Interactive effect between ATPase-related genes and early-life tobacco smoke exposure on bronchial hyper-responsiveness detected in asthma-ascertained families

Diagnostic value of IgE, fractional of exhaled nitric oxide, and peripheral blood eosinophils in adult bronchial asthma and their relationship with disease severity

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the diagnostic value of immunoglobulin E (IgE), fractional of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), and peripheral blood eosinophils (EOS) in adult bronchial asthma and to analyze their relationship with asthma severity.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 336 patients diagnosed with bronchial asthma and admitted to Xi'an Fourth Hospital from January 2022 to January 2024, forming the asthma group. Additionally, another 127 healthy subjects were selected as the non-asthmatic control group. The patients in the asthma group were categorized into a mild asthma group (n=138), a moderate asthma group (n=115), and a severe asthma group (n=83) according to the severity of the disease. Clinical data, lung function indices, and IgE, FeNO, and EOS levels were compared across groups. ROC curves were used to assess the diagnostic value of IgE, FeNO, and EOS levels for bronchial asthma. Spearman's rank correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between IgE, FeNO, EOS and other indicators and asthma severity.

RESULTS

The levels of IgE, FeNO, and EOS were significantly higher in the asthma group than those in the non-asthma group, while lung function indices, peak expiratory flow rate (PEF) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), were significantly lower (all P < 0.05). The areas under curve (AUCs) of IgE, FeNO, and EOS for the diagnosis of asthma were 0.79, 0.93, and 0.88, respectively. Significant differences were observed in smoking history, family history of asthma, co-existing allergic rhinitis, and combined atopic eczema across different severity groups (all P < 0.05). Spearman's rank correlation analysis showed that IgE, FeNO, and EOS were positively correlated with asthma severity (all P < 0.05), with r s values of 0.718, 0.679, and 0.540, respectively.

CONCLUSION

IgE, FeNO, and EOS are valuable in diagnosing bronchial asthma in adults. Higher levels of IgE, FeNO, and EOS correspond to increased asthma severity, making these biomarkers useful for assessing asthma severity.

Gene-environment interactions in human health

Gene-environment interactions (G × E), the interplay of genetic variation with environmental factors, have a pivotal impact on human complex traits and diseases. Statistically, G × E can be assessed by determining the deviation from expectation of predictive models based solely on the phenotypic effects of genetics or environmental exposures. Despite the unprecedented, widespread and diverse use of G × E analytical frameworks, heterogeneity in their application and reporting hinders their applicability in public health. In this Review, we discuss study design considerations as well as G × E analytical frameworks to assess polygenic liability dependent on the environment, to identify specific genetic variants exhibiting G × E, and to characterize environmental context for these dynamics. We conclude with recommendations to address the most common challenges and pitfalls in the conceptualization, methodology and reporting of G × E studies, as well as future directions.

DNA-Methylation Signatures of Tobacco Smoking in a High Cardiovascular Risk Population: Modulation by the Mediterranean Diet

Biomarkers based on DNA methylation are relevant in the field of environmental health for precision health. Although tobacco smoking is one of the factors with a strong and consistent impact on DNA methylation, there are very few studies analyzing its methylation signature in southern European populations and none examining its modulation by the Mediterranean diet at the epigenome-wide level. We examined blood methylation smoking signatures on the EPIC 850 K array in this population (n = 414 high cardiovascular risk subjects). Epigenome-wide methylation studies (EWASs) were performed analyzing differential methylation CpG sites by smoking status (never, former, and current smokers) and the modulation by adherence to a Mediterranean diet score was explored. Gene-set enrichment analysis was performed for biological and functional interpretation. The predictive value of the top differentially methylated CpGs was analyzed using receiver operative curves. We characterized the DNA methylation signature of smoking in this Mediterranean population by identifying 46 differentially methylated CpGs at the EWAS level in the whole population. The strongest association was observed at the cg21566642 (p = 2.2 × 10-32) in the 2q37.1 region. We also detected other CpGs that have been consistently reported in prior research and discovered some novel differentially methylated CpG sites in subgroup analyses. In addition, we found distinct methylation profiles based on the adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Particularly, we obtained a significant interaction between smoking and diet modulating the cg5575921 methylation in the AHRR gene. In conclusion, we have characterized biomarkers of the methylation signature of tobacco smoking in this population, and suggest that the Mediterranean diet can increase methylation of certain hypomethylated sites.

Influence of Second-Hand Smoke and Prenatal Tobacco Smoke Exposure on Biomarkers, Genetics and Physiological Processes in Children-An Overview in Research Insights of the Last Few Years

Children are commonly exposed to second-hand smoke (SHS) in the domestic environment or inside vehicles of smokers. Unfortunately, prenatal tobacco smoke (PTS) exposure is still common, too. SHS is hazardous to the health of smokers and non-smokers, but especially to that of children. SHS and PTS increase the risk for children to develop cancers and can trigger or worsen asthma and allergies, modulate the immune status, and is harmful to lung, heart and blood vessels. Smoking during pregnancy can cause pregnancy complications and poor birth outcomes as well as changes in the development of the foetus. Lately, some of the molecular and genetic mechanisms that cause adverse health effects in children have been identified. In this review, some of the current insights are discussed. In this regard, it has been found in children that SHS and PTS exposure is associated with changes in levels of enzymes, hormones, and expression of genes, micro RNAs, and proteins. PTS and SHS exposure are major elicitors of mechanisms of oxidative stress. Genetic predisposition can compound the health effects of PTS and SHS exposure. Epigenetic effects might influence in utero gene expression and disease susceptibility. Hence, the limitation of domestic and public exposure to SHS as well as PTS exposure has to be in the focus of policymakers and the public in order to save the health of children at an early age. Global substantial smoke-free policies, health communication campaigns, and behavioural interventions are useful and should be mandatory.