The pathway to diagnosis and follow-up care for atrial fibrillation in Sri Lanka: a descriptive longitudinal study.

Background: Early diagnosis and continuity of care is vital for atrial fibrillation (AF), to reduce stroke ; There is a lack of understanding of when and how AF is being diagnosed and managed the care pathway) in in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We aimed to identify the AF care pathway in Northern Province, Sri Lanka and determine how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the care pathway.

Methods: This descriptive longitudinal study utilised two quantitative questionnaires to evaluate the AF pathway: The first questionnaire (baseline) was used to identify where AF was being diagnosed and the second questionnaire (3 months following baseline) was used to identify where and how often AF follow-up care was being received.

Policy implementation and recommended actions to create healthy food environments using the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI): a comparative analysis in South Asia.

Background: The increasing prevalence of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in South Asia is concerning, with type 2 diabetes projected to rise to 68%, compared to the global increase of 44%. Encouraging healthy diets requires stronger policies for healthier food environments.

Methods: This study reviewed and assessed food environment policies in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka from 2020 to 2022 using the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI) and compared them with global best practices.

Diagnostic accuracy of digital technologies compared with 12-lead ECG in the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation in adults: A protocol for a systematic review.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmia in the world. AF increases the risk of stroke 5-fold, though the risk can be reduced with appropriate treatment. Therefore, early diagnosis is imperative but remains a global challenge.

The impact of COVID-19 on health care accessibility and financial risk protection in Sri Lanka.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the global economy, disrupted essential health services, and distorted social determinants of health, reducing healthcare accessibility and increasing financial risk.

Aim: we aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare accessibility and financial risk protection in Sri Lanka.

Methodology: We conducted a cross-sectional study on a representative sample (multi-stage sampling process) of 3151 households in 105 clusters representing all the districts of Sri Lanka.

Generalisability of and lessons learned from a mixed-methods study conducted in three low- and middle-income countries to identify care pathways for atrial fibrillation.

Background: Identifying existing care pathways is the first step for understanding how services can be improved to enable early diagnosis and effective follow-up care for non-communicable diseases (NCDs); however, evidence on how care pathways can and should be identified in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is lacking.

Objective: To describe generalisability and lessons learned from recruitment and data collection for the quantitative component of a mixed methods study designed to determine the care pathway for atrial fibrillation (AF) in Brazil, China and Sri Lanka.

Methods: Adults (≥18 years) that spoke the local language and with an AF diagnosis were eligible.

Identification of Potential Biomarkers and Small Molecule Drugs for Bisphosphonate-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (BRONJ): An Integrated Bioinformatics Study Using Big Data.

This study aimed to identify potential molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets for bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ), a rare but serious side effect of bisphosphonate therapy. This study analyzed a microarray dataset (GSE7116) of multiple myeloma patients with BRONJ = 11) and controls ( = 10), and performed gene ontology, a pathway enrichment analysis, and a protein-protein interaction network analysis. A total of 1481 differentially expressed genes were identified, including 381 upregulated and 1100 downregulated genes, with enriched functions and pathways related to apoptosis, RNA splicing, signaling pathways, and lipid metabolism.

Predicting Key Genes and Therapeutic Molecular Modelling to Explain the Association between () and Alzheimer's Disease (AD).

The association between () and Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains unclear. The major aim of this study was to elucidate the role of genes and molecular targets in -associated AD. Two Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets, GSE5281 for AD (n = 84 Alzheimer's, n = 74 control) and GSE9723 (n = 4 , n = 4 control), were downloaded from the GEO database.

The impact of rate and rhythm control strategies on quality of life for patients with atrial fibrillation: a protocol for a systematic review.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart arrhythmia globally and it adversely affects the quality of life (QoL). Available rate and rhythm control strategies equally reduce mortality but may impact QoL differently. A number of systematic reviews have focused on the impact of specific strategies on QoL, though a 2006 review synthesized the evidence on the effect of all strategies on QoL, allowing for a clinically important comparison between the types of strategies.

Prevalence of atrial fibrillation in Northern Sri Lanka: a study protocol for a cross-sectional household survey.

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia globally. It is associated with a fivefold risk in stroke, but early diagnosis and effective treatment can reduce this risk. AF is often underdiagnosed, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) where screening for AF is not always feasible or considered common practice in primary care settings.

Cardiovascular Health and Atrial Fibrillation or Flutter: A Cross-Sectional Study from ELSA-Brasil.

Background: The association between ideal cardiovascular health (ICVH) status and atrial fibrillation or flutter (AFF) diagnosis has been less studied compared to other cardiovascular diseases.

Objective: To analyze the association between AFF diagnosis and ICVH metrics and scores in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil).

Methods: This study analyzed data from 13,141 participants with complete data.

