Elevated circulating follistatin associates with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

The hepatokine follistatin is elevated in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and promotes hyperglycemia in mice. Here we explore the relationship of plasma follistatin levels with incident T2D and mechanisms involved. Adjusted hazard ratio (HR) per standard deviation (SD) increase in follistatin levels for T2D is 1.

Development and Validation of a Path Length Calculation for Carotid-Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity Measurement: A TASCFORCE, SUMMIT, and Caerphilly Collaborative Venture.

Current distance measurement techniques for pulse wave velocity (PWV) calculation are susceptible to intercenter variability. The aim of this study was to derive and validate a formula for this distance measurement. Based on carotid femoral distance in 1183 whole-body magnetic resonance angiograms, a formula was derived for calculating distance.

Associations between interarm differences in blood pressure and cardiovascular disease outcomes: protocol for an individual patient data meta-analysis and development of a prognostic algorithm.

Introduction: Individual cohort studies in various populations and study-level meta-analyses have shown interarm differences (IAD) in blood pressure to be associated with increased cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. However, key questions remain, such as follows: (1) What is the additional contribution of IAD to prognostic risk estimation for cardiovascular and all-cause mortality? (2) What is the minimum cut-off value for IAD that defines elevated risk? (3) Is there a prognostic value of IAD and do different methods of IAD measurement impact on the prognostic value of IAD? We aim to address these questions by conducting an individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis.

Methods And Analysis: This study will identify prospective cohort studies that measured blood pressure in both arms during recruitment, and invite authors to contribute IPD datasets to this collaboration.

Management of thyroid eye disease in the United Kingdom: A multi-centre thyroid eye disease audit.

This article aims to provide baseline data and highlight any major deficiencies in the current level of care provided for adult patients with thyroid eye disease (TED). We undertook a prospective, nonrandomized cross-sectional multicenter observational study. During a 3-month period June-August 2014, consecutive adult patients with TED who presented to nominated specialist eye clinics in the United Kingdom, completed a standardized questionnaire.

A systematic review of the compression regimes used in randomised clinical trials following endovenous ablation.

Objectives There is insufficient evidence to inform guidelines on the optimal compression strategy following ablation for varicose veins. This study aimed to identify the practice of key opinion leaders performing randomised clinical trials involving endovenous ablation. Method A systematic review of MEDLINE/EMBASE/CENTRAL was performed identifying the compression strategies used in randomised clinical trials where at least one comparator arm underwent endovenous ablation.

A simple technique to identify key recruitment issues in randomised controlled trials: Q-QAT - Quanti-Qualitative Appointment Timing.

Background: Recruitment to pragmatic randomised controlled trials (RCTs) is acknowledged to be difficult, and few interventions have proved to be effective. Previous qualitative research has consistently revealed that recruiters provide imbalanced information about RCT treatments. However, qualitative research can be time-consuming to apply.

2014 European thyroid association guidelines for the management of subclinical hypothyroidism in pregnancy and in children.

This guideline has been produced as the official statement of the European Thyroid Association guideline committee. Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) in pregnancy is defined as a thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level above the pregnancy-related reference range with a normal serum thyroxine concentration. Isolated hypothyroxinaemia (defined as a thyroxine level below the 2.

TSH levels and risk of miscarriage in women on long-term levothyroxine: a community-based study.

Context: Thyroid dysfunction is associated with adverse obstetric outcomes, but there is limited information on pregnancy outcomes in women established on levothyroxine.

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the relationship between TSH levels and pregnancy outcomes in levothyroxine-treated women in a large community-based database.

Design: This was a historical cohort analysis.

Interarm blood pressure difference in people with diabetes: measurement and vascular and mortality implications: a cohort study.

Objective: Differences in blood pressure between arms are associated with vascular disease and increased mortality; this has not been reported in diabetes. We explored these associations, and assessed reference standard and pragmatic measurement techniques, in people with diabetes and in nondiabetic controls.

Research Design And Methods: A prospective cohort study in Devon, England, recruited 727 people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and 285 nondiabetic controls.