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- Tratamento de doenças lisossomais de sobrecarga: relatório 2022Publication . Oliveira, Anabela; Ribeiro, Cristina; Teles, Elisa Leão; Martins, Esmeralda; Cardoso, Sónia; Costa, Inês; Azevedo, Olga; Alves, Sandra; Ferreira, Ana Cristina; Maia, Tabita; Macário, Maria do Carmo; Comissão Coordenadora do Tratamento das Doenças Lisossomais de SobrecargaRelatório anual sobre o Tratamento de Doenças Lisossomais de Sobrecarga, referente às atividades realizadas pela respetiva Comissão Coordenadora em 2022. As Doenças Lisossomais de Sobrecarga (DLS) são um grupo de patologias raras e progressivas, caracterizadas por alta morbilidade e que atualmente incluem mais de 60 doenças. A apresentação clínica dessas patologias é extremamente variável, podendo variar de doença neurológica grave a casos menos graves. Em Portugal, a prevalência dessas patologias em recém-nascidos é de 25 por cada 100.000 nados-vivos. Nos últimos anos, várias terapias de substituição enzimática, redução do substrato e um chaperone farmacológico foram desenvolvidas, possibilitando o tratamento de doentes com algumas dessas doenças, incluindo a Doença de Gaucher, Doença de Fabry, Doença de Pompe, Mucopolissacaridoses tipos I, II, IVA, VI e VII, Deficiência de lipase ácida lisossomal, a Alfa-manosidose e Doença de Niemann-Pick tipo C. Pelo Despacho n.º 2545/2013, foi criada a Comissão Coordenadora do Tratamento das Doenças Lisossomais de Sobrecarga (CCTDLS), que opera junto ao INSA. Atualmente, esta comissão é composta por profissionais designados pelo INSA, pelos Centros de Referência nesta área, pela Administração Central do Sistema de Saúde, pela Direção-Geral da Saúde e pela Autoridade Nacional do Medicamento e Produtos de Saúde (Infarmed). Do relatório da CCTDLS, relativo ao ano 2022, destaca-se a realização das seguintes atividades: - Casos clínicos − Discussão e avaliação de 34 casos clínicos com emissão de 28 pareceres positivos relativos a pedidos de início de tratamento (21), ajuste de dose (3), mudança de fármaco (4). Foram emitidos pareceres para a Doença de Gaucher, Doença de Fabry, Mucopolissacaridoses tipo I e VI e Doença de Pompe; - Monitorização − Monitorização da evolução clínica dos doentes com terapias em curso; - Total de doentes − Atualização dos dados referentes ao número total de doentes com DLS em tratamento no território continental, detalhado por centro hospitalar, patologia e terapêutica. No final de 2022, 350 doentes estavam em tratamento, sendo 164 com Doença de Fabry, 98 com Doença de Gaucher, 34 com Doença de Pompe, 14 com Doença de Niemann-Pick tipo C, 10 com Mucopolissacaridose tipo I, 9 com Mucopolissacaridose tipo II, 3 com Mucopolissacaridose tipo IVA, 11 com Mucopolissacaridose tipo VI, 3 com Mucopolissacaridose tipo VII, 2 com Alfa-manosidose e 2 com Deficiência de lipase ácida lisossomal; - Terapêutica domiciliária − Prestação de apoio técnico-científico na elaboração da Norma de Tratamento Domiciliário para Pessoas com Doenças Lisossomais de Sobrecarga. Em 2022, o Secretário de Estado Adjunto e da Saúde solicitou ao Departamento da Qualidade da DGS a continuidade deste processo que contou com o envolvimento da CCTDLS; - Modelo de financiamento − Contribuição para a revisão do modelo de financiamento das DLS. Durante o ano de 2022 o modelo de financiamento dos centros de referência em relação ao tratamento dos doentes com DLS foi revisto passando as fórmulas a incluir a utilização da média ponderada, que considera o número de doentes pediátricos e adultos; - Documentos técnicos − Elaboração de um documento com os critérios de início da terapêutica para todas as Mucopolissacaridoses com terapias atualmente disponíveis; - Registo Nacional/Pataforma − Discussão sobre a criação de um Registo Nacional de Doenças Lisossomais de Sobrecarga e a implementação da Plataforma de Monitorização da Efetividade de Terapias pelo Infarmed.
