Multisystem physiological perspective of human frailty and its modulation by physical activity.

"Frailty" is a term used to refer to a state characterized by enhanced vulnerability to, and impaired recovery from, stressors compared with a nonfrail state, which is increasingly viewed as a loss of resilience. With increasing life expectancy and the associated rise in years spent with physical frailty, there is a need to understand the clinical and physiological features of frailty and the factors driving it. We describe the clinical definitions of age-related frailty and their limitations in allowing us to understand the pathogenesis of this prevalent condition. Given that age-related frailty manifests in the form of functional declines such as poor balance, falls, and immobility, as an alternative we view frailty from a physiological viewpoint and describe what is known of the organ-based components of frailty, including adiposity, the brain, and neuromuscular, skeletal muscle, immune, and cardiovascular systems, as individual systems and as components in multisystem dysregulation. By doing so we aim to highlight current understanding of the physiological phenotype of frailty and reveal key knowledge gaps and potential mechanistic drivers of the trajectory to frailty. We also review the studies in humans that have intervened with exercise to reduce frailty. We conclude that more longitudinal and interventional clinical studies are required in older adults. Such observational studies should interrogate the progression from a nonfrail to a frail state, assessing individual elements of frailty to produce a deep physiological phenotype of the syndrome. The findings will identify mechanistic drivers of frailty and allow targeted interventions to diminish frailty progression.

Widespread phytoplankton blooms triggered by 2019-2020 Australian wildfires.

Droughts and climate-change-driven warming are leading to more frequent and intense wildfires1-3, arguably contributing to the severe 2019-2020 Australian wildfires4. The environmental and ecological impacts of the fires include loss of habitats and the emission of substantial amounts of atmospheric aerosols5-7. Aerosol emissions from wildfires can lead to the atmospheric transport of macronutrients and bio-essential trace metals such as nitrogen and iron, respectively8-10. It has been suggested that the oceanic deposition of wildfire aerosols can relieve nutrient limitations and, consequently, enhance marine productivity11,12, but direct observations are lacking. Here we use satellite and autonomous biogeochemical Argo float data to evaluate the effect of 2019-2020 Australian wildfire aerosol deposition on phytoplankton productivity. We find anomalously widespread phytoplankton blooms from December 2019 to March 2020 in the Southern Ocean downwind of Australia. Aerosol samples originating from the Australian wildfires contained a high iron content and atmospheric trajectories show that these aerosols were likely to be transported to the bloom regions, suggesting that the blooms resulted from the fertilization of the iron-limited waters of the Southern Ocean. Climate models project more frequent and severe wildfires in many regions1-3. A greater appreciation of the links between wildfires, pyrogenic aerosols13, nutrient cycling and marine photosynthesis could improve our understanding of the contemporary and glacial-interglacial cycling of atmospheric CO2 and the global climate system.

Tetracyclines activate mitoribosome quality control and reduce ER stress to promote cell survival.

Mitochondrial diseases are a group of disorders defined by defects in oxidative phosphorylation caused by nuclear- or mitochondrial-encoded gene mutations. A main cellular phenotype of mitochondrial disease mutations is redox imbalances and inflammatory signaling underlying pathogenic signatures of these patients. One method to rescue this cell death vulnerability is the inhibition of mitochondrial translation using tetracyclines. However, the mechanisms whereby tetracyclines promote cell survival are unknown. Here, we show that tetracyclines inhibit the mitochondrial ribosome and promote survival through suppression of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Tetracyclines increase mitochondrial levels of the mitoribosome quality control factor MALSU1 (Mitochondrial Assembly of Ribosomal Large Subunit 1) and promote its recruitment to the mitoribosome large subunit, where MALSU1 is necessary for tetracycline-induced survival and suppression of ER stress. Glucose starvation induces ER stress to activate the unfolded protein response and IRE1α-mediated cell death that is inhibited by tetracyclines. These studies establish a new interorganelle communication whereby inhibition of the mitoribosome signals to the ER to promote survival, implicating basic mechanisms of cell survival and treatment of mitochondrial diseases.

