Publications by authors named "Neil Wright"

Background: Little evidence is available on the long-term health effects of nitrogen dioxide (NO) in low-income and middle-income populations. We investigated the associations of long-term NO exposure with the incidence of a wide spectrum of disease outcomes, based on data from the China Kadoorie Biobank.

Methods: This prospective cohort study involved 512 724 Chinese adults aged 30-79 years recruited from ten areas of China during 2004-08.

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Plasma proteomics could enhance risk prediction for multiple diseases beyond conventional risk factors or polygenic scores (PS). To assess utility of proteomics for risk prediction of ischemic heart disease (IHD) compared with conventional risk factors and PS in Chinese and European populations. A nested case-cohort study measured plasma levels of 2923 proteins using Olink Explore panel in ~ 4000 Chinese adults (1976 incident IHD cases and 2001 sub-cohort controls).

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Adiposity is an established risk factor for multiple diseases, but the causal relationships of different adiposity types with circulating protein biomarkers have not been systematically investigated. We examine the causal associations of general and central adiposity with 2923 plasma proteins among 3977 Chinese adults (mean BMI = 23.9 kg/m²).

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Background: Higher body mass index (BMI) is associated with higher incidence of cardiovascular and some non-cardiovascular diseases (CVDs/non-CVDs). However, uncertainty remains about its associations with mortality, particularly at lower BMI levels.

Methods: The prospective China Kadoorie Biobank recruited >512 000 adults aged 30-79 years in 2004-08 and genotyped a random subset of 76 000 participants.

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Hybrid closed-loop (HCL) systems seamlessly interface continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) with insulin pumps, employing specialised algorithms and user-initiated automated insulin delivery. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of HCLs at 12 months post-initiation on glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), time-in-range (TIR), hypoglycaemia frequency, and quality of life measures among children and young people (CYP) with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and their caregivers in a real-world setting. Conducted between August 1, 2021, and December 10, 2022, the prospective recruitment took place in eight paediatric diabetes centres across England under the National Health Service England's (NHSE) HCL pilot real-world study.

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Objective: Integrated analyses of plasma proteomics and genetic data in prospective studies can help assess the causal relevance of proteins, improve risk prediction, and discover novel protein drug targets for type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Research Design And Methods: We measured plasma levels of 2,923 proteins using Olink Explore among ∼2,000 randomly selected participants from China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) without prior diabetes at baseline. Cox regression assessed associations of individual protein with incident T2D (n = 92 cases).

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Motivation: Quantifying lateral resolution as a function of depth is important in the design of 3D microscopy experiments. However, for many specimens, resolution is non-uniform within the same optical plane because of factors such as tissue variability and differential light scattering. This precludes application of a simple resolution metric to the image as a whole.

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Article Synopsis
  • * In a study involving over 500,000 adults, HBsAg positivity was linked to a higher risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), with adjusted hazard ratios indicating a significant association, particularly for fatal and nonfatal cases.
  • * Participants with HBsAg positivity exhibited lower lipid and albumin levels, along with elevated liver enzymes; after adjusting for these factors, the link between HBsAg and ICH risk decreased, suggesting liver function might mediate this relationship.
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Background: Integrated analyses of plasma proteomic and genetic markers in prospective studies can clarify the causal relevance of proteins and discover novel targets for ischemic heart disease (IHD) and other diseases.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine associations of proteomics and genetics data with IHD in population studies to discover novel preventive treatments.

Methods: We conducted a nested case-cohort study in the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) involving 1,971 incident IHD cases and 2,001 subcohort participants who were genotyped and free of prior cardiovascular disease.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference (HC) impact the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), revealing opposing effects from these body fat distribution measurements.
  • Analyzing data from nearly half a million adults in the UK Biobank, researchers found that both WC and body mass index (BMI) showed a positive correlation with CHD risk, while HC showed an inverse association when accounting for WC and BMI.
  • These findings suggest that different forms of body fat distribution have distinct effects on CHD risk, likely working through both shared and unique physiological mechanisms.
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Adiposity is associated with multiple diseases and traits, but little is known about the causal relevance and mechanisms underlying these associations. Large-scale proteomic profiling, especially when integrated with genetic data, can clarify mechanisms linking adiposity with disease outcomes. We examined the associations of adiposity with plasma levels of 1463 proteins in 3977 Chinese adults, using measured and genetically-instrumented BMI.

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Background: Cooking and heating in households contribute importantly to air pollution exposure worldwide. However, there is insufficient investigation of measured fine particulate matter (PM) exposure levels, variability, seasonality, and inter-spatial dynamics associated with these behaviours.

Methods: We undertook parallel measurements of personal, household (kitchen and living room), and community PM in summer (May-September 2017) and winter (November 2017-Janauary 2018) in 477 participants from one urban and two rural communities in China.

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Alcohol consumption accounts for ~3 million annual deaths worldwide, but uncertainty persists about its relationships with many diseases. We investigated the associations of alcohol consumption with 207 diseases in the 12-year China Kadoorie Biobank of >512,000 adults (41% men), including 168,050 genotyped for ALDH2- rs671 and ADH1B- rs1229984 , with >1.1 million ICD-10 coded hospitalized events.

