Systematic review and network meta-analysis of atrial fibrillation percutaneous catheter ablation technologies using randomized controlled trials.

Aims: We sought out to make comparisons between all atrial fibrillation (AF) catheter ablation technologies using randomized controlled trial data. Our comparisons were freedom from AF, procedural duration, and fluoroscopy duration.

Methods: Searches were made of EMBASE, MEDLINE, and CENTRAL databases, and studies were selected which had cryoballoon, conventional radiofrequency (RF), multipolar RF catheters, and laser technology as an arm in the study and were identified as randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Assessing thyroid cancer risk using polygenic risk scores.

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified at least 10 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) risk. Most of these SNPs are common variants with small to moderate effect sizes. Here we assessed the combined genetic effects of these variants on PTC risk by using summarized GWAS results to build polygenic risk score (PRS) models in three PTC study groups from Ohio (1,544 patients and 1,593 controls), Iceland (723 patients and 129,556 controls), and the United Kingdom (534 patients and 407,945 controls).

Mental health in UK Biobank - development, implementation and results from an online questionnaire completed by 157 366 participants: a reanalysis.

Background: UK Biobank is a well-characterised cohort of over 500 000 participants including genetics, environmental data and imaging. An online mental health questionnaire was designed for UK Biobank participants to expand its potential.

Aims: Describe the development, implementation and results of this questionnaire.

Patients' and public views and attitudes towards the sharing of health data for research: a narrative review of the empirical evidence.

Introduction: International sharing of health data opens the door to the study of the so-called 'Big Data', which holds great promise for improving patient-centred care. Failure of recent data sharing initiatives indicates an urgent need to invest in societal trust in researchers and institutions. Key to an informed understanding of such a 'social license' is identifying the views patients and the public may hold with regard to data sharing for health research.

Associations of autozygosity with a broad range of human phenotypes.

In many species, the offspring of related parents suffer reduced reproductive success, a phenomenon known as inbreeding depression. In humans, the importance of this effect has remained unclear, partly because reproduction between close relatives is both rare and frequently associated with confounding social factors. Here, using genomic inbreeding coefficients (F) for >1.

Validity of acute cardiovascular outcome diagnoses in European electronic health records: a systematic review protocol.

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are among the leading causes of death globally. Electronic health records (EHRs) provide a rich data source for research on CVD risk factors, treatments and outcomes. Researchers must be confident in the validity of diagnoses in EHRs, particularly when diagnosis definitions and use of EHRs change over time.

Genetic associations with radiological damage in rheumatoid arthritis: Meta-analysis of seven genome-wide association studies of 2,775 cases.

Background: Previous studies of radiological damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have used candidate-gene approaches, or evaluated single genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We undertook the first meta-analysis of GWAS of RA radiological damage to: (1) identify novel genetic loci for this trait; and (2) test previously validated variants.

Methods: Seven GWAS (2,775 RA cases, of a range of ancestries) were combined in a meta-analysis.

Effects of antihypertensives, lipid-modifying drugs, glycaemic control drugs and sodium bicarbonate on the progression of stages 3 and 4 chronic kidney disease in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of drug interventions that may modify the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adults with CKD stages 3 and 4.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: Searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, Health Technology Assessment, Science Citation Index, Social Sciences Citation Index, Conference Proceedings Citation Index and Clinical Trials Register, from March 1999 to July 2018, we identified randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of drugs for hypertension, lipid modification, glycaemic control and sodium bicarbonate, compared with placebo, no drug or a drug from another class, in ≥40 adults with CKD stages 3 and/or 4, with at least 2 years of follow-up and reporting renal function (primary outcome), proteinuria, adverse events, maintenance dialysis, transplantation, cardiovascular events, cardiovascular mortality or all-cause mortality.

Diagnosis and treatment for hyperuricemia and gout: a systematic review of clinical practice guidelines and consensus statements.

Objectives: Despite the publication of hundreds of trials on gout and hyperuricemia, management of these conditions remains suboptimal. We aimed to assess the quality and consistency of guidance documents for gout and hyperuricemia.

Design: Systematic review and quality assessment using the appraisal of guidelines for research and evaluation (AGREE) II methodology.

C9orf72 intermediate expansions of 24-30 repeats are associated with ALS.

The expansion of a hexanucleotide repeat GGGGCC in C9orf72 is the most common known cause of ALS accounting for ~ 40% familial cases and ~ 7% sporadic cases in the European population. In most people, the repeat length is 2, but in people with ALS, hundreds to thousands of repeats may be observed. A small proportion of people have an intermediate expansion, of the order of 20 to 30 repeats in size, and it remains unknown whether intermediate expansions confer risk of ALS in the same way that massive expansions do.

India and the United Kingdom-What big data health research can do for a country.

