Hepatitis A occurrence and outbreaks in Europe over the past two decades: A systematic review.

Hepatitis A (HA) is a vaccine-preventable liver disease with >170 million new cases occurring yearly. In recent outbreaks in the USA, hospitalization and case-fatality ratios were >60% and ~1%, respectively. In Europe, endemicity persists and outbreaks continue to occur.

Exploring doctors' reasons for not granting a request for euthanasia: a mixed-methods study.

Background: In a growing number of jurisdictions, physician-assisted death (PAD) is now an established part of medical care. Although PAD is allowed under certain criteria in The Netherlands, physicians can always refuse a request. The Euthanasia Expertise Centre (EEC) offers PAD to patients whose request was declined in circumstances where their own physician could have satisfied the legal criteria.

The changing epidemiology of human monkeypox-A potential threat? A systematic review.

Monkeypox, a zoonotic disease caused by an orthopoxvirus, results in a smallpox-like disease in humans. Since monkeypox in humans was initially diagnosed in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), it has spread to other regions of Africa (primarily West and Central), and cases outside Africa have emerged in recent years. We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed and grey literature on how monkeypox epidemiology has evolved, with particular emphasis on the number of confirmed, probable, and/or possible cases, age at presentation, mortality, and geographical spread.

Systematic Literature Review and Quantitative Analysis of Health Problems Associated with Sexually Transmitted Neisseria gonorrhoeae Infection.

Objective: Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng) is the second most common sexually transmitted bacterial infection (STI), leading to serious health problems in men, women and newborns. While early antibiotic treatment is effective, infections are increasingly antibiotic-resistant. No systematic reviews present health problems associated with Ng infections or their likelihood of occurrence.

A systematic literature review of herpes zoster incidence worldwide.

We conducted a systematic review to characterize the incidence rate of herpes zoster (HZ) in the general population, specifically in individuals ≥50 years of age. A total of 69 publications were included in the review. We found a cumulative incidence of HZ ranging from 2.

Critical appraisal and issues regarding generalisability of comparative effectiveness studies of NOACs in atrial fibrillation and their relation to clinical trial data: a systematic review.

Objective: To critically appraise the published comparative effectiveness studies on non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Results were compared with expectations formulated on the basis of trial results with specific attention to the patient years in each study.

Methods: All studies that compared the effectiveness or safety between at least two NOACs in patients with NVAF were eligible.

One or two doses of hepatitis A vaccine in universal vaccination programs in children in 2020: A systematic review.

Background: Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a global health concern as outbreaks continue to occur. Since 1999, several countries have introduced universal vaccination (UV) of children against HAV according to approved two-dose schedules. Other countries have implemented one-dose UV programs since 2005; the long-term impact of this schedule is not yet known.

Hepatitis A epidemiology in Latin American countries: a 2020 view from a systematic literature review.

Introduction: The World Health Organization recommends vaccination against hepatitis A virus (HAV) for children aged 1 year and older in areas where endemicity has shifted from high to intermediate. There are no recent comprehensive reviews of the epidemiology of HAV infection in Latin America, but seroprevalence and socioeconomic data suggest that, with improved clean water and sanitation systems, countries are transitioning to intermediate endemicity.

Areas Covered: We conducted a systematic literature review of the epidemiology of HAV infection in 25 countries in the Latin American region, which included gray literature.

A systematic review of the burden of pertussis disease in infants and the effectiveness of maternal immunization against pertussis.

Introduction Infants too young to be fully immunized are the most vulnerable to severe pertussis disease. To close this susceptibility gap, passive infant immunization through vaccination of pregnant women against pertussis was first introduced in 2011 in the United States and has been extended since then to more than 40 countries. Areas covered We conducted two systematic literature searches to describe the worldwide burden of pertussis disease in infants <6 months of age since 2005, and the effectiveness and impact of maternal pertussis vaccination in preventing infant pertussis since 2011.