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Background: Existing evidence on long-term ambient air pollution (AAP) exposure and risk of cardio-respiratory diseases in China is mainly on mortality, and based on area average concentrations from fixed-site monitors for individual exposures. Substantial uncertainty persists, therefore, about the shape and strength of the relationship when assessed using more personalised individual exposure data. We aimed to examine the relationships between AAP exposure and risk of cardio-respiratory diseases using predicted local levels of AAP.

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Background: Reliable classification of ischemic stroke (IS) etiological subtypes is required in research and clinical practice, but the predictive properties of these subtypes in population studies with incomplete investigations are poorly understood.

Aims: To compare the prognosis of etiologically classified IS subtypes and use machine learning (ML) to classify incompletely investigated IS cases.

Methods: In a 9-year follow-up of a prospective study of 512,726 Chinese adults, 22,216 incident IS cases, confirmed by clinical adjudication of medical records, were assigned subtypes using a modified Causative Classification System for Ischemic Stroke (CCS) (large artery atherosclerosis (LAA), small artery occlusion (SAO), cardioaortic embolism (CE), or undetermined etiology) and classified by CCS as "evident," "probable," or "possible" IS cases.

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Objective: To determine the extent to which the presence of acanthosis nigricans confers additional risk for insulin resistance, in addition to obesity alone (body mass index, BMI) within a young, overweight, UK population.

Research Design And Methods: Retrospective data were collected to compare the degree of insulin resistance within a sample of 94 young people with acanthosis nigricans, and a matched cohort of 94 participants with obesity alone. Insulin resistance was assessed by fasting glucose, fasting insulin and Homeostatic Model Assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) score (a mathematical model derived to measure insulin resistance).

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Article Synopsis
  • This study utilized Mendelian randomization to explore how genetically predicted systolic blood pressure (SBP) correlates with serious cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes, reducing biases found in typical observational studies.
  • The research involved a large participant group from the China Kadoorie Biobank, tracking the health of 489,495 adults over 12 years, and found significant positive associations between SBP levels (120 to 170 mm Hg) and major vascular events.
  • Results indicated a stronger CVD risk linked to SBP in younger individuals compared to older adults, suggesting that blood pressure treatment could be beneficial at younger ages and lower thresholds than traditionally accepted.
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Background: Tobacco smoking is estimated to account for more than 1 million annual deaths in China, and the epidemic continues to increase in men. Large nationwide prospective studies linked to different health records can help to periodically assess disease burden attributed to smoking. We aimed to examine associations of smoking with incidence of and mortality from an extensive range of diseases in China.

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Aims: Hybrid closed-loop (HCL) systems are characterised by integrating continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) with insulin pumps that automate insulin delivery via specific algorithms and user-initiated insulin delivery. The aim of the study was to evaluate effectiveness of HCLs on HbA1c, time-in-range (TIR), hypoglycaemia frequency and quality of life measures in children and young people (CYP) with T1D, and their carers.

Methods: Patients were recruited prospectively into the National Health Service (NHS) England real-world HCL observational study from the 1st of August 2021 to the 10th of December 2022 from eight paediatric diabetes centres in England.

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Few cohort studies explored the long-term effects of ambient fine particulate matter (PM) on incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), especially in countries with higher levels of air pollution. We aimed to evaluate the association between long-term exposure to PM and incidence of CVD in China. We performed a prospective cohort study in ten regions that recruited 512,689 adults during 2004-2008, with follow-up until 2017.

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Despite universal vaccination of newborns, the prevalence of chronic hepatitis virus B (HBV) infection and the associated disease burden remain high among adults in China. We investigated risk factors for chronic HBV infection in a community-based study of 512,726 individuals aged 30-79 years recruited from ten diverse areas during 2004-2008. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity recorded at baseline by sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, and medical history.

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Background: Widespread use of brain imaging in suspected stroke cases in Chinese adults has prompted the need for clinical adjudication studies of stroke types. We conducted a clinical adjudication study to assess the reporting and diagnostic accuracy of major stroke types.

Methods: The prospective China Kadoorie Biobank recruited >512,000 adults (mean age 52 years, 59% women) from 10 urban and rural areas in China during 2004-2008, and recorded 45,859 first-ever incident stroke cases during an 11-year follow-up.

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Objectives: To compare hospital treatments for major stroke types in Chinese adults by stroke pathological types, sex, age, calendar year, hospital tier, region and other factors.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of medical records retrieved from 20 229 stroke cases in the China Kadoorie Biobank.

Setting: Ten diverse areas (five urban, five rural) in China.

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Background: Widespread use of brain imaging in China has resulted in an increased prevalence of silent lacunar infarct (LACI) in addition to symptomatic LACI, but their clinical relevance is not fully understood.

Methods: We compared the 5-year risks of recurrent stroke and all-cause mortality for silent LACI vs symptomatic LACI in a prospective study of 489,597 Chinese adults with no history of stroke or ischemic heart disease at baseline. Data on recurrent stroke and all-cause mortality were obtained by linkage with local stroke and mortality registries and health insurance records for all hospital admissions.

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Background: Few treatments exist for adolescents living with severe obesity. This qualitative study explored the experiences of severely obese adolescents and their families who participated in the BOB study.

Methods: Twelve adolescents (5 males;7 females; mean age 15 years; BMI > 3.

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