Model-based disease mapping using primary care registry data.

Background: Spatial modeling of disease risk using primary care registry data is promising for public health surveillance. However, it remains unclear to which extent challenges such as spatially disproportionate sampling and practice-specific reporting variation affect statistical inference.

Methods: Using lower respiratory tract infection data from the INTEGO registry, modeled with a logistic model incorporating patient characteristics, a spatially structured random effect at municipality level, and an unstructured random effect at practice level, we conducted a case and simulation study to assess the impact of these challenges on spatial trend estimation.

The impact of quality-adjusted life years on evaluating COVID-19 mitigation strategies: lessons from age-specific vaccination roll-out and variants of concern in Belgium (2020-2022).

Background: When formulating and evaluating COVID-19 vaccination strategies, an emphasis has been placed on preventing severe disease that overburdens healthcare systems and leads to mortality. However, more conventional outcomes such as quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and inequality indicators are warranted as additional information for policymakers.

Methods: We adopted a mathematical transmission model to describe the infectious disease dynamics of SARS-COV-2, including disease mortality and morbidity, and to evaluate (non)pharmaceutical interventions.

Deep reinforcement learning for the direct optimization of gradient separations in liquid chromatography.

While Reinforcement Learning (RL) has already proven successful in performing complex tasks, such as controlling large-scale epidemics, mitigating influenza and playing computer games beyond expert level, it is currently largely unexplored in the field of separation sciences. This paper therefore aims to introduce RL, specifically proximal policy optimization (PPO), in liquid chromatography, and evaluate whether it can be trained to optimize separations directly, based solely on the outcome of a single generic separation as input, and a reward signal based on the resolution between peak pairs (taking a value between [-1,1]). More specifically, PPO algorithms or agents were trained to select linear (1-segment) or multi-segment (2-, 3-, or 16-segment) gradients in 1 experiment, based on the outcome of an initial, generic linear gradient (ϕ=0.

Serological screening in a large-scale municipal survey in Cascais, Portugal, during the first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons for future pandemic preparedness efforts.

Background: Serological surveys for SARS-CoV-2 were used early in the COVID-19 pandemic to assess epidemiological scenarios. In the municipality of Cascais (Portugal), serological testing combined with a comprehensive socio-demographic, clinical and behavioral questionnaire was offered to residents between May 2020 and beginning of 2021. In this study, we analyze the factors associated with adherence to this municipal initiative, as well as the sociodemographic profile and chronic diseases clinical correlates associated to seropositivity.

[Surgical treatment of a patient with mandibular micrognathia accompanied by obstructive sleep apnea syndrome using extended genioplasty].

A method for diagnosing, planning and surgical treatment of patients with micrognathia of the mandible with physiological occlusion is proposed, which makes it possible to objectively assess the severity of the anomaly and concomitant functional disorders of external respiration in the nasopharynx and oropharynx, as well as to identify the pathophysiological mechanisms of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and develop an optimal surgical treatment plan with high functional and aesthetic results.

Patient-reported outcome measures on mental health and psychosocial factors in patients with Brugada syndrome.

Aims: Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a hereditary arrhythmic disease, associated with sudden cardiac death. To date, little is known about the psychosocial correlates and impacts associated with this disease. The aim of this study was to assess a set of patient-reported psychosocial outcomes, to better profile these patients, and to propose a tailored psychosocial care.

[Methodology for the use of kinesiological decongestant dressing in double-jaw orthognathic operations].

Objective: Development and implementation in practice of a technique for applying a postoperative decongestant kinesiological bandage.

Materials And Methods: A comparative analysis of the effectiveness of the developed methodology was carried out. Three groups of patients were formed, consisting of 20 people.

[Applications of the lipofilling method in the rehabilitation of patients with defects and scar deformities of the terminal part of the nose].

A clinical case of the treatment of a 30-year-old patient with a diagnosis of a defect and cicatricial deformity of the terminal part of the nose, deviated septum with a defect in the cartilaginous part, valvular insufficiency and hypertrophy of the inferior turbinates is presented. Reconstructive surgery of the terminal part of the nose using cartilage autografts required special preparation of scar soft tissues of the nose. For this purpose, the method of lipofilling was used as an additional stage in the complex rehabilitation of patients with postoperative defects and deformities of the terminal section.

Reconstruction of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks in a primary school using epidemiological and genomic data.

Mathematical modelling studies have shown that repetitive screening can be used to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission in primary schools while keeping schools open. However, not much is known about how transmission progresses within schools and whether there is a risk of importation to households. During the academic year 2020-2021, a prospective surveillance study using repetitive screening was conducted in a primary school and associated households in Liège (Belgium).

Pneumococcal vaccination coverage and adherence to recommended dosing schedules in adults: a repeated cross-sectional study of the INTEGO morbidity registry.

Background: Since 2014, Belgium's Superior Health Council has recommended pneumococcal vaccination for adults aged 19-85 years at increased risk for pneumococcal diseases with a specific vaccine administration sequence and timing. Currently, Belgium has no publicly funded adult pneumococcal vaccination program. This study investigated the seasonal pneumococcal vaccination trends, evolution of vaccination coverage and adherence to the 2014 recommendations.

Different forms of superspreading lead to different outcomes: Heterogeneity in infectiousness and contact behavior relevant for the case of SARS-CoV-2.

Superspreading events play an important role in the spread of several pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2. While the basic reproduction number of the original Wuhan SARS-CoV-2 is estimated to be about 3 for Belgium, there is substantial inter-individual variation in the number of secondary cases each infected individual causes-with most infectious individuals generating no or only a few secondary cases, while about 20% of infectious individuals is responsible for 80% of new infections. Multiple factors contribute to the occurrence of superspreading events: heterogeneity in infectiousness, individual variations in susceptibility, differences in contact behavior, and the environment in which transmission takes place.

