Trends in human parainfluenza virus in Scotland before and after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, January 2017 to October 2023.

BackgroundHuman parainfluenza viruses (HPIV) commonly cause upper respiratory tract infections, with potential for severe lower respiratory complications. Understanding seasonal increases informs strategies to prevent HPIV spreading.AimWe examined the impact of COVID-19 on HPIV epidemiological and clinical patterns in Scotland using non-sentinel and sentinel surveillance data.

The Community Acute Respiratory Infection surveillance programme: an evaluation of a newly established surveillance programme in Scotland.

The Community Acute Respiratory Infection (CARI) surveillance programme, established by Public Health Scotland (PHS) in November 2021, aims to monitor respiratory infections in communities, replacing prior schemes to ensure early detection of outbreaks and inform public health interventions. Positioned as a cornerstone of PHS's national infectious respiratory diseases plan, CARI is pivotal for safeguarding public health. This study presents key findings from the 2022/23 CARI season and evaluates the programme's performance during this period.

An analysis of prescribing data in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder for adolescents and adults in Scotland.

Background: Medication, combined with environmental and psychosocial support, can mitigate adverse outcomes in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). There is a need for research into regional and national prescription volumes and patterns, especially among adults.

Aims: This study analysed prescribing patterns for medications commonly used to treat ADHD in adolescents and adults.

Testing and Treatment Interventions in Community Settings Key to Controlling a Recent Human Immunodeficiency Virus Outbreak Among People Who Inject Drugs in Glasgow: A Modeling Study.

Background: A human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) outbreak was identified among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Glasgow in 2015, with >150 diagnoses by the end of 2019. The outbreak response involved scaling up HIV testing and improving HIV treatment initiation and retention.

Methods: We parameterized and calibrated a dynamic, deterministic model of HIV transmission among PWID in Glasgow to epidemiological data.

How do we conduct a national transfusion related lookback program?

Background: Lookback investigations are conducted by blood services when a risk of transmission of infection from a donor to a recipient has been identified. They involve tracing transfusion recipients and offering them testing for the relevant infectious agent. Results are relayed to the recipient to provide reassurance that there has been no transmission or to ensure appropriate treatment and care if required, and blood services are able to learn lessons from the planning, delivery, and outcomes of the investigation.

Saintpaul outbreak associated with cantaloupe consumption, the United Kingdom and Portugal, September to November 2023.

In September 2023, the UK Health Security Agency identified cases of Saintpaul distributed across England, Scotland, and Wales, all with very low genetic diversity. Additional cases were identified in Portugal following an alert raised by the United Kingdom. Ninety-eight cases with a similar genetic sequence were identified, 93 in the United Kingdom and 5 in Portugal, of which 46% were aged under 10 years.

A proposal for further developing fatigue-related post COVID-19 health states for burden of disease studies.

Previous efforts to estimate the burden of fatigue-related symptoms due to long COVID have a very high threshold for inclusion of cases, relative to the proposed definition from the World Health Organization. In practice this means that milder cases, that may be occurring very frequently, are not included in estimates of the burden of long COVID which will result in underestimation. A more comprehensive approach to modelling the disease burden from long COVID, in relation to fatigue, can ensure that we do not only focus on what is easiest to measure; which risks losing focus of less severe health states that may be more difficult to measure but are occurring very frequently.

Enhanced surveillance of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Europe: an evaluation of the I-MOVE-COVID-19 surveillance network.

Background: A pre-existing, well-established European influenza surveillance network known as I-MOVE enabled the rapid implementation of a European multi-country COVID-19 hospital surveillance network for surveillance of hospitalized COVID-19 cases in early 2020. This network included 257 hospitals in 11 surveillance sites across nine countries. We aimed to identify whether the surveillance objectives were relevant to public health actions, whether the surveillance system met its objectives, where and how shortcomings could be improved, and whether the system was sustainable.

Changing Molecular Profiles of Human Cryptosporidiosis Cases in Scotland as a Result of the Coronavirus Disease, COVID-19 Pandemic.

, the most frequently reported parasite in Scotland, causes gastrointestinal illness resulting in diarrhoea, nausea and cramps. Two species are responsible for most cases: and (). Transmission occurs faecal-orally, through ingestion of contaminated food and water, or direct contact with faeces.

Assessing medication use patterns in patients hospitalised with COVID-19: a retrospective study.

Objective: To describe patterns of medication use-that is, dexamethasone; remdesivir; and tocilizumab-in the management of patients hospitalised with COVID-19.

Design And Setting: Retrospective observational study, using routinely collected, linked electronic data from clinical practice in Scotland. Data on drug exposure in secondary care has been obtained from the Hospital Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration System.

A Hybrid Architecture (CO-CONNECT) to Facilitate Rapid Discovery and Access to Data Across the United Kingdom in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Development Study.

