Featured Publications
Refugee settlements, sewage pollution, COVID-19 and the unfolding cholera outbreak in Lebanon
Kassem I, Osman M, Jaafar H, Omari K. Refugee settlements, sewage pollution, COVID-19 and the unfolding cholera outbreak in Lebanon. Journal Of Travel Medicine 2022, 29: taac142. PMID: 36434781, DOI: 10.1093/jtm/taac142.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchIntegrated Surveillance System for Controlling COVID-19 on a University Campus, 2020‒2021
Meredith G, Osman M, Cazer C, Cummings K, Hecht J, Madsen C, Santacrose L, Dubovi A, Clarkberg M, Johnson T, Fitzpatrick M, Parrilla L, Li Y, Francis L, Weisfuse I, Travis A, Jones A, Warnick L, Koretzky G. Integrated Surveillance System for Controlling COVID-19 on a University Campus, 2020‒2021. American Journal Of Public Health 2022, 112: 980-984. PMID: 35728024, PMCID: PMC9222446, DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2022.306838.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2024
Syndromic Surveillance Tracks COVID-19 Cases in University and County Settings: Retrospective Observational Study
Wass L, Hoare D, Smits G, Osman M, Zhang N, Klepack W, Parrilla L, Busche J, Clarkberg M, Basu S, Cazer C. Syndromic Surveillance Tracks COVID-19 Cases in University and County Settings: Retrospective Observational Study. JMIR Public Health And Surveillance 2024, 10: e54551. PMID: 38952000, PMCID: PMC11220726, DOI: 10.2196/54551.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCOVID-19-like illnessSyndromic surveillanceCounty Health DepartmentSARS-CoV-2 test positivityCounty settingsMiddle-income countriesLow-resource settingsCounty levelReport surveillance dataHealth departmentsTest positivity rateLinear regression modelsPositive test rateTesting ratesCOVID-19 casesSelf-reportSymptom reportingCOVID-19 riskCOVID-19 testingCOVID-19Negative binomial modelRetrospective observational studyTest positivityCOVID-19 surveillanceObservational studyEvaluation of SARS-CoV-2 anti-Spike antibody levels and breakthrough infection risk among vaccinated adults in North Lebanon
Nour D, Ismail M, Osman M, Rafei R, Kasir D, Dabboussi F, Colson P, Hamze M. Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 anti-Spike antibody levels and breakthrough infection risk among vaccinated adults in North Lebanon. PLOS ONE 2024, 19: e0302579. PMID: 38722969, PMCID: PMC11081361, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302579.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsImmune responseAntibody titersAntibody levelsAnti-spike antibody levelsCharacteristics of immune responsesWaning immune responsesMultivariate logistic regression modelSARS-CoV-2 antibody titersLevel of antibody titerVaccinated patientsBNT162b2 vaccineUnivariate analysisLogistic regression modelsSputnik V vaccineBlood specimensPfizer-BioNTechVaccine doseImmune statusVaccinated adultsSARS-CoV-2InfectionNorth LebanonVaccineAstraZeneca vaccineTiters
2023
Prevalence of Latent Tuberculosis Infection among Patients Undergoing Regular Hemodialysis in Disenfranchised Communities: A Multicenter Study during COVID-19 Pandemic
Ismail M, Zarriaa N, Osman M, Helfawi S, Kabbara N, Chatah A, Kamaleddine A, Alameddine R, Dabboussi F, Hamze M. Prevalence of Latent Tuberculosis Infection among Patients Undergoing Regular Hemodialysis in Disenfranchised Communities: A Multicenter Study during COVID-19 Pandemic. Medicina 2023, 59: 654. PMID: 37109612, PMCID: PMC10142838, DOI: 10.3390/medicina59040654.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsLatent tuberculosis infectionMultivariable logistic regression analysisHD patientsLogistic regression analysisTuberculosis infectionDialysis unitsMulticenter cross-sectional studyQFT-Plus resultsActive tuberculosis diseaseQuantiFERON-TB GoldHospital dialysis unitRisk of mortalityTB control measuresCross-sectional studyRegression analysisCOVID-19 pandemicLow socioeconomic statusLTBI statusQFT-PlusRegular HDRegular hemodialysisElderly patientsLTBI prevalenceHemodialysis patientsPatient transmissionBooster vaccination protection against SARS-CoV-2 infections in young adults during an Omicron BA.1-predominant period: A retrospective cohort study
Wan J, Cazer C, Clarkberg M, Henderson S, Lee S, Meredith G, Osman M, Shmoys D, Frazier P. Booster vaccination protection against SARS-CoV-2 infections in young adults during an Omicron BA.1-predominant period: A retrospective cohort study. PLOS Medicine 2023, 20: e1004153. PMID: 36626376, PMCID: PMC9876273, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004153.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSARS-CoV-2 infectionInitial vaccination seriesPositive SARS-CoV-2 PCR testSARS-CoV-2 PCR testVaccination seriesBooster doseBooster vaccinationCohort studyStudy periodYoung adultsAcute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infectionSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infectionSyndrome coronavirus 2 infectionSevere coronavirus disease 2019Polymerase chain reaction testingCoronavirus 2 infectionRetrospective cohort studyPCR testMultivariable Poisson regressionSARS-CoV-2 variantsStatistical analysis planCoronavirus disease 2019Active surveillance approachSARS-CoV-2World Health Organization
2022
The Role of Lebanon in the COVID-19 Butterfly Effect: The B.1.398 Example
Nour D, Rafei R, Lamarca A, de Almeida L, Osman M, Ismail M, Mallat H, Berry A, Burfin G, Semanas Q, Josset L, Hassan H, Dabboussi F, Lina B, Colson P, Vasconcelos A, Hamze M. The Role of Lebanon in the COVID-19 Butterfly Effect: The B.1.398 Example. Viruses 2022, 14: 1640. PMID: 36016262, PMCID: PMC9412248, DOI: 10.3390/v14081640.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2021
High association of COVID-19 severity with poor gut health score in Lebanese patients
Al Kassaa I, Omari S, Abbas N, Papon N, Drider D, Kassem I, Osman M. High association of COVID-19 severity with poor gut health score in Lebanese patients. PLOS ONE 2021, 16: e0258913. PMID: 34673813, PMCID: PMC8530309, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258913.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCOVID-19 symptomsCOVID-19 severityHealth scoresGut healthLogistic regression modelsSevere symptomsLebanese patientsSevere COVID-19 casesSARS-CoV-2 PCRMultiple logistic regression modelFlu-like illnessCross-sectional studyCoronavirus disease 2019Multiple ordinal logistic regression modelsUnhealthy food intakeOrdinal logistic regression modelsRegression modelsRespiratory virusesMean ageIllness episodesCOVID-19 casesDisease 2019Food intakePossible associationDisease pathophysiologyShortage of appropriate diagnostics for antimicrobial resistance in Lebanese clinical settings: a crisis amplified by COVID-19 and economic collapse
Osman M, Kasir D, Kassem I, Hamze M. Shortage of appropriate diagnostics for antimicrobial resistance in Lebanese clinical settings: a crisis amplified by COVID-19 and economic collapse. Journal Of Global Antimicrobial Resistance 2021, 27: 72-74. PMID: 34492397, PMCID: PMC8488586, DOI: 10.1016/j.jgar.2021.08.008.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCOVID-19 and refugee camps
Ismail M, Osman M, Rafei R, Dabboussi F, Hamze M. COVID-19 and refugee camps. Travel Medicine And Infectious Disease 2021, 42: 102083. PMID: 33965623, PMCID: PMC9759995, DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2021.102083.Peer-Reviewed Original Research