National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge
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Monitoring COVID‐19 vaccine effectiveness against COVID‐19 hospitalisation and death using electronic health registries in ≥65 years old population in six European countries, October 2021 to November 2022
Get PDFBackground: Within the ECDC-VEBIS project, we prospectively monitored vaccine effectiveness (VE) against COVID-19 hospitalisation and COVID-19-related death using electronic health registries (EHR), between October 2021 and November 2022, in community-dwelling residents aged 65-79 and ≥80 years in six European countries.
Methods: EHR linkage was used to construct population cohorts in Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Navarre (Spain), Norway and Portugal. Using a common protocol, for each outcome, VE was estimated monthly over 8-week follow-up periods, allowing 1 month-lag for data consolidation. Cox proportional-hazards models were used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and VE = (1 - aHR) × 100%. Site-specific estimates were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis.
Results: For ≥80 years, considering unvaccinated as the reference, VE against COVID-19 hospitalisation decreased from 66.9% (95% CI: 60.1; 72.6) to 36.1% (95% CI: -27.3; 67.9) for the primary vaccination and from 95.6% (95% CI: 88.0; 98.4) to 67.7% (95% CI: 45.9; 80.8) for the first booster. Similar trends were observed for 65-79 years. The second booster VE against hospitalisation ranged between 82.0% (95% CI: 75.9; 87.0) and 83.9% (95% CI: 77.7; 88.4) for the ≥80 years and between 39.3% (95% CI: -3.9; 64.5) and 80.6% (95% CI: 67.2; 88.5) for 65-79 years. The first booster VE against COVID-19-related death declined over time for both age groups, while the second booster VE against death remained above 80% for the ≥80 years.
Conclusions: Successive vaccine boosters played a relevant role in maintaining protection against COVID-19 hospitalisation and death, in the context of decreasing VE over time. Multicountry data from EHR facilitate robust near-real-time VE monitoring in the EU/EEA and support public health decision-making.European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Grant/Award Numbers ECDC/2021/018, RS/2022/DTS/24104.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 hospitalisation in adults (≥ 20 years) during Alpha- and Delta-dominant circulation: I-MOVE-COVID-19 and VEBIS SARI VE networks, Europe, 2021
Get PDFMembers of the I-MOVE-COVID-19 and VEBIS hospital study teams (in addition to the named authors): Svjetlana Karabuva, Petra Tomaš Petrić, Marija Marković, Sandra Ljubičić, Bojana Mahmutović, Irena Tabain, Petra Smoljo, Iva Pem Novosel, Tanya Melillo, John Paul Cauchi, Benédicte Lissoir, Xavier Holemans, Marc Hainaut, Nicolas Dauby, Benedicte Delaere, Marc Bourgeois, Evelyn Petit, Marijke Reynders, Door Jouck, Koen Magerman, Marieke Bleyen, Melissa Vermeulen, Sébastien Fierens, François Dufrasne, Siel Daelemans, Ala’a Al Kerwi, Francoise Berthet, Guy Fagherazzi, Myriam Alexandre, Charlene Bennett, Jim Christle, Jeff Connell, Peter Doran, Laura Feeney, Binita Maharjan, Sinead McDermott, Rosa McNamara, Nadra Nurdin, Salif Mamadou Cissé, Anne-Sophie L'Honneur, Xavier Duval, Yolande Costa, Fidouh Nadhira, Florence Galtier, Laura Crantelle, Vincent Foulongne, Phillipe Vanhems, Sélilah Amour, Bruno Lina, Fabrice Lainé, Laetitia Gallais, Gisèle Lagathu, Anna Maisa, Yacine Saidi, Christine Durier, Rebecca Bauer, Ana Paula Rodrigues, Adriana Silva, Raquel Guiomar, Margarida Tavares, Débora Pereira, Maria José Manata, Heidi Gruner, André Almeida, Paula Pinto, Cristina Bárbara, Itziar Casado, Ana Miqueleiz, Ana Navascués, Camino Trobajo-Sanmartín, Miguel Fernández-Huerta, María Eugenia Portillo, Carmen Ezpeleta, Nerea Egüés, Manuel García Cenoz, Eva Ardanaz, Marcela Guevara, Conchi Moreno-Iribas, Hana Orlíková, Carmen Mihaela Dorobat, Carmen Manciuc, Simin Aysel Florescu, Alexandru Marin, Sorin Dinu, Catalina Pascu, Alina Ivanciuc, Iulia Bistriceanu, Mihaela Oprea, Maria Elena Mihai, Silke Buda, Ute Preuss, Marianne Wedde, Auksė Mickienė, Giedrė Gefenaitė, Alain Moren, Anthony NardoneIntroduction:
Two large multicentre European hospital networks have estimated vaccine effectiveness (VE) against COVID-19 since 2021.
