Providing parents with HPV vaccine information from a male perspective may render them more inclined to have their daughters vaccinated.

Objectives: Several high-income countries have implemented a gender-neutral vaccination program against human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. The impact of a gender-neutral program (GNP) on parental intention to vaccinate their daughters has not been studied, especially in countries with low HPV vaccine coverage among girls.

Patients And Methods: In July 2019, before a GNP was implemented in France (2021), the French National Cancer Institute (INCa) conducted a survey on HPV vaccine acceptance among parents of children aged 11-19 years living in France.

Pf7: an open dataset of genome variation in 20,000 worldwide samples.

We describe the MalariaGEN Pf7 data resource, the seventh release of genome variation data from the MalariaGEN network.  It comprises over 20,000 samples from 82 partner studies in 33 countries, including several malaria endemic regions that were previously underrepresented.  For the first time we include dried blood spot samples that were sequenced after selective whole genome amplification, necessitating new methods to genotype copy number variations.

A specific molecular signature in SARS-CoV-2-infected kidney biopsies.

Acute kidney injury is one of the most important complications in patients with COVID-19 and is considered a negative prognostic factor with respect to patient survival. The occurrence of direct infection of the kidney by SARS-CoV-2, and its contribution to the renal deterioration process, remain controversial issues. By studying 32 renal biopsies from patients with COVID-19, we verified that the major pathological feature of COVID-19 is acute tubular injury (ATI).

High-spatial resolution epidemic surveillance of bacterial meningitis in the African meningitis belt in Burkina Faso.

Despite improved surveillance capacities and WHO recommendations for subdistrict analysis, routine epidemic surveillance of acute bacterial meningitis in the African meningitis belt remains largely limited to the district level. We evaluated the appropriateness and performance of analyses at higher spatial resolution. We used suspected meningitis surveillance data at health centre (HC) resolution from Burkina Faso from 14 health districts spanning years 2004-2014 and analysed them using spatio-temporal statistics and generative models.

A targetable 'rogue' neutrophil-subset, [CD11b+DEspR+] immunotype, is associated with severity and mortality in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and COVID-19-ARDS.

Neutrophil-mediated secondary tissue injury underlies acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and progression to multi-organ-failure (MOF) and death, processes linked to COVID-19-ARDS. This secondary tissue injury arises from dysregulated neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) intended to kill pathogens, but instead cause cell-injury. Insufficiency of pleiotropic therapeutic approaches delineate the need for inhibitors of dysregulated neutrophil-subset(s) that induce subset-specific apoptosis critical for neutrophil function-shutdown.

[Extension of HPV vaccination to boys: Survey of families and general practitioners].

Introduction: As part of an analysis on the extension of the HPV vaccination to French boys, the French National Cancer Institute (INCa) and the French National Authority for Health (HAS) have conducted in collaboration a survey on HPV vaccine acceptance in July 2019. This survey was completed by parents of children aged 11-19 and general practitioners (GPs). Questions focused on their representations, practices and intentions in the context of the future policy change allowing boys to get vaccinated against HPV.

Clinical, histological and molecular profiling of different stages of alcohol-related liver disease.

Objective: Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) ranges from never-decompensated ALD (ndALD) to the life-threatening decompensated phenotype, known as alcohol-related hepatitis (AH). A multidimensional study of the clinical, histological and molecular features of these subtypes is lacking.

Design: Two large cohorts of patients were recruited in an international, observational multicentre study: a retrospective cohort of patients with ndALD (n=110) and a prospective cohort of patients with AH (n=225).

Quantifying healthcare and welfare sector workers' preferences around COVID-19 vaccination: a cross-sectional, single-profile discrete-choice experiment in France.

Objectives: To analyse preferences around promotion of COVID-19 vaccination among workers in the healthcare and welfare sector in Fance at the start of the vaccination campaign.

Design: Single-profile discrete-choice experiment. Respondents in three random blocks chose between accepting or rejecting eight hypothetical COVID-19 vaccination scenarios.

Duration of antibiotic treatment using procalcitonin-guided treatment algorithms in older patients: a patient-level meta-analysis from randomized controlled trials.

Background: Older patients have a less pronounced immune response to infection, which may also influence infection biomarkers. There is currently insufficient data regarding clinical effects of procalcitonin (PCT) to guide antibiotic treatment in older patients.

Objective And Design: We performed an individual patient data meta-analysis to investigate the association of age on effects of PCT-guided antibiotic stewardship regarding antibiotic use and outcome.

Quantifying preferences around vaccination against frequent, mild disease with risk for vulnerable persons: A discrete choice experiment among French hospital health care workers.

The individual determinants of vaccine acceptance among health workers (HCWs) have been described in the literature, but there is little evidence regarding the impact of vaccine characteristics and contextual factors (e.g., incentives, communication) on vaccination intentions.

Serum keratin 19 (CYFRA21-1) links ductular reaction with portal hypertension and outcome of various advanced liver diseases.

Background: Keratins (Ks) represent tissue-specific proteins. K18 is produced in hepatocytes while K19, the most widely used ductular reaction (DR) marker, is found in cholangiocytes and hepatic progenitor cells. K18-based serum fragments are commonly used liver disease predictors, while K19-based serum fragments detected through CYFRA21-1 are established tumor but not liver disease markers yet.

