Genetics and the metabolic syndrome

Machine learning of plasma metabolome identifies biomarker panels for metabolic syndrome: findings from the China Suboptimal Health Cohort

BACKGROUND

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been proposed as a clinically identifiable high-risk state for the prediction and prevention of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus. As a promising "omics" technology, metabolomics provides an innovative strategy to gain a deeper understanding of the pathophysiology of MetS. The study aimed to systematically investigate the metabolic alterations in MetS and identify biomarker panels for the identification of MetS using machine learning methods.

METHODS

Nuclear magnetic resonance-based untargeted metabolomics analysis was performed on 1011 plasma samples (205 MetS patients and 806 healthy controls). Univariate and multivariate analyses were applied to identify metabolic biomarkers for MetS. Metabolic pathway enrichment analysis was performed to reveal the disturbed metabolic pathways related to MetS. Four machine learning algorithms, including support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), and logistic regression were used to build diagnostic models for MetS.

RESULTS

Thirteen significantly differential metabolites were identified and pathway enrichment revealed that arginine, proline, and glutathione metabolism are disturbed metabolic pathways related to MetS. The protein-metabolite-disease interaction network identified 38 proteins and 23 diseases are associated with 10 MetS-related metabolites. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the SVM, RF, KNN, and logistic regression models based on metabolic biomarkers were 0.887, 0.993, 0.914, and 0.755, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The plasma metabolome provides a promising resource of biomarkers for the predictive diagnosis and targeted prevention of MetS. Alterations in amino acid metabolism play significant roles in the pathophysiology of MetS. The biomarker panels and metabolic pathways could be used as preventive targets in dealing with cardiometabolic diseases related to MetS.

Analysis of the Potential Genetic Links between Psoriasis and Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Cardiovascular risk factors are one of the most common comorbidities in psoriasis. A higher prevalence of hypertension, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, obesity, metabolic syndrome, depression, as well as cardiovascular disease was confirmed in psoriatic patients in comparison to the general population. Data suggest that psoriasis and systemic inflammatory disorders may originate from the pleiotropic interactions with many genetic pathways. In this review, the authors present the current state of knowledge on the potential genetic links between psoriasis and cardiovascular risk factors. The understanding of the processes linking psoriasis with cardiovascular risk factors can lead to improvement of psoriasis management in the future.

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in cardiovascular patients in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular disease is the cause of more than 50% of mortalities globally, and this rate has grown by 8.6% since the 60 s. One of the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease and its resulting mortality rate is the metabolic syndrome. Different studies have reported inconsistent rates for the metabolic syndrome. However, no comprehensive study has been conducted to combine the results of existing studies. Thus, the present study was performed with the aim of determining the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among cardiovascular patients in Iran through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHOD

In this review study, the Scientific Information Database, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science (ISI), databases were searched from January 2005 and until May 2020, to identify and extract related articles. To conduct the analysis, a random effects model was used, and the heterogeneity of the studies was examined using the I² index. Data analysis was performed within Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (version 2) software.

RESULTS

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in cardiovascular patients in Iran in the 27 papers examined with a sample size of 44,735 patients was 34.2% (95% CI: 26.8-42.6%). A sensitivity analysis was performed to ensure the stability of the results, these results show that by omitting the prevalence from each study, the overall prevalence (34.2%) does not change significantly. the highest prevalence of metabolic syndrome in studies conducted in the period between 2015 and 2020, and this was reported as 55.3 (95% CI: 47.9-62.3) and the highest prevalence of metabolic syndrome in studies conducted in the methods of diagnosis IDF, and the rate was reported as 48 (95% CI: 36.5-59.8). based on meta-regression as the year of research increased, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in cardiovascular patients in Iran also increased. However, with the increase in sample size, this prevalence decreased (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study indicate that metabolic syndrome is high in cardiovascular patients in Iran. Accordingly, by understanding its etiology and supervision at all levels, suitable solutions could be offered by providing feedback to hospitals.

Rs9939609 polymorphism of the fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene and metabolic syndrome susceptibility in the Chinese population: a meta-analysis

PURPOSE

The relationship between the rs9939609 allele of fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene and metabolic syndrome (MS) susceptibility has been evaluated by many studies, however, the results still remained controversial in the Chinese population. In order to provide more accurate results, we performed this meta-analysis.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, and Wanfang Med Online in both English and Chinese, and eight eligible studies comprising of 5345 cases and 9523 controls were eventually selected into our meta-analysis. The meta-analysis was performed using the STATA 12.0 software.

