Good Practices for Health Technology Assessment Guideline Development: A Report of the Health Technology Assessment International, HTAsiaLink, and ISPOR Special Task Force.

Objectives: Health technology assessment (HTA) guidelines are intended to support successful implementation of HTA by enhancing consistency and transparency in concepts, methods, process, and use, thereby enhancing the legitimacy of the decision-making process. This report lays out good practices and practical recommendations for developing or updating HTA guidelines to ensure successful implementation.

Methods: The task force was established in 2022 and comprised experts and academics from various geographical regions, each with substantial experience in developing HTA guidelines for national health policymaking.

Myocardial Fibroblast Activation After Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Positron Emission Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Study.

Background: Myocardial fibrosis is a key healing response after myocardial infarction driven by activated fibroblasts. Gallium-68-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor ([Ga]-FAPI) is a novel positron-emitting radiotracer that binds activated fibroblasts.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the intensity, distribution, and time-course of fibroblast activation after acute myocardial infarction.

Higher Aircraft Noise Exposure Is Linked to Worse Heart Structure and Function by Cardiovascular MRI.

Background: Aircraft noise is a growing concern for communities living near airports.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the impact of aircraft noise on heart structure and function.

Methods: Nighttime aircraft noise levels (L) and weighted 24-hour day-evening-night aircraft noise levels (L) were provided by the UK Civil Aviation Authority for 2011.

Demographic-Based Personalized Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Thresholds for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Diagnosis.

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a leading cause of sudden cardiac death. Current diagnosis emphasizes the detection of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) using a fixed threshold of ≥15-mm maximum wall thickness (MWT). This study proposes a method that considers individual demographics to adjust LVH thresholds as an alternative to a 1-size-fits-all approach.

Smart Cell Therapy: an industry perspective on macrophages as living drugs.

Macrophage-based cell therapies represent a cutting-edge frontier in immunotherapy, offering distinct advantages over conventional approaches like CAR-T. This review explores the potential of macrophages to orchestrate both innate and adaptive immune responses, enhancing the body's ability to combat diseases locally and systemically. Dubbed a "Smart Cell Therapy," macrophages can initiate and coordinate complex immunological cascades, leveraging multiple immune system components while also performing effector functions.

Metformin in Antiviral Therapy: Evidence and Perspectives.

Metformin, a widely used antidiabetic medication, has emerged as a promising broad-spectrum antiviral agent due to its ability to modulate cellular pathways essential for viral replication. By activating AMPK, metformin depletes cellular energy reserves that viruses rely on, effectively limiting the replication of pathogens such as influenza, HIV, SARS-CoV-2, HBV, and HCV. Its role in inhibiting the mTOR pathway, crucial for viral protein synthesis and reactivation, is particularly significant in managing infections caused by HIV, CMV, and EBV.

A Global Collaborative Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 Antigenicity Across 15 Laboratories.

Setting up a global SARS-CoV-2 surveillance system requires an understanding of how virus isolation and propagation practices, use of animal or human sera, and different neutralisation assay platforms influence assessment of SARS-CoV-2 antigenicity. In this study, with the contribution of 15 independent laboratories across all WHO regions, we carried out a controlled analysis of neutralisation assay platforms using the first WHO International Standard for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (source: NIBSC). Live virus isolates (source: WHO BioHub or individual labs) or spike plasmids (individual labs) for pseudovirus production were used to perform neutralisation assays using the same serum panels.

Vesicular Stomatitis Virus: Insights into Pathogenesis, Immune Evasion, and Technological Innovations in Oncolytic and Vaccine Development.

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) represents a significant advancement in therapeutic medicine, offering unique molecular and cellular characteristics that make it exceptionally suitable for medical applications. The bullet-shaped morphology, RNA genome organization, and cytoplasmic replication strategy provide fundamental advantages for both vaccine development and oncolytic applications. VSV's interaction with host cells through the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDL-R) and its sophisticated transcriptional regulation mechanisms enables precise control over therapeutic applications.

Phlorotannin-Rich Seaweed Extract Inhibits Influenza Infection.