Sideroflexin 4 is a complex I assembly factor that interacts with the MCIA complex and is required for the assembly of the ND2 module.

SignificanceMitochondria are double-membraned eukaryotic organelles that house the proteins required for generation of ATP, the energy currency of cells. ATP generation within mitochondria is performed by five multisubunit complexes (complexes I to V), the assembly of which is an intricate process. Mutations in subunits of these complexes, or the suite of proteins that help them assemble, lead to a severe multisystem condition called mitochondrial disease. We show that SFXN4, a protein that causes mitochondrial disease when mutated, assists with the assembly of complex I. This finding explains why mutations in SFXN4 cause mitochondrial disease and is surprising because SFXN4 belongs to a family of amino acid transporter proteins, suggesting that it has undergone a dramatic shift in function through evolution.

Gut metabolic changes during pregnancy reveal the importance of gastrointestinal region in sample collection.

INTRODUCTION: Studies of gastrointestinal physiology and the gut microbiome often consider the influence of intestinal region on experimental endpoints. However, this same consideration is not often applied to the gut metabolome. Understanding the contribution of gut regionality may be critically important to the rapidly changing metabolic environments, such as during pregnancy. OBJECTIVES: We sought to characterize the difference in the gut metabolome in pregnant mice stratified by region-comparing the small intestine, cecum, and feces. Pre-pregnancy feces were collected to understand the influence of pregnancy on the fecal metabolome. METHODS: Feces were collected from CD-1 female mice before breeding. On gestation day (GD) 18, gut contents were collected from the small intestine, cecum, and descending colon. Metabolites were analyzed with LC-MS/MS using the Biocrates MetaboINDICATOR™ MxP® Quant 500 kit. RESULTS: Of the 104 small molecule metabolites meeting analysis criteria, we found that 84 (81%) were differentially abundant based on gut region. The most significant regional comparison observed was between the cecum and small intestines, with 52 (50%) differentially abundant metabolites. Pregnancy itself altered 41 (39.4%) fecal small molecule metabolites. CONCLUSIONS: The regional variation observed in the gut metabolome are likely due to the microbial and physiological differences between the different parts of the intestines. Additionally, pregnancy impacts the fecal metabolome, which may be due to evolving needs of both the dam and fetus.

Ethnicity and deprivation negatively impact the access to disease-modifying therapy for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a retrospective, single-centre study.

BACKGROUND: A growing body of evidence suggests inequitable access to disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for multiple sclerosis (MS) in publicly funded healthcare systems. This retrospective study examined the impact of ethnicity and deprivation on the access to DMTs. METHODS: All adults diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS between 2010 and 2020 were included. The impact of ethnicity and deprivation on being offered and starting any DMTs and high-efficacy DMTs were measured using binary, multinomial logistic and Cox regression models. These analyses were adjusted for sex, age at diagnosis and year of diagnosis. RESULTS: 164/1648 people with MS (PwMS) were from non-white ethnicities. 461/1648 who were living in the most deprived areas, were less likely to be offered DMTs, with an OR of 0.66 (95% CI 0.47 to 0.93), less likely to start high-efficacy DMTs with an OR of 0.67 (95% CI 0.48 to 0.93) and more likely to experience a delay in starting high-efficacy DMTs with an HR of 0.76 (95% CI 0.63 to 0.92), when also adjusted for ethnicity. Although the offer of DMTs did not depend on ethnicity, PwMS from non-white ethnicities were more likely to decline DMTs, less likely to start any DMTs and high-efficacy DMTs with ORs of 0.60 (95% CI 0.39 to 0.93) and 0.61 (95% CI 0.38 to 0.98), respectively, and more likely to experience a delay in starting DMTs with an HR of 0.79 (95% CI 0.66 to 0.95), when also adjusted for deprivation. CONCLUSIONS: In a publicly funded healthcare system, the access to DMTs varied depending on ethnicities and levels of deprivation.

