Urinary Levels of Trimethylamine-N-Oxide and Incident Coronary Heart Disease: A Prospective Investigation Among Urban Chinese Adults

Background Trimethylamine-N-oxide ( TMAO ), a diet-derived, gut microbial-host cometabolite, has been associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patient populations; however, evidence is lacking from prospective studies conducted in general populations and non-Western populations. Methods and Results We evaluated urinary levels of TMAO and its precursor metabolites (ie, choline, betaine, and carnitine) in relation to risk of coronary heart disease ( CHD ) among Chinese adults in a nested case-control study, including 275 participants with incident CHD and 275 individually matched controls. We found that urinary TMAO , but not its precursors, was associated with risk of CHD . The odds ratio for the highest versus lowest quartiles of TMAO was 1.91 (95% CI, 1.08-3.35; Ptrend=0.008) after adjusting for CHD risk factors including obesity, diet, lifestyle, and metabolic diseases and 1.75 (95% CI, 0.96-3.18; Ptrend=0.03) after further adjusting for potential confounders or mediators including central obesity, dyslipidemia, inflammation, and intake of seafood and deep-fried meat or fish, which were associated with TMAO level in this study. The odds ratio per standard deviation increase in log- TMAO was 1.30 (95% CI, 1.03-1.63) in the fully adjusted model. A history of diabetes mellitus modified the TMAO - CHD association. A high TMAO level (greater than or equal to versus lower than the median) was associated with odds ratios of 6.21 (95% CI, 1.64-23.6) and 1.56 (95% CI, 1.00-2.43), respectively, among diabetic and nondiabetic participants ( Pinteraction=0.02). Diabetes mellitus status also modified the associations of choline, betaine, and carnitine with risk of CHD ; significant positive associations were found among diabetic participants, but null associations were noted among total and nondiabetic participants. Conclusions Our study suggests that TMAO may accelerate the development of CHD , highlighting the importance of diet-gut microbiota-host interplay in cardiometabolic health.

YKL-40 Level and Hypertension Incidence: A Population-Based Nested Case-Control Study in China

Background

Human cartilage glycoprotein‐39 (YKL‐40) has been suggested to be a new marker of inflammation, atherosclerosis, and endothelial dysfunction. However, whether a higher level of YKL‐40 is an independent risk factor for hypertension incidence is still unknown.

Methods and Results

In a nested case‐control study within a prospective cohort of 12 423 initially healthy Chinese adults, we measured baseline plasma concentrations of YKL‐40 among 700 new‐onset hypertension cases and 700 age‐ and sex‐matched controls. Multiple conditional logistic regression analyses were used to calculate the odds ratios (95% CIs) of hypertension associated with higher levels of YKL‐40 both in the total population and in the age‐ (>55 and ≤55 years) and sex‐matched subgroups. Among the total population, YKL‐40 levels were not associated with hypertension risk. In the subgroup older than 55 years, odds ratios (95% CIs) of hypertension for those in the two higher tertiles of YKL‐40 were 1.23 (0.77–1.97) and 1.59 (0.99–2.55) (P for linear trend=0.05). In the male subgroup, odds ratios (95% CIs) of hypertension for those in the two higher tertiles of YKL‐40 were 1.55 (0.88–2.72) and 2.09 (1.14–3.82) (P for linear trend=0.02). An interaction effect was observed between YKL‐40 and sex (P for interaction <0.01) but not between YKL‐40 and age (P for interaction=0.21). High YKL‐40 level significantly increased hypertension risk in men but decreased hypertension risk with a trend although not significant in women.

Conclusions

This study suggests that YKL‐40 is associated with hypertension incidence only among men. The study findings need to be further verified by prospective cohort studies or clinical trials.

Metabolome-Genome-Wide Association Study (mGWAS) Reveals Novel Metabolites Associated with Future Type 2 Diabetes Risk and Susceptibility Loci in a Case-Control Study in a Chinese Prospective Cohort

In a Chinese prospective cohort, 500 patients with new-onset type 2 diabetes (T2D) within 4.61 years and 500 matched healthy participants are selected as case and control groups, and randomized into discovery and validation sets to discover the metabolite changes before T2D onset and the related diabetogenic loci. A serum metabolomics analysis reveals that 81 metabolites changed significantly before T2D onset. Based on binary logistic regression, eight metabolites are defined as a biomarker panel for T2D prediction. Pipecolinic acid, carnitine C14:0, epinephrine and phosphatidylethanolamine 34:2 are first found associated with future T2D. The addition of the biomarker panel to the clinical markers (BMI, triglycerides, and fasting glucose) significantly improves the predictive ability in the discovery and validation sets, respectively. By associating metabolomics with genomics, a significant correlation (p < 5.0 × 10-8) between eicosatetraenoic acid and the FADS1 (rs174559) gene is observed, and suggestive correlations (p < 5.0 × 10-6) between pipecolinic acid and CHRM3 (rs535514), and leucine/isoleucine and WWOX (rs72487966) are discovered. Elevated leucine/isoleucine levels increased the risk of T2D. In conclusion, multiple metabolic dysregulations are observed to occur before T2D onset, and the new biomarker panel can help to predict T2D risk.

