Analyzing degraded DNA and challenging samples using the ForenSeq™ DNA Signature Prep kit.

Typing short tandem repeats (STRs) is the basis for human identification in current forensic testing. The standard method uses capillary electrophoresis (CE) to separate amplicons by length and fluorescent labeling. In recent years new methods, including massively parallel sequencing (MPS), have been developed which increased the discriminative power of STRs through sequencing.

A case report of capillary leak syndrome with recurrent pericardial and pleural effusions.

Background: Capillary leak syndrome (CLS) is a rare connective tissue disease, triggered by the leak of serous fluid into the interstitial spaces, characterized by a hallmark of oedema and effusions in confined spaces. The limiting factor in CLS management appears to be its diagnosis rather than treatment, which is usually to contain the disease progression rather than a cure.

Case Summary: We report a case of a 51-year-old woman with recurrent life-threatening presentations of pericardial effusions, pleural effusions, and generalized swelling of face and extremities.

Inhaled Corticosteroid Treatment Regimens and Health Outcomes in a UK COPD Population Study.

Background: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are a prevailing treatment option for COPD patients but recent guidelines have relegated their use predominantly to patients with frequent exacerbations. Yet large numbers of patients worldwide are currently treated with ICS-containing regimens. We wished to determine in routine clinical practice how common ICS withdrawal is and the differences in health outcomes between patients managed on ICS-containing and non-ICS containing regimens.

Effect of remote ischaemic conditioning on platelet reactivity and endogenous fibrinolysis in ST-elevation myocardial infarction: a substudy of the CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI randomized controlled trial.

Aims: Remote ischaemic conditioning (RIC) has been shown to reduce myocardial infarct size in animal models of myocardial infarction. Platelet thrombus formation is a critical determinant of outcome in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Whether the beneficial effects of RIC are related to thrombotic parameters is unclear.

'Go for it, dream big, work hard and persist': A message to the next generation of CF leaders in recognition of International Women's Day 2020.

The focus for International Women's Day 2020 is gender equity:'We can actively choose to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perceptions, improve situations and celebrate women's achievements. Collectively, each one of us can help create a gender equal world.' We have come together as an international group of women holding senior positions within CF to raise awareness.

Personal Cold Protection Behaviour and Its Associated Factors in 2016/17 Cold Days in Hong Kong: A Two-Year Cohort Telephone Survey Study.

Despite larger health burdens attributed to cold than heat, few studies have examined personal cold protection behaviours (PCPB). This study examined PCPB during cold waves and identified the associated factors in a subtropical city for those without central heating system. : A cohort telephone survey was conducted in Hong Kong during a colder cold wave (2016) and a warmer cold wave (2017) among adults (≥15).

Hospitalisation and mortality in patients with comorbid COPD and heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Discrepancy exists amongst studies investigating the effect of comorbid heart failure (HF) on the morbidity and mortality of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.

Methods: MEDLINE and Embase were searched using a pre-specified search strategy for studies comparing hospitalisation, rehospitalisation, and mortality of COPD patients with and without HF. Studies must have reported crude and/or adjusted rate ratios, risk ratios, odds ratios (OR), or hazard ratios (HR).

Risk of respiratory hospital admission associated with modelled concentrations of Aspergillus fumigatus from composting facilities in England.

Bioaerosols have been associated with adverse respiratory-related health effects and are emitted in elevated concentrations from composting facilities. We used modelled Aspergillus fumigatus concentrations, a good indicator for bioaerosol emissions, to assess associations with respiratory-related hospital admissions. Mean daily Aspergillus fumigatus concentrations were estimated for each composting site for first full year of permit issue from 2005 onwards to 2014 for Census Output Areas (COAs) within 4 km of 76 composting facilities in England, as previously described (Williams et al.

Temporal trends in the incidence, treatment patterns, and outcomes of coronary artery disease and peripheral artery disease in the UK, 2006-2015.

Aims: Most reports estimating national incidence rates of coronary (CAD) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) have focused on stable outpatients or acute or elective hospital admissions, but not on the overall burden of disease. In this study, we report the changing trends in the population-level incidence of CAD and PAD, respectively from 2006 to 2015, statin utilization for secondary prevention and survival outcomes using multiple nationally representative data sources from the UK (primary care encounters, hospital admissions, and procedure-level data).

Methods And Results: A nationally representative study of linked primary and secondary care electronic health records of 4.

New artificial intelligence prediction model using serial prothrombin time international normalized ratio measurements in atrial fibrillation patients on vitamin K antagonists: GARFIELD-AF.

Aims: Most clinical risk stratification models are based on measurement at a single time-point rather than serial measurements. Artificial intelligence (AI) is able to predict one-dimensional outcomes from multi-dimensional datasets. Using data from Global Anticoagulant Registry in the Field (GARFIELD)-AF registry, a new AI model was developed for predicting clinical outcomes in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients up to 1 year based on sequential measures of prothrombin time international normalized ratio (PT-INR) within 30 days of enrolment.

Inhaled corticosteroids and FEV decline in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review.

Rate of FEV decline in COPD is heterogeneous and the extent to which inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) influence the rate of decline is unclear. The majority of previous reviews have investigated specific ICS and non-ICS inhalers and have consisted of randomised control trials (RCTs), which have specific inclusion and exclusion criteria and short follow up times. We aimed to investigate the association between change in FEV and ICS-containing medications in COPD patients over longer follow up times.

