34,775 research outputs found
Prevalence of refractive error in Europe: the European Eye Epidemiology (E(3)) Consortium.
No full textTo estimate the prevalence of refractive error in adults across Europe. Refractive data (mean spherical equivalent) collected between 1990 and 2013 from fifteen population-based cohort and cross-sectional studies of the European Eye Epidemiology (E(3)) Consortium were combined in a random effects meta-analysis stratified by 5-year age intervals and gender. Participants were excluded if they were identified as having had cataract surgery, retinal detachment, refractive surgery or other factors that might influence refraction. Estimates of refractive error prevalence were obtained including the following classifications: myopia ≤-0.75 diopters (D), high myopia ≤-6D, hyperopia ≥1D and astigmatism ≥1D. Meta-analysis of refractive error was performed for 61,946 individuals from fifteen studies with median age ranging from 44 to 81 and minimal ethnic variation (98 % European ancestry). The age-standardised prevalences (using the 2010 European Standard Population, limited to those ≥25 and <90 years old) were: myopia 30.6 % [95 % confidence interval (CI) 30.4-30.9], high myopia 2.7 % (95 % CI 2.69-2.73), hyperopia 25.2 % (95 % CI 25.0-25.4) and astigmatism 23.9 % (95 % CI 23.7-24.1). Age-specific estimates revealed a high prevalence of myopia in younger participants [47.2 % (CI 41.8-52.5) in 25-29 years-olds]. Refractive error affects just over a half of European adults. The greatest burden of refractive error is due to myopia, with high prevalence rates in young adults. Using the 2010 European population estimates, we estimate there are 227.2 million people with myopia across Europe
Mediterranean diet and incidence of advanced AMD: The EYE-RISK CONSORTIUM
No full textInternational audienceOBJECTIVE:To investigate associations of adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MeDi) with incidence of advanced AMD (the symptomatic form of AMD) in two European population-based prospective cohorts.DESIGN:Prospective cohorts: the Rotterdam Study I (RS-I) and the Alienor Study.PARTICIPANTS:4 446 participants aged ≥55 years from RS-I (The Netherlands) and 550 French adults aged 73 years or older from Alienor Study with complete ophthalmologic and dietary data were included in the present study.METHODS:Examinations were performed approximately every 5 years over a 21-year period (1990 to 2011) in RS-I and every 2 years over a 4-year period (2006 to 2012) in Alienor Study. Adherence to the MeDi was evaluated using a 9 component score based on intake of vegetables, fruits, legumes, cereals, fish, meat, dairy products, alcohol and the monounsaturated-to-saturated fatty acids ratio. Associations of incidence of AMD with MeDi were estimated using multivariate Cox proportional Hazard models.MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES:Incidence of advanced AMD based on retinal fundus photographs.RESULTS:Among the 4 996 included participants, 155 developed advanced incident AMD (117 from RS-I and 38 from Alienor Study). The mean follow-up time was 9.9 years (range 0.6 to 21.7) in RS-I and 4.1 years (range 2.5 to 5.0) in Alienor Study. Pooling data for both RS-I and Alienor study, participants with a high (6-9) MeDi score had a significantly reduced risk for incident advanced AMD compared to participants with a low (0-3) MeDi score in the fully-adjusted Cox model (HR, 0.59 [95% CI, 0.37-0.95], p for trend=0.04).CONCLUSION:Pooling data from RS-I and Alienor, higher adherence to the MeDi was associated with a 41% reduced risk of incident advanced AMD. These findings support the role of a diet rich in healthful nutrient-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and fish in the prevention of AMD
Breast cancer risk and 6q22.33: combined results from breast cancer association consortium and consortium of investigators on modifiers of BRCA1/2
No full textRecently, a locus on chromosome 6q22.33 (rs2180341) was reported to be associated with increased breast cancer risk in the Ashkenazi Jewish (AJ) population, and this association was also observed in populations of non-AJ European ancestry. In the present study, we performed a large replication analysis of rs2180341 using data from 31,428 invasive breast cancer cases and 34,700 controls collected from 25 studies in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC). In addition, we evaluated whether rs2180341 modifies breast cancer risk in 3,361 BRCA1 and 2,020 BRCA2 carriers from 11 centers in the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 (CIMBA). Based on the BCAC data from women of European ancestry, we found evidence for a weak association with breast cancer risk for rs2180341 (per-allele odds ratio (OR) = 1.03, 95% CI 1.00-1.06, p = 0.023). There was evidence for heterogeneity in the ORs among studies (I(2) = 49.3%; p = <0.004). In CIMBA, we observed an inverse association with the minor allele of rs2180341 and breast cancer risk in BRCA1 mutation carriers (per-allele OR = 0.89, 95%CI 0.80-1.00, p = 0.048), indicating a potential protective effect of this allele. These data suggest that that 6q22.33 confers a weak effect on breast cancer risk
