Public health assessment of potential biological terrorism agents.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Rotz LD
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2732458 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Each year, an influenza B strain representing only one influenza B lineage is included in the trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV3); a mismatch between the selected lineage and circulating viruses can result in suboptimal vaccine effectiveness. We modeled the added potential public health impact of a quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV4) that includes strains from both influenza B lineages compared to IIV3 on influenza-associated morbidity and mortality in Thailand.Using data on the incidence of influenza-associated hospitalizations and deaths, vaccine effectiveness, and vaccine coverage from the 2007-2012 influenza seasons in Thailand, we estimated rates of influenza-associated outcomes that might be averted using IIV4 instead of IIV3. We then applied these rates to national population estimates to calculate averted illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths for each season. We assumed that the influenza B lineage included in IIV3 would provide a relative vaccine effectiveness of 75% against the other B lineage.Compared to use of IIV3, use of IIV4 might have led to an additional reduction ranging from 0·4 to 14·3 influenza-associated illnesses per 100 000 population/year, <0·1 to 0·5 hospitalizations per 100 000/year, and <0·1 to 0·4 deaths per 1000/year. Based on extrapolation to national population estimates, replacement of IIV3 with IIV4 might have averted an additional 267-9784 influenza-associated illnesses, 9-320 hospitalizations, and 0-3 deaths.Compared to use of IIV3, IIV4 has the potential to further reduce the burden of influenza-associated morbidity and mortality in Thailand.
| S-EPMC4814859 | biostudies-other
Project description:The aim of this study was to compare the public health impact of introducing 2 Herpes Zoster (HZ) vaccines, Zoster Vaccine Live (ZVL) versus a non-live adjuvanted subunit candidate vaccine (HZ/su), in the German population aged 50+ years split into 3 age cohorts, i.e. 50-59, 60-69 and 70+ years, respectively. A multi-cohort static Markov model was developed following age cohorts over their lifetime. Demographic data were obtained from the German federal statistical office. HZ incidence and the proportion of HZ individuals developing post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) were derived from German specific sources. Age-specific vaccine efficacy and waning rates were based on published clinical trial data. Vaccine coverage for both vaccines was assumed to be 40%, with compliance of the second dose of the HZ/su vaccine of 70%. Sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the robustness of the results. It was estimated that, over the remaining lifetime since vaccination, the HZ/su vaccine would reduce the number of HZ cases by 725,233, 533,162 and 486,794 in the 3 age cohorts, respectively, compared with 198,477, 196,000 and 104,640, using ZVL. The number needed to vaccinate (NNV) to prevent one HZ case ranged from 8 to 11 using the HZ/su vaccine compared with 20 to 50 using ZVL. Corresponding NNV to prevent one PHN case ranged from 39 to 53 using the HZ/su vaccine compared with 94 to 198 using ZVL. Due to the higher, sustained vaccine efficacy, the candidate HZ/su vaccine demonstrated superior public health impact compared with ZVL.
| S-EPMC5647993 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Fourteen arylsemicarbazone derivatives were synthesized and evaluated in order to find agents with potential anticancer activity. Cytotoxic screening was performed against K562, HL-60, MOLT-4, HEp-2, NCI-H292, HT-29 and MCF-7 tumor cell lines. Compounds 3c and 4a were active against the tested cancer cell lines, being more cytotoxic for the HL-60 cell line with IC50 values of 13.08 ?M and 11.38 ?M, respectively. Regarding the protein kinase inhibition assay, 3c inhibited seven different kinases and 4a strongly inhibited the CK1?/? kinase. The studied kinases are involved in several cellular functions such as proliferation, migration, cell death and cell cycle progression. Additional analysis by flow cytometry revealed that 3c and 4a caused depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane, suggesting apoptosis mediated by the intrinsic pathway. Compound 3c induced arrest in G1 phase of the cell cycle on HL-60 cells, and in the annexin V assay approximately 50% of cells were in apoptosis at the highest concentration tested (26 ?M). Compound 4a inhibited cell cycle by accumulation of abnormal postmitotic cells at G1 phase and induced DNA fragmentation at the highest concentration (22 ?M).
