Estimates of excess mortality for the five Nordic countries during the COVID-19 pandemic 2020 −2021
ConclusionsWe document substantial heterogeneity and uncertainty in estimates of excess mortality. All estimates should be taken with caution in their interpretation as they miss detailed account of demographics, such as changes in the age group populations over the study period. (Source: International Journal of Epidemiology)
Source: International Journal of Epidemiology - November 4, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research

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          When I learned your diagnosis,   When you learned your diagnosis,               I felt ghosts of moths rise        your blood pressure fell                   from old cocoons      below 90 on 60                     and flutter.         mmHg.          When I learned your diagnosis,    When you learned your diagnosis,                  I realized that you me an     your respir...
Source: International Journal of Epidemiology - November 3, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research

Reassessing the evidence of a survival advantage in Type 2 diabetes treated with metformin compared with controls without diabetes: a retrospective cohort study
ConclusionsTreatment initiation by metformin monotherapy in Type 2 diabetes was not associated with survival equal or superior to that of the general population without diabetes. Our contrasting findings compared with previous research are unlikely to be the result of differences in epidemiological or methodological parameters. (Source: International Journal of Epidemiology)
Source: International Journal of Epidemiology - October 26, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research

Socio-demographic inequalities and excess non-COVID-19 mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic: a data-driven analysis of 1  069 174 death certificates in Mexico
ConclusionNon-COVID-19 causes of death, largely chronic cardiometabolic conditions, comprised up to one-fifth of excess deaths in Mexico during 2020. Non-COVID-19 excess deaths occurred disproportionately out-of-hospital and were associated with both individual- and municipal-level socio-demographic inequalities. (Source: International Journal of Epidemiology)
Source: International Journal of Epidemiology - September 29, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research

Impact of Brazil ’s Bolsa Família Programme on cardiovascular and all-cause mortality: a natural experiment study using the 100 Million Brazilian Cohort
ConclusionsBFP appears to have a small to null effect on premature CVD and all-cause mortality in the short term; the long-term impact remains unknown. (Source: International Journal of Epidemiology)
Source: International Journal of Epidemiology - September 28, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research

The culture of experimentation in epidemiology —50 years later
National Institutes of Health10.13039/100000002R01HD095609R01AA024941 (Source: International Journal of Epidemiology)
Source: International Journal of Epidemiology - September 15, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research

Methods and practical considerations for performing Mendelian randomization
Book review of BurgessStephen, ThompsonSimon G.,Mendelian Randomization: Methods for Causal Inference Using Genetic Variants. Totnes, UK: Chapman and Hall/CRC, 2021, pp. 240, £59.99, ISBN: 9781032019512 (Source: International Journal of Epidemiology)
Source: International Journal of Epidemiology - August 19, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research

Association between household composition and severe COVID-19 outcomes in older people by ethnicity: an observational cohort study using the OpenSAFELY platform
ConclusionsBoth multigenerational living and living alone were associated with severe COVID-19 in older adults. Older South Asian people are over-represented within multigenerational households in England, especially in the most deprived settings, whereas a substantial proportion of White older people live alone. The number of generations in a household, number of occupants, ethnicity and deprivation status are important considerations in the continued roll-out of COVID-19 vaccination and targeting of interventions for future pandemics. (Source: International Journal of Epidemiology)
Source: International Journal of Epidemiology - August 13, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research

Better healthcare can reduce the risk of COVID-19 in-hospital post-partum maternal death: evidence from Brazil
ConclusionWe demonstrated that puerperium was associated with an increased odds of COVID-19-related in-hospital mortality. Only part of the risk can be reduced by quality healthcare such as non-profit private hospitals, those that have an obstetric centre or those located in urban areas. (Source: International Journal of Epidemiology)
Source: International Journal of Epidemiology - August 10, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research

Sustained air pollution exposures, fasting plasma glucose, glycated haemoglobin, prevalence and incidence of diabetes: a nationwide study in China
ConclusionAir pollution was allied to diabetes development in elderly Chinese populations. Considering the impact of the dramatic increase in the incidence and prevalence of diabetes in China, interventions to improve air quality are urgently needed. (Source: International Journal of Epidemiology)
Source: International Journal of Epidemiology - August 10, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research

Software Application Profile: SUMnlmr, an R package that facilitates flexible and reproducible non-linear Mendelian randomization analyses
AbstractMotivationMendelian randomization methods that estimate non-linear exposure-outcome relationships typically require individual-level data. This package implements non-linear Mendelian randomization methods using stratified summarized data, facilitating analyses where individual-level data cannot easily be shared, and additionally increasing reproducibility as summarized data can be reported. Dependence on summarized data means the methods are independent of the form of the individual-level data, increasing flexibility to different outcome types (such as continuous, binary or time-to-event outcomes).ImplementationSU...
Source: International Journal of Epidemiology - August 9, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research

Newborn body composition and child cardiovascular risk markers: a prospective multi-ethnic Asian cohort study
ConclusionsAt birth, low adiposity was associated with increased childhood blood pressure. Low newborn adiposity might serve as a marker of poor fetal growth or suboptimal intrauterine conditions associated with hypertension risk later in life. (Source: International Journal of Epidemiology)
Source: International Journal of Epidemiology - July 30, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research

How to avoid overestimating the burden of hypertension in epidemiological studies? A new methodology to account for within-person variability of blood pressure
ConclusionTaking into account within-person BP variability in epidemiological studies could avoid a substantial overestimation of the burden of HT. (Source: International Journal of Epidemiology)
Source: International Journal of Epidemiology - July 29, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research

Interpretation of Mendelian randomization using a single measure of an exposure that varies over time
ConclusionUnivariable MR results should not be interpreted as time-point-specific direct or total causal effects, but as the effect of changing the liability for the exposure. Estimates of how the effects of a genetic variant on an exposure vary over time, together with biological knowledge that provides evidence regarding likely effective exposure periods, are required to interpret time-point-specific causal effects. (Source: International Journal of Epidemiology)
Source: International Journal of Epidemiology - July 15, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research

Cohort Profile: The Stockholm Diabetes Prevention Programme (SDPP)
Region Stockholm (Source: International Journal of Epidemiology)
Source: International Journal of Epidemiology - July 12, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research