Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ikhwan Yuda Kusuma, Maria Matuz, Reka Bordas, Maria Juhasz Haverinen, Muh. Akbar Bahar, Edit Hajdu, Adam Visnyovszki, Roxana Ruzsa, Peter Doro, Zsofi Engi, Dezso Csupor, Ria Benko
Summary: The study compared antibiotic use in the elderly in ambulatory care sector between Hungary and Sweden, finding that Hungary had higher antibiotic exposure in the elderly population compared to Sweden. There were significant differences in antibiotics used in the elderly between the two countries, with Hungary more frequently prescribing penicillin, beta-lactamase combinations, and quinolones, while Sweden primarily prescribed narrow spectrum penicillins.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Githa Fungie Galistiani, Ria Benko, Balazs Babarczy, Renata Papp, Agnes Hajdu, Eva Henrietta Szabo, Reka Viola, Erika Papfalvi, Adam Visnyovszki, Maria Matuz
Summary: This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of pediatric antibiotic use in ambulatory care in Hungary. The results showed that pediatric antibiotic exposure was highest in the age group of 0-4 years. There were heterogenous patterns of sex differences across age groups, and the use of broad-spectrum agents dominated, with co-amoxiclav being responsible for a significant portion of antibiotic use. The study also found substantial seasonal and regional variations in antibiotic prescribing.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Anton Pottegard, Lars Christian Lund, Daniel Pilsgaard Henriksen, Lars Folkestad, Maja Hellfritzsch, Jesper Hallas, Kasper Bruun Kristensen
Summary: The study did not find an increased risk of splanchnic vein thrombosis associated with the use of DPP-4 inhibitors based on a population-based new-user cohort study.
DIABETES OBESITY & METABOLISM
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Adam L. Hersh, Laura M. King, Daniel J. Shapiro, Lauri A. Hicks, Katherine E. Fleming-Dutra
Summary: The percentage of unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions in US physician offices and emergency departments decreased slightly from 30% in 2010-2011 to 28% in 2014-2015. However, there was a greater decrease in children from 32% to 19%, while unnecessary prescribing in adults remained unchanged.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Anna Olczak-Pienkowska, Waleria Hryniewicz
Summary: This study analyzed the regional antibiotic consumption in primary care in Poland from 2013 to 2017, and found strong correlations with factors such as employment, population mobility, number of outpatient consultations, and number of dentists. Identified risk factors for increased antibiotic consumption should be targeted for interventions promoting rational antibiotic policies.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Matta Matta, Laurene Gantzer, Catherine Chakvetadze, Aurore Moussiegt, Astrid De Pontfarcy, Beranger Lekens, Sylvain Diamantis
Summary: This study analyzed the antibiotic prescription rates for COVID-19 patients in ambulatory care by general practitioners in four European countries. The overall prescription rates were higher in France and Belgium, while lower in Romania. Depending on the country, there were variations in the proportion of different types of antibiotics used.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Haishaerjiang Wushouer, Yue Zhou, Wanmeng Zhang, Lin Hu, Kexin Du, Yaoyao Yang, Guiqing Yao, Paul Little, Bo Zheng, Xiaodong Guan, Luwen Shi
Summary: This study analyzed trends and patterns in inpatient antibacterial use in China's tertiary and secondary hospitals from 2013 to 2021. The findings showed a significant decrease in overall antibacterial use during the study period, but there is a concerning increase in the use of last-resort antibacterials and a large gap from the WHO's global target.
BULLETIN OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ying Yang, Xin Geng, Xiaojun Liu, Xiaotong Wen, Ruonan Wu, Dan Cui, Zongfu Mao
Summary: The overuse of antibiotics in China is a significant health concern, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on antibiotic consumption in China is not well understood. This study analyzed nationwide data on antibiotic procurement in China's public medical institutions over three years and found that total antibiotic consumption increased from 2018 to 2019 and then decreased in 2020. Penicillins and cephalosporins were the most commonly used antibiotics, and injections were prevalent in China's public healthcare institutions. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant decline in antibiotic consumption in both hospitals and primary healthcare centers.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Lars Christian Lund, Patricia Hjorslev Jensen, Anton Pottegard, Morten Andersen, Nicole Pratt, Jesper Hallas
Summary: Using Danish nationwide health registries, researchers identified 70 drug-diabetes associations, of which 27 were previously unknown. These findings are important for understanding the drugs that can cause diabetes.
