Active smoking, sleep quality and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of neuroinflammation

Associations between smoking, sex steroid hormones, trouble sleeping, and depression among U.S. adults: a cross-sectional study from NHANES (2013-2016)

BACKGROUND

Dose-response and nonlinear relationships of cigarette exposure with sleep disturbances and depression are warranted, and the potential mechanism of sex hormones in such associations remains unclear.

METHODS

Cigarette exposure, trouble sleeping, and depression were assessed by standard questionnaires, and the levels of cotinine and sex steroid hormones were determined among 9900 adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Multiple linear regression, logistic regression, and mediation models were conducted to evaluate the associations between smoking, sex steroid hormones, trouble sleeping, and depression.

RESULTS

With never smokers as a reference, current smokers had a higher prevalence of trouble sleeping (OR = 1.931, 95% CI: 1.680, 2.219) and depression (OR = 2.525, 95% CI: 1.936, 3.293) as well as testosterone level (β = 0.083, 95% CI: 0.028, 0.140). Pack-years of smoking and cigarettes per day were positively associated with the prevalence of trouble sleeping and depression as well as testosterone level (Ptrend <0.05). The restricted cubic spline model showed linear relationships of cotinine with trouble sleeping, depression, and testosterone. The positive associations of cigarettes per day with trouble sleeping and depression were greater in females than that in males (Pmodification <0.05). However, the potential role of sex hormones was not observed in the association of cotinine with trouble sleeping or depression (Pmediation >0.05).

CONCLUSION

Smoking may induce sex hormone disturbance and increase the risk of sleep problems and depression symptoms, and ceasing smoking may reduce the risk of such complications.

TimeTeller: A tool to probe the circadian clock as a multigene dynamical system

Recent studies have established that the circadian clock influences onset, progression and therapeutic outcomes in a number of diseases including cancer and heart diseases. Therefore, there is a need for tools to measure the functional state of the molecular circadian clock and its downstream targets in patients. Moreover, the clock is a multi-dimensional stochastic oscillator and there are few tools for analysing it as a noisy multigene dynamical system. In this paper we consider the methodology behind TimeTeller, a machine learning tool that analyses the clock as a noisy multigene dynamical system and aims to estimate circadian clock function from a single transcriptome by modelling the multi-dimensional state of the clock. We demonstrate its potential for clock systems assessment by applying it to mouse, baboon and human microarray and RNA-seq data and show how to visualise and quantify the global structure of the clock, quantitatively stratify individual transcriptomic samples by clock dysfunction and globally compare clocks across individuals, conditions and tissues thus highlighting its potential relevance for advancing circadian medicine.

Association between multiple metals exposure and sleep disorders in a Chinese population: A mixture-based approach

OBJECTIVE

Previous studies have suggested a possible association between metals and sleep disorders. This study aimed to explore the association between Zn, Cu, Se, Mg and Ca and sleep disorders in single and multi-metal co-exposure models.

METHODS

Logistic regression models, restricted cubic spline model (RCS), Quantile g computation (Q-gcomp), Weighted Quantile Sum (WQS), and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models were used to investigate the association between metal levels and sleep disorders.

RESULTS

Logistic regression showed that in the total population, the second, third, and fourth quartile Zn concentration exhibited a lower risk of sleep disorders compared with the first quartile, with odds ratios (ORs) of 0.783, 0.711, and 0.704, respectively. Compared with Zn/Cu and Zn/Se in the first quartile, the third and fourth quartiles showed a lower risk of sleep disorders. In the 30-59 years group, the risk of sleep disorders was 0.699 times greater for the fourth quartile Mg concentration than that for the first quartile. The risk of sleep disorders in Mg/Ca concentration in the third quartile was 0.737 times higher than in the first quartile. Q-gcomp, WQS, and BKMR model analysis showed the negative overall effect of mixtures of the five metals on sleep disorders, with Zn being the largest contributor.

CONCLUSION

Our study showed that plasma Zn, Mg, Zn/Cu, Zn/Se, and Mg/Ca reduced the risk of sleep disorders, and the combined effect of multiple metals was negatively associated with the risk of sleep disorders, with Zn being the largest contributor to this relationship.

Genetic Architecture and Functional Implications of the CSF-Contacting Nucleus

We previously identified a unique nucleus, the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-contacting nucleus. This study aims to understand its gene architecture and preliminarily suggest its functions. The results showed that there were about 19,666 genes in this nucleus, of which 913 were distinct from the dorsal raphe nucleus (non-CSF contacting). The top 40 highly-expressed genes are mainly related to energy metabolism, protein synthesis, transport, secretion, and hydrolysis. The main neurotransmitter is 5-HT. The receptors of 5-HT and GABA are abundant. The channels for Cl-, Na+, K+, and Ca2+ are routinely expressed. The signaling molecules associated with the CaMK, JAK, and MAPK pathways were identified accurately. In particular, the channels of transient receptor potential associated with nociceptors and the solute carrier superfamily members associated with cell membrane transport were significantly expressed. The relationship between the main genes of the nucleus and life activities is preliminarily verified.