Aim:
We aimed to measure VE against PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 in hospitalised severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) patients ≥ 20 years, combining data from these networks during Alpha (March–June)- and Delta (June–December)-dominant periods, 2021.
Methods:
Forty-six participating hospitals across 14 countries follow a similar generic protocol using the test-negative case–control design. We defined complete primary series vaccination (PSV) as two doses of a two-dose or one of a single-dose vaccine ≥ 14 days before onset.
Results:
We included 1,087 cases (538 controls) and 1,669 cases (1,442 controls) in the Alpha- and Delta-dominant periods, respectively. During the Alpha period, VE against hospitalisation with SARS-CoV2 for complete Comirnaty PSV was 85% (95% CI: 69–92) overall and 75% (95% CI: 42–90) in those aged ≥ 80 years. During the Delta period, among SARI patients ≥ 20 years with symptom onset ≥ 150 days from last PSV dose, VE for complete Comirnaty PSV was 54% (95% CI: 18–74). Among those receiving Comirnaty PSV and mRNA booster (any product) ≥ 150 days after last PSV dose, VE was 91% (95% CI: 57–98). In time-since-vaccination analysis, complete all-product PSV VE was > 90% in those with their last dose < 90 days before onset; ≥ 70% in those 90–179 days before onset.
Conclusions:
Our results from this EU multi-country hospital setting showed that VE for complete PSV alone was higher in the Alpha- than the Delta-dominant period, and addition of a first booster dose during the latter period increased VE to over 90%.Key public health message: - What did you want to address in this study? To understand how well the COVID-19 vaccine was performing in Europe against hospitalisation during SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Delta variant periods, we present vaccine effectiveness results from a multi-country study of complete and booster dose COVID-19 vaccination among adults (aged 20 years and over).
- What have we learnt from this study? Between March and June 2021 (Alpha period), vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 was 43% for partial vaccination and 86% for complete vaccination. For June to December 2021 (Delta period), vaccine effectiveness for complete vaccination was lower (52%) but with addition of an mRNA booster dose, effectiveness reached 91%, and remained > 90% up to 119 days after the booster dose.
