Big data analysis: examination of the relationship between candidates' sociodemographic characteristics and performance in the UK's Membership of the Royal College of Physicians Part 1 examination.

Big datasets and data analytics enable granular analyses examining group differences in performance. Our focus is on differential attainment (DA) in postgraduate College (Board) examinations. We asked: Are candidates' sociodemographic characteristics associated with performance on the UK's Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP) Part 1 after adjusting for medical school performance (MSP) and type of medical programme? This was a retrospective longitudinal cohort study of 6040 medical graduates with linked sociodemographic data in the UK Medical Education Database qualifying from a UK medical school (2012-2014) and sitting MRCP Part 1 before October 2019.

Relationship between symptoms, sociodemographic factors, and general practice help-seeking in 10 904 adults aged 50 and over.

Symptoms are a common reason for contact with primary care. This study investigated associations between symptom-related, demographic, social, and economic factors on general practice (GP) help-seeking. Secondary analysis of responses to a 25-symptom questionnaire, from 10 904 adults aged ≥50 years reporting at least one symptom in the preceding year.

Novel study designs and modelling approaches in nutrition research: application of advanced statistical modelling approaches and N-of-1 study designs.

Randomised controlled trials are the gold standard approach in nutrition research to show a causal relationship between a dietary intervention and clinically relevant outcomes at the population level. Here we review why different study designs are needed to establish the efficacy of dietary interventions at the individual level, and to better account for relevant factors that can also influence the outcomes. Over the past decade, precision nutrition approaches have been developed as a new way to measure the effectiveness of dietary interventions at the individual and population level.

The burden of diarrhoeal diseases in the Democratic Republic of Congo: a time-series analysis of the global burden of disease study estimates (1990-2019).

Background: Diarrhoeal diseases are important causes of disability and mortality being one of the main causes of mortality in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). One of the largest and wealthiest African countries, DRC has been for long subjected to continuous political and economic instability, conflicts and disease outbreaks. This study aimed to address the knowledge gap in understanding how prevalence, mortality and burden of diseases in DRC changed over time and examine the influence of specific factors in these disease-related outcomes.

Identifying multimorbidity clusters in an unselected population of hospitalised patients.

Multimorbidity (multiple coexisting chronic health conditions) is common and increasing worldwide, and makes care challenging for both patients and healthcare systems. To ensure care is patient-centred rather than specialty-centred, it is important to know which conditions commonly occur together and identify the corresponding patient profile. To date, no studies have described multimorbidity clusters within an unselected hospital population.

Perspective: Application of N-of-1 Methods in Personalized Nutrition Research.

Personalized and precision nutrition aim to examine and improve health on an individual level, and this requires reconsideration of traditional dietary interventions or behavioral study designs. The limited frequency of measurements in group-level human nutrition trials cannot be used to infer individual responses to interventions, while in behavioral studies, retrospective data collection does not provide an accurate measure of how everyday behaviors affect individual health. This review introduces the concept of N-of-1 study designs, which involve the repeated measurement of a health outcome or behavior on an individual level.

Analysing N-of-1 observational data in health psychology and behavioural medicine: a 10-step SPSS tutorial for beginners.

: N-of-1 observational studies can be used to describe natural intra-individual changes in health-related behaviours or symptoms over time, to test behavioural theories and to develop highly personalised health interventions. To date, N-of-1 observational methods have been under-used in health psychology and behavioural medicine. One reason for this may be the perceived complexity of statistical analysis of N-of-1 data.

Pregnancy after bariatric surgery and adverse perinatal outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Women who undergo bariatric surgery prior to pregnancy are less likely to experience comorbidities associated with obesity such as gestational diabetes and hypertension. However, bariatric surgery, particularly malabsorptive procedures, can make patients susceptible to deficiencies in nutrients that are essential for healthy fetal development. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to investigate the association between pregnancy after bariatric surgery and adverse perinatal outcomes.

Socio-economic inequalities in mortality in children with congenital heart disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The impact of socio-economic status (SES) on congenital heart disease (CHD)-related mortality in children is not well established.

Objectives: We aimed to systematically review and appraise the existing evidence on the association between SES (including poverty, parental education, health insurance, and income) and mortality among children with CHD.

Data Sources: Seven electronic databases (Medline, Embase, Scopus, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ProQuest Natural, and Biological Science Collections), reference lists, citations, and key journals were searched.

