Publications by authors named "Kari Yacisin"

Background: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is an important pathogen causing acute respiratory illnesses in adults. RSV infection can lead to severe outcomes, including hospitalizations and even death. Despite the increased recognition of the burden in older adults, immediate post-discharge care needs among adults hospitalized with RSV are not well characterized and have not been compared to other serious medical conditions (such as influenza, acute myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke) for which there have been long-standing disease prevention efforts.

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Background: Estimates of the cost of medically attended lower respiratory tract illness (LRTI) due to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in adults, especially beyond the acute phase, is limited. This study was undertaken to estimate the attributable costs of RSV-LRTI among US adults during, and up to 1 year after, the acute phase of illness.

Methods: A retrospective observational matched-cohort design and a US healthcare claims repository (2016-2019) were employed.

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Introduction: While it is widely recognized that older adults, adults with chronic medical conditions (CMC), and adults with immunocompromising conditions (IC) are at increased risk of lower respiratory tract illness (LRTI), evidence of the magnitude of increased risk is limited. This study was thus undertaken to characterize rates of hospitalized and ambulatory LRTI among United States (US) adults by age and comorbidity profile.

Methods: A retrospective cohort design and US healthcare claims database (2016-2019) were employed.

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Background: Older adults are at increased risk of adverse outcomes from pneumococcal disease and COVID-19. Vaccination is an established strategy for preventing both illnesses. This study evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of coadministration of the 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20) and a booster (third dose) of BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine.

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Article Synopsis
  • Most RSV cases are diagnosed using nasal swabs, but testing other specimen types can improve detection rates significantly.
  • A study containing 1766 patients showed that adding saliva, sputum, and serology tests resulted in a higher diagnosis rate of RSV compared to using nasal swabs alone.
  • The combined testing led to a diagnosed rate increase from 3.2% to 6.2%, with sensitivities indicating that saliva, sputum, and serology are more effective than NP swabs alone.
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Introduction: Older adults are at increased risk of adverse outcomes from pneumococcal disease and influenza infections. Vaccination is an established strategy for preventing both illnesses. This study evaluated coadministration of 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20) and an adjuvanted quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (QIV).

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Introduction: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI)-related hospitalizations in older adults. Without RSV-specific treatment for adults, testing is uncommon, leading to potential underestimation of RSV incidence in real-world data studies. This study aimed to quantify the frequency of RSV testing during LRTI-related hospitalizations of older adults to inform interpretation of incidence estimates.

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Introduction: Introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs), including the 13-valent PCV (PCV13), has considerably reduced pneumococcal disease burden. However, additional serotypes not in PCV13 continue to present a substantial disease burden. The 20-valent PCV (PCV20) was developed to expand protection against pneumococcal disease beyond PCV13.

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Pneumococcal disease can be serious and debilitating in older adults. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs), such as the 13-valent PCV (PCV13), reduce pneumococcal disease rates caused by vaccine serotypes. Development of PCVs offering additional coverage against serotypes not contained in PCV13 can reduce disease burden further.

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Background: From December 2013 through May 2014, physicians, dermatopathologists, and public health authorities collaborated to characterize an outbreak of Mycobacterium marinum and other nontuberculous mycobacterial skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) associated with handling fish in New York City's Chinatown. Clinicopathologic and laboratory investigations were performed on a series of patients.

Methods: Medical records were reviewed for 29 patients.

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In late October 2014, Ebola virus disease (Ebola) was diagnosed in a humanitarian aid worker who recently returned from West Africa to New York City (NYC). The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) actively monitored three close contacts of the patient and 114 health care personnel. No secondary cases of Ebola were detected.

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In July 2014, as the Ebola virus disease (Ebola) epidemic expanded in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, an air traveler brought Ebola to Nigeria and two American health care workers in West Africa were diagnosed with Ebola and later medically evacuated to a U.S. hospital.

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In August 2013, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (MDHMH) was notified of two persons with rapidly growing nontuberculous mycobacterial (RG-NTM) surgical-site infections. Both patients had undergone surgical procedures as medical tourists at the same private surgical clinic (clinic A) in the Dominican Republic the previous month. Within 7 days of returning to the United States, both sought care for symptoms that included surgical wound abscesses, clear fluid drainage, pain, and fever.

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There are conflicting data regarding the influence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection on the immune restoration experienced by HIV-infected patients who receive highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). In this multicenter, retrospective, longitudinal study, CD4 restoration was assessed according to HCV status in treatment-naive HIV-infected patients within 3 years of HAART. Only patients with persistent HIV suppression were included.

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Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is a widely used insecticide, which has been shown to interfere with neurobehavioral development. Rat models have been key in demonstrating that prenatal CPF exposure causes choice accuracy deficits and motor alterations, which persist into adulthood. Complementary nonmammalian models can be useful in determining the molecular mechanisms underlying the persisting behavioral effects of developmental CPF exposure.

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