Family History of Hypertension and Cobalt Exposure Synergistically Promote the Prevalence of Hypertension

The Relationship Between Metal Exposure and HPV Infection: Evidence from Explainable Machine Learning Methods

HPV is a ubiquitous pathogen implicated in cervical and other cancers. Although vaccines are available, they do not encompass all subtypes. Meanwhile, metal exposure may elevate the risk of HPV infection and amplify its carcinogenic potential, but studies to further elucidate this relationship are insufficient. This study entailed a cross-sectional analysis utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2016. The study sample comprised 2765 women. Multivariate logistic regression was employed to examine the association between single metal exposure and HPV infection, weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression was utilized for assessing the mixed metal exposure effect, and the XGBoost + SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) to evaluate the contribution of metal exposure in HPV infection. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that elevated Co concentration was inversely associated with HPV infection (OR 0.891; 95% CI 0.814-0.975), while elevated Pb concentration correlated with an increased HPV infection (OR 1.176; 95% CI 1.074-1.287). Regression analysis of the WQS for mixed metal exposure suggested that the WQS index was potentially linked to an increased likelihood of HPV infection in the positive direction (OR 1.249; 95% CI 1.052-1.482), with no significant association observed in the negative direction (OR 0.852; 95% CI 0.713-1.017). SHAP analysis prioritized the importance of characteristics: number of sexual partners, marital status, poverty-to-income ratio (PIR), Co, Pb, and alcohol consumption. Exposure to Pb was associated with an increase in the incidence of HPV infection, whereas Co exposure demonstrated an inverse relationship. The composite exposure to multiple metals showed a positive association with the prevalence of HPV infection. These findings indicate that exposure to metals could potentially escalate the prevalence of HPV infection.

Effect of exposures to multiple metals on blood pressure and hypertension in the elderly: a community-based study

A chronic disease, hypertension (HTN) is prevalent among the elderly. Exploring the factors that influence HTN and blood pressure (BP) changes is of great public health significance. However, mixed exposure to multiple serum metals has had less research on the effects on BP and HTN for the elderly. From April to August 2019, 2372 people participated in the community physical examination program for the elderly in Tongling City, Anhui Province. We measured BP and serum levels of 10 metals and collected basic demographic information. We analyzed the relationship between metal levels and changes in BP and HTN by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression, Bayesian kernel machine regression model, and generalized linear model. In multiple models, lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) were still significantly associated with HTN occurrence after adjusting for potential confounders (Pb: ORquartile 4 VS quartile 1 = 1.20, 95% CI 1.01-1.43; Cd: ORquartile 4 VS quartile 1 = 1.37, 95% CI 1.16-1.62). In the male subgroup, results were similar to those of the general population. In the female group, Cd was positively correlated with HTN and systolic blood pressure, while Pb was not. According to this study, Pb and Cd were correlated with BP and HTN positively, and there was a certain joint effect. To some extent, our findings provide clues for the prevention of hypertension in the elderly.

Association between hypertensive disorders during pregnancy and elevated blood pressure in offspring: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Hypertensive disorders during pregnancy (HDP) are associated with cardiovascular disease among mothers and offspring. This meta‐analysis was conducted to further explore the associations between maternal HDP and offspring blood pressure (BP). The authors performed a search strategy in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane library from database inception to January 2022. Twenty‐four studies regarding HDP were included, with pregnancy‐associated hypertension (PAH), preeclampsia (PE), gestational hypertension (GH), and chronic hypertension included in 12, 16, 6, and 3 studies, respectively. Offspring who were exposed to HDP and PAH in utero had higher systolic BP (2.46 mm Hg, 95% CI: 1.88–3.03 mm Hg; 2.70 mm Hg 95% CI: 1.89–3.51 mm Hg) and diastolic BP (1.38 mm Hg 95% CI: 0.94–1.83 mm Hg; 1.39 mm Hg 95% CI: 0.71–2.06 mm Hg) than those birthed to normotensive mothers. The offspring exposure to PE, GH, and chronic hypertension had higher systolic BP by 1.90 mm Hg (95% CI: 1.39–2.40 mm Hg), 2.47 mm Hg (95% CI: 1.59–3.35 mm Hg), and 7.85 mm Hg (95% CI: 4.10–11.61 mm Hg), respectively, and higher diastolic BP by 0.99 mm Hg (95% CI: 0.50–1.49 mm Hg), 1.04 mm Hg (95% CI: 0.60–1.47 mm Hg), and 2.92 mm Hg (95% CI: 0.98–4.86 mm Hg), respectively. An Egger test and funnel plot confirmed no significant publication bias. In conclusion, offspring exposure to all subtypes of HDP in utero led to higher BP than no exposure. It is necessary to investigate the potential mechanisms to clarify the roles of genetic and environmental factors in these associations, which could provide insight on preventing hypertension and related cardiovascular disease.