Population-centric Profiling with Social Data for Large-scale Epidemiological studies

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reshma Unnikrishnan ◽  
Sowmya S Kamath ◽  
V S Ananthanarayana
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Social Data

scholarly journals Lack of an association between gallstone disease and bilirubin levels with risk of colorectal cancer: a Mendelian randomisation analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Culliford ◽  
Alex J. Cornish ◽  
Philip J. Law ◽  
Susan M. Farrington ◽  
Kimmo Palin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Gallstone Disease ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Mendelian Randomisation ◽  
Linear Relationships ◽  
Potential Risk Factors ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Circulating Levels

Abstract Background Epidemiological studies of the relationship between gallstone disease and circulating levels of bilirubin with risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC) have been inconsistent. To address possible confounding and reverse causation, we examine the relationship between these potential risk factors and CRC using Mendelian randomisation (MR). Methods We used two-sample MR to examine the relationship between genetic liability to gallstone disease and circulating levels of bilirubin with CRC in 26,397 patients and 41,481 controls. We calculated the odds ratio per genetically predicted SD unit increase in log bilirubin levels (ORSD) for CRC and tested for a non-zero causal effect of gallstones on CRC. Sensitivity analysis was applied to identify violations of estimator assumptions. Results No association between either gallstone disease (P value = 0.60) or circulating levels of bilirubin (ORSD = 1.00, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.96–1.03, P value = 0.90) with CRC was shown. Conclusions Despite the large scale of this study, we found no evidence for a causal relationship between either circulating levels of bilirubin or gallstone disease with risk of developing CRC. While the magnitude of effect suggested by some observational studies can confidently be excluded, we cannot exclude the possibility of smaller effect sizes and non-linear relationships.

scholarly journals Multimorbidity clusters in patients with chronic obstructive airway diseases in the EpiChron Cohort

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonás Carmona-Pírez ◽  
Beatriz Poblador-Plou ◽  
Ignatios Ioakeim-Skoufa ◽  
Francisca González-Rubio ◽  
Luis Andrés Gimeno-Feliú ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
High Morbidity ◽  
Airway Diseases ◽  
Obstructive Sleep ◽  
Obstructive Airway Diseases

AbstractChronic obstructive airway diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, rhinitis, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are amongst the most common treatable and preventable chronic conditions with high morbidity burden and mortality risk. We aimed to explore the existence of multimorbidity clusters in patients with such diseases and to estimate their prevalence and impact on mortality. We conducted an observational retrospective study in the EpiChron Cohort (Aragon, Spain), selecting all patients with a diagnosis of allergic rhinitis, asthma, COPD, and/or OSA. The study population was stratified by age (i.e., 15–44, 45–64, and ≥ 65 years) and gender. We performed cluster analysis, including all chronic conditions recorded in primary care electronic health records and hospital discharge reports. More than 75% of the patients had multimorbidity (co-existence of two or more chronic conditions). We identified associations of dermatologic diseases with musculoskeletal disorders and anxiety, cardiometabolic diseases with mental health problems, and substance use disorders with neurologic diseases and neoplasms, amongst others. The number and complexity of the multimorbidity clusters increased with age in both genders. The cluster with the highest likelihood of mortality was identified in men aged 45 to 64 years and included associations between substance use disorder, neurologic conditions, and cancer. Large-scale epidemiological studies like ours could be useful when planning healthcare interventions targeting patients with chronic obstructive airway diseases and multimorbidity.

scholarly journals Multicenter Evaluation of an ELISA for the Detection of Cryptosporidium spp. Antigen in Clinical Human Stool Samples

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 209
Author(s):  
Romy Razakandrainibe ◽  
Célia Mérat ◽  
Nathalie Kapel ◽  
Marc Sautour ◽  
Karine Guyot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Cryptosporidium Oocyst ◽  
Clinical Importance ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Elisa Test ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Cryptosporidium Spp ◽  
Stool Samples ◽  
Conventional Microscopy ◽  
Human Stool

