We revisit the classic situation in functional data analysis in which curves are observed at discrete, possibly sparse and irregular, arguments with observation noise. We focus on the reconstruction of individual curves by prediction intervals and bands. The standard approach consists of two steps: first, one estimates the mean and covariance function of curves and observation noise variance function by, e.g. penalized splines, and second, under Gaussian assumptions, one derives the conditional distribution of a curve given observed data and constructs prediction sets with required properties, usually employing sampling from the predictive distribution. This approach is well established, commonly used and theoretically valid but practically, it surprisingly fails in its key property: prediction sets constructed this way often do not have the required coverage. The actual coverage is lower than the nominal one. We investigate the cause of this issue and propose a computationally feasible remedy that leads to prediction regions with a much better coverage. Our method accounts for the uncertainty of the predictive model by sampling from the approximate distribution of its spline estimators whose covariance is estimated by a novel sandwich estimator. Our approach also applies to the important case of covariate-adjusted models.

• Keywords
• 62G99, 62M99, Coverage, curve reconstruction, functional data analysis, noisy discrete observation, prediction set, spline smoothing,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

INTRODUCTION: The Raise Awareness of Influenza Strategies in Europe (RAISE) group gathered information about the healthcare burden of influenza (hospitalizations, intensive care unit [ICU] admissions, and excess deaths), surveillance systems, and the vaccine coverage rate (VCR) in older adults in 18 European countries and Israel. AREAS COVERED: Published medical literature and official medical documentation on the influenza disease burden in the participating countries were reviewed from 2010/11 until the 2022/23 influenza seasons. Information on the framework for monitoring the disease burden and the provision for ensuring older adults had access to vaccination in their respective countries was provided. Data on influenza VCR in older adults were collected for the 2019/20 to 2022/23 influenza seasons. Data are reported descriptively. EXPERT OPINION: Influenza presents a significant healthcare burden in older adults. Reporting outcomes across participating countries is heterogeneous, highlighting the need for standardized approaches. Although older adults receive free influenza vaccination, vaccine uptake is highly variable among countries. Moreover, hospitalization rates remain high even in countries reporting a high VCR. Increased awareness and education on the burden of disease and the broader use of improved influenza vaccines for older adults may help reduce the disease burden on this population.

• Keywords
• Influenza, Influenza surveillance, burden of disease, older adults, vaccine coverage rate,
• MeSH
• Influenza, Human * prevention & control   epidemiology   MeSH
• COVID-19 * prevention & control   epidemiology   MeSH
• Hospitalization * statistics & numerical data   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Vaccination Coverage * statistics & numerical data   MeSH
• Aged, 80 and over MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Influenza Vaccines * administration & dosage   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Aged, 80 and over MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Geographicals
• Europe epidemiology   MeSH
• Israel epidemiology   MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Influenza Vaccines * MeSH

Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.

• Keywords
• TRY plant trait database, data coverage, data integration, data representativeness, functional diversity, plant traits,
• MeSH
• Biodiversity MeSH
• Ecology MeSH
• Ecosystem * MeSH
• Access to Information * MeSH
• Plants MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

OBJECTIVES: Individuals with HIV infection are at an increased risk for a number of infectious diseases, some of which are preventable by vaccination. Unfortunately, little is known about the attitudes of this population group to vaccination, therefore, we decided to find out vaccination coverage against 5 infections among newly diagnosed HIV-infected patients in the Czech Republic. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on newly diagnosed patients who started their follow-up care at the HIV Clinic of Na Bulovce Hospital during the two following years. Vaccination history data and results of serological tests were collected from all participants. RESULTS: Enrolled were 269 HIV-positive subjects (94.1% males) with a mean age of 34.4 years, 64 subjects (23.8%) had tertiary education, 229 (85.1%) were men having sex with men, 32 (11.9%) were heterosexual, and 8 (3.0%) were injection drug users. The mean CD4+ T-lymphocyte count was 556.2/µL, with 149 persons (55.4%) who had a CD4+ T-lymphocyte count > 500/µL, and 68 (25.3%) individuals were late presenters with CD4+ T-lymphocyte count < 350/µL. A vaccination against tetanus was reported by 262 subjects (97.4%), against influenza by 18 subjects (6.7%), against tick-borne encephalitis by 18 subjects (6.7%), against viral hepatitis A by 78 persons (29.0%), and against hepatitis B by 104 subjects (38.7%). For influenza, tick-borne encephalitis and hepatitis A, a significant positive impact of tertiary education was found (p-values < 0.001-0.044). Vaccination coverage against both types of hepatitis was significantly lower in late presenters (p = 0.044 and p = 0.004, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Vaccination rates found in our cohort were except tetanus and hepatitis B in young people low, especially for influenza and tick-borne encephalitis. Higher level of education and less advanced HIV infection were associated with higher vaccination rates. To improve this unsatisfactory situation, more attention should be paid to vaccination.