- Tratamento de doenças lisossomais de sobrecarga: relatório 2021Publication . Oliveira, Anabela; Ribeiro, Cristina; Teles, Elisa Leão; Martins, Esmeralda; Carvalho, Susana; Cardoso, Sónia; Macedo, Beatriz; Costa, Inês; Azevedo, Olga; Alves, Sandra; Ferreira, Ana Cristina; Maia, Tabita; Comissão Coordenadora do Tratamento das Doenças Lisossomais de SobrecargaRelatório anual sobre o Tratamento de doenças lisossomais de sobrecarga, referente às atividades desenvolvidas pela respetiva Comissão Coordenadora em 2021. As Doenças Lisossomais de Sobrecarga (DLS) constituem um grupo de patologias raras, progressivas, com elevada morbilidade, que engloba, atualmente, mais de 60 patologias, cuja apresentação clínica é extremamente variável, podendo ir desde doença neurológica grave até a casos menos graves. Em Portugal, a prevalência deste tipo de patologias em recém-nascidos é de 25 por cada 100.000 nados-vivos. Nos últimos anos, várias terapêuticas de substituição enzimática e de redução do substrato e também um chaperone farmacológico têm sido desenvolvidas possibilitando o tratamento dos doentes com algumas destas patologias, nomeadamente, a Doença de Gaucher, a Doença de Fabry, a Doença de Pompe, as Mucopolissacaridoses tipo I, II, IVA, VI e VII, a Deficiência de lipase ácida lisossomal, a Alfa-manosidosee a Doença de Niemann-Pick tipo C. Pelo Despacho n.º 2545/2013, foi criada a Comissão Coordenadora do Tratamento das Doenças Lisossomais de Sobrecarga (CCTDLS), que funciona junto do INSA, sendo atualmente constituída por profissionais designados pelo INSA, pelos Centros de Referência nesta área, pela Administração Central do Sistema de Saúde, pela Direção-Geral da Saúde e pela Autoridade Nacional do Medicamento e Produtos de Saúde (Infarmed). Do relatório da CCTDLS relativo ao ano 2021, destaca-se a realização das seguintes atividades: - Casos clínicos − Discussão e avaliação de 97 casos clínicos, resultando na emissão de 62 pareceres positivos para pedidos de início de tratamento (33), ajuste de dose (19) ou mudança de fármaco (10). Foram emitidos pareceres para Doença de Gaucher, Doença de Fabry, Mucopolissacaridoses tipos I, II e VI, Doença de Pompe e Doença de Niemann-Pick tipo C; - Monitorização − Análise de 21 processos de monitorização da evolução clínica dos doentes com terapias em curso; - Total de doentes − Atualização dos dados referentes ao número total de doentes com DLS em tratamento no território continental, detalhado por centro hospitalar, patologia e terapêutica. No final de 2021, 331 doentes estavam em tratamento, sendo 154 com Doença de Fabry, 95 com Doença de Gaucher, 31 com Doença de Pompe, 14 com Doença de Niemann-Pick tipo C, 9 com Mucopolissacaridose tipo I, 9 com Mucopolissacaridose tipo II, 3 com Mucopolissacaridose tipo IVA, 11 com Mucopolissacaridose tipo VI, 3 com Mucopolissacaridose tipo VII e 2 com Deficiência de lipase ácida lisossomal; - Terapêutica domiciliária − Elaboração de um documento base para a criação de uma Norma no âmbito do Departamento da Qualidade da DGS, estabelecendo um modelo de Terapêutica Domiciliária a ser aplicado de forma equitativa a todos os doentes com DLS tratados em território nacional. Este documento foi enviado ao diretor do Departamento da Qualidade da DGS e ao Presidente do Conselho Diretivo do INSA, que posteriormente o encaminhou ao Gabinete do Secretário de Estado Adjunto da Saúde; - Documentos técnicos − Disponibilização de dois novos documentos de referência técnica na página da CCTDLS no website do INSA: um com os critérios de início da terapêutica com sebelipase alfa nos doentes com Deficiência de lipase ácida lisossomal (LAL) e outro com os critérios de início da terapêutica com alglucosidase alfa nos doentes com Doença de Pompe.
