Sex-Specific Clinical and Genetic Factors Associated With Adverse Outcomes in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Background: Females with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy present at a more advanced stage of the disease and have a higher risk of heart failure and death. The factors behind these differences are unclear. We aimed to investigate sex-related differences in clinical and genetic factors affecting adverse outcomes in the Sarcomeric Human Cardiomyopathy Registry.

The effect of calcium on acute sodium chloride toxicity in Daphnia species.

Chloride concentrations in freshwater are rising, with toxic effects on aquatic life. In temperate regions with cold winters, road salt used for deicing paved surfaces is a primary cause. There is evidence that water hardness can modify salt toxicity, but data are insufficient to inform policy.

Canagliflozin reduces oral loop diuretic intensification in patients with type 2 diabetes: A participant-level pooled analysis of the CANVAS and CREDENCE trials.

Aims: The sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor canagliflozin reduces the risk of heart failure (HF) hospitalization or cardiovascular death and chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression among patients with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk or with CKD. Patients with type 2 diabetes commonly have coexisting HF or CKD that require treatment with loop diuretics; however, the prognostic implications of oral loop diuretic intensification are not well characterized.

Methods And Results: In this participant-level pooled analysis of the CREDENCE and CANVAS trials (not including CANVAS-R), 1454/8731 (16.

Timely access to specialist outpatient care: can applying systems thinking unblock our waiting lists?

Background: The purpose of this qualitative study was to focus on review and repeat review outpatients and the structural role they play in exacerbating waitlists for Specialist Outpatient (SOP) services in Queensland. Waitlists, which record the number of patients waiting for an initial consultation (new appointment), are an indicator of a health system under strain. Waiting too long to access SOP can have a detrimental effect on people's health outcomes.

Association of fully branded, standardized packaging and limited flavor and brand descriptors of e-liquids with interest in trying products among youths in Great Britain.

Background And Aims: Many vaping products feature bright colors and novel brand names and flavor descriptors, which may appeal to youth. We measured the strength of the associations between e-liquid packaging design (branded, white standardized or white standardized limiting brand and flavor descriptors) and perceived peer interest in trying the e-liquids among youth.

Design: A between-subjects online experiment.

Cardiovascular, kidney and safety outcomes with canagliflozin in older adults: A combined analysis from the CANVAS Program and CREDENCE trial.

Aim: SGLT2 inhibitors may be underused in older adults with type 2 diabetes due to concerns about safety and tolerability. This pooled analysis of the CANVAS Program and CREDENCE trial examined the efficacy and safety of canagliflozin according to age.

Methods: Pooled individual participant data from the CANVAS Program (n = 10 142) and CREDENCE trial (n = 4401) were analysed by baseline age (<65 years, 65 to <75 years, and ≥75 years).

Effectiveness of an online food shopping intervention to reduce salt purchases among individuals with hypertension - findings of the SaltSwitch Online Grocery Shopping (OGS) randomised trial.

Background: Online grocery shopping is a growing source of food purchases in many countries. We investigated the effect of nudging consumers towards purchases of lower sodium products using a web browser extension.

Methods: This trial was conducted among individuals with hypertension who shopped for their groceries online in Australia.

The association between sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors and contrast-associated acute kidney injury in patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing angiography: a propensity-matched study.

Background: Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) have been proven to prevent decline in kidney function and failure. Whether SGLT2i affect the risk of contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) remains uncertain.

Methods: Use of SGLT2i was assessed in consecutive diabetics undergoing coronary angiography (CA) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) from January 2020 to May 2023 at a tertiary hospital in Chongqing, China.

Variation in behaviour of native prey mediates the impact of an invasive species on plankton communities.

Trait variation in predator populations can influence the outcome of predator-prey dynamics, with consequences for trophic dynamics and ecosystem functioning. However, the influence of prey trait variation on the impacts of predators is not well understood, especially for introduced predators where variation in prey can shape invasion outcomes. In this study, we investigated if intra-specific differences in vertical position of influenced the impacts of the invasive zooplankton predator, on plankton communities.

The potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions through disease prevention: a secondary analysis of data from the CREDENCE trial.

Background: The health-care sector is responsible for 5·2% of global emissions, however, little data exist regarding the environmental impact of disease management strategies. SGLT2 inhibitors are now widely used to reduce the risk of hospital admission and kidney failure in people with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. This study aimed to estimate the impact of SGLT2 inhibitors on greenhouse gas emissions using data from the CREDENCE trial.

