Publications by authors named "Ori Wand"
Background: Patient-reported outcomes, such as satisfaction with care, are essential for assessing and improving healthcare quality, especially in populations with chronic conditions like hemodialysis patients. In diverse societies, understanding how ethnic background influences patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes is crucial for addressing health disparities. However, the relationship between ethnic background, patient satisfaction, and clinical outcomes has not been thoroughly investigated in Israeli hemodialysis patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The radiologic criteria of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) guidelines focus on four HP compatible features (HPCF) in high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT): ground glass opacities, mosaic attenuation, air-trapping, and centrilobular nodules. However, evidence to support these criteria are limited.
Methods: Consecutive interstitial lung disease (ILD) patients who underwent HRCT between 2016 and 2021 in three medical centers were included.
Introduction: Individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at increased risk of thrombotic events and bleeding. Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), an effective antiplatelet agent, is one of the most frequently used medications for both primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, it can also contribute to bleeding events due to its inherent antiplatelet effect.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Over the last few decades, the efficacy of biological therapies for COPD has been evaluated by different randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Still, the evaluation of real-world data and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) have not been performed in this field before. In the current work, we present a systematic literature review of the real-world data and PROMs of biological treatments for COPD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) systems in healthcare are influenced by unbalanced datasets and varying sizes. This article delves into the impact of dataset size, class imbalance, and their interplay on CNN systems, focusing on the size of the training set versus imbalance-a unique perspective compared to the prevailing literature. Furthermore, it addresses scenarios with more than two classification groups, often overlooked but prevalent in practical settings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCOVID-19 vaccination and acute infection result in cellular and humoral immune responses with various degrees of protection. While most studies have addressed the difference in humoral response between vaccination and acute infection, studies on the cellular response are scarce. We aimed to evaluate differences in immune response among vaccinated patients versus those who had recovered from COVID-19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Since late 2021, the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) of SARS-CoV-2 has become the dominant strain globally, replacing Delta (B.1.617.2), which had worse outcomes despite similar transmission rates.
- A study of patients on maintenance hemodialysis showed that those infected with Delta had significantly more severe COVID-19 cases and higher mortality rates (19.2%) compared to those infected with Omicron (0%).
- Even though Omicron infections were generally milder, there was still a notable 90-day mortality rate among affected patients, highlighting the ongoing risks associated with COVID-19 for those with pre-existing conditions.
Article Synopsis
- - The study explores the concept of remission for severe asthma patients on biological treatments, aiming to establish clearer criteria for successful remission which typically includes reduced steroid use, fewer exacerbations, minimal symptoms, and improved lung function.
- - In a cross-sectional analysis of 39 adults with severe asthma, the research found that a significant percentage met some remission criteria, but there was considerable variability in outcomes depending on the specific criteria used.
- - The findings suggest that while achieving clinical remission is possible for patients using biological therapies, there is a need for more consistent and clearly defined criteria to effectively measure and compare remission across different patients.
Article Synopsis
- Vascular calcification, especially Intra Cranial Arterial Calcifications (ICAC), is common in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients and is a key factor in the risk of cardiovascular disease.
- A study analyzed 280 patients, finding MHD patients had higher ICAC scores (2.3) compared to a control group (1.4), with over 90% of MHD patients experiencing some level of calcification.
- The presence of ICAC was linked to lower albumin levels and higher phosphorus and CRP levels, indicating it can predict increased mortality risk in MHD patients due to the complex interactions of inflammation and blood vessel changes.
Article Synopsis
- The study examines how the humoral response (antibody production) after the first two doses of the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine can predict responses to subsequent booster shots.
- Researchers followed hospital health care workers who received three vaccine doses and conducted serological tests to measure antibody levels at different intervals.
- Findings indicate that lower antibody levels and rapid declines in antibody levels after the second dose are strong indicators of a similarly low response to booster vaccinations.
