Strategies to Increase Response Rate and Reduce Nonresponse Bias in Population Health Research: Analysis of a Series of Randomized Controlled Experiments during a Large COVID-19 Study.

Background: High response rates are needed in population-based studies, as nonresponse reduces effective sample size and bias affects accuracy and decreases the generalizability of the study findings.

Objective: We tested different strategies to improve response rate and reduce nonresponse bias in a national population-based COVID-19 surveillance program in England, United Kingdom.

Methods: Over 19 rounds, a random sample of individuals aged 5 years and older from the general population in England were invited by mail to complete a web-based questionnaire and return a swab for SARS-CoV-2 testing.

Heteroleptic Coumarin-Based Silver(I) Complexes: Possible New Antimicrobial Agents.

Heteroleptic coumarin-based silver(I) complexes with improved solubility profiles were synthesised using either triphenylphosphine or an -heterocyclic carbene as adduct ligands, and were fully characterised using IR and NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and, where possible, X-ray crystallography. The triphenylphosphine adducts formed well-resolved structures, where the oxyacetate ligands asymmetrically chelated the silver(I) ion in a bidentate chelating mode, and the silver(I) ion was also bound to two triphenylphosphine ligands. The solubility profile and photostability of the adducts were considerably improved compared to those of previously isolated simple coumarin silver(I) complexes.

Distinct virologic trajectories in chronic hepatitis B identify heterogeneity in response to nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy.

Background & Aims: The dynamics of HBV viral load (VL) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) on nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) treatment and its relationship with liver disease are poorly understood. We aimed to study longitudinal VL patterns and their associations with CHB clinical outcomes.

Methods: Utilising large scale, routinely collected electronic health records from six centres in England, collated by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Health Informatics Collaborative (NIHR HIC), we applied latent class mixed models to investigate VL trajectory patterns in adults receiving NA treatment.

The charge transport properties of dicyanomethylene-functionalised violanthrone derivatives.

The study of organic small molecule semiconductor materials as active components of organic electronic devices continues to attract considerable attention due to the range of advantages these molecules can offer. Here, we report the synthesis of three dicyanomethylene-functionalised violanthrone derivatives (, and ) featuring different alkyl substituents. It is found that the introduction of the electron-deficient dicyanomethylene groups significantly improves the optical absorption compared to their previously reported precursors -.

Understanding the Impact of SAM Fermi Levels on High Efficiency p-i-n Perovskite Solar Cells.

Completing the picture of the underlying physics of perovskite solar cell interfaces that incorporate self-assembled molecular layers (SAMs) will accelerate further progress in p-i-n devices. In this work, we modified the Fermi level of a nickel oxide-perovskite interface by utilizing SAM layers with a range of dipole strengths to establish the link between the resulting shift of the built-in potential of the solar cell and the device parameters. To achieve this, we fabricated a series of high-efficiency perovskite solar cells with no hysteresis and characterized them through stabilize and pulse (SaP), JV curve, and time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) measurements.

Views and Uses of Sepsis Digital Alerts in National Health Service Trusts in England: Qualitative Study With Health Care Professionals.

Background: Sepsis is a common cause of serious illness and death. Sepsis management remains challenging and suboptimal. To support rapid sepsis diagnosis and treatment, screening tools have been embedded into hospital digital systems to appear as digital alerts.

Impact of a community-based participatory research project with underserved communities at risk for hepatitis C virus in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: an evaluation study.

Background: Participatory approaches have become a widely applied research approach. Despite their popularity, there are many challenges associated with the evaluation of participatory projects. Here we describe an evaluation of a community-based participatory research study of underserved communities in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam at risk for hepatitis C virus.

Sex inequalities in cardiovascular risk prediction.

Aims: Evaluate sex differences in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction, including use of (i) optimal sex-specific risk predictors and (ii) sex-specific risk thresholds.

Methods And Results: Prospective cohort study using UK Biobank, including 121 724 and 182 632 healthy men and women, respectively, aged 38-73 years at baseline. There were 11 899 (men) and 9110 (women) incident CVD cases (hospitalization or mortality) with a median of 12.

MAVMET trial: maraviroc and/or metformin for metabolic dysfunction associated fatty liver disease in adults with suppressed HIV.

Objective: Metabolic dysfunction associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is over-represented in people with HIV (PWH). Maraviroc (MVC) and/or metformin (MET) may reduce MAFLD by influencing inflammatory pathways and fatty acid metabolism.

Design: Open-label, 48-week randomized trial with a 2 x 2 factorial design.

Cognition and Memory after Covid-19 in a Large Community Sample.

Background: Cognitive symptoms after coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), are well-recognized. Whether objectively measurable cognitive deficits exist and how long they persist are unclear.

Methods: We invited 800,000 adults in a study in England to complete an online assessment of cognitive function.

Progress towards elimination of viral hepatitis: a Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology Commission update.

The top 20 highest burdened countries (in disability-adjusted life years) account for more than 75% of the global burden of viral hepatitis. An effective response in these 20 countries is crucial if global elimination targets are to be achieved. In this update of the Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology Commission on accelerating the elimination of viral hepatitis, we convene national experts from each of the top 20 highest burdened countries to provide an update on progress.

