Community-Based Interventions for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Low-and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review.

To synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of community-based interventions for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to inform design of effective strategies for CVD prevention. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane register of controlled studies and PSYCINFO databases for studies published between January 2000 and June 2019. Other studies were identified from gray literature sources and review of reference lists of included studies.

Detection of Fraud in a Clinical Trial Using Unsupervised Statistical Monitoring.

Background: A central statistical assessment of the quality of data collected in clinical trials can improve the quality and efficiency of sponsor oversight of clinical investigations.

Material And Methods: The database of a large randomized clinical trial with known fraud was reanalyzed with a view to identifying, using only statistical monitoring techniques, the center where fraud had been confirmed. The analysis was conducted with an unsupervised statistical monitoring software using mixed-effects statistical models.

Assessing the impact of the Global Point Prevalence Survey of Antimicrobial Consumption and Resistance (Global-PPS) on hospital antimicrobial stewardship programmes: results of a worldwide survey.

Background: The Global Point Prevalence Survey of Antimicrobial Consumption and Resistance (Global-PPS) provides a methodology to support hospitals worldwide in collecting antimicrobial use data. We aim to evaluate the impact of the Global-PPS on local antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programmes and assess health care professionals' educational needs and barriers for implementing AMS.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was disseminated within the Global-PPS network.

The Genetic Diversity of Rickettsiella Symbionts in Ixodes ricinus Throughout Europe.

Rickettsiella species are bacterial symbionts that are present in a great variety of arthropod species, including ixodid ticks. However, little is known about their genetic diversity and distribution in Ixodes ricinus, as well as their relationship with other tick-associated bacteria. In this study, we investigated the occurrence and the genetic diversity of Rickettsiella spp.

Ineffective humoral anti-tick IgY-response in birds: reaction against pathogen constituents?

Variation in parasite burdens among hosts is typically related to differences in adaptive immunity. Comprehension of underlying mechanisms is hence necessary to gain better insights into endemic transmission cycles. Here we investigate whether wild songbirds that have never been exposed to ticks develop adaptive humoral immunity against endemic ticks.

Combined chemical exposure using exposure loads on human biomonitoring data of the 4th Flemish Environment and Health Study (FLEHS-4).

To improve our understanding of internal exposure to multiple chemicals, the concept exposure load (EL) was used on human biomonitoring (HBM) data of the 4th FLEHS (Flemish Environment and Health Study; 2016-2020). The investigated chemicals were per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), bisphenols, phthalates and alternative plasticizers, flame retardants, pesticides, toxic metals, organochlorine compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The EL calculates "the number of chemicals to which individuals are internally exposed above a predefined threshold".

Predicting mortality in intensive care unit patients infected with Klebsiella pneumoniae: A retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: Although several models to predict intensive care unit (ICU) mortality are available, their performance decreases in certain subpopulations because specific factors are not included. Moreover, these models often involve complex techniques and are not applicable in low-resource settings. We developed a prediction model and simplified risk score to predict 14-day mortality in ICU patients infected with Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Towards Building a Quantitative Proteomics Toolbox in Precision Medicine: A Mini-Review.

Precision medicine as a framework for disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention at the molecular level has entered clinical practice. From the start, genetics has been an indispensable tool to understand and stratify the biology of chronic and complex diseases in precision medicine. However, with the advances in biomedical and omics technologies, quantitative proteomics is emerging as a powerful technology complementing genetics.

Effectiveness of community-based cardiovascular disease prevention interventions to improve physical activity: A systematic review and meta-regression.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Despite preventive community-based interventions (CBIs) seem efficacious in reducing CVD risks, a comprehensive up-to-date synthesis on the effectiveness of such interventions in improving physical activity (PA) is lacking. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of community-based CVD preventive interventions aimed at improving PA level.

Exploring multidimensional characteristics in cervicogenic headache: Relations between pain processing, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors.

