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Lyu S, Adegboye O, Adhinugraha KM, Emeto TI, Taniar D. Analysing the impact of comorbid conditions and media coverage on online symptom search data: a novel AI-based approach for COVID-19 tracking. Infect Dis (Lond) 2024; 56:348-358. [PMID: 38305899 DOI: 10.1080/23744235.2024.2311281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Web search data have proven to bea valuable early indicator of COVID-19 outbreaks. However, the influence of co-morbid conditions with similar symptoms and the effect of media coverage on symptom-related searches are often overlooked, leading to potential inaccuracies in COVID-19 simulations. METHOD This study introduces a machine learning-based approach to estimate the magnitude of the impact of media coverage and comorbid conditions with similar symptoms on online symptom searches, based on two scenarios with quantile levels 10-90 and 25-75. An incremental batch learning RNN-LSTM model was then developed for the COVID-19 simulation in Australia and New Zealand, allowing the model to dynamically simulate different infection rates and transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 variants. RESULT The COVID-19 infected person-directed symptom searches were found to account for only a small proportion of the total search volume (on average 33.68% in Australia vs. 36.89% in New Zealand) compared to searches influenced by media coverage and comorbid conditions (on average 44.88% in Australia vs. 50.94% in New Zealand). The proposed method, which incorporates estimated symptom component ratios into the RNN-LSTM embedding model, significantly improved COVID-19 simulation performance. CONCLUSION Media coverage and comorbid conditions with similar symptoms dominate the total number of online symptom searches, suggesting that direct use of online symptom search data in COVID-19 simulations may overestimate COVID-19 infections. Our approach provides new insights into the accurate estimation of COVID-19 infections using online symptom searches, thereby assisting governments in developing complementary methods for public health surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiyang Lyu
- School of Computer Science, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Oyelola Adegboye
- Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Charles Darwin University, NT, Australia
| | | | - Theophilus I Emeto
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - David Taniar
- School of Computer Science, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
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Santangelo OE, Gianfredi V, Provenzano S, Cedrone F. Digital epidemiology and infodemiology of hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) in Italy. Disease trend assessment via Google and Wikipedia. ACTA BIO-MEDICA : ATENEI PARMENSIS 2023; 94:e2023107. [PMID: 37539609 PMCID: PMC10440772 DOI: 10.23750/abm.v94i4.14184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM The study aimed to evaluate the epidemiological trend of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Italy using data on Internet search volume. METHODS A cross-sectional study design was used. Data on Internet searches were obtained from Google Trends (GT) and Wikipedia. We used the following Italian search term: "Malattia mano-piede-bocca" (Hand-foot-mouth disease, in English). A monthly time-frame was extracted, partly overlapping, from July 2015 to December 2022. GT and Wikipedia were overlapped to perform a linear regression and correlation analyses. Statistical analyses were performed using the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (rho). A linear regression analysis was performed considering Wikipedia and GT. RESULTS Search peaks for both Wikipedia and GT occurred in the months November-December during the autumn-winter season and in June during the spring-summer season, except for the period from June 2020 to June 2021, probably due to the restrictions of the COVID19 pandemic. A temporal correlation was observed between GT and Wikipedia search trends. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study in Italy that attempts to clarify the epidemiology of HFMD. Google search and Wikipedia can be valuable for public health surveillance; however, to date, digital epidemiology cannot replace the traditional surveillance system.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Fabrizio Cedrone
- Hospital Management, Local Health Unit of Pescara, 65122 Pescara.
