Journal of internal medicine
-
The durability of SARS-CoV-2 antibody response and the resulting immunity to COVID-19 is unclear. ⋯ The humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection varies depending on behavioral factors and disease severity, and antibody stability over 15 months was associated with sex and age.
-
Numerous approaches are used to characterise multiple long-term conditions (MLTC), including counts and indices. Few studies have compared approaches within the same dataset. We aimed to characterise MLTC using simple approaches, and compare their prevalence estimates of MLTC and associations with emergency hospital admission in the UK Biobank. ⋯ The counts classified a greater proportion as having MLTC than the indices, highlighting that prevalence estimates of MLTC vary depending on the approach. All approaches had strong statistical associations with emergency hospital admission but a modest ability to identify individuals at risk.
-
Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is a gut-derived atherogenic metabolite. However, the role of TMAO and its precursors in the development of stroke remains unclear. We aimed to examine the associations between metabolites in TMAO biosynthesis and stroke risk. ⋯ Increased TMAO was associated with higher stroke risk in the community-based population, whereas the TMAO precursors carnitine, choline, betaine, and TML were not associated. Further studies are warranted to confirm these findings and to further elucidate the role of TMAO in the development of stroke.
-
Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a common cardiovascular autonomic disorder characterized by excessive heart rate (HR) increase on standing and symptoms of orthostatic intolerance, posing significant limitations on functional capacity. No objective tool exists to classify symptom burden in POTS. ⋯ Symptom severity, as assessed by MAPS score, is fivefold higher in POTS compared with healthy individuals. The new MAPS score can be useful as a semiquantitative system to assess symptom burden, monitor disease progression and evaluate pre-test likelihood of disease.