◽  
Palm Civet ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

AbstractThe current COVID-19 pandemic, caused by a novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, poses serious threats to public health and social stability, calling for urgent need for vaccines and therapeutics. SARS-CoV-2 is genetically close to SARS-CoV, thus it is important to define the between antigenic cross-reactivity and neutralization. In this study, we firstly analyzed 20 convalescent serum samples collected from SARS-CoV infected individuals during the 2003 SARS outbreak. All patient sera reacted strongly with the S1 subunit and receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV, cross-reacted with the S ectodomain, S1, RBD, and S2 proteins of SARS-CoV-2, and neutralized both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 S protein-driven infections. Multiple panels of antisera from mice and rabbits immunized with a full-length S and RBD immunogens of SARS-CoV were also characterized, verifying the cross-reactive neutralization against SARS-CoV-2. Interestingly, we found that a palm civet SARS-CoV-derived RBD elicited more potent cross-neutralizing responses in immunized animals than the RBD from a human SARS-CoV strain, informing a strategy to develop a universe vaccine against emerging CoVs.SummarySerum antibodies from SARS-CoV infected patients and immunized animals cross-neutralize SARS-CoV-2 suggests strategies for universe vaccines against emerging CoVs.

scholarly journals A high-throughput microsphere-based immunoassay of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM testing for COVID-19 diagnostics

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0248444
Author(s):  
Dayu Zhang ◽  
Tianyang Xu ◽  
Eric Chu ◽  
Aiguo Zhang ◽  
Jinwei Du ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Cross Reactivity ◽  
Antibody Detection ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Igg Antibody ◽  
Igm Antibody ◽  
Percent Agreement ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Individual

The pandemic of novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 is rapidly expanding across the world. A positive result of antibody tests suggests that the individual has potentially been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, thus allowing to identify asymptomatic infections and determine the seroprevalence in a given population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performances of a newly developed high throughput immunoassay for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM antibody detection on the Luminex MAGPIX platform. Clinical agreement studies were performed in 42 COVID-19 patient serum samples and 162 negative donor serum/plasma samples. Positive percent agreement (PPA) was 42.86% (95% CI: 9.90% to 81.59%), 71.43% (95% CI: 29.04% to 96.33%), and 28.57% (95% CI: 13.22% to 48.67%) for samples collected on 0–7 days, 8–14 days, and 2–8 weeks from symptom onset, respectively. Negative Percent Agreement (NPA) was 97.53% (95% CI: 93.80% to 99.32%). There was no cross-reactivity with the SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody. Hemoglobin (200 mg/dL), bilirubin (2 mg/dL), triglyceride (250 mg/dL) and EDTA (10 mM) showed no significant interfering effect on this assay. In conclusion, an anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM antibody assay with high sensitivity and specificity has been developed. With the high throughput, this assay will speed up the anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM testing.

scholarly journals Operational Impacts of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic and Early Recovery Trends: University of Washington Anatomic Pathology Experience

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Isaac Miller ◽  
Kelly D. Smith ◽  
Luis Francisco Gonzalez-Cuyar ◽  
Paul E Swanson
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Early Recovery ◽  
Institutional Policies ◽  
University Of Washington ◽  
Anatomic Pathology ◽  
Specimen Volume ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Operational Impacts ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Context: The novel coronavirus virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) causing the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in worldwide disruption to the delivery of patient care. The Seattle Washington metropolitan area was one of the first in the United States affected by the pandemic. As a result, the anatomic pathology services at the University of Washington experienced significant changes in operational volumes early in the pandemic. Objective: To assess the impact of COVID-19 and both state and institutional policies implemented to mitigate viral transmission (including institutional policies on non-urgent procedures) on anatomic pathology volumes. Design: Accessioned specimens from January 2020 to June 2020 was evaluated as COVID-19 and institutional policies changed. The data were considered in these contexts: subspecialty, billable CPT codes, and intraoperative consultation. Comparable data were retrieved from 2019 as a historical control. Results: There was a significant reduction in overall accessioned volume (up to 79%) from pre-pandemic levels, during bans on non-urgent procedures when compared to 2020 pre- COVID-19 volumes and historical controls. The gastrointestinal and dermatopathology services were most impacted, while breast and combined head&neck/pulmonary services were least impacted. CPT code 88305, for smaller/biopsy specimens, had a 63% reduction during non-urgent procedure bans. After all bans on procedures were lifted, the overall volume plateaued at 89% of pre-pandemic levels. Conclusions: A significant decrease in specimen volume was most strongly associated with bans on non-urgent procedures. While all departmental areas had a decrease in volume, the extent of change varied across subspecialty and specimen types. Even with removing all bans, service volume did not reach pre-pandemic levels.

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