Publications by authors named "Finer S"

Correct classification of type 1 (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) is challenging due to overlapping clinical features and the increasingly early onset of T2D, particularly in South Asians. Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for T1D and T2D have been shown to work relatively well in South Asians, despite being derived from largely European-ancestry samples. Here we used PRSs to investigate the rate of potential misclassification of diabetes amongst British Bangladeshis and Pakistanis.

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While most pregnancies are affected by nausea and vomiting, hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is at the severe end of the clinical spectrum and is associated with dehydration, undernutrition, and adverse maternal, fetal, and child outcomes. Herein we performed a multi-ancestry genome-wide association study (GWAS) of severe nausea and vomiting of pregnancy of 10,974 cases and 461,461 controls across European, Asian, African, and Latino ancestries. We identified ten significantly associated loci, of which six were novel ( , , , , , and and confirmed previous genome-wide significant associations with risk genes , , , and .

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The Genes & Health study, an initiative focused on British-Pakistani and British-Bangladeshi volunteers, is at the forefront of diversifying genetic research and driving scientific innovation. Here, we explore how this study has propelled scientific advancements and positively impacted communities, emphasizing its collaborative ethos, dedication to societal needs, and accomplishments.

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While most pregnancies are affected by nausea and vomiting, hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is at the severe end of the clinical spectrum and is associated with dehydration, undernutrition, and adverse maternal, fetal, and child outcomes. Herein we performed a multi-ancestry genome-wide association study (GWAS) of severe nausea and vomiting of pregnancy of 10,974 cases and 461,461 controls across European, Asian, African, and Latino ancestries. We identified ten significantly associated loci, of which six were novel (, , , , , and , and confirmed previous genome-wide significant associations with risk genes , , , and .

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Article Synopsis
  • * The study identified that certain genetic predispositions, specifically related to insulin deficiency and fat distribution, are strongly linked to earlier T2D diagnosis, averaging 8.2 years sooner for those at high genetic risk.
  • * Individuals with these genetic risk factors also faced faster progression to serious complications, like needing insulin treatment and other health issues, and they showed poorer responses to diabetes medication compared to those with lower genetic risks.
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Understanding the genetic basis of routinely-acquired blood tests can provide insights into several aspects of human physiology. We report a genome-wide association study of 42 quantitative blood test traits defined using Electronic Healthcare Records (EHRs) of ~50,000 British Bangladeshi and British Pakistani adults. We demonstrate a causal variant within the PIEZO1 locus which was associated with alterations in red cell traits and glycated haemoglobin.

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Article Synopsis
  • Obesity and rapid weight gain are linked to severe disease from COVID-19, with societal changes during the pandemic affecting health behaviors like nutrition and exercise, contributing to weight gain.
  • A study analyzed healthcare records of over 17 million adults in England to assess weight gain before and during the pandemic, classifying individuals based on their rates of weight change and identifying those with significant increases.
  • Using logistic regression, researchers examined various factors (age, sex, deprivation level, ethnicity) associated with rapid weight gain and the acceleration of weight gain during COVID-19.
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Multimorbidity, the presence of a chronic condition in addition to cancer, is of particular importance to cancer survivors. It has an impact on the progression, stage at diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of cancer patients. Evidence is scarce on the prevalence of specific comorbidities in survivors of different cancers to inform prevention and management of multimorbidity.

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Article Synopsis
  • Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a complex disease influenced by various genetic factors and molecular mechanisms that vary by cell type and ancestry.
  • In a large study involving over 2.5 million individuals, researchers identified 1,289 significant genetic associations linked to T2D, including 145 new loci not previously reported.
  • The study categorized T2D signals into eight distinct clusters based on their connections to cardiometabolic traits and showed that these genetic profiles are linked to vascular complications, emphasizing the role of obesity-related processes across different ancestry groups.
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Background: COVID-19 pandemic restrictions may have influenced behaviours related to weight.

Aim: To describe patterns of weight change among adults living in England with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and/or hypertension during the pandemic.

Design And Setting: An observational cohort study using the routinely collected health data of approximately 40% of adults living in England, accessed through the OpenSAFELY service inside TPP.

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Social prescribing (SP) typically involves linking patients in primary care with a range of local, community-based, non-clinical services. While there is a growing body of literature investigating the effectiveness of SP in improving healthcare outcomes, questions remain about how such outcomes are achieved within the everyday complexity of community health systems. This qualitative case study, informed by practice theory, aimed to investigate how SP practices relevant to people at high risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) were enacted in a primary care and community setting serving a multi-ethnic, socioeconomically deprived population.