The Role of the Lung's Microbiome in the Pathogenesis and Progression of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, fibrosing interstitial lung disease that commonly affects older adults and is associated with the histopathological and/or radiological patterns of usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP). Despite significant advances in our understanding of disease pathobiology and natural history, what causes IPF remains unknown. A potential role for infection in the disease's pathogenesis and progression or as a trigger of acute exacerbation has long been postulated, but initial studies based on traditional culture methods have yielded inconsistent results.

Epidemiology of bronchiectasis in the UK: Findings from the British lung foundation's 'Respiratory health of the nation' project.

Key findings of this national survey of non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis epidemiology were that its prevalence, incidence and mortality have all increased over recent years; we estimate that around 212,000 people are currently living with bronchiectasis in the UK, very much higher than commonly quoted figures. Bronchiectasis is more common in females than males; 60% of diagnoses are made in the over-70 age group. Regional differences in prevalence, incidence, mortality, and hospital admission were identified.

Characterising low-cost sensors in highly portable platforms to quantify personal exposure in diverse environments.

The inaccurate quantification of personal exposure to air pollution introduces error and bias in health estimations, severely limiting causal inference in epidemiological research worldwide. Rapid advancements in affordable, miniaturised air pollution sensor technologies offer the potential to address this limitation by capturing the high variability of personal exposure during daily life in large-scale studies with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. However, concerns remain regarding the suitability of novel sensing technologies for scientific and policy purposes.

Risk of congenital anomalies near municipal waste incinerators in England and Scotland: Retrospective population-based cohort study.

Background: Few studies have investigated congenital anomalies in relation to municipal waste incinerators (MWIs) and results are inconclusive.

Objectives: To conduct a national investigation into the risk of congenital anomalies in babies born to mothers living within 10 km of an MWI associated with: i) modelled concentrations of PM as a proxy for MWI emissions more generally and; ii) proximity of residential postcode to nearest MWI, in areas in England and Scotland that are covered by a congenital anomaly register.

Methods: Retrospective population-based cohort study within 10 km of 10 MWIs in England and Scotland operating between 2003 and 2010.

Health State Utility Data in Cystic Fibrosis: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a life-limiting, hereditable condition, with the highest prevalence in Europe. CF treatments have led to improvements in clinical symptoms, disease management and decelerated disease progression. However, little is known about the health state utility (HSU) associated with CF disease states, adverse events, and changes in disease severity.

An open-label extension study of ivacaftor in children with CF and a CFTR gating mutation initiating treatment at age 2-5 years (KLIMB).

Background: KIWI (NCT01705145) was a 24-week, single-arm, pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy study of ivacaftor in children aged 2 to 5 years with cystic fibrosis (CF) and a CFTR gating mutation. Here, we report the results of KLIMB (NCT01946412), an 84-week, open-label extension of KIWI.

Methods: Children received age- and weight-based ivacaftor dosages for 84 weeks.

Predicting COPD 1-year mortality using prognostic predictors routinely measured in primary care.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of mortality. Patients with advanced disease often have a poor quality of life, such that guidelines recommend providing palliative care in their last year of life. Uptake and use of palliative care in advanced COPD is low; difficulty in predicting 1-year mortality is thought to be a major contributing factor.

DNA Methylation in Inflammatory Pathways Modifies the Association between BMI and Adult-Onset Non-Atopic Asthma.

A high body mass (BMI) index has repeatedly been associated with non-atopic asthma, but the biological mechanism linking obesity to asthma is still poorly understood. We aimed to test the hypothesis that inflammation and/or innate immunity plays a role in the obesity-asthma link. DNA methylome was measured in blood samples of 61 non-atopic participants with asthma and 146 non-atopic participants without asthma (non-smokers for at least 10 years) taking part in the Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung and Heart Diseases in Adults (SAPALDIA) study.

Changes in COPD inhaler prescriptions in the United Kingdom, 2000 to 2016.

Background: Over the past two decades, there have been significant changes in the pharmacological management of COPD, due to an explosion of inhaler trials, and timely updation of national and international guidelines. We sought to describe temporal changes in prescribing practices in the United Kingdom, and some of the factors that may have influenced them.

Patients And Methods: COPD patients were identified from UK primary care nationally representative electronic healthcare records (Clinical Practice Research Datalink), between 2000 and 2016.

Impaired endogenous fibrinolysis at high shear using a point-of-care test in STEMI is associated with alterations in clot architecture.

Impaired endogenous fibrinolysis is an adverse prognostic biomarker in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Abnormally dense in vitro fibrin thrombi have been demonstrated in ACS patients and related to hypofibrinolysis using cumbersome, laboratory-based methods. We aimed to assess endogenous fibrinolysis using a point-of-care technique and relate this to clot architecture.

Health economic modelling in Cystic Fibrosis: A systematic review.

Introduction: Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a heritable chronic condition. Due to the genetic and progressive nature of CF, a number of interventions are available for the condition. In the United Kingdom (U.

Estimating Aspergillus fumigatus exposure from outdoor composting activities in England between 2005 and 14.

Bioaerosols, ubiquitous in ambient air, are released in elevated concentrations from composting facilities with open-air processing areas. However, spatial and temporal variability of bioaerosols, particularly in relation to meteorology, is not well understood. Here we model relative concentrations of Aspergillus fumigatus at each postcode-weighted centroid within 4 km of 217 composting facilities in England between 2005 and 2014.