̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Kay-Tee Khaw

̽��ֱ�� academics ranked among best in the world

hcf38 — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 10:57:57 +0000

̽��ֱ��Research.com Best Female Scientists in the World 2023 rankings are based on an analysis of more than 166,000 profiles of scientists across the globe. Position in the ranking is according to a scientist’s total ‘H-index’ - rate of the publications made within a given area of research as well as awards and recognitions. Only the top 1000 scholars with the highest H-index are featured in the ranking.

Kay-Tee Khaw, an Emeritus Professor in Gerontology and a Gonville & Caius Fellow, is placed fifth worldwide and tops the list for Europe. Professor Khaw, who was named a CBE in 2003 for Services to Medicine, published a study on how modest differences in lifestyle are associated with better life expectancy which informed the UK Government’s ‘Small changes, big difference’ campaign in 2006.

Also high in the rankings is Barbara Sahakian, Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology in the Department of Psychiatry and a Fellow of Clare Hall, who is placed sixth in the UK. Professor Sahakian’s recent research includes a study showing the benefits to mental health and cognitive performance of reading for pleasure at an early age, and seven healthy lifestyle factors that reduce the risk of depression.

Joining Professor Khaw and Professor Sahakian in the top 10 in the UK is Carol Brayne, Professor of Public Health Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry and Fellow of Darwin. Awarded a CBE in 2017 for Services to Public Health Medicine, Professor Brayne has pioneered the study of dementia in populations.

Nine other ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge scientists also make the rankings:

Professor Gillian Murphy (Department of Oncology), an international leader in the field of metalloproteinases, who has defined their roles in arthritis and cancer.

Professor Claudia Langenberg (MRC Epidemiology Unit), a public health specialist combining her expertise with research focused on molecular epidemiology.

Professor Nita Forouhi (MRC Epidemiology Unit), a physician scientist, MRC Investigator and Programme Leader in Nutritional Epidemiology, whose research on the link between diet, nutrition and chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes has informed health policy.

Professor Alison Dunning (Centre for Cancer Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Oncology), a genetic epidemiologist working on the risk of breast and other hormonal cancers.

Professor Karalyn Patterson (MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge Centre for Frontotemporal Dementia and Related Disorders), a Fellow of Darwin College, who specialises in what we can learn about the organisation and neural representation of language and memory from the study of neurological patients suffering from the onset of brain disease or damage in adulthood.

Professor Dame Clare Grey (Department of Chemistry), a materials chemist whose work has paved the way for less expensive, longer-lasting batteries and helped improve storage systems for renewable energy, she is Chief Scientist and co-founder of Nyobolt, a company that is developing ultrafast-charging batteries for electric vehicles.

Professor Sharon Peacock (Department of Medicine), who has built her scientific expertise around pathogen genomics, antimicrobial resistance, and a range of tropical diseases, was the founding director of the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium which informed the COVID-19 pandemic response.

Professor Maria Grazia Spillantini (Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Fellow of Clare Hall) has been researching the cause of dementia for many years and was the first to identify the specific protein deposit found in Parkinson’s disease.

Professor Dame Theresa Marteau (Department of Public Health and Primary Care and Honorary Fellow of Christ’s College), a behavioural scientist, focuses on the development and evaluation of interventions to change behaviour (principally food, tobacco and alcohol consumption) to improve population health and reduce health inequalities, with a particular focus on targeting non-conscious processes.

Speaking on publication of this year’s rankings, Imed Bouchrika, Co-Founder of Research.com and Chief Data Scientist, said: “ ̽��ֱ��purpose of this online ranking of the world's leading female scientists is to recognize the efforts of every female scientist who has made the courageous decision to pursue opportunities despite barriers.

“Their unwavering determination in the face of difficulties serves as a source of motivation for all young women and girls who pursue careers in science.”

Twelve academics from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge have been ranked among the top female scientists in the world - with one claiming the top spot for Europe.