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Khader Y, Cécilia-Joseph E, Bouzillé G, Najioullah F, Etienne M, Malouines F, Rosine J, Julié S, Cabié A, Cuggia M. The Role of Heterogenous Real-world Data for Dengue Surveillance in Martinique: Observational Retrospective Study. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2022; 8:e37122. [PMID: 36548023 PMCID: PMC9816958 DOI: 10.2196/37122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Traditionally, dengue prevention and control rely on vector control programs and reporting of symptomatic cases to a central health agency. However, case reporting is often delayed, and the true burden of dengue disease is often underestimated. Moreover, some countries do not have routine control measures for vector control. Therefore, researchers are constantly assessing novel data sources to improve traditional surveillance systems. These studies are mostly carried out in big territories and rarely in smaller endemic regions, such as Martinique and the Lesser Antilles. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine whether heterogeneous real-world data sources could help reduce reporting delays and improve dengue monitoring in Martinique island, a small endemic region. METHODS Heterogenous data sources (hospitalization data, entomological data, and Google Trends) and dengue surveillance reports for the last 14 years (January 2007 to February 2021) were analyzed to identify associations with dengue outbreaks and their time lags. RESULTS The dengue hospitalization rate was the variable most strongly correlated with the increase in dengue positivity rate by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (Pearson correlation coefficient=0.70) with a time lag of -3 weeks. Weekly entomological interventions were also correlated with the increase in dengue positivity rate by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (Pearson correlation coefficient=0.59) with a time lag of -2 weeks. The most correlated query from Google Trends was the "Dengue" topic restricted to the Martinique region (Pearson correlation coefficient=0.637) with a time lag of -3 weeks. CONCLUSIONS Real-word data are valuable data sources for dengue surveillance in smaller territories. Many of these sources precede the increase in dengue cases by several weeks, and therefore can help to improve the ability of traditional surveillance systems to provide an early response in dengue outbreaks. All these sources should be better integrated to improve the early response to dengue outbreaks and vector-borne diseases in smaller endemic territories.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elsa Cécilia-Joseph
- Centre de Données Cliniques, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Martinique, Fort-de-France, Martinique
| | - Guillaume Bouzillé
- Laboratoire de Traitement du Signal et de l'Image (LTSI) - Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) 1099, Université de Rennes, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Rennes, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), Rennes, France
| | - Fatiha Najioullah
- Laboratoire de Virologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Martinique, Fort-de-France, Martinique
| | - Manuel Etienne
- Centre de Démoustication et de Recherche Entomologique, Collectivité Territoriale de la Martinique - Agence Régionale de Santé, Fort-de-France, Martinique
| | - Fabrice Malouines
- Centre de Démoustication et de Recherche Entomologique, Collectivité Territoriale de la Martinique - Agence Régionale de Santé, Fort-de-France, Martinique
| | - Jacques Rosine
- Cellule Martinique, Santé Publique France, Saint-Maurice, France
| | - Sandrine Julié
- Département d'Information Médicale, Service de Santé Publique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Martinique, Fort-de-France, Martinique
| | - André Cabié
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Unit, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Martinique, Fort-de-France, Martinique.,Centre d'Investigation Clinique (CIC)-1424, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Martinique, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), Fort-de-France, Martinique.,Pathogenesis and Control of Chronic and Emerging Infections (PCCEI), Université de Montpellier - Université des Antilles, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM) - Etablissement Français du Sang (EFS), Montpellier, France
| | - Marc Cuggia
- Laboratoire de Traitement du Signal et de l'Image (LTSI) - Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) 1099, Université de Rennes, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Rennes, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), Rennes, France
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Infodemiology of RSV in Italy (2017-2022): An Alternative Option for the Surveillance of Incident Cases in Pediatric Age? CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 9:children9121984. [PMID: 36553427 PMCID: PMC9777371 DOI: 10.3390/children9121984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate whether or not online queries for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) retrieved by means of Google Trends™ and the Italian Wikipedia analysis program mirror the occurrence of influenza-like illnesses (ILI), as reported by the Italian Influenza Surveillance network (InfluNet). Estimated rates for ILI in the general population and in the age groups 0−4 years and 5−14 years were obtained for the influenza seasons 2017−2018 to 2020−2021. Similarly, a weekly fraction of online searches was retrieved for a series of terms associated with Respiratory Syncytial Virus. Next, trends for daily visualization of Italian Wikipedia Pages for Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Pneumonia, Bronchiolitis, Influenza, and Respiratory Failure were similarly retrieved. The correlation of all search terms with ILI was analyzed by means of Spearman’s rank correlation analysis. Among search terms associated with the clinical diagnosis