Lung development genes, adult lung function and cardiovascular comorbidities.

Background: The association between lower adult lung function and increased cardiovascular comorbidity has not been adequately explained. We investigated whether shared developmental signalling pathways, critical to lung development and repair, could partly explain it.

Methods: In UK Biobank (UKB), we performed pairwise colocalisation analysis of variants in 55 lung development genes associated with adult forced vital capacity (FVC) or forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV)/FVC, to see if these are also associated with coronary heart disease (CHD), blood pressure (systolic, diastolic, hypertension), pulse pressure, Arterial Stiffness index and carotid intima-media thickness.

Contribution of Peripheral Airways Dysfunction to Poor Quality of Life in Sarcoidosis.

Background: Sarcoidosis is characterized by reduced quality of life (QoL), yet QoL is correlated poorly to conventional spirometric lung function tests.

Research Question: What is the relationship of a QoL measure with comprehensive lung function assessment using oscillometry in sarcoidosis?

Study Design And Methods: Sixty-two patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis completed the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), a respiratory QoL measure, and underwent lung function assessment including oscillometry, spirometry, diffusion capacity, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (Feno), and body plethysmography.

Effect of vitamin A on adult lung function: a triangulation of evidence approach.

Background: Vitamin A, an essential micronutrient obtained through the diet, plays a crucial role in lung development and contributes to lung regeneration. We aimed to investigate its effect on adult lung function using triangulation of evidence from both observational and genetic data.

Methods: Using data on 150 000 individuals from UK Biobank and correcting for measurement error (generalised structural equation modelling), we first investigated the association of dietary vitamin A intake (total vitamin A, carotene and retinol) with lung function (forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV)/FVC)).

Lung development genes, adult lung function and cognitive traits.

Lower lung function is associated with lower cognitive function and an increased risk of dementia. This has not been adequately explained and may partly reflect shared developmental pathways. In UK Biobank participants of European ancestry, we tested the association between lung function measures (forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 s to forced vital capacity ratio; = 306 476) and cognitive traits including nine cognitive function test scores ( = 32 321-428 609), all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia (6805, 2859 and 1544 cases, respectively, and ∼421 241 controls).

Mortality risk associated with occupational exposures in people with small airways obstruction.

Background: Small airways obstruction (SAO) has been associated with occupational exposures. Whether exposure to harmful occupational agents impacts the survival of people with SAO is unknown. Our aim was to estimate the mortality risk associated with occupational exposures among people with SAO.

Effects of testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin on lung function in males and females: a multivariable Mendelian Randomisation study.

Background: Observational studies suggest that total testosterone (TT) and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) may have beneficial effects on lung function, but these findings might be spurious due to confounding and reverse causation. We addressed these limitations by using multivariable Mendelian randomisation (MVMR) to investigate the independent causal effects of TT and SHBG on lung function.

Methods: We first identified genetic instruments by performing genome-wide association analyses of TT and SHBG in the large UK Biobank, separately in males and females.

Comparison of devices used to measure blood pressure, grip strength and lung function: A randomised cross-over study.

Background: Blood pressure, grip strength and lung function are frequently assessed in longitudinal population studies, but the measurement devices used differ between studies and within studies over time. We aimed to compare measurements ascertained from different commonly used devices.

Methods: We used a randomised cross-over study.

Isolated small airways obstruction predicts future chronic airflow obstruction: a multinational longitudinal study.

Background: Chronic airflow obstruction is a key characteristic of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We investigated whether isolated small airways obstruction is associated with chronic airflow obstruction later in life.

Methods: We used longitudinal data from 3957 participants of the multinational Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease study.

Asthma and incident coronary heart disease: an observational and Mendelian randomisation study.

Background: Observational studies suggest asthma is a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) and sex modifies the risk, but they may suffer from methodological limitations. To overcome these, we applied a "triangulation approach", where different methodologies, with different potential biases, were leveraged to enhance confidence in findings.

Methods: First, we conducted an observational study using UK medical records to match asthma patients 1:1, by age, sex and general practitioner (GP) practice, to the general population.

A cluster randomised controlled trial to reduce respiratory effects of cotton dust exposure among textile workers: the MultiTex RCT study.

