Consortium profile: the methylation, imaging and NeuroDevelopment (MIND) consortium.

Epigenetic processes, such as DNA methylation, show potential as biological markers and mechanisms underlying gene-environment interplay in the prediction of mental health and other brain-based phenotypes. However, little is known about how peripheral epigenetic patterns relate to individual differences in the brain itself. An increasingly popular approach to address this is by combining epigenetic and neuroimaging data; yet, research in this area is almost entirely comprised of cross-sectional studies in adults.

Developmental Trajectories of Anxiety Subtypes from Childhood to Early Adolescence: the Role of Parenting Practices and Maternal Distress.

The present study was embedded in an Asian birth cohort to (a) investigate the trajectories of specific anxiety subtypes from middle childhood to early adolescence, (b) compare developmental trajectories by child sex, and (c) examine their associations with caregiving factors including parenting practices and maternal distress. Data from the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) cohort were analyzed (N = 547; 52.8% boys; 57.

Genome-Wide Pleiotropy Analysis Identifies Shared and Opposing Pathways Influencing Coronary Artery Disease and Cancer.

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) and cancer are 2 leading global causes of mortality, with shared modifiable risk factors, yet the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying their comorbidity remain poorly understood.

Methods: We performed a genome-wide pleiotropy analysis to identify shared genetic mechanisms across CAD and 4 common cancers that share modifiable risk factors with CAD (breast, colorectal, lung, prostate).

Results: Using genome-wide pleiotropy and colocalization analysis, we identified 60 colocalized susceptibility loci shared by CAD and site-specific cancer, of which 43 are novel, including loci at , , and .

Adolescent Dietary Intake and Breast Cancer in Adulthood: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Adolescence represents a key opportunity for breast cancer prevention, as the rapid proliferation of breast tissue during puberty creates a critical window of vulnerability for the development of cancerous cells. With increasing research on adolescent dietary factors and breast cancer risk, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize the associations between adolescent diet and risk of breast cancer in adulthood, as well as benign breast disease (BBD) and high mammographic breast density, which are markers for breast cancer. We searched Web of Science, Ovid MEDLINE, Cochrane CENTRAL and Embase for epidemiological studies assessing dietary intakes in adolescent girls (aged 10-18 years), published through 16 October 2024, with no language or time restrictions.

Family history of fracture and fracture risk: a meta-analysis to update the FRAX® risk assessment tool.

Unlabelled: In the largest meta-analysis of international cohorts to date, a family history of fracture is confirmed as a significant BMD-independent predictor of future fracture risk. Parental and sibling histories of fracture carry the same significance for future fracture, including the impact of family hip fracture on future hip fracture risk.

Purpose: We have undertaken a meta-analysis of international prospective cohorts to quantify the relationship between a family history of fracture and future fracture incidence.

Feasibility and Acceptability of a Smartphone-Delivered Mindfulness Intervention for Stress Reduction in Adult Singaporeans: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Fully decentralized self-administered mindfulness interventions show promise for stress reduction, but rigorous evaluations of their feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness using both self-report and physiological measures remain limited. In Singapore, where mental health concerns rank as the top health care priority (46%), ahead of cancer (38%) and stress-related issues (35%), accessible and scalable interventions are urgently needed to address the significant economic burden of mental health conditions.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate a decentralized, 3-day self-administered mindfulness intervention with minimal supervision, compared with a sham control in Singaporean adults, examining effects on self-reported and physiologically measured stress responses.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals in maternal and umbilical cord plasma and their associations with birthweight in the GUSTO cohort.

Background: With daily exposure to multiple endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), understanding individualized co-exposure patterns could better identify chemicals that threaten health. This is particularly pertinent for the vulnerable fetus during in-utero development, where exposure can have long lasting health consequences. As there is limited information of EDC exposure in Asian maternal-offspring populations, this study aimed to (1) determine levels of a selected range of EDCs (focusing on Substances of Very High Concern by the European Chemical Agency) in maternal and corresponding cord blood plasma, (2) investigate the sociodemographic factors associated with plasma EDC concentrations, and (3) associate EDC-mixtures with birthweight, in a Singapore cohort.