Role of pyroptosis in the pathogenesis of various neurological diseases.

Pyroptosis, an inflammatory programmed cell death process, has recently garnered significant attention due to its pivotal role in various neurological diseases. This review delves into the intricate molecular signaling pathways governing pyroptosis, encompassing both caspase-1 dependent and caspase-1 independent routes, while emphasizing the critical role played by the inflammasome machinery in initiating cell death. Notably, we explore the Nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat (NLR) containing protein family, the Absent in melanoma 2-like receptor family, and the Pyrin receptor family as essential activators of pyroptosis. Additionally, we comprehensively examine the Gasdermin family, renowned for their role as executioner proteins in pyroptosis. Central to our review is the interplay between pyroptosis and various central nervous system (CNS) cell types, including astrocytes, microglia, neurons, and the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Pyroptosis emerges as a significant factor in the pathophysiology of each cell type, highlighting its far-reaching impact on neurological diseases. This review also thoroughly addresses the involvement of pyroptosis in specific neurological conditions, such as HIV infection, drug abuse-mediated pathologies, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. These discussions illuminate the intricate connections between pyroptosis, chronic inflammation, and cell death in the development of these disorders. We also conducted a comparative analysis, contrasting pyroptosis with other cell death mechanisms, thereby shedding light on their unique aspects. This approach helps clarify the distinct contributions of pyroptosis to neuroinflammatory processes. In conclusion, this review offers a comprehensive exploration of the role of pyroptosis in various neurological diseases, emphasizing its multifaceted molecular mechanisms within various CNS cell types. By elucidating the link between pyroptosis and chronic inflammation in the context of neurodegenerative disorders and infections, it provides valuable insights into potential therapeutic targets for mitigating these conditions.

Advancing specificity in delirium: The delirium subtyping initiative.

BACKGROUND: Delirium, a common syndrome with heterogeneous etiologies and clinical presentations, is associated with poor long-term outcomes. Recording and analyzing all delirium equally could be hindering the field's understanding of pathophysiology and identification of targeted treatments. Current delirium subtyping methods reflect clinically evident features but likely do not account for underlying biology. METHODS: The Delirium Subtyping Initiative (DSI) held three sessions with an international panel of 25 experts. RESULTS: Meeting participants suggest further characterization of delirium features to complement the existing Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition Text Revision diagnostic criteria. These should span the range of delirium-spectrum syndromes and be measured consistently across studies. Clinical features should be recorded in conjunction with biospecimen collection, where feasible, in a standardized way, to determine temporal associations of biology coincident with clinical fluctuations. DISCUSSION: The DSI made recommendations spanning the breadth of delirium research including clinical features, study planning, data collection, and data analysis for characterization of candidate delirium subtypes. HIGHLIGHTS: Delirium features must be clearly defined, standardized, and operationalized. Large datasets incorporating both clinical and biomarker variables should be analyzed together. Delirium screening should incorporate communication and reasoning.

Multi-tissue transcriptomic and serum metabolomic assessment reveals systemic implications of acute ozone-induced stress response in male Wistar Kyoto rats.