of Respiratory Syncytial Virus infections, the occurrence of ILI was highly correlated only with Bronchiolitis in the age group 0−4 years (β 0.210, p = 0.028), while more generic search terms, such as Bronchitis, fever, influenza, and Pneumonia, were identified as effective predictors of ILI, in general and by age groups. In a regression analysis modeled with ILIs as the outcome variable, daily visualizations for the Wikipedia pages on Bronchiolitis were identified as negative predictors for ILI in general (β = −0.152, p = 0.032), ILI in age group 0−4 years (β = −0.264, p = 0.001) and 5−14 years (β = −0.202, p = 0.006), while Influenza was characterized as a positive effector for ILIs in the age group 5−14 years (β = 0.245, p = 0.001). Interestingly, not only were the search terms extensively correlated with one another, but all of them were also characterized by autocorrelation through a Durbin-Watson test (all estimates DW < 2.0) In summary, our study identified a complicated pattern of data visualization as no clear association between rates of ILI in pediatric age group 0−4 and 5 to 14 years was actually found. Finally, our data stress that the infodemiology option may be quite problematic for assessing the time trend of RSV infections in Italy until more appropriate reporting will be made available, by sharing estimates of Lower Respiratory Tract Infections, and through a more accurate characterization of younger age groups.
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Wu ZD, Yang XK, He YS, Ni J, Wang J, Yin KJ, Huang JX, Chen Y, Feng YT, Wang P, Pan HF. Environmental factors and risk of gout. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 212:113377. [PMID: 35500858 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Gout is a chronic disease with inflammatory arthritis caused by monosodium urate (MSU) crystals deposition, an elevated serum urate level (hyperuricaemia) is the critical factor leading to MSU crystals deposition and promoting the progression of gout. The onset and development of gout is generally the result of multiple factors, such as diet, heredity and environmental factors. Although genetics and diet are thought to play as major factors, a growing body of research evidence has highlighted that environmental factors also play a significant role in the onset and exacerbation of gout. Recent studies have shown that air pollutants such as particulate matter, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) may increase the risk of hospitalizations for gout, and that the changes in temperature and humidity may affect uric acid (UA) levels. There is also seasonal trend in gout. It has been demonstrated that environmental factors may induce or accelerate the production and release of pro-inflammatory mediators, causing an unbalance oxidative stress and systemic inflammation, and then participating in the overall process or a certain link of gout. Moreover, several environmental factors have shown the ability to induce the production urate and regulate the innate immune pathways, involving in the pathogenesis of gout. Nevertheless, the role of environmental factors in the etiology of gout remains unclear. In this review, we summarized the recent literatures and aimed to discuss the relationship between environmental factors (such as microclimate, season, ambient/indoor air pollution and extreme weather) and gout. We further discussed the inflammatory mechanisms of environmental factors and gout and the comprehensive effects of environmental factors on gout. We also made a prospect of the management and treatment of gout, with special consideration to environmental factors associated with gout.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng-Dong Wu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui, China; Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, China
| | - Xiao-Ke Yang
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yi-Sheng He
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui, China; Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, China
| | - Jing Ni
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui, China; Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, China
| | - Jie Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui, China; Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, China
| | - Kang-Jia Yin
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui, China; Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, China
| | - Ji-Xiang Huang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui, China; Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, China
| | - Yue Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui, China; Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, China
| | - Ya-Ting Feng
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui, China; Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, China
| | - Peng Wang
- Teaching Center of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui, China.
| | - Hai-Feng Pan
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui, China; Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, China.
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Chang YC, Chiu YW, Chuang TW. Linguistic Pattern-infused Dual-channel BiLSTM with Attention for Dengue Case Summary Generation from ProMED-mail database (Preprint). JMIR Public Health Surveill 2021; 8:e34583. [PMID: 35830225 PMCID: PMC9491834 DOI: 10.2196/34583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yung-Chun Chang
- Graduate Institute of Data Science, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Clinical Big Data Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Wen Chiu
- Graduate Institute of Data Science, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Molecular Parasitology and Tropical Diseases, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ting-Wu Chuang
- Department of Molecular Parasitology and Tropical Diseases, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
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