Seaweed-derived compounds are a renewable resource utilised in the manufacturing and food industry. This study focuses on an enriched seaweed extract (ESE) isolated from The ESE was screened for antiviral activity by plaque reduction assays against influenza A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 H1N1 (PR8), A/X-31 H3N2 (X31) and A/England/195/2009 H1N1 (Eng195), resulting in the complete inhibition of infection. Time of addition assays and FACS analysis were used to help determine the modes of action.

Chronic Hepatitis C Infection Treated with Direct-Acting Antiviral Agents and Occurrence/Recurrence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Does It Still Matter?

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a significant risk factor for liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Traditionally, the primary prevention strategy for HCV-associated HCC has focused on removing infection through antiviral regimes. Currently, highly effective direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) offer extraordinary success across all patient categories, including cirrhotics.

Findings from a Project Which Established Hepatitis C Point-of-Care Testing and Linkage to Care at a Homelessness Service in Adelaide, Australia, 2021-2022.

Background: Point-of-care hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing streamlines testing and treatment pathways. In this study, we established an HCV model of care in a homelessness service by offering antibody and RNA point-of-care testing.

Methods: A nurse and peer-led HCV model of care with peer support were implemented between November 2021 and April 2022 at a homelessness service in Adelaide, Australia.

Interaction Between the Matrix Protein and the Polymerase Complex of Respiratory Syncytial Virus.

The global burden of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and severe associated disease is prodigious. RSV-specific vaccines have been launched recently but there is no antiviral medicine commercially available. RSV polymerase (L) protein is one of the promising antiviral targets, along with fusion and nucleocapsid proteins.

The Epidemiology, Clinical, and Economic Burdens of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections Amongst Hospitalized Children Under 5 Years of Age in Jordan: A National Multi-Center Cross-Sectional Study.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has been recognized as a highly important cause of morbidity and mortality among children and adults. A cross-sectional study at representative sites in Jordan was undertaken to provide an assessment of the epidemiology and health and economic burdens of RSV and influenza infections in Jordan amongst hospitalized children under 5 years old for the period between 15 November 2022 and 14 April 2023. This study involved 1000 patients with a mean age of 17.

Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants in Uganda in the Era of COVID-19 Vaccination.

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants has heightened concerns about vaccine efficacy, posing challenges in controlling the spread of COVID-19. As part of the COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness and Variants (COVVAR) study in Uganda, this study aimed to genotype and characterize SARS-CoV-2 variants in patients with COVID-19-like symptoms who tested positive on a real-time PCR. Amplicon deep sequencing was performed on 163 oropharyngeal/nasopharyngeal swabs collected from symptomatic patients.

Efficiency of Bacteriophage-Based Detection Methods for Non-Typhoidal in Foods: A Systematic Review.

Food contamination with non-typhoidal (NTS) presents a significant public health risk, underscoring the critical need for rigorous food safety measures throughout the production, distribution, preparation, and consumption stages. Conventional diagnostic strategies are time-consuming and labor-intensive and are thus sub-optimal for throughput NTS detection. Bacteriophages (phages) are highly specialized bacterial viruses and exhibit extreme specificity for their hosts.

Assessment of Favipiravir and Remdesivir in Combination for SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Syrian Golden Hamsters.

Favipiravir (FVP) and remdesivir (RDV) have demonstrable antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2. Here, the efficacy of FVP, RDV, and FVP with RDV (FVP + RDV) in combination was assessed in Syrian golden hamsters challenged with SARS-CoV- 2 (B.1.

Conformational Flexibility in Capsids Encoded by the .

Caliciviruses are a diverse group of non-enveloped, positive-sense RNA viruses with a wide range of hosts and transmission routes. Norovirus is the most well-known member of the ; the acute gastroenteritis caused by human norovirus (HuNoV), for example, frequently results in closures of hospital wards and schools during the winter months. One area of calicivirus biology that has gained increasing attention over the past decade is the conformational flexibility exhibited by the protruding (P) domains of the major capsid protein VP1.

