Association of Increased Sun Exposure Over the Life-course with a Reduced Risk of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

Cutaneous sun exposure is an important determinant of circulating vitamin D. Both sun exposure and vitamin D have been inversely associated with risk of autoimmune disease. In juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), low circulating vitamin D appears common, but disease-related behavioral changes may have influenced sun exposure.

Overview of a Disease Outbreak and Introduction of a Step-by-Step Protocol for the Eradication of Mycobacterium haemophilum in a Zebrafish System.

In 2017, the zebrafish unit at University of Glasgow experienced a detrimental outbreak of pathogenic bacterium, Mycobacterium haemophilum. The presence of other bacterial species was also confirmed by bacteriology growth in the same unit. The affected individuals composed of a wild-origin parental population sourced from India and their F1 offspring generation.

Association of adiposity measures in childhood and adulthood with knee cartilage thickness, volume and bone area in young adults.

Objective: To describe the associations of childhood and adulthood adiposity measures with knee cartilage thickness, volume and bone area in young adults.

Methods: Childhood and adulthood adiposity measures (weight, height, waist circumference and hip circumference) of 186 participants were collected in 1985 (aged 7-15 years) and during 2004-2006 (aged 26-36 years). Knee magnetic resonance imaging was conducted during 2008-2010 (aged 31-41 years) and cartilage thickness, volume and bone area were measured using a quantitative approach (Chondrometrics, Germany).

Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Provides Additional Prognostic Information in Cystic Fibrosis.

Rationale: The prognostic value of cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) for survival in cystic fibrosis (CF) in the context of current clinical management, when controlling for other known prognostic factors, is unclear.

Objectives: To determine the prognostic value of CPET-derived measures beyond peak oxygen uptake ( opeak) following rigorous adjustment for other predictors.

Methods: Data from 10 CF centers in Australia, Europe, and North America were collected retrospectively.

The great leap backward: changes in the jumping performance of Australian children aged 11-12-years between 1985 and 2015.

Previous data have indicated relative stability over time of paediatric jumping performance, but few data exist since the early 2000s. This study quantified the 30-year secular changes in jumping performance of Australian children aged 11-12-years using data from the Australian Schools Health and Fitness Survey (1985, n = 1967) and Growing Up in Australia's Child Health CheckPoint (2015, n = 1765). Both cohorts measured jumping performance (standing long jump distance), anthropometric and demographic data.

Elevated blood pressure and risk of aortic valve disease: a cohort analysis of 5.4 million UK adults.

Aims: To test two related hypotheses that elevated blood pressure (BP) is a risk factor for aortic valve stenosis (AS) or regurgitation (AR).

Methods And Results: In this cohort study of 5.4 million UK patients with no known cardiovascular disease or aortic valve disease at baseline, we investigated the relationship between BP and risk of incident AS and AR using multivariable-adjusted Cox regression models.

Association of childhood obesity with female infertility in adulthood: a 25-year follow-up study.

Objective: To evaluate whether childhood obesity is associated with infertility in women's reproductive-aged life.

Design: Prospective longitudinal study.

Setting: Not applicable.

Short-term Outcomes of Arthroscopic Debridement and Selected Acromioplasty of Bursal- vs Articular-Sided Partial-Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears of Less Than 50.

Background: While it is believed that good results can be achieved by arthroscopic debridement of partial-thickness tears (PTTs) of <50% tendon thickness, few studies have directly compared the treatment of articular- versus bursal-sided PTTs of <50%.

Purpose: To compare the postoperative outcomes of patients with articular- versus bursal-sided PTTs of <50% tendon thickness that were treated with arthroscopic debridement and selective acromioplasty (for type II or III acromions).

Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Impact of symptom bilaterality and hand dominance on patient-reported disability outcomes.

Objectives: It is not clear if using patients with bilateral symptoms would impact the level of disability reported in orthopaedic research. The purposes of this study were to (1) examine the prevalence of bilateral shoulder symptoms (significant pain, stiffness or weakness affecting function) in patients with rotator cuff impingement syndrome, rotator cuff tear and osteoarthritis of the glenohumeral joint, (2) explore risk factors associated with bilateral shoulder symptoms, and (3) examine the impact of symptom bilaterality and hand dominance on pre- and post-operative patient-oriented disability outcomes.