Trends in prevalence of short sleep duration and trouble sleeping among US adults, 2005-2018

STUDY OBJECTIVES

To determine trends in prevalence of short sleep duration and trouble sleeping among US adults from 2005 to 2018, and to assess how sleep trends vary by sex and race/ethnicity.

METHODS

Seven cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data between 2005-2006 and 2017-2018 were analyzed. Trouble sleeping and sleep duration were self reported. Short sleep duration was defined as sleep duration ≤6 hr. Age-standardized prevalence of reporting trouble sleeping to a health care provider and short sleep duration were estimated among the overall US adult population, and by sex and race/ethnicity.

RESULTS

From 2005 to 2014, the age-adjusted prevalence of short sleep duration remained similar in the overall population (p for trend >0.05). Non-Hispanic Black people had the highest prevalence of short sleep duration among all race/ethnicity groups in all seven cycles. The prevalence of short sleep duration appears lower in 2015-2018 than in 2005-2014 due to different measurement methods applied. However, from 2005 to 2018, there were increasing trends in age-adjusted prevalence of reporting trouble sleeping to a health care provider in the overall population, among both men and women, and all race/ethnicity groups (p for trend <0.05). Among all the race/ethnicity groups, non-Hispanic White people had the highest prevalence of reporting trouble sleeping to a healthcare provider.

CONCLUSION

Findings depict the persistence of sleep-related issues in the United States and possible risk factors, as well as racial disparities.

The west meets the east - A need for a renaissance in brain, behavior, and immunity research

Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)-the burgeoning concept in recent years, can potentially contribute to developing effective treatments for mental health disorders. Despite the advancement in the modern pharmacological approach for mental disorders, especially Western medicine attributed explicitly to interacting with a specific target has given rise to unmet needs, and treatment failure has led to the proliferation and exploration of traditional and alternative therapies. As research into these exciting under-explored traditional treatment approaches continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, the need to gain vital insights into the potentiality and mechanism of action in neuropsychiatric disorders has resulted in the current Special Issue. This Special Issue is devoted to psychoneuroimmunology, focusing on introducing the recent advances with traditional and alternative medications in East Asia at the interface of immunology, neurosciences, molecular psychiatry and behavioural medicine neurosciences.

Metal ions in cerebrospinal fluid: Associations with anxiety, depression, and insomnia among cigarette smokers

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to investigate the relationship between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) metal ions and anxiety, depression, and insomnia among cigarette smokers.

METHODS

We measured CSF levels of various metal ions from 178 Chinese male subjects. Apart from sociodemographic and clinical characteristics data, the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were applied.

RESULTS

BDI and PSQI scores (all p < 0.001) were significantly higher in active smokers than nonsmokers. Active smokers have significantly higher CSF levels of magnesium, zinc, iron, lead, lithium, and aluminum (all p ≤ 0.002). Some metal ions, including zinc, iron, lead, and aluminum, were found to have a significant correlation with BDI scores, whereas metal ions, including zinc and lead, were found to have a significant correlation with PSQI scores in the general group. More interesting, mediation analysis showed that aluminum mediated the relationship between smoking and depression.

CONCLUSIONS

Cigarette smoking was indeed associated with depression and insomnia. Active smokers had significantly higher CSF levels of magnesium, zinc, iron, lead, lithium, and aluminum. Furthermore, CSF aluminum played a mediating role in the relationship between smoking and depression, which further confirmed its neurotoxicity.

A Review of the Nucleic Acid-Based Lateral Flow Assay for Detection of Breast Cancer from Circulating Biomarkers at a Point-of-Care in Low Income Countries

The current levels of breast cancer in African women have contributed to the high mortality rates among them. In South Africa, the incidence of breast cancer is also on the rise due to changes in behavioural and biological risk factors. Such low survival rates can be attributed to the late diagnosis of the disease due to a lack of access and the high costs of the current diagnostic tools. Breast cancer is asymptomatic at early stages, which is the best time to detect it and intervene to prevent high mortality rates. Proper risk assessment, campaigns, and access to adequate healthcare need to be prioritised among patients at an early stage. Early detection of breast cancer can significantly improve the survival rate of breast cancer patients, since therapeutic strategies are more effective at this stage. Early detection of breast cancer can be achieved by developing devices that are simple, sensitive, low-cost, and employed at point-of-care (POC), especially in low-income countries (LICs). Nucleic-acid-based lateral flow assays (NABLFAs) that combine molecular detection with the immunochemical visualisation principles, have recently emerged as tools for disease diagnosis, even for low biomarker concentrations. Detection of circulating genetic biomarkers in non-invasively collected biological fluids with NABLFAs presents an appealing and suitable method for POC testing in resource-limited regions and/or LICs. Diagnosis of breast cancer at an early stage will improve the survival rates of the patients. This review covers the analysis of the current state of NABLFA technologies used in developing countries to reduce the scourge of breast cancer.

