Publications by authors named "Jessica Bartoszko"
Background: Antimicrobial use data from inpatients in northern Canada suitable to inform stewardship programs are limited.
Objective: As a special project of the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program, to describe antimicrobial use for inpatients in northern Canadian acute care hospitals.
Methods: Participating acute care hospitals serving adult or mixed adult and pediatric populations in northern Canada submitted annual data on the use of all systemic antimicrobials from 2019 to 2021.
Article Synopsis
- Strongyloidiasis is a widespread parasitic infection affecting 300-600 million people, particularly in tropical regions, and poses serious health risks, especially during immunosuppression, with high fatality rates.
- There have been no significant global health initiatives targeting this disease until recently, when the WHO included it in their roadmap for controlling neglected tropical diseases, highlighting its importance.
- The new WHO guidelines recommend mass drug administration of ivermectin in areas with a prevalence of over 5%, aiming for effective public health strategies to combat strongyloidiasis.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for COVID-19-associated severe acute respiratory distress syndrome in Canada: Analysis of data from the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program.
J Assoc Med Microbiol Infect Dis Can
January 2024
Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for COVID-19 across Canada has not been well-described. We studied trends for patients with COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome who received ECMO.
Methods: Multicentre retrospective cohort study using data from the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program across four different waves.
Objectives: Combining multivariate and network meta-analysis methods simultaneously in a multivariate network meta-analysis (MVNMA) provides the methodological framework to analyze the largest amount of evidence relevant to decision-makers (i.e., from indirect evidence and correlated outcomes).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlasmid genomic epidemiology of carbapenemase-producing in Canada, 2010-2021.
Antimicrob Agents Chemother
December 2023
Article Synopsis
- Carbapenems are vital last-resort antibiotics against multidrug-resistant infections, but their effectiveness is threatened by the global rise of carbapenem-resistant bacteria due to carbapenemase genes.
- In Canada, a specific carbapenemase type has been identified as prevalent, capable of breaking down various antibiotics, and commonly found on mobile genetic elements like plasmids and transposons.
- Through whole genome sequencing of 829 carbapenemase-producing isolates from 2010 to 2021, researchers discovered diverse plasmid clusters responsible for resistance spread, revealing both clonal and horizontal transmission patterns across different bacterial strains in Canada.
We aimed to assess the impact of allocation concealment and blinding on the results of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) trials, using the World Health Organization COVID-19 database (to February 2022). We identified 488 randomized trials comparing drug therapeutics with placebo or standard care in patients with COVID-19. We performed random-effects meta-regressions comparing the results of trials with and without allocation concealment and blinding of health-care providers and patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Trends in severe COVID-19 outcomes in Canada highlight a shift in hospitalization rates and associated risks during different waves of the pandemic, particularly higher admissions in the later waves.
- A study conducted across 155 hospitals included both adults and children, examining data from March 2020 to May 2022, focusing on severe outcomes such as ICU admissions and death rates.
- Findings indicate that while overall hospitalizations increased in later waves, the rates of severe outcomes were lower, especially among vaccinated patients compared to the unvaccinated.
People living with HIV (PLHIV) need lifelong medical care. However, retention in HIV care is not measured uniformly, making it challenging to compare or pool data. The objective of this study within a review (SWAR) is to describe the assortment of definitions used for retention in HIV care in randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study aimed to evaluate how trustworthy and impactful preprint trial reports were during the COVID-19 pandemic by comparing their methods and results with later published versions.
- Researchers reviewed a total of 356 trials, finding that 101 were only preprints, while others were published later; the average time to publication for preprints was about six months.
- Results showed that there were minimal differences in key methods and results between preprints and published articles, with only a small percentage affecting the certainty of evidence in treatment effectiveness comparisons.
Objective: To compare the effects of interleukin 6 receptor blockers, tocilizumab and sarilumab, with or without corticosteroids, on mortality in patients with covid-19.
Design: Systematic review and network meta-analysis.
Data Sources: World Health Organization covid-19 database, a comprehensive multilingual source of global covid-19 literature, and two prospective meta-analyses (up to 9 June 2021).
Objectives: To quantify the prognostic effects of demographic and modifiable factors in streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS).
Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Data Sources: MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL from inception to 19 September 2022, along with citations of included studies.