- What are the implications of your findings for public health? In Europe in 2021, COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness results for the Alpha period indicated an excellent benefit for preventing hospitalisation after complete vaccination. During Delta variant circulation, however, a booster dose was required to achieve this level of effectiveness, and this was maintained for up to 4 months post booster.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Bioaccessibility data of potentially toxic elements in complementary foods for infants: A review
No full textReviewThe introduction of complementary foods (CFs) is a critical step in an infant's transition to solid foods, providing essential nutrients beyond breast milk. However, CFs may contain potentially toxic elements (PTEs), such as arsenic and cadmium that pose health risks to infants. In this context, understanding the bioaccessibility of PTEs is vital as it determines the fraction of a contaminant released from the food matrix and available for absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. Efforts have been made to standardize the assessment methodology for bioaccessibility, ensuring consistent and reliable data. Moreover, regulatory agencies have established guidelines for PTEs levels in food. However, important gaps still exist, which motivates many research opportunities on this topic.Highlights: - Potentially toxic elements in complementary foods for infants pose health risks; - Complementary feeding is crucial for meeting infants' nutritional needs; - Potentially toxic elements in raw ingredients of infant foods is a concern; - Standardizing bioaccessibility assessment methods has gained attention; - Bioaccessibility studies of potentially toxic element in infant food is still need.The authors acknowledge the Sãoo Paulo Research Foundation
(FAPESP) [Grant number 2022/15367-6; 2022/03952-1].info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Gulls in Porto Coastline as Reservoirs for Salmonella spp.: Findings from 2008 and 2023
Get PDF(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Microorganisms Associated with Human Health)Gulls act as intermediaries in the exchange of microorganisms between the environment and human settlements, including Salmonella spp. This study assessed the antimicrobial resistance and molecular profiles of Salmonella spp. isolates obtained from fecal samples of gulls in the city of Porto, Portugal, in 2008 and 2023 and from water samples in 2023. Antimicrobial susceptibility profiling revealed an improvement in the prevalence (71% to 17%) and antimicrobial resistance between the two collection dates. Two isolate collections from both 2008 and 2023 underwent serotyping and whole-genome sequencing, revealing genotypic changes, including an increased frequency in the monophasic variant of S. Typhimurium. qacE was identified in 2008 and 2023 in both water and fecal samples, with most isolates exhibiting an MDR profile. The most frequently observed plasmid types were IncF in 2008 (23%), while IncQ1 predominated in 2023 (43%). Findings suggest that Salmonella spp. circulate between humans, animals, and the environment. However, the genetic heterogeneity among the isolates from the gulls' feces and the surface water may indicate a complex ecological and evolutionary dynamic shaped by changing conditions. The observed improvements are likely due to measures to reduce biological contamination and antimicrobial resistance. Nevertheless, additional strategies must be implemented to reduce the public health risk modeled by the dissemination of pathogens by gulls.Funding: WGS was supported by funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No 773830: One Health European Joint Programme, as part of the DiSCoVeR project (Discovering the sources of Salmonella, Campylobacter, VTEC, and Antimicrobial Resistance).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
