The complex relationship between the gut microbiome and host metabolic health has been an emerging research area. Several recent studies have highlighted the potential effects of the microbiome's diversity, composition and metabolic production capabilities on Body Mass Index (BMI), liver health, glucose homeostasis and Type-2 Diabetes (T2D). The majority of these studies were constrained by relatively small cohorts, mostly focusing on individuals with metabolic disorders, limiting a comprehensive understanding of the microbiome's role in metabolic health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlasma fasting glucose (FG) levels play a pivotal role in the diagnosis of prediabetes and diabetes worldwide. Here we investigated FG values using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices in nondiabetic adults aged 40-70 years. FG was measured during 59,565 morning windows of 8,315 individuals (7.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCardiometabolic diseases are a major public-health concern owing to their increasing prevalence worldwide. These diseases are characterized by a high degree of interindividual variability with regards to symptoms, severity, complications and treatment responsiveness. Recent technological advances, and the growing availability of wearable and digital devices, are now making it feasible to profile individuals in ever-increasing depth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAssessing the impact of cesarean delivery (CD) on long-term childhood outcomes is challenging as conducting a randomized controlled trial is rarely feasible and inferring it from observational data may be confounded. Utilizing data from electronic health records of 737,904 births, we defined and emulated a target trial to estimate the effect of CD on predefined long-term pediatric outcomes. Causal effects were estimated using pooled logistic regression and standardized survival curves, leveraging data breadth to account for potential confounders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic poses multiple psychologically stressful challenges and is associated with an increased risk for mental illness. Previous studies have focused on the psychopathological symptoms associated with the outbreak peak. Here, we examined the behavioural and mental-health impact of the pandemic in Israel using an online survey, during the six weeks encompassing the end of the first outbreak and the beginning of the second.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Multiple voluntary surveillance platforms were developed across the world in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, providing a real-time understanding of population-based COVID-19 epidemiology. During this time, testing criteria broadened and health-care policies matured. We aimed to test whether there were consistent associations of symptoms with SARS-CoV-2 test status across three surveillance platforms in three countries (two platforms per country), during periods of testing and policy changes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe 10 K is a large-scale prospective longitudinal cohort and biobank that was established in Israel. The primary aims of the study include development of prediction models for disease onset and progression and identification of novel molecular markers with a diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic value. The recruitment was initiated in 2018 and is expected to complete in 2021.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Multiple participatory surveillance platforms were developed across the world in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, providing a real-time understanding of community-wide COVID-19 epidemiology. During this time, testing criteria broadened and healthcare policies matured. We sought to test whether there were consistent associations of symptoms with SARS-CoV-2 test status across three national surveillance platforms, during periods of testing and policy changes, and whether inconsistencies could better inform our understanding and future studies as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The gold standard for COVID-19 diagnosis is detection of viral RNA through PCR. Due to global limitations in testing capacity, effective prioritization of individuals for testing is essential.
Methods: We devised a model estimating the probability of an individual to test positive for COVID-19 based on answers to 9 simple questions that have been associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdenosine to inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing is a highly conserved regulatory process carried out by adenosine-deaminases (ADARs) on double-stranded RNA (dsRNAs). Although a considerable fraction of the transcriptome is edited, the function of most editing sites is unknown. Previous studies indicate changes in A-to-I RNA editing frequencies following exposure to several stress types.
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