DIABETES OBESITY & METABOLISM
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Thanh Phuong Pham Nguyen, Colleen M. Brensinger, Warren B. Bilker, Sean Hennessy, Charles E. Leonard
Summary: The study aimed to confirm or refute previous DDI signals, indicating a potential association between clopidogrel and eszopiclone or zolpidem with serious bleeding. However, due to statistical imprecision, a clear conclusion could not be drawn. Further examination is needed for the associations of other hypnotics with serious bleeding.
BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Helga Hambalek, Maria Matuz, Roxana Ruzsa, Zsofia Engi, Adam Visnyovszki, Erika Papfalvi, Edit Hajdu, Peter Doro, Reka Viola, Gyongyver Soos, Dezso Csupor, Ria Benko
Summary: The use of systemic antibiotics in ambulatory care in Hungary decreased by 23.22% during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-COVID levels. The reduction was significant in the use of beta-lactam antibacterials, penicillins (J01C, -26.3%), and quinolones (J01M, -36.5%). The trends of antibiotic use corresponded with the implementation and lifting of restriction measures, reaching a nadir in May 2020 with a 55.46% decrease compared to the previous year. Overall, antibiotic use in ambulatory care remained lower during the pandemic period, except for the months of September to November 2021, and seasonal variation in use diminished. Excessive use of azithromycin, despite its ineffectiveness for COVID-19, was observed at the active agent level.
Article
Immunology
Dana Danino, Bart Adriaan van der Beek, Noga Givon-Lavi, David Greenberg, Shalom Ben-Shimol, Ron Dagan
Summary: Following the implementation of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, the prescription rate of antibiotics for children under 5 years of age decreased significantly within a short period of time and stabilized within 5 years, mainly driven by drugs like amoxicillin. Children under 2 years of age and Bedouin ethnicity had higher antibiotic prescription rates before PCV implementation, but saw a faster decline post-PCV, nearly eliminating the gaps between different age groups and ethnicities.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Khedidja Hedna, Johan Fastbom, Annette Erlangsen, Margda Waern
Summary: The study found that only one third of Swedish elderly aged 75 years and above who died by suicide filled an antidepressant prescription in their last 3 months of life, with higher suicide rates observed in mirtazapine users. Users of antidepressants accounted for only one quarter of the increase in the suicide rate.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Oliver Scholle, Antje Neubert, Oliver Riedel, Irmgard Toni, Ulrike Haug
Summary: This study investigated the prevalence and types of prescription drugs used repeatedly in children and adolescents in Germany in 2016. The results showed significant variations in the proportion as well as the type of drugs used repeatedly by sex and age, raising concerns regarding appropriateness of prescribing certain drugs that should be addressed in future studies.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Muhammad Nadeem Anwar, Usman Ahmad Khan, Aemen Shams Khakwani, Izza Saeed, Hamza Ishfaq, Muhammad Osama Muslim, Muhammad Faraz Anwaar
Summary: This study evaluated the use of digoxin among atrial fibrillation patients in outpatient visits in the US from 2006 to 2015. The analysis included adult patient visits to office-based physicians using the NAMCS database. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression were used to analyze the use of digoxin and identify predictors. The percentage of visits with digoxin usage declined during the study period, and predictors of digoxin use included female sex, congestive heart failure, and a higher number of concurrent medications. (Curr Probl Cardiol 2023;48:101209.)