- Regional variation in the role of humidity on city-level heat-related mortalityPublication . Guo, Qiang; Mistry, Malcolm N.; Zhou, Xudong; Zhao, Gang; Kino, Kanon; Wen, Bo; Yoshimura, Kei; Satoh, Yusuke; Cvijanovic, Ivana; Kim, Yoonhee; Ng, Chris Fook Sheng; Vicedo-Cabrera, Ana M.; Armstrong, Ben; Urban, Aleš; Katsouyanni, Klea; Masselot, Pierre; Tong, Shilu; Sera, Francesco; Huber, Veronika; Bell, Michelle L.; Kyselý, Jan; Gasparrini, Antonio; Hashizume, Masahiro; Oki, Taikan; Abrutzky, Rosana; Guo, Yuming; de Sousa Zanotti Stagliorio Coelho, Micheline; Nascimento Saldiva, Paulo Hilario; Lavigne, Eric; Ortega, Nicolás Valdés; Correa, Patricia Matus; Kan, Haidong; Osorio, Samuel; Roye, Dominic; Indermitte, Ene; Orru, Hans; Jaakkola, Jouni J K.; Ryti, Niilo; Pascal, Mathilde; Schneider, Alexandra; Analitis, Antonis; Entezari, Alireza; Mayvaneh, Fatemeh; Zeka, Ariana; Goodman, Patrick; de'Donato, Francesca; Michelozzi, Paola; Alahmad, Barrak; De la Cruz Valencia, César; Hurtado Diaz, Magali; Overcenco, Ala; Ameling, Caroline; Houthuijs, Danny; Rao, Shilpa; Carrasco, Gabriel; Seposo, Xerxes; Madureira, Joana; Silva, Susana; Holobaca, Iulian-Horia; Acquaotta, Fiorella; Scovronick, Noah; Kim, Ho; Lee, Whanhee; Tobias, Aurelio; Íñiguez, Carmen; Forsberg, Bertil; Ragettli, Martina S.; Pan, Shih-Chun; Guo, Yue Leon; Li, Shanshan; Schneider, Rochelle; Colistro, Valentina; Zanobetti, Antonella; Schwartz, Joel; Van Dung, Do; Ngoc Dang, Tran; Honda, YasushiThe rising humid heat is regarded as a severe threat to human survivability, but the proper integration of humid heat into heat-health alerts is still being explored. Using state-of-the-art epidemiological and climatological datasets, we examined the association between multiple heat stress indicators (HSIs) and daily human mortality in 739 cities worldwide. Notable differences were observed in the long-term trends and timing of heat events detected by HSIs. Air temperature (Tair) predicts heat-related mortality well in cities with a robust negative Tair-relative humidity correlation (CT-RH). However, in cities with near-zero or weak positive CT-RH, HSIs considering humidity provide enhanced predictive power compared to Tair. Furthermore, the magnitude and timing of heat-related mortality measured by HSIs could differ largely from those associated with Tair in many cities. Our findings provide important insights into specific regions where humans are vulnerable to humid heat and can facilitate the further enhancement of heat-health alert systems.
- COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness in Autumn and Winter 2022 to 2023 Among Older EuropeansPublication . Laniece Delaunay, Charlotte; Mazagatos, Clara; Martínez-Baz, Iván; Túri, Gergő; Goerlitz, Luise; Domegan, Lisa; Meijer, Adam; Rodrigues, Ana Paula; Sève, Noémie; Ilić, Maja; Latorre-Margalef, Neus; Lazar, Mihaela; Maurel, Marine; Melo, Aryse; Andreu Ivorra, Blanca; Casado, Itziar; Horváth, Judit Krisztina; Buda, Silke; Bennett, Charlene; de Lange, Marit; Guiomar, Raquel; Enouf, Vincent; Mlinarić, Ivan; Samuelsson Hagey, Tove; Dinu, Sorin; Rumayor, Mercedes; Castilla, Jesús; Oroszi, Beatrix; Dürrwald, Ralf; O’Donnell, Joan; Hooiveld, Mariëtte; Gómez, Verónica; Falchi, Alessandra; Kurečić Filipović, Sanja; Dillner, Lena; Popescu, Rodica; Bacci, Sabrina; Kaczmarek, Marlena; Kissling, Esther; Gallardo García, Virtudes; Perez Morilla, Esteban; Pedrosa Corral, Irene; García Vázquez, Miriam; Milagro-Beamonte, Ana; Fernandez Ibañez, Ana; Margolles Martins, Mario; Giménez Duran, Jaume; Sastre Palou, Bartolomé; López Causapé, Carla; Viloria Raymundo, Luis Javier; Vega Alonso, Tomás; Ordax Díez, Ana; Lozano Alonso, Jose Eugenio; Rojo Bello, Silvia; Mendioroz, Jacobo; Basile, Luca; Martínez Mateo, Ana Isabel; Ruiz de Porras, Carlota; Moya Garcés, Alba; Marcos, Mª Ángeles; López Maside, Aurora; Botella Quijal, Francesc; Miralles Espi, Maite; Andreu Salete, Cristina; García Rodríguez, María del Carmen; Linares, Juan Antonio; García Comas, Luis; Barranco, Mª Isabel; Chirlaque, María-Dolores; Moreno Docón, Antonio; Ramos Marín, Violeta; Castrillejo, Daniel; Gómez Anés, Atanasio; Larrauro, Amparo; Pérez-Gimeno, Gloria; Lozano Álvarez, Marcos; Vega, Lorena; Galindo, Silvia; Puma, Tania; Monge, Susana; Pozo, Francisco; Casas, Inmaculada; Sandonis, Virginia; Vázquez-Morón, Sonia; Echeverría, Aitziber; Trobajo-Sanmartín, Camino; García Cenoz, Manuel; Ezpeleta, Guillermo; Ezpeleta, Carmen; Navascués, Ana; Krisztalovics, Katalin; Mucsányiné Juhász, Krisztina; Kristóf, Katalin; Preuss, Ute; Wedde, Marianne; Biere, Barbara; Reiche, Janine; Oh, Djin-Ye; McKenna, Adele; Connell, Jeff; Joyce, Michael; Bagheri, Mariam; Bos, Sanne; van den Brink, Sharon; Dijkstra, Frederika; Eggink, Dirk; van Gageldonk-Lafeber, Rianne; Goderski, Gabriel; Herrebrugh, Chantal; Jenniskens, Liz; Reukers, Daphne; Sluimer, John; Sprong, Tara; Teirlinck, Anne; Veldhijzen, Nienke; van der Burgh, Ruben; Kager, Cathrien; Klinkhamer, Mayra; Knottnerus, Bart; Riethof, Marloes; van den Broek, Ruud; Wortel, Safira; Machado, Ausenda; Kislaya, Irina; Aniceto, Carlos; Gomes, Licínia; Verdasca, Nuno; Henriques, Camila; Dias, Daniela; Lança, Miguel; Blanchon, Thierry; Guerrisi, Caroline; Renard, Aubane; Launay, Titouan; Masse, Shirley; Chazelle, Marie; Ferenčak, Ivana; Kaić, Bernard; Višekruna Vučina, Vesna; Čusek Adamić, Katica; Kosanović Ličina, Mirjana Lana; Lakošeljac, Danijela; Mihin Huskić, Ivana; Nonković, Diana; Carnahan, Annasara; Hansson-Pihlainen, Eva; Arvesen, Elin; Nid, Nora; Hansen, Anna-Lena; Andersson, Emmi; Dillner, Lena; Jidovu, Adrian; Timnea, Olivia Carmen; Pascu, Cătălina; Oprea, Mihaela; Bistriceanu, Iulia; Ivanciuc, Alina; Mihai, Maria Elena; VEBIS Primary Care Vaccine Effectiveness GroupKey Points: - Question: What was the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines administered in autumn and winter 2022 to 2023 against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection among people aged 60 years or older in Europe, and how did different exposed or reference groups affect