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Background: Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) is often associated with progression, temporary response to therapy and a high relapse rate over time resulting in a poor long-term prognosis. Because MCL is classified as an incurable disease, therapeutic resistance is of great interest. However, knowledge about the biological mechanisms underlying resistance associated with MCL therapies and about associated predictors remains poor. The REFRACT-LYMA Cohort, a multicenter prospective cohort of patients with MCL, is set up to address this limitation. We here describe the study background, design and methods used for this cohort. Methods/Design: The REFRACT-LYMA Cohort Study aims at including all patients (>18 years old) who are diagnosed with MCL in any stage of the disease and treated in specialized oncology centers in three public hospitals in Northwestern France. Any such patient providing a signed informed consent is included. All subjects are followed up indefinitely, until refusal to participate in the study, emigration or death. The REFRACT-LYMA follow-up is continuous and collects data on socio-economic status, medical status, MCL therapies and associated events (resistance, side effects). Participants also complete standardized quality of life (QOL) questionnaires. In addition, participants are asked to donate blood samples that will support ex vivo analysis of expression and functional assays required to uncover predictive biomarkers and companion diagnostics. If diagnostic biopsies are performed during the course of the disease, extracted biological samples are kept in a dedicated biobank. Discussion: To our knowledge, the REFRACT-LYMA Cohort Study is the first prospective cohort of patients with MCL for whom "real-life" medical, epidemiological and QOL data is repeatedly collected together with biological samples during the course of the disease. The integrative cohort at mid-term will be unique at producing a large variety of data that can be used to conceive the most effective personalized therapy for MCL patients. Additionally, the REFRACT-LYMA Cohort puts the medical care of MCL patients in a health and pharmacoeconomic perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Most epidemiologists now acknowledge that infectious diseases have complex dynamics. [•] Multilevel organization of data, non-linear behaviors and interactions/feedbacks/loopings are three major sources of complexity. [•] The epidemiologist first-line statistical toolbox has structural limitations limiting its ability to capture complexity. [•] 3 models more able to deal with these sources of complexity are the GLMM, the GAM and the SEM models. [•] An improved use of this kind of methods has to be performed to elucidate the complexity of infectious diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dengue and malaria are two major public health concerns in tropical settings. Although the pathogeneses of these two arthropod-borne diseases differ, their clinical and biological presentations are unspecific. During dengue epidemics, several hundred patients with fever and diffuse pain are weekly admitted at the emergency room. It is difficult to discriminate them from patients presenting malaria attacks. Furthermore, it may be impossible to provide a parasitological microscopic examination for all patients. This study aimed to establish a diagnostic algorithm for communities where dengue fever and malaria occur at some frequency in adults. Methodology/Principal Findings: A sub-study using the control groups of a case-control study in French Guiana – originally designed to compare dengue and malaria co-infected cases to single infected cases – was performed between 2004 and 2010. In brief, 208 patients with malaria matched to 208 patients with dengue fever were compared in the present study. A predictive score of malaria versus dengue was established using .632 bootstrap procedures. Multivariate analysis showed that male gender, age, tachycardia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, and CRP>5 mg/l were independently associated with malaria. The predictive score using those variables had an AUC of 0.86 (95%CI: 0.82–0.89), and the CRP was the preponderant predictive factor. The sensitivity and specificity of CRP>5 mg/L to discriminate malaria from dengue were of 0.995 (95%CI: 0.991–1) and 0.35 (95%CI 0.32–0.39), respectively. Conclusions/Significance: The clinical and biological score performed relatively well for discriminating cases of dengue versus malaria. Moreover, using only the CRP level turned to be a useful biomarker to discriminate feverish patients at low risk of malaria in an area where both infections exist. It would avoid more than 33% of unnecessary parasitological examinations with a very low risk of missing a malaria attack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

French Guiana is the French territory where the HIV epidemic is most preoccupying. In Cayenne, the mother to child HIV transmission rate was 6% in 2006–2008. Despite free testing and treatment, HIV pregnant women often have delayed or insufficient access to care. The aim of this study was to identify predictive factors of antiretroviral treatment<4 weeks in HIV pregnant women in Cayenne (French Guiana) and then to describe their attitudes, practices, and beliefs regarding HIV/AIDS. A case control study was conducted including all deliveries in Cayenne from 2003 to 2010. For each case, a standardized questionnaire including epidemiological, clinical, and biological data was administered. The analysis first described the summary statistics and then bivariate analysis studied the relation of each variable with the outcome. Multivariate analysis adjusted for the confounding factors. Thirty-three women in the first group and 96 in the control group were included in the study. Women born in French Guiana (OR = 5, IC95% = 1.22–20.86, p=0.027) had a high risk of treatment<4 weeks. The other factors associated with treatment<4 weeks in our study were benefiting from food parcels (OR = 12.72, IC95% = 2.07–78.14, p=0.006), consulting a traditional healer when sick (OR = 9.86, IC95% = 2.57–37.88, p= < 0.001), and drug use (OR = 6.27, IC95% = 1.26–31.13, p=0.025). These predictive factors should be considered in prevention programs against mother to child transmission of HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A retrospective cohort study was conducted to determine the predictive factors and the incidence of anxiety and depression in a cohort of patients followed in French Guiana. A total of 2315 patients were followed for a total of 9116 years of follow-up. The incidence rate of first observed depression was 1.89 per 100 person years. The incidence rate of first observed generalized anxiety was 1.27 per 100 person years. A single failure Cox proportional hazards model showed that patients diagnosed <1 year (Hazard ratio (HR)=4.15; 95% CI=1.15-14.9; P=0.029), patients treated

Objective: To study recent epidemiologic trends of sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) in Western Europe.Study Design: Annual national statistics of death causes for 14 Western European countries from 2005 to 2015 were analyzed. SUDI cases were defined as infants younger than 1 year with the underlying cause of death classified as "sudden infant death syndrome," "unknown/unattended/unspecified cause," or "accidental threats to breathing." Poisson regression models were used to study temporal trends of SUDI rates and source of variation.Results: From 2005 to 2015, SUDI accounted for 15 617 deaths, for an SUDI rate of 34.9 per 100 000 live births. SUDI was the second most common cause of death after the neonatal period (22.2%) except in Belgium, Finland, France, and the UK, where it ranked first. The overall SUDI rate significantly decreased from 40.2 to 29.9 per 100 000, with a significant rate reduction experienced for 6 countries, no significant evolution for 7 countries, and a significant increase for Denmark. The sudden infant death syndrome/SUDI ratio was 56.7%, with a significant decrease from 64.9% to 49.7% during the study period, and ranged from 6.1% in Portugal to 97.8% in Ireland. We observed between-country variations in SUDI and sudden infant death syndrome sex ratios.Conclusions: In studied countries, SUDI decreased during the study period but remained a major cause of infant deaths, with marked between-country variations in rates, trends, and components. Standardization is needed to allow for comparing data to improve the implementation of risk-reduction strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]