CURRENT PROBLEMS IN CARDIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Florian Stijven, Johan Verbeeck, Geert Molenberghs
Summary: This study proposes a nonlinear Gaussian-Gaussian model to describe the incidence curves of COVID-19 infections in economic sectors using a small set of meaningful parameters. The model allows for analyzing and comparing incidence curves and bringing out key characteristics.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Annelies De Wael, Annick De Backer, Chu-Ping Yu, Duygu Gizem Sentuerk, Ivan Lobato, Christel Faes, Sandra Van Aert
Summary: This paper introduces a statistical method to count the number of atoms in ADF STEM images and discusses how to represent the counting results together with their statistical error. Three approaches are presented and their suitability for further use is evaluated based on simulations and experimental images.
MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS
(2023)
Article
Mathematical & Computational Biology
Oswaldo Gressani, Christel Faes, Niel Hens
Summary: In epidemic models, the effective reproduction number is crucial for assessing disease transmission dynamics and guiding health intervention strategies. Publicly shared outbreak data often suffer from misreporting, which needs to be considered when estimating epidemiological parameters. This study proposes a faster alternative method based on Laplacian-P-splines for estimating the time-varying reproduction number and considering misreporting, achieving fast and accurate estimates.
BIOMETRICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Review
Oncology
Stephanie Jordaens, Karen Zwaenepoel, Wiebren Tjalma, Christophe Deben, Koen Beyers, Vanessa Vankerckhoven, Patrick Pauwels, Alex Vorsters
Summary: This review aimed to explore the use of urine sampling as a liquid biopsy for noninvasive cancer research. The analysis found that many publications did not report the preanalytical parameters of urine samples, despite the importance of standardization. Urine is being used for various cancer types and contains different analytes. Standard practice protocols and further research are needed to enhance the clinical utility of urine in cancer research and detection.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Dries De Witte, Margaux Delporte, Geert Molenberghs, Geert Verbeke, Stefaan Demarest, Vera Hoorens
Summary: Research suggests that individual self-uniqueness beliefs related to health can predict adherence to COVID-19 precautions. This study found that comparative optimism, self-superiority, and egocentric impact perception can predict intended adherence to precautions among individuals.
SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Irina Spacova, Ilke De Boeck, Eline Cauwenberghs, Lize Delanghe, Peter A. Bron, Tim Henkens, Alix Simons, Imane Gamgami, Leentje Persoons, Ingmar Claes, Marianne F. L. van den Broek, Dominique Schols, Peter Delputte, Samuel Coenen, Veronique Verhoeven, Sarah Lebeer
Summary: The study developed a throat spray with live lactobacilli that exhibited several mechanisms of action against respiratory viral infections. Three selected strains showed significant reduction in the cytopathogenic effects of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza A/H1N1 and B viruses, and HCoV-229E coronavirus in co-culture models. Administration of the throat spray in healthy volunteers confirmed temporary colonization of the throat by metabolically active lactobacilli. The developed spray may be a potential broad-acting live biotherapeutic strategy against respiratory viral diseases.
MICROBIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Jan Van Eijgen, Alexander Heintz, Claire Van der Pluijm, Margaux Delporte, Dries De Witte, Geert Molenberghs, Joao Barbosa-Breda, Ingeborg Stalmans
Summary: This study utilized dynamic OCTA examination to compare differences between healthy individuals and glaucoma patients, as well as to distinguish subcategories of glaucoma (NTG and POAG). The results confirmed a decrease in retinal vessel density in glaucoma patients and established the necessity to correct for gender, age, and MAP. However, replication in a larger population is needed to determine whether OCTA is suitable for dynamically evaluating the retinal microvasculature.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Mathematical & Computational Biology
Yannick Vandendijck, Oswaldo Gressani, Christel Faes, Carlo G. Camarda, Niel Hens
Summary: The use of social contact rates is important in infectious disease modeling as they drive key epidemiological parameters. Contact patterns can be quantified from surveys such as POLYMOD, and age-specific rates can be estimated using smoothing techniques. This study introduces a smoothing constrained approach that emphasizes the reciprocal nature of contacts and applies it to Belgian POLYMOD data.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Michele Tizzani, Alessandro De Gaetano, Christopher I. Jarvis, Amy Gimma, Kerry Wong, W. John Edmunds, Philippe Beutels, Niel Hens, Pietro Coletti, Daniela Paolotti
Summary: Italy implemented strict lockdown measures in the first wave and progressively restrictive tiers in the second wave of COVID-19. The study found that these measures significantly reduced the number of contacts, and the reduction was dependent on the strictness of the interventions. The implementation of restrictions decreased the reproduction number and slowed down the spread of COVID-19.