Background: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) evaluation often requires lung biopsy for definite diagnosis. In recent years, transbronchial cryobiopsy (TBCB) emerged as a procedure with higher diagnostic yield than transbronchial forceps biopsy (TBFB), especially for fibrotic ILDs. Nonetheless, studies comparing these modalities in non-fibrotic ILDs and for specific ILD diagnoses are scarce.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: Dyslipidemia is one of the most important modifiable risk factors in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease in the general population, but its importance in the hemodialysis (HD) population is uncertain. : This retrospective cohort study includes HD patients hospitalized due to acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the period 2015-2020 with lipid profile data during ACS. A control group with preserved kidney function was matched.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is a heterogeneous interstitial lung disease (ILD) that may be difficult to confidently diagnose. Recently, the 2020 ATS/JRS/ALAT HP diagnostic guidelines were published, yet data validating their performance in real-life settings are scarce. We aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of the HP guidelines compared to the gold-standard multidisciplinary discussion (MDD).
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- Symptomatic patients who recovered from acute COVID-19 face significant respiratory challenges and require extensive follow-up care, impacting both their health and healthcare systems.
- A study of 275 patients showed that a high percentage had impaired lung function and chest abnormalities three months post-infection, indicating potential long-term effects of the virus.
- Anti-S serological levels emerged as a key indicator, correlating with lung diffusion capacity and previous severity of COVID-19, while other serological markers did not show significant links to health outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- The study observed the need for pulmonary follow-up after acute COVID-19, highlighting the lack of consensus on follow-up plans.
- A cohort of 168 adult patients was followed at 3 and 6 months post-recovery, with assessments including questionnaires, pulmonary function tests, and chest CT scans.
- Results showed no significant changes in lung function or patient-reported outcomes over the follow-up period, suggesting that personalized follow-up plans may be more effective in managing resources.
Article Synopsis
- * It analyzed data from 1,030 chronic dialysis patients, finding that those who received a fourth dose had lower rates of severe COVID-19 outcomes and mortality compared to those with just three doses.
- * The findings suggest that, similar to the general population, a fourth vaccine dose significantly boosts protection against severe illness and death from COVID-19 in this vulnerable group, indicating the need for further research on optimal vaccination strategies.
Article Synopsis
- The study focused on the immune response to the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD), measuring antibody levels at various time points after vaccination.
- Results showed significant increases in antibody levels after the third vaccine dose, but these levels declined after six months. HD patients were found to have a higher risk of COVID-19 infection compared to PD patients.
- The conclusion highlighted that while both groups had a strong antibody response post-vaccination, the type of dialysis (HD vs. PD) significantly affected the likelihood of contracting COVID-19.
Article Synopsis
- A third dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine significantly boosts antibody levels in healthy individuals.
- Antibody levels were monitored in healthcare workers over one year, showing a notable increase right after the third dose, followed by a gradual decline.
- Despite the decline, antibody levels remained higher than those recorded after previous doses even six months later.
Chylothorax associated with sarcoidosis: a review of the literature.
Sarcoidosis Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis
December 2022
Article Synopsis
- The study reviews cases of chylothorax associated with sarcoidosis, analyzing 16 documented cases and a new case report.
- The majority of cases were women, with some presenting chylothorax as an initial symptom, and 62.5% linked to thoracic duct compression or related conditions.
- Despite the rarity of this condition, a thorough investigation into other causes is essential; corticosteroid treatment showed survival benefits among patients.
Background: While it appears not to affect healthy aviators' hearts, there are scarce data regarding the impact of high-performance flights on aviators with mitral valve prolapse (MVP).
Methods: A retrospective, comparative cohort study of military aviators with MVP. Subjects were categorized to either high-performance (jet fighter) or low-performance (transport and helicopter) aviators.
Maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients have impaired immunological responses to pathogens and vaccines. In this study, we compared the humoral response to HBV and COVID-19 vaccines in a cohort of MHD patients. Demographic and clinical characteristics of vaccine responders and non-responders were also compared, and the association between the humoral responses to both vaccines was evaluated.
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