A large multi-country outbreak of monkeypox across 41 countries in the WHO European Region, 7 March to 23 August 2022

Following the report of a non-travel-associated cluster of monkeypox cases by the United Kingdom in May 2022, 41 countries across the WHO European Region have reported 21,098 cases and two deaths by 23 August 2022. Nowcasting suggests a plateauing in case notifications. Most cases (97%) are MSM, with atypical rash-illness presentation. Spread is mainly through close contact during sexual activities. Few cases are reported among women and children. Targeted interventions of at-risk groups are needed to stop further transmission. © 2022 European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). All rights reserved.The authors affiliated with the World Health Organization (WHO) are alone responsible for the views expressed in this publication and they do not necessarily represent the decisions or policies of the WHO. The co-author is a fellow of the ECDC Fellowship Programme, supported financially by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The views and opinions expressed herein do not state or reflect those of ECDC. ECDC is not responsible for the data and information collation and analysis and cannot be held liable for conclusions or opinions drawn

Validation of the Georgian version of a Stigma Scale of Epilepsy

Introduction: Stigma Scale of Epilepsy (SSE), initially developed in Brazil, is accepted worldwide as a sensitive tool for assessing epilepsy-related stigma. We adapted and validated a Georgian version of SSE. Materials and methods: The SSE originated in Brazil and was translated into Georgian by three independent experts through forward and backward translation. The final version was generated for validation after handling gross or conceptual inconsistencies between the source and the new format. We used Cronbach's alpha to assess the internal consistency of the Georgian version of SSE. To explore the construct of SSE subscales in the Georgian version, we used principal components and factor analysis. Varimax rotation was applied. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure and Bartlett's test of sphericity were employed to assess the sampling adequacy. A probability <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 87 adults, 32 (37 %) with epilepsy and 55 (63 %) without epilepsy were enrolled. The overall mean score of SSE was 19.5 (SD 10.1; min. 2, max. 53), and the differences between people with [20.7 (SD 8.9; min. 2, max. 53)] and without epilepsy [17.5 (SD 10.4; min. 3, max. 42)] were not statistically significant. Cronbach's alpha for the overall sample was 0.854; for the epilepsy cohort it was 0.876, and for individuals without epilepsy 0.823, indicating good SSE internal consistency. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure was 0.705 and Bartlett's test of sphericity was 926.2 (df 276; p < 0.001), suggesting acceptable sample adequacy. Discussion: The Georgian version of the SSE is a valid and reliable measurement tool for assessing epilepsy-related stigma determinants among the country's population

Scaling GDL for Multi-cores to Process Planck HFI Beams Monte Carlo on HPC

International audienceAfter reviewing the majors progress done in GDL -now in 0.9.4- on performance and plotting capabilities since ADASS XXI paper (Coulais et al. 2012), we detail how a large code for Planck HFI beams Monte Carlo was successfully transposed from IDL to GDL on HPC

Scaling GDL for Multi-cores to Process Planck HFI Beams Monte Carlo on HPC

International audienceAfter reviewing the majors progress done in GDL -now in 0.9.4- on performance and plotting capabilities since ADASS XXI paper (Coulais et al. 2012), we detail how a large code for Planck HFI beams Monte Carlo was successfully transposed from IDL to GDL on HPC

Scaling GDL for Multi-cores to Process Planck HFI Beams Monte Carlo on HPC

International audienceAfter reviewing the majors progress done in GDL -now in 0.9.4- on performance and plotting capabilities since ADASS XXI paper (Coulais et al. 2012), we detail how a large code for Planck HFI beams Monte Carlo was successfully transposed from IDL to GDL on HPC

Initiating a new national epilepsy surgery program: experiences gathered in Georgia

Surgery is the most effective therapeutic approach for medically refractory epilepsies and a safe and cost-efficient treatment in terms of long-term expenses of direct, indirect, and intangible costs. Georgia is a Caucasian low- to middle-income country with a remarkable effort to deal with epileptic diseases, but without an appropriate epilepsy surgery program. To address the needs for such a service in this country, two joint German-Georgian projects were initiated in 2017 and 2019. In the framework of these projects, a productive exchange program involving German and Georgian experts was undertaken in the past two years. This program included training and mentoring for Georgian clinical colleagues, as well as joint case conferences and workshops with the aim of optimizing presurgical diagnostics and preparing for an epilepsy surgery program in Georgia. Finally, a postsurgical medium- and long-term follow-up scheme was organized as the third component of this comprehensive approach. As a result of our efforts, the first patients underwent anterior temporal lobectomy and all of them remain seizure-free up to the present day. Hence, epilepsy surgery is not only feasible, but also already available in Georgia. In this report, we aim to share our experiences in the initiation and implementation of surgical epilepsy intervention in Georgia and illustrate our recent endeavor and achievements