Socio-economic inequalities in life expectancy of older adults with and without multimorbidity: a record linkage study of 1.1 million people in England.

Background: Age of onset of multimorbidity and its prevalence are well documented. However, its contribution to inequalities in life expectancy has yet to be quantified.

Methods: A cohort of 1.

How data science can advance mental health research.

Accessibility of powerful computers and availability of so-called big data from a variety of sources means that data science approaches are becoming pervasive. However, their application in mental health research is often considered to be at an earlier stage than in other areas despite the complexity of mental health and illness making such a sophisticated approach particularly suitable. In this Perspective, we discuss current and potential applications of data science in mental health research using the UK Clinical Research Collaboration classification: underpinning research; aetiology; detection and diagnosis; treatment development; treatment evaluation; disease management; and health services research.

Telomere length is greater in ALS than in controls: a whole genome sequencing study.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease of motor neurons resulting in progressive paralysis and death, typically within 3-5 years. Although the heritability of ALS is about 60%, only about 11% is explained by common gene variants, suggesting that other forms of genetic variation are important. Telomeres maintain DNA integrity during cellular replication and shorten naturally with age.

Non-HLA Genetic Factors and Their Influence on Heart Transplant Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

Background: Improvement of immunosuppressive therapies and surgical techniques has increased the survival rate after heart transplantation. Nevertheless, a large number of patients still experience complications, such as allograft rejection, vasculopathy, kidney dysfunction, and diabetes in response to immunosuppressive therapy. Variants in HLA genes have been extensively studied for their role in clinical outcomes after transplantation, whereas the knowledge about non-HLA genetic variants in this setting is still limited.

Effects of non-health-targeted policies on migrant health: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Government policies can strongly influence migrants' health. Using a Health in All Policies approach, we systematically reviewed evidence on the impact of public policies outside of the health-care system on migrant health.

Methods: We searched the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases from Jan 1, 2000, to Sept 1, 2017, for quantitative studies comparing the health effects of non-health-targeted public policies on migrants with those on a relevant comparison population.

Circulating 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentration and Risk of Breast, Prostate, and Colorectal Cancers: The Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study.

Background: The role of vitamin D in cancer risk remains controversial, and limited data exist on associations between vitamin D and subtypes of specific cancers. We investigated associations between circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and risk of colorectal, breast, and prostate cancers, including subtypes.

Methods: A case-cohort study within the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study included 547 colorectal, 634 breast, and 824 prostate cancers, and a sex-stratified random sample of participants ( = 2,996).

ALSgeneScanner: a pipeline for the analysis and interpretation of DNA sequencing data of ALS patients.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, MND) is a neurodegenerative disease of upper and lower motor neurons resulting in death from neuromuscular respiratory failure, typically within two years of first symptoms. Genetic factors are an important cause of ALS, with variants in more than 25 genes having strong evidence, and weaker evidence available for variants in more than 120 genes. With the increasing availability of next-generation sequencing data, non-specialists, including health care professionals and patients, are obtaining their genomic information without a corresponding ability to analyze and interpret it.

Burden of hospital admissions caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants in England: A data linkage modelling study.

Objectives: Current national estimates of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-associated hospital admissions are insufficiently detailed to determine optimal vaccination strategies for RSV. We employ novel methodology to estimate the burden of RSV-associated hospital admissions in infants in England, with detailed stratification by patient and clinical characteristics.

Methods: We used linked, routinely collected laboratory and hospital data to identify laboratory-confirmed RSV-positive and RSV-negative respiratory hospital admissions in infants in England, then generate a predictive logistic regression model for RSV-associated admissions.

Factors associated with adverse childhood experiences in Scottish children: a prospective cohort study.

Background And Objectives: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with a range of poorer health and social outcomes throughout the life course; however, to date they have primarily been conducted retrospectively in adulthood. This paper sets out to determine the prevalence of ACEs at age 8 in a recent prospective birth cohort and examine associations between risk factors in the first year and cumulative ACEs.

Design: This study uses the Growing Up in Scotland Birth Cohort 1, in which children born in Scotland in 2004/5 were identified using Child Benefit Records and followed up for 7 years (n.

Biological and clinical insights from genetics of insomnia symptoms.

Insomnia is a common disorder linked with adverse long-term medical and psychiatric outcomes. The underlying pathophysiological processes and causal relationships of insomnia with disease are poorly understood. Here we identified 57 loci for self-reported insomnia symptoms in the UK Biobank (n = 453,379) and confirmed their effects on self-reported insomnia symptoms in the HUNT Study (n = 14,923 cases and 47,610 controls), physician-diagnosed insomnia in the Partners Biobank (n = 2,217 cases and 14,240 controls), and accelerometer-derived measures of sleep efficiency and sleep duration in the UK Biobank (n = 83,726).

Temporal trends in relative survival following percutaneous coronary intervention.

Objective: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has seen substantial shifts in patient selection in recent years that have increased baseline patient mortality risk. It is unclear to what extent observed changes in mortality are attributable to background mortality risk or the indication and selection for PCI itself. PCI-attributable mortality can be estimated using relative survival, which adjusts observed mortality by that seen in a matched control population.

A Longitudinal Study of European Students' Alcohol Use and Related Behaviors as They Travel Abroad to Study.

Background: Travelling away from home can be associated with fewer limits on behavior, particularly for students who participate in exchange programs.

Aims: To examine the effects of eight moderators on change in alcohol use and related negative outcomes, drug use and unprotected sexual behavior in European study abroad students before, during, and after their time abroad.

Methods: A three wave (before departure, while abroad, and after their return) longitudinal design collecting data on the frequency and volume of alcohol consumed, heavy episodic drinking, alcohol-related outcomes, drug use, and unprotected casual sex.

