Multicomponent (bio)markers for obesity risk prediction: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Despite international efforts, the number of individuals struggling with obesity is still increasing. An important aspect of obesity prevention relates to identifying individuals at risk at early stage, allowing for timely risk stratification and initiation of countermeasures. However, obesity is complex and multifactorial by nature, and one isolated (bio)marker is unlikely to enable an optimal risk stratification and prognosis for the individual; rather, a combined set is required.

Genetic associations vary across the spectrum of fasting serum insulin: results from the European IDEFICS/I.Family children's cohort.

Aims/hypothesis: There is increasing evidence for the existence of shared genetic predictors of metabolic traits and neurodegenerative disease. We previously observed a U-shaped association between fasting insulin in middle-aged women and dementia up to 34 years later. In the present study, we performed genome-wide association (GWA) analyses for fasting serum insulin in European children with a focus on variants associated with the tails of the insulin distribution.

Association of urinary and ambient black carbon, and other ambient air pollutants with risk of prediabetes and metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents.

The effects of exposure to black carbon (BC) on various diseases remains unclear, one reason being potential exposure misclassification following modelling of ambient air pollution levels. Urinary BC particles may be a more precise measure to analyze the health effects of BC. We aimed to assess the risk of prediabetes and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in relation to urinary BC particles and ambient BC and to compare their associations in 5453 children from IDEFICS/I.

Lifestyle and metabolic risk factors in patients with early-onset myocardial infarction: a case-control study.

Aims: Family history is a known risk factor for early-onset myocardial infarction (EOMI). However, the role of modifiable lifestyle and metabolic factors in EOMI risk is unclear and may differ from that of older adults.

Methods: This case-control study included myocardial infarction (MI) patients aged ≤45 years from the Bremen ST-elevation MI Registry and matched controls randomly selected from the general population (German National Cohort) at the same geographical region.

Wireless phone use in childhood and adolescence and neuroepithelial brain tumours: Results from the international MOBI-Kids study.

In recent decades, the possibility that use of mobile communicating devices, particularly wireless (mobile and cordless) phones, may increase brain tumour risk, has been a concern, particularly given the considerable increase in their use by young people. MOBI-Kids, a 14-country (Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain) case-control study, was conducted to evaluate whether wireless phone use (and particularly resulting exposure to radiofrequency (RF) and extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields (EMF)) increases risk of brain tumours in young people. Between 2010 and 2015, the study recruited 899 people with brain tumours aged 10 to 24 years old and 1,910 controls (operated for appendicitis) matched to the cases on date of diagnosis, study region and age.

Associations between comorbidities and advanced stage diagnosis of lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Comorbidities and advanced stage diagnosis (ASD) are both associated with poorer cancer outcomes, but the association between comorbidities and ASD is poorly understood. We summarized epidemiological evidence on the association between comorbidities and ASD of selected cancers in a systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched PubMed and Web of Science databases up to June 3rd, 2021 for studies assessing the association between comorbidities and ASD of lung, breast, colorectal, or prostate cancer.

Longitudinal association of inflammatory markers with markers of glycaemia and insulin resistance in European children.

Purpose: Subclinical systemic inflammation may lead to development of type 2 diabetes, but there has been no investigation into its relationship with early progression of glycaemic deterioration and insulin resistance, especially in younger population. In this study we assessed longitudinal associations of pro- and anti-inflammatory markers with markers that evaluate glycaemia and insulin resistance.

Methods: This study includes 6537 initially nondiabetic children (mean age at baseline = 6.

Radical collaboration during a global health emergency: development of the RDA COVID-19 data sharing recommendations and guidelines.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic required a rapid and effective response. This included ethical and legally appropriate sharing of data. The European Commission (EC) called upon the Research Data Alliance (RDA) to recruit experts worldwide to quickly develop recommendations and guidelines for COVID-related data sharing.

Fostering global data sharing: highlighting the recommendations of the Research Data Alliance COVID-19 working group.

The systemic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic require cross-disciplinary collaboration in a global and timely fashion. Such collaboration needs open research practices and the sharing of research outputs, such as data and code, thereby facilitating research and research reproducibility and timely collaboration beyond borders. The Research Data Alliance COVID-19 Working Group recently published a set of recommendations and guidelines on data sharing and related best practices for COVID-19 research.

Facilitating Study and Item Level Browsing for Clinical and Epidemiological COVID-19 Studies.

COVID-19 poses a major challenge to individuals and societies around the world. Yet, it is difficult to obtain a good overview of studies across different medical fields of research such as clinical trials, epidemiology, and public health. Here, we describe a consensus metadata model to facilitate structured searches of COVID-19 studies and resources along with its implementation in three linked complementary web-based platforms.

Effects of phytoestrogen supplementation on intermediate cardiovascular disease risk factors among postmenopausal women: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Importance: Phytoestrogens are becoming popular constituents of human diets and are increasingly used by postmenopausal women.

Objective: Our study aims to determine the effects of phytoestrogen supplementation on intermediate cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in postmenopausal women.

Evidence Review: Five electronic databases (Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane CENTRAL, Google Scholar) were systematically searched to identify eligible studies, that is, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that assessed the association of phytoestrogen supplementation with CVD risk factors (serum lipids, homocysteine, fibrinogen, markers of inflammation, oxidative stress and endothelial function, carotid intima-media thickness [CIMT]) in postmenopausal women.

Birth Weight and Weight Changes from Infancy to Early Childhood as Predictors of Body Mass Index in Adolescence.