The Association between Diet and Sleep Quality among Spanish University Students

While it has long been recognized that diet is a leading behavioral risk factor for human health, recent scientific findings have also suggested that diet and sleep quality may be connected. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the association between diet and sleep quality among a group of Spanish university students. To do so, a cross-sectional study of 868 students was carried out. Sleep quality was assessed using the Spanish version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), while diet was assessed using the Spanish Healthy Eating Index (SHEI). The study revealed a noteworthy rate of bad sleepers (51.6%) and students whose diet needed modifications (82.2%). Unhealthy eaters were more likely to have poor sleep quality (aOR = 4.20; CI 95%: 2.07-8.52). The unbalanced intake of vegetables (aOR = 1.63; CI 95%: 1.14-2.34), fruits (aOR = 4.08; CI 95%: 2.90-5.74), dairy products (aOR = 1.96; CI 95%: 1.41-2.72), lean meats (aOR = 1.82; CI 95%: 1.19-2.78), legumes (aOR = 1.43; CI 95%: 1.00-2.02), sweets (aOR = 1.60; CI 95%: 1.13-2.25) and sugary soft drinks (aOR = 1.46; CI 95%: 1.07-1.99) was associated with lower sleep quality.

Epigenetic Biomarkers Screening of Non-Coding RNA and DNA Methylation Based on Peripheral Blood Monocytes in Smokers

This study aims to use bioinformatics methods to determine the epigenetic changes in microRNA expression and DNA methylation caused by cigarette smoking. The data of mRNA, miRNA expression, and methylation microarray were obtained from the GEO database to filter differentially expressed genes (DEGs), differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs), and methylated CpG probes (DMPs) through the limma package. The R clusterProfile package was used for functional annotation and enrichment analysis. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by the String database and visualized in Cytoscape software. Starbase database was employed to predict lncRNA and CirRNA based on the sequence of miRNA, and to establish a regulatory network of ceRNA. By overlapping DEG and DEM, 107 down-miRNA-targeted up-regulated genes and 65 up-miRNA-target down-regulated genes were obtained, which were mainly enriched in autophagy signaling pathways and protein ubiquitination pathways, respectively. In addition, 324 genes with low methylation and high expression and 204 genes with high methylation and low expression were respectively related to the degeneration of the nervous system and the function of the cardiovascular system. Interestingly, 43 genes were up-regulated under the dual regulation of reduced miRNA and hypomethylation, while 14 genes were down-regulated under the dual regulation of increased miRNA and hypermethylation. Ten chemicals have been identified as putative therapeutic agents for pathological conditions caused by smoking. In addition, among these genes, HSPA4, GRB2, PRKCA, and BCL2L1 could play a fundamental role in related diseases caused by smoking and may be used as the biomarkers for precise diagnosis and targets for future therapies of smoking-related diseases.

Emotional Regulation Activities Moderates the Risk of Depression in People With Sleep Disturbance: Evidence From a Community Health Survey

Background and Objective It is widely known that poor sleep quality is closely related to depression, but there are limited studies on the mediating factors.Methods Based on national health survey data, the relationship between sleep quality and depressive symptoms was explored, and structural equations were drawn to determine whether emotional regulation activities, such as regular breakfast, regular exercise, smoking, and drinking contribute to poor sleep quality-induced depression.Results There was a significant correlation between poor sleep quality and depressive symptoms. Regular breakfast tended to mediate between poor sleep quality and depression the most, followed by smoking, drinking, and regular exercise.Conclusions Several emotional regulation activities including regular breakfast, can play a protective role in the process leading to poor sleep quality-induced depression. A follow-up study is required to examine the clinical aspect of how regular breakfast can prevent the process of poor sleep quality to depression.

Peripandemic psychiatric emergencies: impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients according to diagnostic subgroup

On March 11th, 2020, the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic. Governments took drastic measures in an effort to reduce transmission rates and virus-associated morbidity. This study aims to present the immediate effects of the pandemic on patients presenting in the psychiatric emergency department (PED) of Hannover Medical School. Patients presenting during the same timeframe in 2019 served as a control group. A decrease in PED visits was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic with an increase in repeat visits within 1 month (30.2 vs. 20.4%, p_BA = 0.001). Fewer patients with affective disorders utilized the PED (15.2 vs. 22.2%, p_BA = 0.010). Suicidal ideation was stated more frequently among patients suffering from substance use disorders (47.4 vs. 26.8%, p_BA = 0.004), while patients with schizophrenia more commonly had persecutory delusions (68.7 vs. 43.5%, p_BA = 0.023) and visual hallucinations (18.6 vs. 3.3%, p_BA = 0.011). Presentation rate of patients with neurotic, stress-related, and somatoform disorders increased. These patients were more likely to be male (48.6 vs. 28.9%, p_BA = 0.060) and without previous psychiatric treatment (55.7 vs. 36.8%, p_BA = 0.089). Patients with personality/behavioral disorders were more often inhabitants of psychiatric residencies (43.5 vs. 10.8%, p_BA = 0.008). 20.1% of patients stated an association between psychological well-being and COVID-19. Most often patients suffered from the consequences pertaining to social measures or changes within the medical care system. By understanding how patients react to such a crisis situation, we can consider how to improve care for patients in the future and which measures need to be taken to protect these particularly vulnerable patients.