The Funding, Administrative, and Policy Influences on the Evaluation of Primary Prevention Programs in Australia.

Evaluation of primary prevention and health promotion programs contributes necessary information to the evidence base for prevention programs. There is increasing demand for high-quality evaluation of program impact and effectiveness for use in public health decision making. Despite the demand for evidence and known benefits, evaluation of prevention programs can be challenging and organizations face barriers to conducting rigorous evaluation.

Using Geographic Information Systems to investigate variations in accessibility to 'extended hours' primary healthcare provision.

There are ongoing policy concerns surrounding the difficulty in obtaining timely appointments to primary healthcare services and the potential impact on, for example, attendance at accident and emergency services and potential health outcomes. Using the case study of potential access to primary healthcare services in Wales, Geographic Information System (GIS)-based tools that permit a consideration of population-to-provider ratios over space are used to examine variations in geographical accessibility to general practitioner (GP) surgeries offering appointment times outside of 'core' operating hours. Correlation analysis is used to explore the association of accessibility scores with potential demand for such services using UK Population Census data.

Predictive validity of preschool screening tools for language and behavioural difficulties: A PRISMA systematic review.

Background: Preschool screening for developmental difficulties is increasingly becoming part of routine health service provision and yet the scope and validity of tools used within these screening assessments is variable. The aim of this review is to report on the predictive validity of preschool screening tools for language and behaviour difficulties used in a community setting.

Methods: Studies reporting the predictive validity of language or behaviour screening tools in the preschool years were identified through literature searches of Ovid Medline, Embase, EBSCO CINAHL, PsycInfo and ERIC.

Near Full-length Genomic Sequencing and Molecular Analysis of HIV-Infected Individuals in a Network-based Intervention (TRIP) in Athens, Greece: Evidence that Transmissions Occur More Frequently from those with High HIV-RNA.

Background: TRIP (Transmission Reduction Intervention Project) was a network-based, contact tracing approach to locate and link to care, mostly people who inject drugs (PWID) with recent HIV infection.

Objective: We investigated whether sequences from HIV-infected participants with high viral load cluster together more frequently than what is expected by chance.

Methods: Paired end reads were generated for 104 samples using Illumina MiSeq next-generation sequencing.

Practice Variations in Exercise Training Programs in Dutch Cardiac Rehabilitation Centers: Prospective, Observational Study.

Background: A recent survey among Dutch cardiac rehabilitation centers demonstrated considerable between-center variations in the contents of exercise training programs. For patients entering cardiac rehabilitation, current guidelines recommend tailored exercise training programs based on patient characteristics and rehabilitation goals.

Objective: This study was to analyze to what extent these patient characteristics are determinants of variations in training programs.

Genome-wide association meta-analysis of 30,000 samples identifies seven novel loci for quantitative ECG traits.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of quantitative electrocardiographic (ECG) traits in large consortia have identified more than 130 loci associated with QT interval, QRS duration, PR interval, and heart rate (RR interval). In the current study, we meta-analyzed genome-wide association results from 30,000 mostly Dutch samples on four ECG traits: PR interval, QRS duration, QT interval, and RR interval. SNP genotype data was imputed using the Genome of the Netherlands reference panel encompassing 19 million SNPs, including millions of rare SNPs (minor allele frequency < 5%).

Collecting Symptoms and Sensor Data With Consumer Smartwatches (the Knee OsteoArthritis, Linking Activity and Pain Study): Protocol for a Longitudinal, Observational Feasibility Study.

Background: The Knee OsteoArthritis, Linking Activity and Pain (KOALAP) study is the first to test the feasibility of using consumer-grade cellular smartwatches for health care research.

Objective: The overall aim was to investigate the feasibility of using consumer-grade cellular smartwatches as a novel tool to capture data on pain (multiple times a day) and physical activity (continuously) in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Additionally, KOALAP aimed to investigate smartwatch sensor data quality and assess whether engagement, acceptability, and user experience are sufficient for future large-scale observational and interventional studies.

Care coordination experiences of people with traumatic brain injury and their family members in the 4-years after injury: a qualitative analysis.

Title: Care coordination experiences of people with traumatic brain injury and their family members 4-years after injury: A qualitative analysis.

Aim: To explore experiences of care coordination in the first 4-years after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Methods: A qualitative study nested within a population-based longitudinal cohort study.

Measuring multimorbidity in hospitalised patients using linked hospital episode data: comparison of two measures.

Introduction: Multimorbidity is a complex and growing health challenge. There is no accepted "gold standard" multimorbidity measure for hospital resource planning, and few studies have compared measures in hospitalised patients.

Aim: To evaluate operationalisation of two multimorbidity measures in routine hospital episode data in NHS Grampian, Scotland.

A patient flow simulator for healthcare management education.

Simulation and analysis of patient flow can contribute to the safe and efficient functioning of a healthcare system, yet it is rarely incorporated into routine healthcare management, partially due to the technical training required. This paper introduces a free and open source patient flow simulation software tool that enables training and experimentation with healthcare management decisions and their impact on patient flow. Users manage their simulated hospital with a simple web-based graphical interface.

Risk factors for incident heart failure in age- and sex-specific strata: a population-based cohort using linked electronic health records.

Aims: Several risk factors for incident heart failure (HF) have been previously identified, however large electronic health records (EHR) datasets may provide the opportunity to examine the consistency of risk factors across different subgroups from the general population.

Methods And Results: We used linked EHR data from 2000 to 2010 as part of the UK-based CALIBER resource to select a cohort of 871 687 individuals 55 years or older and free of HF at baseline. The primary endpoint was the first record of HF from primary or secondary care.