Mark B Loeb

..There is a reduced prevalence of nonrespiratory symptoms in this age group. Advanced age and comorbidity are important prognostic factors. Influenza and pneumococcal vaccination remain the key factors for prevention...

..In so doing, the utility of the framework for health services researchers is evaluated...

..There are key management issues, such as site of care, which remain unresolved. Immunization with influenza and pneumococcal vaccines remains the mainstay of prevention...

..The text below not only summarizes the genetic factors that predispose to complications of these 2 important flaviviruses, but also illustrates the challenges in determining the genomic basis for complications to these viruses...

..We propose to systematically review the cross-protection offered by influenza vaccines against circulating influenza A or B viruses that are not antigenically well-matched to vaccine strains...

..The nature of influenza viral shedding during naturally acquired infection is not well understood...

..This project also includes non-Hutterite swine farms that are experiencing swine respiratory illness...

..pneumoniae may play a role in vascular dementia. The objective of this study was to determine if there was an association between serological evidence of C. pneumoniae infection or inflammatory markers with vascular dementia...

..The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of pneumococcal vaccination among community-dwelling older adults with clinically diagnosed CAP...

..In order to determine the feasibility of a large-scale study, we conducted a pilot study to assess utilization of acute health care services among seniors receiving homecare to determine associated clinical outcomes...

..We aimed to assess the associations of potentially modifiable factors with mortality and re-hospitalization in older adults hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia...

..It was hypothesized that older adults with CAP who had lower levels of social support would be more likely to report a decline in health...

..This qualitative study examined resident and family member perspectives on in situ care for pneumonia...

..The primary objective of this study was to describe how community-dwelling older adults and their family members responded to symptoms of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP)...

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..To assess whether a multifaceted intervention can reduce the number of prescriptions for antimicrobials for suspected urinary tract infections in residents of nursing homes...

..Practicing > or =2 personal protective behavior traits reduced the risk for WNV infection by half...

..Hospitalized patients frequently have urinary catheters inserted for inappropriate reasons. This can lead to urinary tract infections and other complications...

..Nursing home residents with pneumonia are frequently hospitalized. Such transfers may be associated with multiple hazards of hospitalization as well as economic costs...

..To determine the interobserver reliability of radiologists' interpretations of mobile chest radiographs for nursing home-acquired pneumonia...

..Although evidence in clinical trials differs from evidence in observational studies that demonstrate clear benefits associated with the polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine in this population, the vaccine is recommended for adults aged..

..The long-term prognosis of patients infected with West Nile virus is not well understood...

..To investigate the risk of hospitalization for pneumonia in older adults in relation to biophysical environmental factors...

..Children and adolescents appear to play an important role in the transmission of influenza. Selectively vaccinating youngsters against influenza may interrupt virus transmission and protect those not immunized...

..0022; rs2298771, P = .005; rs25651, P = .042. Using mostly nonsynonymous variants, we therefore did not identify genetic variants associated with neuroinvasive disease...

..The elderly population is particularly vulnerable. There is a relative lack of data on the effect of nutrition on risk and outcome of CAP. More research is needed to better delineate the impact of nutrition on risk and outcome of CAP...

..To determine the incidence and variability of antibiotic use in facilities which provide chronic care and to determine how often clinical criteria for infection are met when antibiotics are prescribed in these facilities...

..Risk was lower with consistent use of a N95 mask than with consistent use of a surgical mask. We conclude that activities related to intubation increase SARS risk and use of a mask (particularly a N95 mask) is protective...

..To evaluate adherence to antibiotic recommendations for the treatment of pneumonia in patients who receive long-term care and to assess outcomes associated with these recommendations...

..Considering how common the problem of AP is in older adults, larger, high-quality RCTs on the effectiveness of preventive interventions are warranted...

..Although the causal pathways may be unclear, there are data to suggest a relationship between low socioeconomic status and risk of acquiring respiratory infection. The need for more research in this area is emphasized...

..To assess whether doxycycline and rifampin have a therapeutic role in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD)...

..Determining the effect of air pollution on CAP in older adults is important in terms of reducing personal risk to older individuals and for healthcare agencies charged with formulating policy to protect the health of older adults...

..Focus groups and semi-structured interviews with key informants will be used to assess the process of implementation and to identify key factors for sustainability...

..08, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.11), respectively. These findings suggest that increased staffing, more hand-washing sinks, and use of antimicrobial soap may reduce resistance to antimicrobial agents in long-term care facilities...

..This review provides an update on new data about the etiology, clinical characteristics, outcomes, and prevention of community-acquired pneumonia. The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome in older persons is also addressed...

