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Articles by MRC Unit
Transdiagnostic and symptom-domain associations between mental illnesses and future self-connectedness versus future self-valence
INTRODUCTION Late adolescence and early adulthood are critical developmental periods characterised by the transition to independence and the acquisition of skills necessary to support this shift. Central to a successful transition are mental processes related to envisioning future goals and values, maintaining an optimistic outlook, and adjusting present actions to align with future aspirations and preserve self-coherence.
The efficacy of a low-sodium salt substitute enriched with potassium to improve sodium-to-potassium ratio and reduce blood pressure in adolescents and their families in Soweto, South Africa: study protocol for randomised controlled trial | Trials | Full T
Formative research conducted in Soweto communities influenced two elements of the SALT Trial protocol. Target population: Focus group discussions were conducted with young adults in Soweto on the perceptions of and potential barriers to the use of LSSS. The results highlighted the need for the LSSS to be well explained at a household level to avoid individual household member fears or misunderstandings dissuading use by others.
Using Extreme Value Statistics to Reconceptualize Psychopathology as Extreme Deviations From a Normative Reference Model
1 Introduction In many domains, understanding the extreme values of a given variable is of great importance since they have the most significant impact on outcomes of interest (Zhao et al. 2010; Poon et al. 2004; Marsh and Dale 2002). In neuroscience, we are often similarly interested in the extreme values of a distribution. There are several reasons for this.
Ten-year trajectories of ultra-processed food intake and prospective associations with cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality: findings from the Whitehall II cohort study | Nutrition Journal | Full Text
This study utilized data from the British Whitehall II cohort study, which invited all civil servants aged 35–55 years from 20 London-based departments to participate between 1985 and 1988. A total of 10,308 participants (73% response rate) were enrolled [16].
Association of ambient air pollution exposure with psychological distress in mid and later adulthood: A 26-year prospective cohort study
Loading metrics Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article Citation: Canning T, Richards M, Hansell AL, Gulliver J, Hardy R, Arias-de la Torre J, et al. (2025) Association of ambient air pollution exposure with psychological distress in mid and later adulthood: A 26-year prospective cohort study. PLoS ONE 20(3): e0320332.
Life course trajectories of maternal cardiovascular disease risk factors by obstetric history: a UK cohort study using electronic health records - BMC Medicine
This electronic health record study used linked primary and secondary care data for people in England registered with the National Health Service. CPRD GOLD contains pseudonymised health data on over 11.3 million people (defined as anyone who has at least one record of health care provision in CPRD GOLD), including data on clinical consultations, diagnoses, therapies, referrals, and tests. It broadly represents the UK general population’s age, sex, and ethnicity [15].
The relationship between leisure time physical activity patterns, Alzheimer’s disease markers and cognition
Extensive epidemiological studies, including meta-analyses and literature reviews, describe physical activity as a modest protective factor against Alzheimer’s disease,1 later-life cognitive deficits2,3 and cognitive decline.4,5 Yet, not all studies show this neuroprotective relationship6 and studies may be at risk of reverse directionality, where people in pre-symptomatic stages of dementia exercise less.
Symptom Evolution in Individuals with Ongoing Symptomatic COVID-19 and Post COVID-19 Syndrome After SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Versus Influenza Vaccination
Keywords ongoing symptomatic Covid Post-Covid Syndrome SARS-CoV-2 vaccine Influenza (Flu) vaccine Symptom Research in context Evidence before this study The PubMed database was searched for articles published form 01/12/2020 until 29/09/2022, with search criteria: “((Long COVID) OR (post-acute) OR (post-COVID) OR (ongoing-symptoms)) AND (vaccination) AND (symptoms)”, yielding 320 articles.
Associations between accelerated forgetting, amyloid deposition and brain atrophy in older adults
Accelerated long-term forgetting (ALF) is the phenomenon whereby material is retained normally over short intervals (e.g. minutes) but forgotten abnormally rapidly over longer periods (days or weeks). ALF may be an early marker of cognitive decline, but little is known about its relationships with preclinical Alzheimer’s disease pathology, and how memory selectivity may influence which material is forgotten.
