Does smallpox vaccination modify HIV disease progression among ART-naive people living with HIV in Africa?

We examined the association between a history of smallpox vaccination and immune activation (IA) in a population of antiretroviral therapy-naïve people living with HIV (PLHIV). A cross-sectional study was conducted in Senegal from July 2015 to March 2017. Smallpox vaccination was ascertained by the presence of smallpox vaccine scar and IA by the plasma level of ß-2-microglobulin (ß2m). The association was analysed using logistic regression and linear regression models. The study population comprised 101 PLHIV born before 1980 with a median age of 47 years (interquartile range (IQR) = 42-55); 57·4% were women. Smallpox vaccine scar was present in 65·3% and the median ß2m level was 2·59 mg/l (IQR = 2·06-3·86). After adjustment, the presence of smallpox vaccine scar was not associated with a ß2m level ⩾2·59 mg/l (adjusted odds ratio 0·94; 95% confidence interval 0·32-2·77). This result was confirmed by the linear regression model. Our study does not find any association between the presence of smallpox vaccine scar and the ß2m level and does not support any association between a previous smallpox vaccination and HIV disease progression. In this study, IA is not a significant determinant of the reported non-targeted effect of smallpox vaccination in PLHIV.

Detection of Epstein-Barr virus in leucoreduced blood products.

This study examined the prevalence of three human herpesviruses (HHV), namely HHV-4 (Epstein-Barr virus/EBV), HHV-6b and HHV-7 in leucoreduced blood products obtained from the Sainte-Justine Hospital blood bank. A total of 100 specimens, including 34 red blood cell concentrates, 33 platelet bags and 33 plasma units, were collected and screened by a sensitive PCR assay using virus-specific primers. Positive units were then retested by quantitative PCR. Of the 100 specimens, one platelet unit tested positive for EBV.

Precise charm to strange mass ratio and light quark masses from full lattice QCD.

By using a single formalism to handle charm, strange, and light valence quarks in full lattice QCD for the first time, we are able to determine ratios of quark masses to 1%. For m(c)/m(s) we obtain 11.85(16), an order of magnitude more precise than the current PDG average. Combined with 1% determinations of the charm quark mass now possible this gives m(s)(2 GeV)=92.4(1.5) MeV. The MILC result for m(s)/m(l)=27.2(3) yields m(l)(2 GeV)=3.40(7) MeV for the average of u and d quark masses.

[Measles, pertussis, rubella and mumps completeness of reporting. Literature review of estimates for industrialized countries]. / Proportion des déclarations de cas de rougeole, de coqueluche, de rubéole et d'oreillons aux systèmes de surveillance. Evaluation des études pour les pays industrialisés.

BACKGROUND: Surveillance data for infectious diseases in industrialized countries have been providing useful epidemiological information for several years. However, surveillance is complex and notifications underestimate the true disease incidence. The goal of this paper is to determine the completeness of reporting of measles, pertussis, rubella and mumps through notification in industrialized countries. METHODS: A thorough literature review of papers published (in French or English) on surveillance data of measles, pertussis, rubella and mumps was undertaken with PUBMED. The review was limited to studies conducted in industrialized countries that quantitatively assessed the completeness of the reporting of these diseases. RESULTS: Fourteen studies published from the 1920s met the inclusion criteria. For measles, the studies suggest that 64-85% of symptomatic patients sought medical care, 13-57% of those were diagnosed with measles and 22-81% of the diagnosed cases were reported for a completeness of reporting ranging from 7% to 63% between 1920 and 1980 and 3% to 41% in recent years. For pertussis, it was estimated that 49-59% of symptomatic patients sought medical care, 12% of those were diagnosed and 19-47% of the diagnosed cases were reported for a completeness of reporting ranging from 5% to 25% between 1920 and 1980 and from 3% to 12% in recent years. Very few studies on rubella and mumps were found and none allowed the determination of the global completeness of reporting. CONCLUSION: Reporting has been found to be considerably incomplete. Continued efforts to improve the recognition and reporting of these diseases are needed.

Accurate determinations of alpha(s) from realistic lattice QCD.

We obtain a new value for the QCD coupling constant by combining lattice QCD simulations with experimental data for hadron masses. Our lattice analysis is the first to (1) include vacuum polarization effects from all three light-quark flavors (using MILC configurations), (2) include third-order terms in perturbation theory, (3) systematically estimate fourth and higher-order terms, (4) use an unambiguous lattice spacing, and (5) use an [symbol: see text](a2)-accurate QCD action. We use 28 different (but related) short-distance quantities to obtain alpha((5)/(MS))(M(Z)) = 0.1170(12).

Semileptonic decays of d mesons in three-flavor lattice QCD.

We present the first three-flavor lattice QCD calculations for D-->pilnu and D-->Klnu semileptonic decays. Simulations are carried out using ensembles of unquenched gauge fields generated by the MILC Collaboration. With an improved staggered action for light quarks, we are able to simulate at light quark masses down to 1/8 of the strange mass. Consequently, the systematic error from the chiral extrapolation is much smaller than in previous calculations with Wilson-type light quarks. Our results for the form factors at q(2)=0 are f(D-->pi)(+)(0)=0.64(3)(6) and f(D-->K)(+)(0)=0.73(3)(7), where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic, added in quadrature. Combining our results with experimental branching ratios, we obtain the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix elements |V(cd)|=0.239(10)(24)(20) and |V(cs)|=0.969(39)(94)(24), where the last errors are from experimental uncertainties.

Charmed-meson decay constants in three-flavor lattice QCD.

We present the first lattice QCD calculation with realistic sea quark content of the D+-meson decay constant f(D+). We use the MILC Collaboration's publicly available ensembles of lattice gauge fields, which have a quark sea with two flavors (up and down) much lighter than a third (strange). We obtain f(D+)=201+/-3+/-17 MeV, where the errors are statistical and a combination of systematic errors. We also obtain f(Ds)=249+/-3+/-16 MeV for the Ds meson.

Living at home or in an institution: what makes the difference for seniors?

OBJECTIVES: This article examines some of the health and socio-demographic factors associated with living in long-term health care facilities rather than in private households, for elderly people with various levels of disability. DATA SOURCE: The data are from the 1996/97 National Population Health Survey conducted by Statistics Canada. Data from a sample of 1,711 people aged 65 or older living in long-term health care facilities and 13,363 in private households were weighted to represent about 185,100 and 3.4 million seniors, respectively. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: Descriptive data were produced using bivariate frequencies. Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine associations between living in long-term health care facilities and selected health and socio-demographic characteristics for seniors with self-reported severe, moderate or no disability. MAIN RESULTS: While health status was strongly associated with residence in a long-term health care facility, the absence of a spouse, low income, low education, and advanced age were also significant.

High-precision lattice QCD confronts experiment.

The recently developed Symanzik-improved staggered-quark discretization allows unquenched lattice-QCD simulations with much smaller (and more realistic) quark masses than previously possible. To test this formalism, we compare experiment with a variety of nonperturbative calculations in QCD drawn from a restricted set of "gold-plated" quantities. We find agreement to within statistical and systematic errors of 3% or less. We discuss the implications for phenomenology and, in particular, for heavy-quark physics.