Gonville & Caius College

Professor Kay-Tee Khaw who has been named as the top female scientist in Europe by Research.com

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Deprivation strongly linked to hospital admissions

cjb250 — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 09:48:59 +0000

Despite increases in overall life expectancy there is still an inequality, with lower life expectancy observed more often in disadvantaged groups. It is well known that those in higher social classes have a typical life expectancy several years longer than those with the lowest. Similarly, life expectancy and levels of good health vary between UK cities and regions, with large variations in expected years of life in good health.

In research published in BMJ Open, a team led by researchers at the Cambridge Institute of Public Health examined whether there was a link between living in an area of deprivation and subsequent hospital use. To do so, they examined data from almost 25,000 individuals (11,000 men and 14,000 women) from the EPIC-Norfolk cohort across almost two decades, between 1999 and 2018.

̽��ֱ��researchers used the Townsend Index to measure the deprivation of individuals’ residential areas, stratifying people into five levels. ̽��ֱ��Index looks at levels of unemployment, number of households without a car, the percentage of households not owner-occupied, and the percentage of households with more than one person per room.

Participants completed a lifestyle questionnaire that included questions about their own and their partner’s current and past employment and a list of qualifications. ̽��ֱ��researchers used the employment information to assign each participant to either non-manual or manual social classes. Non-manual social class included those individuals who worked in professional, managerial, technical and non-manual skilled occupations; manual social class included those who worked in skilled, partly skilled and unskilled manual occupations. ̽��ֱ��qualifications marked were used to assign participants to lower or higher educational attainment categories.

̽��ֱ��researchers found that people who lived in areas of highest deprivation spent the most time in hospital, but the risk of a long hospital stay is seen disproportionately in people who also had low educational attainment or were in manual social class. While the average amount of time spent in hospital over the two decade period was around 28 days for people with high educational attainment, for those with low educational attainment, the average was around 37 days, rising steeply to 43 days in the group living in areas of highest deprivation.

̽��ֱ��picture relating to social class was similar, though the differences between social classes was not as pronounced as those between educational attainments. Those individuals in non-manual social classes spent between 29 and 31.5 days in hospital; in manual social classes, people in areas of less deprivation spent around 32 days in hospital, rising to 39.5 days in areas of highest deprivation.

“Regardless of your age and gender, or even lifestyle factors such as smoking and obesity, living in an area of high deprivation is a significant risk factor for spending time in hospital,” said Dr Robert Luben from the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, the study’s first author. “People living in areas at or below the national average for deprivation were more likely to spend more than 20 days in hospital or be admitted to hospital on more than seven occasions during the two decades that we examined.”

Senior author Professor Kay-Tee Khaw, also from the Department of Public Health and Primary Care, said: “People working in a manual occupation or with lower education level and living in more deprived areas had the greatest risk of hospitalisation. This suggests that hospitalisation is greatest when poorer individual socioeconomic factors are combined with residential deprivation.

“It isn’t clear why this should be the case, though we can speculate that it could in part be down to better education improving an individual’s ability to live a healthier life.”

Previous research from the group has examined the link between lifestyle factors, education and hospitalisation. This is the first to look at the link between deprivation at an area level and hospitalisation.

“It clearly is not enough just to focus on educating people and improving lifestyle factors at an individual level,” added Dr Luben. “A poor environment affects those least able to cope. Effective NHS and government policy also needs to address deprivation infrastructural levels – improving housing, transport, access to recreation and green space, for example.”

̽��ֱ��research was funded by the Medical Research Council and Cancer Research UK.

Reference
Luben, R et al. Residential area deprivation and risk of subsequent hospital admission in a British population: the EPIC-Norfolk cohort. BMJ Open; 16 Dec 2019; DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031251

People who live in areas of higher than average deprivation are more likely to be admitted to hospital and to spend longer in hospital, according to new research from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge. ̽��ֱ��difference was particularly pronounced among manual workers and those with lower education level.

