Bayesian workflow for time-varying transmission in stratified compartmental infectious disease transmission models.

Compartmental models that describe infectious disease transmission across subpopulations are central for assessing the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions, behavioral changes and seasonal effects on the spread of respiratory infections. We present a Bayesian workflow for such models, including four features: (1) an adjustment for incomplete case ascertainment, (2) an adequate sampling distribution of laboratory-confirmed cases, (3) a flexible, time-varying transmission rate, and (4) a stratification by age group. Within the workflow, we benchmarked the performance of various implementations of two of these features (2 and 3).

Determinants of intention to leave among nurses and physicians in a hospital setting during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The global outbreak of COVID-19 has brought to light the profound impact that large-scale disease outbreaks can have on healthcare systems and the dedicated professionals who serve within them. It becomes increasingly important to explore strategies for retaining nurses and physicians within hospital settings during such challenging times. This paper aims to investigate the determinants of retention among nurses and physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Correcting for Antibody Waning in Cumulative Incidence Estimation From Sequential Serosurveys.

Serosurveys are a widely used tool to estimate the cumulative incidence-the fraction of a population that has been infected by a given pathogen. These surveys rely on serological assays that measure the level of pathogen-specific antibodies. Because antibody levels are waning, the fraction of previously infected individuals that have seroreverted increases with time past infection.

Retaining Healthcare Workers: A Systematic Review of Strategies for Sustaining Power in the Workplace.

The shortage of healthcare workers is a growing concern. The COVID-19 pandemic and retirement wave have accelerated turnover rates. This systematic review aimed to identify and analyse the existing interventions for job retention of healthcare workers, in terms of nurses and physicians, in a hospital setting.

Per-pathogen virulence of HIV-1 subtypes A, C and D.

HIV-1 subtypes differ in their clinical manifestations and the speed in which they spread. In particular, the frequency of subtype C is increasing relative to subtypes A and D. We investigate whether HIV-1 subtypes A, C and D differ in their per-pathogen virulence and to what extend this explains the difference in spread between these subtypes.

Predicting future falls in older people using natural language processing of general practitioners' clinical notes.

Background: Falls in older people are common and morbid. Prediction models can help identifying individuals at higher fall risk. Electronic health records (EHR) offer an opportunity to develop automated prediction tools that may help to identify fall-prone individuals and lower clinical workload.

The Race to Retain Healthcare Workers: A Systematic Review on Factors that Impact Retention of Nurses and Physicians in Hospitals.

The shortage of healthcare workers is a growing problem across the globe. Nurses and physicians, in particular, are vulnerable as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding why they might leave is imperative for improving retention.

Applying mixture model methods to SARS-CoV-2 serosurvey data from Geneva.

Serosurveys are an important tool to estimate the true extent of the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. So far, most serosurvey data have been analyzed with cutoff-based methods, which dichotomize individual measurements into sero-positives or negatives based on a predefined cutoff. However, mixture model methods can gain additional information from the same serosurvey data.

Estimating the cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 with imperfect serological tests: Exploiting cutoff-free approaches.

Large-scale serological testing in the population is essential to determine the true extent of the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Serological tests measure antibody responses against pathogens and use predefined cutoff levels that dichotomize the quantitative test measures into sero-positives and negatives and use this as a proxy for past infection. With the imperfect assays that are currently available to test for past SARS-CoV-2 infection, the fraction of seropositive individuals in serosurveys is a biased estimator of the cumulative incidence and is usually corrected to account for the sensitivity and specificity.

Reprocessing filtering facepiece respirators in primary care using medical autoclave: prospective, bench-to-bedside, single-centre study.

Objective: There are widespread shortages of personal protective equipment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reprocessing filtering facepiece particle (FFP)-type respirators may provide an alternative solution in keeping healthcare professionals safe.

Design: Prospective, bench-to-bedside.

Intestinal epithelial NAIP/NLRC4 restricts systemic dissemination of the adapted pathogen Salmonella Typhimurium due to site-specific bacterial PAMP expression.

Inflammasomes can prevent systemic dissemination of enteropathogenic bacteria. As adapted pathogens including Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Tm) have evolved evasion strategies, it has remained unclear when and where inflammasomes restrict their dissemination.

Author Correction: Earth tectonics as seen by GOCE - Enhanced satellite gravity gradient imaging.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Earth tectonics as seen by GOCE - Enhanced satellite gravity gradient imaging.

Curvature components derived from satellite gravity gradients provide new global views of Earth's structure. The satellite gravity gradients are based on the GOCE satellite mission and we illustrate by curvature images how the Earth is seen differently compared to seismic imaging. Tectonic domains with similar seismic characteristic can exhibit distinct differences in satellite gravity gradients maps, which points to differences in the lithospheric build-up.