Association of kidney function with effectiveness of procalcitonin-guided antibiotic treatment: a patient-level meta-analysis from randomized controlled trials.

Objectives: Patients with impaired kidney function have a significantly slower decrease of procalcitonin (PCT) levels during infection. Our aim was to study PCT-guided antibiotic stewardship and clinical outcomes in patients with impairments of kidney function as assessed by creatinine levels measured upon hospital admission.

Methods: We pooled and analyzed individual data from 15 randomized controlled trials who were randomly assigned to receive antibiotic therapy based on a PCT-algorithms or based on standard of care.

The systematic use of evidence-based methodologies and technologies enhances shared decision-making in the 2018 International Consensus Conference on Patient Blood Management.

Background And Objectives: Patient Blood Management (PBM) aims to optimize the care of patients who might need a blood transfusion. The International Consensus Conference on PBM (ICC-PBM) aimed to develop evidence-based recommendations on three topics: preoperative anaemia, red blood cell transfusion thresholds and implementation of PBM programmes. This paper reports how evidence-based methodologies and technologies were used to enhance shared decision-making in formulating recommendations during the ICC-PBM.

Patient Blood Management: Recommendations From the 2018 Frankfurt Consensus Conference.

Importance: Blood transfusion is one of the most frequently used therapies worldwide and is associated with benefits, risks, and costs.

Objective: To develop a set of evidence-based recommendations for patient blood management (PBM) and for research.

Evidence Review: The scientific committee developed 17 Population/Intervention/Comparison/Outcome (PICO) questions for red blood cell (RBC) transfusion in adult patients in 3 areas: preoperative anemia (3 questions), RBC transfusion thresholds (11 questions), and implementation of PBM programs (3 questions).

Procalcitonin-guided Antibiotic Treatment in Patients With Positive Blood Cultures: A Patient-level Meta-analysis of Randomized Trials.

Background: Whether procalcitonin (PCT)-guided antibiotic management in patients with positive blood cultures is safe remains understudied. We performed a patient-level meta-analysis to investigate effects of PCT-guided antibiotic management in patients with bacteremia.

Methods: We extracted and analyzed individual data of 523 patients with positive blood cultures included in 13 trials, in which patients were randomly assigned to receive antibiotics based on PCT levels (PCT group) or a control group.

Compartmental models for seasonal hyperendemic bacterial meningitis in the African meningitis belt.

The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the seasonal dynamic and epidemic occurrence of bacterial meningitis in the African meningitis belt remain unknown. Regular seasonality (seasonal hyperendemicity) is observed for both meningococcal and pneumococcal meningitis and understanding this is critical for better prevention and modelling. The two principal hypotheses for hyperendemicity during the dry season imply (1) an increased risk of invasive disease given asymptomatic carriage of meningococci and pneumococci; or (2) an increased transmission of these bacteria from carriers and ill individuals.

Plasma levels of heart failure biomarkers are primarily a reflection of extracardiac production.

Plasma heart failure (HF) biomarkers, like natriuretic peptides, are important in diagnosis, prognosis and HF treatment. Several novel HF biomarkers have been identified, including Gal-3, GDF-15 and TIMP-1, but their clinical potential remains vague. Here we investigated plasma biomarker levels in relation to tissue expression and structural and functional cardiac changes.

Effect of procalcitonin-guided antibiotic treatment on clinical outcomes in intensive care unit patients with infection and sepsis patients: a patient-level meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Background: The clinical utility of serum procalcitonin levels in guiding antibiotic treatment decisions in patients with sepsis remains unclear. This patient-level meta-analysis based on 11 randomized trials investigates the impact of procalcitonin-guided antibiotic therapy on mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with infection, both overall and stratified according to sepsis definition, severity, and type of infection.

Methods: For this meta-analysis focusing on procalcitonin-guided antibiotic management in critically ill patients with sepsis of any type, in February 2018 we updated the database of a previous individual patient data meta-analysis which was limited to patients with respiratory infections only.

Procalcitonin-guided antibiotic therapy algorithms for different types of acute respiratory infections based on previous trials.

Although evidence indicates that use of procalcitonin to guide antibiotic decisions for the treatment of acute respiratory infections (ARI) decreases antibiotic consumption and improves clinical outcomes, algorithms used within studies had differences in PCT cut-off points and frequency of testing. We therefore analyzed studies evaluating procalcitonin-guided antibiotic therapy and propose consensus algorithms for different respiratory infection types. Areas covered: We systematically searched randomized-controlled trials (search strategy updated on February 2018) on procalcitonin-guided antibiotic therapy of ARI in adults using a pre-specified Cochrane protocol and analyzed algorithms from 32 trials that included 10,285 patients treated in primary care settings, emergency departments (ED), and intensive care units (ICU).

Direct top-quark decay width measurement in the lepton+jets channel at with the ATLAS experiment.

This paper presents a direct measurement of the decay width of the top quark using events in the lepton+jets final state. The data sample was collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 20.2 fb .