Impact analysis of infant antibiotic exposure on the burden of asthma: a simulation modeling study.

Background: Infant antibiotic use is associated with increased risk of asthma. We examined the population impact of antibiotic exposure in the first year of life on the burden of pediatric asthma in British Columbia, Canada, using simulation modeling.

Methods: We performed a Bayesian meta-analysis of empirical studies to construct dose-response equations between antibiotic exposure in the first year of life and pediatric (<19 years of age) asthma.

Non-parametric inference on calibration of predicted risks.

Moderate calibration, the expected event probability among observations with predicted probability z being equal to z, is a desired property of risk prediction models. Current graphical and numerical techniques for evaluating moderate calibration of risk prediction models are mostly based on smoothing or grouping the data. As well, there is no widely accepted inferential method for the null hypothesis that a model is moderately calibrated.

A parametric model to jointly characterize rate, duration, and severity of exacerbations in episodic diseases.

Background: The natural history of many chronic diseases is characterized by periods of increased disease activity, commonly referred to as flare-ups or exacerbations. Accurate characterization of the burden of these exacerbations is an important research objective.

Methods: The purpose of this work was to develop a statistical framework for nuanced characterization of the three main features of exacerbations: their rate, duration, and severity, with interrelationships among these features being a particular focus.

16-year trends in asthma hospital admissions in Canada.

Background: Asthma hospitalizations declined rapidly in many parts of the world, including Canada, in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Objective: To examine whether the declining trend of asthma hospitalizations persisted in recent years in Canada.

Methods: Using the Canadian comprehensive nationwide hospitalization data (2002-2017), we identified hospital admissions with the main International Classification of Diseases codes for asthma.

Patterns of alpha-linolenic acid incorporation into phospholipids in H4IIE cells.

Alpha linolenic acid (ALA) is an 18-carbon essential fatty acid found in plant-based foods and oils. While much attention has been placed on conversion of ALA to long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, alternative routes of ALA metabolism exist and may lead to formation of other bioactive metabolites of ALA. The current study employed a non-targeted metabolomics approach to profile ALA metabolites that are significantly upregulated by ALA treatment.