Objective: Although multidimensional interventions including physiotherapy, psychology, and education are generally recommended in managing headache, and to prevent chronification, such approach is lacking in cervicogenic headache (CeH). Therefore, exploring CeH within a biopsychosocial framework is deemed an essential first step.

Methods: Non-randomized cross-sectional design to compare pain processing, lifestyle, and psychosocial characteristics between 18 participants with CeH (CeH group) (40.

On-site testing and case management to improve hepatitis C care in drug users: a prospective, longitudinal, multicenter study in the DAA era.

Background: Screening and treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in people who use drugs (PWUD) remains insufficient. Reducing the burden of HCV infection in PWUD requires interventions focusing on the different steps of the HCV care cascade.

Methods: We performed a prospective, multicenter study, evaluating the impact of an HCV care model on the HCV care cascade among PWUD attending an addiction care center in Belgium between 2015 and 2018.

Impact of changing reimbursement criteria on the use of fluoroquinolones in Belgium.

Objectives: The criteria for the reimbursement of fluoroquinolones changed in Belgium on 1 May 2018. This study aims to quantify the difference in fluoroquinolone use after this change, and to assess the timing and persistence of this effect, both in terms of total reimbursed fluoroquinolone use and its relative proportion.

Methods: Longitudinal reimbursement data on fluoroquinolone use in the Belgian community from January 2017 to November 2018 were analysed to identify a change in reimbursed fluoroquinolone use expressed in DDD per 1000 inhabitants per day (DID), using a set of non-linear mixed models including change-points.

The Effect of Amoxicillin in Adult Patients Presenting to Primary Care with Acute Cough Predicted to Have Pneumonia or a Combined Viral-Bacterial Infection.

While most cases of acute cough are self-limiting, antibiotics are prescribed to over 50%. This proportion is inappropriately high given that benefit from treatment with amoxicillin could only be demonstrated in adults with pneumonia (based on chest radiograph) or combined viral-bacterial infection (based on modern microbiological methodology). As routine use of chest radiographs and microbiological testing is costly, clinical prediction rules could be used to identify these patient subsets.

International consensus recommendations on key outcome measures for organ preservation after (chemo)radiotherapy in patients with rectal cancer.

Multimodal treatment strategies for patients with rectal cancer are increasingly including the possibility of organ preservation, through nonoperative management or local excision. Organ preservation strategies can enable patients with a complete response or near-complete clinical responses after radiotherapy with or without concomitant chemotherapy to safely avoid the morbidities associated with radical surgery, and thus to maintain anorectal function and quality of life. However, standardization of the key outcome measures of organ preservation strategies is currently lacking; this includes a lack of consensus of the optimal definitions and selection of primary end points according to the trial phase and design; the optimal time points for response assessment; response-based decision-making; follow-up schedules; use of specific anorectal function tests; and quality of life and patient-reported outcomes.

A multicentre interventional study to assess blood-borne viral infections in Belgian prisons.

Background: Prevalence data on viral hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and HIV infection in prison are often scarce or outdated. There is currently no systematic screening for these blood-borne viral infections (BBV) in Belgian prisons. There is an urgency to assess the prevalence of these BBV to inform policymakers and public healthcare.

Consumption of tetracyclines, sulphonamides and trimethoprim, and other antibacterials in the community, European Union/European Economic Area, 1997-2017.

Objectives: Data on consumption of tetracyclines, sulphonamides and trimethoprim, and other antibacterials were collected from 30 EU/European Economic Area (EEA) countries over two decades. This article reviews temporal trends, seasonal variation, presence of change-points and changes in the composition of main subgroups of tetracyclines, sulphonamides and trimethoprim and other antibacterials.

Methods: For the period 1997-2017, data on consumption of tetracyclines (ATC group J01A), sulphonamides and trimethoprim (ATC group J01E), and other antibacterials (ATC group J01X) in the community and aggregated at the level of the active substance, were collected using the WHO ATC/DDD methodology (ATC/DDD index 2019).

Change-points in antibiotic consumption in the community, European Union/European Economic Area, 1997-2017.

