Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
C. R. Simpson, T. Shi, E. Vasileiou, S. V. Katikireddi, S. Kerr, E. Moore, C. McCowan, U. Agrawal, S. A. Shah, L. D. Ritchie, J. Murray, J. Pan, D. T. Bradley, S. J. Stock, R. Wood, A. Chuter, J. Beggs, H. R. Stagg, M. Joy, R. S. M. Tsang, S. de Lusignan, R. Hobbs, R. A. Lyons, F. Torabi, S. Bedston, M. O'Leary, A. Akbari, J. McMenamin, C. Robertson, A. Sheikh
Summary: Analysis of data from the EAVE II cohort in Scotland has shown that a first dose of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine may be associated with increased risks of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, arterial thromboembolic events, and hemorrhagic events. However, there were no positive associations found between the BNT162b2 vaccine and these adverse events.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Colin R. Simpson, Steven Kerr, Srinivasa Vittal Katikireddi, Colin McCowan, Lewis D. Ritchie, Jiafeng Pan, Sarah J. Stock, Igor Rudan, Ruby S. M. Tsang, Simon de Lusignan, F. D. Richard Hobbs, Ashley Akbari, Ronan A. Lyons, Chris Robertson, Aziz Sheikh
Summary: In this study, data from 3.6 million COVID-19 vaccine second doses in Scotland were analyzed to assess the risk of thrombocytopenic, thromboembolic, and hemorrhagic events. The ChAdOx1 vaccine showed a borderline increased risk of immune thrombocytopenic purpura and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, but these events were rare and short-lived. Further analyses are needed to determine the risk profile for these events after a second dose of the ChAdOx1 vaccine.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Jie Wei, Weiya Zhang, Michael Doherty, Zachary S. Wallace, Jeffrey A. Sparks, Na Lu, Xiaoxiao Li, Chao Zeng, Guanghua Lei, Yuqing Zhang
Summary: In a population-based study in the UK, the BNT162b2 vaccine showed higher efficacy than the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infection and hospitalization for COVID-19, but there was no significant difference in the risk of death from COVID-19.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Junqing Xie, Shuo Feng, Xintong Li, Ester Gea-Mallorqui, Albert Prats-Uribe, Dani Prieto-Alhambra
Summary: Comparison study shows that BNT162b2 vaccine has a decreased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection by 28% compared to ChAdOx1 vaccine, and two doses of BNT162b2 vaccine have 30% and 29% lower risks of infection and hospitalization respectively during the period when the Delta variant is dominant. The comparative protection against the infection persists for at least six months among fully vaccinated individuals, suggesting no differential waning between the two vaccines. These findings can inform evidence-based Covid-19 vaccination campaigns and booster strategies.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Steven Kerr, Mark Joy, Fatemeh Torabi, Stuart Bedston, Ashley B. Akbari, Utkarsh Agrawal, Jillian Beggs, Declan Bradley, Antony Chuter, Annemarie Docherty, David Ford, Richard Hobbs, Srinivasa Vittal Katikireddi, Emily Lowthian, Simon de Lusignan, Ronan Lyons, James Marple, Colin K. McCowan, Dylan McGagh, Jim McMenamin, Emily Moore, Josephine-L. K. Murray, Rhiannon Owen, Jiafeng Pan, Lewis Ritchie, Syed Ahmar Shah, Ting R. Shi, Sarah Stock, Ruby S. M. Tsang, Eleftheria Vasileiou, Mark Woolhouse, Colin Simpson, Chris Robertson, Aziz Sheikh
Summary: This study combined national data from England, Scotland, and Wales to investigate the association between COVID-19 vaccination and CVST. The results showed an elevated risk of CVST following ChAdOx1 vaccination, but not BNT162b2. However, there were limitations in the study due to the rarity of CVST events and potential model assumptions.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Rochelle Knight, Venexia Walker, Samantha Ip, Jennifer A. Cooper, Thomas Bolton, Spencer Keene, Rachel Denholm, Ashley Akbari, Hoda Abbasizanjani, Fatemeh Torabi, Efosa Omigie, Sam Hollings, Teri-Louise North, Renin Toms, Xiyun Jiang, Emanuele Di Angelantonio, Spiros Denaxas, Johan H. Thygesen, Christopher Tomlinson, Ben Bray, Craig J. Smith, Mark Barber, Kamlesh Khunti, George Davey Smith, Nishi Chaturvedi, Cathie Sudlow, William N. Whiteley, Angela M. Wood, Jonathan A. C. Sterne
Summary: Incidence of vascular diseases remains elevated up to 49 weeks after COVID-19 diagnosis, with a faster decline for arterial thromboses than VTEs. Patients hospitalized with COVID-19, non-White individuals, and those without previous events are at higher risk. Policies to prevent severe COVID-19, including vaccination, early post-discharge review, risk factor control, and secondary preventive agents, are supported by these findings.