Methods: This study involved secondary analysis of prospectively collected data of patients who had undergone shoulder surgery and had returned for their 1-year follow-up.

Origin-Destination Flow Maps in Immersive Environments.

Immersive virtual- and augmented-reality headsets can overlay a flat image against any surface or hang virtual objects in the space around the user. The technology is rapidly improving and may, in the long term, replace traditional flat panel displays in many situations. When displays are no longer intrinsically flat, how should we use the space around the user for abstract data visualisation? In this paper, we ask this question with respect to origin-destination flow data in a global geographic context.

Predictive utility of childhood anthropometric measures on adult glucose homeostasis measures: a 20-year cohort study.

Background/objectives: Childhood body mass index (BMI) predicts adult glucose homeostasis measures and type 2 diabetes mellitus, but little is known about the predictive utility of other anthropometric measures in childhood. We aimed to identify the anthropometric measure in childhood that best predicts adult glucose homeostasis measures and examine if the combination of additional anthropometric measures further improves predictive utility.

Methods: A 20-year follow-up of children participating in the Childhood Determinants of Adult Health Study (n = 2345, aged 7-15 years at baseline).

The association between birth order and childhood leukemia may be modified by paternal age and birth weight. Pooled results from the International Childhood Cancer Cohort Consortium (I4C).

The "delayed infection hypothesis" states that a paucity of infections in early childhood may lead to higher risks of childhood leukemia (CL), especially acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Using prospectively collected data from six population-based birth cohorts we studied the association between birth order (a proxy for pathogen exposure) and CL. We explored whether other birth or parental characteristics modify this association.

Saturated Salt Solution Cadaver-Embalming Method Improves Orthopaedic Surgical Skills Training.

Background: Human cadaver surgical skills training offers the highest-fidelity simulation of the operative environment, with the potential to enhance surgeon training and to reduce operative risks to patients. Embalming extends the duration that a cadaveric specimen may be used for surgical skills training and reduces the risk of disease transmission, but it can alter the properties of the cadaver tissue, reducing the simulation fidelity and training quality. The purpose of this controlled laboratory study was to evaluate 3 embalming methods, formaldehyde solution, alcohol-glycol solution, and saturated salt solution, and to compare their relative performance in a 2-week orthopaedic surgical skills training course.

Cross-Sectional Associations between Dietary Fat-Related Behaviors and Continuous Metabolic Syndrome Score among Young Australian Adults.

Dietary guidelines recommend removing visible fat from meat, choosing low-fat options and cooking with oil instead of butter. This study examined cross-sectional associations between fat-related eating behaviors and a continuous metabolic syndrome (cMetSyn) score among young adults. During 2004⁻2006, 2071 participants aged 26⁻36 years reported how often they trimmed fat from meat, consumed low-fat dairy products and used different types of fat for cooking.

Graph Thumbnails: Identifying and Comparing Multiple Graphs at a Glance.

We propose Graph Thumbnails, small icon-like visualisations of the high-level structure of network data. Graph Thumbnails are designed to be legible in small multiples to support rapid browsing within large graph corpora. Compared to existing graph-visualisation techniques our representation has several advantages: (1) the visualisation can be computed in linear time; (2) it is canonical in the sense that isomorphic graphs will always have identical thumbnails; and (3) it provides precise information about the graph structure.

Longitudinal associations between TV viewing and BMI not explained by the 'mindless eating' or 'physical activity displacement' hypotheses among adults.

Background: The mechanisms explaining the positive relationship between television (TV) viewing and body mass index (BMI) are unclear. 'Mindless eating' and 'physical activity displacement' theories have been suggested, but have not been tested longitudinally among young adults. This study aimed to determine whether longitudinal associations between young adults' TV viewing and BMI are explained by changes in TV-related food and beverage consumption (FBC) and/or leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) over 5 years among young adults.

Childhood adiposity, adult adiposity, and the ACE gene insertion/deletion polymorphism: evidence of gene-environment interaction effects on adult blood pressure and hypertension status in adulthood.

Background: Genetic variants may modify the associations of adiposity measures with blood pressure (BP) and hypertension. The insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene is an attractive candidate.