Human cryptosporidiosis remains underdiagnosed, and rapid/accurate diagnosis is of clinical importance. Diagnosis of the Cryptosporidium oocyst in stool samples by conventional microscopy is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and requires skillful experience. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the usefulness of a coproantigen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test in detecting Cryptosporidium spp. from fecal specimens. For this aim, we evaluated the performances of a commercial ELISA (CoproELISA Cryptosporidium kit, Savyon Diagnostics, Israel) for the detection of Cryptosporidium spp. in random clinical stool samples through a multicenter study. The sensitivity and specificity for coproantigen ELISA were 98.86% and 94.32%, respectively. The coproantigen ELISA results indicate that the simple, rapid, reliable, and standardized immunoassay test is sensitive and specific for routine diagnosis, and may be useful for large-scale epidemiological studies of cryptosporidiosis.

scholarly journals Whole-Genome Phylogenomic Heterogeneity of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Isolates with Decreased Cephalosporin Susceptibility Collected in Canada between 1989 and 2013

2014 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 191-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter Demczuk ◽  
Tarah Lynch ◽  
Irene Martin ◽  
Gary Van Domselaar ◽  
Morag Graham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neisseria Gonorrhoeae ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
23S Rrna ◽  
Genome Comparison ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Genomic Epidemiology ◽  
High Level ◽  
Sequence Types

A large-scale, whole-genome comparison of CanadianNeisseria gonorrhoeaeisolates with high-level cephalosporin MICs was used to demonstrate a genomic epidemiology approach to investigate strain relatedness and dynamics. Although current typing methods have been very successful in tracing short-chain transmission of gonorrheal disease, investigating the temporal evolutionary relationships and geographical dissemination of highly clonal lineages requires enhanced resolution only available through whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Phylogenomic cluster analysis grouped 169 Canadian strains into 12 distinct clades. While someN. gonorrhoeaemultiantigen sequence types (NG-MAST) agreed with specific phylogenomic clades or subclades, other sequence types (ST) and closely related groups of ST were widely distributed among clades. Decreased susceptibility to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESC-DS) emerged among a group of diverse strains in Canada during the 1990s with a variety of nonmosaicpenAalleles, followed in 2000/2001 with thepenAmosaic X allele and then in 2007 with ST1407 strains with thepenAmosaic XXXIV allele. Five genetically distinct ESC-DS lineages were associated withpenAmosaic X, XXXV, and XXXIV alleles and nonmosaic XII and XIII alleles. ESC-DS with coresistance to azithromycin was observed in 5 strains with 23S rRNA C2599T or A2143G mutations. As the costs associated with WGS decline and analysis tools are streamlined, WGS can provide a more thorough understanding of strain dynamics, facilitate epidemiological studies to better resolve social networks, and improve surveillance to optimize treatment for gonorrheal infections.

Following the discovery of anti-MDA5 Ab, the clinical understanding of dermatomyositis has been improved

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moataz Dowaidar
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Total Mortality ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Respiratory Physiology ◽  
Prognostic Indicators ◽  
Current Standard ◽  
Incurable Disease ◽  
Triple Treatment ◽  
Risk Categorization

Knowledge about clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis has exploded in the last two decades, especially after the discovery of anti-MDA5 Ab. The disease's likely genesis and pathophysiological processes have been studied in a number of scientific and epidemiological studies. Thanks to a slew of new large-scale cohort studies, the clinical characteristics of MDA5+ DM may be better identified. In addition, several prognostic indicators have been discovered, such as respiratory physiology measures and serum biomarkers, which have helped to enhance risk categorization in clinical practice and restrict the design of future clinical studies. Quantitative evaluation of pulmonary HRCT data may be the trend of imaging testing in MDA5+ DM-ILD. The current standard of treatment for MDA5+ DM-ILD is "triple treatment" with JAK inhibitors, which has been proven in recent trials to significantly improve the survival of early-stage patients. Total mortality in this incurable disease, however, is still shockingly high, especially in advanced-stage patients. There is still a pressing need for a more effective and well-evidenced treatment approach for MDA5+ DM-ILD.