Air pollutant exposures have been linked to systemic disease; however, the underlying mechanisms between responses of the target tissue and systemic effects are poorly understood. A prototypic inducer of stress, ozone causes respiratory and systemic multiorgan effects through activation of a neuroendocrine stress response. The goal of this study was to assess transcriptomic signatures of multiple tissues and serum metabolomics to understand how neuroendocrine and adrenal-derived stress hormones contribute to multiorgan health outcomes. Male Wistar Kyoto rats (12-13 weeks old) were exposed to filtered air or 0.8 ppm ozone for 4-hours, and blood/tissues were collected immediately post-exposure. Each tissue had distinct expression profiles at baseline. Ozone changed 1,640 genes in lung, 274 in hypothalamus, 2,516 in adrenals, 1,333 in liver, 1,242 in adipose, and 5,102 in muscle (adjusted p-value < 0.1, absolute fold-change > 50%). Serum metabolomic analysis identified 863 metabolites, of which 447 were significantly altered in ozone-exposed rats (adjusted p-value < 0.1, absolute fold change > 20%). A total of 6 genes were differentially expressed in all 6 tissues. Glucocorticoid signaling, hypoxia, and GPCR signaling were commonly changed, but ozone induced tissue-specific changes in oxidative stress, immune processes, and metabolic pathways. Genes upregulated by TNF-mediated NFkB signaling were differentially expressed in all ozone-exposed tissues, but those defining inflammatory response were tissue-specific. Upstream predictor analysis identified common mediators of effects including glucocorticoids, although the specific genes responsible for these predictors varied by tissue. Metabolomic analysis showed major changes in lipids, amino acids, and metabolites linked to the gut microbiome, concordant with transcriptional changes identified through pathway analysis within liver, muscle, and adipose tissues. The distribution of receptors and transcriptional mechanisms underlying the ozone-induced stress response are tissue-specific and involve induction of unique gene networks and metabolic phenotypes, but the shared initiating triggers converge into shared pathway-level responses. This multi-tissue transcriptomic analysis, combined with circulating metabolomic assessment, allows characterization of the systemic inhaled pollutant-induced stress response.

Self-reported health change in haemodialysis recipients modulates the effect of frailty upon mortality and hospital admissions: outcomes from a large prospective UK cohort.

BACKGROUND: Frailty among haemodialysis patients is associated with hospitalization and mortality, but high frailty prevalence suggests further discrimination of risk is required. We hypothesized that incorporation of self-reported health with frailty measurement may aid risk stratification. METHODS: Prospective cohort study of 485 prevalent haemodialysis recipients linked to English national datasets. Frailty Phenotype (FP), Frailty Index (FI), Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS), Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and self-reported health change were assessed. Mortality was explored using Fine and Gray regression, and admissions by negative binomial regression. RESULTS: Over a median 678 (interquartile range 531-812) days, there were 111 deaths, and 1241 hospitalizations. Increasing frailty was associated with mortality on adjusted analyses for FP [subdistribution hazard ratio (SHR) 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05-1.53, P = .01], FI (SHR 1.21, 95% CI 1.09-1.35, P = .001) and CFS (SHR 1.32, 95% CI 1.11-1.58, P = .002), but not EFS (HR 1.08, 95% CI 0.99-1.18, P = .1). Health change interacted with frailty tools to modify association with mortality; only those who rated their health as the same or worse experienced increased mortality hazard associated with frailty by FP (Pinteraction = .001 and 0.035, respectively), FI (Pinteraction = .002 and .007, respectively) and CFS (Pinteraction = .009 and 0.02, respectively). CFS was the only frailty tool associated with hospitalization (incidence rate ratio 1.12, 95% CI 1.02-1.23, P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: We confirm the high burden of hospitalization and mortality associated with haemodialysis patients regardless of frailty tool utilized and introduce the discriminatory ability of self-reported health to identify the most at-risk frail individuals.

Consensus Clinical Guidance for Diagnosis and Management of Adult COVID-19 Encephalopathy Patients.

Encephalopathy, a common condition among patients hospitalized with COVID-19, can be a challenge to manage and negatively affect prognosis. While encephalopathy may present clinically as delirium, subsyndromal delirium, or coma and may be a result of systemic causes such as hypoxia, COVID-19 has also been associated with more prolonged encephalopathy due to less common but nevertheless severe complications, such as inflammation of the brain parenchyma (with or without cerebrovascular involvement), demyelination, or seizures, which may be disproportionate to COVID-19 severity and require specific management. Given the large number of patients hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection, even these relatively unlikely complications are increasingly recognized and are particularly important because they require specific management. Therefore, the aim of this review is to provide pragmatic guidance on the management of COVID-19 encephalopathy through consensus agreement of the Global COVID-19 Neuro Research Coalition. A systematic literature search of MEDLINE, medRxiv, and bioRxiv was conducted between January 1, 2020, and June 21, 2021, with additional review of references cited within the identified bibliographies. A modified Delphi approach was then undertaken to develop recommendations, along with a parallel approach to score the strength of both the recommendations and the supporting evidence. This review presents analysis of contemporaneous evidence for the definition, epidemiology, and pathophysiology of COVID-19 encephalopathy and practical guidance for clinical assessment, investigation, and both acute and long-term management.