• Keywords
• HIV, hepatitis, influenza, tetanus, tick-borne encephalitis, vaccination coverage,
• MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• HIV Infections * diagnosis   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Adolescent MeSH
• CD4 Lymphocyte Count methods   MeSH
• Vaccination Coverage * MeSH
• Cross-Sectional Studies MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Adolescent MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Geographicals
• Czech Republic MeSH

Seasonal influenza can have serious morbid consequences and can even result in death, particularly in at-risk populations, including healthcare professionals (HCPs), elderly and those living with a medical risk condition. Although in Europe recommendations exist for annual influenza vaccination in these populations in most countries, the vaccination coverage rate (VCR) is often well below the World Health Organization target of 75% coverage. In our previous survey in 2009 we showed that some elements of national vaccination policies, e.g. reminder systems, strong official recommendation, and easy access, seemed to contribute to achieving higher influenza VCRs among elderly. We repeated the survey in 2016, using the same methodology to assess changes in influenza VCRs among the elderly and in the impact of policy elements on these VCRs. In addition, we collected information about VCRs among HCPs, and those living with a medical risk condition. The median VCR in the 21 countries that had recommendations for influenza vaccination in the elderly was 35.3%, ranging from 1.1% in Estonia to 74.5% in Scotland. The average VCRs for HCPs and those living with medical risk conditions, available in 17 and 10 countries, respectively, were 28.3% (range 7% in Czech Republic to 59.1% in Portugal) and 32.2% (range from 20.0% in the Czech Republic and Hungary to 59.6% in Portugal), respectively. Fewer countries were able to provide data from HCP and those living with medical risk conditions. Since the initial survey during the 2007-2008 influenza season, VCRs have decreased in the elderly in the majority of countries, thus, achieving high VCRs in the elderly and the other target groups is still a major public health challenge in Europe. This could be addressed by the identification, assessment and sharing of best practice for influenza vaccination policies.

• Keywords
• Elderly, Seasonal influenza vaccination, Vaccination coverage, Vaccination policies, healthcare professionals, influenza, policy,
• MeSH
• Influenza, Human prevention & control   MeSH
• Infant MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Immunization Programs organization & administration   statistics & numerical data   MeSH
• Vaccination Coverage statistics & numerical data   MeSH
• Child, Preschool MeSH
• Seasons MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Pregnancy MeSH
• Health Policy * MeSH
• Health Plan Implementation organization & administration   statistics & numerical data   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Infant MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Child, Preschool MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Pregnancy MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Geographicals
• Europe MeSH

Background Childhood vaccination rates fluctuate over time and do not always meet the levels recommended by the WHO. Objective This study aims to provide an overview of measures countries have introduced to increase vaccination rates. Methods We developed a structured data collection template that was completed by country experts from Europe, Israel, the USA, and Canada. Experts were identified using the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies' HSPM (Health Systems and Policy Monitor) network. We approached experts from 32 countries and received responses from 22 countries. In the template we asked for measures introduced between 2014 and 2019. The experts were asked to indicate the type of intervention, the target population, possible positive and negative effects, and evidence on effectiveness. The information was collected between September 2019 and January 2020. Results We identified four main types of interventions: restrictive measures for the unvaccinated, financial incentives, measures supporting the logistics of vaccination, and vaccination promotion campaigns. Restrictive measures often involved expanding existing mandatory vaccination policies or limiting access to pre-school activities for unvaccinated children. Financial incentives for healthcare providers showed some positive effects. Regarding logistical support, several countries used schools as alternative vaccination sites, though this presented organisational challenges. Many countries invested in improving knowledge among both healthcare professionals and parents to encourage vaccine uptake. Conclusions Most initiatives implemented in the countries covered focussed on communication and knowledge enhancement. However, there is limited evidence on the impact of these measures on vaccination coverage.