Healthcare provider and patient perspectives on access to and management of atrial fibrillation in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka: a rapid evaluation of barriers and facilitators to care.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia that affects 60 million people worldwide. Limited evidence on AF management exists from low- and middle-income countries and none from Sri Lanka. We aimed to investigate the existing AF care pathway and patients' perception on AF management to identify barriers and enablers for optimal AF care in Northern Province, Sri Lanka.

Food environment and diabetes mellitus in South Asia: A geospatial analysis of health outcome data.

Background: The global epidemic of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) renders its prevention a major public health priority. A key risk factor of diabetes is obesity and poor diets. Food environments have been found to influence people's diets and obesity, positing they may play a role in the prevalence of diabetes.

Food environments and obesity: A geospatial analysis of the South Asia Biobank, income and sex inequalities.

Introduction: In low-middle income countries (LMICs) the role of food environments on obesity has been understudied. We address this gap by 1) examining the effect of food environments on adults' body size (BMI, waist circumference) and obesity; 2) measuring the heterogeneity of such effects by income and sex.

Methods: This cross-sectional study analysed South Asia Biobank surveillance and environment mapping data for 12,167 adults collected between 2018 and 2020 from 33 surveillance sites in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Combined Oral Contraceptives, and the Risk of Dysglycemia: A Population-Based Cohort Study With a Nested Pharmacoepidemiological Case-Control Study.

Objective: Irregular menstrual cycles are associated with increased cardiovascular mortality. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by androgen excess and irregular menses; androgens are drivers of increased metabolic risk in women with PCOS. Combined oral contraceptive pills (COCPs) are used in PCOS both for cycle regulation and to reduce the biologically active androgen fraction.

Low uptake of COVID-19 prevention behaviours and high socioeconomic impact of lockdown measures in South Asia: Evidence from a large-scale multi-country surveillance programme.

Background: South Asia has become a major epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding South Asians' awareness, attitudes and experiences of early measures for the prevention of COVID-19 is key to improving the effectiveness and mitigating the social and economic impacts of pandemic responses at a critical time for the Region.

Methods: We assessed the knowledge, behaviours, health and socio-economic circumstances of 29,809 adult men and women, at 93 locations across four South Asian countries.

Increased risk of obstructive sleep apnoea in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a population-based cohort study.

Objective: Obesity is very common in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Longitudinal studies assessing OSA risk in PCOS and examining the role of obesity are lacking. Our objective was to assess the risk of OSA in women with vs without PCOS and to examine the role of obesity in the observed findings.

Serum testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin and sex-specific risk of incident type 2 diabetes in a retrospective primary care cohort.

Objective: Previous studies suggest that androgens have a sexually dimorphic impact on metabolic dysfunction. However, the sex-specific link between circulating androgens and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has not been examined in a large scale, longitudinal cohort, a task we undertook in this study.

Design: A retrospective cohort study in a UK primary care database.

Polycystic ovary syndrome, androgen excess, and the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in women: A longitudinal study based on a United Kingdom primary care database.

Background: Androgen excess is a defining feature of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which affects 10% of women and represents a lifelong metabolic disorder, with increased risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular events. Previous studies have suggested an increased risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in individuals with PCOS and implicated androgen excess as a potential driver.

Methods And Findings: We carried out a retrospective longitudinal cohort study utilizing a large primary care database in the United Kingdom, evaluating NAFLD rates in 63,120 women with PCOS and 121,064 age-, body mass index (BMI)-, and location-matched control women registered from January 2000 to May 2016.

Males with prolactinoma are at increased risk of incident cardiovascular disease.

Objective: To investigate whether the risk of incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) is increased in patients with prolactinoma.

Design: Population-based, retrospective, open-cohort study using The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database.

Patients: A total of 2233 patients with prolactinoma and 10 355 matched controls (1:5 ratio) from UK General Practices contributing to THIN were included.

Metabolically Healthy Obese and Incident Cardiovascular Disease Events Among 3.5 Million Men and Women.

Background: Previous studies have been unclear about the cardiovascular risks for metabolically healthy obese individuals.

Objectives: This study examined the associations among metabolically healthy obese individuals and 4 different presentations of incident cardiovascular disease in a contemporary population.

Methods: We used linked electronic health records (1995 to 2015) in The Health Improvement Network (THIN) to assemble a cohort of 3.

Cluster-randomised trial of the impact of school-based deworming and iron supplementation on the cognitive abilities of schoolchildren in Sri Lanka's plantation sector.

Objective: To assess the impact of deworming and iron supplementation on the cognitive abilities and educational achievement of school-age children in Sri Lanka.

Methods: Prospective, placebo-controlled randomised study. The treatment group received deworming and weekly iron supplementation for 6 months; the control group received placebo for both the anthelmintic and iron.

Analysis of effects of meteorological factors on dengue incidence in Sri Lanka using time series data.

In tropical and subtropical regions of eastern and South-eastern Asia, dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) outbreaks occur frequently. Previous studies indicate an association between meteorological variables and dengue incidence using time series analyses. The impacts of meteorological changes can affect dengue outbreak.