..Such data reveal variance in protective efficacy of the vaccine for multi-dimensional direct and indirect efficacy measures...

..2 to 13.6) and log percentage of residents using gastrostomy tubes within the nursing home (adjusted OR 3.9, 95% CI 1.3 to 12.0) were associated with having a clinical isolate resistant to third-generation cephalosporins...

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..To compare predictors of hospitalization and death in nursing home residents with pneumonia and other lower respiratory infections (LRIs)...

..This novel algorithm provides the basis for further development of methods to characterize the breadth of epitope recognition within a complex pool of antibodies...

..The rate of adverse neurologic events associated with amantadine was significantly higher than that associated with oseltamivir...

..Little is known about the long-term effects of air pollution on pneumonia hospitalization in the elderly...

..The objective of this study was to compare estimates of influenza-associated risk in a defined clinical population using four different methods of defining the influenza season...

..Reduced susceptibility to glycopeptides was not identified...

..To determine the impact of the screening test, nursing workload, handwashing rates, and dependence of handwashing on risk level of patient visit on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) transmission among hospitalized patients...

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..However, investigations of the extent to which these measures actually affect the progression of a pandemic have been limited...

..This article examines the views of nursing staff and administrators in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) regarding a clinical pathway for managing urinary tract infections (UTIs) in LTCF residents...

..Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) is a neuraminidase inhibitor-a new class of antiviral treatment for influenza where efficacy and safety has been established but cost-effectiveness is unknown...

..Given the likelihood that N95 respirators will be in short supply during a pandemic and not available in many countries, knowing the effectiveness of the surgical mask is of public health importance...

..S. and Canadian advisory committees. On the basis of this available evidence, the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine should currently be recommended for older adults, especially those who are residents of LTCFs...

..This paper evaluates the uptake of the public health message in a WNv hot spot (2002) in order to assess the determinants of the likelihood of undertaking personal protective behaviours to reduce the risk of illness from WNv...

..To distinguish adverse events related to ribavirin therapy from those attributable to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and to determine the rate of potential ribavirin-related adverse events...

..To estimate the prevalence of pediatric health care-associated infections (HAI) in Canadian acute care hospitals...

..The commercial assay cost was considerably higher at $40.37 per test. The results demonstrated good performance for all assays, providing laboratories that need to do SARS RNA testing with a choice of assay formats...

..For hospital cases, we examined how inferences drawn from a case-control study can differ by choice of hospital- vs. community-based controls...

..Research conducted during the SARS outbreak may help inform research planning for future public health emergencies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the 1-year outcomes in survivors of SARS and their family caregivers...

..These data provide important new insight into the T cell response against WNV in humans...

..Our results demonstrate that the combination of these two prediction strategies provides a robust platform for epitope characterization...

..Laboratory workers reported high rates of exposure to bodily fluids and poor rates of compliance with personal protective behaviors. This national study has identified several deficiencies and strategies for improvement...

..The epidemiology and clinical features of these patients is distinct from that of younger patients...

..0; 95% CI, 1.2 to 7.4). There has been no evidence of vancomycin "MIC creep" in Canadian strains of methicillin (meticillin)-resistant S. aureus, and hVISA strains are currently uncommon...

..Although the incidence rate of VRE carriage in Canada is increasing, it remains very low...

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..Overall hand hygiene adherence was 14.7%, with a mean handwashing time of 15.9 seconds. Adherence varied by activity performed and the presence or absence of a sink...

..We re-examined the incidence of HA CDI with an emphasis on patient outcomes...

..Education programs about hand hygiene may be more effective if patterns of care and levels of risk are incorporated into recommendations...

..abstract:..

..To determine the incidence and describe the changing epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization or infection in Canadian hospitals from 1995-2007...

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..Coherent and methodologically sound research is required to better understand the factors contributing to hand-hygiene behavior among health care professionals...

..CONCLUSION: Contingency plans for VHF can be implemented in an efficient and feasible manner. Contact tracing, laboratory issues, internal communication, and media interest can be anticipated to be the key challenges...

..Considerable controversy resulted regarding which procedures and behaviours were associated with the greatest risk of SARS-CoV transmission...

..This study was designed to assess the safety and feasibility of implementing evidence-based care practices to prevent SSIs...

..We carried out a survey to identify the infection prevention and control practices in place in Canadian hospitals participating in the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program (CNISP)...

..We sought to systematically review the evidence for obtaining clinical cure with antimicrobials in intravenous drug users (IVDUs) with isolated native valve RSE...

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..It is hoped the NHAP treatment algorithm will contribute to improved outcomes...

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..We believe that the trial we propose will lead to important data that can inform policy on influenza immunization strategy. ..