| S-EPMC6958387 | biostudies-literature
Project description:SARS CoV-2 WGS (Georgia Department of Public Health)
| PRJNA713775 | ENA
Project description:The fragment FOL7185 (compound 17) was found to be a hit against IspD and IspE enzymes isolated from bacteria, and a series of analogs containing the pyrazolopyrimidine core were synthesized. The majority of these compounds inhibited the growth of Burkholderia thailandensis (Bt) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) in the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion susceptibility test. Compound 29 shows inhibitory activity at 0.1 mM (32.2 lg/mL), which is comparable to the control compound kanamycin (48.5 lg/mL). Compound 29 also shows inhibitory activity at 0.5 mM against kanamycin resistant P. aeruginosa. Saturation transfer difference NMR (STD-NMR) screening of these compounds against BtIspD and BtIspE indicated that most of these compounds significantly interact with BtIspE, suggesting that the compounds may inhibit the growth of Bt by disrupting isoprenoid biosynthesis. Ligand epitope mapping of compound 29 with BtIspE indicated that hydrogens on 2,4-dichlorophenyl group have higher proximity to the surface of the enzyme than hydrogens on the pyrazolopyrimidine ring.
| S-EPMC4764408 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Since 2010 and the founding of the Islamic State, the radicalisation phenomenon in Europe has involved more adolescents and converts to Islam than in previous Islamist terrorist group movements (e.g., Al-Qaeda). In most cases, these adolescents are "homegrown terrorists," a challenging difference, as they are in confrontation with their home and societal environment. As a new and emerging phenomenon, radicalisation leads to many questions. Are empathic capacities altered? Are they presenting psychiatric pathologies or suicidal tendencies that explain why they put themselves in serious dangers? Are they just young delinquents who simply met a radical ideology? In January 2018, by special Justice Department authorisation, we contacted all minors (N = 31) convicted in France for "criminal association to commit terrorism." We assessed several sociodemographic, clinical and psychological variables, including empathy and suicidality, in half of them (N = 15) and compared them with 101 teenagers convicted for non-terrorist delinquency who were placed in Closed Educational Centres (CEC). The results show that adolescents engaged in radicalisation and terrorism do not have a significant prevalence of psychiatric disorders, suicidal tendencies or lack of empathy. It also appears that they have different psychological profiles than delinquent adolescents. "Radicalised" adolescents show better intellectual skills, insight capacities and coping strategies. In addition, the manifestation of their difficulties is less externalised than adolescents from the CEC, having committed very few delinquent acts.
| S-EPMC8795583 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Introduction: Public health (PH) interventions are crucial for ensuring sustainable healthcare services. Nevertheless, they represent a neglected area in the field of health technology assessment (HTA) due to various methodological issues and their complex design that goes beyond clinical setting. The present study provides an environmental scan of HTA initiatives related to the assessment of PH technologies on a global level. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 85 HTA-related European and international societies, health bodies, and networks from September 2018 to January 2019. The questionnaire contained four sections and 18 questions regarding activities related to the evaluation of PH technologies, information on existing PH technologies, and methodologies of assessment as well as barriers and facilitators to reaching a decision and implementing a PH technology. Results: Among 52 survey responses, the majority of the respondents came from European countries (35%), followed by North American (27%), and South American (19%) countries. The main type of organizations covered by our survey included HTA agencies, public administrations, and research institutes. Seventy-one % of the institutions reported engagement in any aspect of HTA in the area of PH (N = 37). Among those, 81% evaluated less than 5 PH technologies from 2013 to 2018. The most common barriers for reaching a decision on PH technologies were lack of data, conflicting stakeholder priorities, and methodological issues. A total of 76 PH interventions were reported, and most cited initiatives were related to chronic disease screening, prevention of infectious diseases, and maternal, prenatal, and neonatal screening. Conclusion: Our survey reported a rather limited involvement of HTA in the evaluation of PH technologies. In particular, an evaluation of behavioral and lifestyle interventions remains extremely rare. The implementation of collaborative HTA approaches in the setting of PH practice and policy needs to be prioritized and further strengthened. Moreover, ensuring reliable data structures and consolidation of HTA methods for the evaluation of PH technologies will be crucial for tackling the enormous burden of non-communicable diseases in societies.