Air Pollutant impacts on the brain and neuroendocrine system with implications for peripheral organs: a perspective.

Air pollutants are being increasingly linked to extrapulmonary multi-organ effects. Specifically, recent studies associate air pollutants with brain disorders including psychiatric conditions, neuroinflammation and chronic diseases. Current evidence of the linkages between neuropsychiatric conditions and chronic peripheral immune and metabolic diseases provides insights on the potential role of the neuroendocrine system in mediating neural and systemic effects of inhaled pollutants (reactive particulates and gases). Autonomically-driven stress responses, involving sympathetic-adrenal-medullary and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axes regulate cellular physiological processes through adrenal-derived hormones and diverse receptor systems. Recent experimental evidence demonstrates the contribution of the very stress system responding to non-chemical stressors, in mediating systemic and neural effects of reactive air pollutants. The assessment of how respiratory encounter of air pollutants induce lung and peripheral responses through brain and neuroendocrine system, and how the impairment of these stress pathways could be linked to chronic diseases will improve understanding of the causes of individual variations in susceptibility and the contribution of habituation/learning and resiliency. This review highlights effects of air pollution in the respiratory tract that impact the brain and neuroendocrine system, including the role of autonomic sensory nervous system in triggering neural stress response, the likely contribution of translocated nano particles or metal components, and biological mediators released systemically in causing effects remote to the respiratory tract. The perspective on the use of systems approaches that incorporate multiple chemical and non-chemical stressors, including environmental, physiological and psychosocial, with the assessment of interactive neural mechanisms and peripheral networks are emphasized.

Intratracheal instillation of respirable particulate matter elicits neuroendocrine activation.

OBJECTIVE: Inhalation of ozone activates central sympathetic-adrenal-medullary and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal stress axes. While airway neural networks are known to communicate noxious stimuli to higher brain centers, it is not known to what extent responses generated from pulmonary airways contribute to neuroendocrine activation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Unlike inhalational exposures that involve the entire respiratory tract, we employed intratracheal (IT) instillations to expose only pulmonary airways to either soluble metal-rich residual oil fly ash (ROFA) or compressor-generated diesel exhaust particles (C-DEP). Male Wistar-Kyoto rats (12-13 weeks) were IT instilled with either saline, C-DEP or ROFA (5 mg/kg) and necropsied at 4 or 24 hr to assess temporal effects. RESULTS: IT-instillation of particulate matter (PM) induced hyperglycemia as early as 30-min and glucose intolerance when measured at 2 hr post-exposure. We observed PM- and time-specific effects on markers of pulmonary injury/inflammation (ROFA>C-DEP; 24 hr>4hr) as corroborated by increases in lavage fluid injury markers, neutrophils (ROFA>C-DEP), and lymphocytes (ROFA). Increases in lavage fluid pro-inflammatory cytokines differed between C-DEP and ROFA in that C-DEP caused larger increases in TNF-α whereas ROFA caused larger increases in IL-6. No increases in circulating cytokines occurred. At 4 hr, PM impacts on neuroendocrine activation were observed through depletion of circulating leukocytes, increases in adrenaline (ROFA), and decreases in thyroid-stimulating-hormone, T3, prolactin, luteinizing-hormone, and testosterone. C-DEP and ROFA both increased lung expression of genes involved in acute stress and inflammatory processes. Moreover, small increases occurred in hypothalamic Fkbp5, a glucocorticoid-sensitive gene. CONCLUSION: Respiratory alterations differed between C-DEP and ROFA, with ROFA inducing greater overall lung injury/inflammation; however, both PM induced a similar degree of neuroendocrine activation. These findings demonstrate neuroendocrine activation after pulmonary-only PM exposure, and suggest the involvement of pituitary- and adrenal-derived hormones.