Background: We determined the effectiveness of an intervention to reduce cotton dust-related respiratory symptoms and improve lung function of textile workers.

Methods: We undertook a cluster randomised controlled trial at 38 textile mills in Karachi, Pakistan. The intervention comprised: training in occupational health for workers and managers, formation of workplace committees to promote a health and safety plan that included wet mopping and safe disposal of cotton dust, provision of simple face masks, and further publicity about the risks from cotton dust.

SNPs inandgenes are associated with FeNO in adult subjects with asthma.

Nitric oxide has different roles in asthma as both an endogenous modulator of airway function and a pro-inflammatory mediator. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is a reliable, quantitative, non-invasive, simple, and safe biomarker for assessing airways inflammation in asthma. Previous genome-wide and genetic association studies have shown that different genes and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are linked to FeNO.

Reply: Confounding in Mendelian randomisation studies.

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Chronic airflow obstruction attributable to poverty in the multinational Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study.

Poverty is strongly associated with all-cause and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) mortality. Less is known about the contribution of poverty to spirometrically defined chronic airflow obstruction (CAO)-a key characteristic of COPD. Using cross-sectional data from an asset-based questionnaire to define poverty in 21 sites of the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease study, we estimated the risk of CAO attributable to poverty.

Gene Polymorphism Is Associated with Total IgE in Adult Subjects with Asthma.

The allergic asthma phenotype is characterized by a T helper type 2 (Th2) immune response, based on Immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated type 1 hypersensitivity reactions. Total IgE is the sum of all IgE types produced by the human body and is used as a biomarker of inflammation in asthma. We analysed data collected in 143 asthma cases (median age 42.

The causal relationship between gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomisation study.

Background: Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in observational studies. It is not known if this association arises because GORD causes IPF or because IPF causes GORD, or because of confounding by factors, such as smoking, associated with both GORD and IPF. We used bidirectional Mendelian randomisation (MR), where genetic variants are used as instrumental variables to address issues of confounding and reverse causation, to examine how, if at all, GORD and IPF are causally related.

Asthma hospitalisations and heat exposure in England: a case-crossover study during 2002-2019.

Background: Previous studies have reported an association between warm temperature and asthma hospitalisation. They have reported different sex-related and age-related vulnerabilities; nevertheless, little is known about how this effect has changed over time and how it varies in space. This study aims to evaluate the association between asthma hospitalisation and warm temperature and investigate vulnerabilities by age, sex, time and space.

COVID-19 and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: A common susceptibility pattern?

Objective: To explore the link between COVID-19 incidence, socio-economic covariates, and NHL incidence.

Design: Ecological study design.

Setting: Sardinia, Italy.

What role for asbestos in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis? Findings from the IPF job exposures case-control study.

Background: Asbestos has been hypothesised as the cause of the recent global increase in the incidence of 'idiopathic' pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Establishing this has important diagnostic and therapeutic implications. The association between occupational asbestos exposure and IPF, and interaction with a common (minor allele frequency of 9% in European populations) genetic variant associated with IPF, rs35705950, is unknown.

Are we missing lifetime COPD diagnosis among people with COPD recorded death? A population-based retrospective cohort study.

Background: The British Lung Foundation (BLF) has previously estimated that there are 2.2 million people in the UK who have symptoms, but no diagnosis, of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Aim: To investigate the proportion of patients with a missed COPD diagnosis among those with COPD as the cause of death on their death certificate, and how this has changed over a period of 17 years (2000-2017).

Ambient heat exposure and COPD hospitalisations in England: a nationwide case-crossover study during 2007-2018.

Background: There is emerging evidence suggesting a link between ambient heat exposure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) hospitalisations. Individual and contextual characteristics can affect population vulnerabilities to COPD hospitalisation due to heat exposure. This study quantifies the effect of ambient heat on COPD hospitalisations and examines population vulnerabilities by age, sex and contextual characteristics.

"NEWS2" as an Objective Assessment of Hospitalised COPD Exacerbation Severity.

Introduction: There is currently no accepted way to risk-stratify hospitalised exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We hypothesised that the revised UK National Early Warning Score (NEWS2) calculated at admission would predict inpatient mortality, need for non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and length-of-stay.

Methods: We included data from 52,284 admissions for exacerbation of COPD.