Current Research

COVID-19 Published Articles by UAB Faculty

How Central Ugandan HIV Clinics Adapted During COVID-19 Lockdown Restrictions to Promote Continuous Access to Care: A Qualitative Analysis June 2, 2023
We used qualitative data from the Partners PrEP Program (PPP) to address the question: How did Central Ugandan HIV clinics adapt to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions to promote continuous access to HIV care? PPP was a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial of integrated PrEP and ART delivery for HIV serodifferent couples at Central Ugandan HIV clinics (NCT03586128). […]
Norma C Ware
Effect of P2Y12 Inhibitors on Organ Support-Free Survival in Critically Ill Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial May 25, 2023
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this randomized clinical trial of critically ill participants hospitalized for COVID-19, treatment with a P2Y12 inhibitor did not improve the number of days alive and free of cardiovascular or respiratory organ support. The use of the P2Y12 inhibitor did not increase major bleeding compared with usual care. These data do not […]
Jeffrey S Berger
Outcomes Following Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Severe COVID-19 in Pregnancy or Post Partum May 22, 2023
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this multicenter US cohort study of pregnant and postpartum patients who required ECMO for COVID-19-associated respiratory failure, most survived but experienced a high frequency of serious maternal morbidity.
John J Byrne
Feeling safe versus being safe: Perceptions of safety versus actual disease exposure across the entire health care team May 20, 2023
As supply chains experienced disruptions early in the COVID-19 pandemic, personal protective equipment (PPE) quickly became scarce. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of perceptions of inadequate PPE, fear of COVID-19 infection, and self-reported direct COVID-19 exposure on health care workers. Data to assess distress, resilience, social-ecological factors, and work and […]
Laurence M Boitet
Baricitinib Treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Is Associated With a Reduction in Secondary Infections May 19, 2023
We performed a secondary analysis of the National Institutes of Health-sponsored Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial (ACTT-2) randomized controlled trial and found that baricitinib was associated with a 50% reduction in secondary infections after controlling for baseline and postrandomization patient characteristics. This finding provides a novel mechanism of benefit for baricitinib and supports the safety profile […]
Daniel A Sweeney
Burnout During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Report on Pediatric Residents May 19, 2023
CONCLUSIONS: Burnout rates within reporting programs decreased significantly in 2020 and returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2021. Increased burnout was associated with perceived increases in workload and concerns regarding effect of the pandemic on training. Given these findings, programs should consider further investigation into workload and training uncertainty on burnout.
Linessa M Zuniga
Impacts of COVID-19 on mental health in the US: evidence from a national survey May 17, 2023
CONCLUSIONS: Individuals who were affected by COVID were more likely to experience depression or anxiety disorders. Mental health services need to prioritize these high-risk groups.
Prabal K De
Immunization with Recombinant Accessory Protein-Deficient SARS-CoV-2 Protects against Lethal Challenge and Viral Transmission May 16, 2023
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to a worldwide coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Despite the high efficacy of the authorized vaccines, there may be uncertain and unknown side effects or disadvantages associated with current vaccination approaches. Live-attenuated vaccines (LAVs) have been shown to elicit robust and long-term protection by the induction […]
Chengjin Ye
Neutralizing Antibody Responses to Messenger RNA Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccines Versus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection Among Pregnant Women and Vaccine-Induced Antibody Transfer to Infants May 15, 2023
CONCLUSIONS: Though most pregnant women develop nAb after 2 doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, this analysis suggests that infant protection from maternal vaccination varies by gestational timing of vaccination and wanes. Additional prevention strategies such as caregiver vaccination may warrant consideration to optimize infant protection.