Development of a UK core dataset for geriatric medicine research: a position statement and results from a Delphi consensus process.

BACKGROUND: There is lack of standardisation in assessment tools used in geriatric medicine research, which makes pooling of data and cross-study comparisons difficult. METHODS: We conducted a modified Delphi process to establish measures to be included within core and extended datasets for geriatric medicine research in the United Kingdom (UK). This included three complete questionnaire rounds, and one consensus meeting. Participants were selected from attendance at the NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre meeting, May 2019, and academic geriatric medicine e-mailing lists. Literature review was used to develop the initial questionnaire, with all responses then included in the second questionnaire. The third questionnaire used refined options from the second questionnaire with response ranking. RESULTS: Ninety-eight responses were obtained across all questionnaire rounds (Initial: 19, Second: 21, Third: 58) from experienced and early career researchers in geriatric medicine. The initial questionnaire included 18 questions with short text responses, including one question for responders to suggest additional items. Twenty-six questions were included in the second questionnaire, with 108 within category options. The third questionnaire included three ranking, seven final agreement, and four binary option questions. Results were discussed at the consensus meeting. In our position statement, the final consensus dataset includes six core domains: demographics (age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status), specified morbidities, functional ability (Barthel and/or Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living), Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), cognition, and patient-reported outcome measures (dependent on research question). We also propose how additional variables should be measured within an extended dataset. CONCLUSIONS: Our core and extended datasets represent current consensus opinion of academic geriatric medicine clinicians across the UK. We consider the development and further use of these datasets will strengthen collaboration between researchers and academic institutions.

Investigating the impact of fluid status on the ultrasound assessment of muscle quantity and quality in the diagnosis of sarcopenia - a multidimensional cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia is a clinical manifestation of adverse ageing, characterised by progressive loss of muscle mass and function. Diagnosis requires assessment of muscle quantity and quality; ultrasound represents an emerging tool for this. However, ultrasound muscle assessment may be impacted by fluid balance. This is particularly important when assessing for acute sarcopenia in hospitalised patients, where fluid disturbance often occurs. The primary aim of this study was to characterise the impact of fluid status on ultrasound muscle assessment, such that this may be accounted for in sarcopenia diagnostics. METHODS: This Multidimensional Cross-sectional study involved 80 participants, who were inpatients at QEHB, a large UK tertiary centre. Fluid status was evaluated clinically and quantified using Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA). Muscle quantity was measured using Bilateral Anterior Thigh Thickness (BATT) with Rectus Femoris (RF) echogenicity used to assesses muscle adiposity and hence provide an inverse measure of muscle quality. RESULTS: A significant positive correlation was found between fluid status, measured using BIA, and BATT as a measure of muscle quantity, in males (rs = 0.662, p < 0.001) and females (rs = 0.638, p < 0.001). A significant negative correlation was found between fluid status and RF echogenicity (rs=-0.448, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate associations between fluid balance and ultrasound assessment of muscle quantity and quality. Given the emerging use of ultrasound muscle assessment in sarcopenia diagnosis, there is a need to account for this in clinical practice. Future research should focus on the development of a corrective equation allowing assessment of muscle quantity and quality which account for changes in fluid status, hence aiding accurate diagnosis of sarcopenia.

A clinical frailty scale obtained from MDT discussion performs poorly in assessing frailty in haemodialysis recipients.