Antibody prevalence after three or more COVID-19 vaccine doses in individuals who are immunosuppressed in the UK: a cross-sectional study from MELODY.

Background: In the UK, additional COVID-19 vaccine booster doses and treatments are offered to people who are immunosuppressed to protect against severe COVID-19, but how best to choose the individuals that receive these vaccine booster doses and treatments is unclear. We investigated the association between seropositivity to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with demographic, disease, and treatment-related characteristics after at least three COVID-19 vaccines in three cohorts of people who are immunosuppressed.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study using UK national disease registries, we identified, contacted, and recruited recipients of solid organ transplants, participants with rare autoimmune rheumatic diseases, and participants with lymphoid malignancies who were 18 years or older, resident in the UK, and who had received at least three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Protocol for the challenge non-typhoidal (CHANTS) study: a first-in-human, in-patient, double-blind, randomised, safety and dose-escalation controlled human infection model in the UK.

Introduction: Invasive non-typhoidal (iNTS) serovars are a major cause of community-acquired bloodstream infections in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In this setting, serovar Typhimurium accounts for two-thirds of infections and is associated with an estimated case fatality rate of 15%-20%. Several iNTS vaccine candidates are in early-stage assessment which-if found effective-would provide a valuable public health tool to reduce iNTS disease burden.

Synergistic topological and supramolecular control of Diels-Alder reactivity based on a tunable self-complexing host-guest molecular switch.

Compartmentalization and binding-triggered conformational change regulate many metabolic processes in living matter. Here, we have synergistically combined these two biorelevant processes to tune the Diels-Alder (DA) reactivity of a synthetic self-complexing host-guest molecular switch CBPQT -Fu, consisting of an electron-rich furan unit covalently attached to the electron-deficient cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) tetrachloride (CBPQT , 4Cl ) host. This design allows CBPQT -Fu to efficiently compartmentalize the furan ring inside its host cavity in water, thereby protecting it from the DA reaction with maleimide.

Long-term health impacts of COVID-19 among 242,712 adults in England.

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a lasting impact on health and well-being. We compare current self-reported health, quality of life and symptom profiles for people with ongoing symptoms following COVID-19 to those who have never tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection and those who have recovered from COVID-19. Overall, 276,840/800,000 (34·6%) of invited participants took part.

The Challenge Non-Typhoidal (CHANTS) Consortium: Development of a non-typhoidal controlled human infection model: Report from a consultation group workshop, 05 July 2022, London, UK.

Invasive non-typhoidal disease (iNTS) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally, particularly as a cause of bloodstream infection in children and immunocompromised adults in sub-Saharan Africa. Vaccines to prevent non-typhoidal (NTS) would represent a valuable public health tool in this setting to avert cases and prevent expansion of antimicrobial resistance. Several NTS and combination typhoidal-NTS vaccine candidates are in early-stage development, although the pathway to licensure is unclear due to challenges in conducting large phase III field trials.

Structural and solution speciation studies on selected [Cu(NN)(OO)] complexes and an investigation of their biomimetic activity, ROS generation and their cytotoxicity in normoxic, hypoxic and anoxic environments in MCF-7 breast cancer-derived cells.

Reactive oxygen species(ROS) generation with subsequent DNA damage is one of the principle mechanisms of action assigned to copper-based anticancer complexes. The efficacy of this type of chemotherapeutic may be reduced in the low oxygen environment of tumours. In this study the cytotoxicity of three complexes, [Cu(dips)(phen)] (1), [Cu(ph)(phen)]·2HO (2) and [Cu(ph)(bpy)]·HO (3) (disp: 3,5-diisopropylsalicylate, phen: 1,10- phenanthroline, ph: phthalate, bpy: 2,2'-bipyridyl) were assessed for anticancer activity in the breast-cancer derived MCF-7 line under normoxic, hypoxic and anoxic conditions.

Glecaprevir-pibrentasvir for 4 weeks among people with recent HCV infection: The TARGET3D study.

Background & Aims: Short duration treatment may aid HCV elimination among key populations. This study evaluated the efficacy of glecaprevir-pibrentasvir for 4 weeks among people with recent HCV infection.

Methods: In this single-arm multicentre international trial, adults with recent HCV (duration of infection <12 months) received glecaprevir-pibrentasvir 300 mg-120 mg daily for 4 weeks.

Design and Implementation of a National Program to Monitor the Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG Antibodies in England Using Self-Testing: The REACT-2 Study.

The UK Department of Health and Social Care funded the REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-2 (REACT-2) study to estimate community prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG (immunoglobulin G) antibodies in England. We obtained random cross-sectional samples of adults from the National Health Service (NHS) patient list (near-universal coverage). We sent participants a lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) self-test, and they reported the result online.

SARS-CoV-2 rapid antibody test results and subsequent risk of hospitalisation and death in 361,801 people.

The value of SARS-CoV-2 lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) tests for estimating individual disease risk is unclear. The REACT-2 study in England, UK, obtained self-administered SARS-CoV-2 LFIA test results from 361,801 adults in January-May 2021. Here, we link to routine data on subsequent hospitalisation (to September 2021), and death (to December 2021).