Adulthood adiposity affects cardiac structure and function in later life
Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975 with 39% of adults aged ≥18 years being classified as overweight in 2016 and 13% obese according to the World Health Organization.1 Obesity and overweight are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart failure, and mortality.2,3 In cross-sectional studies, elevated body mass index (BMI) is associated with poorer cardiac function (i.e. poorer diastolic and systolic function) and adverse left ventricular...
Trends in weight gain recorded in English primary care before and during the Coronavirus-19 pandemic: An observational cohort study using the OpenSAFELY platform
Loading metrics Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article Citation: Samuel M, Park RY, Eastwood SV, Eto F, Morton CE, Stow D, et al. (2024) Trends in weight gain recorded in English primary care before and during the Coronavirus-19 pandemic: An observational cohort study using the OpenSAFELY platform. PLoS Med 21(6): e1004398.
Ancestry, ethnicity, and race: explaining inequalities in cardiometabolic disease
Highlights • Use of the terms ‘ethnicity,’ ‘race,’ and ‘ancestry’ to distinguish populations must recognize their distinct definitions and how these definitions associate with environmental risk factors that determine cardiometabolic risk. • The role of gene variants that cosegregate with population groups in determining both cardiometabolic risk and response to cardiometabolic medication is limited.
The association between academic achievement goals and adolescent depressive symptoms: a prospective cohort study in Australia
Research in context Evidence before this study The onset of depression commonly occurs in adolescence, with evidence suggesting that the rate of adolescent depression is rising in many countries. Despite the importance of prevention, very few strategies are successful. Modifications to the school environment might lead to improvements in adolescent mental health; however, there is little awareness over which factors to target.
Delirium is more common and associated with worse outcomes in Parkinson’s disease compared to older adult controls: results of two prospective longitudinal cohort studies
Abstract Inpatient prevalence of Parkinson’s disease (PD) delirium varies widely across the literature. Delirium in general older populations is associated with adverse outcomes, such as increased mortality, dementia, and institutionalisation. However, to date there are no comprehensive prospective studies in PD delirium.
Mechanisms underlying exercise intolerance in long COVID: An accumulation of multisystem dysfunction
1 INTRODUCTION Long COVID or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), is defined as the presence of persistent, often severely debilitating, symptoms beyond 12 weeks from an acute episode of COVID-19. In total, 3.1% of the UK population self-report long COVID symptoms (Office for National Statistics, 2023) and it can occur irrespective of the severity of acute COVID-19 symptoms. Thus, understanding the pathogenesis of long COVID symptoms is an important clinical challenge.
Examining how well economic evaluations capture the value of mental health
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Examining how well economic evaluations capture the value of mental health
1. Global Burden of Disease and the impact of mental and addictive disorders. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2019; 21: 10 2. Mental health ATLAS 2017. 3. Transforming mental health for all: a critical role for specialists. World Psychiatry. 2022; 21: 333-334 4. Healing: our path from mental illness to mental health. Penguin Press, New York, NY2022 5. A mentally healthier nation. 6. Mental health economics: the costs and benefits of psychiatric care. Springer, Cham2017 7.
BLM and BRCA1-BARD1 coordinate complementary mechanisms of joint DNA molecule resolution
Highlights • RECQL5 counteracts RAD51 filament formation, but BLM does not • Combined deficiency in BLM and BRCA1-BARD1 (but not BRCA2) is synthetic lethal • BARD1 recruits SLX4 and MUS81 to resolve DNA intermediates left unprocessed by BLM • The phosphorylated BARD1 MUSIC motif interacts with SLX4 in a CDK1-dependent manner Summary The Bloom syndrome helicase BLM interacts with topoisomerase IIIα (TOP3A), RMI1, and RMI2 to form the BTR complex, which dissolves double Holliday junctions and...
The Role of Circadian Rhythms and Sleep in Anorexia Nervosa
Key Points Question What is the association between anorexia nervosa, circadian rhythms, and sleep traits? Findings In this genetic association study, a bidirectional association between anorexia nervosa and morning chronotype was found using mendelian randomization. In addition, an association between anorexia nervosa and insomnia was found using mendelian randomization and a polygenic risk score for anorexia nervosa in a clinical biobank.
A brief comparison of polygenic risk scores and Mendelian randomisation - BMC Medical Genomics
Mendelian randomisation uses SNPs (i.e., single nucleotide polymorphisms – SNPS –) or common genetic variants as instrumental variables (IVs) for an exposure of interest, rather than using the observed phenotype, to examine whether the exposure (or liability to an exposure if it is binary) has an effect on an outcome of interest [4]. MR exploits the unique properties of common genetic variants and the fact that genes are randomly allocated from parents to offspring during gamete formation [5].
