Publications by authors named "Spitzer S"

Article Synopsis
  • A study in an Israeli peripheral hospital examined the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the management and outcomes of Cerebral Vascular Accidents (CVA) and ST-elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMI) by comparing patient data before and during the pandemic.
  • Findings indicated that while the time from arrival to imaging for CVA patients increased, the overall outcomes for CVA remained stable, and even improved for STEMI patients, who experienced shorter intervention times and reduced hospital stays.
  • The mortality rates for both conditions did not significantly change, and further interviews with medical staff are being conducted to understand how quality of care was preserved throughout the challenges posed by the pandemic.
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Aim: This study sought to quantify the healthcare costs of multivessel disease (MVD) and determine the prevalence and incidence of recurrent major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in high-risk patients diagnosed with MVD following an acute myocardial infarction (MI).

Methods: This retrospective study utilized German claims data (AOK PLUS), between 01/01/2010 and 31/12/2020. Patients were included if they (1) had an inpatient diagnosis of an MI between 01/01/2012 and 31/12/2019 (index date), (2) were ≥ 18 years of age at date of MI diagnosis, and (3) had diabetes or met two of the following criteria: ≥ 65 years old, prior MI, peripheral arterial disease.

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Background: Since the Substrate and Trigger Ablation for Reduction of Atrial Fibrillation Trial Part II (STAR-AF II), there has been a trend toward pulmonary vein isolation (PVI)-only ablation strategies for persistent atrial fibrillation (PeAF). Electrographic flow (EGF) mapping can identify active sources of atrial fibrillation (AF) and estimate the electrographic flow consistency (EGFC) of wavefront propagation through substrate, revealing functional AF mechanisms.

Objective: We sought to examine the success of a PVI-only ablation strategy for a redo PeAF/longstanding PeAF population.

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Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) generate myelinating oligodendrocytes and are the main proliferative cells in the adult central nervous system. OPCs are a heterogeneous population, with proliferation and differentiation capacity varying with brain region and age. We demonstrate that during early postnatal maturation, cortical, but not callosal, OPCs begin to show altered passive bioelectrical properties, particularly increased inward potassium (K) conductance, which correlates with G1 cell cycle stage and affects their proliferation potential.

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Olivetolic acid (OA) is an essential precursor in the cannabinoid biosynthesis. It is produced through a unique interaction between the two proteins, olivetol synthase (CsOLS) and olivetolic acid cyclase (CsOAC). When the OA biosynthesis is transferred to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, olivetol (OL) is produced as a side product, even with a high enhancement of copy number of CsOAC.

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Background: For the treatment of the symptoms of post-COVID-19 syndrome, no causal therapy is currently widely recommended according to evidence-based criteria. The overarching goal of the intervention study over a 3-year period (Q1-2021-Q4-2023) was to evaluate the changes in the key symptoms of fatigue and sensorimotor instability through individualized stress-controlled training therapy and through intensified cognitive behavioral therapy.

Material And Methods: In the 3‑year period 407 vaccinated nucleocapsid positive patients were treated at the Post-COVID-19 Center Lausitz (Senftenberg).

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Article Synopsis
  • Pulsed field ablation (PFA) is a new method for treating atrial fibrillation (AF) that focuses on ablating heart tissue while minimizing harm to nearby structures.
  • In the MANIFEST-17K study, data from 106 centers involved 17,642 patients and showed no serious complications like esophageal damage, with only a 1% major complication rate.
  • The results suggest that PFA has a strong safety profile and may change how AF is treated, compared to traditional thermal ablation methods.
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Objective: To quantify the association between insurance and hospital admission following minor isolated extremity firearm injury.

Background: The association between insurance and injury admission has not been examined.

Methods: This was an observational retrospective cohort study of minor isolated extremity firearm injury captured in the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient and Emergency Department Databases in 6 states (New York, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Florida, and Maryland) from 2016 to 2017 among patients aged 16 years or older.

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Core concepts in occupational therapy have often developed over time with contributions from multiple clinicians and scholars. This makes it difficult to determine exactly from where, or from whom, ideas originated. Without original sources, we cannot chart the historical development of ideas and honor those whose scholarship made it possible.

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Background: Electrographic flow (EGF) mapping enables full spatiotemporal reconstruction of organized wavefront propagation to identify extrapulmonary vein sources of atrial fibrillation (AF).

Objectives: FLOW-AF (A Randomized Controlled Study to Evaluate the Reliability of the Ablacon Electrographic FLOW [EGF] Algorithm Technology [Ablamap Software] to Identify AF Sources and Guide Ablation Therapy in Patients With Persistent Atrial Fibrillation) was multicenter, randomized controlled study of EGF mapping to: 1) stratify a nonparoxysmal AF population undergoing redo ablation; 2) guide ablation of these extrapulmonary vein AF sources; and 3) improve AF recurrence outcomes.

Methods: FLOW-AF enrolled persistent atrial fibrillation (PerAF)/long-standing PerAF patients undergoing redo ablation at 4 centers.