effectiveness? - Findings: In this case-control study of 9308 primary care patients at 11 European sites, within 3 months of vaccination, all COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (CVE) estimates were 29% to 39% against SARS-CoV-2 viruses and 44% to 52% against the XBB variants. All point estimates decreased by time after vaccination, with no vaccine protection after 6 months. - Meaning: Findings of this study suggest that COVID-19 vaccination campaigns should precede peaks in SARS-CoV-2 incidence and that effectiveness of new vaccines against emerging variants should be continually monitored using seasonal CVE approaches.
- All-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality and wildfire-related ozone: a multicountry two-stage time series analysisPublication . Chen, Gongbo; Guo, Yuming; Yue, Xu; Xu, Rongbin; Yu,Wenhua; Ye, Tingting; Tong, Shilu; Gasparrini, Antonio; Bell,Michelle L.; Armstrong, Ben; Schwartz, Joel; Jaakkola, Jouni J.K.; Lavigne, Eric; Saldiva, Paulo Hilario Nascimento; Kan, Haidong; Royé, Dominic; Urban, Aleš; Vicedo-Cabrera, Ana Maria; Tobias, Aurelio; Forsberg, Bertil; Sera, Francesco; Lei, Yadong; Abramson, Michael J.; Li, Shanshan; Abrutzky, Rosana; Alahmad, Barrak; Ameling, Caroline; Åström, Christofer; Breitner, Susanne; Carrasco-Escobar, Gabriel; Coêlho, Micheline de Sousa Zanotti Stagliorio; Colistro, Valentina; Correa, Patricia Matus; Dang, Tran Ngoc; de'Donato, Francesca; Dung, Do Van; Entezari, Alireza; Garcia, Samuel David Osorio; Garland, Rebecca M.; Goodman, Patrick; Guo, Yue Leon; Hashizume, Masahiro; Holobaca, Iulian-Horia; Honda, Yasushi; Houthuijs, Danny; Hurtado-Díaz, Magali; Íñiguez, Carmen; Katsouyanni, Klea; Kim, Ho; Kyselý, Jan; Lee, Whanhee; Maasikmets, Marek; Madureira, Joana; Mayvaneh, Fatemeh; Nunes, Baltazar; Orru, Hans; Ortega, Nicol´s Valdés; Overcenco, Ala; Pan, Shih-Chun; Pascal, Mathilde; Ragettli, Martina S.; Rao, Shilpa; Ryti, Niilo R.I.; Samoli, Evangelia; Schneider, Alexandra; Scovronick, Noah; Seposo, Xerxes; Stafoggia, Massimo; Valencia, César De la Cruz; Zanobetti, Antonella; Zeka, Ariana; behalf of the Multi-Country Multi-City Collaborative Research NetworkBackground: Wildfire activity is an important source of tropospheric ozone (O3) pollution. However, no study to date has systematically examined the associations of wildfire-related O3 exposure with mortality globally. Methods: We did a multicountry two-stage time series analysis. From the Multi-City Multi-Country (MCC) Collaborative Research Network, data on daily all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory deaths were obtained from 749 locations in 43 countries or areas, representing overlapping periods from Jan 1, 2000, to Dec 31, 2016. We estimated the daily concentration of wildfire-related O3 in study locations using a chemical transport model, and then calibrated and downscaled O3 estimates to a resolution of 0·25° × 0·25° (approximately 28 km2 at the equator). Using a random-effects meta-analysis, we examined the associations of short-term wildfire-related O3 exposure (lag period of 0-2 days) with daily mortality, first at the location level and then pooled at the country, regional, and global levels. Annual excess mortality fraction in each location attributable to wildfire-related O3 was calculated with pooled effect estimates and used to obtain excess mortality fractions at country, regional, and global levels. Findings: Between 2000 and 2016, the highest maximum daily wildfire-related O3 concentrations (≥30 μg/m3) were