Treatment with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and incidence of dementia:Data from pooled double-blind randomized controlled trials and nationwide disease and prescription registers

INTRODUCTION: People with type 2 diabetes have increased risk of dementia. Glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1) receptor agonists (RAs) are among the promising therapies for repurposing as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease; a key unanswered question is whether they reduce dementia incidence in people with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: We assessed exposure to GLP‐1 RAs in patients with type 2 diabetes and subsequent diagnosis of dementia in two large data sources with long‐term follow‐up: pooled data from three randomized double‐blind placebo‐controlled cardiovascular outcome trials (15,820 patients) and a nationwide Danish registry‐based cohort (120,054 patients). RESULTS: Dementia rate was lower both in patients randomized to GLP‐1 RAs versus placebo (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.47 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.25–0.86) and in the nationwide cohort (HR: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.86–0.93 with yearly increased exposure to GLP‐1 RAs). DISCUSSION: Treatment with GLP‐1 RAs may provide a new opportunity to reduce the incidence of dementia in patients with type 2 diabetes

Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in Denmark: nationwide, population-based seroepidemiological study.

Seroprevalence studies have proven an important tool to monitor the progression of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We present results of consecutive population-based seroprevalence surveys performed in Denmark in 2020. In spring, late summer and autumn/winter of 2020, invitation letters including a questionnaire covering symptoms were sent to representative samples of the population above 12 years and to parents of children below 18 years in the sample. Blood samples were analysed for total Ig and seroprevalence estimates per population segment were calculated and compared to other surveillance parameters. Based on 34 081 participants (participation rate 33%), seroprevalence estimates increased from 1.2% (95%CI: 0.3-1.9%) in May to 4.1% (95%CI: 3.1-4.9%) in December 2020. Seroprevalence estimates were roughly three times higher in those aged 12-29 years compared to 65 + and higher in metropolitan municipalities. By December 2020, 1.5% of the population had tested positive by RT-PCR. Infected individuals in older age groups were hospitalised several fold more often than in younger. Amongst seropositives, loss of taste/smell were the more specific symptoms, 32-56% did not report any symptoms. In more than half of seroconverted families, we did not see evidence of transmission between generations. Seroprevalence increased during 2020; adolescents were primarily infected in the autumn/winter. Denmark has a high per capita test rate; roughly one undiagnosed infection of SARS-CoV-2 were estimated to occur for each diagnosed case. Approximately half were asymptomatically infected. The epidemic appears to have progressed relatively modestly during 2020 in Denmark

Influenza A virus H10N7 detected in dead harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) at several locations in Denmark 2014.

Influenza A virus (IAV) affects a wide range of species, though waterfowl is regarded the natural host for most IAV subtypes. Avian influenza (AI) viruses replicate in the intestinal tract of birds and are mainly transmitted by the fecal-oral route. Pinnipeds share the same shoreline habitats as many waterfowl species and are therefore potentially exposed to AIV. Outbreaks of AI in seals have been described in North America and Asia but prior to 2014 never in Europe. In 2014 massive deaths of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) were reported in Northern Europe. In Denmark, harbor seals were initially found dead on the Danish island Anholt in Kattegat, which is the sea surrounded by Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Between June and August, 152 harbor seals were found dead. Four seals were submitted to the National Veterinary Institute in Dennmark and diagnosed with severe pneumonia. Influenza A virus of the subtype H10N7 was detected in two out of four seals. Subsequently IAV was detected in dead harbor seals at several locations in Denmark. The IAV outbreak appeared to move with time to the west through the Limfjord to the North Sea and further down south along the west coast of Jutland to the Wadden Sea. Outbreaks were subsequently reported from Germany and The Netherlands. The aim of this study was to characterize the viruses detected at the several locations by molecular and phylogenetic analysis. All viruses were subtyped as H10N7 with genes of avian origin. The HA and NA genes of the viruses were highly similar to H10N7 IAV detected in harbor seals in Sweden in the spring of 2014 and in Germany in the autumn of 2014, suggesting that the same strain of virus had spread from Sweden to Denmark and further on to Germany

Metagenomic analysis of viruses in toilet waste from long distance flights—A new procedure for global infectious disease surveillance

<div><p>Human viral pathogens are a major public health threat. Reliable information that accurately describes and characterizes the global occurrence and transmission of human viruses is essential to support national and global priority setting, public health actions, and treatment decisions. However, large areas of the globe are currently without surveillance due to limited health care infrastructure and lack of international cooperation. We propose a novel surveillance strategy, using metagenomic analysis of toilet material from international air flights as a method for worldwide viral disease surveillance. The aim of this study was to design, implement, and evaluate a method for viral analysis of airplane toilet waste enabling simultaneous detection and quantification of a wide range of human viral pathogens. Toilet waste from 19 international airplanes was analyzed for viral content, using viral capture probes followed by high-throughput sequencing. Numerous human pathogens were detected including enteric and respiratory viruses. Several geographic trends were observed with samples originating from South Asia having significantly higher viral species richness as well as higher abundances of salivirus A, aichivirus A and enterovirus B, compared to samples originating from North Asia and North America. In addition, certain city specific trends were observed, including high numbers of rotaviruses in airplanes departing from Islamabad. Based on this study we believe that central sampling and analysis at international airports could be a useful supplement for global viral surveillance, valuable for outbreak detection and for guiding public health resources.</p></div