Clinical and cost-effectiveness of ‘Live Well with Parkinson’s’ self-management intervention versus treatment as usual for improving quality of life for people with Parkinson’s: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial | Trials | Full Text
We will carry out a two-arm, single-blind, parallel-group, superiority RCT comparing the intervention group, receiving access to the ‘Live Well with Parkinson’s’ Toolkit to TAU with a 1:1 allocation, including a cost-effectiveness analysis and mixed methods process evaluation. This protocol paper focuses on the main clinical and cost-effectiveness RCT. A detailed protocol for the aligned process evaluation will be reported separately.
Adherence to the EAT-Lancet reference diet is associated with a reduced risk of incident cancer and all-cause mortality in UK adults
Results After an average follow-up of 11.5 years (mean: 10.49 years for cancer, 11.98 years for major cardiovascular events, 11.98 years for mortality), 46,594 incident cancer cases and 7,530 incident major cardiovascular events were diagnosed in the UK Biobank cohort, while 34,438 people died.
Device-measured physical activity and cardiometabolic health: the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting, and Sleep (ProPASS) consortium
Cardiometabolic diseases—including cardiovascular disease (CVD), obesity, and diabetes mellitus—are the leading cause of mortality worldwide.1,2 The global burden of these diseases has risen over the past three decades, with annual CVD-related deaths increasing from 12.1 to 18.6 million, while diabetes-related deaths have doubled to 1.25 million.3–6 Concerningly, these trends are forecasted to continue.7–9 Positive engagement in health behaviours, such as physical activity, reducing sedentary...
Device-measured physical activity and cardiometabolic health: the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting, and Sleep (ProPASS) consortium
See the editorial comment for this article ‘Balancing our day for heart health’, by G.N. Healy, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehad824.
Female sex is a risk factor for painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy: the EURODIAB prospective diabetes complications study - Diabetologia
Abstract While the risk factors for diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) are now well recognised, the risk factors for painful DPN remain unknown. We performed analysis of the EURODIAB Prospective Complications Study data to elucidate the incidence and risk factors of painful DPN. The EURODIAB Prospective Complications Study recruited 3250 participants with type 1 diabetes who were followed up for 7.3±0.6 (mean ± SD) years.
Social health and subsequent cognitive functioning in people aged 50 years and older: examining the mediating roles of depressive symptoms and inflammatory biomarkers in two European longitudinal studies
Research in context Evidence before this study Previous studies have shown links between social health markers, including marital status and social support, and subsequent cognition. However, the mechanisms underlying these relationships are underexamined, including the potential roles of depressive symptoms and inflammation.
Frontiers | Functional genetic variation in pe/ppe genes contributes to diversity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis lineages and potential interactions with the human host
1. Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) disease, caused by bacteria of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), is a major global public health problem with drug resistance making its control difficult (World Health Organization, 2021). The available vaccine, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), has limited efficacy and recent attempts to develop more productive vaccines have been unsuccessful, in part due to the insufficient understanding of host-pathogen interactions (Sable et al., 2019).
1H-MRS neurometabolite profiles and motor development in school-aged children who are HIV-exposed uninfected: a birth cohort study
Simone R. Williams1, 2* Frances C. Robertson3, 4 Catherine J. Wedderburn1, 2, 5 Jessica E. Ringshaw1, 2 Layla Bradford1, 2 Charmaine N. Nyakonda1, 2 Nadia Hoffman6 Shantanu H. Joshi7 Heather J. Zar2, 8 Dan J. Stein1, 6, 9 Kirsten A.
Genetic impacts on DNA methylation help elucidate regulatory genomic processes - Genome Biology
Study cohorts We analysed data collected from 2478 samples across three different UK population cohorts, of which 2358 samples passed quality control assessment and are included in the analyses in this manuscript. TwinsUK [20] (post-QC \(n = 394\), from 236 unique families) is the UK’s most comprehensive and detailed registry of adult monozygotic and dizygotic twins.