Antiviral treatment associated with reduced risk of clinical Alzheimer's disease-A nested case-control study

INTRODUCTION

In this nested case-control study, we investigated if antiviral treatment given prior to onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD) could influence incident AD.

METHODS

From a large population-based cohort study in northern Sweden, 262 individuals that later developed AD were compared to a non-AD matched control group with respect to prescriptions of herpes antiviral treatment. All included subjects were herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1) carriers and the matching criteria were age, sex, apolipoprotein E genotype (ε4 allele carriership), and study sample start year.

RESULTS

Among those who developed AD, 6 prescriptions of antivirals were found, compared to 20 among matched controls. Adjusted for length of follow-up, a conditional logistic regression indicated a difference in the risk for AD development between groups (odds ratio for AD with an antiviral prescription 0.287, P = .018).

DISCUSSION

Antiviral treatment might possibly reduce the risk for later development of HSV1-associated AD.

Association Between Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Risk of Heart Failure: A Population-Based Nested Case-Control Study

Background

Heart failure (HF) is a major health problem worldwide because of its high morbidity and mortality. Recently, the role of the microvasculature in HF has gained more attention. Age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) is manifested through geographic atrophy or the development of neovascularization. However, there are limited data on investigations about the association between AMD and HF. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of AMD with the risk of HF in a large population‐based cohort of men and women.

Methods and Results

A nested case‐control study using Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database was conducted between 2000 and 2012. Newly diagnosed heart failure cases (n=13 721) and matched controls (n=54 884) in the database were recruited. Patients who had ≥2 clinical visits with a diagnosis of AMD at least 1 year before the diagnosis of HF were identified as patients with AMD. Conditional logistic regressions were performed to calculate odds ratios and 95% CIs to assess the association between AMD and risk of HF. AMD was associated with a 1.58‐fold increased risk of HF (95% CI, 1.16–1.87) (P<0.001) after adjustment for potential confounders. This significant association was evident in both nonexudative and exudative AMD subgroups.

Conclusions

Our study provides evidence that AMD was associated with an increased risk of HF. Further molecular and pathophysiological studies are needed to clarify the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms behind the association of AMD with HF.

Nontargeted Metabolomics Revealed Novel Association Between Serum Metabolites and Incident Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Mendelian Randomization Study

Background This study was performed to identify metabolites associated with incident acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and explore causality of the associations. Methods and Results We performed nontargeted metabolomics in a nested case-control study in the Dongfeng-Tongji cohort, including 500 incident ACS cases and 500 age- and sex-matched controls. Three metabolites, including a novel one (aspartylphenylalanine), and 1,5-anhydro-d-glucitol (1,5-AG) and tetracosanoic acid, were identified as associated with ACS risk, among which aspartylphenylalanine is a degradation product of the gut-brain peptide cholecystokinin-8 rather than angiotensin by the angiotensin-converting enzyme (odds ratio [OR] per SD increase [95% CI], 1.29 [1.13-1.48]; false discovery rate-adjusted P=0.025), 1,5-AG is a marker of short-term glycemic excursions (OR per SD increase [95% CI], 0.75 [0.64-to 0.87]; false discovery rate-adjusted P=0.025), and tetracosanoic acid is a very-long-chain saturated fatty acid (OR per SD increase [95% CI], 1.26 [1.10-1.45]; false discovery rate-adjusted P=0.091). Similar associations of 1,5-AG (OR per SD increase [95% CI], 0.77 [0.61-0.97]) and tetracosanoic acid (OR per SD increase [95% CI], 1.32 [1.06-1.67]) with coronary artery disease risk were observed in a subsample from an independent cohort (152 and 96 incident cases, respectively). Associations of aspartylphenylalanine and tetracosanoic acid were independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors (P-trend=0.015 and 0.034, respectively). Furthermore, the association of aspartylphenylalanine was mediated by 13.92% from hypertension and 27.39% from dyslipidemia (P<0.05), supported by its causal links with hypertension (P<0.05) and hypertriglyceridemia (P=0.077) in Mendelian randomization analysis. The association of 1,5-AG with ACS risk was 37.99% mediated from fasting glucose, and genetically predicted 1,5-AG level was negatively associated with ACS risk (OR per SD increase [95% CI], 0.57 [0.33-0.96], P=0.036), yet the association was nonsignificant when further adjusting for fasting glucose. Conclusions These findings highlighted novel angiotensin-independent involvement of the angiotensin-converting enzyme in ACS cause, and the importance of glycemic excursions and very-long-chain saturated fatty acid metabolism.

