A Pilot Report on Extracting Symptom Onset Date and Time from Clinical Notes in Patients Presenting with Chest Pain.

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is an acute heart disease that often evolves rapidly. In ACS patients presenting with no-ST-segment elevation (NSTE-ACS), the timing of symptom onset pre-hospital may inform the disease stage and prognosis. We pilot-tested two off-the-shelf natural language processing (NLP) pipelines, namely and (), to extract date and time (DateTime) information of patient-reported chest pain symptoms from electronic health records (EHR) clinical notes.

Emergence, spread and characterisation of the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.640 circulating in France, October 2021 to February 2022.

BackgroundSuccessive epidemic waves of COVID-19 illustrated the potential of SARS-CoV-2 variants to reshape the pandemic. Detecting and characterising emerging variants is essential to evaluate their public health impact and guide implementation of adapted control measures.AimTo describe the detection of emerging variant, B.

Rapid investigation of BA.4/BA.5 cases in France.

Aim: We aimed to describe the characteristics of individuals infected by BA.4 or BA.5 in France in comparison to BA.

Impact of the Omicron variant on SARS-CoV-2 reinfections in France, March 2021 to February 2022.

Since the first reports in summer 2020, SARS-CoV-2 reinfections have raised concerns about the immunogenicity of the virus, which will affect SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology and possibly the burden of COVID-19 on our societies in the future. This study provides data on the frequency and characteristics of possible reinfections, using the French national COVID-19 testing database. The Omicron variant had a large impact on the frequency of possible reinfections in France, which represented 3.

Corrigendum: Increasing Number of Individuals Receiving Hepatitis B nucleos(t)ide Analogs Therapy in Germany, 2008-2019.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.

First cases of Omicron in France are exhibiting mild symptoms, November 2021-January 2022.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the first Omicron cases detected in France in order to assess case characteristics and provide supporting information on the possible impact of this variant on the healthcare system.

Methods: A standardized questionnaire was used to collect information from confirmed and probable Omicron cases.

Results: Median age of 468 investigated cases was 35 years, 376 were symptomatic (89%); 64% were vaccinated with two doses and 7% had received three doses.

Exploring factors influencing patient mortality and loss to follow-up in two paediatric hospital wards in Zamfara, North-West Nigeria, 2016-2018.

Introduction: Child mortality has been linked to infectious diseases, malnutrition and lack of access to essential health services. We investigated possible predictors for death and patients lost to follow up (LTFU) for paediatric patients at the inpatient department (IPD) and inpatient therapeutic feeding centre (ITFC) of the Anka General Hospital (AGH), Zamfara State, Nigeria, to inform best practices at the hospital.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort review study using routinely collected data of all patient admissions to the IPD and ITFC with known hospital exit status between 2016 and 2018.

Increasing Number of Individuals Receiving Hepatitis B nucleos(t)ide Analogs Therapy in Germany, 2008-2019.

Germany is a low prevalence country for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection with higher prevalence in vulnerable groups. The number of treated chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients is unknown. We aimed to determine the number of CHB patients treated with nucleos(t)ide analogs (NUCs), the treatment costs within the statutory health insurance (SHI) in Germany and per patient per month.

Risk behaviours of homeless people who inject drugs during an outbreak of hepatitis C, Northern Ireland, 2016-2017.

From July to August 2016, 4 homeless people who injected drugs (PWID) with acute or recent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection were reported in Belfast. A multidisciplinary team including public health, homeless and addiction services undertook an investigation to identify risk behaviours and interrupt transmission chains. Recent HCV cases were defined as negative test within the previous year, or reported injecting for less than 1 year; acute cases had tested negative within the previous 6 months.

Comparing the epidemiology of community- and hospital-associated Clostridium difficile infections in Northern Ireland, 2012-2016: a population data linkage and case-case study.

The burden of community-associated Clostridium difficile infection (CA-CDI) has increased. We aimed to describe the epidemiology of CA-CDI to inform future interventions. We used population-based linked surveillance data from 2012 to 2016 to describe socio-demographic factors, ribotype and mortality for all CA (n = 1303) and hospital-associated (HA, n = 1356) CDI.

Vaccination against pertussis and influenza in pregnancy: a qualitative study of barriers and facilitators.

Objectives: Influenza and pertussis vaccination programmes have been in place for pregnant women in the UK since 2009 and 2012, respectively. In 2015, vaccine uptake rates were 55% for influenza and 63% for pertussis in Northern Ireland. We conducted a qualitative study with the aim of learning about the views of pregnant women and identifying potential barriers to vaccination in pregnancy.

Quantification of Monocyte Transmigration and Foam Cell Formation from Individuals with Chronic Inflammatory Conditions.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Atherosclerosis, a leading cause of CAD, is initiated by the transmigration of innate immune monocytes to inflammatory sites of deposited lipid called fatty streaks, which are present in arterial walls of medium to large arteries. The key pathogenic feature of lesions at this early stage of atherosclerosis is the maturation of monocytes which migrate into arteries to form foam cells or lipid-laden macrophages.

Decreased levels of platelet-derived soluble glycoprotein VI detected prior to the first diagnosis of coronary artery disease in HIV-positive individuals.