Continuous Development of a Major Incident In-Hospital Victim Tracking and Tracing System, Withstanding the Challenges of Time.

Objective: To describe the development of the Patient Barcode Registration System (PBRS) over time and confirm the usability and feasibility of the system's latest version during a large trauma drill.

Methods: The development of a PBRS started around 1993 aiming to provide an effective tool for patient registration, tracking, and tracing during major incidents. The PBRS uses wristbands with barcodes to follow and register patients in the care process.

Satellite gravity gradient grids for geophysics.

The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite aimed at determining the Earth's mean gravity field. GOCE delivered gravity gradients containing directional information, which are complicated to use because of their error characteristics and because they are given in a rotating instrument frame indirectly related to the Earth. We compute gravity gradients in grids at 225 km and 255 km altitude above the reference ellipsoid corresponding to the GOCE nominal and lower orbit phases respectively, and find that the grids may contain additional high-frequency content compared with GOCE-based global models.

Controlled Release from Zein Matrices: Interplay of Drug Hydrophobicity and pH.

Purpose: In earlier studies, the corn protein zein is found to be suitable as a sustained release agent, yet the range of drugs for which zein has been studied remains small. Here, zein is used as a sole excipient for drugs differing in hydrophobicity and isoelectric point: indomethacin, paracetamol and ranitidine.

Methods: Caplets were prepared by hot-melt extrusion (HME) and injection moulding (IM).

Creating Drug Solubilization Compartments via Phase Separation in Multicomponent Buccal Patches Prepared by Direct Hot Melt Extrusion-Injection Molding.

Creating in situ phase separation in solid dispersion based formulations to allow enhanced functionality of the dosage form, such as improving dissolution of poorly soluble model drug as well as being mucoadhesive, can significantly maximize the in vitro and in vivo performance of the dosage form. This formulation strategy can benefit a wide range of solid dosage forms for oral and alternative routes of delivery. This study using buccal patches as an example created separated phases in situ of the buccal patches by selecting the excipients with different miscibility with each other and the model drug.

The Development of Direct Extrusion-Injection Moulded Zein Matrices as Novel Oral Controlled Drug Delivery Systems.

Purpose: To evaluate the potential of zein as a sole excipient for controlled release formulations prepared by hot melt extrusion.

Methods: Physical mixtures of zein, water and crystalline paracetamol were hot melt extruded (HME) at 80°C and injection moulded (IM) into caplet forms. HME-IM Caplets were characterised using differential scanning calorimetry, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and powder X-ray diffraction.

Coating formation during drying of β-lactoglobulin: gradual and sudden changes.

The drying dynamics of protein coatings is of importance for many applications. The main focus of research so far was to investigate macroscopic properties of protein coatings, leaving drying dynamics virtually unexplored. A unique combination of techniques is used to monitor drying of a coating containing the protein β-lactoglobulin.

Online Victim Tracking and Tracing System (ViTTS) for major incident casualties.

Introduction: Dealing with major incidents requires an immediate and coordinated response by multiple organizations. Communicating and coordinating over multiple geographical locations and organizations is a complex process. One of the greatest challenges is patient tracking and tracing.

Screening for hepatitis B and C in first-generation Egyptian migrants living in the Netherlands.

Background: Egypt has high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and intermediate prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection; however, infection prevalence among Egyptian migrants is unknown. Considering the asymptomatic onset and development of disease in chronically-infected patients, many may remain undiagnosed.

Aims: To evaluate an HCV- and HBV-screening programme designed to identify undetected infections among first-generation Egyptian migrants in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Influence of protein hydrolysis on the growth kinetics of β-lg fibrils.

Recently it was found that protein hydrolysis is an important step in the formation of β-lactoglobulin fibrils at pH 2 and elevated temperatures. The objective of the present study was to further investigate the influence of hydrolysis on the kinetics of fibril formation. Both the hydrolysis of β-lactoglobulin and the growth of the fibrils were followed as a function of time and temperature, using SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and a Thioflavin T fluorescence assay.

Computerization of patient tracking and tracing during mass casualty incidents.

The admission of a large number of victims in a hospital after a mass casualty incident can easily lead to chaos and disruption of the hospital's regular organization. To ensure that this chaos does not continue, a correct way of registration and continuous overview of registered patients can be very helpful. The Emergency Hospital, which is part of the University Medical Centre Utrecht and the Central Military Hospital, was confronted several times with groups of patients who had to be admitted immediately.

Development of computer-assisted patient control for use in the hospital setting during mass casualty incidents.

Hospital resolution of mass casualty incidents can have difficulties involving "command and control" and information management, ineffective use of triage classes, and missed diagnostic procedures, leading to lower quality of care. A computer system has been developed to supply continuously updated group and patient data. The system uses barcoded identifiers to represent patients, injuries, facilities, and locations, in order to minimize errors and make exchange of data possible.