Regardless of your age and gender, or even lifestyle factors such as smoking and obesity, living in an area of high deprivation is a significant risk factor for spending time in hospital

Robert Luben

Rosmarie Voegtli

urban welcome

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Sleeping over eight hours a day associated with greater risk of stroke

cjb250 — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 21:00:00 +0000

Previous studies have already suggested a possible association between sleep and risk of stroke, but today’s study, published in the journal Neurology, is the first to provide detailed information about the British population and to examine the relationship between a change in sleep duration over time and subsequent stroke risk.

Researchers from the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge followed just under 10,000 people aged 42-81 years of age from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC)–Norfolk cohort over 9.5 years. During 1998-2000 and then again four years later, they asked the cohort how many hours on average they slept in a day and whether they generally slept well.
Almost seven out of ten participants reported sleeping between six and eight hours a day, whilst one in ten reported sleeping for over eight hours a day. Participants who slept for less than six hours or more than eight hours were more likely to be older, women and less active.

Over the almost ten year period of the study, 346 participants suffered a stroke, either non-fatal or fatal stroke. After adjusting for various factors including age and sex, the researchers found that people who slept longer than eight hours a day were at a 46% greater risk of stroke than average. People who slept less than six hours a day were at an 18% increased risk, but the small number of people falling in this category meant the association was not statistically significant*.

Participants who reported persistently long sleep – in other words, they reported sleeping over eight hours when asked at both points of the study – were at double the risk of stroke compared to those with persistently average sleep duration (between six and eight hours a day). This risk was even greater for those whose reported sleep increased from short to long over the four years – their risk was close to four times that of people who maintained an average sleep duration.

In addition to studying the EPIC-Norfolk cohort, the researchers carried out a study of combined data from 11 other studies related to identify the association between sleep duration and patterns of stroke risk. Their final analysis, including 560,000 participants from seven countries, supported the findings from the EPIC-Norfolk cohort study.

Yue Leng, a PhD candidate at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, says: “It’s apparent both from our own participants and the wealth of international data that there’s a link between sleeping longer than average and a greater risk of stroke. What is far less clear, however, is the direction of this link, whether longer sleep is a symptom, an early marker or a cause of cardiovascular problems.”

While older people have less work and fewer social demands and therefore often have the option of sleeping longer, previous research has shown that in fact, they tend to sleep on average for shorter periods.

̽��ֱ��researchers say it is unclear yet why the link between sleep and stroke risk should exist. Lack of sleep has been linked with factors such as disrupted metabolism and raised levels of the ‘stress hormone’ cortisol, all of which may lead to higher blood pressure and increased stroke risk. However, the current study suggests that the association between longer sleep duration and higher risk of stroke was independent of normal risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Professor Kay-Tee Khaw, senior author on the study, adds: “We need to understand the reasons behind the link between sleep and stroke risk. What is happening in the body that causes this link? With further research, we may find that excessive sleep proves to be an early indicator of increased stroke risk, particularly among older people.”

̽��ֱ��study was supported by the Medical Research Council and Cancer Research UK.

* ̽��ֱ��absolute risk of stroke was 4.1% for less than six hours’ sleep, 3.1% for six to eight hours, and 5.3% for over eight hours. Note: these figures are before adjustment for age, sex, etc. – figures for after adjustment were not available.

Reference
Leng, Y et al. Sleep duration and risk of fatal and nonfatal stroke: A prospective study and meta-analysis. Neurology; 25 Feb 2015

People who sleep for more than eight hours a day have an increased risk of stroke, according to a study by the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge – and this risk doubles for older people who persistently sleep longer than average. However, the researchers say it is unclear why this association exists and call for further research to explore the link.