The Helicobacter pylori Genome Project: insights into H. pylori population structure from analysis of a worldwide collection of complete genomes
No full textHpGP Research Network: Judith Romero-Gallo, Uma Krishna, Richard M Peek Jr, M Blanca Piazuelo, Naïma Raaf, Federico Bentolila, Hafeza Aftab, Junko Akada, Takashi Matsumoto, Freddy Haesebrouck, Rony P Colanzi, Thais F Bartelli, Diana Noronha Nunes, Adriane Pelosof, Claudia Zitron Sztokfisz, Emmanuel Dias-Neto, Paulo Pimentel Assumpção, Ivan Tishkov, Laure Brigitte Kouitcheu Mabeku, Karen J Goodman, Janis Geary, Taylor J Cromarty, Nancy L Price, Douglas Quilty, Alejandro H Corvalan, Carolina A Serrano, Robinson Gonzalez, Arnoldo Riquelme, Apolinaria García-Cancino, Cristian Parra-Sepúlveda, Giuliano Bernal, Francisco Castillo, Alisa M Goldstein, Nan Hu, Philip R Taylor, Maria Mercedes Bravo, Alvaro Pazos, Luis E Bravo, Keith T Wilson, James G Fox, Vanessa Ramírez-Mayorga, Silvia Molina-Castro, Sundry Durán-Bermúdez, Christian Campos-Núñez, Manuel Chaves-Cervantes, Evariste Tshibangu-Kabamba, Ghislain Disashi Tumba, Antoine Tshimpi-Wola, Patrick de Jesus Ngoma-Kisoko, Dieudonné Mumba Ngoyi, Modesto Cruz, Celso Hosking, José Jiménez Abreu, Christine Varon, Lucie Benejat, Ousman Secka, Alexander Link, Peter Malfertheiner, Michael Buenor Adinortey, Ansumana Sandy Bockarie, Cynthia Ayefoumi Adinortey, Eric Gyamerah Ofori, Dionyssios N Sgouras, Beatriz Martinez-Gonzalez, Spyridon Michopoulos, Sotirios Georgopoulos, Elisa Hernandez, Braulio Volga Tacatic, Mynor Aguilar, Ricardo L Dominguez, Douglas R Morgan, Hjördís Harðardóttir, Anna Ingibjörg Gunnarsdóttir, Hallgrímur Guðjónsson, Jón Gunnlaugur Jónasson, Einar S Björnsson, Mamatha Ballal, Vignesh Shetty, Muhammad Miftahussurur, Titong Sugihartono, Ricky Indra Alfaray, Langgeng Agung Waskito, Kartika Afrida Fauzia, Ari Fahrial Syam, Hasan Maulahela, Reza Malekzadeh, Masoud Sotoudeh, Avi Peretz, Maya Azrad, Avi On, Valli De Re, Stefania Zanussi, Renato Cannizzaro, Vincenzo Canzonieri, Takaya Shimura, Kengo Tokunaga, Takako Osaki, Shigeru Kamiya, Khaled Jadallah, Ismail Matalka, Nurbek Igissinov, Mariia Satarovna Moldobaeva, Attokurova Rakhat, Il Ju Choi, Jae Gyu Kim, Nayoung Kim, Minkyo Song, Mārcis Leja, Reinis Vangravs, Ģirts Šķenders, Dace Rudzīte, Aiga Rūdule, Aigars Vanags, Ilze Kikuste, Juozas Kupcinskas, Jurgita Skieceviciene, Laimas Jonaitis, Gediminas Kiudelis, Paulius Jonaitis, Vytautas Kiudelis, Greta Varkalaite, Jamuna Vadivelu, Mun Fai Loke, Kumutha Malar Vellasamy, Roberto Herrera-Goepfert, Juan Octavio Alonso-Larraga, Than Than Yee, Kyaw Htet, Takeshi Matsuhisa, Pradeep Krishna Shrestha, Shamshul Ansari, Olumide Abiodun, Christopher Jemilohun, Kolawole Oluseyi Akande, Oluwatosin Olu-Abiodun, Francis Ajang Magaji, Ayodele Omotoso, Chukwuemeka Chukwunwendu Osuagwu, Uchenna Okonkwo, Opeyemi O Owoseni, Carlos Castaneda, Miluska Castillo, Billie Velapatino, Robert H Gilman, Paweł Krzyżek, Grażyna Gościniak, Dorota Pawełka, Izabela Korona-Glowniak, Halina Cichoz-Lach, Monica Oleastro, Ceu Figueiredo, Jose C Machado, Rui M Ferreira, Dmitry S Bordin, Maria A Livzan, Vladislav V Tsukanov, Patrick Tan, Khay Guan Yeoh, Feng Zhu, Reid Ally, Rainer Haas, Milagrosa Montes, María Fernández-Reyes, Esther Tamayo, Jacobo Lizasoain, Luis Bujanda, Sergio Lario, María José Ramírez-Lázaro, Xavier Calvet, Eduard Brunet-Mas, María José Domper-Arnal, Sandra García-Mateo, Daniel Abad-Baroja, Pedro Delgado-Guillena, Leticia Moreira, Josep Botargues, Isabel Pérez-Martínez, Eva Barreiro-Alonso, Virginia Flores, Javier P Gisbert, Edurne Amorena Muro, Pedro Linares, Vicente Martin, Laura Alcoba, Tania Fleitas-Kanonnikoff, Hisham N Altayeb, Lars