Genetic Determinants for Leisure-Time Physical Activity.

Purpose: Leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) is a well-established modifiable lifestyle determinant for multiple cardiometabolic outcomes. However, current understanding of the genetic architecture that may determine LTPA remains very limited. Therefore, we aimed to examine the role of genetic factors in affecting LTPA, which has yet to be investigated comprehensively and in-depth.

Associations of Plasma Amino Acid and Acylcarnitine Profiles with Incident Reduced Glomerular Filtration Rate.

Background And Objectives: Metabolomics is instrumental in identifying novel biomarkers of kidney function to aid in the prevention and management of CKD. However, data linking the metabolome to incident eGFR are sparse, particularly in Asian populations with different genetic backgrounds and environmental exposures. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the associations of amino acid and acylcarnitine profiles with change in eGFR in a Chinese cohort.

Perfluoroalkyl substances and changes in body weight and resting metabolic rate in response to weight-loss diets: A prospective study.

Background: The potential endocrine-disrupting effects of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have been demonstrated in animal studies, but whether PFASs may interfere with body weight regulation in humans is largely unknown. This study aimed to examine the associations of PFAS exposure with changes in body weight and resting metabolic rate (RMR) in a diet-induced weight-loss setting.

Methods And Findings: In the 2-year POUNDS Lost randomized clinical trial based in Boston, Massachusetts, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that examined the effects of energy-restricted diets on weight changes, baseline plasma concentrations of major PFASs were measured among 621 overweight and obese participants aged 30-70 years.

Erratum: Sequence data and association statistics from 12,940 type 2 diabetes cases and controls.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/sdata.2017.

Combination of MPPa-PDT and HSV1-TK/GCV gene therapy on prostate cancer.

We combined pyropheophorbide-a methyl ester, photodynamic therapy (MPPa-PDT), 670 ± 10 nm, 4 mW/cm, with herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase/ganciclovir (HSV1-TK/GCV) to improve the therapeutic effect. We built HSV1-TK expression vector GV230-TK and we observed a bright green fluorescence under fluorescence microscope. It indicated the recombinant plasmid was transfected into PC-3M prostate cancer cells successfully.

Plasma lipidome patterns associated with cardiovascular risk in the PREDIMED trial: A case-cohort study.

Background: The study of the plasma lipidome may help to better characterize molecular mechanisms underlying cardiovascular disease. The identification of new lipid biomarkers could provide future targets for prevention and innovative therapeutic approaches. In the frame of the PREDIMED trial, our aim was to examine the associations of baseline lipidome patterns or their changes with the risk of clinical CVD events.

Multiancestry association study identifies new asthma risk loci that colocalize with immune-cell enhancer marks.

We examined common variation in asthma risk by conducting a meta-analysis of worldwide asthma genome-wide association studies (23,948 asthma cases, 118,538 controls) of individuals from ethnically diverse populations. We identified five new asthma loci, found two new associations at two known asthma loci, established asthma associations at two loci previously implicated in the comorbidity of asthma plus hay fever, and confirmed nine known loci. Investigation of pleiotropy showed large overlaps in genetic variants with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

Sequence data and association statistics from 12,940 type 2 diabetes cases and controls.

To investigate the genetic basis of type 2 diabetes (T2D) to high resolution, the GoT2D and T2D-GENES consortia catalogued variation from whole-genome sequencing of 2,657 European individuals and exome sequencing of 12,940 individuals of multiple ancestries. Over 27M SNPs, indels, and structural variants were identified, including 99% of low-frequency (minor allele frequency [MAF] 0.1-5%) non-coding variants in the whole-genome sequenced individuals and 99.

Prenatal arsenic exposure, child marriage, and pregnancy weight gain: Associations with preterm birth in Bangladesh.

Background: Preterm birth is a disease of multifactorial etiologies that has environmental, social, and maternal health components. Individual studies have shown that exposure to arsenic contaminated drinking water, child marriage, and low maternal weight gain during pregnancy contribute to preterm birth. These factors are highly prevalent and often co-exist in Bangladesh, a country in South Asia with one of the world's highest prevalences of preterm birth.

Fatal crashes involving large numbers of vehicles and weather.

Introduction: Adverse weather has been recognized as a significant threat to traffic safety. However, relationships between fatal crashes involving large numbers of vehicles and weather are rarely studied according to the low occurrence of crashes involving large numbers of vehicles.

Method: By using all 1,513,792 fatal crashes in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data, 1975-2014, we successfully described these relationships.

Identifying the metabolomic fingerprint of high and low flavonoid consumers.

High flavonoid consumption can improve vascular health. Exploring flavonoid-metabolome relationships in population-based settings is challenging, as: (i) there are numerous confounders of the flavonoid-metabolome relationship; and (ii) the set of dependent metabolite variables are inter-related, highly variable and multidimensional. The Metabolite Fingerprint Score has been developed as a means of approaching such data.

Development of a population-based cancer case-control study in southern china.

With its population of over 1.3 billion persons, China offers abundant opportunities to discover causes of disease. However, few rigorous population-based case-control studies have as yet been conducted in mainland China.