Article
Immunology
T. Van Effelterre, N. Hens, L. J. White, S. Gravenstein, A. R. Bastian, N. Buyukkaramikli, C. Y. Cheng, J. Hartnett, G. Krishnarajah, K. Weber, L. Hernandez Pastor
Summary: This study used a transmission model to estimate the burden of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in the United States. The results showed a high burden of RSV in adults aged 18 years and older, with a significant proportion in adults aged 60 years and older. Vaccinating adults aged 60 years and older could greatly reduce the disease burden in this population, as well as have indirect effects on younger adults.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Sara Rodriguez-Martin, Diana Barreira-Hernandez, Ramon Mazzucchelli, Miguel Gil, Alberto Garcia-Lledo, Laura Izquierdo-Esteban, Ana Perez-Gomez, Antonio Rodriguez-Miguel, Francisco J. De Abajo
Summary: In this case-control study, the use of oral bisphosphonates was found to specifically increase the risk of cardioembolic ischemic stroke, but had little effect on non-cardioembolic stroke. The duration of bisphosphonate use and the interaction with calcium supplements and anticoagulants were also observed to play a role. These findings have important implications for clinical practice.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Lien Moreel, Walter Coudyzer, Lennert Boeckxstaens, Albrecht Betrains, Geert Molenberghs, Steven Vanderschueren, Eveline Claus, Koen Van Laere, Daniel Blockmans
Summary: This study aimed to measure the association between vascular FDG uptake at diagnosis and the change in aortic dimensions in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA). The results showed that patients with positive FDG uptake had a greater increase in aortic dimensions and were at a higher risk for thoracic aortic aneurysms. The study suggests that performing PET imaging at diagnosis can help estimate the risk for aortic aneurysm formation.
ANNALS OF INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Lien Moreel, Albrecht Betrains, Michael Doumen, Geert Molenberghs, Steven Vanderschueren, Daniel Blockmans
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of combined cranial and large vessel imaging by PET/CT, ultrasound, and MRI for giant cell arteritis (GCA). The results showed that combined cranial and large vessel ultrasound had a sensitivity of 86% and specificity of 96%. PET/CT of both cranial and large vessels yielded a sensitivity of 82% and specificity of 79%. Depending on the setting, expertise, and clinical presentation, either PET/CT or ultrasound may be preferred as the diagnostic method.
AUTOIMMUNITY REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Diana Barreira-Hernandez, Sara Rodriguez-Martin, Miguel Gil, Ramon Mazzucchelli, Laura Izquierdo-Esteban, Alberto Garcia-Lledo, Ana Perez-Gomez, Antonio Rodriguez-Miguel, Francisco J. de Abajo
Summary: This study investigated the association between calcium supplements and ischemic stroke, distinguishing between calcium alone and calcium with vitamin D, as well as between cardioembolic and non-cardioembolic stroke. The results showed that calcium supplements were associated with an increased risk of cardioembolic stroke, particularly when used in combination with oral bisphosphonates.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Georgios Tsioulos, Dimitris Kounatidis, Natalia G. Vallianou, Nektarios Koufopoulos, Pelagia Katsimbri, Anastasia Antoniadou
Summary: Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a multisystem antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) positive vasculitis, characterized by chronic rhinosinusitis, asthma, and eosinophilia. This article presents the complex case of an 18-year-old male patient with severe and life-threatening EGPA, involving the central nervous system, heart, and gastrointestinal tract, which did not respond to initial glucocorticoid and cyclophosphamide treatment. The addition of rituximab and mepolizumab to the treatment regimen led to a good response and complete remission.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL SCIENCES
(2023)