Trust, efficacy and ethicacy when testing prisoners for COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Lambert ◽  
Dean Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Current System ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Power Relationships ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Large Scale Testing ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus and subsequent COVID-19 illness has had a major impact on all levels of society internationally. The extent of the impact of COVID-19 on prison staff and prisoners in England and Wales is unknown. Testing for COVID-19 both asymptomatic and symptomatic, as well as for antibodies, to date, has been minimal. The purpose of this paper is to explore the widespread testing of COVID-19 in prisons poses philosophical and ethical questions around trust, efficacy and ethicacy. Design/methodology/approach This paper is both descriptive, providing an overview of the widespread testing of COVID-19 in prisoners in England and Wales, and conceptual in that it discusses and argues the issues associated with large-scale testing. This paper provides a discussion, using comparative studies, of the issues associated with large-scale testing of prisoners across the prison estate in England and Wales (120 prisons). The issues identified in this paper are contextualised through the lens of COVID-19, but they are equally transferrable to epidemiological studies of any pandemic. Given the prevalence of COVID-19 globally and the lack of information about its spread in prisons, at the time of writing this paper, there is a programme of asymptomatic testing of prisoners. However, there remains a paucity of data on the spread of COVID-19 in prisons because of the progress with the ongoing testing programme. Findings The authors argue that the widespread testing of prisoners requires careful consideration of the details regarding who is included in testing, how consent is gained and how tests are administered. This paper outlines and argues the importance of considering the complex nuance of power relationships within the prison system, among prisoner officers, medical staff and prisoners and the detrimental consequences. Practical implications The widespread testing of COVID-19 presents ethical and practical challenges. Careful planning is required when considering the ethics of who should be included in COVID-19 testing, how consent will be gained, who and how tests will be administered and very practical challenges around the recording and assigning of COVID-19 test kits inside the prison. The current system for the general population requires scanning of barcodes and registration using a mobile number; these facilities are not permitted inside a prison. Originality/value This paper looks at the issues associated with mass testing of prisoners for COVID-19. According to the authors’ knowledge, there has not been any research that looks at the issues of testing either in the UK or internationally. The literature available details countries’ responses to the pandemic rather and scientific papers on the development of vaccines. Therefore, this paper is an original review of some of the practicalities that need to be addressed to ensure that testing can be as successful as possible.

scholarly journals Development of Novel Multiplex PCR for Diagnosis of Co-infected Hemo-parasites in Cattle

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pankaj Kumar ◽  
Abhay Kumar ◽  
Kamal Sarma ◽  
Paresh Sharma ◽  
Rashmi Rekha Kumari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiplex Pcr ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Parasitic Infection ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Kappa Coefficient ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Diagnostic Process ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Babesia Bigemina

Background: A novel, rapid and specific multiplex polymerase chain reaction was developed to diagnose hemo-parasitic infection in bovine blood co-infected with three of the most common hemo-parasites. Methods: The diagnostic process relied on the detection of the three different bovine hemoparasites isolated from red blood cells (RBCs) of cattle (N=30) by conventional Giemsa stained blood smear (GSBS) and confirmed by multiplex PCR. The multiplex PCR system was used to diagnose GSBS positive blood samples (N=12) found infected or co-infected with hemoparasites. The designed multiplex primer sets was attempted to amplify 205, 313 and 422 bp fragments of apocytochrome b, sporozoite and macroschizont 2 (spm2) and 16S rRNA gene for Babesia bigemina, Theileria annulata and Anaplasma marginale, respectively. Result: This multiplex PCR was sensitive with the ability to detect the presence of 150 ng of genomic DNA. The primers used in this multiplex PCR also showed highly specific amplification of specific gene fragments of each respective parasite. Comparing the two detection methods revealed that 58.33% of specimens showed concordant diagnoses with both techniques. The specificity, positive predictive value and kappa coefficient of the agreement was highest for diagnosis of B. bigemina and lowest for A. marginale. The overall Kappa coefficient for diagnosis based on GSBS for multiple pathogens compared to multiplex PCR was 0.56, slightly behind the threshold of 0.6 of agreement. Therefore, confirmation should always be based on PCR to rule out false positives due to differences in subjective observations, stain particles and false negatives due to low parasitemia. The simplicity and rapidity of this specific multiplex PCR method make it suitable for large-scale epidemiological studies and follow-up of drug treatments.