The association between maternal body mass index and child obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: There is a global obesity crisis, particularly among women and disadvantaged populations. Early-life intervention to prevent childhood obesity is a priority for public health, global health, and clinical practice. Understanding the association between childhood obesity and maternal pre-pregnancy weight status would inform policy and practice by allowing one to estimate the potential for offspring health gain through channelling resources into intervention.

Intravitreal Aflibercept for Retinal Angiomatous Proliferation: Results of a Prospective Case Series at 96 Weeks.

Introduction: Retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) is a subtype of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Untreated, the lesions are thought to be aggressive and lead to a poor visual outcome. Despite some limitations, studies reporting the treatment of RAP lesions with the intravitreal anti-VEGF drugs ranibizumab and bevacizumab have demonstrated variable but generally favourable responses.

Mortality factors in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia: A systematic review.

Background: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a malformation of the diaphragm accounting for 8% of all major congenital anomalies. Although many clinical factors of survival in children with CDH have been established, limited research exists on the role of sociodemographic and other factors. We aimed to systematically identify and summarize all available international literature, published from January 2000 to July 2017, evaluating specific mortality factors for children with prenatally diagnosed, isolated, left-sided CDH.

Changes in physical activity during the retirement transition: a series of novel n-of-1 natural experiments.

Background: Existing evidence about the impact of retirement on physical activity (PA) has primarily focused on the average change in PA level after retirement in group-based studies. It is unclear whether findings regarding the direction of PA change after retirement from group-based studies apply to individuals. This study aimed to explore changes in PA, PA determinants and their inter-relationships during the retirement transition at the individual level.

Self-taken vaginal swabs versus clinician-taken for detection of candida and bacterial vaginosis: a case-control study in primary care.

Background: Vaginal discharge and vulvitis are common presenting symptoms in general practice. Few studies have specifically looked at the validity of self-taken low vulvovaginal swabs (LVS) for the diagnosis of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) and bacterial vaginosis (BV).

Aim: To assess if patient self-taken LVS are a valid alternative to clinician-taken high vaginal swabs (HVS) for the detection of VVC and BV.

Cataract surgery in patients with late-onset retinal degeneration.

Purpose: To review the outcomes in a series of patients with long anterior lens zonular fibers associated with late-onset retinal degeneration who had phacoemulsification cataract surgery.

Setting: Newcastle Eye Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.

Design: Retrospective case series.

An investigation of the predictors of photoprotection and UVR dose to the face in patients with XP: a protocol using observational mixed methods.

Introduction: Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare genetic condition caused by defective nucleotide excision repair and characterised by skin cancer, ocular and neurological involvement. Stringent ultraviolet protection is the only way to prevent skin cancer. Despite the risks, some patients' photoprotection is poor, with a potentially devastating impact on their prognosis.

Dynamic modelling of n-of-1 data: powerful and flexible data analytics applied to individualised studies.

N-of-1 studies are based on repeated observations within an individual or unit over time and are acknowledged as an important research method for generating scientific evidence about the health or behaviour of an individual. Statistical analyses of n-of-1 data require accurate modelling of the outcome while accounting for its distribution, time-related trend and error structures (e.g.

The state of the art and future opportunities for using longitudinal n-of-1 methods in health behaviour research: a systematic literature overview.

n-of-1 studies test hypotheses within individuals based on repeated measurement of variables within the individual over time. Intra-individual effects may differ from those found in between-participant studies. Using examples from a systematic review of n-of-1 studies in health behaviour research, this article provides a state of the art overview of the use of n-of-1 methods, organised according to key methodological considerations related to n-of-1 design and analysis, and describes future challenges and opportunities.

Evaluation of the impacts of road runoff in a Mediterranean reservoir in Portugal.

Road runoff is a linear diffuse source of pollution, with very specific characteristics. This study intends to improve the understanding of road runoff impacts in water bodies in Portugal. The chosen case study is S.

Evaluating sources of PAHs in urban streams based on land use and biomonitors.

Toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can be found in wastewaters and sewages released from industries and/or urban areas. When discharged untreated to stream waters, they can be a problem to human health. This work represents the first attempt to use PAH and metal concentrations in aquatic moss transplants together with land-use information to identify water pollution sources in urban areas.