Indirect Associations Between Commercial Television Exposure and Child Body Mass Index.

Objective: To formally test a hierarchy of effects model linking exposure to television (TV) advertising for unhealthy foods with child body weight through purchase requests, purchases, and consumption.

Design: A nationally representative cross-sectional online study in the United Kingdom.

Participants: A total of 2,260 parent-child dyads (children aged 7-11 years) recruited via online research panel; 55.

The Frequency and Content of Discussions About Alcohol Use in Primary Care and Application of the Chief Medical Officer's Low-Risk Drinking Guidelines: A Cross-Sectional Survey of General Practitioners and Practice Nurses in the UK.

Aims: To examine how often general practitioners (GPs) and practice nurses (PNs) working in primary care discuss alcohol with patients, what factors prompt discussions, how they approach patient discussions and whether the Chief Medical Officers' (CMO) revised low-risk drinking guidelines are appropriately advised.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey with GPs and PNs working in primary care in the UK, conducted January-March 2017 (n = 2020). A vignette exercise examined what factors would prompt a discussion about alcohol, whether they would discuss before or after a patient reported exceeded the revised CMO guidelines (14 units per week) and whether the CMO drinking guidelines were appropriately advised.

Analysis of Hepatitis B Virus Haplotype Diversity Detects Striking Sequence Conservation Across Genotypes and Chronic Disease Phase.

Background And Aims: We conducted haplotype analysis of complete hepatitis B virus (HBV) genomes following deep sequencing from 368 patients across multiple phases of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection from four major genotypes (A-D), analyzing 4,110 haplotypes to identify viral variants associated with treatment outcome and disease progression.

Approach And Results: Between 18.2% and 41.

Weight assessment and the provision of weight management advice in primary care: a cross-sectional survey of self-reported practice among general practitioners and practice nurses in the United Kingdom.

Background: Although primary care settings provide a large-scale and high-reach opportunity for weight management and obesity prevention, the proportion of adults in the United Kingdom (UK) who report receiving weight management advice is limited. This study examines the self-reported frequency of assessing weight and providing weight management advice by General Practitioners (GPs) and Practice Nurses (PNs) working in primary care in the UK, and differences by practitioner characteristics.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey with GPs and PNs in the UK (n = 2020), conducted January-March 2017.

HBV variants are common in the 'immune-tolerant' phase of chronic hepatitis B.

Nucleos(t)ide analogues (NUC) treatment prevents progression of liver fibrosis in subjects with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). However, risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) persists despite viral suppression. Specific HBV variants have been associated with adverse outcomes, including HCC; however, the frequency of these variants during the seemingly benign immunotolerant (IT) phase is unknown.

Area deprivation, screen time and consumption of food and drink high in fat salt and sugar (HFSS) in young people: results from a cross-sectional study in the UK.

Objectives: To investigate associations between deprivation in young people and consumption of foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS), screen time exposure and health knowledge.

Design: An online cross-sectional survey with people aged 11-19 years in the UK, where participants reported consumption behaviours across 13 HFSS and two non-HFSS groups; screen time for commercial television and streaming services; and knowledge of health conditions and their links to obesity.

Setting: UK PARTICIPANTS: A total of 3348 young people aged 11-19 years across the UK.

Clustering of behavioural risk factors for health in UK adults in 2016: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) are known to contribute to overweight and obesity. In addition to overweight and obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption and physical inactivity are known risk factors for non-communicable diseases, including several cancers and cardiovascular disease.

Methods: Secondary analysis of UK-representative cross-sectional survey data of 3293 adults aged 18+.

Public awareness and healthcare professional advice for obesity as a risk factor for cancer in the UK: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Overweight and obesity is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking, causing ~3.4 million deaths worldwide. This study provides current UK data on awareness of the link between obesity and cancer by socio-demographic factors, including BMI, and explores to what degree healthcare professionals provide weight management advice to patients.

New national alcohol guidelines in the UK: public awareness, understanding and behavioural intentions.

Background: Alcohol consumption places a significant burden on the NHS and is an important risk factor for cancer, associated with 12 800 UK cases/year. New alcohol guidelines were published in 2016, taking into account the increasing evidence of the health harms of alcohol.

Methods: A survey of the UK drinker population (n = 972) was conducted 1 week before and 1 month after the release of the guidelines to capture drinking habits, guideline awareness and intended behaviour change.

Acute hepatitis B in blood donors over a 5-year period in England and North Wales: who is getting infected?

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains the infection most frequently recognized by donation testing in blood donors. It is usually a persistent infection and mostly reflects the country of origin of the donor or the donor's family. There are, however, a minority of acute infections and this study undertook their phylogenetic analysis to determine the likely source of infection.

Evaluation of an ethidium monoazide-enhanced 16S rDNA real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for bacterial screening of platelet concentrates and comparison with automated culture.

Background: Culture-based systems are currently the preferred means for bacterial screening of platelet (PLT) concentrates. Alternative bacterial detection techniques based on nucleic acid amplification have also been developed but these have yet to be fully evaluated. In this study we evaluate a novel 16S rDNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and compare its performance with automated culture.

The diversity and management of chronic hepatitis B virus infections in the United Kingdom: a wake-up call.

Background: Through migration, diversity of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has changed, affecting disease burden and control. We describe clinical and viral characteristics of chronic HBV in the United Kingdom.

Methods: A total of 698 individuals with chronic HBV infection were recruited from referral liver centers.

The diversity of chronic hepatitis B virus infections within blood donors in England and North Wales 2005 through 2010.

Background: In 2010 hepatitis B virus (HBV) was the most frequently detected infection in UK blood donation screening, typically found in first-time, male, chronically infected donors born abroad. To date there has been no comprehensive characterization of the virologic profile of these infections.

Study Design And Methods: Epidemiologic and serologic data were collected retrospectively for 344 chronically HBV-infected blood donors identified from July 2005 to June 2010.