Engstrand, Helena Enroth, Peter M Keller, Karoline Wagner, Daniel Pohl, Yi-Chia Lee, Jyh-Ming Liou, Ming-Shiang Wu, Bekir Kocazeybek, Suat Sarıbas, İhsan Tasçı, Süleyman Demiryas, Nuray Kepil, Luis Quiel, Miguel Villagra, Morgan Norton, Deborah Johnson, Robert J Huang, Joo Ha Hwang, Wendy Szymczak, Saranathan Rajagopalan, Emmanuel Asare, William R Jacobs Jr, Haejin In, Roni Bollag, Aileen Lopez, Edward J Kruse, Joseph White, David Y Graham, Charlotte Lane, Yang Gao, Patricia I Fields, Benjamin D Gold, Marcia Cruz-Correa, María González-Pons, Luz M Rodriguez, Vo Phuoc Tuan, Ho Dang Quy Dung, Tran Thanh Binh, Tran Thi Huyen Trang, Vu Van Khien, Xiongfong Chen, Castle Raley, Bailey Kessing, Yongmei Zhao, Bao Tran, Andrés J Gutiérrez-Escobar, Yunhu Wan, Belynda Hicks, Bin Zhu, Kai Yu, Bin Zhu, Meredith Yeager, Amy Hutchinson, Kedest Teshome, Kristie Jones, Wen Luo, Quentin Jehanne, Yukako Katsura, Patricio Gonzalez-Hormazabal, Xavier Didelot, Sam Sheppard, Eduardo Tarazona-Santos, Leonardo Mariño-Ramírez, John T Loh, Steffen Backert, Michael Naumann, Christian C Abnet, Annemieke Smet, Douglas E Berg, Álvaro Chiner-Oms, Iñaki Comas, Francisco José Martínez-Martínez, Roxana Zamudio, Philippe Lehours, Francis Megraud, Koji Yahara, Martin J Blaser, Tamas Vincze, Richard D Morgan, Richard J Roberts, Stephen J Chanock, John P Dekker, Javier Torres, Timothy L Cover, Mehwish Noureen, Wolfgang Fischer, Filipa F Vale, Joshua L Cherry, Naoki Osada, Masaki Fukuyo, Masanori Arita, Yoshio Yamaoka, Ichizo Kobayashi, Ikuo Uchiyama.HpGP Research Network: Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge, Lisboa, Portugal (Mónica Oleastro)Helicobacter pylori, a dominant member of the gastric microbiota, shares coevolutionary
history with humans. This has led to the development of
genetically distinct H. pylori subpopulations associated with the geographic
origin of the host and with differential gastric disease risk. Here, we provide
insights into H. pylori population structure as a part of the Helicobacter pylori
Genome Project (HpGP), a multi-disciplinary initiative aimed at elucidating H.
pylori pathogenesis and identifying new therapeutic targets. We collected 1011
well-characterized clinical strains from 50 countries and generated highquality
genome sequences. We analysed core genome diversity and population
structure of the HpGP dataset and 255 worldwide reference genomes to
outline the ancestral contribution to Eurasian, African, and American populations.
We found evidence of substantial contribution of population hpNorthAsia
and subpopulation hspUral in Northern European H. pylori. The
genomes of H. pylori isolated from northern and southern Indigenous Americans
differed in that bacteria isolated in northern Indigenous communities
were more similar to North Asian H. pylori while the southern had higher
relatedness to hpEastAsia. Notably, we also found a highly clonal yet geographically
dispersed North American subpopulation, which is negative for the
cag pathogenicity island, and present in 7% of sequenced US genomes. We
expect the HpGP dataset and the corresponding strains to become a major
asset for H. pylori genomics.Funding: This work was supported in part by the intramural research programs of the US National Library of Medicine, the US National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The members of the bioinformatics group received support from the Swedish Society for Medical Research (K.T.), Assar Gabrielsson Foundation (K.T.), and Magnus Bergvall Foundation (K.T.). The collaborating centers for sample collection received grant support from the US NIH (P01CA116087, R01CA077955, R01DK058587 and P30DK058404 to R.M.P.; P01CA028842 and R01CA190612 to K.T.W.; P01CA028842, R01CA190612, K07CA125588, R03CA167773 and P30CA068485 to D.R.M.; K08CA252635 to R.J.H., K22CA226395 to M.G.