Burden of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis in Europe.

Background And Aims: Real-world evidence characterising the burden of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) in Europe is limited. The aim of this study was to characterise patients in a large European EGPA cohort.

Methods: This retrospective, non-interventional, longitudinal study (GSK ID: 214661) recruited cross-specialty physicians from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK to conduct medical chart reviews for patients with a physician-confirmed diagnosis of EGPA.

Prevalence, incidence and healthcare burden of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis in the UK.

Background: Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a rare but serious disease characterised by the combination of small-to-medium vessel vasculitis, blood and tissue eosinophilia, and asthma and/or sinonasal disease. This study estimated the prevalence and incidence of diagnosed EGPA in the United Kingdom (UK), and described the demographics, clinical characteristics and healthcare resource utilisation (HCRU) of this population.

Methods: This retrospective longitudinal study of patients with newly diagnosed EGPA (index) (2005-2019) used the Clinical Practice Research Datalink AURUM and Hospital Episode Statistics databases.

Disparate kinetics in immune response of two different type b conjugate vaccines: Immunogenicity and safety observations from a randomized controlled phase IV study in healthy infants and toddlers using a 2+1 schedule.

Since the introduction of type b (Hib) conjugate vaccines, invasive Hib disease has strongly declined worldwide, yet continued control of Hib disease remains important. In Europe, currently three different hexavalent combination vaccines containing Hib conjugates are marketed. In this phase IV, single-blind, randomized, controlled, multi-country study (NCT04535037), we aimed to compare, in a 2 + 1 vaccination schedule, the immunogenicity and safety and show non-inferiority, as well as superiority, of DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib (Ih group) versus DTaP5-HB-IPV-Hib (Va group) in terms of anti-polyribosylribitol phosphate (PRP) antibody geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) and proportion of participants reaching anti-PRP antibody concentrations greater than or equal to a threshold of 5 µg/mL.

Mepolizumab in Patients With Severe Asthma and Comorbidities: 1-Year REALITI-A Analysis.

Background: Severe asthma is complex; comorbidities may influence disease outcomes.

Objective: To assess mepolizumab effectiveness in patients with severe asthma and comorbidities.

Methods: REALITI-A was a 2-year international, prospective study enrolling adults with asthma newly prescribed mepolizumab (100 mg subcutaneously) at physician's discretion.

The association of varying treatment thresholds of mepolizumab on asthma exacerbations in adults.

Asthma has a high healthcare burden globally, with up to 10% of the asthma population suffering from severe disease. Biologic agents are a newer class of asthma treatments for severe asthma, with good evidence for efficacy in clinical trials. Nevertheless, real-world studies of its impact on clinical outcomes are limited.

An algorithm-based approach to ascertain patients with rare diseases in electronic health records using hypereosinophilic syndrome as an example.

Purpose: Improved hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) ascertainment in electronic health record (EHR) databases may improve disease understanding and management. An algorithm to ascertain and characterize this rare condition was therefore developed and validated.

Methods: Using the UK clinical practice research datalink (CPRD)-Aurum database linked to the hospital episode statistics database (Admitted Patient Care data) from Jan 2012 to June 2019, this cross-sectional study ascertained patients with a specific HES code (index).

Hypereosinophilic syndrome in Europe: Retrospective study of treatment patterns, clinical manifestations, and healthcare resource utilization.

Background: The burden of hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) in Europe is not well characterized.

Objective: To evaluate real-world patient characteristics, treatment patterns, clinical manifestations, and healthcare resource utilization for patients with HES from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Methods: In this retrospective, noninterventional study, data for patients with a physician-confirmed diagnosis of HES were abstracted from medical chart reviews.

Knowledge and Attitude Among Patients and Physicians on Allergic Rhinitis (KAPPA): An International Survey.

Purpose: Our study compared knowledge of, and attitudes towards, allergic rhinitis (AR) among patients and physicians in: Brazil, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.

Patients And Methods: Patients with AR were recruited via probability-based sampling. Data were captured via telephone interview, personal interview, or self-administered online survey.

REALITI-A Study: Real-World Oral Corticosteroid-Sparing Effect of Mepolizumab in Severe Asthma.

Background: Patients with severe asthma may require maintenance oral corticosteroids (mOCS) for disease control as well as systemic corticosteroid (SCS) bursts for clinically significant exacerbations. However, mOCS and SCS use are associated with adverse effects, which increases patient disease burden.

Objective: To assess the real-world corticosteroid-sparing effect of mepolizumab in patients with severe asthma.

Analysis of combined clinical and diffusion basis spectrum imaging metrics to predict the outcome of chronic cervical spondylotic myelopathy following cervical decompression surgery.

Objective: Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is the most common cause of chronic spinal cord injury, a significant public health problem. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a neuroimaging technique widely used to assess CNS tissue pathology and is increasingly used in CSM. However, DTI lacks the needed accuracy, precision, and recall to image pathologies of spinal cord injury as the disease progresses.

Burden of illness associated with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a rare disease associated with vascular inflammation and multisystem organ damage. The literature reporting EGPA incidence or prevalence is limited. We performed a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to describe the incidence, prevalence, and disease burden associated with EGPA.

Multi-modal biomarkers of low back pain: A machine learning approach.

Chronic low back pain (LBP) is a very common health problem worldwide and a major cause of disability. Yet, the lack of quantifiable metrics on which to base clinical decisions leads to imprecise treatments, unnecessary surgery and reduced patient outcomes. Although, the focus of LBP has largely focused on the spine, the literature demonstrates a robust reorganization of the human brain in the setting of LBP.

