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Background Methods Results Conclusion We sought to investigate the association between obesity, metabolic syndrome, and metabolic health with incident primary open‐angle glaucoma (POAG).We included 103 249 UK Biobank participants without previously diagnosed glaucoma or glaucoma‐related procedures at enrolment. The primary outcome was POAG identified from diagnostic coding via linked hospital inpatient and primary care data. We used multivariable Cox regression to evaluate the association of body mass index (BMI), and the interaction with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and a novel definition of metabolic health status with incident POAG. BMI was modelled as a time‐varying coefficient. Multivariable analysis was adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, intraocular pressure, spherical equivalent, polygenic risk score and stratified by the presence of primary care data.There were 647 events of incident POAG over 464 117 580 person‐years and a mean follow‐up of 12.6 years. At baseline (time = 0), each one unit increase in BMI was associated with a 9% lower hazard of incident glaucoma (HR 0.91, CI 0.86–0.97, p = 0.0066). Further, compared to a normal BMI range of 18.5–24 kg/m2, a BMI ≥30 kg/m2 was associated with a 65% relative hazard reduction (HR 0.35, CI 0.16–0.80, p = 0.012). There was no significant interaction between BMI and metabolic syndrome or metabolic health (all p > 0.05).The effect of BMI on the risk of incident POAG varied with time. Higher BMI was associated with a decreased risk of incident POAG in this large prospective cohort. There was no significant association with systemic metabolic health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides upper- and lower-bound limits of stiffness improvement observed from the treatment of infilled solution features in chalk as part of the Central 1 contract being delivered by the Align JV, which is part of the UK's High Speed 2 Phase 1 rail link. Infilled solution features were treated using rapid impact compaction (RIC) to achieve a sufficiently stiff subgrade beneath a wide range of temporary foundations and reduce the risk of collapse settlement. Improvement by RIC treatment was sufficient to ensure subsequent foundation performance or reduce the extent of compaction grouting subsequently required beneath the most heavily loaded foundations. The depth of improvement observed was up to 10 m and the improvement in elastic modulus observed was up to five times the pre-treatment value. Over 40 cone penetration tests were conducted before and after RIC. Typical lower- and upper-bound improvement curves are presented based on the observed minimum and maximum post-treatment stiffness. The degree of stiffness improvement was observed to generally reduce at greater than 5 m depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although previous studies have demonstrated a U-shaped relationship between alcohol and sudden cardiac death (SCD), there is a paucity of evidence on the role of alcohol specifically on incident ventricular arrhythmias (VAs)., Objective: The purpose of this study was to characterize associations of total and beverage-specific alcohol consumption with incident VA and SCD using data from the UK Biobank., Methods: Alcohol consumption reported at baseline was calculated as UK standard drinks (8 g of alcohol) per week. Outcomes were assessed through hospitalization and death records. Alcohol consumption was modeled as restricted cubic splines in multivariate Cox regression models and corrected for regression dilution bias., Results: We studied 408,712 middle-aged individuals (52.1% female) over a median follow-up time of 11.5 years. A total of 1733 incident VA events and 2044 SCDs occurred. For incident VA, no clear association was seen with total alcohol consumption. Although consumption of greater amounts of spirits was associated with increased VA risk, no other significant beverage-specific associations were observed. For SCD, a U-shaped association was seen for total alcohol consumption, such that consumption of <26 drinks per week was associated with lowest risk. Consumption of greater amounts of beer, cider, and spirits was potentially associated with increasing SCD risk, whereas increasing red and white wine intake was associated with reduced risk., Conclusion: In this predominantly white cohort, no association of total alcohol consumption was observed with VA, whereas a U-shaped association was present for SCD. Additional studies utilizing accurately defined VA and SCD events are required to provide further insights into these contrasting findings., (Copyright © 2021 Heart Rhythm Society. All rights reserved.)