Modeling the costs and long-term health benefits of screening the general population for risks of cardiovascular disease: a review of methods used in the literature

Background Strategies for screening and intervening to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in primary care settings need to be assessed in terms of both their costs and long-term health effects. We undertook a literature review to investigate the methodologies used. Methods In a framework of developing a new health-economic model for evaluating different…

Mitochondrial DNA copy number variation, leukocyte telomere length, and breast cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study

Background Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) copy number and deletions have been proposed as risk markers for various cancer types, including breast cancer (BC). Methods To gain a more comprehensive picture on how these markers can modulate BC risk, alone or in conjunction, we performed simultaneous measurements of LTL and mtDNA copy…

Mitochondrial DNA copy number variation and pancreatic cancer risk in the prospective EPIC cohort

BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number in peripheral blood has been found to be associated with risk of developing several cancers. However, data on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are very limited. METHODS: To further our knowledge on this topic we measured relative mtDNA copy number by a quantitative real-time PCR assay in peripheral leukocyte samples…

Milk intake and incident stroke and coronary heart disease in populations of European descent: A Mendelian Randomization study

Higher milk intake has been associated with a lower stroke risk, but not with risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Residual confounding or reverse causation cannot be excluded. Therefore, we estimated the causal association of milk consumption with stroke and CHD risk through instrumental variable (IV) and gene-outcome analyses. IV analysis included 29,328 participants (4,611…

Mild-to-Moderate Kidney Dysfunction and Cardiovascular Disease: Observational and Mendelian Randomization Analyses

Background: End-stage renal disease is associated with a high risk of cardiovascular events. It is unknown, however, whether mild-to-moderate kidney dysfunction is causally related to coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. Methods: Observational analyses were conducted using individual-level data from 4 population data sources (Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration, EPIC-CVD [European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and…

Mild-to-Moderate Kidney Dysfunction and Cardiovascular Disease: Observational and Mendelian Randomization Analyses

Background: End-stage renal disease is associated with a high risk of cardiovascular events. It is unknown, however, whether mild-to-moderate kidney dysfunction is causally related to coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. Methods: Observational analyses were conducted using individual-level data from 4 population data sources (Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration, EPIC-CVD [European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and…

Micronutrients, Vitamin D, and Inflammatory Biomarkers in COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Causal Inference Studies

Context Experimental and observational studies suggest that circulating micronutrients, including vitamin D (VD), may increase COVID-19 risk and its associated outcomes. Mendelian randomization (MR) studies provide valuable insight into the causal relationship between an exposure and disease outcomes. Objectives The aim was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of causal inference studies that apply MR…

Microcephaly Epidemic in Brazil: An Earlier Chapter

Objective: Identify risk factors for microcephaly and evaluate historical trends of microcephaly and arboviruses to recognize patterns and anomalies that indicate the beginning of the microcephaly epidemic associated with Zika infection. Methods: The head circumferences of 62,298 newborns was analyzed to identify cases of microcephaly between 2014 and 2017. We compared the groups of newborns…

Mi chico no quiere usar condón. Estrategias innovadoras para la prevención de la transmisión sexual del VIH/sida

Llevamos bastantes años investigando las conductas sexuales de los jóvenes, y sabemos ya qué hacen, cómo lo hacen y cuántos y cuántas lo hacen. Llevamos también algunos años investigando las razones por las que llevan a cabo prácticas sexuales de riesgo respecto a la transmisión del VIH/sida, y sabemos ya por qué hacen lo que…

Metodología de investigación y escritura científica en clínica

La aparición de la Edición 1998 de «Metodología de investigación y escritura científica en clínica» plantea dos preguntas importantes: Pregunta nº 1: «¿Qué material nuevo trae esta edición?» En primer lugar, la sección IV.B.5. «Las etapas del proceso de investigación en salud» se ha reescrito totalmente reagrupando los 18 pasos que componen las etapas conceptual…