Article
Immunology
Osman O. Radhwi, Hamza Jan, Abdullah Waheeb, Sawsan S. Alamri, Hatem M. Alahwal, Iuliana Denetiu, Ashgan Almanzlawey, Adel F. Al-Marzouki, Abdullah T. Almohammadi, Salem M. Bahashwan, Ahmed S. Barefah, Mohamad H. Qari, Adel M. Abuzenadah, Anwar M. Hashem
Summary: This study assessed the immune responses of patients with hemoglobinopathy who received Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 AZD1222 vaccine. The results showed that these patients mounted a significant immune response, indicating the importance of vaccination in this high-risk population. Measurement of neutralizing antibodies is recommended.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
William J. Hulme, Elizabeth J. Williamson, Amelia C. A. Green, Krishnan Bhaskaran, Helen McDonald, Christopher T. Rentsch, Anna Schultze, John Tazare, Helen J. Curtis, Alex J. Walker, Laurie A. Tomlinson, Tom Palmer, Elsie M. F. Horne, Brian MacKenna, Caroline E. Morton, Amir Mehrkar, Jessica Morley, Louis Fisher, Sebastian C. J. Bacon, David Evans, Peter Inglesby, George Hickman, Simon Davy, Tom Ward, Richard Croker, Rosalind M. Eggo, Angel Y. S. Wong, Rohini Mathur, Kevin Wing, Harriet Forbes, Daniel J. Grint, Ian J. Douglas, Stephen J. W. Evans, Liam Smeeth, Chris Bates, Jonathan Cockburn, John Parry, Frank Hester, Sam Harper, Jonathan A. C. Sterne, Miguel A. Hernan, Ben Goldacre
Summary: This study compared the effectiveness of the BNT162b2 mRNA (Pfizer-BioNTech) and the ChAdOx1 (Oxford-AstraZeneca) covid-19 vaccines in health and social care workers. The results showed no substantial differences in the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection or covid-19 disease up to 20 weeks after vaccination. Incidence dropped sharply at 3-4 weeks after vaccination.
BMJ-BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Steven Kerr, Stuart Bedston, Declan T. Bradley, Mark Joy, Emily Lowthian, Rachel M. Mulholland, Ashley Akbari, F. D. Richard Hobbs, Srinivasa Vittal Katikireddi, Simon de Lusignan, Igor Rudan, Fatemeh Torabi, Ruby S. M. Tsang, Ronan A. Lyons, Chris Robertson, Aziz Sheikh
Summary: A pooled analysis across the four nations of the UK found evidence of waning effectiveness for the first and second doses of ChAdOx1 and the first dose of BNT162b2 against severe COVID-19 outcomes. The study suggests that additional doses of vaccine may be necessary to maintain protection.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Amal Hasan, Hossein Arefanian, Arshad Mohamed Channanath, Irina AlKhairi, Preethi Cherian, Sriraman Devarajan, Thangavel Alphonse Thanaraj, Mohamed Abu-Farha, Jehad Abubaker, Fahd Al-Mulla
Summary: COVID-19 vaccines can cause elevation of coagulation factors and antithrombin, with differences observed between different vaccines. The clinical significance of the disruption of coagulation homeostasis remains unclear and requires further research.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jia Wei, Koen B. Pouwels, Nicole Stoesser, Philippa C. Matthews, Ian Diamond, Ruth Studley, Emma Rourke, Duncan Cook, John Bell, John N. Newton, Jeremy Farrar, Alison Howarth, Brian D. Marsden, Sarah Hoosdally, E. Yvonne Jones, David Stuart, Derrick W. Crook, Tim E. A. Peto, A. Sarah Walker, David W. Eyre
Summary: This study investigated the antibody responses and protection following the second doses of ChAdOx1 or BNT162b2 vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 in the general population of the United Kingdom. The results showed significant boosting of anti-spike IgG antibody levels after the second doses of both vaccines, with BNT162b2 generating higher peak levels than ChAdOX1. Older individuals, males, and prior infection influenced the antibody levels. The levels of anti-spike IgG were associated with protection from infection after vaccination, and previous infection enhanced antibody peak levels and half-life. At least 67% protection against infection is estimated to last for 2-3 months after two ChAdOx1 doses, 5-8 months after two BNT162b2 doses in uninfected individuals, and 1-2 years after natural infection in unvaccinated individuals. A third booster dose may be necessary, prioritizing ChAdOx1 recipients and those more clinically vulnerable.
