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1.
Causal Relationship Between Branched-Chain Amino Acids and Hypertension: A Mendelian Randomization Study.
Cai, S, Fu, Y, Chen, J, Tian, M, Li, X
Journal of the American Heart Association. 2024;(5):e032084
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study aimed to investigate the causal relationships between branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and the risks of hypertension via meta-analysis and Mendelian randomization analysis. METHODS AND RESULTS A meta-analysis of 32 845 subjects was conducted to evaluate the relationships between BCAAs and hypertension. In Mendelian randomization analysis, independent single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with BCAAs at the genome-wide significance level were selected as the instrumental variables. Meanwhile, the summary-level data for essential hypertension and secondary hypertension end points were obtained from the FinnGen study. As suggested by the meta-analysis results, elevated BCAA levels were associated with a higher risk of hypertension (isoleucine: summary odds ratio, 1.26 [95% CI, 1.08-1.47]; leucine: summary odds ratio, 1.28 [95% CI, 1.07-1.52]; valine: summary odds ratio, 1.32 [95% CI, 1.12-1.57]). Moreover, the inverse variance-weighted method demonstrated that an elevated circulating isoleucine level might be the causal risk factor for essential hypertension but not secondary hypertension (essential hypertension: odds ratio, 1.22 [95% CI, 1.12-1.34]; secondary hypertension: odds ratio, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.54-1.68]). CONCLUSIONS The increased levels of 3 BCAAs positively correlated with an increased risk of hypertension. Particularly, elevated isoleucine level is a causal risk factor for essential hypertension. Increased levels of leucine and valine also tend to increase the risk of essential hypertension, but further verification is still warranted.
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Causal relationships of metabolites with allergic diseases: a trans-ethnic Mendelian randomization study.
Tu, J, Wen, J, Luo, Q, Li, X, Wang, D, Ye, J
Respiratory research. 2024;(1):94
Abstract
BACKGROUND Allergic diseases exert a considerable impact on global health, thus necessitating investigations into their etiology and pathophysiology for devising effective prevention and treatment strategies. This study employs a Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis and meta-analysis to identify metabolite targets potentially associated with allergic diseases. METHODS A two-sample MR analysis was conducted to explore potential causal relationships between circulating and urinary metabolites and allergic diseases. Exposures were derived from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 486 circulating metabolites and a GWAS of 55 targeted urinary metabolites. Outcome data for allergic diseases, including atopic dermatitis (AD), allergic rhinitis (AR), and asthma, were obtained from the FinnGen biobank in Europe (cohort 1) and the Biobank Japan in Asia (cohort 2). MR results from both cohorts were combined using a meta-analysis. RESULTS MR analysis identified 50 circulating metabolites and 6 urinary metabolites in cohort 1 and 54 circulating metabolites and 2 urinary metabolites in cohort 2 as potentially causally related to allergic diseases. A meta-analysis of the MR results revealed stearoylcarnitine (OR 8.654; 95% CI 4.399-17.025; P = 4.06E-10) and 1-arachidonoylglycerophosphoinositol (OR 2.178; 95% CI 1.388-3.419; P = 7.15E-04) as the most reliable causal circulating metabolites for asthma and AR, respectively. Further, histidine (OR 0.734; 95% CI: 0.594-0.907; P = 0.004), tyrosine (OR 0.601; 95% CI: 0.380-0.952; P = 0.030), and alanine (OR 0.280; 95% CI: 0.125-0.628; P = 0.002) emerged as urinary metabolites with the greatest protective effects against asthma, AD, and AR, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Imbalances in numerous circulating and urinary metabolites may be implicated in the development and progression of allergic diseases. These findings have significant implications for the development of targeted strategies for the prevention and treatment of allergic diseases.
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Prognostic potential of nutritional risk screening and assessment tools in predicting survival of patients with pancreatic neoplasms: a systematic review.