Hepatitis B and C prevalence and incidence in key population groups with multiple risk factors in the EU/EEA: a systematic review.

BackgroundPeople living with HIV (PLHIV) and people in prison are population groups with a potentially high risk and/or prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.AimWe conducted a systematic review in order to find prevalence and incidence estimates in these populations in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA).MethodsOriginal research articles published between January 2005 and February 2017 were retrieved from PubMed and Embase in February 2017.

Hepatitis B and C testing strategies in healthcare and community settings in the EU/EEA: A systematic review.

An estimated 9 million individuals are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) across the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA), many of which are yet to be diagnosed. We performed a systematic review to identify interventions effective at improving testing offer and uptake in the EU/EEA. Original research articles published between 1 January 2008 and 1 September 2017 were retrieved from PubMed and EMBASE.

Vaccination herd effect experience in Latin America: a systematic literature review.

Background: National pediatric vaccination programs have been introduced in Latin America (LatAm) to reduce the burden of diseases due to pathogens such as rotavirus, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and pneumococcus. Vaccination health benefits may extend to unvaccinated populations by reducing pathogen transmission. Understanding herd effect is important for implementation and assessment of vaccination programs.

Systematic literature review comparing rapid 3-dose administration of the GSK tick-borne encephalitis vaccine with other primary immunization schedules.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), which is endemic across large regions of Europe and Asia, is most effectively prevented through vaccination. Three-dose primary TBE vaccination schedules are either rapid (0,7,21-days) or conventional (0,28-84-days, 9-12-months). The second dose can also be administered at 14 days for faster priming and sero-protection).

Should adults with diabetes mellitus be vaccinated against hepatitis B virus? A systematic review of diabetes mellitus and the progression of hepatitis B disease.

Despite the burden of diabetes mellitus (DM), little is known about the role of this and other metabolic syndromes on the severity of hepatitis B virus (HBV) chronicity and liver disease progression. The value of hepatitis B vaccination and its impact on liver diseases and HCC has been largely demonstrated, adult vaccination coverage is however suboptimal and DM diagnosis represents an opportunity for the HCP to discuss hepatitis B and other adult vaccinations. We performed a systematic literature search to identify studies (January 2000 to January 2017) describing liver disease progression among patients with HBV by DM status.

The immunogenicity of GSK's recombinant hepatitis B vaccine in children: a systematic review of 30 years of experience.

The World Health Organization recommends hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccines to be included in national immunization schedules everywhere, and has adopted the strategic goal of halting viral hepatitis as a major public health threat by 2030, under which vaccination plays a major role. Engerix™ B (GSK HepB, GSK, Belgium) was the first recombinant HBV vaccine to be licensed, and marked its 30th anniversary in 2016. Areas covered: We conducted a systematic review of the literature summarizing 30 years of immunogenicity and safety data for GSK HepB in children and adolescents.

The immunogenicity and safety of GSK's recombinant hepatitis B vaccine in adults: a systematic review of 30 years of experience.

Engerix B (GSK HepB, GSK, Belgium) was the first recombinant hepatitis B virus vaccine to be licensed, and marked its 30 anniversary in 2016. Vaccination of adult populations against HBV is usually implemented on a risk-based approach with varying degrees of success. Confirmation of ongoing vaccine effectiveness requires monitoring the performance of HBV immunization as reported in individual studies, using systematic methods.

Impact of universal mass vaccination with monovalent inactivated hepatitis A vaccines - A systematic review.

The WHO recommends integration of universal mass vaccination (UMV) against hepatitis A virus (HAV) in national immunization schedules for children aged ≥1 year, if justified on the basis of acute HAV incidence, declining endemicity from high to intermediate and cost-effectiveness. This recommendation has been implemented in several countries. Our aim was to assess the impact of UMV using monovalent inactivated hepatitis A vaccines on incidence and persistence of anti-HAV (IgG) antibodies in pediatric populations.