HIV-positive patients are at increased risk for coronary artery disease (CAD); changes in platelet activation may play a role. This study was performed to determine if levels of soluble glycoprotein VI (sGPVI), a platelet-specific marker of activation, were different in HIV-positive patients compared with HIV-negative controls and further if levels were predictive of CAD in HIV. Twenty-four HIV-positive individuals (HIV cases) with CAD were compared with 46 age- and sex-matched HIV-positive controls without CAD and 41 HIV-negative controls (healthy controls).

Genetic polymorphisms in the CD14 gene are associated with monocyte activation and carotid intima-media thickness in HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy.

HIV-infected individuals on antiretroviral therapy (ART) are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Given the relationship between innate immune activation and CVD, we investigated the association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TLR4 and CD14 and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), a surrogate measurement for CVD, in HIV-infected individuals on ART and HIV-uninfected controls as a cross-sectional, case-control study. We quantified the frequency of monocyte subsets (CD14, CD16), markers of monocyte activation (CD38, HLA-DR), and endothelial adhesion (CCR2, CX3CR1, CD11b) by flow cytometry.

Ex vivo foam cell formation is enhanced in monocytes from older individuals by both extrinsic and intrinsic mechanisms.

Aging is the strongest predictor of cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, which are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in elderly men. Monocytes play an important role in atherosclerosis by differentiating into foam cells (lipid-laden macrophages) and producing atherogenic proinflammatory cytokines. Monocytes from the elderly have an inflammatory phenotype that may promote atherosclerotic plaque development; here we examined whether they are more atherogenic than those from younger individuals.

Epidemiological investigation and case-control study: a Legionnaires' disease outbreak associated with cooling towers in Warstein, Germany, August-September 2013.

Between 1 August and 6 September 2013, an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease (LD) with 159 suspected cases occurred in Warstein, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The outbreak consisted of 78 laboratory-confirmed cases of LD, including one fatality, with a case fatality rate of 1%. Legionella pneumophila, serogroup 1, subtype Knoxville, sequence type 345, was identified as the epidemic strain.

Monocytes from HIV-infected individuals show impaired cholesterol efflux and increased foam cell formation after transendothelial migration.

Design: HIV-infected (HIV+) individuals have an increased risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease which is independent of antiretroviral therapy and traditional risk factors. Monocytes play a central role in the development of atherosclerosis, and HIV-related chronic inflammation and monocyte activation may contribute to increased atherosclerosis, but the mechanisms are unknown.

Methods: Using an in-vitro model of atherosclerotic plaque formation, we measured the transendothelial migration of purified monocytes from age-matched HIV+ and uninfected donors and examined their differentiation into foam cells.

Viremic and Virologically Suppressed HIV Infection Increases Age-Related Changes to Monocyte Activation Equivalent to 12 and 4 Years of Aging, Respectively.

Background: Chronic inflammation and immune activation occur in both HIV infection and normal aging and are associated with inflammatory disease. However, the degree to which HIV influences age-related innate immune changes, and the biomarkers which best reflect them, remains unclear.

Methods And Results: We measured established innate immune aging biomarkers in 309 individuals including 88 virologically suppressed (VS) and 52 viremic (viral load ≤ and >50 copies per milliliter, respectively) HIV-positive individuals.

Increased glucose metabolic activity is associated with CD4+ T-cell activation and depletion during chronic HIV infection.

Objectives: Glucose metabolism plays a fundamental role in supporting the growth, proliferation and effector functions of T cells. We investigated the impact of HIV infection on key processes that regulate glucose uptake and metabolism in primary CD4 and CD8 T cells.

Design And Methods: Thirty-eight HIV-infected treatment-naive, 35 HIV+/combination antiretroviral therapy, seven HIV+ long-term nonprogressors and 25 HIV control individuals were studied.

Associations between surface markers on blood monocytes and carotid atherosclerosis in HIV-positive individuals.

Chronic HIV infection is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including in patients with virological suppression. Persistent innate immune activation may contribute to the development of CVD via activation of monocytes in these patients. We investigated whether changes in monocyte phenotype predict subclinical atherosclerosis in virologically suppressed HIV-positive individuals with low cardiovascular risk.

Aging is associated with chronic innate immune activation and dysregulation of monocyte phenotype and function.

Chronic inflammation in older individuals is thought to contribute to inflammatory, age-related diseases. Human monocytes are comprised of three subsets (classical, intermediate and nonclassical subsets), and despite being critical regulators of inflammation, the effect of age on the functionality of monocyte subsets remains to be fully defined. In a cross-sectional study involving 91 healthy male (aged 20-84 years, median 52.

Endothelial cell activation promotes foam cell formation by monocytes following transendothelial migration in an in vitro model.

Foam cells are a pathological feature present at all stages of atherosclerosis. Foam cells develop from monocytes that enter the nascent atheroma and subsequently ingest modified low density lipoproteins (LDL). The regulation of this process has previously been studied in vitro using cultured macrophage fed modified LDL.

HIV infection induces age-related changes to monocytes and innate immune activation in young men that persist despite combination antiretroviral therapy.

Objectives: To compare the impact of HIV infection and healthy ageing on monocyte phenotype and function and determine whether age-related changes induced by HIV are reversed in antiretroviral treated individuals.

Design: A cross sectional study of monocyte ageing markers in viremic and virologically suppressed HIV-positive males aged 45 years or less and age-matched and elderly (≥65 years) HIV-uninfected individuals.

Methods: Age-related changes to monocyte phenotype and function were measured in whole blood assays ex vivo on both CD14(++)CD16(-) (CD14(+)) and CD14(variable)CD16(+) (CD16(+)) subsets.