Insights in paediatric virology during the COVID-19 era (Review).

The present article provides an overview of the key messages of the topics discussed at the '7th Workshop on Paediatric Virology', which was organised virtually on December 20, 2021 by the Institute of Paediatric Virology, located on the Island of Euboea in Greece. The workshop's plenary lectures were on: i) viral pandemics and epidemics in the ancient Mediterranean; ii) the impact of obesity on the outcome of viral infections in children and adolescents; and iii) COVID-19 and artificial intelligence. Despite the scarcity of evidence from fossils and remnants, viruses have been recognised as significant causes of several epidemics in the ancient Mediterranean. Paediatric obesity, a modifiable critical health risk factor, has been shown to impact on the development, progression and severity of viral infections. Thus, the prevention of paediatric obesity should be included in formulating public health policies and decision-making strategies against emerging global viral threats. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, artificial intelligence has been used to facilitate the identification, monitoring and prevention of SARS-CoV-2. In the future, it will play a fundamental role in the surveillance of epidemic-prone infectious diseases, in the repurposing of older therapies and in the design of novel therapeutic agents against viral infections. The collaboration between different medical specialties and other diverse scientific fields, including archaeology, history, epidemiology, nutritional technologies, mathematics, computer technology, engineering, medical law and ethics is essential for the successful management of paediatric viral infections. The current COVID-19 pandemic has underscored this need, which should be further encouraged in modern medical education

Navigating paediatric virology through the COVID‑19 era (Review).

The present review article presents the key messages of the 8th Workshop on Paediatric Virology organised virtually by the Institute of Paediatric Virology based on the island of Euboea in Greece. The major topics covered during the workshop were the following: i) New advances in antiviral agents and vaccines against cytomegalovirus; ii) hantavirus nephropathy in children; iii) human rhinovirus infections in children requiring paediatric intensive care; iv) complications and management of human adenovirus infections; v) challenges of post‑coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) syndrome in children and adolescents; and vi) foetal magnetic resonance imaging in viral infections involving the central nervous system. The COVID‑19 era requires a more intensive, strategic, global scientific effort in the clinic and in the laboratory, focusing on the diagnosis, management and prevention of viral infections in neonates and children

Hospital care for persons with AIDS in the European Union

This study estimates the current and future hospital resources for AIDS patients in the European Union (EU)I using multinational scenario analysis (EU Concerted Action BMH1-CT-941723). In collaboration with another EU-project (’Managing the Costs of HIV Infection’), six national European studies on the utilization of hospital care for AIDS have been selected to provide the data for our analysis. The selection criteria involve recentness. quality, comparability, accessibility and representativeness. Baseline hospital resource utilization is estimated for hospital inpatient days and outpatient contacts, using a standardized approach controlling for two severity stages of AIDS (chronic stage and late stage). The epidemiological part of the study is based on standard models for backcalculating HIV incidence and projecting AIDS incidence, prevalence and mortality. In the nest step, baseline resource utilization is linked to epidemiological information in a mixed prevalence and mortality-based approach. Several scenarios render different future epidemiological developments and hospital resource needs. For the year 1999, hospital bed needs of 10 000-12 700 in the EU are indicated. representing an increase of 20-60% compared to the estimated current (1995) level. The projected range for 1999 corresponds to a maximum of 0.65% of all hospital beds available in the EU. The growth in the number of outpatient hospital contacts is projected to possibly exceed that of inpatient days up to 1.82 million in 1999. Our methodology illustrates that estimation of current and future hospital care for AIDS has to be controlled for severity stages, to prevent biases. Further application of the multinational approach is demonstrated through a ‘what-if’ analysis of the potential impact of combination triple therapy for HIV/AIDS. Estimation of the economic impact of other diseases could as well benefit from the severity-stages approach. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V

Hospital care for persons with AIDS in the European Union

This study estimates the current and future hospital resources for AIDS patients in the European Union (EU), using multinational scenario analysis (EU Concerted Action BMHICT-941723). In collaboration with another EU- project ('Managing the Costs of HIV Infection'), six national European studies on the utilization of hospital care for AIDS have been selected to provide the data for our analysis. The selection criteria involve recentness, quality, comparability, accessibility and representativeness. Baseline hospital resource utilization is estimated for hospital inpatient days and outpatient contacts, using a standardized approach controlling for two severity stages of AIDS (chronic stage and late stage). The epidemiological part of the study is based on standard models for backcalculating HIV incidence and projecting AIDS incidence, prevalence and mortality. In the next step, baseline resource utilization is linked to epidemiological information in a mixed prevalence and mortality-based approach. Several scenarios render different future epidemiological developments and hospital resource needs. For the year 1999, hospital bed needs of 10 000-12 700 in the EU are indicated, representing an increase of 20-60% compared to the estimated current (1995) level. The projected range for 1999 corresponds to a maximum of 0.65% of all hospital beds available in the EU. The growth in the number of outpatient hospital contacts is projected to possibly exceed that of inpatient days up to 1.82 million in 1999. Our methodology illustrates that estimation of current and future hospital care for AIDS has to be controlled for severity stages, to prevent biases. Further application of the multinational approach is demonstrated through a 'what-if' analysis of the potential impact of combination triple therapy for HIV/AIDS. Estimation of the economic impact of other diseases could as well benefit from the severity-stages approach