Last data update: May 06, 2024. (Total: 46732 publications since 2009)
Records 1-5 (of 5 Records) |
Query Trace: Nestor C[original query] |
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Hepatitis C virus antigenic convergence.
Campo DS , Dimitrova Z , Yokosawa J , Hoang D , Perez NO , Ramachandran S , Khudyakov Y . Sci Rep 2012 2 267 Vaccine development against hepatitis C virus (HCV) is hindered by poor understanding of factors defining cross-immunoreactivity among heterogeneous epitopes. Using synthetic peptides and mouse immunization as a model, we conducted a quantitative analysis of cross-immunoreactivity among variants of the HCV hypervariable region 1 (HVR1). Analysis of 26,883 immunological reactions among pairs of peptides showed that the distribution of cross-immunoreactivity among HVR1 variants was skewed, with antibodies against a few variants reacting with all tested peptides. The HVR1 cross-immunoreactivity was accurately modeled based on amino acid sequence alone. The tested peptides were mapped in the HVR1 sequence space, which was visualized as a network of 11,319 sequences. The HVR1 variants with a greater network centrality showed a broader cross-immunoreactivity. The entire sequence space is explored by each HCV genotype and subtype. These findings indicate that HVR1 antigenic diversity is extensively convergent and effectively limited, suggesting significant implications for vaccine development. |
Attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions associated with mask wearing within four racial and ethnic groups early in the COVID-19 pandemic
Earle-Richardson G , Nestor C , Fisher KA , Soelaeman RH , Calanan RM , Yee D , Craig C , Reese P , Prue CE . J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 2023 1-15 BACKGROUND: While previous studies have identified a range of factors associated with mask wearing in the US, little is known about drivers of mask-wearing among racial and ethnic minority groups. This analysis assessed whether factors positively associated with wearing a mask early in the pandemic differed between participants grouped by race/ethnicity (Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic Asian, and non-Hispanic White). METHOD: Data were obtained from a US internet panel survey of 3217 respondents during May-November 2020 (weighted by race/ethnicity, age, gender, and education to the US national population). Within each of the four available racial/ethnic groups, crude and adjusted odds ratios (COR and AOR) were calculated using logistic regression to assess factors positively associated with wearing a mask. Adjusted models were controlled for age, gender, education, county COVID-19 case count, presence of a state-issued mask mandate, and interview month. RESULTS: The following variables were most strongly positively associated with mask wearing (p<0.05) in each racial/ethnic group: Hispanic-seeing others wearing masks (AOR: 6.7), importance of wearing a mask combined with social distancing (AOR: 3.0); non-Hispanic Black-belief that wearing a mask would protect others from coronavirus (AOR: 5.1), reporting hearing that one should wear a mask (AOR: 3.6); non-Hispanic Asian-belief that people important to them believe they should wear a mask (COR: 5.1, not statistically significant); and non-Hispanic White-seeing others wearing masks (AOR: 3.1), importance of wearing a mask (AOR: 2.3). CONCLUSION: Public health efforts to encourage mask wearing should consider the diversity of behavioral influences within different population groups. |
Exploring parent-engaged developmental monitoring of young children before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, Porter Novelli Styles 2019 and 2021
Nestor C , Sonikar P , Eberhardt A , Ajiboye AS , Tinker S , Green KK . Disabil Health J 2023 101474 BACKGROUND: Early identification of developmental delays may have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Parental engagement in developmental monitoring is a key component to successfully identifying developmental concerns. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this project was to understand whether parental engagement in developmental monitoring changed over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, from Spring 2019 to Fall 2021. METHODS: Survey data were obtained from 2019 SpringStyles and 2021 FallStyles Porter Novelli Public Services ConsumerStyles cross-sectional surveys. Only respondents with at least one child under the age of 8 at the time of the survey were included in the analytic sample (2019 N = 403; 2021 N = 344). Participants were asked several questions about how they monitor their children's development. Changes in frequency of developmental monitoring from 2019 to 2021 were estimated using chi-squared tests. RESULTS: In both 2019 and 2021, 89% of parents reported engaging in any type of developmental monitoring. Within the group of parents who engaged in any monitoring, there were no differences across years in the percentage of parents reporting using the methods surveyed, except that a smaller percentage reported comparing their children to others in 2021 (25%) compared to 2019 (36%, p < 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Despite major disruptions to families' lives, there were no significant changes to parents' overall engagement in developmental monitoring prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Effects of buprenorphine treatment on influenza pathogenesis in the ferret (Mustela putorius furo)
Mrotz VJ , Nestor KM , Maines TR , Powell N , Belser JA . Comp Med 2022 72 (1) 22-29 Ferrets are the gold-standard model for influenza A virus (IAV) research due to their natural susceptibility to human and zoonotic IAV, comparable respiratory anatomy and physiology to humans, and development of clinical signs similar to those seen in infected people. Because the presence and progression of clinical signs can be useful in infectious disease research, uncertainty in how analgesics alter research outcomes or compromise characteristics of disease progression have outweighed the concern regarding animal discomfort from these symptoms. Nonetheless, the principles of animal research require consideration of refinements for this important model for IAV research. Opioids offer a possible refinement option that would not directly affect the inflammatory cascade involved in IAV infection. Mirroring pathogenicity studies that use ferrets, 12 ferrets were inoculated intranasally with the A(H3N2) IAV A/Panama/2007/1999 and divided into 3 treatment groups ( n = 4 each), of which 2 groups received buprenorphine treatments on different schedules and the third received a saline control. The duration and location of viral replication, lymphohematopoietic changes, and clinical signs were comparable across all groups at all time points. High quantities of infectious virus in nasal wash specimens were detected in ferrets from all groups through day 5 after inoculation, and peak viral titers from the upper respiratory tract did not differ between ferrets receiving buprenorphine treatments on either schedule. Compared with the saline group, ferrets receiving buprenorphine exhibited transient weight loss and pyrexia, but all groups ultimately achieved similar peaks in both of these measurements. Collectively, these findings support the continued evaluation of buprenorphine as a refinement for IAV-challenged ferrets. |
Prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, and fibrinogen reference intervals for inbred strain 13/N guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) and validation of low volume sample analysis
Condrey JA , Flietstra T , Nestor KM , Schlosser EL , Coleman-McCray JD , Genzer SC , Welch SR , Spengler JR . Microorganisms 2020 8 (8) Inbred strain 13/N guinea pigs are used as small animal models for the study of hemorrhagic fever viruses. Coagulation abnormalities, including prolonged clotting times and bleeding, are characteristic of hemorrhagic fever in humans; patients often meet criteria for disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Comprehensively evaluating coagulation function is critical in model development and studies of viral pathogenesis and therapeutic efficacy. Here, using the VetScan VSpro veterinary point-of-care platform, we developed reference intervals in both juvenile and adult strain 13/N guinea pigs for three coagulation parameters: prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and fibrinogen. In addition, for situations or species with limited availability of blood for clinical analysis, we investigated the validity of a modified collection approach for low-volume (0.1 mL) blood sample analysis of PT and aPTT. |
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