RESULTS

In pooled analysis, the FTO gene rs9939609 polymorphism significantly increased MS susceptibility under per-allele comparisons (A vs. T) (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.10-1.35, P < 0.001) and in dominant model (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.13-1.62, P < 0.001). Subgroup analyses under per-allele comparisons (A vs. T) indicated that the elevated risk was observed in adults (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.08-1.47, P = 0.003) but not in children and adolescents (OR 1.14, 95% CI 0.95-1.36, P = 0.17), and that the risk for increasing MS was only identified in IDF groups (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.03-1.43, P = 0.018) but not in NCEP ATP III groups (OR 1.14, 95% CI 0.95-1.36, P = 0.17); in both population-based (PB) and hospital-based (HB) groups, A alleles of rs9939609 appeared to be linked to increased MS susceptibilities (HB group: OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.10-2.08, P = 0.01; PB group: OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.09-1.30, P < 0.001). No significant association was established in dominant model subgroup analyses except PB group (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.05-1.53, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Our results suggested that the FTO gene rs9939609 polymorphism significantly increased MS susceptibility in Chinese. Our results should be verified by well-designed studies with larger sample size.

Metabolic syndrome and inflammatory skin conditions

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Several chronic inflammatory skin disorders have been linked to metabolic syndrome (MetS) and an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. In this review, we will summarize the recent evidence on the association between psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), and atopic dermatitis (AD) and metabolic syndrome with careful attention to this association among the pediatric population.

RECENT FINDINGS

Historically, psoriasis has exhibited the most robust association with MetS in the literature. Recent studies show that the prevalence of MetS appears to be higher among patients with HS and can be associated with MetS even in mild disease. A relationship between AD and MetS is still under debate, but research has shown a clear link between pediatric AD and being overweight or obese.

SUMMARY

There are no current consensus guidelines for metabolic syndrome in the pediatric population, and its clinical implications in children are still unclear. Nevertheless, providers should be aware of the shared underlying inflammatory state and link between several cutaneous disorders and metabolic syndrome. Early diagnosis and proper disease management of these at risk populations has the potential to assist in disease control and mitigate future cardiovascular disease.

Nutrigenomics: Opportunities & challenges for public health nutrition

The hierarchical information flow through DNA-RNA-protein-metabolite collectively referred to as ‘molecular fingerprint’ defines both health and disease. Environment and food (quality and quantity) are the key factors known to affect the health of an individual. The fundamental concepts are that the transition from a healthy condition to a disease phenotype must occur by concurrent alterations in the genome expression or by differences in protein synthesis, function and metabolites. In other words, the dietary components directly or indirectly modulate the molecular fingerprint and understanding of which is dealt with nutrigenomics. Although the fundamental principles of nutrigenomics remain similar to that of traditional research, a collection of comprehensive targeted/untargeted data sets in the context of nutrition offers the unique advantage of understanding complex metabolic networks to provide a mechanistic understanding of data from epidemiological and intervention studies. In this review the challenges and opportunities of nutrigenomic tools in addressing the nutritional problems of public health importance are discussed. The application of nutrigenomic tools provided numerous leads on biomarkers of nutrient intake, undernutrition, metabolic syndrome and its complications. Importantly, nutrigenomic studies also led to the discovery of the association of multiple genetic polymorphisms in relation to the variability of micronutrient absorption and metabolism, providing a potential opportunity for further research toward setting personalized dietary recommendations for individuals and population subgroups.

Evaluation of Agraz Consumption on Adipocytokines, Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress Markers in Women with Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by increased oxidative stress and a pro-inflammatory state. Vaccinium meridionale Swartz (known as “agraz”) is a berry rich in polyphenolic compounds with demonstrated antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory effects in preclinical studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of agraz consumption on inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in women with MetS. Forty women with MetS (47 ± 9 years) were randomly assigned to consume daily either 200 mL of agraz nectar or placebo over four weeks in a double-blind, cross-over design study, separated by a 4-week washout period. Metabolic and inflammatory markers in serum and antioxidant/oxidative stress markers in serum and urine were assessed at the end of each period. Serum antioxidant capacity measured by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method was significantly higher (p = 0.028), while urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) was lower (p = 0.041) after agraz consumption, compared to placebo. In conclusion, consumption of agraz during four weeks increased serum antioxidant capacity and decreased a marker of DNA oxidative damage in women with MetS, compared to placebo. These results suggest that agraz consumption may play a protective role in patients with MetS.