Epidemiological data are crucial to monitoring progress towards the 2030 Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) elimination targets. Our aim was to estimate the prevalence of chronic HCV infection (cHCV) in the European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA) countries in 2019. Multi-parameter evidence synthesis (MPES) was used to produce national estimates of cHCV defined as: π = π_recρ_rec + π_exρ_ex + π_nonρ_non; π_rec, π_ex, and π_non represent cHCV prevalence among recent people who inject drugs (PWID), ex-PWID, and non-PWID, respectively, while ρ_rec, ρ_ex, and ρ_non represent the proportions of these groups in the population. Information sources included the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) national operational contact points (NCPs) and prevalence database, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction databases, and the published literature. The cHCV prevalence in 29 of 30 EU/EEA countries in 2019 was 0.50% [95% Credible Interval (CrI): 0.46%, 0.55%]. The highest cHCV prevalence was observed in the eastern EU/EEA (0.88%; 95% CrI: 0.81%, 0.94%). At least 35.76% (95% CrI: 33.07%, 38.60%) of the overall cHCV prevalence in EU/EEA countries was associated with injecting drugs. Using MPES and collaborating with ECDC NCPs, we estimated the prevalence of cHCV in the EU/EEA to be low. Some areas experience higher cHCV prevalence while a third of prevalent cHCV infections was attributed to PWID. Further efforts are needed to scale up prevention measures and the diagnosis and treatment of infected individuals, especially in the east of the EU/EEA and among PWID. 10.13039/501100000805 ECDC .

Background and objective: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 100 million people have already recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the possible outcomes of COVID-19. The aim of our study was to evaluate pulmonary function, exercise capacity, residual radiological changes, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) at follow-up in a cohort of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia survivors. Materials and Methods: Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and radiologically confirmed lung injury, with no chronic lung disease prior to this infection, were included in the study. Patients’ evaluation 2 months after their discharge from hospital included spirometry (FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC), determination of lung volume (TLC, VC, RV) and diffusing capacity of lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO, adjusted for hemoglobin), 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), chest CT scan, and 36-Item Short Form General Health Survey (SF-36). Results: Fifty-one patients (25 men, 26 women) were included. The mean age was 56 years (SD-11,72). Eighteen patients (35.3%) had experienced moderate COVID-19, 21 (41.2%) severe COVID-19, and 12 (23.5%) were critically ill. The mean follow-up visit time after the discharge from hospital was 60 days (SD-17). Pulmonary function at follow-up was impaired in 24 (47.2%) patients. Reduced lung volume was observed in 15 (29.4%) patients, DLCO reduction in 15 (29.4%) patients, and only one patient displayed obstruction. Twelve patients out of 51 (12/51, 27.3%) showed reduced physical capacity in the 6 MWT, and 3/51 (9.1%) showed desaturation, with SO2 < 90%. Different levels of abnormality were found in 49/51 (96,1%) patients on follow-up chest CT; the median radiological score was 10.9 (SD ± 8.87, possible maximal score, 25). Ground-glass opacity was the most common radiological feature, found in 45 (88.2%) patients. The SF-36 scores demonstrated a reduction in health status across all domains, with the lowest scores for limitations in social activities because of physical problems, vitality, and general health. Conclusion: In the group of COVID-19 pneumonia survivors 2 months after hospital discharge, residual changes in the lungs on chest CT and in lung function and reduced physical and HRQoL status were found in a significant number of patients. To evaluate COVID-19 long-term consequences, a longer follow-up period is needed.

The coronavirus (COVID‐19) pandemic is evolving very quickly and has affected healthcare systems worldwide. Many uncertainties remain about transplantation from a SARS‐CoV‐2‐positive donor as only a few cases have been reported. Here, we present the successful transplantation of 2 kidneys from a 52‐year‐old male donor with active (2 weeks of COVID‐19‐like symptoms and positive nasopharyngeal swab SARS‐CoV‐2 polymerase chain reaction on the day of organ recovery) SARS‐CoV‐2 disease. The immediate postoperative course of both recipients was uneventful. This case emphasizes that patients with SARS‐CoV‐2 may be safe organ donors.

Introduction: Estimation of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transfusion risk in blood donors is essential for monitoring the safety of the blood supply and the impact of new screening tests. Due to improvements in donor selection and continuing progress in screening assays, residual risk of virus transmission has significantly decreased over the past years. It is not practical and sometimes even not possible to measure residual risk in blood donors directly and mathematical models are used. The aim of this study was to calculate the prevalence, incidence rates of HBV, HCV and HIV infections and analyse evolution of their transmission residual risk from 2004 to 2018 at the National Blood Center of Lithuania. Materials and methods: Data from the archives of the National Blood Center of Lithuania from 2004 to 2018 was retrospectively analysed. The residual risk was calculated for each virus and year by applying the incidence/window-period model suggested by World Health Organization. For the analysis of the residual risk yearly trends a linear regression was used. Results: A total of 754,755 blood donors and 1,245,568 donations were included in the analysis and represented a 2.06 donations per donor over 15 years. Average residual risk for HBV, HCV and HIV respectively was 570.04, 807.14 and 35.72 per 1,00,000 donations. During the study period, there was statistically significant downward trend in the residual risk for every analysed virus. Discussion: Residual risk of virus transmission has been steadily decreasing over past 15 years in Lithuanian donors, but the current risk remains quite high. It is difficult to establish how much the risk is affected by statistical assumptions or virus prevalence in general population. However, results of this study indicate the need of the population screening program of transfusion transmitted viruses.

We conducted a multicentre hospital-based test-negative case–control study to measure the effectiveness of adapted bivalent COVID-19 mRNA vaccines against PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection during the Omicron XBB lineage-predominant period in patients aged ≥ 60 years with severe acute respiratory infection from five countries in Europe. Bivalent vaccines provided short-term additional protection compared with those vaccinated > 6 months before the campaign: from 80% (95% CI: 50 to 94) for 14–89 days post-vaccination, 15% (95% CI: −12 to 35) at 90–179 days, and lower to no effect thereafter.

In this review, we examine current literature analyzing the impact of surgical treatment on the QoL in patients with head and neck BCC. A comprehensive literature review was performed using the main databases. As many as six out of 322 articles were selected for the final analysis. The selected articles were published in the period between 2004 and 2021, most published within the last two years. All analyzed studies were prospective. Five out of six studies evaluated NMSC consisting of both BCC and SCC, and only one study selectively evaluated the impact of surgical treatment on QoL in patients with craniofacial BCC. Authors of the selected studies reported that QoL improves following the surgery; however, the effect on QoL varies. Patients’ age, gender, marital status, education level, and employment status had a stronger correlation with QoL postoperatively, especially during the late follow-up period. Younger patients were more bothered by appearance-related issues. One study concluded that elderly patients did not experience a statistically significant improvement in QoL. This literature review demonstrated that there is no clear consensus on the use of a single disease-specific QoL measurement tool. Furthermore, there is a lack of studies assessing the impact of surgical treatment on QoL exclusively in patients with head and neck BCC and studies analyzing the multivariate correlation between QoL and tumor type, size, anatomic site, and treatment outcomes.