observed in locations in South America, central America, and southeastern Asia, and the country of South Africa. Across all locations, an increase of 1 μg/m3 in the mean daily concentration of wildfire-related O3 during lag 0-2 days was associated with increases of 0·55% (95% CI 0·29 to 0·80) in daily all-cause mortality, 0·44% (-0·10 to 0·99) in daily cardiovascular mortality, and 0·82% (0·18 to 1·47) in daily respiratory mortality. The associations of daily mortality rates with wildfire-related O3 exposure showed substantial geographical heterogeneity at the country and regional levels. Across all locations, estimated annual excess mortality fractions of 0·58% (95% CI 0·31 to 0·85; 31 606 deaths [95% CI 17 038 to 46 027]) for all-cause mortality, 0·41% (-0·10 to 0·91; 5249 [-1244 to 11 620]) for cardiovascular mortality, and 0·86% (0·18 to 1·51; 4657 [999 to 8206]) for respiratory mortality were attributable to short-term exposure to wildfire-related O3. Interpretation: In this study, we observed an increase in all-cause and respiratory mortality associated with short-term wildfire-related O3 exposure. Effective risk and smoke management strategies should be implemented to protect the public from the impacts of wildfires.
- Flavouring Group Evaluation 80, Revision 2 (FGE.80Rev2): Consideration of alicyclic, alicyclic‐fused and aromatic‐fused ring lactones evaluated by the JECFA (61st and 82nd meetings) structurally related to an aromatic lactone evaluated in FGE.27Publication . Castle, Laurence; Andreassen, Monica; Aquilina, Gabriele; Bastos, Maria; Boon, Polly; Fallico, Biagio; Fitzgerald, Reginald; Frutos Fernandez, Maria Jose; Grasl‐Kraupp, Bettina; Gundert‐Remy, Ursula; Gürtler, Rainer; Houdeau, Eric; Kurek, Marcin; Louro, Henriqueta; Morales, Patricia; Passamonti, Sabina; Benigni, Romualdo; Degen, Gisela; Engel, Karl‐Heinz; Fowler, Paul; Nørby, Karin; Svendsen, Camilla; Carfí, Maria; Dino, Borana; Gagliardi, Gabriele; Martino, Carla; Mennes, Wim; EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF)The EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings was requested to evaluate 14 flavouring substances assigned to the Flavouring Group Evaluation 80 (FGE.80), using the Procedure as outlined in the Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000. Thirteen substances have already been considered in FGE.80 and its revision and in FGE.96 [FL‐no: 10.005, 10.024, 10.025, 10.050, 10.061, 10.069, 10.070, 10.072, 10.169, 13.009, 13.012, 13.161 and 16.055]. The remaining flavouring substance 3a,4,5,7a‐tetrahydro‐3,6‐dimethylbenzofuran‐2(3H)‐one [FL‐no: 10.057] has been cleared with respect to genotoxicity in FGE.217Rev3 and it is considered in this revision 2 of FGE.80. The substance [FL‐no: 10.057] was evaluated through a stepwise approach that integrates information on the structure–activity relationships, intake from current uses, threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) and available data on metabolism and toxicity. The Panel concluded that [FL‐no: 10.057] does not give rise to safety concerns at its levels of dietary intake, when estimated on the basis of the ‘Maximised Survey‐derived Daily Intake’ (MSDI) approach. Besides the safety assessment of the flavouring substance, the specifications for the material of commerce have also been considered and the information provided was complete for [FL‐no: 10.057]. However, for the flavouring substance [FL‐no: 10.057] in the present revision and for eight substances evaluated in previous revisions, the ‘modified Theoretical Added Maximum Daily Intakes’ (mTAMDIs) values are above the TTC for their structural class (III). For four substances previously evaluated in FGE.80Rev1 and in FGE.96, use levels are still needed to calculate the mTAMDI estimates. Therefore, in total for 13 flavouring substances, data on uses and use levels should be provided to finalise their safety evaluations. For [FL‐no: 10.050, 10.069 and 13.161], information on the composition of stereoisomeric mixtures is needed.
