Dissemination of Evidence by Cochrane Public Health Europe in German-Speaking Countries: An Online Stakeholder Survey

Objectives: To investigate the reach and impact of “Infomails”, email summaries of Cochrane reviews in German, regularly disseminated by Cochrane Public Health Europe (CPHE) to stakeholders in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Methods: We analysed email campaign reports from 15 Infomails delivered until November 2020. Furthermore, we invited all previous Infomail recipients to participate in an online survey on the impact and perceptions regarding our Infomails in November 2020. We analysed the results using descriptive statistics. Results: The Infomails’ open rate ranged from 10.9% to 39.3% (median 26.0%), and the median click rate on the embedded links was 28.0% (range 8.6–53.8%), highest for nutrition and prevention topics. Out of 1259 recipients, 267 (21.2%) completed our survey. Infomails were most used in discussions, writing reports or statements, for policy or strategy development or programme or guideline development. Persons who remembered receiving Infomails rated them as useful, comprehensible or informative. Conclusion: Infomails summarising recent Cochrane reviews were considered useful for the daily work of public health stakeholders in German-speaking countries. Regular targeted messaging may increase the perceived usefulness

Judges, Juries, and Punitive Damages: Empirical Analyses Using the Civil Justice Survey of State Courts 1992, 1996, and 2001 Data

We analyze thousands of trials from a substantial fraction of the nation\u27s most populous counties. Evidence across ten years and three major datasets suggests that: (1) juries and judges award punitive damages in approximately the same ratio to compensatory damages, (2) the level of punitive damages awards has not increased, and (3) juries\u27 and judges\u27 tendencies to award punitive damages differ in bodily injury and no-bodily-injury cases. Jury trials are associated with a greater rate of punitive damages awards in financial injury cases. Judge trials are associated with a greater rate of punitive damages awards in bodily injury cases

Dissemination of Evidence by Cochrane Public Health Europe in German-Speaking Countries: An Online Stakeholder Survey

Objectives: To investigate the reach and impact of “Infomails”, email summaries of Cochrane reviews in German, regularly disseminated by Cochrane Public Health Europe (CPHE) to stakeholders in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.Methods: We analysed email campaign reports from 15 Infomails delivered until November 2020. Furthermore, we invited all previous Infomail recipients to participate in an online survey on the impact and perceptions regarding our Infomails in November 2020. We analysed the results using descriptive statistics.Results: The Infomails’ open rate ranged from 10.9% to 39.3% (median 26.0%), and the median click rate on the embedded links was 28.0% (range 8.6–53.8%), highest for nutrition and prevention topics. Out of 1259 recipients, 267 (21.2%) completed our survey. Infomails were most used in discussions, writing reports or statements, for policy or strategy development or programme or guideline development. Persons who remembered receiving Infomails rated them as useful, comprehensible or informative.Conclusion: Infomails summarising recent Cochrane reviews were considered useful for the daily work of public health stakeholders in German-speaking countries. Regular targeted messaging may increase the perceived usefulness

Taxation of unprocessed sugar or sugar-added foods for reducing their consumption and preventing obesity or other adverse health outcomes:protocol

To assess the effects of taxation of unprocessed sugar or sugar-added foods in the general population on the: consumption of unprocessed sugar or sugar-added foods; prevalence and incidence of overweight and obesity; and prevalence and incidence of diet-related health conditions

Taxation of the fat content of foods for reducing their consumption and preventing obesity or other adverse health outcomes

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of taxation of fat content in food on consumption of total fat and saturated fat, energy intake, overweight, obesity, and other adverse health outcomes in the general population