Yu, M, Li, X, Chen, M, Liu, L, Yao, T, Li, J, Su, W
Nutrition journal. 2024;(1):17
Abstract
BACKGROUNDS & AIMS The nutritional evaluation of pancreatic cancer (PC) patients lacks a gold standard or scientific consensus, we aimed to summarize and systematically evaluate the prognostic value of nutritional screening and assessment tools used for PC patients. METHODS Relevant studies were retrieved from major databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library) and searched from January 2010 to December 2023. We performed meta-analyses with STATA 14.0 when three or more studies used the same tool. RESULTS This analysis included 27 articles involving 6,060 PC patients. According to a meta-analysis of these studies, poor nutritional status evaluated using five nutritional screening tools Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI), Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), Controlling Nutritional Status Score (CONUT), Nutrition Risk Screening (NRS2002) and Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) was associated with all-cause mortality in PC patients. But Modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) did not. Of all tools analyzed, CONUT had the maximum HR for mortality (HR = 1.978, 95%CI 1.345-2.907, P = 0.001). CONCLUSION All-cause mortality in PC patients was predicted by poor nutritional status. CONUT may be the best nutritional assessment tool for PC patients. The clinical application value of Short Form Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA-SF), Generated Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) and Patient-generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) in PC patients need to be confirmed. In order to improve patients' nutritional status and promote their recovery, nutritional screening tools can be used. REGISTRATION This systematic review was registered at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) (number CRD42022376715).
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Genetic variation in targets of lipid-lowering drugs and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis risk: a Mendelian randomization study.
Li, Z, Tian, M, Jia, H, Li, X, Liu, Q, Zhou, X, Li, R, Dong, H, Liu, Y
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis & frontotemporal degeneration. 2024;(1-2):197-206
Abstract
BACKGROUND The use of lipid-lowering drugs is still highly controversial in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We performed a drug-target Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to investigate the effect of targeted lipid-lowering drugs on the risk of ALS. METHODS First, we evaluated the causal relationship between HMG-CoA (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A) reductase (HMGCR) inhibitors-taking trait and ALS using a bidirectional two-sample MR study. Second, we investigated the causal relationship between lipid-lowering drugs and ALS through a drug-target MR approach. The summary data for HMGCR inhibitors-taking traits were extracted from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of medication use and associated disease in the UK Biobank. The summary data for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein B (apoB) were extracted from a meta-analysis of GWAS in individuals of European ancestry in the UKB. The GWAS summary data of ALS were obtained from the Project MinE. RESULTS Our bidirectional two-sample MR showed that genetically determined increased HMGCR inhibitors-taking trait was an independent risk factor for ALS (odds ratio [OR] = 1.090, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.035-1.150, p = 0.001). The results of drug-target MR showed that the increased expression of the HMGCR gene in blood with the higher risk of ALS (OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.01-1.46; p = 0.042) through SMR method and the apoB level mediated by the APOB gene increased the risk of ALS (OR = 1.15; 95% CI =1.05-1.25; p = 0.001) through inverse-variance weighted MR method. CONCLUSION This present study provides genetic support for a positive causal effect of HMGCR inhibitors-taking trait and ALS. The reason for this may be due to the underlying disease condition behind the medication, rather than the medication itself. Our findings also suggested that HMGCR and apoB inhibitors may have potential protective effects on ALS.
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The efficacy of Kinesio taping in patients with post-stroke dysphagia: A meta-analysis.
Li, X, Cai, H, Tang, K, Li, F
Medicine. 2024;(11):e37491
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Dysphagia, or swallowing dysfunction, is a commonly observed complication among stroke patients, which has been associated with increased mortality rates. The treatment of post-stroke dysphagia encompasses various therapeutic approaches, and Kinesio taping has recently emerged as a potentially effective intervention. This study aims to evaluate the potential benefits of Kinesio Tape in improving dysphagia symptoms in individuals who have experienced a stroke. METHODS his study searched PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Wanfang Medical Database, CBM, CNKI, and Wipro VIP databases. Randomised controlled trials on the effect of intraosseous patches on the recovery of swallowing function in stroke patients were collected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The search was conducted from from the date of database construction to June 2, 2023. Included trials were assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Meta-analyses were performed using ReviewerManager 5.4.1, and publication bias tests were performed using stata17. RESULTS A total of 12 randomized controlled trials consisting of 724 patients were included in the analysis. The results showed that the effective rate of Kinesio taping [RR = 1.27, 95% CI (1.16, 1.39), P < .00001], swallowing function score [MD = 0.78, 95% CI (0.45, 1.11), P < .00001], and quality of life score for patients with swallowing disorders [MD = 21.68, 95% CI (8.47, 36.90), P = .001] were all superior to those of the controls. CONCLUSION Kinesio taping have been shown to improve swallowing function and nutritional status in patients with dysphagia in the pharyngeal phase.
