Publications by authors named "Hertz M"

Objective: Rapid and accurate infection diagnosis is a prerequisite for appropriate antibiotic prescriptions in an ED. Accurately diagnosing acute infections can be difficult due to nonspecific symptoms and limitations of diagnostic testing. The accuracy of preliminary diagnoses, established on the initial clinical assessment, depends on a physician's skills and knowledge.

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  • This study investigates how chronic lung diseases influence the development of chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) in lung transplant recipients, focusing on the molecular and microbial changes in their bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF).
  • Researchers analyzed BALF samples from 195 lung transplant patients over 10 years using advanced sequencing and metabolomics techniques, revealing significant differences in microbiome and metabolome profiles based on the underlying lung disease.
  • Results show that specific microbial species like Pseudomonas in cystic fibrosis and unique metabolites in alpha-1-antitrypsin disease correlate with CLAD development, suggesting that tailored treatment strategies could improve long-term outcomes for lung transplant patients.
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Purpose: Data on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among teens is collected using a single informant, a parent-proxy, or teen self-report. Little is known about alignment between these approaches.

Methods: Surveys were administered online to teens ages 15-17 and their parents (n = 522 dyads) using the AmeriSpeak panel.

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The diagnostic accuracy of handheld ultrasound (HHUS) devices operated by newly certified operators for pneumonia is unknown. This multicenter diagnostic accuracy study included patients prospectively suspected of pneumonia from February 2021 to February 2022 in four emergency departments. The index test was a 14-zone focused lung ultrasound (FLUS) examination, with consolidation with air bronchograms as diagnostic criteria for pneumonia.

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Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) remain a leading infectious disease cause of admission to the emergency department (ED) and antibiotic prescription. Heterogeneity of disease presentation challenges early diagnostics, leading to improper antibiotic prescription and delayed diagnosis. Prior studies have relied on positive urine cultures for diagnosis, but its performance suffers from false positives and false negatives.

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Community-acquired pneumonia is a common cause of acute hospitalisation. Identifying patients with community-acquired pneumonia among patients suspected of having the disease can be a challenge, which causes unnecessary antibiotic treatment. We investigated whether the circulatory pulmonary injury markers surfactant protein D (SP-D), Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6), and Club cell protein 16 (CC16) could help identify patients with community-acquired pneumonia upon acute admission.

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Objectives: This study aimed to describe the clinical characteristics of adults with suspected acute community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) on hospitalisation, evaluate their prediction performance for CAP and compare the performance of the model to the initial assessment of the physician.

Design: Cross-sectional, multicentre study.

Setting: The data originated from the INfectious DisEases in Emergency Departments study and were collected prospectively from patient interviews and medical records.

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: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a leading bacterial infection in the emergency department (ED). Diagnosing UTIs in the ED can be challenging due to the heterogeneous presentation; therefore, fast and precise tests are needed. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic precision of procalcitonin (PCT), soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptors (suPARs), and C-reactive protein (CRP) in diagnosing UTIs, grading the severity of UTIs, and ruling out bacteremia.

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Article Synopsis
  • Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a major reason for emergency room visits, and quick, accurate diagnosis is crucial.
  • This study evaluated the effectiveness of urine flow cytometry (UFC) and urine dipstick analysis (UDA) in diagnosing UTIs by analyzing 966 patients admitted to three emergency departments in Denmark.
  • While neither test was very effective at ruling out bacteriuria, both UFC and UDA were successful in safely ruling out UTIs in a significant number of patients, suggesting they could be useful in urgent care settings.
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Objectives: To describe the current organization and implementation of formalized, multi-disciplinary hospital-based antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) structures in Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

Methods: A structured electronic questionnaire was sent to all trainees and specialists in clinical microbiology (N=207) and infectious diseases (N=260), as well as clinical pharmacists (N=20) and paediatricians (N=10) with expertise in infectious diseases. The survey had 30 multiple-choice, rating-scale, and open-ended questions based on an international consensus checklist for hospital AMS, adapted to a Danish context.

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Objective: Opioid use disorder (OUD) affects approximately 5.6 million people in the United States annually, yet rates of the use of effective medication for OUD (MOUD) treatment are low. We conducted an observational cohort study from August 2017 through May 2021, the MOUD Study, to better understand treatment engagement and factors that may influence treatment experiences and outcomes.

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Background: Denmark has a low level of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Patients hospitalized with suspected infection often present with unspecific symptoms. This challenges the physician between using narrow-spectrum antibiotics in accordance with guidelines or broad-spectrum antibiotics to compensate for diagnostic uncertainty.

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Purpose: Examine children's mental health symptoms, including changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: The COVID Experiences Surveys, designed to be representative of the U.S.

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Chronic tissue inflammation often results in fibrosis characterized by the accumulation of extracellular matrix components remodeling normal tissue architecture and function. Recent studies have suggested common immune mechanisms despite the complexity of the interactions between tissue-specific fibroblasts, macrophages, and distinct immune cell populations that mediate fibrosis in various tissues. Natural killer T (NKT) cells recognizing lipid antigens bound to CD1d molecules have been shown to play an important role in chronic inflammation and fibrosis.

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Objective: Pulmonary hypertension can cause left ventricular diastolic dysfunction through ventricular interdependence. Moreover, diastolic dysfunction has been linked to adverse outcomes after lung transplant. The impact of lung transplant on diastolic dysfunction in recipients with pretransplant pulmonary hypertension is not defined.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The project utilized mixed-methods approaches, gathering data from surveys, focus groups, and social media to analyze insights from students, parents, teachers, and school personnel during the pilot phase from February to June 2021.
  • * Findings were shared through dashboards and reports, showing that combining different data sources helped identify barriers to implementing COVID-19 safety measures in schools and highlighted the importance of adapting data collection methods in public health emergencies.
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Background: The school environment, consisting of the physical environment and social-emotional climate (SEC), plays a crucial role in both student and employee health; however, there is a lack of recent literature synthesizing school environment interventions in K-12 settings. We describe updated evidence about school environment interventions to support K-12 student and employee health in the United States.

Methods: A 2-phase search included a review of reviews (2010-2018), followed by a search for individual articles (2010-2020) that targeted school physical environment and/or SEC to address physical activity (PA) and/or nutrition.

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Melanophilin is a myosin adaptor required for transporting the pigment melanin within cells. Loss of melanophilin in fish, birds, and mammals causes pigmentation defects, but little is known about the role of melanophilin in non-avian reptiles. Here we show that a frameshift in the melanophilin gene in ball python ( ) is associated with loss of pigment from shed skin.

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Introduction: The vestibular system integrates signals related to vision, head position, gravity, motion, and body position to provide stability during motion through the environment. Disruption in any of these systems can reduce agility and lead to changes in ability to safely navigate one's environment. Causes of vestibular decline are diverse; however, excessive noise exposure can lead to otolith organ dysfunction.

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Objective: The authors sought to explore the availability of mental health supports within public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic by using survey data from a nationally representative sample of U.S. K-12 public schools collected in October-November 2021.

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Background: Research shows associations between bullying victimization and substance use for teens. However, more research about this relationship for younger adolescents and across race/ethnicity is needed.

Methods: Prevalence and pooled logistic regression analyses of 2019 Middle School Youth Risk Behavior Survey data from 13 states (N = 74,059 students) examined associations between self-reported bulling victimization (at school, electronically, and both) and having ever tried cigarette smoking, alcohol, or marijuana; used an electronic vapor product; or misused prescription pain medicine.

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