Verbal assessment to confirm nursing associates' occupational readiness.

The aim of nursing programmes is to produce employees who are occupationally ready. One method to assess occupational readiness is a verbal examination of subject area knowledge and understanding. This assessment type is used at a higher education institution in the north of England deemed outstanding by Ofsted.

Assessing Metabolic Ageing via DNA Methylation Surrogate Markers: A Multicohort Study in Britain, Ireland and the USA.

Metabolomics and epigenomics have been used to develop 'ageing clocks' that assess biological age and identify 'accelerated ageing'. While metabolites are subject to short-term variation, DNA methylation (DNAm) may capture longer-term metabolic changes. We aimed to develop a hybrid DNAm-metabolic clock using DNAm as metabolite surrogates ('DNAm-metabolites') for age prediction.

A Typology of US Public Health Work-Education Programs.

Objective: A pipeline is required to build a qualified and diverse public health workforce. Work-education programs offer public health students experiential learning, training, and a pathway to public health professions. However, there is a gap in the literature to guide public health practice on the types of programs, their components, and their potential impact.

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.

Integration of genetic testing into diagnostic pathways for cardiomyopathies: a clinical consensus statement by the ESC Council on Cardiovascular Genomics.

In the modern era, cardiologists managing patients and families with cardiomyopathies need to be familiar with every stage of the diagnostic pathway from clinical phenotyping to the prescription and interpretation of genetic tests. This clinical consensus statement from the ESC Council for Cardiovascular Genomics aims to promote the integration of genetic testing into routine cardiac care of patients with cardiomyopathies, as recommended in the 2023 ESC guidelines for cardiomyopathies. The document describes the types of genetic tests currently available and provides advice on their prescription and for counselling after the return of genetic findings, including the approach in patients and families with variants of unknown significance.

Key priorities for the implementation of the 2023 ESC Guidelines for the Management of Cardiomyopathies in low resource settings.

ESC Guidelines provide best practice, evidence-based recommendations for diagnosing and treating patients with cardiovascular diseases. It is not always possible for best practices to be followed, however, particularly in low-resource settings. To address this issue, a set of guideline-related documents were created to identify key priorities for users in these settings.

The dual ubiquitin binding mode of SPRTN secures rapid spatiotemporal proteolysis of DNA-protein crosslinks.

DNA-protein crosslinks (DPCs) are endogenous and chemotherapy-induced genotoxic DNA lesions and, if not repaired, lead to embryonic lethality, neurodegeneration, premature ageing, and cancer. DPCs are heavily polyubiquitinated, and the SPRTN protease and 26S proteasome emerged as two central enzymes for DPC proteolysis. The proteasome recognises its substrates by their ubiquitination status.

Electrophysiological Phenotype-Genotype Study of Sustained Monomorphic Ventricular Tachycardia in Inherited, High Arrhythmic Risk, Left Ventricular Cardiomyopathy.

Background: Among inherited cardiomyopathies involving the left ventricle, whether dilated or not, certain genotypes carry a well-established arrhythmic risk, notably manifested as sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (SMVT). Nonetheless, the precise localization and electrophysiological profile of this substrate remain undisclosed across different genotypes.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and left ventricle involvement due to high-risk genetic variants and SMVT treated by electrophysiological study were recruited from 18 European/US centers.

The relationships between sleep and adiposity amongst multi-ethnic Asian populations: a cross-sectional analysis of the Health for Life in Singapore (HELIOS) study.

Background: Short sleep duration and poor sleep quality have been associated with obesity. Asian populations report shorter sleep duration compared to other groups. We therefore aimed to explore the relationships between sleep duration, sleep quality, dozing, daytime napping, snoring, insomnia and adiposity in a multi-ethnic Asian population, and investigate the potential contribution of disturbed sleep to the risk of obesity amongst Asian populations.

Multi-trait association analysis reveals shared genetic loci between Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular traits.

Several cardiovascular traits and diseases co-occur with Alzheimer's disease. We mapped their shared genetic architecture using multi-trait genome-wide association studies. Subsequent fine-mapping and colocalisation highlighted 16 genetic loci associated with both Alzheimer's and cardiovascular diseases.

Arrhythmic risk stratification in patients with left ventricular ring-like scar.

Aims: Left ventricular (LV) ring-like scar on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) has been linked to malignant arrhythmias in patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. This study aimed to perform a comprehensive evaluation of this phenotype and to identify risk factors for life-threatening arrhythmic events (LAEs), a composite of sudden cardiac death (SCD), aborted SCD, and sustained ventricular tachycardia.

Methods And Results: One-hundred-fifteen patients (median age 39 [IQR 28-52], 42% females) were identified at 6 referral centres.

Standard-of-Care Medication Withdrawal in Patients With Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Receiving Aficamten in FOREST-HCM.

Background: Standard-of-care (SoC) medications for the treatment of obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM) are recommended as first-line therapy despite the lack of evidence from controlled clinical trials and well known off-target side effects.

Objectives: We describe the impact of SoC therapy downtitration and withdrawal in patients already receiving aficamten in FOREST-HCM (Follow-Up, Open-Label, Research Evaluation of Sustained Treatment with Aficamten in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy; NCT04848506).

Methods: Patients receiving SoC therapy (beta-blocker, nondihydropyridine calcium-channel blocker, and/or disopyramide) were eligible for protocol-guided SoC downtitration and withdrawal at the discretion of the investigator and after achieving a stable dose of aficamten for ≥4 weeks.

The utility of wastewater surveillance for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 prevalence.

Public health authorities have increasingly used wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) to monitor community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other agents. In this study, we evaluate the utility of WBE during the COVID-19 pandemic in England for estimating SARS-CoV-2 prevalence. We use wastewater data from the Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection program and prevalence data from the REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-1 study.

Impact of Catheter Ablation on Atrial Fibrillation Burden and Symptoms in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is more common in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and is often highly symptomatic. The impact of catheter ablation (CA) may be under-reported when evaluated by long-term freedom from any atrial arrhythmia.

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate whether CA of AF in patients with HCM would significantly reduce AF burden and improve symptoms.

Patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells to study non-canonical splicing variants associated with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most prevalent inherited cardiomyopathy and a leading cause of sudden death. Genetic testing and familial cascade screening play a pivotal role in the clinical management of HCM patients. However, conventional genetic tests primarily focus on the detection of exonic and canonical splice site variation.

The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire in Relation to New York Heart Association Class.

Background: In order to identify candidacy and treatment response for patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM), clinicians need an accurate means of assessing symptoms, function, and quality of life. While the New York Heart Association (NYHA) Classification is most often used for this purpose, the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ-23) is more accurate and sensitive to change, although less familiar to practicing clinicians. To support interpreting the KCCQ-23, we describe cross-sectional and longitudinal changes in KCCQ scores in the context of the NYHA.