Objectives: Surveillance of antibiotic consumption in the community is of utmost importance to inform and evaluate control strategies. Data on two decades of antibiotic consumption in the community were collected from 30 EU/European Economic Area (EEA) countries. This article reviews temporal trends and the presence of abrupt changes in subgroups of relevance in antimicrobial stewardship.

Consumption of cephalosporins in the community, European Union/European Economic Area, 1997-2017.

Objectives: Data on cephalosporin consumption in the community were collected from 30 EU/EEA countries over two decades. This article reviews temporal trends, seasonal variation, presence of change-points and changes in the composition of the main subgroups of cephalosporins.

Methods: For the period 1997-2017, data on consumption of cephalosporins (i.

Consumption of penicillins in the community, European Union/European Economic Area, 1997-2017.

Objectives: Data on consumption of penicillins in the community were collected from 30 EU/European Economic Area (EEA) countries over two decades. This article reviews temporal trends, seasonal variation, presence of change-points and changes in the composition of the main subgroups of penicillins.

Methods: For the period 1997-2017, data on consumption of penicillins, i.

Quality appraisal of antibiotic consumption in the community, European Union/European Economic Area, 2009 and 2017.

Objectives: The quality of antibiotic consumption in the community can be assessed using 12 drug-specific quality indicators (DSQIs) developed by the European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption (ESAC) project. We compared quality in 2009 and 2017 in the EU/European Economic Area (EEA) and evaluated the impact of using different DDD values (ATC/DDD indices 2011 and 2019) for the 2009 quality assessment using these DSQIs and a joint scientific opinion (JSO) indicator.

Methods: We calculated the 12 DSQIs and the JSO indicator for 2017 and for 2009 for EU/EEA countries able to deliver values.

Analysing the trend over time of antibiotic consumption in the community: a tutorial on the detection of common change-points.

Objectives: This tutorial describes and illustrates statistical methods to detect time trends possibly including abrupt changes (referred to as change-points) in the consumption of antibiotics in the community.

Methods: For the period 1997-2017, data on consumption of antibacterials for systemic use (ATC group J01) in the community, aggregated at the level of the active substance, were collected using the WHO ATC/DDD methodology and expressed in DDD (ATC/DDD index 2019) per 1000 inhabitants per day. Trends over time and presence of common change-points were studied through a set of non-linear mixed models.

Consumption of antibiotics in the community, European Union/European Economic Area, 1997-2017.

Objectives: Data on antibiotic consumption in the community were collected from 30 EU/EEA countries over two decades. This article reviews temporal trends, seasonal variation, presence of change-points and changes in the composition of the main antibiotic groups.

Methods: For the period 1997-2017, data on consumption of antibiotics, i.

Consumption of macrolides, lincosamides and streptogramins in the community, European Union/European Economic Area, 1997-2017.

Objectives: Data on the consumption of macrolides, lincosamides and streptogramins (MLS) in the community were collected from 30 EU/European Economic Area (EEA) countries over two decades. This article reviews temporal trends, seasonal variation, presence of change-points and changes in composition of the main subgroups of MLS.

Methods: For the period 1997-2017, data on consumption of MLS, i.

Consumption of quinolones in the community, European Union/European Economic Area, 1997-2017.

Objectives: Data on quinolone consumption in the community were collected from 30 EU/European Economic Area (EEA) countries over two decades. This article reviews temporal trends, seasonal variation, presence of change-points and changes in the composition of main subgroups of quinolones.

Methods: For the period 1997-2017, data on consumption of quinolones, i.

Consumption of antibiotics in the community, European Union/European Economic Area, 1997-2017: data collection, management and analysis.

Objectives: This article introduces a series of articles on antibiotic consumption in the community between 1997 and 2017, which provide an update of previous articles covering the periods 1997-2003 and 1997-2009.

Methods: In this article, differences in participating countries, the ATC/DDD classification system, and data collection, validation and analysis between the current and previous series are described.

Results: In the previous series, 33 European countries provided valid data for further analysis, while the current series focused on 30 countries belonging to the EU or the European Economic Area (EEA).