Background: COVID-19 data have been generated across the United Kingdom as a by-product of clinical care and public health provision, as well as numerous bespoke and repurposed research endeavors. Analysis of these data has underpinned the United Kingdom's response to the pandemic, and informed public health policies and clinical guidelines. However, these data are held by different organizations, and this fragmented landscape has presented challenges for public health agencies and researchers as they struggle to find relevant data to access and interrogate the data they need to inform the pandemic response at pace.

Hepatitis of unknown aetiology in children - epidemiological overview of cases reported in Europe, 1 January to 16 June 2022.

Following the report of an excess in paediatric cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology by the United Kingdom (UK) on 5 April 2022, 427 cases were reported from 20 countries in the World Health Organization European Region to the European Surveillance System TESSy from 1 January 2022 to 16 June 2022. Here, we analysed demographic, epidemiological, clinical and microbiological data available in TESSy. Of the reported cases, 77.

Widening of inequalities in COVID-19 years of life lost from 2020 to 2021: a Scottish Burden of Disease Study.

Background: Previous studies have highlighted the large extent of inequality in adverse COVID-19 health outcomes. Our aim was to monitor changes in overall, and inequalities in, COVID-19 years of life lost to premature mortality (YLL) in Scotland from 2020 and 2021.

Methods: Cause-specific COVID-19 mortality counts were derived at age group and area deprivation level using Scottish death registrations for 2020 and 2021.

The characteristics of people who inject drugs in the United Kingdom: changes in age, duration, and incidence of injecting, 1980-2019, using evidence from repeated cross-sectional surveys.

Background And Aims: Mortality and drug treatment data suggest that the median age of people who inject drugs is increasing. We aimed to describe changes in the characteristics of people injecting drugs in the United Kingdom (UK).

Design: Repeat cross-sectional surveys and modelling.

Investigation of an international outbreak of multidrug-resistant monophasic Typhimurium associated with chocolate products, EU/EEA and United Kingdom, February to April 2022.

An extensive multi-country outbreak of multidrug-resistant monophasic Typhimurium infection in 10 countries with 150 reported cases, predominantly affecting young children, has been linked to chocolate products produced by a large multinational company. Extensive withdrawals and recalls of multiple product lines have been undertaken. With Easter approaching, widespread product distribution and the vulnerability of the affected population, early and effective real-time sharing of microbiological and epidemiological information has been of critical importance in effectively managing this serious food-borne incident.

Impact of regulatory safety notices on valproate prescribing and pregnancy outcome among women of child-bearing potential in Scotland: a population-based cohort study.

Objective: To examine the impact of Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) safety alerts on valproate prescribing among women aged 14-45 years in Scotland and examine trends in pregnancies exposed to valproate.

Design: Population-based cohort study.

Participants: 21 983 women of all ages who received valproate between January 2011 and December 2019.

Measuring disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to COVID-19 in Scotland, 2020.

Background: Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) combine the impact of morbidity and mortality and can enable comprehensive, and comparable, assessments of direct and indirect health harms due to COVID-19. Our aim was to estimate DALYs directly due to COVID-19 in Scotland, during 2020; and contextualise its population impact relative to other causes of disease and injury.

Methods: National deaths and daily case data were used.

Effectiveness of nationwide programmatic testing and treatment for latent tuberculosis infection in migrants in England: a retrospective, population-based cohort study.

Background: In low-incidence countries, tuberculosis mainly affects migrants, mostly resulting from reactivation of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) acquired in high-incidence countries before migration. A nationwide primary care-based LTBI testing and treatment programme for migrants from high-incidence countries was therefore established in high tuberculosis incidence areas in England. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of this programme.

Healthcare Costs for Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Patients Treated with Abiraterone or Enzalutamide.

Objective: The aim was to assess the real-world healthcare resource use and direct medical costs for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients treated with abiraterone or enzalutamide, in whom chemotherapy is not yet indicated (pre-chemotherapy) or who had previously received docetaxel-based chemotherapy (post-chemotherapy), before commencing these medicines.

Methods: A retrospective cost analysis of mCRPC patients who commenced abiraterone or enzalutamide between 2012 and 2015 was conducted. Routinely collected datasets from the largest health board in Scotland and the UK, Greater Glasgow and Clyde, were linked.

Inequalities in population health loss by multiple deprivation: COVID-19 and pre-pandemic all-cause disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in Scotland.

Background: COVID-19 has caused almost unprecedented change across health, education, the economy and social interaction. It is widely understood that the existing mechanisms which shape health inequalities have resulted in COVID-19 outcomes following this same, familiar, pattern. Our aim was to estimate inequalities in the population health impact of COVID-19 in Scotland, measured by disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2020.