BACKGROUND: The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) is a commonly utilised frailty screening tool that has been associated with hospitalisation and mortality in haemodialysis recipients, but is subject to heterogenous methodologies including subjective clinician opinion. The aims of this study were to (i) examine the accuracy of a subjective, multidisciplinary assessment of CFS at haemodialysis Quality Assurance (QA) meetings (CFS-MDT), compared with a standard CFS score via clinical interview, and (ii) ascertain the associations of these scores with hospitalisation and mortality. METHODS: We performed a prospective cohort study of prevalent haemodialysis recipients linked to national datasets for outcomes including mortality and hospitalisation. Frailty was assessed using the CFS after structured clinical interview. The CFS-MDT was derived from consensus at haemodialysis QA meetings, involving dialysis nurses, dietitians, and nephrologists. RESULTS: 453 participants were followed-up for a median of 685 days (IQR 544-812), during which there were 96 (21.2%) deaths and 1136 hospitalisations shared between 327 (72.1%) participants. Frailty was identified in 246 (54.3%) participants via CFS, but only 120 (26.5%) via CFS-MDT. There was weak correlation (Spearman Rho 0.485, P < 0.001) on raw frailty scores and minimal agreement (Cohen's κ = 0.274, P < 0.001) on categorisation of frail, vulnerable and robust between the CFS and CFS-MDT. Increasing frailty was associated with higher rates of hospitalisation for the CFS (IRR 1.26, 95% C.I. 1.17-1.36, P = 0.016) and CFS-MDT (IRR 1.10, 1.02-1.19, P = 0.02), but only the CFS-MDT was associated with nights spent in hospital (IRR 1.22, 95% C.I. 1.08-1.38, P = 0.001). Both scores were associated with mortality (CFS HR 1.31, 95% C.I. 1.09-1.57, P = 0.004; CFS-MDT HR 1.36, 95% C.I. 1.16-1.59, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of CFS is deeply affected by the underlying methodology, with the potential to profoundly affect decision-making. The CFS-MDT appears to be a weak alternative to conventional CFS. Standardisation of CFS use is of paramount importance in clinical and research practice in haemodialysis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov : NCT03071107 registered 06/03/2017.

Ultrasound quadriceps muscle thickness is variably associated with frailty in haemodialysis recipients.

BACKGROUND: Ultrasonographic quantitation of quadriceps muscle mass is increasingly used for assessment of sarcopenia, but its relationship with frailty in haemodialysis recipients is not known. This study explores the relationship between ultrasound-derived bilateral anterior thigh thickness (BATT), sarcopenia, and frailty by common frailty tools (Frailty Phenotype [FP], Frailty Index [FI], Edmonton Frailty [EFS], and Clinical Frailty Scale [CFS]). METHODS: This was an exploratory analysis of a subgroup of adult prevalent (≥3 months) haemodialysis recipients deeply phenotyped for frailty. Ultrasound assessment of BATT was obtained with participants at an angle of ≤45°, with legs outstretched and knees resting at 10°-20°, according to an established protocol. Associations with frailty were explored via both linear and logistic regressions for BATT, Low Muscle Mass (LMM), and sarcopenia with stepwise adjustment for a priori covariables. RESULTS: In total 223 study participants had ultrasound measurements. Frailty ranged from 34% for FP to 58% for FI. BATT was associated with increasing frailty on simple linear regression by all frailty tools, but lost significance on addition of covariables. Upon dichotomising frailty tools into Frail/Not Frail, BATT was associated with frailty by all tools on univariable analyses, but only retained association for EFS on the fully adjusted model (OR 0.97, 95% C.I. 0.94-1.00, P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound measures of quadriceps thickness is variably associated with frailty in prevalent haemodialysis recipients, dependent upon the frailty tool used, but not independent of other variables. Further work is required to establish the added value of sarcopenia measurement in frail haemodialysis patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov : NCT03071107 registered 06/03/2017.

Prevalence and demographic variation of cardiovascular, renal, metabolic, and mental health conditions in 12 million english primary care records.