Aims: To examine interaction effects between I/D polymorphism and adiposity measures (BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and skinfold thickness) during childhood and adulthood in relation to adult BP and hypertension.

Association of childhood adiposity measures with adulthood knee cartilage defects and bone marrow lesions: a 25-year cohort study.

Objective: To describe the associations between childhood adiposity measures and adulthood knee cartilage defects and bone marrow lesions (BMLs) measured 25 years later.

Methods: 327 participants from the Australian Schools Health and Fitness Survey (ASHFS) of 1985 (aged 7-15 years) were followed up 25 years later (aged 31-41 years). Childhood measures (weight, height and skinfolds) were collected in 1985.

Inherited Genetic Variants Associated with Melanoma BRAF/NRAS Subtypes.

BRAF and NRAS mutations arise early in melanoma development, but their associations with low-penetrance melanoma susceptibility loci remain unknown. In the Genes, Environment and Melanoma Study, 1,223 European-origin participants had their incident invasive primary melanomas screened for BRAF/NRAS mutations and germline DNA genotyped for 47 single-nucleotide polymorphisms identified as low-penetrant melanoma-risk variants. We used multinomial logistic regression to simultaneously examine each single-nucleotide polymorphism's relationship to BRAF V600E, BRAF V600K, BRAF other, and NRAS+ relative to BRAF-/NRAS- melanoma adjusted for study features.

The International Childhood Cardiovascular Cohort (i3C) consortium outcomes study of childhood cardiovascular risk factors and adult cardiovascular morbidity and mortality: Design and recruitment.

Although it is widely thought that childhood levels of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors are related to adult CV disease, longitudinal data directly linking the two are lacking. This paper describes the design and organization of the International Childhood Cardiovascular Cohort Consortium Outcomes Study (i3C Outcomes), the first longitudinal cohort study designed to locate adults with detailed, repeated, childhood biological, physical, and socioeconomic measurements and a harmonized database. I3C Outcomes uses a Heart Health Survey (HHS) to obtain information on adult CV endpoints, using mail, email, telephone, and clinic visits in the United States (U.

Polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms ( 5-HTTLPR) modifies the association between significant life events and depression in people with multiple sclerosis.

Background: In the general population, variation in the serotonin-transporter-linked polymorphic region ( 5-HTTLPR) has been shown to modify the association between stressful events and depression/anxiety. This has not been examined in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Objective: We examined the interaction between significant life events (SLE), 5-HTTLPR and depression/anxiety.

Bone health, activity and sedentariness at age 11-12 years: Cross-sectional Australian population-derived study.

Aim: To examine cross-sectional associations of children's bone health (size, density, strength) with moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behaviour by considering: (1) duration of activity, (2) fragmentation, and (3) duration/fragmentation combined.

Methods: Design: Population-based cross-sectional study.

Participants: 11-12 year-olds in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children's Child Health CheckPoint.

Higher parental occupational social contact is associated with a reduced risk of incident pediatric type 1 diabetes: Mediation through molecular enteroviral indices.

We aimed to examine the association between parental occupational social contact and hygiene factors on type 1 diabetes (T1D) risk and possible mediation of these effects through child enteroviral infection. We interviewed 333 incident T1D cases and 660 controls from 2008-2011 in Melbourne, Australia. Enteroviral indices (ribonucleic acid by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Coxsackie B virus antibody levels) in peripheral blood were measured in nested case control samples.

Childhood cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness and adult measures of glucose homeostasis.

Objectives: To assess whether childhood cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and muscular fitness phenotypes (strength, power, endurance) predict adult glucose homeostasis measures.

Design: Prospective longitudinal study.

Methods: Study examining participants who had physical fitness measured in childhood (aged 7-15 years) and who attended follow-up clinics approximately 20 years later and provided a fasting blood sample which was tested for glucose and insulin.

Inhaled mannitol for cystic fibrosis.

Background: Several agents are used to clear secretions from the airways of people with cystic fibrosis. Mannitol increases mucociliary clearance, but its exact mechanism of action is unknown. The dry powder formulation of mannitol may be more convenient and easier to use compared with established agents which require delivery via a nebuliser.