Is there an association between daytime napping, cognitive function, and brain volume? A Mendelian randomization study in the UK Biobank
Introduction Daytime napping, defined as brief daytime bouts of sleep, 1 Good sleep, bad sleep! The role of daytime naps in healthy adults. is a universal 2 Benefits of napping in healthy adults: impact of nap length, time of day, age, and experience with napping. and prevalent behavior. 3 Zhang Z. Xiao X. Ma W. Li J. Napping in older adults: a review of current literature.
A systematic review of studies reporting on neuropsychological and functional domains used for assessment of recovery from delirium in acute hospital patients
REVIEW ARTICLE Haruno McCartney and Erin Noble should be considered joint first authors. Abstract Objectives Assessing for recovery in delirium is essential in guiding ongoing investigation and treatment. Yet, there is little scrutiny and no research or clinical consensus on how recovery should be measured. We reviewed studies which used tests of neuropsychological domains and functional ability to track recovery of delirium longitudinally in acute hospital settings.
What's Shaping India? 5 Emerging Trends
In November 2019, members of our global equity team traveled to India to meet with management teams of more than 80 companies, gathering insights on India's economic potential, growth drivers, and consumer demand across many different sectors. The team concluded that India's evolution into an organized economy is still in progress and there are unique opportunities to capture alpha. After our trip, the COVID-19 pandemic upended the global economy.
What Happened to "Paying off the National Debt"?
Almost 2 million people in the UK are estimated to be living with long COVID - after-effects of COVID that can persist for months or even years after the initial infection. Common symptoms include fatigue, breathlessness, muscle and joint pain, cognitive impairment and sleep disruption. People with long COVID also have a higher risk of developing serious heart and lung problems, stroke and blood clots compared to those who have not previously been diagnosed with COVID.
Credit payment holidays reduced the mental health effects of debt during COVID
Authored by MN Gordon via EconomicPrism.com, Are you the type of person who works hard, saves money, and invests with the intent of accumulating lasting wealth? If so, you've likely noticed that things don't quite add up between what you're regularly told about how the economy and financial markets work and what you actually experience. We think there's more to this than just dollars and cents. The central feature of economics is prices. How they are determined and how people respond to them.
Credit payment holidays reduced the mental health effects of debt during COVID - new research
Like other countries, the UK implemented a number of initiatives to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s economic circumstances. While we know these schemes supported household finances, now we’re beginning to understand how they affected mental health. For instance, a 2022 study showed the COVID job-retention scheme (furlough) protected workers from mental health decline due to job loss.
Our research shows home working didn't harm mental health at the start of the pandemic - but things changed later on
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Key factors in scaling a low-tech education intervention from Botswana
By Colin Crossley, Jenny Perlman Robinson The world is still coming to terms with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. With over a billion children experiencing some form of extended school closure from 2020 to 2022, children's learning remains severely affected. At the same time, COVID-19 forced rapid innovation and testing new ways of doing things, including in education. Youth Impact, a nongovernmental organization based in Botswana, has been at the forefront of this response.
Immigration policies don't deter migrants from coming to the US
If there's one major theme playing out in biotech this year, it's watching out for the pitfalls. And then getting hit out of left field by something new and unexpected. Bioregnum Opinion Column by John Carroll For our H1 survey, I wanted to gauge the temperature of a large group of biotech executives - largely CEOs - as they weather the storm following two years of blue skies and clear sailing. And their concerns - counted among 77 execs who took part - came through loud and clear.
Home working and social and mental wellbeing at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: Evidence from 7 longitudinal population surveys
Association between home working and social and mental wellbeing Details of study-specific main estimates (RQ1) are presented in S7 Supplementary File with meta-analysed findings presented in Fig 1. There was no association between full or partial home working and low life satisfaction at T1, T2, or T3. For social contact, working from home was associated with decreased risk of low social contact (fully adjusted RR: 0.93; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.89 to 0.98) at T1.
Garlic consumption in relation to colorectal cancer risk and to alterations of blood bacterial DNA - European Journal of Nutrition
Data come from a case–control study conducted between 2017 and 2019 in two university hospitals in the metropolitan area of Milan, Italy [20]. Participants were recruited among eligible outpatients or inpatients scheduled for a colonoscopy, also from CRC screening program. Among exclusion criteria were: selected inflammatory diseases, immunodeficiency, liver/kidney/heart failure, reported previous cancer, recent hospitalization or colonoscopy and dietary modifications in the previous month.