Article
Immunology
Mohammad Shehab, Fatema Alrashed, Ahmad Alfadhli, Khazna Alotaibi, Abdullah Alsahli, Hussain Mohammad, Preethi Cherian, Irina Al-Khairi, Thangavel Alphonse Thanaraj, Arshad Channanath, Hamad Ali, Mohamed Abu-Farha, Jehad Abubaker, Fahd Al-Mulla
Summary: The study examined the immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in patients with IBD on biologic therapies, revealing that the majority of patients seroconverted after receiving two doses of the vaccine.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Nicholas A. Kennedy, Simeng Lin, James R. Goodhand, Neil Chanchlani, Benjamin Hamilton, Claire Bewshea, Rachel Nice, Desmond Chee, J. R. Fraser Cummings, Aileen Fraser, Peter M. Irving, Nikolaos Kamperidis, Klaartje B. Kok, Christopher Andrew Lamb, Jonathan Macdonald, Shameer Mehta, Richard C. G. Pollok, Tim Raine, Philip J. Smith, Ajay Mark Verma, Simon Jochum, Timothy J. McDonald, Shaji Sebastian, Charlie W. Lees, Nick Powell, Tariq Ahmad
Summary: Infliximab treatment in patients with inflammatory bowel disease results in attenuated serological responses to a single dose of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Delayed second dosing should be avoided in these patients, as vaccination after SARS-CoV-2 infection or a second dose leads to seroconversion in most individuals.
Article
Immunology
Dong-In Kim, Seo Jin Lee, Soonju Park, Paul Kim, Sun Min Lee, Nakyung Lee, David Shum, Dong Ho Kim, Eui Ho Kim
Summary: During the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines based on different platform technologies were developed and approved for emergency use. This study found that homologous vaccination with mRNA vaccines induced stronger but relatively rapid waning antibody responses, while the viral vector vaccine group showed weaker boost effect but stable maintenance of immune responses over 6 months. Heterologous vaccination with ChAdOx1 and BNT162b2 resulted in an effective boost effect with the highest remaining antibody responses at six months post-primary vaccination.
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Helen Parry, Rachel Bruton, Christine Stephens, Kevin Brown, Gayatri Amirthalingam, Ashley Otter, Bassam Hallis, Jianmin Zuo, Paul Moss
Summary: The study analyzed the immune responses of participants aged 80+ years after dual vaccination with BNT162b2 mRNA or ChAdOx1 adenovirus vaccines, showing strong humoral and cellular responses in older individuals. Dual vaccination induced higher antibody responses with the mRNA vaccine and higher cellular responses with the adenovirus-based vaccine, highlighting the potential benefits of heterologous vaccine platforms.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Charlotte Bermingham, Jasper Morgan, Daniel Ayoubkhani, Myer Glickman, Nazrul Islam, Aziz Sheikh, Jonathan Sterne, A. Sarah Walker, Vahe Nafilyan
Summary: The study used a regression discontinuity design to estimate the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine in reducing mortality for individuals aged 80 and above in England. The results showed that the first vaccine dose reduced the risk of COVID-19 death by 52.6%, providing strong evidence for the protective effect of the vaccine in older adults. The study's approach addressed the issue of unmeasured confounding factors, and the estimated vaccine effectiveness was comparable to previous studies using different methods.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Respiratory System
Osama Mahmoud, Raquel Granell, Gabriela P. Peralta, Judith Garcia-Aymerich, Deborah Jarvis, John Henderson, Jonathan Sterne
Summary: This study found that maternal perinatal BMI, birthweight, childhood lean and fat mass, and early-onset asthma were the most important factors influencing lung function in early adulthood.
EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Helena Bleken Ostergaard, Steven H. J. Hageman, Stephanie H. Read, Owen Taylor, Lisa Pennells, Stephen Kaptoge, Carmen Petitjean, Zhe Xu, Fanchao Shi, John William McEvoy, William Herrington, Frank L. J. Visseren, Angela Wood, Bjorn Eliasson, Naveed Sattar, Sarah Wild, Emanuele Di Angelantonio, Jannick A. N. Dorresteijn
Summary: This study aimed to update and calibrate the DIAbetes Lifetime perspective model (DIAL model) using contemporary and representative registry data. The DIAL2 model was derived from the Swedish National Diabetes Register and validated using data from the Scottish Care Information-Diabetes and Clinical Practice Research Datalink. The results showed that the recalibrated DIAL2 model provides an accurate prediction of cardiovascular disease risk in individuals with Type 2 diabetes.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE CARDIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Ruby S. M. Tsang, Mark Joy, Rachel Byford, Chris Robertson, Sneha N. Anand, William Hinton, Nikhil Mayor, Debasish Kar, John Williams, William Victor, Ashley Akbari, Declan T. Bradley, Siobhan Murphy, Dermot O'Reilly, Rhiannon K. Owen, Antony Chuter, Jillian Beggs, Gary Howsam, Aziz Sheikh, Fd Richard Hobbs, Simon de Lusignan
Summary: This study estimated the incidence of adverse events of interest (AEIs) following COVID-19 vaccination in England and reported safety profile differences between vaccine brands using a self-controlled case series design. The results showed a decrease in medically attended AEI incidence overall following vaccination, although some brands had an increase in certain AEIs. The overall incidence of AEIs associated with COVID-19 vaccines was small.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Ciarrah-Jane S. Barry, Venexia M. Walker, Rosa Cheesman, George Davey Smith, Tim T. Morris, Neil M. Davies
Summary: This article provides an overview of the methods commonly used in genetic epidemiology to estimate heritability. It covers family-based designs, genomic designs based on unrelated individuals, and family-based genomic designs. The article describes the estimation methods and assumptions for each method, and discusses the implications when these assumptions are not met. It also examines the benefits and limitations of estimating heritability within samples of unrelated individuals compared with samples of related individuals.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Edward P. K. Parker, John Tazare, William J. Hulme, Christopher Bates, Edward J. Carr, Jonathan Cockburn, Helen J. Curtis, Louis Fisher, Amelia C. A. Green, Sam Harper, Frank Hester, Elsie M. F. Horne, Fiona Loud, Susan Lyon, Viyaasan Mahalingasivam, Amir Mehrkar, Linda Nab, John Parry, Shalini Santhakumaran, Retha Steenkamp, Jonathan A. C. Sterne, Alex J. Walker, Elizabeth J. Williamson, Michelle Willicombe, Bang Zheng, Ben Goldacre, Dorothea Nitsch, Laurie A. Tomlinson
Summary: This retrospective cohort study aimed to identify factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake among people with kidney disease in England. The study found that although most individuals received the COVID-19 vaccine, there were disparities in vaccine uptake among different clinical and demographic groups, and the coverage of complete vaccine doses was suboptimal.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jane Lyons, Vahe Nafilyan, Ashley Akbari, Stuart Bedston, Ewen Harrison, Andrew Hayward, Julia Hippisley-Cox, Frank Kee, Kamlesh Khunti, Shamim Rahman, Aziz Sheikh, Fatemeh Torabi, Ronan A. Lyons
Summary: The study validates the use of the QCOVID3 risk algorithm in the vaccinated population of Wales, demonstrating its applicability in assessing COVID-19 related risks and providing decision-making support.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
H. Snooks, A. Watkins, J. Lyons, A. Akbari, R. Bailey, L. Bethell, A. Carson-Stevens, A. Edwards, H. Emery, B. A. Evans, S. Jolles, A. John, M. Kingston, A. Porter, B. Sewell, V. Williams, R. A. Lyons
Summary: This study retrospectively compared the UK shielding policy and found that deaths and healthcare utilization were higher among shielded individuals compared to the general population. However, there was no clear impact on infection rates, indicating the need for further research to fully evaluate the success of this policy intervention.
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Ruth E. Mitchell, April E. Hartley, Venexia M. Walker, Apostolos Gkatzionis, James Yarmolinsky, Joshua A. Bell, Amanda H. W. Chong, Lavinia Paternoster, Kate Tilling, George Davey Smith
Summary: Genetic studies of disease progression can identify factors influencing survival and prognosis, while studies of disease incidence inform prevention strategies. However, disease progression studies are prone to collider bias. This paper reviews statistical methods to detect and adjust for this bias, applicable to genetic and Mendelian randomisation studies with both individual and summary-level data. Examples illustrate the application of these methods to investigate the effects of blood lipid traits on coronary heart disease mortality and the genetic associations with breast cancer mortality.