Data regarding the epidemiology of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) carbapenemase-producing (CPE) in Canada are scarce. Among CPE patients identified by the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program, the following were each significantly associated with XDR status: international travel history; CPE acquisition from a health care exposure abroad; presence of the New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM) carbapenemase gene; E. coli sequence type (ST) 167, ST405, and ST648; ST177; C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Respiratory viruses pose an important public health threat to most communities. Nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as masks, hand hygiene or physical distancing, among others, are believed to play an important role in reducing transmission of respiratory viruses. In this umbrella review, we summarise the evidence of the effectiveness of NPIs for the prevention of respiratory virus transmission in the community setting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The association between influenza and adverse vascular events in patients with heart failure is well documented. The effect of the influenza vaccine on preventing such adverse events is uncertain. This systematic review and meta-analysis addressed whether vaccination against influenza reduces adverse vascular events and mortality in heart failure patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To summarise specific adverse effects of remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir in patients with COVID-19.
Methods: We searched 32 databases through 27 October 2020. We included randomised trials comparing any of the drugs of interest to placebo or standard care, or against each other.
Patient-important outcomes reported in randomized controlled trials of pharmacologic treatments for COVID-19: a protocol of a META-epidemiological study.
Syst Rev
November 2021
Background: The coronavirus disease 19 (covid-19) pandemic has underscored the need to expedite clinical research, which may lead investigators to shift away from measuring patient-important outcomes (PIO), limiting research applicability. We aim to investigate if randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of covid-19 pharmacological therapies include PIOs.
Methods: We will perform a meta-epidemiological study of RCTs that included people at risk for, or with suspected, probable, or confirmed covid-19, examining any pharmacological treatment or blood product aimed at prophylaxis or treatment.
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of antiviral antibody therapies and blood products for the treatment of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19).
Design: Living systematic review and network meta-analysis, with pairwise meta-analysis for outcomes with insufficient data.
Data Sources: WHO covid-19 database, a comprehensive multilingual source of global covid-19 literature, and six Chinese databases (up to 21 July 2021).
Objective: To describe the characteristics of Covid-19 randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and examine the association between trial characteristics and the likelihood of finding a significant effect.
Study Design: We conducted a systematic review to identify RCTs (up to October 21, 2020) evaluating drugs or blood products to treat or prevent Covid-19. We extracted trial characteristics (number of centers, funding sources, and sample size) and assessed risk of bias (RoB) using the Cochrane RoB 2.
Updates: This is the second version (first update) of the living systematic review, replacing the previous version (available as a data supplement). When citing this paper please consider adding the version number and date of access for clarity.
Objective: To determine and compare the effects of drug prophylaxis on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19).
Clinical Question: What is the role of drugs in preventing covid-19? WHY DOES THIS MATTER?: There is widespread interest in whether drug interventions can be used for the prevention of covid-19, but there is uncertainty about which drugs, if any, are effective. The first version of this living guideline focuses on the evidence for hydroxychloroquine. Subsequent updates will cover other drugs being investigated for their role in the prevention of covid-19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncreasing rates of antimicrobial-resistant organisms have focused attention on sink drainage systems as reservoirs for hospital-acquired Gammaproteobacteria colonization and infection. We aimed to assess the quality of evidence for transmission from this reservoir. We searched 8 databases and identified 52 studies implicating sink drainage systems in acute care hospitals as a reservoir for Gammaproteobacterial colonization/infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUpdates: This is the fourteenth version (thirteenth update) of the living guideline, replacing earlier versions (available as data supplements). New recommendations will be published as updates to this guideline.
Clinical Question: What is the role of drugs in the treatment of patients with covid-19?
Context: The evidence base for therapeutics for covid-19 is evolving with numerous randomised controlled trials (RCTs) recently completed and underway.
Clinical Question: What is the role of remdesivir in the treatment of severe covid-19? This guideline was triggered by the ACTT-1 trial published in the on 22 May 2020.
Current Practice: Remdesivir has received worldwide attention as a potentially effective treatment for severe covid-19. After rapid market approval in the US, remdesivir is already being used in clinical practice.
Objective: To compare the effects of treatments for coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19).
Design: Living systematic review and network meta-analysis.
Data Sources: WHO covid-19 database, a comprehensive multilingual source of global covid-19 literature, up to 3 December 2021 and six additional Chinese databases up to 20 February 2021.
Background: Respiratory protective devices are critical in protecting against infection in healthcare workers at high risk of novel 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19); however, recommendations are conflicting and epidemiological data on their relative effectiveness against COVID-19 are limited.
Purpose: To compare medical masks to N95 respirators in preventing laboratory-confirmed viral infection and respiratory illness including coronavirus specifically in healthcare workers.
Data Sources: MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL from January 1, 2014, to March 9, 2020.