- Carcinogenicity of talc and acrylonitrilePublication . Stayner, Leslie T.; Carreón-Valencia, Tania; Demers, Paul A.; Fritz, Jason M.; Sim, Malcolm R.; Stewart, Patricia; Tsuda, Hiroyuki; Cardenas, Andres; Consonni, Dario; Davies, Laurie; De Matteis, Sara; Felley-Bosco, Emanuela; Ghio, Andrew J.; Göen, Thomas; Grosse, Yann; Gualtieri, Alessandro F.; Josephy, P. David; Koutros, Stella; Linhart, Igor; Louro, Henriqueta; O'Brien, Katie M.; Panzacchi, Simona; Peña, Laura; Rössner, Pavel; Schildkraut, Joellen M.; Stefaniak, Aleksandr B.; Wentzensen, Nicolas; Wild, Pascal; Xu, Yuanyuan; de Conti, Aline; Facchin, Caterina; Wedekind, Roland; Ahmadi, Ayat; Blanco, Jessica; Chittiboyina, Shirisha; Kulasingam, Shalini; MacLehose, Richard; Motlhale, Melitah; Shah, Sanam; Suonio, Eero; Mattock, Heidi; Kunzmann, Andrew; Madia, Federica; Pasqual, Elisa; Benbrahim-Tallaa, Lamia; Schubauer-Berigan, Mary K.In June, 2024, a Working Group of 29 scientists from 13 countries met at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France, to finalise their evaluation of the carcinogenicity of talc and acrylonitrile.
- Psychological impact of life events in systemic lupus erythematosus patients - Differences between flares and remission.Publication . Faria, Raquel; Guimarães de Oliveira, Daniel; Alves, Rute; Farinha, Fátima; Pinho Costa, Paulo; Vasconcelos, Carlos; Figueiredo-Braga, MargaridaBackground: Stress has been linked to worsening symptoms and increased disease activity in patients with Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Life-events are individual stress points, and there is conflicting evidence regarding their role in SLE activity and disease perception. Methods: Adult SLE patients were recruited for the study. Clinical and laboratory features of SLE were recorded, and previous diagnosis of anxiety or depression were retrieved from patients' electronic charts. Flares were defined by the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity (SLEDAI) flare Index, and flares during the previous year were documented. During a routine visit, they completed validated Portuguese translations of the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Life Experience Survey (LES) for the previous year. Results: A total of 47 female SLE patients were recruited. Ten patients (21.3%) had experienced recent flares. Patients with recent flares reported fewer life events, with lower positive, negative, and total weightings sums compared to those without recent flares. Although 42.2% of patients perceived pathological levels of stress in the previous month, 48.9% had anxiety symptoms, and 34% were at high risk for an anxiety disorder, these psychometric measures did not differ significantly between the recent flare and no-flare groups. Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of pathological levels of stress among SLE patients. SLE patients with recent flares report less psychological impact from life events, both positive and negative, independent of other psychological or pharmacological factors.