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Health policy impacts the way surgical and trauma patients access, recover from, and pay for the medical care we deliver. In this editorial, we highlight 3 major policy directives that have or will affect millions of surgical and injured patients-Medicaid expansion, surprise billing, and housing in previously redlined districts. In doing so, we aim to elucidate the mechanisms by which health policies impact our patients and encourage participation and inquiry among surgeons when new health policies are being proposed at a national, state, or local level.

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Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a cardiac arrhythmia frequently documented in patients requiring implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and/or cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator (CRT-D). Patients with diagnosed AF at the point of ICD or CRT-D implantation may have an impaired follow-up outcome.

Methods: The German DEVICE I-II registry is a nationwide prospective multicentre database of patients implanted with ICD and CRT-D with clinical follow-up data.

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Little is known about the contribution of 3D surface geometry to the development of multilayered tissues containing fibrous extracellular matrix components, such as those found in bone. In this study, we elucidate the role of curvature in the formation of chiral, twisted-plywood-like structures. Tissues consisting of murine preosteoblast cells (MC3T3-E1) were grown on 3D scaffolds with constant-mean curvature and negative Gaussian curvature for up to 32 days.

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Background: Medical students can assist in reducing healthcare disparities and promote health equity by engaging with rural communities and gaining insights into their unique healthcare needs. A two-arm student-delivered program was designed and implemented during COVID-19 in a social-geographic peripheral area to assist clinics with complex chronic and/or socially disadvantaged patients and improve preventive behavior in townships through home visits delivering community kits.

Methods: We conducted a pre-post design study which included weekly structured medical student reports and monthly structured telephone interviews with clinic directors and municipal partners.

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In the central nervous system, oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) proliferate and differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes throughout life, allowing for ongoing myelination and myelin repair. With age, differentiation efficacy decreases and myelin repair fails; therefore, recent therapeutic efforts have focused on enhancing differentiation. Many cues are thought to regulate OPC differentiation, including neuronal activity, which OPCs can sense and respond to via their voltage-gated ion channels and glutamate receptors.

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Background: The Jewish Ultra-Orthodox (UO) population is an under-vaccinated minority group that has been disproportionally affected by outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD) such as measles and polio. Underlying reasons remain poorly characterized. We aimed to identify vaccination barriers and enablers in this population.

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Article Synopsis
  • Firearm injuries have reached epidemic levels in the US, with over 45,000 fatalities recorded in 2020, highlighting the need for understanding socioeconomic factors influencing these rates.
  • This study investigates the relationship between neighborhood gentrification and the incidence of firearm injuries over time, utilizing urban US Census tract data from 2010 to 2019.
  • Results indicate that gentrifying neighborhoods experience a 62% higher rate of firearm injuries compared to non-gentrifying areas with similar demographics, suggesting a significant link between gentrification and firearm injury risks.
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NphB is an aromatic prenyltransferase with high promiscuity for phenolics including flavonoids, isoflavonoids, and plant polyketides. It has been demonstrated that cannabigerolic acid is successfully formed by the reaction catalysed by NphB using geranyl diphosphate and olivetolic acid as substrates. In this study, the substrate specificity of NphB was further determined by using olivetolic acid derivatives as potential substrates for the formation of new synthetic cannabinoids.

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It is not well established to what extent previous immunizations offer protection against infections with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in dialysis patients. We aimed to define the relevant humoral response in dialysis patients using a SARS-CoV-2 IgG chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay (CMIA) compared to the activity of neutralizing antibodies assessed by a virus neutralization test. Next, we aimed to determine differences in humoral and cellular response levels over time among patients infected or not infected by the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.

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Article Synopsis
  • Electrographic flow (EGF) mapping detects active sources of atrial fibrillation (AF) outside the pulmonary veins, aiming to improve classification and treatment of persistent AF based on its underlying causes.
  • The FLOW-AF trial will assess the accuracy of EGF mapping using Ablamap software to identify AF sources in patients with persistent AF who have not had success with previous pulmonary vein isolation.
  • The study involves 85 participants who will be randomly assigned to receive either just pulmonary vein isolation or both pulmonary vein isolation and targeted ablation of identified extravascular AF sources, focusing on safety and effectiveness outcomes.
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Background: COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting disadvantaged populations, with greater representation and worse outcomes in low socioeconomic and minority populations, and in persons from marginalized groups. General health care system approaches to inequity reduction (i.e.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates whether 1930s redlining practices in the U.S. correlate with current community-level firearm injury rates, highlighting the lasting impact of discriminatory housing policies on public health.
  • Using a nationwide cohort study, researchers compared urban areas affected by redlining to similar non-redlined areas, finding a significant increase in firearm incidents associated with those historically impacted neighborhoods.
  • The findings suggest that efforts to address the legacy of redlining could potentially reduce modern-day firearm violence, indicating a link between historical policies and ongoing public health issues.
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Health and health care inequities persist because the efforts to eliminate them have ignored structural racism, typically using a power neutral approach to diagnose and solve the problem. Critical theory can address many of the conceptual weaknesses of current approaches, help identify how racism operates in health care, and open the door for more effective individual employee and organizational actions to advance health equity. We apply Martín-Baró's (1996) liberation psychology to lessons we learned through implementing a transdisciplinary national health and health care equity program.

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