Searching two or more databases decreased the risk of missing relevant studies: a metaresearch study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Assessing changes in coverage, recall, review, conclusions and references not found when searching fewer databases. METHODS: In randomly selected 60 Cochrane reviews, we checked included study publications' coverage (indexation) and recall (findability) using different search approaches with MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL and related them to authors' conclusions and certainty. We assessed characteristics of unfound references. RESULTS: Overall 1989/2080 included references, were indexed in ≥1 database (coverage = 96%). In reviews where using one of our search approaches would not change conclusions and certainty (n = 44-54), median coverage and recall were highest (range 87.9%-100.0% and 78.2%-93.3%, respectively). Here, searching ≥2 databases reached >95% coverage and ≥87.9% recall. In reviews with unchanged conclusions but less certainty (n = 2-8): 63.3%-79.3% coverage and 45.0%-75.0% recall. In reviews with opposite conclusions (n = 1-3): 63.3%-96.6% and 52.1%-78.7%. In reviews where a conclusion was no longer possible (n = 3-7): 60.6%-86.0% and 20.0%-53.8%. The 265 references that were indexed but unfound were more often abstractless (30% vs. 11%) and older (28% vs. 17% published before 1991) than found references. CONCLUSION: Searching ≥2 databases improves coverage and recall and decreases the risk of missing eligible studies. If researchers suspect that relevant articles are difficult to find, supplementary search methods should be used

Abbreviated and comprehensive literature searches led to identical or very similar effect estimates: a meta-epidemiological study

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to assess the agreement of treatment effect estimates from meta-analyses based on abbreviated or comprehensive literature searches. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING This was a meta-epidemiological study. We abbreviated 47 comprehensive Cochrane review searches and searched MEDLINE/Embase/CENTRAL alone, in combination, with/without checking references (658 new searches). We compared one meta-analysis from each review with recalculated ones based on abbreviated searches. RESULTS The 47 original meta-analyses included 444 trials (median 6 per review interquartile range (IQR) 3-11) with 360045 participants (median 1,371 per review IQR 685-8,041). Depending on the search approach, abbreviated searches led to identical effect estimates in 34-79{\%} of meta-analyses, to different effect estimates with the same direction and level of statistical significance in 15-51{\%}, and to opposite effects (or effects could not be estimated anymore) in 6-13{\%}. The deviation of effect sizes was zero in 50{\%} of the meta-analyses and in 75{\%} not larger than 1.07-fold. Effect estimates of abbreviated searches were not consistently smaller or larger (median ratio of odds ratio 1 IQR 1-1.01) but more imprecise (1.02-1.06-fold larger standard errors). CONCLUSION Abbreviated literature searches often led to identical or very similar effect estimates as comprehensive searches with slightly increased confidence intervals. Relevant deviations may occur

Detection and diversity of a putative novel heterogeneous polymorphic proline-glycine repeat (Pgr) protein in the footrot pathogen Dichelobacter nodosus

Dichelobacter nodosus, a Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium, is the essential causative agent of footrot in sheep. Currently, depending on the clinical presentation in the field, footrot is described as benign or virulent; D. nodosus strains have also been classified as benign or virulent, but this designation is not always consistent with clinical disease. The aim of this study was to determine the diversity of the pgr gene, which encodes a putative proline-glycine repeat protein (Pgr). The pgr gene was present in all 100 isolates of D. nodosus that were examined and, based on sequence analysis had two variants, pgrA and pgrB. In pgrA, there were two coding tandem repeat regions, R1 and R2: different strains had variable numbers of repeats within these regions. The R1 and R2 were absent from pgrB. Both variants were present in strains from Australia, Sweden and the UK, however, only pgrB was detected in isolates from Western Australia. The pgrA gene was detected in D. nodosus from tissue samples from two flocks in the UK with virulent footrot and only pgrB from a flock with no virulent or benign footrot for >10 years. Bioinformatic analysis of the putative PgrA protein indicated that it contained a collagen-like cell surface anchor motif. These results suggest that the pgr gene may be a useful molecular marker for epidemiological studies

Differences in Physiological Responses to Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Adults With and Without Type 1 Diabetes: A Pooled Analysis