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Fasting and metabolic syndrome: A systematic review and Meta-analyses.
Li, X, Nian, B, Li, R, Cao, X, Liu, Y, Liu, Y, Xu, YJ
Critical reviews in food science and nutrition. 2024;(7):1836-1844
Abstract
Objective: Fasting is considered to be a food structure that can improve body health. Several randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have investigated the effects of fasting in patients with metabolic syndrome (MS). In this review, we performed a meta-analysis to assess the effects of fasting on patients with MS. Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central updated to September 2021. The quality evaluation and heterogeneity detection of the included research literature were carried out by Revman and Stata software through a random-effects model. Results: A total of 268 subjects were included. The pooled results revealed that fasting significantly reduced body weight (WMD: -2.48 kg, 95% CI: -3.22, -1.74), BMI (WMD = -2.72 cm; 95%CI: -4.04, -1.40 cm), body fat percent (WMD: -1.57%, 95%CI: -2.47, -0.68), insulin level (WMD: -2.45 mmol/L; 95%CI: -4.40, -0.49 mmol/L) and HOMA-IR (WMD:-0.65 mmol/L; 95%CI: -0.90, -0.41 mmol/L) in patients with MS, whereas had no effect on glucose, blood pressure and lipids profile. Conclusions: Our findings provide insights into the effect of fasting on the anthropometric outcomes, insulin resistance, and gut microbiota in MS.
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Proteomic insights into modifiable risk of venous thromboembolism and cardiovascular comorbidities.
Yuan, S, Xu, F, Zhang, H, Chen, J, Ruan, X, Li, Y, Burgess, S, Åkesson, A, Li, X, Gill, D, et al
Journal of thrombosis and haemostasis : JTH. 2024;(3):738-748
Abstract
BACKGROUND Venous thromboembolism (VTE) has been associated with several modifiable factors (MFs) and cardiovascular comorbidities. However, the mechanisms are largely unknown. OBJECTIVES We aimed to decipher proteomic pathways underlying the associations of VTE with MFs and cardiovascular comorbidities. METHODS A 2-stage network Mendelian randomization analysis was conducted to explore the associations between 15 MFs, 1151 blood proteins, and VTE using data from a genome-wide meta-analysis including 81 190 cases of VTE. We used protein data from 35 559 individuals as the discovery analysis, and from 2 independent studies including 10 708 and 54 219 participants as the replication analyses. Based on the identified proteins, we assessed the druggability and examined the cardiovascular pleiotropy. RESULTS The network Mendelian randomization analyses identified 10 MF-VTE, 86 MF-protein, and 34 protein-VTE associations. These associations were overall consistent in the replication analyses. Thirty-eight pathways with directionally consistent direct and indirect effects in the MF-protein-VTE pathway were identified. Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 12 (LRP12: 34.3%-58.1%) and coagulation factor (F)XI (20.6%-39.6%) mediated most of the associations between 3 obesity indicators and VTE. Likewise, coagulation FXI mediated most of the smoking-VTE association (40%; 95% CI, 20%-60%) and insomnia-VTE association (27%; 95% CI, 5%-49%). Many VTE-associated proteins were highly druggable for thrombotic conditions. Five proteins (interleukin-6 receptor subunit alpha, LRP12, prothrombin, angiopoietin-1, and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 4) were associated with VTE and its cardiovascular comorbidities. CONCLUSION This study suggests that coagulation FXI, a druggable target, is an important mediator of the associations of obesity, smoking, and insomnia with VTE risk.
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Meta-analysis to identify inhibition mechanisms for the effects of submerged plants on algae.