Seasonal Climate Forecasts and Risk Management Among Georgia Farmers
No full textRecent increases in the scientific robustness of seasonal climate forecasts have not led to substantial changes in farmers’ risk management strategies of actors, largely because there is poor integration of scientific forecasting into farmers’ decision-making processes. The goal of the research presented here is to explore the potentials and constraints for farmers’ application of seasonal climate forecasts through an analysis of the cultural contexts of their decision-making and information use. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 38 farmers in southern Georgia, examining their approaches, risk-management, to livelihood goals and strategies, and interactions with weather and climate information. Findings indicate that farmers’ management of risks associated with climate variability is embedded within a broad array of social factors, including subjective construction of social and personal identities, goals, and values. These cultural contexts affect the ways that farmers interpret and might apply seasonal climate forecasts to agricultural decisions. These findings indicate that, rather than simply acting as a technical information input, seasonal climate forecasts and forecasters must gradually work theirway into farmers’ trusted social networks before their potential as risk management tools will be realized. Furthermore, while seeking to produce scientific information to support farmers’ adaptive practices, scientists themselves must adapt their own practices to better fit a coproduction of knowledge approach
Ophthalmic epidemiology in Europe: the "European Eye Epidemiology" (E3) consortium
No full textThe European Eye Epidemiology (E3) consortium is a recently formed consortium of 29 groups from 12 European countries. It already comprises 21 population-based studies and 20 other studies (case-control, cases only, randomized trials), providing ophthalmological data on approximately 170,000 European participants. The aim of the consortium is to promote and sustain collaboration and sharing of data and knowledge in the field of ophthalmic epidemiology in Europe, with particular focus on the harmonization of methods for future research, estimation and projection of frequency and impact of visual outcomes in European populations (including temporal trends and European subregions), identification of risk factors and pathways for eye diseases (lifestyle, vascular and metabolic factors, genetics, epigenetics and biomarkers) and development and validation of prediction models for eye diseases. Coordinating these existing data will allow a detailed study of the risk factors and consequences of eye diseases and visual impairment, including study of international geographical variation which is not possible in individual studies. It is expected that collaborative work on these existing data will provide additional knowledge, despite the fact that the risk factors and the methods for collecting them differ somewhat among the participating studies. Most studies also include biobanks of various biological samples, which will enable identification of biomarkers to detect and predict occurrence and progression of eye diseases. This article outlines the rationale of the consortium, its design and presents a summary of the methodology
Rates of referable eye disease in the Scottish National Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Programme
No full textAims: Diabetic retinopathy screening aims to detect people at risk of visual loss due to proliferative diabetic retinopathy, but also refers cases of suspected macular oedema (maculopathy). At the introduction of screening, ophthalmology was concerned that referral rates would be unmanageable. We report yield of referable disease by referral reason for the first 5 years of the programme. Methods: We extracted screening results from a nationwide clinical diabetes database to calculate annual referral rates to ophthalmic clinics. We used logistic regression to examine associations between clinical measures and referable disease. Results: 182 397 people underwent =successful retinal screening between 2006 and 2010. The yield of referable eye disease was highest in the first 2 years of screening (7.0% and 6.0%) before stabilising at ~4.3%. The majority of referrals are due to maculopathy with 73% of referrals in 2010 based on a finding of maculopathy. Conclusions: The commonest cause for referral is for suspected macular oedema (maculopathy). Referral rates for retinopathy have stabilised, as predicted, at relatively low rates. However, ophthalmology workload continues to rise as new treatment options (ie, monthly intraocular injections) have unexpectedly increased the impact on ophthalmology. A review of the screening referral path for maculopathy may be timely.</p