Promoting mental health and well-being in schools: examining mindfulness, relaxation and strategies for safety and well-being in English primary and secondary schools-study protocol for a multi-school, cluster randomised controlled trial (INSPIRE) | Trial
Ethics approval and consent to participate Ethics approval for this study was granted by the University College London (UCL) Research Ethics Committee (6735/009 and 6735/014). Research data will be processed and stored in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Schools that express an interest in taking part and are deemed eligible will be required to have a member of their senior leadership team sign a Memorandum of Understanding and data sharing agreement.
Early childhood lower respiratory tract infection and premature adult death from respiratory disease in Great Britain: a national birth cohort study
Research in context Evidence before this study Respiratory disease is a major driver of premature adult death worldwide. Preventive strategies focus on the avoidance of proven causative adult exposures, such as tobacco smoke, but there might be scope for preventive interventions much earlier in life. Historically, respiratory infection during early childhood lung development was hypothesised to predispose people to adult respiratory disease.
Predicting Cognitive Decline in Older Adults Using Baseline Metrics of AD Pathologies, Cerebrovascular Disease, and Neurodegeneration
Cohort Data used in the preparation of this article were obtained from the AD Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database (adni.loni.usc.edu). ADNI was launched in 2003 as a public-private partnership, led by Principal Investigator Michael W. Weiner, MD. The primary goal of ADNI has been to test whether serial MRI, PET, other biomarkers, and clinical and neuropsychological assessment can be combined to measure the progression of MCI and early AD. For up-to-date information, see adni-info.org.
A Guide for Selection of Genetic Instruments in Mendelian Randomization Studies of Type 2 Diabetes and HbA1c: Toward an Integrated Approach
Acknowledgments. The authors thank the volunteer participants of the UKB and the UKB researchers. The authors acknowledge Dr. Chloe Park (MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, University College London) for her help with creating the graphical overview. Funding. This work was conducted under UKB project no. 7661.
Sex-differences in LV structure and function by 3D echocardiography in associations with long-term risk of mortality and cardiovascular morbidity
Lamia K. Al Saikhan1, Chloe M.
Predicting mortality in acutely hospitalised older patients: the impact of model dimensionality - BMC Medicine
Study design and participants The full study cohort consisted of 2951 consecutive admissions to the acute geriatrics service at University College London Hospital (UCLH) between March 2015 and March 2017 evaluated in the course of an unselected audit of the service. The cohort was drawn from all patients over the age of 70 admitted with any acute general medical problem: the indication for entry into the acute geriatrics service at UCLH.
Ethnic differences in hypertension management, medication use and blood pressure control in UK primary care, 2006-2019: A retrospective cohort study
Summary Background In the UK, previous work suggests ethnic inequalities in hypertension management. We studied ethnic differences in hypertension management and their contribution to blood pressure (BP) control. Methods We conducted a cohort study of antihypertensive-naïve individuals of European, South Asian and African/African Caribbean ethnicity with a new raised BP reading in UK primary care from 2006 to 2019, using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD).
Real-time air pollution and bipolar disorder symptoms: a remote monitored cross-sectional study
Abstract Air pollution is associated with unipolar depression and other mental health outcomes. We assessed the real-time association between localised mean air quality index and the severity of depression and mania symptoms in people with bipolar disorder. We found that as air quality worsened, symptoms of depression increased. We found no association between air quality and mania symptoms. Competing Interest Statement The current study was funded by juli Health.
Intakes of major food groups in China and UK: results from 100,000 adults in the China Kadoorie biobank and UK biobank - European Journal of Nutrition
Abstract Purpose Different populations may exhibit differences in dietary intakes, which may result in heterogeneities in diet–disease associations. We compared intakes of major food groups overall, by sex, and by socio-economic status (SES) (defined as both education and income), between participants in the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) and the UK Biobank (UKB).
Characterisation of ethnic differences in DNA methylation between UK-resident South Asians and Europeans - Clinical Epigenetics
We observed genome-wide differences in DNA methylation between South Asian and European individuals at 16,344 CpG sites and regions with effect sizes that were comparable in the magnitude of effect to those seen in EWAS of smoking [29, 31, 51]. These differences were replicated between two distinct cohorts: one of men in older adulthood and one of women in pregnancy.
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