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Article Synopsis
  • - A new multi-ancestry genome-wide association study (GWAS) of major depression (MD) analyzed data from 88,316 cases and 902,757 controls, representing various ancestries including African, East Asian, South Asian, and Hispanic/Latin American.
  • - The study discovered 53 novel genetic loci significantly linked to MD, with fewer existing European ancestry loci proving relevant to other ancestry groups.
  • - A transcriptome-wide association study in this research identified 205 new genes associated with MD, highlighting the importance of diverse ancestry in genetic research for better understanding and finding relevant genes.
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Background: Genetics play an important role in risk for cardiometabolic diseases-including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity. Existing research has explored the clinical utility of genetic risk tools such as polygenic risk scores-and whether interventions communicating genetic risk information using these tools can impact on individuals' cognitive appraisals of disease risk and/or preventative health behaviours. Previous systematic reviews suggest mixed results.

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BackgroundThe NHS Test and Trace (NHSTT) programme was established in May 2020 in England to deliver SARS-CoV-2 testing and contact tracing in order to identify infected individuals and reduce COVID-19 spread. To further control transmission, people identified as contacts were asked to self-isolate for 10 days and test only if they became symptomatic. From March 2021, eligibility criteria for PCR testing expanded to include asymptomatic contacts of confirmed cases.

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Background: The population prevalence of multimorbidity (the existence of at least 2 or more long-term conditions [LTCs] in an individual) is increasing among young adults, particularly in minority ethnic groups and individuals living in socioeconomically deprived areas. In this study, we applied a data-driven approach to identify clusters of individuals who had an early onset multimorbidity in an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse population. We identified associations between clusters and a range of health outcomes.

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Background: Cytochrome P450 family 2 subfamily C member 19 (CYP2C19) is a hepatic enzyme involved in the metabolism of clopidogrel from a prodrug to its active metabolite. Prior studies of genetic polymorphisms in and their relationship with clinical efficacy have not included South Asian populations.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess prevalence of common genotype polymorphisms in a British-South Asian population and correlate these with recurrent myocardial infarction risk in participants prescribed clopidogrel.

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Autozygosity is associated with rare Mendelian disorders and clinically relevant quantitative traits. We investigated associations between the fraction of the genome in runs of homozygosity (F) and common diseases in Genes & Health (n = 23,978 British South Asians), UK Biobank (n = 397,184), and 23andMe. We show that restricting analysis to offspring of first cousins is an effective way of reducing confounding due to social/environmental correlates of F.

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This study assessed the contribution of five genes previously known to be involved in cholestatic liver disease in British Bangladeshi and Pakistani people. Five genes (ABCB4, ABCB11, ATP8B1, NR1H4, TJP2) were interrogated by exome sequencing data of 5236 volunteers. Included were non-synonymous or loss of function (LoF) variants with a minor allele frequency < 5%.

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Background: Social prescribing (SP) usually involves linking patients in primary care with services provided by the voluntary and community sector. Preliminary evidence suggests that SP may offer a means of connecting patients with community-based health promotion activities, potentially contributing to the prevention of long-term conditions, such as type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Methods: Using mixed-methods realist evaluation, we explored the possible contribution of SP to individual-level prevention of T2D in a multi-ethnic, socio-economically deprived population in London, UK.

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While the negative effects of alcohol on driving performance are undisputed, it is unclear how driver attention, eye movements and visual information sampling are affected by alcohol consumption. A simulator study with 35 participants was conducted to investigate whether and how a driver's level of attention is related to self-paced non-driving related task (NDRT)-engagement and tactical aspects of undesirable driver behaviour under increasing levels of breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) up to 1.0 ‰.

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Biobanks facilitate genome-wide association studies (GWASs), which have mapped genomic loci across a range of human diseases and traits. However, most biobanks are primarily composed of individuals of European ancestry. We introduce the Global Biobank Meta-analysis Initiative (GBMI)-a collaborative network of 23 biobanks from 4 continents representing more than 2.

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Background: Young people with diabetes experience poor clinical and psychosocial outcomes, and consider the health service ill-equipped in meeting their needs. Improvements, including alternative consulting approaches, are required to improve care quality and patient engagement. We examined how group-based, outpatient diabetes consultations might be delivered to support young people (16-25 years old) in socio-economically deprived, ethnically diverse settings.

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Individuals with South Asian ancestry have a higher risk of heart disease than other groups but have been largely excluded from genetic research. Using data from 22,000 British Pakistani and Bangladeshi individuals with linked electronic health records from the Genes & Health cohort, we conducted genome-wide association studies of coronary artery disease and its key risk factors. Using power-adjusted transferability ratios, we found evidence for transferability for the majority of cardiometabolic loci powered to replicate.

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Mitochondrial health and cellular metabolism can heavily influence the onset of senescence in T cells. CD8 EMRA T cells exhibit mitochondrial dysfunction and alterations to oxidative phosphorylation, however, the metabolic properties of senescent CD8 T cells from people living with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are not known. We show here that mitochondria from T2D CD8 T cells had a higher oxidative capacity together with increased levels of mitochondrial reactive oxgen species (mtROS), compared to age-matched control cells.

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