OBJECTIVE To investigate physiological responses to cardiopulmonary exercise (CPX) testing in adults with type 1 diabetes compared with age-, sex-, and BMI-matched control participants without type 1 diabetes.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We compared results from CPX tests on a cycle ergometer in individuals with type 1 diabetes and control participants without type 1 diabetes. Parameters were peak and threshold variables of VO2, heart rate, and power output. Differences between groups were investigated through restricted maximum likelihood modeling and post hoc tests. Differences between groups were explained by stepwise linear regressions (P < 0.05).RESULTS Among 303 individuals with type 1 diabetes (age 33 [interquartile range 22; 43] years, 93 females, BMI 23.6 [22; 26] kg/m2, HbA1c 6.9% [6.2; 7.7%] [52 (44; 61) mmol/mol]), VO2peak (32.55 [26.49; 38.72] vs. 42.67 ± 10.44 mL/kg/min), peak heart rate (179 [170; 187] vs. 184 [175; 191] beats/min), and peak power (216 [171; 253] vs. 245 [200; 300] W) were lower compared with 308 control participants without type 1 diabetes (all P < 0.001). Individuals with type 1 diabetes displayed an impaired degree and direction of the heart rate-to-performance curve compared with control participants without type 1 diabetes (0.07 [−0.75; 1.09] vs. 0.66 [−0.28; 1.45]; P < 0.001). None of the exercise physiological responses were associated with HbA1c in individuals with type 1 diabetes.CONCLUSIONS Individuals with type 1 diabetes show altered responses to CPX testing, which cannot be explained by HbA1c. Intriguingly, the participants in our cohort were people with recent-onset type 1 diabetes; heart rate dynamics were altered during CPX testing

Linagliptin Improves Insulin Sensitivity and Hepatic Steatosis in Diet-Induced Obesity

Linagliptin (tradjenta™) is a selective dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor. DPP-4 inhibition attenuates insulin resistance and improves peripheral glucose utilization in humans. However, the effects of chronic DPP-4 inhibition on insulin sensitivity are not known. The effects of long-term treatment (3–4 weeks) with 3 mg/kg/day or 30 mg/kg/day linagliptin on insulin sensitivity and liver fat content were determined in diet-induced obese C57BL/6 mice. Chow-fed animals served as controls. DPP-4 activity was significantly inhibited (67–89%) by linagliptin (P<0.001). Following an oral glucose tolerance test, blood glucose concentrations (measured as area under the curve) were significantly suppressed after treatment with 3 mg/kg/day (–16.5% to –20.3%; P<0.01) or 30 mg/kg/day (–14.5% to –26.4%; P<0.05) linagliptin (both P<0.01). Liver fat content was significantly reduced by linagliptin in a dose-dependent manner (both doses P<0.001). Diet-induced obese mice treated for 4 weeks with 3 mg/kg/day or 30 mg/kg/day linagliptin had significantly improved glycated hemoglobin compared with vehicle (both P<0.001). Significant dose-dependent improvements in glucose disposal rates were observed during the steady state of the euglycemic–hyperinsulinemic clamp: 27.3 mg/kg/minute and 32.2 mg/kg/minute in the 3 mg/kg/day and 30 mg/kg/day linagliptin groups, respectively; compared with 20.9 mg/kg/minute with vehicle (P<0.001). Hepatic glucose production was significantly suppressed during the clamp: 4.7 mg/kg/minute and 2.1 mg/kg/minute in the 3 mg/kg/day and 30 mg/kg/day linagliptin groups, respectively; compared with 12.5 mg/kg/minute with vehicle (P<0.001). In addition, 30 mg/kg/day linagliptin treatment resulted in a significantly reduced number of macrophages infiltrating adipose tissue (P<0.05). Linagliptin treatment also decreased liver expression of PTP1B, SOCS3, SREBP1c, SCD-1 and FAS (P<0.05). Other tissues like muscle, heart and kidney were not significantly affected by the insulin sensitizing effect of linagliptin. Long-term linagliptin treatment reduced liver fat content in animals with diet-induced hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance, and may account for improved insulin sensitivity