| S-EPMC7188782 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe incidence of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes is increasing in countries worldwide, including Singapore. Health professional-delivered healthy lifestyle interventions have been shown to prevent type 2 diabetes. However, ongoing personalized guidance from health professionals is not feasible or affordable at the population level. Novel digital interventions delivered using mobile technology, such as conversational agents, are a potential alternative for the delivery of healthy lifestyle change behavioral interventions to the public.ObjectiveWe explored perceptions and experiences of Singaporeans on healthy living, diabetes, and mobile health (mHealth) interventions (apps and conversational agents). This study was conducted to help inform the design and development of a conversational agent focusing on healthy lifestyle changes.MethodsThis qualitative study was conducted in August and September 2019. A total of 20 participants were recruited from relevant healthy living Facebook pages and groups. Semistructured interviews were conducted in person or over the telephone using an interview guide. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed in parallel by 2 researchers using Burnard's method, a structured approach for thematic content analysis.ResultsThe collected data were organized into 4 main themes: use of conversational agents, ubiquity of smartphone apps, understanding of diabetes, and barriers and facilitators to a healthy living in Singapore. Most participants used health-related mobile apps as well as conversational agents unrelated to health care. They provided diverse suggestions for future conversational agent-delivered interventions. Participants also highlighted several knowledge gaps in relation to diabetes and healthy living. Regarding barriers to healthy living, participants mentioned frequent dining out, high stress levels, lack of work-life balance, and lack of free time to engage in physical activity. In contrast, discipline, preplanning, and sticking to a routine were important for enabling a healthy lifestyle.ConclusionsParticipants in this study commonly used mHealth interventions and provided important insights into their knowledge gaps and needs in relation to changes in healthy lifestyle behaviors. Future digital interventions such as conversational agents focusing on healthy lifestyle and diabetes prevention should aim to address the barriers highlighted in our study and motivate individuals to adopt healthy lifestyle behavior.
| S-EPMC8663498 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAsthma is among the most common chronic diseases in working-aged populations and occupational exposures are important causal agents. Our aims were to evaluate the best methods to assess occurrence, public health impact, and burden to society related to occupational or work-related asthma and to achieve comparable estimates for different populations.MethodsWe addressed three central questions: 1: What is the best method to assess the occurrence of occupational asthma? We evaluated: 1) assessment of the occurrence of occupational asthma per se, and 2) assessment of adult-onset asthma and the population attributable fractions due to specific occupational exposures. 2: What are the best methods to assess public health impact and burden to society related to occupational or work-related asthma? We evaluated methods based on assessment of excess burden of disease due to specific occupational exposures. 3: How to achieve comparable estimates for different populations? We evaluated comparability of estimates of occurrence and burden attributable to occupational asthma based on different methods.ResultsAssessment of the occurrence of occupational asthma per se can be used in countries with good coverage of the identification system for occupational asthma, i.e. countries with well-functioning occupational health services. Assessment based on adult-onset asthma and population attributable fractions due to specific occupational exposures is a good approach to estimate the occurrence of occupational asthma at the population level. For assessment of public health impact from work-related asthma we recommend assessing excess burden of disease due to specific occupational exposures, including excess incidence of asthma complemented by an assessment of disability from it. International comparability of estimates can be best achieved by methods based on population attributable fractions.ConclusionsPublic health impact assessment for occupational asthma is central in prevention and health policy planning and could be improved by purposeful development of methods for assessing health benefits from preventive actions. Registry-based methods are suitable for evaluating time-trends of occurrence at a given population but for international comparisons they face serious limitations. Assessment of excess burden of disease due to specific occupational exposure is a useful measure, when there is valid information on population exposure and attributable fractions.
| S-EPMC3339512 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Throughout our lives, epigenetic processes shape our development and enable us to adapt to a constantly changing environment. Identifying and understanding environmentally induced epigenetic change(s) that may lead to adverse outcomes is vital for protecting public health. This review, therefore, examines the present understanding of epigenetic mechanisms involved in the mammalian life cycle, evaluates the current evidence for environmentally induced epigenetic toxicity in human cohorts and rodent models and highlights the research considerations and implications of this emerging knowledge for public health and regulatory toxicology. Many hundreds of studies have investigated such toxicity, yet relatively few have demonstrated a mechanistic association among specific environmental exposures, epigenetic changes and adverse health outcomes in human epidemiological cohorts and/or rodent models. While this small body of evidence is largely composed of exploratory in vivo high-dose range studies, it does set a precedent for the existence of environmentally induced epigenetic toxicity. Consequently, there is worldwide recognition of this phenomenon, and discussion on how to both guide further scientific research towards a greater mechanistic understanding of environmentally induced epigenetic toxicity in humans, and translate relevant research outcomes into appropriate regulatory policies for effective public health protection.
| S-EPMC5030620 | biostudies-literature