Predictive capabilities of polygenic scores in an East-Asian population-based cohort: the Singapore Chinese health study.

Polygenic scores (PGS) are derived primarily from European population studies. It is unclear how these perform in risk predictions among East-Asians. We generated 2173 PGSs from 519 traits and assessed their associations with 58 baseline phenotypes in the Singapore Chinese Health Study, a prospective cohort of 23,622 Chinese adults residing in Singapore.

Latent Growth Models of Longitudinal Changes in Functional Connectivity during Early Stage Psychosis.

Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a useful technique to characterize functional connectivity patterns between regions of the brain, based on the Fisher-transformed Pearson correlations in the BOLD signal. Pinpointing how connectivity patterns change in neuropathies like early-stage psychosis (ESP) can help understand the disorders and track progression. Using study data from 21 ESP subjects with complete data for three consecutive scans, we examined connectivity changes throughout the whole brain with a region of interest (ROI) to ROI-based approach for ROI defined by the Harvard-Oxford cortical and subcortical atlases, supplemented by the AAL atlas for the cerebellum, and by networks defined by the CONN toolbox independent component analysis of the Human Connectome Project.

An empirical dietary inflammatory pattern increases the incidence of the metabolic syndrome in a multi-ethnic Asian population.

Purpose: The rising incidence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a major public health issue, especially in Asian populations. The pro-inflammatory diet might contribute to the development of the MetS. Previous studies have not investigated the association between the Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Pattern (EDIP) and the incidence of MetS prospectively in a multi-ethnic Asian population.

Adherence to a "MediterrAsian" diet is associated with weight loss-independent improvements in liver fat and lipid profile, but not glucoregulation or inflammation: secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Greater adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) has been associated with improved inflammatory biomarkers in Western populations, suggesting that the anti-inflammatory effect is crucial for improvements in body weight, body composition, and cardiometabolic risk factors observed with the MedDiet. We previously reported that a calorie-restricted MedDiet adapted to the Asian food culture has beneficial effects on body composition, liver fat, and cardiometabolic risk markers in Chinese women with fatty liver disease.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of MedDiet on inflammation and examine the relationship between dietary adherence and changes in health outcomes.

Early detection of sexually transmitted infections from skin lesions with deep learning: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a substantial public health concern. We aimed to evaluate the accuracy and applicability of deep learning algorithms in the early detection of STIs from skin lesions.

Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Xplore, Web of Science, Scopus for studies employing deep learning for classifying clinical skin lesion images of STIs published between Jan 1, 2010, and Dec 31, 2023.

Potential effects of Asian-adapted Mediterranean diet in depression and anxiety among women with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: a secondary analysis.

Background: Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) such as anxiety and depression have been associated with metabolic dysfunction-Associated steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD). The Mediterranean Diet (MD) has been shown to improve metabolic health and reduce CMDs. We previously reported that a calorie-restricted MD adapted to the Asian food culture has beneficial effects on body composition, liver fat, and cardiometabolic markers in Chinese Singaporean women with MASLD.

Impact of polymorphisms on gene expression and splicing in response to exercise and diet-induced weight loss in human skeletal muscle tissues.

Weight loss through exercise and diet reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, but the genetic regulation of gene expression and splicing in response to weight loss remains unclear in humans. We collected clinical data and skeletal muscle biopsies from 54 overweight/obese Asian individuals before and after a 16-week lifestyle intervention, which resulted in an average of ∼10% weight loss, accompanied by an ∼30% increase in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. Improvements were observed in 118 of 252 clinical traits and six blood lipids.

Association between consumption of ultra-processed food at midlife and handgrip strength at late life: The Singapore Chinese Health Study.

Objectives: Cohort studies with sufficient follow-up that include an assessment of overall diet quality are necessary to determine the prospective relationship between consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and muscle strength.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting And Participants: We included 13,570 participants from the Singapore Chinese Health Study who were recruited at a mean age of 53 years from 1993 to 1998, and re-visited at follow-up 3 when they were at a mean age of 74 years from 2014 to 2017, after a median follow-up of 21.