It’s apparent both from our own participants and the wealth of international data that there’s a link between sleeping longer than average and a greater risk of stroke

Yue Leng

Alex

Sleeping lady

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A landmark study of health and lifestyle celebrates its 20th birthday

amb206 — Wed, 09 Oct 2013 15:00:00 +0000

Participants in the EPIC-Norfolk Study will be meeting in Norwich tomorrow to celebrate a project that is making substantial contributions to our understanding of the role of lifestyle, in particular, diet and physical activity, and biological factors in health and disease.

̽��ֱ��research, which has helped us understand what we can do to maintain health in later life and has important implications for policy-makers, is sponsored by the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge. It is currently led by principal investigators Professor Kay-Tee Khaw and Professor Nick Wareham.

Continuing support from thousands of participants living in Norwich and the surrounding area is at the heart of the success of this study which relies on people giving up their time on a voluntary basis to contribute to the research.

Around 25,000 men and women living in Norfolk agreed to take part at the start of the study in 1993 and have been followed up to the present. Today the oldest participant is more than 90. All receive regular communications supplying them with updates on the research findings.

EPIC-Norfolk is part of one of the world’s biggest population studies with components in ten countries across Europe. When the programme was launched in the early 1990s, the people recruited were aged between 40 and 79.

̽��ֱ��research has led to a succession of papers which have added to knowledge about key aspects of health including common conditions such as heart disease and cancer, obesity, diabetes, eye health, and cognitive skills, and how these might be linked to lifestyle and genetic factors. Quality of life is an important strand of the research.

“We’re holding our Public Meeting event at St Andrews Hall, in Norwich as a way of thanking all the thousands of people who have helped us over the years – and will, we hope, continue to help us as we move into the next stage of the study,” said EPIC-Norfolk research co-ordinator, Shabina Hayat. “ ̽��ֱ��generosity of our participants is tremendous – their input makes the research possible.”

Though the original focus was on diet and cancer, from the outset of the study, the scope was widened to look at major causes of disability and loss of quality of life – including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and fractures, musculo-skeletal conditions such as arthritis, and more recently, memory loss, physical function, and eye diseases.

“Essentially data from the study represents a hugely valuable resource that can be used by our research partners and will eventually be used to inform future health policies and interventions to improve health,” said Ms Hayat.

̽��ֱ��EPIC-Norfolk study is unique in the detail with which it has examined diet, collecting data on 200 nutrients and more than 1,200 food groups. Food diaries were at the core of this strand of the work, enabling researchers to see patterns in food consumption. It was shown, for example, that just as alcohol consumption gets higher towards the end of the week and on Saturday, so does that of cakes and pies.

Key findings have included: the effects of ageing are highly variable with some older people having better physical and cognitive function than those 30 years younger; red and processed meat is associated with greater colorectal cancer risk, especially in individuals with low fibre consumption; and participants reporting higher television viewing (long periods of inactivity) have a particular risk of cardiovascular disease.

̽��ֱ��study has shown that people following four health behaviours (not smoking, being physically active, moderate alcohol intake and intake of five or more vegetables per day) can expect, on average, to live 14 years longer than those who don’t. Another finding is that it is better to eat a large breakfast and a small evening meal in terms of minimising weight gain.

̽��ֱ��current phase of the study is focusing on physical activity and body composition. When people put on weight, they collect fat in different areas of their body: some take on a pear shape and others an apple shape. Current research suggests that those with an apple shape (fat around the waist) have an increased risk of developing health-related problems such as diabetes.

By scanning participants to reveal distribution of fat around the body, EPIC-Norfolk aims to throw further light on this finding.

A landmark longitudinal study of health in the community will celebrate its 20th anniversary in Norwich tomorrow (10 October). ̽��ֱ��research, which adds significantly to our knowledge of public health, relies on volunteers who consistently give their time to science.

̽��ֱ��generosity of our participants is tremendous – their input makes the research possible.

Shabina Hayat

EPIC-Norfolk

A volunteer in the EPIC-Norfolk study

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