Predicting all-cause unplanned readmission within 30 days of discharge using electronic medical record data: A multi-centre study.

Objective: To develop a predictive model for identifying patients at high risk of all-cause unplanned readmission within 30 days after discharge, using administrative data available before discharge.

Materials And Methods: Hospital administrative data of all adult admissions in three tertiary metropolitan hospitals in Australia between July 01, 2015, and July 31, 2016, were extracted. Predictive performance of four mixed-effect multivariable logistic regression models was compared and validated using a split-sample design.

Comparing indigenous mortality across urban, rural and very remote areas: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: It remains unclear how indigenous mortality varies between residential areas. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on mortality patterns in urban, rural and very remote areas for the adult and infant indigenous populations of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA.

Methods: A literature search was performed using major online electronic publication repositories.

Effect of APOE ε4 allele on survival and fertility in an adverse environment.

Background: The apolipoprotein-ε4 allele (APOE-ε4) is strongly associated with detrimental outcomes in affluent populations including atherosclerotic disease, Alzheimer's disease, and reduced lifespan. Despite these detrimental outcomes, population frequencies of APOE-ε4 are high. We hypothesize that the high frequency of APOE-ε4 was maintained because of beneficial effects during evolution when infectious pathogens were more prevalent and a major cause of mortality.

Current factors of fragility and delirium in vascular surgery.

Background: Vascular surgery patients are frequently deemed to be in a frail clinical condition and at risk for delirium. Therefore, we evaluated the incidence and independent perioperative risk factors for delirium. In addition, we describe factors on frailty in the various vascular disease groups in current practice.

Variants of the IL-10 gene associate with muscle strength in elderly from rural Africa: a candidate gene study.

Recently, it has been shown that the capacity of the innate immune system to produce cytokines relates to skeletal muscle mass and strength in older persons. The interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene regulates the production capacities of IL-10 and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). In rural Ghana, IL-10 gene variants associated with different production capacities of IL-10 and TNF-α are enriched compared with Caucasian populations.

Selection for genetic variation inducing pro-inflammatory responses under adverse environmental conditions in a Ghanaian population.

Background: Chronic inflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of chronic age-associated, degenerative diseases. Pro-inflammatory host responses that are deleterious later in life may originate from evolutionary selection for genetic variation mediating resistance to infectious diseases under adverse environmental conditions.

Methodology/principal Findings: In the Upper-East region of Ghana where infection has remained the leading cause of death, we studied the effect on survival of genetic variations at the IL10 gene locus that have been associated with chronic diseases.

Common CFTR gene variants influence body composition and survival in rural Ghana.

Various studies in mice have found support for the hypothesis that heterozygous carriers of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutations have an increased resistance to fatal infection compared to both homozygous mutation carriers and non-carriers, while in humans such evidence is scarce. In this study, we assessed the CFTR heterozygotes survival advantage hypothesis in a contemporary rural population that lives under adverse environmental conditions in the Upper-East region of Ghana. We genotyped 30 SNPs throughout the CFTR gene in 4,230 participants and tested their influence on survival and on body composition in the population at large.