Controlling SARS-CoV-2 in schools using repetitive testing strategies.

SARS-CoV-2 remains a worldwide emergency. While vaccines have been approved and are widely administered, there is an ongoing debate whether children should be vaccinated or prioritized for vaccination. Therefore, in order to mitigate the spread of more transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants among children, the use of non-pharmaceutical interventions is still warranted.

A Tale of Three Recent Pandemics: Influenza, HIV and SARS-CoV-2.

Emerging infectious diseases are one of the main threats to public health, with the potential to cause a pandemic when the infectious agent manages to spread globally. The first major pandemic to appear in the 20th century was the influenza pandemic of 1918, caused by the influenza A H1N1 strain that is characterized by a high fatality rate. Another major pandemic was caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), that started early in the 20th century and remained undetected until 1981.

Genome-wide diversity of Zika virus: Exploring spatio-temporal dynamics to guide a new nomenclature proposal.

The Zika virus (ZIKV) disease caused a public health emergency of international concern that started in February 2016. The overall number of ZIKV-related cases increased until November 2016, after which it declined sharply. While the evaluation of the potential risk and impact of future arbovirus epidemics remains challenging, intensified surveillance efforts along with a scale-up of ZIKV whole-genome sequencing provide an opportunity to understand the patterns of genetic diversity, evolution, and spread of ZIKV.

Comparison of two simulators for individual based models in HIV epidemiology in a population with HSV 2 in Yaoundé (Cameroon).

Model comparisons have been widely used to guide intervention strategies to control infectious diseases. Agreement between different models is crucial for providing robust evidence for policy-makers because differences in model properties can influence their predictions. In this study, we compared models implemented by two individual-based model simulators for HIV epidemiology in a heterosexual population with Herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2).

A data-driven metapopulation model for the Belgian COVID-19 epidemic: assessing the impact of lockdown and exit strategies.

Background: In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, several countries adopted measures of social distancing to a different degree. For many countries, after successfully curbing the initial wave, lockdown measures were gradually lifted. In Belgium, such relief started on May 4th with phase 1, followed by several subsequent phases over the next few weeks.

Modelling the early phase of the Belgian COVID-19 epidemic using a stochastic compartmental model and studying its implied future trajectories.

Following the onset of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic throughout the world, a large fraction of the global population is or has been under strict measures of physical distancing and quarantine, with many countries being in partial or full lockdown. These measures are imposed in order to reduce the spread of the disease and to lift the pressure on healthcare systems. Estimating the impact of such interventions as well as monitoring the gradual relaxing of these stringent measures is quintessential to understand how resurgence of the COVID-19 epidemic can be controlled for in the future.

On realized serial and generation intervals given control measures: The COVID-19 pandemic case.

The SARS-CoV-2 pathogen is currently spreading worldwide and its propensity for presymptomatic and asymptomatic transmission makes it difficult to control. The control measures adopted in several countries aim at isolating individuals once diagnosed, limiting their social interactions and consequently their transmission probability. These interventions, which have a strong impact on the disease dynamics, can affect the inference of the epidemiological quantities.

The impact of contact tracing and household bubbles on deconfinement strategies for COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused many governments to impose policies restricting social interactions. A controlled and persistent release of lockdown measures covers many potential strategies and is subject to extensive scenario analyses. Here, we use an individual-based model (STRIDE) to simulate interactions between 11 million inhabitants of Belgium at different levels including extended household settings, i.

Assessing the feasibility and effectiveness of household-pooled universal testing to control COVID-19 epidemics.

Outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 are threatening the health care systems of several countries around the world. The initial control of SARS-CoV-2 epidemics relied on non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as social distancing, teleworking, mouth masks and contact tracing. However, as pre-symptomatic transmission remains an important driver of the epidemic, contact tracing efforts struggle to fully control SARS-CoV-2 epidemics.

[«Surgery First» or two-stage protocol for the comprehensive rehabilitation of patients with combined deformities of the jaws].

The review article examines the methodology for the complex treatment of patients with occlusion anomalies without prior orthodontic treatment, the problems of treating patients with combined jaw deformities, the history of the development and appearance of orthognathic surgery, the prerequisites for the emergence of a two-stage treatment method. Differences between two-step and classic treatment protocols. The authors described the problems associated with the use of the two-stage treatment method, the advantages of the two-stage treatment method in comparison with the classic three-stage approach, examined the goals, objectives and differences of orthodontic treatment, identified the problems associated with the implementation of this treatment method.

Increasing Prevalence of HIV-1 Transmitted Drug Resistance in Portugal: Implications for First Line Treatment Recommendations.

Introduction: Treatment for All recommendations have allowed access to antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for an increasing number of patients. This minimizes the transmission of infection but can potentiate the risk of transmitted (TDR) and acquired drug resistance (ADR).

Objective: To study the trends of TDR and ADR in patients followed up in Portuguese hospitals between 2001 and 2017.

A prospect on the use of antiviral drugs to control local outbreaks of COVID-19.

Background: Current outbreaks of COVID-19 are threatening the health care systems of several countries around the world. Control measures, based on isolation, contact tracing, and quarantine, can decrease and delay the burden of the ongoing epidemic. With respect to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic, recent modeling work shows that these interventions may be inadequate to control local outbreaks, even when perfect isolation is assumed.

Multi-Agent Thompson Sampling for Bandit Applications with Sparse Neighbourhood Structures.

Multi-agent coordination is prevalent in many real-world applications. However, such coordination is challenging due to its combinatorial nature. An important observation in this regard is that agents in the real world often only directly affect a limited set of neighbouring agents.