Governance, Risk and Compliance Committee of the Consortium Board
No full textGovernance, Risk and Compliance Committee of the Consortium Boar
Audit and Risk Management Committee Charter of the Consortium Board
No full textAudit and Risk Management Committee Charter of the Consortium Boar
Data Related to Meta-analysis of up to 622,409 individuals identifies 40 novel smoking behaviour associated genetic loci
No full textHere we have included four sets of meta-analysis results: Meta-analysis of discovery and replication cohorts, combining genotyped Exome-chip and Axiom array content for (i) Smoking Initiation, (ii) Cigarettes per day, and (iii) Smoking Cessation, and (iv) meta-analysis of discovery cohorts for Pack Years.Smoking is a major heritable and modifiable risk factor for many diseases, including cancer, common respiratory disorders and cardiovascular diseases. We tested up to 235,116 single nucleotide variants (SNVs) on the exome-array for association with smoking initiation, cigarettes per day, pack-years, and smoking cessation in a fixed effects meta-analysis of up to 61 studies (up to 346,813 participants). SNV-trait associations with P < 5 × 10−8 in either analysis were taken forward for replication in up to 275,596 independent participants from UK Biobank. Lastly, a meta-analysis of the discovery and replication studies was performed. These novel loci will facilitate understanding the genetic aetiology of smoking behaviour and may lead to the identification of potential drug targets for smoking prevention and/or cessation.GSCAN; Consortium for Genetics of Smoking Behaviour; CHD Exome+ consortium. (2019). Data Related to Meta-analysis of up to 622,409 individuals identifies 40 novel smoking behaviour associated genetic loci. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://doi.org/10.13020/qfwg-tn13
Genetic risk, lifestyle, and AMD in Europe. The EYE-RISK consortium
No full textInternational audiencePURPOSE: Age-related macular degeneration(AMD) is a common multifactorial disease in elderly with a prominent genetic basis. Many risk variants have been identified, but the interpretation is still challenging. We investigated the genetic distribution of AMD-associated risk variants in a large European consortium, calculated attributable, and pathway-specific genetic risks, and assessed the influence of lifestyle on genetic outcomes. DESIGN: Pooled analysis of cross-sectional data from the E3 consortium. PARTICIPANTS: 17.174 individuals aged 45+ participating in 6 population-based cohort studies, 2 clinic based studies, 1 case-control study. METHODS: AMD was diagnosed and graded based on fundus photographs. Data on genetics, lifestyle, and diet were harmonized and completed where necessary. Minor allele frequencies and population attributable fraction (PAF) were calculated per single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). A total genetic risk score (GRS) and pathway-specific risk scores (complement, lipid, extra-cellular matrix, other) were constructed based on the dosage of SNPs and conditional beta's; a lifestyle score was constructed based on smoking and dietary intake. RESULTS: The risk variants with the largest difference between late AMD cases and controls, and the highest PAFs were located in ARMS2 (rs3750846) and CHF (rs570618 and rs10922109). Both risk increasing and protective variants had the highest PAFs. Combining all genetic variants, the total genetic risk score ranged from -3.50 to 4.63, was normally distributed and increased with AMD severity. Of the late AMD cases, 1581/1777 (89%) had a positive total GRS. The complement pathway and ARMS2 were by far the most prominent genetic pathways contributing to late AMD (positive GRS 90% of late cases), but risk in three pathways was most frequent (35% of late cases). Lifestyle was a strong determinant of the outcome in each genetic risk category; unfavorable lifestyle increased the risk of late AMD at least twofold. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic risk variants contribute to late AMD in the majority of cases. However, lifestyle factors have a strong influence on the outcome of genetic risk, and should be a strong focus in patient management. Genetic risks in ARMS2 and the complement pathway are present in the majority of late AMD, but are mostly combined with risks in other pathways
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