Epigenome-wide association studies identify DNA methylation associated with kidney function.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is defined by reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Previous genetic studies have implicated regulatory mechanisms contributing to CKD. Here we present epigenome-wide association studies of eGFR and CKD using whole-blood DNA methylation of 2264 ARIC Study and 2595 Framingham Heart Study participants to identify epigenetic signatures of kidney function.

Genetically defined elevated homocysteine levels do not result in widespread changes of DNA methylation in leukocytes.

Background: DNA methylation is affected by the activities of the key enzymes and intermediate metabolites of the one-carbon pathway, one of which involves homocysteine. We investigated the effect of the well-known genetic variant associated with mildly elevated homocysteine: MTHFR 677C>T independently and in combination with other homocysteine-associated variants, on genome-wide leukocyte DNA-methylation.

Methods: Methylation levels were assessed using Illumina 450k arrays on 9,894 individuals of European ancestry from 12 cohort studies.

Plasma Metabolites From Choline Pathway and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in the PREDIMED (Prevention With Mediterranean Diet) Study.

Background: The relationship between plasma concentrations of betaine and choline metabolism and major cardiovascular disease (CVD) end points remains unclear. We have evaluated the association between metabolites from the choline pathway and risk of incident CVD and the potential modifying effect of Mediterranean diet interventions.

Methods And Results: We designed a case-cohort study nested within the PREDIMED (Prevention With Mediterranean Diet) trial, including 229 incident CVD cases and 751 randomly selected participants at baseline, followed up for 4.

Infection after Acupoint Embedding Therapy.

Nontuberculous mycobacterium is a ubiquitous environmental organism that is unusual to cause a true infection, but it can cause severe cutaneous infections. In this case report, we present a successful treatment for a Chinese patient with cutaneous infection after acupoint embedding therapy. We managed to conduct pathogenic detection, drug sensitive test, and multidisciplinary consultation.

Comprehensive Metabolomic Profiling and Incident Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review.

Background: Metabolomics is a promising tool of cardiovascular biomarker discovery. We systematically reviewed the literature on comprehensive metabolomic profiling in association with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods And Results: We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE from inception to January 2016.

Whole blood microRNA markers are associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can play important roles in inflammation and infection, which are common manifestations of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We assessed if whole blood miRNAs were potential diagnostic biomarkers for human ARDS.

Methods: This nested case-control study (N = 530) examined a cohort of ARDS patients and critically ill at-risk controls.

Plasma lipidomic profiles and cardiovascular events in a randomized intervention trial with the Mediterranean diet.

Lipid metabolites may partially explain the inverse association between the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). We evaluated the associations between ) lipid species and the risk of CVD (myocardial infarction, stroke, or cardiovascular death); ) a MedDiet intervention [supplemented with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) or nuts] and 1-y changes in these molecules; and ) 1-y changes in lipid species and subsequent CVD. With the use of a case-cohort design, we profiled 202 lipid species at baseline and after 1 y of intervention in the PREDIMED (PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea) trial in 983 participants [230 cases and a random subcohort of 790 participants (37 overlapping cases)].

Investigating causal relation between prenatal arsenic exposure and birthweight: Are smaller infants more susceptible?

Background: Shortening of gestation and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) are the two main determinants of birthweight. Low birthweight has been linked with prenatal arsenic exposure, but the causal relation between arsenic and birthweight is not well understood.

Objectives: We applied a quantile causal mediation analysis approach to determine the association between prenatal arsenic exposure and birthweight in relation to shortening of gestation and IUGR, and whether the susceptibility of arsenic exposure varies by infant birth sizes.

Investigating the genetic relationship between Alzheimer's disease and cancer using GWAS summary statistics.

Growing evidence from both epidemiology and basic science suggest an inverse association between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cancer. We examined the genetic relationship between AD and various cancer types using GWAS summary statistics from the IGAP and GAME-ON consortia. Sample size ranged from 9931 to 54,162; SNPs were imputed to the 1000 Genomes European panel.

The School Inner-City Asthma Intervention Study: Design, rationale, methods, and lessons learned.

Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood in the United States, causes significant morbidity, particularly in the inner-city, and accounts for billions of dollars in health care utilization. Home environments are established sources of exposure that exacerbate symptoms and home-based interventions are effective. However, elementary school children spend 7 to 12h a day in school, primarily in one classroom.

An Expanded Genome-Wide Association Study of Type 2 Diabetes in Europeans.

To characterize type 2 diabetes (T2D)-associated variation across the allele frequency spectrum, we conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association data from 26,676 T2D case and 132,532 control subjects of European ancestry after imputation using the 1000 Genomes multiethnic reference panel. Promising association signals were followed up in additional data sets (of 14,545 or 7,397 T2D case and 38,994 or 71,604 control subjects). We identified 13 novel T2D-associated loci ( < 5 × 10), including variants near the , , and genes.

Fast and robust adjustment of cell mixtures in epigenome-wide association studies with SmartSVA.

Background: One problem that plagues epigenome-wide association studies is the potential confounding due to cell mixtures when purified target cells are not available. Reference-free adjustment of cell mixtures has become increasingly popular due to its flexibility and simplicity. However, existing methods are still not optimal: increased false positive rates and reduced statistical power have been observed in many scenarios.