Risk of new onset autoimmune disease in 9- to 25-year-old women exposed to human papillomavirus-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine in the United Kingdom.

To assess the risk of autoimmune disease (AD) in 9-25 year-old women within 1 year after the first AS04-HPV-16/18vaccine dose, a retrospective, observational database cohort study was conducted using CPRD GOLD. From CPRD GOLD 4 cohorts (65,000 subjects each) were retrieved: 1 exposed female cohort (received ≥1 AS04-HPV-16/18 vaccine dose between Sep2008-Aug2010) and 3 unexposed cohorts: historical female (Sep2005-Aug2007), concurrent male, and historical male. Co-primary endpoints were confirmed neuroinflammatory/ophthalmic AD and other AD, secondary endpoints were confirmed individual AD.

The incidence, clearance and persistence of non-cervical human papillomavirus infections: a systematic review of the literature.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines were designed to prevent cervical cancer in women and their provision remains a major public health need. However, HPV is also a major cause of non-cervical anogenital and oropharyngeal cancers and the potential benefit of vaccination likely extends beyond cervical cancer.

Methods: A systematic literature search of PubMed (1995-2014) identified publications assessing the incidence, persistence, and clearance of non-cervical anogenital/oral HPV infections.

Immunogenicity, effectiveness and safety of combined hepatitis A and B vaccine: a systematic literature review.

Background: Hepatitis A and B are two of the most common vaccine-preventable diseases and vaccination for Hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) is recommended for those at risk of contracting HAV and/or HBV through their occupation, travel or lifestyle.

Objective: To describe the vaccine efficacy, immunogenicity, effectiveness and safety of the combined vaccine against hepatitis A and hepatitis B.

Methods: A systematic review of the literature published between 1990 and 2015.

Risk of spontaneous abortion and other pregnancy outcomes in 15-25 year old women exposed to human papillomavirus-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine in the United Kingdom.

Background: We assessed the risk of spontaneous abortion (SA) after inadvertent exposure to HPV-16/18-vaccine during pregnancy using an observational cohort design.

Methods: The study population included women aged 15-25 years registered with the Clinical Practice Research Datalink General Practice OnLine Database in the United Kingdom (UK), who received at least one HPV-16/18-vaccine dose between 1st September 2008 and 30th June 2011. Exposed women had the first day of gestation between 30 days before and 45 days (90 days for the extended exposure period) after any HPV-16/18-vaccine dose.

A randomised controlled trial on the effectiveness of bracing patients with idiopathic scoliosis: failure to include patients and lessons to be learnt.

Trials often do not succeed in including as many patients as anticipated beforehand. The aim of this paper was to describe why we were not able to include more than a few patients in our randomized controlled treatment trial on the effectiveness of bracing patients with idiopathic scoliosis, and to describe which lessons can be learnt. A pilot study on the willingness to participate in such a trial was conducted amongst 21 patients and their parents.

Patients' preferences for scoliosis brace treatment: a discrete choice experiment.

Study Design: Discrete choice experiment.

Objective: To investigate the reduction in the risk of surgery that scoliosis patients would require in order to consider brace treatment as acceptable, and to elicit the trade-offs individuals make between characteristics of brace treatment.

Summary Of Background Data: The effectiveness of brace treatment in idiopathic scoliosis patients has not been established in randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Impact of computed tomography screening for lung cancer on participants in a randomized controlled trial (NELSON trial).

Background: Computed tomography (CT) screening is an important new tool for the early detection of lung cancer. In the current study, the authors assessed the discomfort associated with CT scanning and the subsequent wait for results and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) over time.

Methods: A total of 351 participants in the Dutch-Belgian randomized controlled trial for lung cancer screening in high-risk subjects (the NELSON trial) who had an appointment for a baseline CT scan were asked to complete questionnaires regarding their experienced discomfort and HRQoL before, 1 day after, and approximately 6 months after the CT scan.