Fatimah S Dawood
Coronary Stent Abscess in the Setting of Arteriovenous Graft Infection following COVID-19: An Autopsy Case Report May 14, 2023
While rare, coronary stent infections present with significant mortality-with most infections and further complications occurring within months of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Here, we discuss a post-COVID-19 patient who presented approximately one year after PCI for declotting of an arteriovenous graft (AVG). Upon admission, the patient was found to be bacteremic with multilobar pneumonia and […]
Jean Thompson Butler
Examining Disparities in Current E-Cigarette Use among U.S. Adults before and after the WHO Declaration of the COVID-19 Pandemic in March 2020 May 13, 2023
This paper aims to estimate the prevalence of e-cigarette use before and after the COVID-19 pandemic declaration and to delineate disparities in use across subpopulations. Data were derived from the 2020 Health Information National Trends Survey (N = 3865) to conduct weighted multivariable logistic regression and marginal analyses. The overall prevalence of current e-cigarette use […]
Hadii M Mamudu
Balancing COVID-19 Risk With Physical and Mental Wellness: Perspectives of Patients With Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases Throughout the Pandemic May 12, 2023
CONCLUSION: Patients with ARDs require direct and timely communication about their risk of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality and require increased support for psychosocial and ARD-related implications of the pandemic. Health care systems must consider ways to support patients who are balancing chronic disease management with risk reduction for contracting emerging COVID-19 variants.
Chelsea Rapoport
Vaccine effectiveness of the mRNA-1273 3-dose primary series against COVID-19 in an immunocompromised population: A prospective observational cohort study May 12, 2023
CONCLUSION: Three doses of mRNA-1273 were associated with a significantly higher rVE against SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe outcomes, compared to 2 doses. These findings were consistent across subgroups of demographic and clinical characteristics, and mostly consistent across subgroups of immunocompromising conditions. Our study highlights the importance of completing the 3-dose series for immunocompromised populations.
Jennifer H Ku
Clinical Features and Risk Factors Associated With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children With Cancer and COVID-19 May 11, 2023
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this cohort study among children with cancer and COVID-19, those with MIS-C had a more severe clinical course than those without MIS-C. The risk of MIS-C and its severity are important to consider as clinicians monitor patients with COVID-19. These findings can inform their conversations with families regarding COVID-19 risks and […]
Samantha D Martin
Quality Matters: Examining the Impact of Nurse Staffing Challenges on Clinical Outcomes May 9, 2023
GOAL: The purpose of this study was to examine nurse staffing while describing the relationships that exist in staffing and quality associated with nursing care during the COVID-19 pandemic, a significantly challenging time for nurse staffing. We examined the relationship between permanent registered nurse (RN) and travel RN staffing during the pandemic and the nursing-sensitive […]
Shea Polancich
Pegloticase efficacy and safety in kidney transplant recipients; results of the phase IV, open-label PROTECT clinical trial May 4, 2023
CONCLUSIONS: This improved response rate to pegloticase in the KT population reflects observations from other trials and reports on immunomodulation with pegloticase. As the KT population has a high prevalence of gout and limitations with oral urate lowering medication options, these findings suggest a potential option for uncontrolled gout therapy in KT participants.
Abdul Abdellatif
The Temporal Relationship Between the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic and Preterm Birth May 4, 2023
CONCLUSION: There was no statistically significant difference in preterm birth rates in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic onset. This lack of association was largely independent of socioeconomic indicators such as race and ethnicity, insurance status, or SVI of the residential community in which an individual lived.
William A Grobman
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Antibody Titer Levels in Pregnant Individuals After Infection, Vaccination, or Both May 4, 2023
We examined differences in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibody responses in pregnant individuals with natural, vaccine-induced, or combined immunity. Participants had live or nonlive births between 2020 and 2022, were seropositive (SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, anti-S), and had available mRNA vaccination and infection information (n=260). We compared titer levels among three immunity profiles: […]
Christina L Marshall
Engaging Multistakeholder Perspectives to Identify Patient-Centered Research Priorities Regarding Vaccine Uptake Among Adults With Autoimmune Conditions May 1, 2023
CONCLUSION: A multistakeholder group identified key topics as critically important priorities for future research to decrease vaccine hesitancy and improve uptake of vaccines for adults with autoimmune conditions.
Shilpa Venkatachalam
Protecting First Responders While Maintaining Personal Privacy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: One County's Approach April 25, 2023
In this case study, the authors discuss a special situation infectious disease alert process for first responders. Issues explored include the development of this infectious disease alert process and legal issues that the DuPage County Health Department addressed to share protected health information between public health and public safety. The authors illustrate the important relationship […]
Matthew Fifolt