Comparative Evaluation of Open-Source Bioinformatics Pipelines for Full-Length Viral Genome Assembly.

The increasingly widespread application of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in clinical diagnostics and epidemiological research has generated a demand for robust, fast, automated, and user-friendly bioinformatics workflows. To guide the choice of tools for the assembly of full-length viral genomes from NGS datasets, we assessed the performance and applicability of four open-source bioinformatics pipelines (shiver-for which we created a user-friendly Dockerized version, referred to as dshiver; SmaltAlign; viral-ngs; and V-pipe) using both simulated and real-world HIV-1 paired-end short-read datasets and default settings. All four pipelines produced consensus genome assemblies with high quality metrics (genome fraction recovery, mismatch and indel rates, variant calling F1 scores) when the reference sequence used for assembly had high similarity to the analyzed sample.

Probability of Starting Two-Drug Regimen (2DR) vs. Three-Drug Regimen (3DR) in ART-Naïve and ART-Experienced Person with HIV (PWH) Across the First Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic.

: This study examined the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on antiretroviral therapy (ART) prescriptions among persons living with HIV (PWH) in Italy. : Data from the ICONA cohort included ART-naïve individuals who started ART between January 2019 and December 2022, and ART-experienced individuals who started new ART with HIV RNA ≤50 cps/mL from January 2016 to December 2022. The analysis focused on the proportion of PWH starting or switching to dual (2DR) versus triple (3DR) ART regimens.

Boosting Vaccine Research: The 16-Year Journey of TRANSVAC Vaccine Infrastructure.

TRANSVAC represents a long-running effort to accelerate the development of novel vaccines by integrating institutions from across Europe under a single collaborative framework. This initiative has empowered the global vaccine community since 2009 including contributing toward the development and optimization of vaccine candidates as well as the provision of new adjuvants, research protocols, and technologies. Scientific services were provided in support of 88 different vaccine development projects, and 400 professionals attended TRANSVAC training events on various vaccine-related topics.

A Psychosocial Critique of the Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic on UK Care Home Staff Attitudes to the Flu Vaccination: A Qualitative Longitudinal Study.

Vaccinating care home staff is essential to protect vulnerable residents by reducing infection risks and creating a safer care environment. However, vaccine hesitancy amongst staff remains a challenge, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic raised concerns about side effects and vaccination mandates. This study examines how the pandemic influenced flu vaccine hesitancy amongst UK care home staff.

Improving Childhood Immunization Service Delivery in Cameroon: A Synthesis of Caregiver Experiences and Recommendations.

Background/objectives: A "people-centered" approach is one of the core principles of the Immunization Agenda (IA) 2030 and emphasizes the need for services to be organized around the needs and expectations of individuals and the community. A better understanding of the immunization experience from the client's perspective is key to guiding the design of policies and interventions aimed at improving immunization delivery and coverage. This study provides a synthesis of the immunization experiences of children's caregivers in Cameroon, highlighting potential barriers for timely and complete immunization.

Development Using Bioluminescence Imaging of a Recombinant Anguillid Herpesvirus 1 Vaccine Candidate Associated with Normal Replication In Vitro but Abortive Infection In Vivo.

Background/objectives: Anguillid herpesvirus 1 (AngHV-1) (recently renamed Cyvirus anguillidallo 1) is the etiologic agent of a lethal disease that affects several eel species. It is thought to be one of the main infectious agents causing a population decline in wild eels and economic loss within the eel aquaculture sector. To date, no vaccines are available against AngHV-1.

Stakeholder Consultation Workshop on the Perceived Value of Thermostable Vaccines to Relieve Program Barriers: A Case Study from Côte d'Ivoire.

Background: Persistent inequities in access to vaccinations pose challenges for immunization programs worldwide. Innovations facilitating vaccine delivery, such as leveraging vaccine thermostability through a Controlled Temperature Chain (CTC), have emerged as a potential solution to increase coverage in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) countries such as Côte d'Ivoire, reducing dependence on the cold chain and improving vaccine delivery efficiency. However, the added value of thermostable vaccines and their integration into national immunization programs is under-recognized by stakeholders.