Publications by authors named "Michael Drescher"

Climate change adaptation in intensifying urban environments benefit from green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) investments on private residential yards. Nevertheless, planners are challenged to devise policy tools to mesh such a decentralized GSI approach with current land-use and social systems. Prior research has addressed the multi-scalar socio-economic barriers hindering household uptake, including technical and governance considerations.

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Introduction: Emergency medicine (EM) was recognized as a specialty in Israel in 1999. Fifty-nine of the 234 (25%) attending physicians working in emergency departments (ED) nationwide in 2002 were board-certified emergency physicians (EP). A 2012 study revealed that 123/270 (45%) of ED attendings were EPs, and that there were 71 EM residents.

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Agriculture is a main driver of land-cover change globally resulting in decreased biodiversity, increased carbon emissions, and land desertification. Environmental best management practices reduce risk to the environment caused by agricultural operations. However, the adoption of environmental best management practices by farmers often is lower than what would be possible.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to assess whether the cardiovascular reserve index (CVRI) can detect massive hemorrhage and predict the development of hemorrhage in trauma patients upon their arrival at a trauma center.
  • It involved 71 adult patients, primarily males around 37 years old, with road accidents being the main cause of injuries; the study classified patients into groups based on their hemorrhage severity.
  • Results indicated that CVRI effectively detected massive hemorrhage with a strong predictive accuracy, especially alongside other vital signs, making it a valuable tool in trauma care.
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Objectives: To assess the performance of a test (called BV), integrating the blood levels of three immune proteins into a score, to differentiate bacterial from viral infection among adults with suspected lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI).

Methods: Prospective diagnostic accuracy study, enrolling febrile adults >18 years with LRTI signs or symptoms for less than 7 days presenting to several hospitals' emergency departments in Israel. The main exclusion criterion was immunodeficiency.

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Objective: Survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) depends on multiple factors, mostly quality of chest compressions. Studies comparing manual compression with a mechanical active compression-depression device (ACD) have yielded controversial results in terms of outcomes and injury. The aim of the present study was to determine whether out-of-hospital ACD cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) use is associated with more skeletal fractures and/or internal injuries than manual compression, with similar duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) between the groups.

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The growth in worldwide popularity of electric bikes (E-bikes) and powered scooters (P-scooters) has been accompanied by an increase in injuries associated with their use. The aim of this study was to evaluate the contribution of rider age to injury severity, represented by need for hospitalization. A retrospective review of the database of a tertiary medical center yielded 1234 patients (75.

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To evaluate the daily output measures of the emergency department (ED) in association with seasonality and the day of the week. A retrospective cohort of ED visits to tertiary medical centers between 2016 and 2020. The research unit was each day during the study period.

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The worldwide increase in electric bike (E-bike) and powered scooter (P-scooter) use in recent years has been accompanied by an increase in associated injuries to riders. The aim of this study was to evaluate trends in the incidence and types of E-bikes and P-scooter-related injuries in riders evacuated to a tertiary ED. A retrospective cross-sectional design was used.

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The growing popularity of E-bikes and P-scooters has led to their increasing involvement in injuries. This study sought to evaluate the impact of drug and alcohol consumption on hospitalization rates for electric-vehicle-associated injuries. A retrospective cross-sectional study design was used, including patients evacuated to the emergency department (ED) of a tertiary medical center in 2014−2020 for injuries sustained while riding E-bikes or P-scooters.

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Injuries associated with electric bikes (E-bikes) and powered scooters (P-scooters) have increased yearly worldwide. We aimed to evaluate the impact of pre-existing comorbidities on the probability of hospitalization for injuries in riders of E-bikes and P-scooters. A retrospective cross-sectional study design was used.

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The HEART Pathway is a diagnostic protocol designed to identify low-risk patients with chest pain who can be safely discharged from the emergency department (ED) without hospitalization. Studies have reported a negative bias in identifying myocardial ischemia in females versus males and a different clinical pattern of cardiac ischemia across genders. This study sought to determine if the HEART Pathway recommendations are affected by negative bias in females.