Tofacitinib versus Vedolizumab Among Bio-naïve Patients with Ulcerative Colitis: A Real-World Propensity-Weighted Comparison.

Background And Aims: Over the last decade, treatment options for moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis (UC) have expanded. However, comparative studies between these agents are limited, especially among biologic-naïve patients. We aimed to compare the persistence, effectiveness and safety of tofacitinib and vedolizumab as the first advanced treatment for patients with UC.

Sex differences in the efficacy of angiotensin receptor blockers on kidney and cardiovascular outcomes among individuals with type 2 diabetes and diabetic kidney disease: post hoc analyses of the RENAAL and IDNT trials.

Aims/hypothesis: Our aim was to assess sex differences in the efficacy of angiotensin receptor blockers (i.e. losartan and irbesartan) on kidney and cardiovascular outcomes in individuals with type 2 diabetes and diabetic kidney disease.

Intravenous Lidocaine for Gut Function Recovery in Colonic Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Despite the recovery advantages of minimally invasive surgical techniques, delayed return of gut function after colectomy is a common barrier to timely discharge from hospital.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of 2% perioperative intravenous lidocaine infusion on return of gut function after elective minimally invasive colon resection.

Design, Setting, And Participants: The ALLEGRO trial was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial conducted in 27 UK hospitals.

Practitioners' Needs for Addressing the Challenges of Sea-Level Rise-A Qualitative Assessment.

Practitioners at the local and regional scale are under increased pressure to reduce risks to people and property posed by the threats of sea-level rise (SLR) and associated impacts. To achieve this, a dialog between practitioners and scientists is imperative. Current research documents impacts of SLR, evaluates local SLR adaptation activities, identifies barriers to action, and works to assess local adaptive capacity.

Acceptability and feasibility of a chronic breathlessness diagnostic clinical algorithm in Australian primary care.

Background And Objectives: Chronic breathlessness is a frequent diagnostic challenge in primary care. Our aim is to evaluate the feasibility of a stepwise breathlessness diagnostic algorithm for primary care.

Method: This mixed-methods study included: (1) a general practitioner (GP) nominal group technique study; (2) focus groups on GPs' views on the algorithm; and (3) analysis of algorithm alignment against patterns of diagnostic referrals and diagnoses of breathlessness presentations (2014-19) from the MedicineInsight primary care electronic health record (EHR) dataset of 1,961,264 patients (405 general practice sites).

Contemporary epidemiology of hospitalised heart failure with reduced versus preserved ejection fraction in England: a retrospective, cohort study of whole-population electronic health records.

Background: Heart failure is common, complex, and often associated with coexisting chronic medical conditions and a high mortality. We aimed to assess the epidemiology of people admitted to hospital with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), including the period covering the COVID-19 pandemic, which was previously not well characterised.

Methods: In this retrospective, cohort study, we used whole-population electronic health records with 57 million individuals in England to identify patients hospitalised with heart failure as the primary diagnosis in any consultant episode of an in-patient admission to a National Health Service (NHS) hospital.

Estimating Young Adult Uptake of Smoking by Area Across the United Kingdom.

Introduction: There is majority support in parliament and across the United Kingdom to implement a "smoke-free generation" policy which would mean people born on or after January 1, 2009, could never legally be sold tobacco. To explore the potential impact this policy could have, we estimated the number of young adults (18-25 years) currently taking up smoking each year by area across the United Kingdom.

Methods: Using data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Annual Population Survey (APS), and Smoking Toolkit Study (STS), we estimated the total number of 18- to 25-year-olds taking up smoking each year, based on national estimates of population size (ONS) and the proportion who reported ever having regularly smoked (STS).

Vibrio parahaemolyticus Foodborne Illness Associated with Oysters, Australia, 2021-2022.

The bacterium Vibrio parahaemolyticus is ubiquitous in tropical and temperate waters throughout the world and causes infections in humans resulting from water exposure and from ingestion of contaminated raw or undercooked seafood, such as oysters. We describe a nationwide outbreak of enteric infections caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Australia during September 2021-January 2022. A total of 268 persons were linked with the outbreak, 97% of whom reported consuming Australia-grown oysters.

Nebuliser therapy in critical care: The past, present and future.

Nebulisers are devices that reduce a body of liquid into a fine aerosol suitable for inhalation. Utilising the efficiency of pulmonary drug absorption, they offer a safe and powerful modality for local and systemic drug delivery in the treatment of critical illness. In comparison to conventional jet (JN) and ultrasonic nebulisers (USN), the advent of vibrating mesh nebulisers (VMN) has significantly improved the therapeutic potential of modern devices.