Impact of COVID-19 on the Belgian HIV epidemic: slowdown of HIV transmission and testing and adaptation of care.

Background: To gain insight into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and containment measures on the HIV epidemic and services, this study aims to describe HIV trends in 2020 and compare them with previous years.

Methods: Belgian national HIV surveillance data 2017-2020 were analysed for trends in HIV testing, HIV diagnoses, VL measurements, ART uptake and PrEP purchase. Descriptive statistics from 2020 are compared to annual averages from 2017 to 2019 (proportional difference, %).

Prevalence estimates of genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection in Belgium: results from two cross-sectional studies.

Background: Chlamydia trachomatis (chlamydia) is the most diagnosed sexually transmitted infection in Belgium. Screening programs focus on young women, due to the implications of chronic asymptomatic infections for reproductive health. Thereby, the frequency of infections in men and older adults is underestimated.

The role of organizational characteristics on the outcome of COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU in Belgium.

Background: Several studies have investigated the predictors of in-hospital mortality for COVID-19 patients who need to be admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). However, no data on the role of organizational issues on patients' outcome are available in this setting. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the role of surge capacity organisation on the outcome of critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted to ICUs in Belgium.

Low-dose hydroxychloroquine therapy and mortality in hospitalised patients with COVID-19: a nationwide observational study of 8075 participants.

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has been largely used and investigated as therapy for COVID-19 across various settings at a total dose usually ranging from 2400 mg to 9600 mg. In Belgium, off-label use of low-dose HCQ (total 2400 mg over 5 days) was recommended for hospitalised patients with COVID-19. We conducted a retrospective analysis of in-hospital mortality in the Belgian national COVID-19 hospital surveillance data.

The adult vaccination landscape in the United States during the Affordable Care Act era: Results from a large retrospective database analysis.

Background: Early provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) reduced financial barriers to preventive care, including routinely recommended vaccines; however, vaccination coverage remains suboptimal. This study examined characteristics of routine adult vaccinations and potential missed opportunities for vaccinations through the lens of healthcare resource utilization among adults in the ACA era.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of healthcare claims from the Truven Health MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters (CCAE), Medicare Supplemental (MS), and Multi-State Medicaid databases among adults aged 19 years or older.

Typology of patients with behavioral addictions or eating disorders during a one-year period of care: Exploring similarities of trajectory using growth mixture modeling coupled with latent class analysis.

Objectives: Addictions are not restricted to substance-use disorders, and it is now widely recognized that they also include behavioral addictions. Certain individuals with eating disorders also experiment their disorder as an addiction. The objective was to identify typologies of patients presenting with various behavioral addictions or eating disorders according to their evolution within the framework of care, and to specify the factors associated with the differential clinical trajectories.

Determinants of vitamin D status in Caucasian adults: influence of sun exposure, dietary intake, sociodemographic, lifestyle, anthropometric, and genetic factors.

Very few studies have investigated the determinants of serum vitamin D levels using a set of variables that include simultaneously sun exposure, phototype, dietary intake, sociodemographics, anthropometric, lifestyle data, and genetic polymorphisms. Our objective was to investigate the associations between all these parameters and vitamin D status in a large sample of French adults. This cross-sectional survey was based on 1,828 middle-aged Caucasian adults from the SU.

Interpretation of plasma PTH concentrations according to 25OHD status, gender, age, weight status, and calcium intake: importance of the reference values.

Context: Reference values for plasma PTH assessment were generally established on small samples of apparently healthy subjects, without considering their 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) status or other potential modifiers of PTH concentration.

Objective: Our objective was to assess ranges of plasma PTH concentration in a large sample of adults, stratifying by 25OHD status, age, gender, weight status, and calcium intake.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional survey is based on 1824 middle-aged Caucasian adults from the Supplémentation en Vitamines et Minéraux Antioxydants study (1994).