-P.; and U54GM133807 to M.C.-C.), the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF-0315905D, ERA-NET PathoGenoMics to P.M.), the French Association pour la Recherche Contre le Cancer (8412 to F.M.), the French Institut National du Cancer (07/3D1616/IABC-23-12/NC-NG and 2014-152 to F.M.), the Canceropole Grand Sud-Ouest (2010-08-canceropole GSO-Universite Bordeaux 2 to F.M.), the Japanese National Institutes of Health (DK62813 to Y.Y.), the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (18KK0266, 19H03473, 21H00346 and 22H02871 to Y.Y.), the National Fund for Innovation and Development of Science and Technology from the Ministry of Higher Education Science and Technology of the Dominican Republic (2012-2013-2A1-65 and 2015-3A1-182 to M.C.), the National Cancer Center of South Korea (2210630, I.J.C.), ArcticNet (RES0010178 to K.J.G.), the Network of Centres of Excellence of Canada, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (MOP115031 to K.J.G.), Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (201201159 to K.J.G.), the University of Malaya-Ministry of Higher Education (UM.C/625/1/HIR/MOHE/CHAN-02 to J.V.), the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam, the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy, the Italian Ministry of Health for Institutional Research, the Chilean National Fund for Health Research and Development (FONIS A19/0188, FONDECYT 1230504 and ANID-FONDAP 152220002 to A.R.; CONICYT-FONDAP 15130011 and FONDECYT 1231773 to A.H.C.), the Chilean Cancer Prevention and Control Center, the Horizon 2020 Programme of European Union (825832, “CeLac and European consortium for a personalized medicine approach to Gastric Cancer,” LEGACy, to T.F.-K. and A.R.), the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP; 2014/26847-0, 2018/14267-2, 2018/02972-3 to E.D.-N.), the Departamento de Ciência e Tecnologia (DECIT), Ministry of Health, Brazil (PRONON, SIPAR 2500.035-167/2015-23 to E.D.-N.), the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, 314344/2020-9 to E.T.-S.), the Universidad de Costa Rica (742-B9-310 and 742-90912-19 to V.R.-M.), LABGIPAT (S.D.-B.), the Hospital Clínica Bíblica (C.C.-N.), the Greek Ministry of Culture and Education (InfeNeutra Project, NSRF 2007-2013, MIS450598, D.N.S.), the National Strategic Reference Framework Operational Program “Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation” (NSRF 2014-2020, MIS5002486, D.N.S.), the Hellenic Helicobacter pylori Study Group (2012-2016, B.M.-G.), the Hellenic Society of Gastroenterology (National Multicenter Laboratory Surveillance Studies, 2018-2019, B.M.-G.), the Ministry of Science and Technology, Executive Yuan, Taiwan (109-2314-B-002-096; MOST 111-2314-B-002-012; MOST 109-2314-B-002-090-MY3 to J.-M.L. and M.-S.W.), the National Research Foundation of Singapore, the Singapore Ministry of Health’s National Medical Research Council (Open Fund-Large Collaborative Grant, MOH-OFLCG18May-0003), the University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico (196-2015-FONDECYT to C.C.), Universidad Científica del Sur, and Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplasicas (INEN, Peru).
The computations and data storage required for the analyses presented were enabled by resources in projects snic-2021/22-229 and snic-2021/23-234 provided by the National Academic Infrastructure for Supercomputing in Sweden (NAISS) and the Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing (SNIC) at the UPPMAX HPC, partially funded by the Swedish Research Council through grant agreements 2022-06725, and 2018-05973.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli and Enterobacteriaceae Control at a Pig Abattoir: Are We Missing Lairage Time Effect, Pig Skin, and Internal Carcass Surface Contamination?