The SG90 cohort of the oldest-old in Singapore.

The global population is ageing rapidly. While genetics, lifestyle, and environment are known contributors to healthspan, most insights are drawn from Western cohorts, leaving Asian populations underrepresented despite unique biological, lifestyle, and cultural factors. The SG90 cohort study aimed to fill knowledge gaps in healthy ageing by identifying modifiable medical, biological, lifestyle, psychological, behavioural, and social factors that contribute to longevity in the oldest-old.

Long-read transcriptome assembly reveals vast isoform diversity in the placenta associated with metabolic and endocrine function.

The placenta plays a critical role in fetal development and mediates maternal metabolic effects on offspring health outcomes. Despite its importance, the placenta remains understudied in large-scale genomic initiatives, with most analyses focusing on gene-level expression based on annotations from adult tissue references that obscure isoform diversity particularly vital to understanding function in developmental tissues. Here, we employed largest-in-class long-read RNA sequencing (N = 72) to generate a comprehensive placental transcript reference, yielding 37,661 high-confidence isoforms across 12,302 genes.

Challenges and opportunities for early childhood intervention services in Singapore: addressing user satisfaction.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a gap between primary stakeholders' expectations of adaptive early childhood intervention (ECI) services and their actual experiences with these services. This is despite governments' and service operators' swift pivot from on-site service delivery to home-based, virtual and hybrid modes, and cross-sector collaboration with private providers and pre-schools. In this article, we share our preliminary evidence from in-depth interviews with parents and clinicians regarding the perceived challenges to post-pandemic ECI services.

Body roundness index (BRI) and obesity-related anthropometrics: Relationship to visceral adiposity, insulin sensitivity index and cardiometabolic risk.

Aims: Visceral adiposity is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Traditional anthropometric measures like body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) have limited accuracy, while a newer measure, body roundness index (BRI), is touted as being a better predictor of visceral adiposity but requires further validation. The aim of this study is to compare BRI with other traditional metrics of adiposity: WC, BMI and percentage (%) body fat, visceral adiposity and insulin sensitivity among the multiethnic cohorts in Asia.

Lipidomic Signatures of Insulin Resistance Identified From Hyperinsulinemic-Euglycemic Clamp Studies in Asian Men.

The underlying molecular pathogenesis of the Asian phenotype of insulin resistance remains to be understood. We carried out metabolic phenotyping of study participants without diabetes according to insulin sensitivity indices derived from hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp procedures. We identified lipidomic signatures of insulin resistance and metabolic plasticity.

Metabolome alterations in pediatric metabolically unhealthy obesity are primarily linked to abnormal glucose homeostasis.

The mechanisms underlying metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) in pediatrics remain poorly understood. This study aims to evaluate the plasma metabolome of MHO versus metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) in Asian children and adolescents, to identify key metabolic drivers that undergird the MUO phenotype. MHO and MUO were defined by the absence or presence of metabolic syndrome criteria, respectively.

Universal, selective and indicated parenting interventions to prevent the development of adverse mental health outcomes in youth: a meta-review of systematic reviews.

Background: Preventive interventions in the form of parenting support can reduce the risk of mental disorders in children. Summarising the effectiveness of parenting interventions across different levels of prevention can inform the prioritisation of the intervention.

Objectives: We conducted a meta-review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on universal, selective and indicated parenting interventions to prevent adverse mental health outcomes in youth.

Exploring the association between gestational diabetes exposure and mental and behavioural disorders in offspring: the Finnish gestational diabetes (FinnGeDi) register-based study.

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with an increased risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring. Our aim was to investigate whether GDM exposure is linked to wider spectrum of mental and behavioural disorders in offspring during the first 10 years of life.

Methods: This study included a population-based cohort of all women who delivered a singleton child in Finland in 2009, including 6,560 children exposed to maternal GDM and 51,770 control children.