A 6-year safety surveillance of 10-valent pneumococcal non-typeable protein D conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV) in South Korea.

In 2010, Korea introduced 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for children aged 6 weeks to 5 years against invasive disease caused by serotypes 1, 4, 5, 6B, 7F, 9V, 14, 18C, 19F, 23F and cross-reactive 19A. The aim of this 6-year real-world study of 646 healthy Korean children from 16 centers vaccinated in routine practice is to monitor vaccine safety, as per Ministry of Food and Drug Safety regulations. Around 50% had a past or existing medical condition, 19.

Community-Acquired Pneumonia Case Validation in an Anonymized Electronic Medical Record-Linked Expert System.

An electronic anonymized patient portal analysis using radiographic reports and admission and discharge diagnoses had sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 84.7%, 78.2%, 75%, and 87%, respectively, for community-acquired pneumonia validated against a blinded expert medical review.

The Synucleinopathies: Twenty Years On.

In 2017, it is two hundred years since James Parkinson provided the first complete clinical description of the disease named after him, fifty years since the introduction of high-dose D,L-DOPA treatment and twenty years since α-synuclein aggregation came to the fore. In 1998, multiple system atrophy joined Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies as the third major synucleinopathy. Here we review our work, which led to the identification of α-synuclein in Lewy bodies, Lewy neurites and Papp-Lantos bodies, as well as what has happened since.

Parental knowledge, attitudes and perception of pneumococcal disease and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in Singapore: a questionnaire-based assessment.

Background: Under the National Childhood Immunisation Schedule (NCIS) in Singapore most vaccines are provided free while some, including pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV), added to the NCIS in October 2009, are not free. In contrast to ≥95 % coverage achieved for recommended childhood vaccines that are free, 2013 coverage of the PCV booster dose was 58.9 % (for unclear reasons).

The prevalence and patient characteristics of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in non-smokers in Vietnam and Indonesia: An observational survey.

Background And Objective: An estimated 25-40% of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have never smoked. We investigated the prevalence and patient characteristics of COPD in non-smokers from Vietnam and Indonesia.

Methods: This population-based cross-sectional survey of participants from urban and rural Vietnam and Indonesia used a stratified multistage cluster sampling design, with sample and population weights applied to ensure representativeness.

Systematic review of the epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus in the Asia-Pacific region: prevalence, incidence, clinical features, and mortality.

Objective: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a chronic multisystem autoimmune disease with a wide spectrum of manifestations, shows considerable variation across the globe, although there is little evidence to indicate its relative prevalence in Asia. This review describes its prevalence, severity, and outcome across countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search using 3 groups of terms (SLE, epidemiology, and Asia-Pacific countries) of EMBase and PubMed databases and non-English language resources, including Chinese Wanfang, Korean KMbase, Korean College of Rheumatology, Japana Centra Revuo Medicina, Taiwan National Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, and Taiwanese, Thai, and Vietnamese journals.

Mammographic density and its interaction with other breast cancer risk factors in an Asian population.

Background: Joint effects of mammographic density and other risk factors on breast cancer risk remain unclear.

Methods: From The Singapore Breast Screening Project, we selected 491 cases and 982 controls. Mammographic density was measured quantitatively.

Effect of population screening for type 2 diabetes on mortality: long-term follow-up of the Ely cohort.

Aims/hypothesis: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of invitation to screening for type 2 diabetes and related cardiovascular risk factors on population mortality.

Methods: This was a parallel-group population-based cohort study including all men and women aged 40-65 years, free of known diabetes, registered with a single practice in Ely, UK (n = 4,936). In 1990-1992, approximately one-third (n = 1,705) were randomly selected to receive an invitation to screening for diabetes (with an OGTT) and related cardiovascular risk factors.

Human beta-synuclein rendered fibrillogenic by designed mutations.

Filamentous inclusions made of α-synuclein are found in nerve cells and glial cells in a number of human neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy. The assembly and spreading of these inclusions are likely to play an important role in the etiology of common dementias and movement disorders. Both α-synuclein and the homologous β-synuclein are abundantly expressed in the central nervous system; however, β-synuclein is not present in the pathological inclusions.

Lewy body variant of Alzheimer's disease: selective neocortical loss of t-SNARE proteins and loss of MAP2 and alpha-synuclein in medial temporal lobe.

Lewy bodies (LBs) appear in the brains of nondemented individuals and also occur in a range of neurodegenerative disorders, such as dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson's disease. A number of people with a definite diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) also exhibit these intraneuronal inclusions in allo- and/or neocortical areas. The latter, referred to as Lewy body variant of AD (LBV), bears a clinical resemblance to AD in terms of age at onset, duration of illness, cognitive impairment, and illness severity.

Estimating physical activity energy expenditure, sedentary time, and physical activity intensity by self-report in adults.

Background: Few questionnaires that assess usual physical activity have been reported to be valid for all different subdimensions of physical activity.

Objective: The objective was to assess the validity and reliability of the Recent Physical Activity Questionnaire (RPAQ), which assesses usual physical activity (PA) in 4 domains (work, travel, recreation, and domestic life).

Design: Total energy expenditure (TEE) was measured for 14 d by using the doubly labeled water technique combined with a measure of resting metabolic rate to yield PA energy expenditure (PAEE) in 25 men and 25 women.