Get PDFThis article belongs to the Special Issue Foodborne Pathogens Control: Current State of the Art and Future Prospects.To provide meat safety and consumer protection, appropriate hygiene control measures at an abattoir are required. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of visual fecal contamination level (VFCL) and lairage time (LT) on pig skin (PS) and external (ECS) and internal (ICS) carcass surfaces. The presence of Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella in PS, ECS, and ICS were evaluated. A total of 300 paired samples were collected from 100 pigs. Results underlined the importance of the skin (Enterobacteriaceae: 3.27 ± 0.68 log CFU/cm2; E. coli: 3.15 ± 0.63 log CFU/cm2; Salmonella: 21% of samples) as a direct or indirect source of carcass contamination. Although VFCL revealed no significant effect (p > 0.05), the increase of LT had a significant impact (p < 0.001) on Enterobacteriaceae and E. coli levels across all analysed surfaces, and Salmonella presence on ICS (p < 0.01), demanding attention to LT. Also, the ICS showed a higher level of these bacteria compared to ECS. These results highlight the need of food business operators to consider ICS as an alternative area to sample for Salmonella, as a criterion for process hygiene based on EC Regulation No. 2073/2005, and as a potential contamination source to be integrated in the hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) plans.This work was supported by the projects UIDP/00772/2020, LA/P/0059/2020 funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), and Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB) research unit, grant number UIDB/04033/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
LDLR activity and cardiovascular burden in Portuguese families with Familial Hypercholesterolemia
No full textFamilial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is the most common inherited disorder of lipid metabolism and is clinically characterized by elevated plasma cholesterol, which predisposes to cardiovascular disease (CVD). In nearly 90% of the cases, FH is caused by a pathogenic/likely pathogenic variant in the LDLR gene. In this work, we aimed to compare the cardiovascular burden in families from the Portuguese FH Study (PFHS) carrying different LDLR variants functionally studied. The PFHS database (containing clinical and molecular characterization of individuals referred to the PFHS) was consulted. Considering well-documented personal and familial history of CVD, a total of 246 PFHS families carrying LDLR causative variants (previously functionally characterized) were selected for this study. According to the results of functional assays reported, 47 different pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants (found in 617 subjects) were divided into 3 cut-offs of LDLR activity: < 5% (n=15), 5-30% (n=16), and 30-70% (n=16). Within 80 families carrying variants with a LDLR activity of <5% (214 participants), 10% of individuals suffered at least one cardiovascular event (mainly myocardial infarction) at medium age of 44 years, and the majority reported familial history of CVD in more than 2 generations. In 115 families carrying variants with LDLR activity between 5-30% (280 participants), 7% of the subjects had a cardiovascular event at medium age of 41. It is relevant to note that the individuals presenting CVD had, specifically, variants showing less than 15% of activity. Despite comparatively fewer subjects (only 123), in 51 families carrying variants with a LDLR activity of 30-70%, we observed that 12% of them reported development of CVD at notably older age (medium of 51). Since several LDLR variants greatly impair LDLR function and activity, some are highly associated with premature CDV. Considering the cardiovascular burden of individuals with FH, the early identification of these individuals alongside functional characterization of variants discovered within the PFHS can contribute to an improved and personalized disease management.N/
Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents’ growth and development
Get PDFNCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) collaborator: National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
(Marta Barreto, Baltazar Nunes & Ana I. Rito)Optimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1,2,3,4,5,6. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was <1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified.This study was funded by the UK Medical Research Council (grant number MR/V034057/1), the Wellcome Trust (Pathways to Equitable Healthy Cities grant 209376/Z/17/Z), the AstraZeneca Young Health Programme and the European Commission (STOP project through EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement 774548). For the purpose of open access, the author has applied a Creative
Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence to the Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from
this submission. We thank W. Dietz, L. Jaacks and W. Johnson for recommendations of relevant
citations. The authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this Article and they do
not necessarily represent the views, decisions, or policies of the institutions with which they
are affiliated.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the eating habits, physical activity and sedentary behaviours of school-aged children in 13 countries within the WHO European Region: “COSI COVID” Study, 2020-2022
No full textIntroduction: In 2020, the world population was hit by a global pandemic caused by a new coronavirus (SARS-Cov2), with rapid human-to-human transmission. To limit the spread of the virus and minimize its impact, governments around the world implemented containment measures, leading to many changes in the lifestyle of millions of people. Although children and adolescents were, generally, at low risk of infection and less affected by mortality1,
this unprecedented situation led to significant impacts in their daily routines/habits and had a profound effect on their health and well-being2-3. We aimed to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the daily routine and behaviours of school aged children, within the WHO/COSI European study.