Association of Retinal Arterial Narrowing With New-Onset Carotid Plaque: A Chinese Community-Based Nested Case-Control Cohort Study

To investigate whether retinal arterial narrowing is associated with incident carotid plaque in the general population. Individuals without carotid plaque in 2014 who developed new-onset carotid plaque in 2018 were selected as cases (n = 156) for the atherosclerosis group and matched for age and sex in a ratio of 1:1 for the control group. The effects of the baseline central retinal arteriolar equivalent (CRAE), central retinal venular equivalent (CRVE), and arteriovenous ratio (AVR) on the risk of new-onset carotid plaque were evaluated in multivariable conditional logistic regression models. Subgroup analyses were performed. The mean CRAE, CRVE, and AVR were 153.03 ± 12.77 µm, 232.41 ± 19.78 µm, and 0.66 ± 0.07, respectively. After adjusting for multiple variables, the risk of developing new-onset carotid plaque increased by 4% (odds ratio [OR] 1.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.07, p < 0.01) with each 1-µm decrease in CRAE and 80% (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.17-2.78, p < 0.01) with each 0.1-point decline in AVR. When CRAE and AVR were considered as categorical variables, compared with subjects in the highest CRAE and AVR groups, those in the lowest CRAE and AVR groups had a 159% (OR 2.59, 95% CI 1.34-5.01, p < 0.01) and 93% (OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.08-3.46, p = 0.03) increase in risk of developing new-onset carotid plaque, respectively. However, CRVE was not significantly related to new-onset carotid plaque. Subgroup and interaction analyses were performed, and no significant modification effect was found. In conclusion, retinal arterial narrowing was strongly related to the risk of incident carotid plaque.

Development of a risk prediction model for surgical site infection after lower third molar surgery

BACKGROUND

There is little evidence regarding risk prediction for surgical site infection (SSI) after lower third molar (L3M) surgery.

METHODS

We conducted a nested case-control study to develop a multivariable logistic model for predicting the risk of SSI after L3M surgery. Data were obtained from Hokkaido University Hospital from April 2013 to March 2020. Multiple imputation was applied for the missing values. We conducted decision tree (DT) analysis to evaluate the combinations of factors affecting SSI risk.

RESULTS

We identified 648 patients. The final model retained the available distal space (Pell & Gregory II [p = 0.05], Pell & Gregory III [p < 0.01]), depth (Pell & Gregory B [p < 0.01], Pell & Gregory C [p < 0.01]), surgeon's experience (3-10 years [p = 0.25], <3 years [p < 0.01]), and simultaneous extraction of both L3M [p < 0.01]; the concordance-statistic was 0.72. The DT analysis demonstrated that patients with Pell and Gregory B or C and simultaneous extraction of both L3M had the highest risk of SSI.

CONCLUSIONS

We developed a model for predicting SSI after L3M surgery with adequate predictive metrics in a single center. This model will make the SSI risk prediction more accessible.

Extracting full information from OCT scans-signs of early age-related macular degeneration within inner retinal layers by local neighbourhood statistics. Part II: Results

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Associations between the occurrence of early age related macular degeneration (AMD) and alterations in retinal layer thicknesses have been reported, based on classical processing of optical coherence tomography (OCT) data by noise removal and subsequent image segmentation. However, speckle noise within OCT data itself bears a substantial part of the total information. For this reason, we designed an omics-type approach for full exploitation of OCT data, which was able to identify signs of early AMD throughout the retina as a whole.

METHODS

A nested case-control study was designed with 200 early AMD cases and 200 healthy controls. For each participant, within a randomly selected OCT scan and a randomly selected column therein, manual grading was performed for 26 retinal feature positions. At every position, a total of 3792 descriptors were computed, based on nonlinear transformations of OCT data, first-order neighbourhood statistics and Haralick features. Equivalence and differences between cases and controls were tested for each descriptor at every graded position. Results of multiple testing were expressed in terms of false and true discovery rates controlled by the Benjamini-Yekutieli procedure.

RESULTS

In terms of the amount and disparity of true discoveries, overall non-equivalence was found for early AMD and healthy groups. Strong difference signals were observed at the internal limiting membrane and two central retinal positions, particularly for descriptors emphasising speckle noise.

CONCLUSIONS

Between the retinae of healthy controls and early AMD patients, significant differences were observed at the level of local neighbourhood statistics within OCT data. Thus, independent evidence was obtained for AMD affecting not only the outer retinal layers but the retina as a whole, even in the early stages of the disease. Within OCT data, both cartoon and speckle bear essential parts of the total information. We pursued a constructive, completely documented, traceable and repeatable approach without invoking artificial intelligence methods.