Using routine primary care data in research: (in)efficient case studies and perspectives from the Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research.

Aim: We aimed to identify enablers and barriers of using primary care routine data for healthcare research, to formulate recommendations for improving efficiency in knowledge discovery.

Background: Data recorded routinely in primary care can be used for estimating the impact of interventions provided within routine care for all people who are clinically eligible. Despite official promotion of 'efficient trial designs', anecdotally researchers in the Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research (AUKCAR) have encountered multiple barriers to accessing and using routine data.

Clec12a controls colitis by tempering inflammation and restricting expansion of specific commensals.

Microbiota composition regulates colitis severity, yet the innate immune mechanisms that control commensal communities and prevent disease remain unclear. We show that the innate immune receptor, Clec12a, impacts colitis severity by regulating microbiota composition. Transplantation of microbiota from a Clec12a animal is sufficient to worsen colitis in wild-type mice.

Biomarkers.

Background: Standard of care for many cancer workups includes whole-body FDG PET/CT before, during, and after therapy. At Vanderbilt, these scans include the brain for every patient (>20,000 patients). Brain FDG PET is a validated assessment of neuronal health.

Developing Topics.

Background: Extensive research on the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus has improved our understanding of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Historically, however, the cerebellum's role in these stages of cognitive decline has been traditionally neglected due to its associations with motor function. Recent research has demonstrated cerebellar structural and connectivity differences in MCI and AD.

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: Older females, particularly susceptible to Alzheimer's disease (AD), may be affected by hormonal fluctuation during life. We aim to investigate the relationship between changes in brain volume and sex steroid hormones over time. We hypothesize that levels of sex hormones (17ß-estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone) relate to changes in brain volume, especially in the hippocampus (HPC) and cerebellum (CB).