Next-Generation Sequencing and Influenza Virus: A Short Review of the Published Implementation Attempts

Influenza virus represents a major public health concern worldwide after recent pandemics. To aid the understanding and characterization of the virus in ever-increasing sample numbers, new research techniques have been used, such as next-generation sequencing(NGS). The current article review used Ovid MEDLINE and PubMed databases to conduct keyword searches and investigate the extent to which published NGS high-throughput approaches have been implemented to influenza virus research in the last 5 years, during which the increase in research funding for influenza studies has been coincidental with a significant per-base cost reduction of sequencing. Through the current literature review, it is evident that over the last 5 years, NGS techniques have been indeed applied to biological and clinical samples at increasing rates following a wide variety of approaches. The rate of adoption is slower than anticipated by most published studies, with three obstacles identified consistently by authors. These are the lack of suitable downstream analytical capacity, the absence of established quality control comparators, and the higher cost to comparable existing techniques

Number and timing of primary cleft lip and palate repair surgeries in England: whole nation study of electronic health records before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: To quantify differences in number and timing of first primary cleft lip and palate (CLP) repair procedures during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021; 2020/2021) compared with the preceding year (1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020; 2019/2021)./ Design: National observational study of administrative hospital data./ Setting: National Health Service hospitals in England./ Study population: Children <5 years undergoing primary repair for an orofacial cleft Population Consensus and Surveys Classification of Interventions and Procedures-fourth revisions (OPCS-4) codes F031, F291)./ Main exposure: Procedure date (2020/2021 vs 2019/2020)./ Main outcomes: Numbers and timing (age in months) of first primary CLP procedures./ Results: 1716 CLP primary repair procedures were included in the analysis. In 2020/2021, 774 CLP procedures were carried out compared with 942 in 2019/2020, a reduction of 17.8% (95% CI 9.5% to 25.4%). The reduction varied over time in 2020/2021, with no surgeries at all during the first 2 months (April and May 2020). Compared with 2019/2020, first primary lip repair procedures performed in 2020/2021 were delayed by 1.6 months on average (95% CI 0.9 to 2.2 months). Delays in primary palate repairs were smaller on average but varied across the nine geographical regions./ Conclusion: There were significant reductions in the number and delays in timing of first primary CLP repair procedures in England during the first year of the pandemic, which may affect long-term outcomes

Abstracts from the NIHR INVOLVE Conference 2017

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Next-Generation Sequencing and Influenza Virus: A Short Review of the Published Implementation Attempts

Influenza virus represents a major public health concern worldwide after recent pandemics. To aid the understanding and characterization of the virus in ever-increasing sample numbers, new research techniques have been used, such as next-generation sequencing (NGS). The current article review used Ovid MEDLINE and PubMed databases to conduct keyword searches and investigate the extent to which published NGS high-throughput approaches have been implemented to influenza virus research in the last 5 years, during which the increase in research funding for influenza studies has been coincidental with a significant per-base cost reduction of sequencing. Through the current literature review, it is evident that over the last 5 years, NGS techniques have been indeed applied to biological and clinical samples at increasing rates following a wide variety of approaches. The rate of adoption is slower than anticipated by most published studies, with three obstacles identified consistently by authors. These are the lack of suitable downstream analytical capacity, the absence of established quality control comparators, and the higher cost to comparable existing techniques

Perinatal healthcare for women at risk of children’s social care involvement:a qualitative survey of professionals in England

Background Women with complex health needs are more at risk of having children’s social care involvement with their newborns than other mothers. Around the time of pregnancy, there are opportunities for health services to support women with these needs and mitigate the risk of mother–baby separation. Yet little is known about healthcare professionals’ experiences of providing this support. Methods We administered an online survey to perinatal healthcare professionals across England (n=70 responders), including midwives, obstetricians, perinatal psychologists/psychiatrists and health visitors. We asked about their experiences of providing care for pregnant women with chronic physical conditions, mental health needs, intellectual/developmental disabilities and substance use disorders, who might be at risk of children’s social care involvement. We conducted a framework analysis. Results We constructed five themes from participant data. These include (1) inaccessible healthcare for women with complex needs, (2) the challenges and importance of restoring trust, (3) services focusing on individuals, not families, (4) the necessity and caution around multidisciplinary support and (5) underfunded services inhibiting good practice. Conclusions Women who are at risk of children’s social care involvement will likely experience perinatal healthcare inequities. Our findings suggest that current perinatal healthcare provision for this population is inadequate and national guidelines need updated to inform support.</p

