Publications by authors named "Greg Haljan"
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates differences in thrombo-inflammatory responses and outcomes between non-COVID-19 community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and COVID-19 CAP in hospitalized adults in Canada.
- Non-COVID-19 CAP patients displayed lower 28-day mortality rates and fewer complications compared to those with COVID-19, indicating a more effective immune response developed over time against bacterial infections.
- The findings suggest that the complexities of the immune response to COVID-19 resulted in higher mortality rates, highlighting the challenges posed by emerging viruses compared to known pathogens.
Effects of Losartan on Patients Hospitalized for Acute COVID-19: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Clin Infect Dis
September 2024
Article Synopsis
- Researchers investigated the effect of losartan, an angiotensin receptor blocker, on 28-day mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients compared to usual care, due to its potential impact on angiotensin levels.
- The study was stopped early due to safety concerns, showing that adverse events and hypotension were significantly higher in the losartan group (39.8% SAEs and 30.4% hypotension) versus the control group (27.2% SAEs and 15.3% hypotension).
- There was no significant difference in 28-day mortality (6.5% for losartan vs. 5.9% for usual care), indicating that ARBs should be used cautiously in this patient population to
Article Synopsis
- ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome) is a critical condition linked mainly to infections like COVID-19, influenza, and bacterial pneumonia, and research is focused on its mechanisms and treatment options.
- The study aims to compare metabolic profiles of ARDS caused by COVID-19, H1N1 influenza, and bacterial pneumonia to understand their unique metabolic pathways.
- Results showed distinct metabolic differences based on the infection type, indicating different underlying mechanisms in ARDS associated with each infectious cause.
Article Synopsis
- * Researchers analyzed protein levels in 74 patients at three different time points after diagnosis, using a method called multiple reaction monitoring on 269 peptides, alongside routine lung function tests.
- * The study found increases in proteins linked to lipid-related pathways over time, while those related to immune responses decreased; it also noted significant differences in protein concentrations between males and females affecting lung function.
Background: Omicron is the current predominant variant of concern of SARS-CoV-2. We hypothesized that vaccination alters outcomes of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the Omicron wave and that these patients have different characteristics and outcomes than in previous waves.
Methods: This is a substudy of the Host Response Mediators in Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection (ARBs CORONA I) trial, which included adults admitted to hospital with acute COVID-19 up to July 2022 from 9 hospitals in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to assess if angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) or ACE inhibitors improve outcomes for hospitalized COVID-19 patients based on sex, while also investigating sex-related differences in the renin-angiotensin system (RAS).
- The research involved a prospective cohort study of 1,686 hospitalized patients across 10 Canadian urban hospitals, measuring baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes related to ARB/ACE inhibitor use.
- Findings revealed that males on ARBs showed reduced need for ventilation and vasopressors compared to those who weren’t on these medications, while no significant benefits were found for females, highlighting a notable sex difference in treatment response.
Background: There have been multiple waves in the COVID-19 pandemic in many countries. We sought to compare mortality and respiratory, cardiovascular and renal dysfunction between waves in 3 Canadian provinces.
Methods: We conducted a substudy of the ARBs CORONA I study, a multicentre Canadian pragmatic observational cohort study that examined the association of pre-existing use of angiotensin receptor blockers with outcomes in adults admitted to hospital with acute COVID-19 up to April 2021 from 9 community and teaching hospitals in 3 Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec).
The host response to COVID-19 pathophysiology over the first few days of infection remains largely unclear, especially the mechanisms in the blood compartment. We report on a longitudinal proteomic analysis of acute-phase COVID-19 patients, for which we used blood plasma, multiple reaction monitoring with internal standards, and data-independent acquisition. We measured samples on admission for 49 patients, of which 21 had additional samples on days 2, 4, 7, and 14 after admission.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF[Not Available].
CMAJ
November 2020
Background: Pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is associated with high intensive care unit (ICU) mortality. We aimed to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a Canadian setting.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective case series of critically ill patients with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection consecutively admitted to 1 of 6 ICUs in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, between Feb.
Introduction: Cardiomyocytes exposed to inflammatory processes express intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). We investigated whether fibrinogen and fibrinogen degradation products, including D-dimer, could alter cardiomyocyte contractile function through interaction with ICAM-1 found on inflamed cardiomyocytes.
Methods: In vivo, rats were injected with endotoxin to model systemic inflammation, whereas isolated rat cardiomyocytes were treated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha to model the inflammatory environment seen following exposure to bacterial products such as lipopolysaccharide.