scholarly journals Colorectal Cancer Prevalence and Survival in Castilla La Mancha (Spain). A Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Valiente González ◽  
Ricardo de Miguel Ibáñez ◽  
Francisco Escribano Sotos
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Cancer Type ◽  
Tumour Stage ◽  
Cancer Prevalence ◽  
La Mancha

Abstract Background: Colorectal cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer type and the second cause of cancer death in Spain. The primary risk factor for colorectal cancer is age, with 90% of all diagnosed patients aged over 50 years. Prognosis mainly depends on tumour stage. Aim: Conduct a pilot Colorectal Cancer prevalence and survival study in Cuenca (Spain) since there are almost no studies based on small populations. This is the first pilot study about survival in screening of colorectal cancer carried out in hospitals in Castilla La Mancha. Methods and Results: Retrospective descriptive cohort study was performed to include patients with colorectal cancer diagnosed by colonoscopy between May 2015 and April 2016, and who were followed up for 48 months. The study considered sociodemographic and clinical data of the patients. Survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The proportional hazard rate associated with age, gender, stage and presence of metastasis was calculated using the Cox regression method. 57 patients were included in the study. The mean follow-up was 45.5 months. Ten patients died during the study, in seven cases the cause was colorectal cancer. The percentage of patients alive at 48-month follow-up were 82.4%. Conclusion: Colon cancer is a high-prevalence pathology, with adenocarcinoma being the most common histology. The results seem to indicate that it affects men more frequently, mortality rises with tumour stage at diagnosis and declines with use of chemotherapy. We present a pilot study that could justify large-scale epidemiological studies for the regional surveillance and evolution of colorectal cancer in Spain.

scholarly journals A Molecular Survey on Neglected Gurltia paralysans and Aelurostrongylus abstrusus Infections in Domestic Cats (Felis catus) from Southern Chile

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1195
Author(s):  
Natasha Barrios ◽  
Marcelo Gómez ◽  
Macarena Zanelli ◽  
Lisbeth Rojas-Barón ◽  
Paulina Sepúlveda-García ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Nematode Species ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Domestic Cat ◽  
Southern Chile ◽  
Domestic Cats ◽  
Aelurostrongylus Abstrusus ◽  
Factors Associated

Gurltia paralysans and Aelurostrongylus abstrusus are neglected metastrongyloid nematode species which infect domestic and wild cats in South American countries and in Chile, but no epidemiological studies on concomitant infections have been conducted in Chile so far. The aim of this study was not only to evaluate the occurrence of concomitant infections, but also to identify epidemiological risk factors associated with of G. paralysans and A. abstrusus infections in urban domestic cats (Felis catus) from Southern Chile. Blood samples from clinically healthy domestic cats from three cities of Southern Chile—Temuco, Valdivia, and Puerto Montt—were analyzed by an experimental semi-nested PCR protocol. A total of 171 apparently healthy domestic cats in Temuco (n = 68), Valdivia (n = 50), and Puerto Montt (n = 53) were sampled and analyzed. A total of 93 domestic cats (54.4%) were positive for G. paralysans, and 34 (19.9%) were positive for A. abstrusus infections. From those animals, 34 (19.9%) were co-infected. Cats positive with G. paralysans were found in all three cities; 47.2% in Puerto Montt, 48% in Valdivia, and 64.7% in Temuco. Levels of infection for A. abstrusus in the population under study were 4% (Valdivia), 10% (Puerto Montt), and 32.4% (Temuco). The present large-scale epidemiological study confirmed the presence of these neglected nematodes in domestic cat populations in Southern Chile, and described the possible risk factors associated with feline gurltiosis and aelurostrongylosis.

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