Search results for "Epidemic spread"
showing 9 items of 9 documents
Rib lesions in skeletons from early neolithic sites in Central Germany: On the trail of tuberculosis at the onset of agriculture
2012
As an infectious disease, tuberculosis (TB) is one of the major causes of death worldwide. Paleopathological and paleomicrobiological studies indicate a long standing association of the causative agent Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its human host. Since the occurrence and the epidemic spread of this pathogen seem to be closely linked to social and biological factors, it is of particular interest to understand better the role of TB during periods of social and nutritional change such as the Neolithic. In this study, 118 individuals from three sites in Saxony-Anhalt (Germany) dating to the Linear Pottery Culture (5400-4800 BC) were examined macroscopically to identify TB related bone lesions…
Reactions and countermeasures of medical oncologists towards the incoming COVID-19 pandemic: A whatsapp messenger-based report from the Italian colle…
2020
Background This descriptive, unplanned investigation has been undertaken to report reactions, attitudes and countermeasures which have been put in place and implemented by medical oncology units facing the COVID-19 outbreak in Southern Italy. Materials and methods Data have been retrospectively obtained from the time-related analysis of conversations via a WhatsApp messenger-based group chat between the medical directors belonging to the Italian College of Medical Oncology Directors. Overall number, intensity and time trend of conversations related to reactions during the 4 weeks of observation related to the crucial events which occurred between 24 February and 28 March, 2020 2020 are incl…
Preface
2019
The Enrico Fermi Schools are a highly prestigious series of summer schools of the Italian Physical Society with a tradition of more than 60 years and with many Nobel laureates as lecturers (https://www.sif.it/attivita/scuola_fermi/). The International Schools devote special care in planning the program and produces proceedings of the school that have become classics. Recently an increasing number of interdisciplinary topics have been selected and our school fits into this trend. Our school will consider complex systems of social and economic origin by teaching and discussing concepts and topics of computational social science and econophysics. These are fields, where physicists, computer sc…
Integrating Environmental Temperature Conditions into the SIR Model for Vector-Borne Diseases
2020
International audience; Nowadays, Complex networks are used to model and analyze various problems of real-life e.g. information diffusion in social networks, epidemic spreading in human population etc. Various epidemic spreading models are proposed for analyzing and understanding the spreading of infectious diseases in human contact networks. In classical epidemiological models, a susceptible person becomes infected after getting in contact with an infected person among the human population only. However, in vector-borne diseases, a human can be infected also by a living organism called a vector. The vector population that also help in spreading diseases is very sensitive to environmental f…
Epidemic spreading and aging in temporal networks with memory
2018
Time-varying network topologies can deeply influence dynamical processes mediated by them. Memory effects in the pattern of interactions among individuals are also known to affect how diffusive and spreading phenomena take place. In this paper we analyze the combined effect of these two ingredients on epidemic dynamics on networks. We study the susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) and the susceptible-infected-removed (SIR) models on the recently introduced activity-driven networks with memory. By means of an activity-based mean-field approach we derive, in the long time limit, analytical predictions for the epidemic threshold as a function of the parameters describing the distribution of …
MRSA ST22-IVa (EMRSA-15 clone) in Palermo, Italy
2010
Summary: Epidemic spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains carrying the Staphylococcal Chromosomal Cassettes (SCC) mec type IV is being increasingly reported in many geographical areas. A survey to determine the prevalence and characteristics of MRSA SCCmec IV isolates identified in four general hospitals in Palermo, Italy, was carried out. During the period February–June 2009, SCCmec type IVa has been found in 12 out of 94 isolates. Nine isolates from all hospitals and all strains from a NICU outbreak occurring in the same period were attributed with the ST22-IVa (EMRSA-15) clone. In our setting, due to the changing MRSA epidemiology, detection of SCCmec IV coul…
Orosensory Perception of Dietary Lipids in Mammals
2008
Obesity constitutes a major public health problem for the twenty-first century, with its epidemic spread worldwide, particularly in children. The overconsumption of fatty foods greatly contributes to this phenomenon. Rodents and humans display a spontaneous preference for lipid-rich foods. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this pattern of eating behaviour in mammals remain unclear. The orosensory perception of dietary lipids was long thought to involve only textural and olfactory cues. Recent findings challenge this limited viewpoint, strongly suggesting that the sense of taste also plays a significant role in dietary lipid perception and might therefore be involved in the prefer…
Rôle des lipides dans la régulation du comportement alimentaire
2008
Obesity constitutes a major public health problem for the 21 st Century, with its epidemic spread worldwide, particularly in children. The overconsumption of fatty foods greatly contributes to this phenomenon. Rodents and humans display a spontaneous preference for lipid-rich foods. But why are lipids so attractive? What are the molecular mechanisms involved? The purpose of this mini review is to explore few basic questions raised by recent data providing evidences on the relationships between dietary lipids and feeding behavior.
Increase in viral gastroenteritis outbreaks in Europe and epidemic spread of new norovirus variant.
2004
Background Highly publicised outbreaks of norovirus gastroenteritis in hospitals in the UK and Ireland and cruise ships in the USA sparked speculation about whether this reported activity was unusual. Methods We analysed data collected through a collaborative research and surveillance network of viral gastroenteritis in ten European countries (England and Wales were analysed as one region). We compiled data on total number of outbreaks by month, and compared genetic sequences from the isolated viruses. Data were compared with historic data from a systematic retrospective review of surveillance systems and with a central database of viral sequences. Findings Three regions (England and Wales,…