HJNO Mar/Apr 2020

34 MAR / APR 2020  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Healthcare Briefs Study Finds Common Cold Virus Can Infect the Placenta Researchers have shown that a common cold virus can infect cells derived from human placen- tas, suggesting that it may be possible for the infection to pass from expectant mothers to their unborn children. The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, was led by Dr. Giovanni Piedimonte, professor of pediatrics and vice president of research at Tulane University. “This is the first evidence that a common cold virus can infect the human placenta,” Piedi- monte said. “It supports our theory that when a woman develops a cold during pregnancy, the virus causing the maternal infection can spread to the fetus and cause a pulmonary infection even before birth.” During pregnancy, the placenta acts as a gate- keeper to provide essential nourishment from a mother to a developing fetus while filtering out potential pathogens. Scientists are discovering that the barrier isn’t as impenetrable as once believed with recent studies showing how viruses such as Zika can slip through its defenses.  Using donated placentas, researchers isolated the three major cells types found in placentas — cytotrophoblast, stroma fibroblasts, and Hof- bauer cells — and exposed them in vitro to the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes the common cold. While the cytotrophoblast cells supported limited viral replication, the other two types were significantly more susceptible to infection.  For example, the Hofbauer cells survived and allowed the virus to replicate inside the cell walls. As Hofbauer cells travel within the placenta, researchers suspect they could act as a Trojan horse and transmit the virus into the fetus.  “These cells don't die when they're infected by the virus, which is the problem,” Piedimonte said. “When they move into the fetus, they are like bombs packed with virus. They don't dissem- inate the virus around by exploding, which is the typical way, but rather transfer the virus through intercellular channels.” Researchers suspect RSV could attack lung tis- sue within the fetus, causing an infection that may predispose offspring to developing asthma in childhood. Piedimonte plans to launch a clinical study at Tulane to further test the theory. Baudry Therapy Center Opens in Central Business District Baudry Therapy Center has opened a sec- ond location to better serve patients working and residing in the New Orleans Central Busi- ness District. This brand-new facility is located at 822 Perdido Street, Unit G, right in the heart of downtown. “We are delighted to expand Baudry’s presence into New Orleans and provide the highest quality of evidence-based treatment to our clients work- ing and residing in the CBD,” said Rich Baudry, DPT, OCS, CEO of Baudry Therapy Center. “We understand how difficult it can be to fit in physical therapy when you have a busy working schedule. We hope this new facility provides business lead- ers with fast track access to accommodate their schedules and receive optimal and efficient care when and where it is most convenient.” According to the Downtown Development Dis- trict, more than 142,764 people are in Downtown New Orleans on a given weekday, with more than 6,750 people calling Downtown New Orleans home. State’s Payment Agreement for Hepatitis CMeds Boosts Treatment More Louisiana residents living with hepatitis C have been able to receive life-saving treatment because of Louisiana’s payment model for the medications that cure this illness. More Louisiana residents have received treat- ment for hepatitis C in the first 75 days of this innovative model than in all of fiscal year 2019. In the period between July 15, 2019 and Nov. 26, 2019, 2,290 people have received life-saving treatment. Those treatments were made possi- ble under an agreement between the Depart- ment of Health and Asegua Therapeutics, a sub- sidiary of Gilead Sciences Inc., which took effect on July 15. The agreement allowed Louisiana to extend access to hepatitis C treatment to Med- icaid enrollees and prisoners serving sentences in Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Cor- rections facilities. The Department of Health has launched a public awareness campaign along with a dashboard to share treatment numbers, which can be found at www.hepCuredLA.org . “The state’s first-in-the-nation agreement with Asegua was a tremendous step for us to extend access to treatment. We are now implementing our elimination strategy and we have engaged many community partners throughout the state to screen patients and then help them begin treat- ment,” said Dr. Rebekah Gee, former secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health. “We are excited by these early treatment numbers and will continue on this path forward to treat as many people as possible to end the hepatitis C epi- demic in Louisiana.” The payment model allows the state to provide an unrestricted amount of Asegua’s direct-act- ing antiviral medication, the authorized generic of Epclusa® (sofosbuvir/velpatasvir), to treat patients in the state’s Medicaid and Department of Corrections populations. The model caps the State’s medication costs at an agreed amount, which was informed by funding levels authorized during fiscal year 2019. Dr. Alex Billioux, the assistant secretary for the Office of Public Health, has helped lead the department’s elimination strategy, which includes training providers across the state to treat hepati- tis C. After the contract took effect, 137 additional healthcare providers have written prescriptions for Epclusa or the authorized generic of Epclusa. This medication is a direct-acting antiviral med- ication that is the first treatment regimen that treats all of the six major strains of hepatitis C.  “Before this agreement, only patients infected with hepatitis C that were suffering serious liver damage were being treated with these curative medications,” Billioux said. “Now we are able to treat anyone who tests positive for hepatitis C, allowing many patients to avoid organ damage and other serious health problems before they begin. This agreement also saves lives, because hepatitis C kills more Americans than all other infectious diseases combined.” University of Queensland Ochsner Clinical School Honors 2019 Graduates at Culmination Ceremony The University of Queensland (UQ) Ochsner Clinical School, celebrating its 10th anniversary