Number and timing of primary cleft lip and palate repair surgeries in England: whole nation study of electronic health records before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective To quantify differences in number and timing of first primary cleft lip and palate (CLP) repair procedures during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021; 2020/2021) compared with the preceding year (1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020; 2019/2021).Design National observational study of administrative hospital data.Setting National Health Service hospitals in England.Study population Children &lt;5 years undergoing primary repair for an orofacial cleft Population Consensus and Surveys Classification of Interventions and Procedures-fourth revisions (OPCS-4) codes F031, F291).Main exposure Procedure date (2020/2021 vs 2019/2020).Main outcomes Numbers and timing (age in months) of first primary CLP procedures.Results 1716 CLP primary repair procedures were included in the analysis. In 2020/2021, 774 CLP procedures were carried out compared with 942 in 2019/2020, a reduction of 17.8% (95% CI 9.5% to 25.4%). The reduction varied over time in 2020/2021, with no surgeries at all during the first 2 months (April and May 2020). Compared with 2019/2020, first primary lip repair procedures performed in 2020/2021 were delayed by 1.6 months on average (95% CI 0.9 to 2.2 months). Delays in primary palate repairs were smaller on average but varied across the nine geographical regions.Conclusion There were significant reductions in the number and delays in timing of first primary CLP repair procedures in England during the first year of the pandemic, which may affect long-term outcomes

Evidence for three genetic loci involved in both anorexia nervosa risk and variation of body mass index

The maintenance of normal body weight is disrupted in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) for prolonged periods of time. Prior to the onset of AN, premorbid body mass index (BMI) spans the entire range from underweight to obese. After recovery, patients have reduced rates of overweight and obesity. As such, loci involved in body weight regulation may also be relevant for AN and vice versa. Our primary analysis comprised a cross-trait analysis of the 1000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with the lowest P-values in a genome-wide association meta-analysis (GWAMA) of AN (GCAN) for evidence of association in the largest published GWAMA for BMI (GIANT). Subsequently we performed sex-stratified analyses for these 1000 SNPs. Functional ex vivo studies on four genes ensued. Lastly, a look-up of GWAMA-derived BMI-related loci was performed in the AN GWAMA. We detected significant associations (P-values <5 × 10-5, Bonferroni-corrected P<0.05) for nine SNP alleles at three independent loci. Interestingly, all AN susceptibility alleles were consistently associated with increased BMI. None of the genes (chr. 10: CTBP2, chr. 19: CCNE1, chr. 2: CARF and NBEAL1; the latter is a region with high linkage disequilibrium) nearest to these SNPs has previously been associated with AN or obesity. Sex-stratified analyses revealed that the strongest BMI signal originated predominantly from females (chr. 10 rs1561589; Poverall: 2.47 × 10-06/Pfemales: 3.45 × 10-07/Pmales: 0.043). Functional ex vivo studies in mice revealed reduced hypothalamic expression of Ctbp2 and Nbeal1 after fasting. Hypothalamic expression of Ctbp2 was increased in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice as compared with age-matched lean controls. We observed no evidence for associations for the look-up of BMI-related loci in the AN GWAMA. A cross-trait analysis of AN and BMI loci revealed variants at three chromosomal loci with potential joint impact. The chromosome 10 locus is particularly promising given that the association with obesity was primarily driven by females. In addition, the detected altered hypothalamic expression patterns of Ctbp2 and Nbeal1 as a result of fasting and DIO implicate these genes in weight regulation