Short-course antibiotic therapy of 5 days in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP5): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: The optimal duration of antibiotic therapy for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is unsettled. Short-course therapy has proved successful in clinical trials but is not yet implemented in everyday clinical practice. Validation of results from randomised controlled trials is crucial to evaluate existing evidence and provide clinicians with assurance of using new treatment strategies.

Excess length of stay and readmission following hospital-acquired bacteraemia: a population-based cohort study applying a multi-state model approach.

Objectives: Population-based estimates of excess length of stay after hospital-acquired bacteraemia (HAB) are few and prone to time-dependent bias. We investigated the excess length of stay and readmission after HAB.

Methods: This population-based cohort study included the North Denmark Region adult population hospitalized for ≥48 hours, from 2006 to 2018.

Ischemic Heart Disease in Chronic Hepatitis B: A Danish Nationwide Cohort Study.

Objective: Data on the risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (CHB) are conflicting. Our objective was to address the rate of IHD in patients with CHB compared with individuals without CHB (control-persons) from the general population.

Study Design And Setting: We conducted a cohort study of prospectively obtained data from Danish nationwide registries.

Mortality and cause of death in persons with chronic hepatitis B virus infection versus healthy persons from the general population in Denmark.

The study aimed to determine adjusted all-cause mortality and cause of death in persons with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection compared with age- and sex-matched persons from the general population. We used nationwide registers to identify persons aged ≥18 years with chronic HBV infection in 2002-2017 in Denmark and included 10 age- and sex-matched controls for each. Follow-up was from 6 months after diagnosis until death, emigration, or 31 December 2017.

Incidence and mortality of hospital-acquired bacteraemia: a population-based cohort study applying a multi-state model approach.

Objective: The effect of hospital-acquired bacteraemia on mortality is sparsely investigated. We investigated the incidence and hospital-acquired bacteraemia impact on mortality.

Methods: We conducted a 13-year population-based cohort study using the North Denmark Bacteraemia Research Database and Danish health registries.

Risk factors for hospital-acquired bacteraemia - an explorative case-control study of hospital interventions.

Background: Knowledge on hospital-related interventions as risk factors for hospital-acquired bacteraemia (HAB) is sparse.

Aim: We aimed to investigate hospital interventions as risk factors for HAB.

Methods: Prospectively through one year, we identified episodes of HAB in a single tertiary hospital.

[Ramsay Hunt syndrome can present with vesicular elements on the tongue, facial nerve palsy and meningitis].

Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS) is caused by a reactivation of the varicella zoster virus (VZV). It normally involves the triad of earache, peripheral facial nerve palsy and ipsilateral rash but can present without/with minimal visible rashes. In this case report, a 53-year-old male was admitted to hospital after a week-long headache, right-sided earache and peripheral facial nerve palsy.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, calprotectin and YKL-40 in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: correlations and 5-year mortality - a cohort study.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by chronic inflammation and progressive decline in pulmonary function. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), YKL-40 and calprotectin are biomarkers of inflammation and predict mortality in patients with different inflammatory diseases. We aimed to investigate the correlation between levels of these three biomarkers and neutrophil granulocyte and lymphocyte count in patients with moderate to very severe COPD stratified by use of systemic glucocorticoids.

Plasma YKL-40 and all-cause mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is hallmarked by inflammatory processes and a progressive decline of lung function. YKL-40 is a potential biomarker of inflammation and mortality in patients suffering from inflammatory lung disease, but its prognostic value in patients with COPD remains unknown. We investigated whether high plasma YKL-40 was associated with increased mortality in patients with moderate to very severe COPD.

Calprotectin--a marker of mortality in COPD? Results from a prospective cohort study.

Calprotectin comprises more than 45% of the cytosolic content of neutrophil granulocytes. Because pathogenesis, disease activity and disease progression in COPD are believed to be partly dependent of neutrophil driven inflammation we decided to investigate whether plasma level of calprotectin (p-calprotectin) was associated with all-cause mortality in patients with COPD. We measured p-calprotectin in blood samples from 460 patients with moderate to very severe COPD in stable phase.

[Sparse effect of long-term treatment with macrolides in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

Macrolides have been proposed to have a positive effect in patients with inflammatory lung diseases, including patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), who suffer from acute exacerbations. Increased use of macrolides for long-term treatment of patients with COPD has been observed. The evidence of a treatment effect of macrolides in this area is sparse, but some studies suggest that it might be beneficial on the number of exacerbations and the length between them.

Serum vitamin D in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease does not correlate with mortality--results from a 10-year prospective cohort study.

Background: Recent studies have found vitamin D (25-OHD) deficiency and insufficiency to be common among patients with COPD. Serum level of 25-OHD seems to correlate to pulmonary function, COPD disease staging, and increased susceptibility to respiratory infections. We wanted to investigate whether vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency was associated with mortality rate in patients suffering from advanced COPD.

Blood borne viral infections among Danish health care workers--frequent blood exposure but low prevalence of infection.

Denmark is a country with low prevalence and incidence of blood borne viral infections. Among health care workers (HCWs) vaccination for hepatitis B is only offered to high-risk groups. The aims of this cross sectional survey were to determine the prevalence of hepatitis B, -C, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among the staff at a Danish University hospital and to correlate this with risk factors for transmission.

GB virus C epidemiology in Denmark: different routes of transmission in children and low- and high-risk adults.

With the demonstration of an effect of GBV-C infection on the outcome of HIV infection, it has become important to understand the epidemiology of GBV-C. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence in high- and low-risk populations. The following populations were tested: school children, 9 and 15 years of age (n = 901), blood donors (n = 5,203), hospital employees (n = 1,432), and prisoners and injecting drug users (n = 447).