Objective: To assess the time point during infancy and early childhood at which greater than expected weight gain is associated with overweight in adolescence.

Study Design: Current height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) were assessed in 1520 adolescents (mean age of boys, 15.52 ± 0.

Common genetic variation in obesity, lipid transfer genes and risk of Metabolic Syndrome: Results from IDEFICS/I.Family study and meta-analysis.

As the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children and young adults is increasing, a better understanding of genetics that underlie MetS will provide critical insights into the origin of the disease. We examined associations of common genetic variants and repeated MetS score from early childhood to adolescence in a pan-European, prospective IDEFICS/I.Family cohort study with baseline survey and follow-up examinations after two and six years.

Clinical presentation of young people (10-24 years old) with brain tumors: results from the international MOBI-Kids study.

Introduction: We used data from MOBI-Kids, a 14-country international collaborative case-control study of brain tumors (BTs), to study clinical characteristics of the tumors in older children (10 years or older), adolescents and young adults (up to the age of 24).

Methods: Information from clinical records was obtained for 899 BT cases, including signs and symptoms, symptom onset, diagnosis date, tumor type and location.

Results: Overall, 64% of all tumors were low-grade, 76% were neuroepithelial tumors and 62% gliomas.

Osteoprotegerin and Cardiovascular Events in High-Risk Populations: Meta-Analysis of 19 Prospective Studies Involving 27 450 Participants.

Background Osteoprotegerin is a cytokine involved in bone metabolism as well as vascular calcification and atherogenesis. Although circulating osteoprotegerin levels are robustly associated with incident cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) in the general population, its relevance as a biomarker among populations at high CVD risk is less clear. Methods and Results Three independent reviewers systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE , and Web of Science to identify prospective studies that had recruited participants on the basis of having conditions related to high CVD risk.

Common genetic variation and risk of gallbladder cancer in India: a case-control genome-wide association study.

Background: Gallbladder cancer is highly lethal, with notable differences in incidence by geography and ethnic background. The aim of this study was to identify common genetic susceptibility alleles for gallbladder cancer.

Methods: In this case-control genome-wide association study (GWAS), we did a genome-wide scan of gallbladder cancer cases and hospital visitor controls, both of Indian descent, followed by imputation across the genome.

Association of Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) Identified SNPs and Risk of Breast Cancer in an Indian Population.

To date, no studies have investigated the association of the GWAS-identified SNPs with BC risk in Indian population. We investigated the association of 30 previously reported and replicated BC susceptibility SNPs in 1,204 cases and 1,212 controls from a hospital based case-control study conducted at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. As a measure of total susceptibility burden, the polygenic risk score (PRS) for each individual was defined by the weighted sum of genotypes from 21 independent SNPs with weights derived from previously published estimates of association odds-ratios.

Place of birth and risk of gallbladder cancer in India.

Context: Within India, the incidence of gallbladder cancer (GBC) is characterized by marked geographical variation; however, the reasons for these differences are unclear.

Aims: To evaluate the role of place of birth, length of residence, and effect of migration from high- to low-risk region on GBC development.

Settings And Design: Population-based cancer registries (PBCRs); case-control study.

Central obesity increases risk of breast cancer irrespective of menopausal and hormonal receptor status in women of South Asian Ethnicity.

Background: Current evidence suggests that the relationship between obesity and breast cancer (BC) risk may vary between ethnic groups.

Methods: A total of 1633 BC cases and 1504 controls were enrolled in hospital-based case-control study in Mumbai, India, from 2009 to 2013. Along with detailed questionnaire, we collected anthropometric measurements on all participants.

Understanding rural-urban differences in risk factors for breast cancer in an Indian population.

Purpose: Although cancer registry data indicate that there are large differences in breast cancer (BC) rates between rural and urban regions of India, the reasons for these differences are not well understood.

Methods: We conducted a hospital based case-control study (1,637 breast cancer cases; 1,515 visitor controls) in Mumbai, India, during the years 2009-2013. Extensive questionnaire data, anthropometry measurement and blood samples were collected on all participants.

Rural urban differences in breast cancer in India.

Context: Breast cancer incidence rates are high in developed countries and much lower in less developed countries including India. Aims: The aim of the following study is to compare breast cancer incidence rates in rural, urban and metro regions of India and to estimate risk of developing breast cancer associated with residence in a rural area. Settings and Design: Descriptive and analytical study design.

The MOBI-Kids Study Protocol: Challenges in Assessing Childhood and Adolescent Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields from Wireless Telecommunication Technologies and Possible Association with Brain Tumor Risk.

The rapid increase in mobile phone use in young people has generated concern about possible health effects of exposure to radiofrequency (RF) and extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields (EMF). MOBI-Kids, a multinational case-control study, investigates the potential effects of childhood and adolescent exposure to EMF from mobile communications technologies on brain tumor risk in 14 countries. The study, which aims to include approximately 1,000 brain tumor cases aged 10-24 years and two individually matched controls for each case, follows a common protocol and builds upon the methodological experience of the INTERPHONE study.

Increase in breast cancer incidence among older women in Mumbai: 30-year trends and predictions to 2025.

Background: Increasing trends in the incidence of breast cancer have been observed in India, including Mumbai. These have likely stemmed from an increasing adoption of lifestyle factors more akin to those commonly observed in westernized countries. Analyses of breast cancer trends and corresponding estimation of the future burden are necessary to better plan rationale cancer control programmes within the country.