Long COVID and cardiovascular disease: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Pre-existing cardiovascular disease (CVD) or cardiovascular risk factors have been associated with an increased risk of complications following hospitalisation with COVID-19, but their impact on the rate of recovery following discharge is not known.

Objectives: To determine whether the rate of patient-perceived recovery following hospitalisation with COVID-19 was affected by the presence of CVD or cardiovascular risk factors.

Methods: In a multicentre prospective cohort study, patients were recruited following discharge from the hospital with COVID-19 undertaking two comprehensive assessments at 5 months and 12 months.

Blood groups and Rhesus status as potential predictors of outcomes in patients with cardiac resynchronisation therapy.

Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) improves prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF) however the role of ABO blood groups and Rhesus factor are poorly understood. We hypothesise that blood groups may influence clinical and survival outcomes in HF patients undergoing CRT. A total of 499 patients with HF who fulfilled the criteria for CRT implantation were included.

Expert guidance on target product profile development for AMR diagnostic tests.

Diagnostics are widely considered crucial in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is expected to kill 10 million people annually by 2030. Nevertheless, there remains a substantial gap between the need for AMR diagnostics versus their development and implementation. To help address this problem, target product profiles (TPP) have been developed to focus developers' attention on the key aspects of AMR diagnostic tests.

Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic response on GI infection surveillance trends in England, January 2020-April 2022.

Stepwise non-pharmaceutical interventions and health system changes implemented as part of the COVID-19 response have had implications on the incidence, diagnosis, and reporting of other communicable diseases. Here, we established the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak response on gastrointestinal (GI) infection trends using routinely collected surveillance data from six national English laboratory, outbreak, and syndromic surveillance systems using key dates of governmental policy to assign phases for comparison between pandemic and historic data. Following decreases across all indicators during the first lockdown (March-May 2020), bacterial and parasitic pathogens associated with foodborne or environmental transmission routes recovered rapidly between June and September 2020, while those associated with travel and/or person-to-person transmission remained lower than expected for 2021.

Association between troponin level and medium-term mortality in 20 000 hospital patients.

Introduction: Cardiac troponin (cTn) concentrations above the manufacturer recommended upper limit of normal (ULN) are frequently seen in hospital patients without a clinical presentation consistent with type 1 myocardial infarction, and the significance of this is uncertain. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between medium-term mortality and cTn concentration in a large consecutive hospital population, regardless of whether there was a clinical indication for performing the test.

Method: This prospective observational study included 20 000 consecutive in-hospital and outpatient patients who had a blood test for any reason at a large teaching hospital, and in whom a hs-cTnI assay was measured, regardless of the original clinical indication.

Integrated approach to cardiovascular disease in people experiencing homelessness: a qualitative study.

Background: Homelessness is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), beyond impact of socioeconomic status. CVD is preventable and treatable, though barriers to interventions exist for people experiencing homelessness. Those with lived experience of homelessness and health professionals with relevant expertise can help to understand and address these barriers.

Semaglutide for cardiovascular event reduction in people with overweight or obesity: SELECT study baseline characteristics.

Objective: This paper describes the baseline characteristics of the Semaglutide Effects on Heart Disease and Stroke in Patients with Overweight or Obesity (SELECT) study, one of the largest cardiovascular (CV) outcome studies in the field of obesity, which evaluates the effect of semaglutide versus placebo on major CV events.

Methods: SELECT enrolled individuals with overweight or obesity without diabetes, with prior myocardial infarction, stroke, and/or peripheral artery disease. This study reports participants' baseline characteristics in the full study population and subgroups defined by baseline glycated hemoglobin (HbA ; <5.

Transforming health science libraries around the globe: The impact of technology.

Health science libraries have been using information technology since the late 1960s, shaping both the profession and the mission of these libraries. To explore the impact of technology, a series of articles has been commissioned for the HILJ Regular Feature, International Perspectives and Initiatives. This editorial sets the scene for this series of articles, which starts in this issue.

Norovirus attribution study: Detection of norovirus from the commercial food preparation environment in outbreak and non-outbreak premises.

Aims: Norovirus remains the most significant virological risk that is transmitted via food and the environment to cause acute gastroenteritis. This study aimed to investigate the hypothesis that the contamination of the commercial food production environment with norovirus will be higher in premises that have recently reported a foodborne norovirus outbreak than those that have not.

Methods: Sampling of commercial food production environments was carried out across a 16-month period between January 2015 and April 2016 in the South East and the North West of England by local authority environmental health departments as part of routine surveillance visits to premises.

Smartphone detection of atrial fibrillation using photoplethysmography: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Timely diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF) is essential to reduce complications from this increasingly common condition. We sought to assess the diagnostic accuracy of smartphone camera photoplethysmography (PPG) compared with conventional electrocardiogram (ECG) for AF detection.

Methods: This is a systematic review of MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane (1980-December 2020), including any study or abstract, where smartphone PPG was compared with a reference ECG (1, 3 or 12-lead).

Global trends health science libraries: Part 3.

This is the last of three articles based on a series of articles published in the Health Information and Libraries Journal's Regular Feature (International Perspectives and Initiatives). Key trends from 12 countries in Europe, North America, Africa, and Asia were identified. In this issue, the last five trends are considered: (1) Participation in collaborations, networks, partnerships, social networks; (2) Repurposing library space; (3) Focus on user experience; (4) Impact of technology on the provision of services; and (5) Engaging with the public.