Article
Immunology
Adam Trickey, Caroline A. Sabin, Greer Burkholder, Heidi Crane, Antonella d'Arminio Monforte, Matthias Egger, M. John Gill, Sophie Grabar, Jodie L. Guest, Inma Jarrin, Fiona C. Lampe, Niels Obel, Juliana M. Reyes, Christoph Stephan, Timothy R. Sterling, Ramon Teira, Giota Touloumi, Jan-Christian Wasmuth, Ferdinand Wit, Linda Wittkop, Robert Zangerle, Michael J. Silverberg, Amy Justice, Jonathan A. C. Sterne
Summary: Life expectancy has increased for people with HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Latest prognosis data show that the survival rate of adults with HIV who have been on ART for at least 1 year in Europe and North America is similar to that of the general population, regardless of the starting time of ART. However, individuals with low CD4 counts at the start of treatment have lower life expectancy, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis and sustained treatment of HIV.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Saadia Aslam, Michalis A. Patsalides, Svetlana Stoma, Aseel Alfuhied, Christopher P. Nelson, Iain B. Squire, Claire A. Lawson, Kamlesh Khunti, Gerry P. McCann, Anvesha Singh
Summary: This study aimed to explore the ethnic differences in patients undergoing aortic valve intervention for severe aortic stenosis in Leicestershire, UK. The results showed that Asian patients had lower rates of SAVR and TAVI, were younger in age, had more comorbidities, and worse functional status. However, the age-adjusted rates did not show significant differences in ethnicities.
Letter
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Elsie M. F. Horne, William J. Hulme, Ruth H. Keogh, Tom M. Palmer, Elizabeth J. Williamson, Edward P. K. Parker, Venexia M. Walker, Rochelle Knight, Yinghui Wei, Kurt Taylor, Louis Fisher, Jessica Morley, Amir Mehrkar, Iain Dillingham, Sebastian Bacon, Ben Goldacre, Jonathan A. C. Sterne
Summary: Understanding how the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines changes over time and in response to new variants is crucial for scheduling subsequent doses. Previous research has shown that vaccine effectiveness decreases in a log-linear manner over time and remains consistent across different risk-based subgroups. To further investigate the waning effectiveness beyond 26 weeks and in the era of the Omicron variant, the follow-up period was extended to the earliest of 50 weeks after the second dose or March 31, 2022.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Tom Loosli, Stefanie Hossmann, Suzanne M. Ingle, Hajra Okhai, Katharina Kusejko, Johannes Mouton, Pantxika Bellecave, Ard van Sighem, Melanie Stecher, Antonella d'Arminio Monforte, M. John Gill, Caroline A. Sabin, Gary Maartens, Huldrych F. Guenthard, Jonathan A. C. Sterne, Richard Lessells, Matthias Egger, Roger D. Kouyos
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the resistance to dolutegravir in HIV-infected individuals. The study found that resistance to dolutegravir was rare, but nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor resistance substantially increased the risk of dolutegravir resistance.
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Emily Lowthian, Stuart Bedston, Sara Madeleine Kristensen, Ashley Akbari, Richard Fry, Katy Huxley, Rhodri Johnson, Hyun Sue Kim, Rhiannon K. Owen, Chris Taylor, Lucy Griffiths
Summary: This study used advanced statistical methods to examine the relationship between maternal mental health disorders and child problem behaviors over 13 years. The results showed a strong association between maternal mental health and child problem behaviors, but there was mixed evidence for bi-directional relationships. The study also emphasized the importance of whole family-based support for mental health and problem behaviors.
RESEARCH ON CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Jane Lyons, Ashley Akbari, Keith R. Abrams, Amaya Azcoaga Lorenzo, Thamer Ba Dhafari, James Chess, Spiros Denaxas, Richard Fry, Chris P. Gale, John Gallacher, Lucy J. Grif, Bruce Guthrie, Marlous Hall, Farideh Jalali-najafabadi, Ann John, Clare Macrae, Colin Mccowan, Niels Peek, Dermot Oreilly, James Rafferty, Ronan A. Lyons, Rhiannon K. Owen
Summary: This study aimed to measure chronic disease accrual and examine the differences in disease development and mortality between different socioeconomic groups in Wales, UK. The results showed that individuals living in more deprived areas were diagnosed with chronic diseases earlier and had a higher risk of premature death compared to their counterparts in less deprived areas.
LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH-EUROPE
(2023)