Trends in Non-Tuberculous Mycobacterial Lung Disease and Treatment Outcomes in a Low-Tuberculosis Prevalence Setting: A Retrospective Analysis.

Background: Information on the management of non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung infection and disease is scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the trends in NTM lung infections, and the factors associated with the initiation of treatment and treatment outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was carried out on patient medical records from Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway, from 2000 to 2021.

Microbiological diagnosis of pleural infections: a comparative evaluation of a novel syndromic real-time PCR panel.

Current microbial diagnostics for pleural infections are insufficient. Studies using 16S targeted next-generation sequencing report that only 10%-16% of bacteria present are cultured and that 50%-78% of pleural fluids containing relevant microbial DNA remain culture negative. As a rapid diagnostic alternative suitable for clinical laboratories, we wanted to explore a PCR-based approach.

Malnutrition as a prognostic factor for 2-year mortality in hospitalized patients in Norway: A matched cohort study.

Background: Risk of malnutrition and malnutrition have been previously associated with increased risk of mortality. It remains unclear, however, whether the severity of malnutrition differentiates in association with all-cause mortality. The aim was to assess the association between being at risk of malnutrition or being diagnosed with malnutrition according to the diagnostic assessment of the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) with all-cause mortality during a 2-year follow-up in hospitalized patients.

Lower airway microbiota in COPD and healthy controls.

Background: The lower airway microbiota in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are likely altered compared with the microbiota in healthy individuals. Information on how the microbiota is affected by smoking, use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and COPD severity is still scarce.

Methods: In the MicroCOPD Study, participant characteristics were obtained through standardised questionnaires and clinical measurements at a single centre from 2012 to 2015.