Liu, X, Sun, T, Yang, W, Li, X, Ding, J, Fu, X
Journal of environmental management. 2024;:120480
Abstract
Submerged plants inhibit algae through shading effects, nutrient competition, allelopathy, and combinations of these mechanisms. However, it is unclear which mechanism is dominant, and how the inhibition intensity results from the traits of the plant and algae. In this study, we performed meta-analysis to quantitatively identify the dominant mechanisms, evaluate the relationship between inhibition intensity and the species and functional traits of the submerged plants or algae, and reveal the influences of external environmental factors. We found that allelopathy caused stronger inhibition than the shading effect and nutrient competition and dominated the combined mechanisms. Although the leaf shapes of the submerged plants influenced light availability, this did not change the degree of algae suppression. Algal species, properties (toxic or nontoxic) and external environmental factors (e.g., lab/mesocosm experiments, co-/filtrate/extract culture, presence or absence of interspecific competition) potentially influenced inhibition strength. Cyanobacteria and Bacillariophyta were more strongly inhibited than Chlorophyta, and toxic Cyanobacteria more than non-toxic Cyanobacteria. Algae inhibition by submerged plants was species-dependent. Ceratophyllum, Vallisneria, and Potamogeton strongly inhibited Microcystis, and can potentially prevent or mitigate harmful algal blooms of this species. However, the most common submerged plant species inhibited mixed algae communities to some extent. The results from lab experiments and mesocosm experiments both confirmed the inhibition of algae by submerged plants, but more evidence from mesocosm experiments is needed to elucidate the inhibition mechanism in complex ecosystems. Submerged plants in co-cultures inhibited algae more strongly than in extract and filtrate cultures. Complex interspecific competition may strengthen or weaken algae inhibition, but the response of this inhibition to complex biological mechanisms needs to be further explored. Our meta-analysis provides insights into which mechanisms contributed most to the inhibition effect and a scientific basis for selecting suitable submerged plant species and controlling external conditions to prevent algal blooms in future ecological restoration of lakes.
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The Effects of Cranberry Consumption on Glycemic and Lipid Profiles in Humans: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Li, X, Chen, W, Xia, J, Pan, D, Sun, G
Nutrients. 2024;(6)
Abstract
This study aims to update the evidence and clarify whether cranberry possesses lipid-lowering and hypoglycemic properties in humans. PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched to identify relevant articles published up to December 2023. In total, 3145 publications were reviewed and 16 of them were included for qualitative synthesis and meta-analysis. Stata 15.0 and Review Manager 5.4 were applied for statistical analyses. The results revealed a significant decrease in the total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TC/HDL-C) (MD = -0.24; 95% CI: -0.45, -0.04; peffect = 0.02) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (MD = -0.59; 95% CI: -1.05, -0.14; peffect = 0.01) with cranberry consumption. However, it did not influence total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglyceride (TG), fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and fasting insulin. In subgroup analysis, cranberry consumption in dried form (capsules, powder, and tablets) was found to significantly decrease the fasting insulin level (three studies, one hundred sixty-five participants, MD = -2.16; 95% CI: -4.24, -0.07; peffect = 0.04), while intervention duration, health conditions, and dosage of polyphenols and anthocyanins had no impact on blood lipid and glycemic parameters. In summary, cranberry might have potential benefits in regulating lipid and glucose profiles.
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Association between ultra-processed foods consumption and the risk of hypertension: An umbrella review of systematic reviews.
Wang, Z, Lu, C, Wang, Y, E, F, Mentis, AFA, Li, X, Yang, K
Hellenic journal of cardiology : HJC = Hellenike kardiologike epitheorese. 2024;:99-109
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several systematic reviews (SRs) have investigated the association between ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and the risk of hypertension in various populations. However, the quality of the evidence remains unclear. This umbrella review was thus conducted to fill this gap. METHODS We searched for SRs with and without meta-analyses comparing high UPF versus low UPF consumption on the risk of hypertension in the Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science from inception to August 2022. This study was registered in PROSPERO (No. CRD42022352934). The A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR-2) tool and the Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis 2009 (PRISMA 2009) statement were used to evaluate the methodological and reporting quality of the included SRs. Stata 15/SE was used to reanalyse the data using the random-effects model, and the risk of bias of observational studies from included SRs was reassessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) tool. The certainty of the evidence body was assessed using the GRADE recommendation. RESULTS Seven SRs were included in the umbrella review. Among them, nine observational studies (5 cross-sectional and 4 cohort studies), whose available data were resynthesised using meta-analysis. The methodological and reporting quality of the included SRs were relatively poor. The meta-analysis results revealed suggestive evidence of an association between high UPF consumption and the incidence of hypertension (odds ratio: 1.23, 95% confidence interval: 1.11 to 1.37, p < 0.001, 95% prediction interval: 0.92 to 1.64, critically low certainty) compared to low UPF consumption. CONCLUSION High UPF consumption is associated with an increased risk of hypertension. However, well-conducted SRs, including high-quality prospective cohort studies, are needed to further verify these findings.