• MeSH
• Child MeSH
• Internationality MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Immunization Programs * MeSH
• Health Promotion * methods   MeSH
• Vaccination Coverage * statistics & numerical data   MeSH
• Vaccination * statistics & numerical data   MeSH
• Health Policy MeSH
• Check Tag
• Child MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Comparative Study MeSH
• Geographicals
• Europe MeSH
• Israel MeSH
• Canada MeSH
• United States MeSH

Genotype imputation from low-pass sequencing data presents unique opportunities for genomic analyses but comes with specific challenges. In this study, we explore the impact of quality filters on genetic ancestry and Polygenic Score (PGS) estimation after imputing 32,769 low-pass genome-wide sequences (LPS) from noninvasive prenatal screening (NIPS) with an average autosomal sequence depth of ∼0.15×. In studies involving ultra-low coverage sequences, conventional approaches to secure genotype accuracy may fail, especially when multiple samples are pooled. To enhance the proportion of high-quality genotypes in large data sets, we introduce a filtering approach called GDI that combines genotype probability (GP), alternate allele dosage (DS), and INFO score filters. We demonstrate that the imputation tools QUILT and GLIMPSE2 achieve similar accuracy, which is high enough for broad-scale ancestry mapping but insufficient for high resolution principal component analysis (PCA), when applied without filters. With the GDI approach, we can achieve quality that is adequate for such purposes. Furthermore, we explored the impact of imputation errors, choice of variants, and filtering methods on PGS prediction for height in 1911 subjects with height data. We show that polygenic scores predict 23.7% of variance in height in our imputed data and that, contrary to the effect on PCA, the GDI filter does not improve the performance of PGS in height prediction. These results highlight that imputed LPS data can be leveraged for further biomedical and population genetic use, but there is a need to consider each downstream analysis tool individually for its imputation quality thresholds and filtering requirements.

• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Due to the technical advances of mass spectrometers, particularly increased scanning speed and higher MS/MS resolution, the use of data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry (DIA-MS) became more popular, which enables high reproducibility in both proteomic identification and quantification. The current DIA-MS methods normally cover a wide mass range, with the aim to target and identify as many peptides and proteins as possible and therefore frequently generate MS/MS spectra of high complexity. In this report, we assessed the performance and benefits of using small windows with, e.g., 5-m/z width across the peptide elution time. We further devised a new DIA method named RTwinDIA that schedules the small isolation windows in different retention time blocks, taking advantage of the fact that larger peptides are normally eluting later in reversed phase chromatography. We assessed the direct proteomic identification by using shotgun database searching tools such as MaxQuant and pFind, and also Spectronaut with an external comprehensive spectral library of human proteins. We conclude that algorithms like pFind have potential in directly analyzing DIA data acquired with small windows, and that the instrumental time and DIA cycle time, if prioritized to be spent on small windows rather than on covering a broad mass range by large windows, will improve the direct proteome coverage for new biological samples and increase the quantitative precision. These results further provide perspectives for the future convergence between DDA and DIA on faster MS analyzers.

• Keywords
• Data-independent acquisition, Isolation windows, Maxquant, Spectronaut, pFind,
• MeSH
• Chromatography, Reverse-Phase MeSH
• Mass Spectrometry methods   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Cell Line, Tumor MeSH
• Peptides analysis   MeSH
• Proteins analysis   MeSH
• Proteomics methods   MeSH
• Software MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Peptides MeSH
• Proteins MeSH