- Genomic study of European Clostridioides difficile ribotype 002/ sequence type 8Publication . Dost, Ines; Abdel-Glil, Mostafa; Persson, Soren; Conza, Karen; Oleastro, Mónica; Alves, Frederico; Maurischat, Sven; Scholtzek, Anissa; Seyboldt, ChristianClostridioides difficile has significant clinical importance as a leading cause of healthcare-associated infections, with symptoms ranging from mild diarrhoea to severe colitis, and possible life-threatening complications. C. difficile ribotype (RT) 002, mainly associated with MLST sequence type (ST) 8, is one of the most common RTs found in humans. This study aimed at investigating the genetic characteristics of 537 C. difficile genomes of ST8/RT002. To this end, we sequenced 298 C. difficile strains representing a new European genome collection, with strains from Germany, Denmark, France and Portugal. These sequences were analysed against a global dataset consisting of 1,437 ST8 genomes available through Enterobase. Our results showed close genetic relatedness among the studied ST8 genomes, a diverse array of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes and the presence of multiple mobile elements. Notably, the pangenome analysis revealed an open genomic structure. ST8 shows relatively low overall variation. Thus, clonal isolates were found across different One Health sectors (humans, animals, environment and food), time periods, and geographical locations, suggesting the lineage's stability and a universal environmental source. Importantly, this stability did not hinder the acquisition of AMR genes, emphasizing the adaptability of this bacterium to different selective pressures. Although only 2.4 % (41/1,735) of the studied genomes originated from non-human sources, such as animals, food, or the environment, we identified 9 cross-sectoral core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) clusters. Our study highlights the importance of ST8 as a prominent lineage of C. difficile with critical implications in the context of One Health. In addition, these findings strongly support the need for continued surveillance and investigation of non-human samples to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the epidemiology of C. difficile.
- Communicating and disseminating One Health: successes of the One Health European Joint ProgrammePublication . Taylor, Emma; Artursson, Karin; Busani, Luca; Callegari, Arnaud; Cantlay, Jennifer; Caniça, Manuela; Campling, Elaine; Gavier-Widén, Dolores; van de Giessen, Arjen; Itier, David; Imberechts, Hein; Roest, Hendrik-Jan; Jestin, André; de Juan, Lucia; Jokelainen, Pikka; Kaesbohrer, Annemarie; Lindberg, Ann; Mantovani, Alberto; Mølbak, Kåre; van der Poel, Wim H.M.; Poirier, Aurore C.; Sepe, Ludovico P.; Morabito, Stefano; Whitehouse, Jack; Horton, Daniel L.; La Ragione, RobertoThe application of a One Health approach recognizes that human health, animal health, plant health and ecosystem health are intrinsically connected. Tackling complex challenges associated with foodborne zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance, and emerging threats is imperative. Therefore, the One Health European Joint Programme was established within the European Union research programme Horizon 2020. The One Health European Joint Programme activities were based on the development and harmonization of a One Health science-based framework in the European Union (EU) and involved public health, animal health and food safety institutes from almost all EU Member States, the UK and Norway, thus strengthening the cooperation between public, medical and veterinary organizations in Europe. Activities including 24 joint research projects, 6 joint integrative projects and 17 PhD projects, and a multicountry simulation exercise facilitated harmonization of laboratory methods and surveillance, and improved tools for risk assessment. The provision of sustainable solutions is integral to a One Health approach. To ensure the legacy of the work of the One Health European Joint Programme, focus was on strategic communication and dissemination of the outputs and engagement of stakeholders at the national, European and international levels.