Introduction: Big data and growth in telecommunications have increased the enormous promise of an informatics approach to health care. India and the United Kingdom are two countries facing these challenges of implementing learning health systems and big data health research.

Analysis: At present, these opportunities are more likely to be exploited in the private sector or in public-private partnerships (eg, Public Health Foundation of India [PHFI]) than public sector ventures alone.

Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation for stable angina: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: A systematic review was undertaken to assess the effects of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) for patients with stable angina.

Methods: Databases (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, Embase and CINAHL) were searched up to October 2017, without language restriction. Randomised trials comparing CR programmes with no exercise control in adults with stable angina were included.

Origins of disparities in preventable child mortality in England and Sweden: a birth cohort study.

Objective: To compare mortality in children aged <5 years from two causes amenable to healthcare prevention in England and Sweden: respiratory tract infection (RTI) and sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI).

Design: Birth cohort study using linked administrative health databases from England and Sweden.

Setting And Participants: Singleton live births between 2003 and 2012 in England and Sweden, followed up from age 31 days until the fifth birthday, death or 31 December 2013.

The effect of computerized decision support systems on cardiovascular risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Cardiovascular risk management (CVRM) is notoriously difficult because of multi-morbidity and the different phenotypes and severities of cardiovascular disease. Computerized decision support systems (CDSS) enable the clinician to integrate the latest scientific evidence and patient information into tailored strategies. The effect on cardiovascular risk factor management is yet to be confirmed.

The Translational Landscape of the Human Heart.

Gene expression in human tissue has primarily been studied on the transcriptional level, largely neglecting translational regulation. Here, we analyze the translatomes of 80 human hearts to identify new translation events and quantify the effect of translational regulation. We show extensive translational control of cardiac gene expression, which is orchestrated in a process-specific manner.

How community resources mitigate the association between household poverty and the incidence of adverse childhood experiences.

Objectives: To assess what proportion of the association between household low income and incidence of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) would be eliminated if all households had access to housing, transportation and childcare services, breastfeeding counselling, and parks.

Methods: Using Growing Up in Scotland birth cohort data (N = 2816), an inverse probability-weighted regression-based mediation technique was applied to assess associations between low-income status (< £11,000 in 2004/5), resource access, and cumulative 8-year ACE incidence (≥ 1, ≥ 3 ACEs). Resource access was measured based on households' self-reported difficulties (yes/no) in accessing housing, transportation, childcare, and breastfeeding counselling, and park proximity (within 10 min from the residence).

Life's Simple 7 Approach to Atrial Fibrillation Prevention.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most commonly encountered arrhythmia in clinical practice. It constitutes a major public health problem, with total related annual expenses estimated at $6.65 billion.

Serum metabolic signatures of coronary and carotid atherosclerosis and subsequent cardiovascular disease.

Aims: To characterize serum metabolic signatures associated with atherosclerosis in the coronary or carotid arteries and subsequently their association with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods And Results: We used untargeted one-dimensional (1D) serum metabolic profiling by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR) among 3867 participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), with replication among 3569 participants from the Rotterdam and LOLIPOP studies. Atherosclerosis was assessed by coronary artery calcium (CAC) and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT).

Diurnal variations in the quality of stroke care in Sweden.

Objectives: A recent study of acute stroke patients in England and Wales revealed several patterns of temporal variation in quality of care. We hypothesized that similar patterns would be present in Sweden and aimed to describe these patterns. Additionally, we aimed to investigate whether hospital type conferred resilience against temporal variation.

DNAscan: personal computer compatible NGS analysis, annotation and visualisation.

Background: Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is a commonly used technology for studying the genetic basis of biological processes and it underpins the aspirations of precision medicine. However, there are significant challenges when dealing with NGS data. Firstly, a huge number of bioinformatics tools for a wide range of uses exist, therefore it is challenging to design an analysis pipeline.

Big Data Analytics, Infectious Diseases and Associated Ethical Impacts.

The exponential accumulation, processing and accrual of big data in healthcare are only possible through an equally rapidly evolving field of big data analytics. The latter offers the capacity to rationalize, understand and use big data to serve many different purposes, from improved services modelling to prediction of treatment outcomes, to greater patient and disease stratification. In the area of infectious diseases, the application of big data analytics has introduced a number of changes in the information accumulation models.

Control of Ebola virus disease outbreaks: Comparison of health care worker-targeted and community vaccination strategies.

Background: Health care workers (HCW) are at risk of infection during Ebola virus disease outbreaks and therefore may be targeted for vaccination before or during outbreaks. The effect of these strategies depends on the role of HCW in transmission which is understudied.

Methods: To evaluate the effect of HCW-targeted or community vaccination strategies, we used a transmission model to explore the relative contribution of HCW and the community to transmission.