Incomplete stent apposition and uncovered struts are associated with a higher risk of stent thrombosis. No data exist on the process of neointimal coverage and late apposition status of the bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) when implanted in the highly thrombogenic setting of ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI). The aim of this study was to assess the serial changes in strut apposition and early neointimal coverage of the BVS using optical coherence tomography (OCT) in selected patients enrolled in the PRAGUE-19 study. Intracoronary OCT was performed in 50 patients at the end of primary percutaneous coronary intervention for acute STEMI. Repeated OCT of the implanted BVS was performed in 10 patients. Scaffold area, scaffold mean diameter and incomplete strut apposition (ISA) were compared between baseline and control OCT. Furthermore, strut neointimal coverage was assessed during the control OCT. Mean scaffold area and diameter did not change between the baseline and control OCT (8.59 vs. 9.06 mm(2); p = 0.129 and 3.31 vs. 3.37 mm; p = 0.202, respectively). Differences were observed in ISA between the baseline and control OCT (0.63 vs. 1.47 %; p < 0.05). We observed 83.1 % covered struts in eight patients in whom the control OCT was performed 4-6 weeks after BVS implantation, and 100 % covered struts in two patients 6 months after BVS implantation. Persistent strut apposition and early neointimal coverage were observed after biodegradable vascular scaffold implantation in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

• Keywords
• Acute myocardial infarction, Biodegradable vascular scaffold, Late apposition, Neointimal coverage,
• MeSH
• Coated Materials, Biocompatible * MeSH
• Time Factors MeSH
• Everolimus administration & dosage   adverse effects   MeSH
• ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction diagnostic imaging   therapy   MeSH
• Cardiovascular Agents administration & dosage   adverse effects   MeSH
• Coronary Angiography MeSH
• Percutaneous Coronary Intervention adverse effects   instrumentation   MeSH
• Coronary Vessels diagnostic imaging   drug effects   MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Neointima * MeSH
• Tomography, Optical Coherence MeSH
• Prospective Studies MeSH
• Prosthesis Design MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Absorbable Implants * MeSH
• Treatment Outcome MeSH
• Check Tag
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Clinical Study MeSH
• Geographicals
• Czech Republic MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Coated Materials, Biocompatible * MeSH
• Everolimus MeSH
• Cardiovascular Agents MeSH

AIM: To map the current seroprevalence of antibodies and vaccine coverage against viral hepatitis A (VHA) in the general population of the South Moravian Region (SMR). MATERIAL AND METHODS: During the VHA outbreak in 2016, nearly 3500 persons were investigated epidemiologically by the Regional Public Health Authority of the SMR within the anti-epidemic measures. The data collected were, among others, basic personal data and information whether the person has been vaccinated against VHA. For the reportedly vaccinated, the information was checked in the GP records or vaccination card. Those who reported to be unvaccinated were referred for serological testing. For the purposes of this retrospective prevalence study, available data on 3130 persons were analysed. The study population was divided into 10 age groups (0-4 years, 5-9 years, 10-14 years, 15-19 years, 20-24 years, 25-34 years, 35-44 years, 45-54 years, 55-65 years, and 65 years and over). The numbers of vaccinated persons with positive total antibodies and of those who tested negative were determined. The data obtained were statistically analysed using the Microsoft Excel tabular processor. RESULTS: Of the study cohort of 3130 persons, 659 (21.05 %) turned out to be seropositive, and 320 (10.22 %) of the seropositives were vaccinated. The seroprevalence rates in the age groups over 35 years were increasing with increasing age, being the highest (51.40 %) in those aged 65 years and older. The highest vaccine coverage rates were achieved in the age groups 10-14 years (20.73 %) and 15-19 years (20.77 %). CONCLUSION: The seroprevalence rates of antibodies against VHA in the general population of the SMR are very low (21.05 %), being even lower than previously reported. The vaccine coverage rate against VHA is 10.22 %. The results show higher vaccine coverage rates in those born after the vaccine against VHA was implemented. Children show the highest vaccine coverage rates. Adults tend to get vaccinated less often. This fact promotes the risk of infection spread and outbreaks, as recently evidenced by the spread of infection from persons engaging in risky behaviours to the general population of young working-age adults.

• Keywords
• viral hepatitis A - seroprevalence - vaccine coverage rate - susceptibility.,
• MeSH
• Child MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Hepatitis A * epidemiology   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Retrospective Studies MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Seroepidemiologic Studies MeSH
• Vaccination statistics & numerical data   MeSH
• Vaccines * MeSH
• Age Factors MeSH
• Check Tag
• Child MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Geographicals
• Czech Republic epidemiology   MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Vaccines * MeSH