BACKGROUND: Primary care electronic health records (EHR) are widely used to study long-term conditions in epidemiological and health services research. Therefore, it is important to understand how well the recorded prevalence of these conditions in EHRs, compares to other reliable sources overall, and varies by socio-demographic characteristics. We aimed to describe the prevalence and socio-demographic variation of cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic (CRM) and mental health (MH) conditions in a large, nationally representative, English primary care database and compare with prevalence estimates from other population-based studies. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Aurum primary care database. We calculated prevalence of 18 conditions and used logistic regression to assess how this varied by age, sex, ethnicity, and socio-economic status. We searched the literature for population prevalence estimates from other sources for comparison with the prevalences in CPRD Aurum. RESULTS: Depression (16.0%, 95%CI 16.0-16.0%) and hypertension (15.3%, 95%CI 15.2-15.3%) were the most prevalent conditions among 12.4 million patients. Prevalence of most conditions increased with socio-economic deprivation and age. CRM conditions, schizophrenia and substance misuse were higher in men, whilst anxiety, depression, bipolar and eating disorders were more common in women. Cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension and diabetes) were more prevalent in black and Asian patients compared with white, but the trends in prevalence of cardiovascular diseases by ethnicity were more variable. The recorded prevalences of mental health conditions were typically twice as high in white patients compared with other ethnic groups. However, PTSD and schizophrenia were more prevalent in black patients. The prevalence of most conditions was similar or higher in the primary care database than diagnosed disease prevalence reported in national health surveys. However, screening studies typically reported higher prevalence estimates than primary care data, especially for PTSD, bipolar disorder and eating disorders. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of many clinically diagnosed conditions in primary care records closely matched that of other sources. However, we found important variations by sex and ethnicity, which may reflect true variation in prevalence or systematic differences in clinical presentation and practice. Primary care data may underrepresent the prevalence of undiagnosed conditions, particularly in mental health.

The Pre-Implementation Phase of a Project Seeking to Deliver a Community-Based CVD Prevention Intervention (SPICES-Sussex): A Qualitative Study Exploring Views and Experience Relating to Intervention Development.

BACKGROUND.: Community-led health care interventions may be an effective way to tackle cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, especially in materially deprived communities where health care resources are stretched and engagement with institutions is often low. To do so effectively and equitably, interventions might be developed alongside community members through community engagement. OBJECTIVES.: The aim of this project was to carry out stakeholder mapping and partnership identification and to understand the views, needs, experiences of community members who would be involved in later stages of a community-based CVD prevention intervention's development and implementation. METHODS.: Stakeholder mapping was carried out to identify research participants in three communities in Sussex, United Kingdom. A qualitative descriptive approach was taken during the analysis of focus groups and interviews with 47 participants. FINDINGS.: Three themes were highlighted related to intervention design (a) Management: the suitability of the intervention for the community, management of volunteers, and communication; (b) Logistics: the structure and design of the intervention; and (c) Sociocultural issues, the social and cultural expectations/experiences of participants and implementers. CONCLUSIONS.: Study participants were open and willing to engage in the planned community-based intervention, particularly in elements of co-design and community-led delivery. They also highlighted the importance of sociocultural factors. Based on the findings, we developed recommendations for intervention design which included (but were not limited to): (a) a focus on a bottom-up approach to intervention design, (b) the recruitment of skilled local volunteers, and (c) the importance of fun and simplicity.

The BET inhibitor CPI203 promotes ex vivo expansion of cord blood long-term repopulating HSCs and megakaryocytes.

Although cytokine-mediated expansion of human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) can result in high yields of hematopoietic progenitor cells, this generally occurs at the expense of reduced bone marrow HSC repopulating ability, thereby limiting potential therapeutic applications. Because bromodomain-containing proteins (BCPs) have been demonstrated to regulate mouse HSC self-renewal and stemness, we screened small molecules targeting various BCPs as potential agents for ex vivo expansion of human HSCs. Of 10 compounds tested, only the bromodomain and extra-terminal motif inhibitor CPI203 enhanced the expansion of human cord blood HSCs without losing cell viability in vitro. The expanded cells also demonstrated improved engraftment and repopulation in serial transplantation assays. Transcriptomic and functional studies showed that the expansion of long-term repopulating HSCs was accompanied by synchronized expansion and maturation of megakaryocytes consistent with CPI203-mediated reprogramming of cord blood hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. This approach may therefore prove beneficial for ex vivo gene editing, for enhanced platelet production, and for the improved usage of cord blood for transplantation research and therapy.