Methods: 13 COSI countries participated in the study: Azerbaijan, Croatia, Georgia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Malta, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia and Uzbekistan. Countries could decide to implement the study together with the 6th round of COSI/WHO Europe in the 2021/2021 school year. A common methodological protocol was designed for this study. Information on children’s behaviors regarding eating habits and physical activity/inactivity before and during the COVID-19 confinement periods, was collected through the “Family COSI-COVID Form” with 12 questions. This form was completed on a voluntary basis by the parents/care givers of participating children.
Results: This study included 42 731 children (6-10 years old). Preliminary results suggested that sweets and savory snacks increased during the pandemic in comparison to pre-pandemic period (15.7% and 13,2%, respectively). As for children’s sedentary behaviours, 36.7% of the children increased their time spent watching TV, playing video/computer games, or using social media for non-educational purposes on weekdays and 34.4% on weekends, during the pandemic period. In addition, the time spent learning at home also increased (35.5%). Regarding physical activity, the opposite was reported, showing a decrease in the time children spent being active outside school hours, both on weekdays (26.6%) and weekends (22.0%).
Conclusion: These preliminary results are important to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on children’s lifestyles behaviours. These findings may be useful for future public health interventions as countries recover from the pandemic and take measures to address childhood obesity.This study was supported by the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of NCDs
and selected Member States from WHO/EURO.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
The potential role of scavenging flies as mechanical vectors of Lagovirus europaeus/GI.2
Get PDFThe European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) populations of the Iberian Peninsula have been severely affected by
the emergence of the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) Lagovirus europaeus/GI.2 (RHDV2/b). Bushflies
and blowflies (Muscidae and Calliphoridae families, respectively) are important RHDV vectors in Oceania, but their
epidemiological role is unknown in the native range of the European rabbit. In this study, scavenging flies were collected
between June 2018 and February 2019 in baited traps at one site in southern Portugal, alongside a longitudinal
capture-mark-recapture study of a wild European rabbit population, aiming to provide evidence of mechanical
transmission of GI.2 by flies. Fly abundance, particularly from Calliphoridae and Muscidae families, peaked in October
2018 and in February 2019. By employing molecular tools, we were able to detect the presence of GI.2 in flies belonging
to the families Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Fanniidae and Drosophilidae. The positive samples were detected during
an RHD outbreak and absent in samples collected when no evidence of viral circulation in the local rabbit population
was found. We were able to sequence a short viral genomic fragment, confirming its identity as RHDV GI.2. The results
suggest that scavenging flies may act as mechanical vectors of GI.2 in the native range of the southwestern Iberian
subspecies O. cuniculus algirus. Future studies should better assess their potential in the epidemiology of RHD and as a
tool for monitoring viral circulation in the field.This study was performed within the scope of project LAGMED (www.lagmed.eu), supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, FCT (PRIMA/0003/2018) and PRIMA programme, an Art.185 initiative supported and funded under Horizon 2020, the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. This work was also co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) and Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, and by the project NORTE-01-0246-FEDER-000063. The authors also acknowledge FCT research support via the Junior Researcher grant of Ana M. Lopes (CEECIND/01388/2017), the PhD grant of João Vasco Côrte-Real (DFA/BD/4965/2020), the post-doctoral grant of Nuno Santos (SFRH/BPD/116596/2016), the Principal Researcher grant of Pedro J. Esteves (CEECIND/CP1601/CT0005), the Assistant Researcher grant of Joana Abrantes (CEECIND/00078/2017), and projects CIISA UIDB/00276/2020, LA/P/0059/2020-Al4AnimalS and CESAM UID/AMB/50017-POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007638.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio