Several studies provide evidence of a link between vector-borne disease outbreaks and El Niño driven climate anomalies. Less investigated are the effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Here, we test its impact on outbreak occurrences of 13 infectious diseases over Europe during the last fifty years, controlling for potential bias due to increased surveillance and detection. NAO variation statistically influenced the outbreak occurrence of eleven of the infectious diseases. Seven diseases were associated with winter NAO positive phases in northern Europe, and therefore with above-average temperatures and precipitation. Two diseases were associated with the summer or spring NAO negative phases in northern Europe, and therefore with below-average temperatures and precipitation. Two diseases were associated with summer positive or negative NAO phases in southern Mediterranean countries. These findings suggest that there is potential for developing early warning systems, based on climatic variation information, for improved outbreak control and management.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep01774 | DOI Listing |
Front Biosci (Landmark Ed)
January 2025
Department of Surgery, Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA.
Immunology advances have increased our understanding of autoimmune, auto-inflammatory, immunodeficiency, infectious, and other immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). Furthermore, evidence is growing for the immune involvement in aging, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, and different cancers. However, further research has indicated sex/gender-based immune differences, which further increase higher incidences of various autoimmune diseases (AIDs), such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), myasthenia gravis, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in females.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBr J Hosp Med (Lond)
January 2025
Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Epidemiological studies indicate that the involvement of the immune system in the pathogenesis of infections associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and interstitial lung disease (ILD) remains unclear. This study aims to assess the potential causal link between infections associated with COPD, asthma, or ILD and immune system function. We conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis using publicly available genome-wide association study (GWAS) datasets.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHGG Adv
January 2025
Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada; 5 Prime Sciences Inc, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada; Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Department of Twin Research, King's College London, London, UK. Electronic address:
Identifying novel, high-yield drug targets is challenging and often results in a high failure rate. However, recent data indicates that leveraging human genetic evidence to identify and validate these targets significantly increases the likelihood of success in drug development. Two recent papers from Open Targets claimed that around half of FDA-approved drugs had targets with direct human genetic evidence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFViruses
January 2025
1st Department of Internal Medicine, Laiko General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece.
Background: Cognitive function decline is a problem in aging people living with HIV (PLWHIV). COVID-19 infection is associated with neuropsychiatric manifestations that may persist. The aim of our study was to evaluate cognitive function in PLWHIV before and after COVID-19 infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFViruses
January 2025
Department of Infectious Diseases, Infection Control, and Employee Health, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
In this narrative review, we explore the burden and risk factors of various herpesvirus infections in patients receiving chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy or bispecific antibodies (BsAb) for the treatment of hematologic malignancies. Antiviral prophylaxis for herpes simplex/varicella zoster viruses became part of the standard of care in this patient population. Breakthrough infections may rarely occur, and the optimal duration of prophylaxis as well as the timing of recombinant zoster immunization remain to be explored.
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