Engaging with technology: Projects and research initiated by health information professionals.

The 2021 virtual issue of the Health Information and Libraries Journal is published to link to the Future Technologies Conference 2021, which takes place in Vancouver, Canada, 28-29 October 2021. This event, which began in 2016, presents the best of current systems research and practice. One of the themes of the 2021 conference is Smart Healthcare.

Global trends health science libraries: Part 2.

This is the second of three articles which explore trends in health science libraries. It is based on a series of articles called New Directions in Health Science Libraries published in a HILJ regular feature (International Perspectives and Initiatives) between June 2017 and March 2020. The series covered 12 countries: The United States, Canada, Australia, China, England, two countries in Africa (Uganda and Tanzania) and five in Europe (Sweden, Romania, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland).

Impact of cardiometabolic multimorbidity and ethnicity on cardiovascular/renal complications in patients with COVID-19.

Objective: Using a large national database of people hospitalised with COVID-19, we investigated the contribution of cardio-metabolic conditions, multi-morbidity and ethnicity on the risk of in-hospital cardiovascular complications and death.

Methods: A multicentre, prospective cohort study in 302 UK healthcare facilities of adults hospitalised with COVID-19 between 6 February 2020 and 16 March 2021. Logistic models were used to explore associations between baseline patient ethnicity, cardiometabolic conditions and multimorbidity (0, 1, 2, >2 conditions), and in-hospital cardiovascular complications (heart failure, arrhythmia, cardiac ischaemia, cardiac arrest, coagulation complications, stroke), renal injury and death.

Deep sequencing of HIV-1 reveals extensive subtype variation and drug resistance after failure of first-line antiretroviral regimens in Nigeria.

Background: Deep sequencing could improve understanding of HIV treatment failure and viral population dynamics. However, this tool is often inaccessible in low- and middle-income countries.

Objectives: To determine the genetic patterns of resistance emerging in West African HIV-1 subtypes during first-line virological failure, and the implications for future antiretroviral options.

Global trends health science libraries: Part 1.

This is the first of three articles based on articles published in the Health Information and Libraries Journal's Regular Feature (International Perspectives and Initiatives). Key trends from 12 countries in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia were identified. In this issue, two trends are described: emergence of new roles and challenges for library staff; supporting researchers engaging in research data management and maintaining institutional repositories.

Characterising the nationwide burden and predictors of unkept outpatient appointments in the National Health Service in England: A cohort study using a machine learning approach.

Background: Unkept outpatient hospital appointments cost the National Health Service £1 billion each year. Given the associated costs and morbidity of unkept appointments, this is an issue requiring urgent attention. We aimed to determine rates of unkept outpatient clinic appointments across hospital trusts in the England.

Disentangling Independent and Mediated Causal Relationships Between Blood Metabolites, Cognitive Factors, and Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: Education and cognition demonstrate consistent inverse associations with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The biological underpinnings, however, remain unclear. Blood metabolites reflect the end point of biological processes and are accessible and malleable.

Digital Health Interventions: New opportunities for health science librarians.

This article acquaints health science librarians with digital health interventions (DHIs) and suggests ways they can become involved with initiatives in their own organisations. Examples of DHIs are provided and the risks and benefits of these applications are examined, including increasing accuracy of diagnosis & treatment, and health care efficiencies within legal and ethical frameworks. The WHO Guideline on digital interventions for health system strengthening is a useful resource which highlights ways that countries can use digital health technology to improve people's health and essential services.

Peer advocacy and access to healthcare for people who are homeless in London, UK: a mixed method impact, economic and process evaluation protocol.

Introduction: People who are homeless experience higher morbidity and mortality than the general population. These outcomes are exacerbated by inequitable access to healthcare. Emerging evidence suggests a role for peer advocates-that is, trained volunteers with lived experience-to support people who are homeless to access healthcare.

Association between type 2 diabetes and long-term outcomes in middle-aged and older trauma patients.

Background: Diabetes is associated with increased hospital complications and mortality following trauma. However, there is limited research on the longer-term recovery of trauma patients with diabetes. The aim of this study was to explore the association between type 2 diabetes (T2D) and in-hospital and 24-month outcomes in major trauma patients.

A computerized decision support system did not improve personalization of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation according to latest recommendations.

Aims: Recent studies showed that exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (ECR) programmes are often not personalized to individual patient characteristics according to latest recommendations. This study investigates whether a computerized decision support (CDS) system based on latest recommendations and guidelines can improve personalization of ECR prescriptions. Pseudo-randomized intervention study.

A Primary Prevention Clinical Risk Score Model for Patients With Brugada Syndrome (BRUGADA-RISK).

Objectives: The goal of this study was to develop a risk score model for patients with Brugada syndrome (BrS).

Background: Risk stratification in BrS is a significant challenge due to the low event rates and conflicting evidence.

Methods: A multicenter international cohort of patients with BrS and no previous cardiac arrest was used to evaluate the role of 16 proposed clinical or electrocardiogram (ECG) markers in predicting ventricular arrhythmias (VAs)/sudden cardiac death (SCD) during follow-up.