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Wetlands provide critical ecosystem services including flood mitigation and habitat for diverse species, but globally, many wetlands have been destroyed. In urban areas and surrounding urban-rural fringes, many lost wetlands have been indirectly replaced with stormwater management (SWM) ponds. SWM ponds are designed to manage urban stormwater and contaminants, but only provide limited ecosystem services.

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Article Synopsis
  • Necrotizing soft tissue infection (NSTI) is a serious condition that requires surgery and antibiotics, and this study aimed to compare clinical features and outcomes of its two main types: polymicrobial (NSTI I) and monomicrobial (NSTI II).
  • The study reviewed medical records of 81 patients from 2002-2019, examining factors like mortality rates, length of hospital stay, and ICU admissions, ultimately finding that monomicrobial NSTI was associated with worse outcomes.
  • The findings suggest that patients with polymicrobial NSTI had a better prognosis, evidenced by lower mortality and reduced need for intensive care compared to those with monomicrobial infections.
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Objective: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a major cause of emergency room (ER) admission. Thirty percent of mTBI patients have postconcussion syndrome (PCS), and 15% have symptoms for over a year. This population is underdiagnosed and does not receive appropriate care.

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Background: Electric bikes (E-bikes) and powered scooters (P-scooters) have become increasingly popular modes of public transportation, but they have been associated with injuries of all kinds, including dental trauma. Helmet use is promoted as a means of reducing injuries in accidents involving motorized and unmotorized vehicles. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of helmet use on the number and severity of oral and maxillofacial injuries caused by E-bikes and P-scooters.

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Background And Aims: Plasma levels of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells (sTREM-1) reflect innate immune cell activation. We sought to evaluate sTREM-1 levels in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and their predictive value for disease severity and outcome.

Methods: Plasma sTREM-1 levels were prospectively measured by ELISA in 121 consecutive patients with new-onset (≤24 h) chest pain at arrival to the emergency department (ED) and 73 healthy controls.

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Goal: The aim was to assess proactive specialized inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) emergency department (ED) consultation and multidisciplinary IBD team (IBD-MDT) intervention on IBD-related patient outcomes after discharge.

Background: Despite advances in patient care, IBD-related ED visits have increased and substantially contribute to the IBD burden.

Methods: Consecutive patients with IBD (below 50 y) who visited the ED during November 2017 to April 2018 (intervention group) were compared with patients with IBD that visited the same ED during 2014 to 2017 (standard-care group).

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Climate change effects and increasing levels of imperviousness, cause many urban areas globally to experience larger rainfall runoff volumes that need to be managed to protect property and infrastructure, and avoid environmental pollution. Conventionally engineered, 'grey' stormwater infrastructure often is outdated and unable to control these increased runoff volumes. Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) can complement grey infrastructure, but public land for its installation is limited.

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The majority of research on built form and walking has been approached from a deterministic perspective and does not address the theoretical underpinnings of individual walking behaviour. This paper interrogates the relationship between individual walkers and their local environment in order to illuminate how and why people walk through/with space. Specifically, the paper reports on findings from 20 adult participants in Waterloo, Canada who took part in a participatory walking interview accompanied by a member of the research team.

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Background: Fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) was developed to detect microscopic bleeding caused by colorectal neoplasms. The role of FOBT in the emergency department (ED) is typically used for 5 different clinical workups: trauma, anemia, syncope, hypotension, and before the administration of systemic anticoagulants or thrombolytics.

Objective: We scrutinized the literature to assess the utility of FOBT for its 5 most common applications in the emergent setting.

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Background: Achieving a high degree of diagnostic accuracy of infections in the emergency department (ED) is crucial since a delay in diagnosis can lead to increased mortality, whereas overdiagnosis can lead to antibiotic overprescription. Limited data are available as to ED diagnostic accuracy of infections. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the degree of discordance of an ED diagnosis of pneumonia in relation to an internal medicine ward's discharge diagnosis of hospitalized adults.

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Background: Pain is a widespread problem, affecting both men and women; studies have found that women in the emergency department receive analgesic medication and opioids less often compared with men.

Aims: The aim of this study was to examine the administration and management of analgesics by the medical/paramedical staff in relation to the patients' gender, and thereby to examine the extent of gender discrimination in treating pain.

Design: This is a single-center retrospective cohort study that included 824 patients.

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