Publications by authors named "Aletta Tholen"
Due to the impact respiratory viruses have on human health, a lot of data has been collected and visualised in tools such as dashboards that provide retrospective insights into the course of an epidemic or pandemic. Two well-known respiratory viruses, influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2, are the causative agents of influenza and COVID-19, respectively. A scoping review was performed using Embase including data from January 2000 until April 2021 to identify individual and environmental health parameters that affect transmission of influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2, as well as disease severity (morbidity (hospitalisation) and mortality) of influenza and COVID-19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study aimed to assess the prevalence and risk factors associated with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO), specifically extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E), in 12 long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in Amsterdam from November 2014 to August 2015.
- Fecal and nasal samples were collected from 385 residents, finding an overall prevalence of 18.2% for multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria and 14.5% for ESBL-E specifically, with the majority of ESBL-E cases linked to CTX-M production.
- The research indicated that 80% of residents with ESBL-E were not previously identified as carriers, highlighting significant undetected
Background: Recent studies indicate that 27% of Dutch blood donors have evidence of past infection with HEV. However, the low number of diagnosed HEV infections indicates either an asymptomatic course or under diagnosis.
Objectives: We investigated whether HEV is a cause of acute hepatitis in Dutch patients and which diagnostic modality (serology or PCR) should be used for optimal detection.
Purpose: To assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of state-of-the-art noninvasive diagnostic imaging strategies in patients with a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or minor stroke who are suspected of having carotid artery stenosis (CAS).
Materials And Methods: All prospectively evaluated patients provided informed consent, and the local ethics committee approved this study. Diagnostic performance, treatment, long-term events, quality of life, and costs resulting from strategies employing duplex ultrasonography (US), computed tomographic (CT) angiography, contrast material-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) angiography, and combinations of these modalities were modeled in a decision tree and Markov model.