Effect of a Digitally-Enabled, Preventive Health Program on Blood Pressure in an Adult, Dutch General Population Cohort:An Observational Pilot Study

Worldwide, it is estimated that at least one in four adults suffers from hypertension, and this number is expected to increase as populations grow and age. Blood pressure (BP) possesses substantial heritability, but is also heavily modulated by lifestyle factors. As such, digital, lifestyle-based interventions are a promising alternative to standard care for hypertension prevention and management. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of elevated and high BP in a Dutch general population cohort undergoing a health screening, and observed the effects of a subsequent self-initiated, digitally-enabled lifestyle program on BP regulation. Baseline data were available for 348 participants, of which 56 had partaken in a BP-focused lifestyle program and got remeasured 10 months after the intervention. Participants with elevated SBP and DBP at baseline showed a mean decrease of 7.2 mmHg and 5.4 mmHg, respectively. Additionally, 70% and 72.5% of participants showed an improvement in systolic and diastolic BP at remeasurement. These improvements in BP are superior to those seen in other recent studies. The long-term sustainability and the efficacy of this and similar digital lifestyle interventions will need to be established in additional, larger studies

A Pilot Study on the Prevalence of Micronutrient Imbalances in a Dutch General Population Cohort and the Effects of a Digital Lifestyle Program

Maintaining an adequate micronutrient status can be achieved by following a complete, diverse diet. Yet, food trends in Western countries show suboptimal consumption of healthy nutrients. In this study, we explored the prevalence of vitamin and mineral imbalances in a general population cohort of Dutch adults and evaluated the effect of a digital lifestyle program on the nutritional status and nutrition health behaviors of these individuals. A micronutrient panel was measured in 348 participants, alongside a dietary assessment. One hundred users subsequently underwent a remeasurement. We identified at least one nutritional imbalance in 301 individuals (86.5%). A total of 80% improved and normalized B6, 67% improved folate, 70% improved B12, and 86% improved vitamin D. Iron abnormalities were corrected in 75% of the participants. In conclusion, this study found that micronutrient deficiencies of easily obtainable vitamins through diet or supplementation such as B vitamins and vitamin D were more prevalent than expected in a Dutch population. This can partly be explained by insufficient consumption of food groups rich in B vitamins. Our preliminary results in those remeasured after a digitally enabled lifestyle intervention show these imbalances can be corrected with adequate behavioral support complemented with supplementation where needed

Developing Effective Questionnaire-Based Prediction Models for Type 2 Diabetes for Several Ethnicities

Background: Type 2 diabetes disproportionately affects individuals of non-white ethnicity through a complex interaction of multiple factors. Early disease prediction and detection is therefore essential and requires tools that can be deployed at large scale. We aimed to tackle this problem by developing questionnaire-based prediction models for type 2 diabetes for multiple ethnicities.Methods: Logistic regression models, using questionnaire-only features, were trained on the White population of the UK Biobank, and validated in five other ethnicities and externally in Lifelines. In total, 631,748 individuals were included for prevalence prediction and 67,083 individuals for the eight-year incidence prediction. Predictive accuracy was assessed and a detailed sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess potential clinical utility. Furthermore, we compared the questionnaire algorithms to clinical non-laboratory type 2 diabetes risk tools.Findings: Our algorithms accurately predicted type 2 diabetes prevalence (AUC=0·901) and eight-year incidence (AUC=0·873) in the White UK Biobank population. Both models replicate well in Lifelines, with AUCs of 0·917 and 0·817 for prevalence and incidence. Both models performed consistently well across ethnicities, with AUCs of 0·855 to 0·894 for prevalence and from 0·819 to 0·883 for incidence. These models generally outperformed two clinically validated non-laboratory tools and correctly reclassified >3,000 type 2 diabetes cases. Model performance improved with the addition of blood biomarkers, but not with the addition of physical measurements.Interpretation: Easy-to-implement, questionnaire-based models can predict prevalent and incident type 2 diabetes with high accuracy across all ethnicities, providing a highly-scalable solution for population-wide risk stratification

Ensemble machine learning prediction and variable importance analysis of 5-year mortality after cardiac valve and CABG operations

Despite having a similar post-operative complication profile, cardiac valve operations are associated with a higher mortality rate compared to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) operations. For long-term mortality, few predictors are known. In this study, we applied an ensemble machine learning (ML) algorithm to 88 routinely collected peri-operative variables to predict 5-year mortality after different types of cardiac operations. The Super Learner algorithm was trained using prospectively collected peri-operative data from 8241 patients who underwent cardiac valve, CABG and combined operations. Model performance and calibration were determined for all models, and variable importance analysis was conducted for all peri-operative parameters. Results showed that the predictive accuracy was the highest for solitary mitral (0.846 [95% CI 0.812-0.880]) and solitary aortic (0.838 [0.813-0.864]) valve operations, confirming that ensemble ML using routine data collected perioperatively can predict 5-year mortality after cardiac operations with high accuracy. Additionally, post-operative urea was identified as a novel and strong predictor of mortality for several types of operation, having a seemingly additive effect to better known risk factors such as age and postoperative creatinine.Peer reviewe

How the Uruguayan Judiciary Shapes Access to High-Priced Medicines: A Critique through the Right to Health Lens

Uruguay has witnessed an ever-increasing number of domestic court claims for high-priced medicines despite its comprehensive universal coverage of pharmaceuticals. In response to the current national debate and development of domestic legislation concerning high-priced medicines, we review whether Uruguayan courts adequately interpret the state's core obligations to provide essential medicines and ensure non-discriminatory access in line with the right to health in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Using a sample of 42 amparo claims for the reimbursement of medicines in 2015, we found that the circuits of appeal fail to offer predictable legal argumentation, including for nearly identical cases. Moreover, the judiciary does not provide an interpretation of state obligations that is consistently aligned with the right to health in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. These findings illustrate that medicines litigation in Uruguay offers relief for some individual claims but may exacerbate systemic inequalities by failing to address the structural problems behind high medicines prices. We recommend that the judiciary adopt a consistent standard for assessing state action to realize the right to health within its available resources. Moreover, the legislature should address the need for medicines price control and offer a harmonized interpretation of the right to health. These transformations can increase the transparency and predictability of Uruguay's health and legal systems for patients and communities