Associations of Regular Internet Usage with All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality: A Prospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVES: The impact of internet usage on mortality is not widely known. This study intended to investigate the associations between regular internet usage and the risks of all-cause and cause-specific mortality, while also ascertaining potential factors that may modify these correlations. DESIGN: A community-based prospective cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The study included 21,481 individuals [mean (SD) age, 64.1 (11.0) years] from the Health and Retirement Study, with data collected between 2006 and 2020. METHODS: The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to evaluate the associations between regular internet usage and the risks of all-cause and cause-specific mortality, adjusting for demographic factors, lifestyle behaviors, and other potential confounding factors. Moreover, we explored the association between daily hours of internet usage and the risk of outcomes. RESULTS: Regular internet usage was significantly associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.74-0.83) and cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.64-0.82). No significant interaction effects were observed for age, sex, regular exercise, or current alcohol consumption (all P interactions > .05). Additionally, estimations for daily hours of usage indicated a U-shaped relationship with all-cause mortality. Adults who used 2.1 to 4 hours per day had the lowest risk; however, not all estimations showed their significance on account of the limited sample size. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Regular internet usage was associated with a lower risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, which may prompt consideration of the beneficial impact of internet usage on lifespan.

Investigating Causal Associations between the Gut Microbiota and Dementia: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background: The causal association of specific gut microbiota with dementia remains incompletely understood. We aimed to access the causal relationships in which one or more gut microbiota account for dementia. Method: Using data from the MiBioGen and FinnGen consortia, we employed multiple Mendelian randomization (MR) approaches including two-sample MR (TSMR), multivariable MR (MVMR), and Bayesian model averaging MR to comprehensively evaluate the causal associations between 119 genera and dementia, and to prioritize the predominant bacterium. Result: We identified 21 genera that had causal effects on dementia and suggested Barnesiella (OR = 0.827, 95%CI = 0.722-0.948, marginal inclusion probability [MIP] = 0.464; model-averaged causal estimate [MACE] = -0.068) and Allisonella (OR = 0.770, 95%CI = 0.693-0.855, MIP = 0.898, MACE = -0.204) as the predominant genera for AD and all-cause dementia. Conclusions: These findings confirm the causal relationships between specific gut microbiota and dementia, highlighting the necessity of multiple MR approaches in gut microbiota analysis, and provides promising genera as potential novel biomarkers for dementia risk.

Causal Association between Circulating Metabolites and Dementia: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

The causal association of circulating metabolites with dementia remains uncertain. We assessed the causal association of circulating metabolites with dementia utilizing Mendelian randomization (MR) methods. We performed univariable MR analysis to evaluate the associations of 486 metabolites with dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VaD) risk. For secondary validation, we replicated the analyses using an additional dataset with 123 metabolites. We observed 118 metabolites relevant to the risk of dementia, 59 of which were lipids, supporting the crucial role of lipids in dementia pathogenesis. After Bonferroni adjustment, we identified nine traits of HDL particles as potential causal mediators of dementia. Regarding dementia subtypes, protective effects were observed for epiandrosterone sulfate on AD (OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.48-0.75) and glycoproteins on VaD (OR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.83-0.95). Bayesian model averaging MR (MR-BMA) analysis was further conducted to prioritize the predominant metabolites for dementia risk, which highlighted the mean diameter of HDL particles and the concentration of very large HDL particles as the predominant protective factors against dementia. Moreover, pathway analysis identified 17 significant and 2 shared metabolic pathways. These findings provide support for the identification of promising predictive biomarkers and therapeutic targets for dementia.

Associations between whole grains intake and new-onset hypertension: a prospective cohort study.

IMPORTANCE: Epidemiological evidences regarding the association between whole grain intake and the risk of new-onset hypertension are still controversial. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the relationship between whole grain intake and new-onset hypertension and examine possible effect modifiers in the general population. METHODS: A total of 10,973 participants without hypertension from the China Health and Nutrition Survey were enrolled, with follow-up beginning in 1997 and ending in 2015. Whole grain intake was assessed by 3 consecutive 24-h dietary recalls combined with a household food inventory. Multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression model after adjusting for potential risk factors. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 7.0 years, 3,733 participants developed new-onset hypertension. The adjusted HRs (95% CIs) were as follows: for quartile 2 (HR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.47-0.57), quartile 3 (HR: 0.46; 95% CI: 0.42-0.51), and quartile 4 (HR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.31-0.38), compared with quartile 1. Different types of whole grain types, including wheat (adjusted HR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.32-0.39), maize (adjusted HR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.42-0.59), and millet (adjusted HR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.30-0.48), showed significant associations with a reduced risk of hypertension. The association between whole grain intake and new-onset hypertension was stronger in individuals with older age (P for interaction < 0.001) and higher BMI (P for interaction < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Higher consumption of whole grains was significantly associated with a lower risk of new-onset hypertension. This study provides further evidence supporting the importance of increasing whole grain intake for hypertension prevention among Chinese adults.

Association between Whole Grain Intake and Chronic Kidney Disease.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between whole grain intake and chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains uncertain. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the association between whole grain intake and risk of CKD in Chinese adults. METHODS: The present cross-sectional study used data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey conducted in 2009. Whole grain intake was measured using 3 consecutive 24-h dietary recalls and a household food inventory. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for risk of CKD. In addition, a restricted cubic spline was used to investigate the dose‒response relationship between whole grain and risk of CKD. RESULTS: A total of 6747 participants were included, 728 of whom had CKD. Compared with those in the lowest whole grain intake group, those in the higher grain intake group had an inverse association with risk of CKD (Q2: adjusted OR 0.70, 95% CI: 0.54, 0.89; Q3: adjusted OR 0.54, 95% CI: 0.42, 0.69; and Q4: adjusted OR 0.29, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.41). The association between whole grain intake and CKD seems to be stronger for individuals who were male (P for interaction = 0.008) or smokers (P for interaction = 0.013). In addition, the restricted cubic spline suggested an obvious L-shaped correlation. CONCLUSIONS: Increased whole grain intake was associated with a decreased risk of CKD in Chinese adults.

IgE-neutralizing UB-221 mAb, distinct from omalizumab and ligelizumab, exhibits CD23-mediated IgE downregulation and relieves urticaria symptoms.

Over the last 2 decades, omalizumab is the only anti-IgE antibody that has been approved for asthma and chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). Ligelizumab, a higher-affinity anti-IgE mAb and the only rival viable candidate in late-stage clinical trials, showed anti-CSU efficacy superior to that of omalizumab in phase IIb but not in phase III. This report features the antigenic-functional characteristics of UB-221, an anti-IgE mAb of a newer class that is distinct from omalizumab and ligelizumab. UB-221, in free form, bound abundantly to CD23-occupied IgE and, in oligomeric mAb-IgE complex forms, freely engaged CD23, while ligelizumab reacted limitedly and omalizumab stayed inert toward CD23; these observations are consistent with UB-221 outperforming ligelizumab and omalizumab in CD23-mediated downregulation of IgE production. UB-221 bound IgE with a strong affinity to prevent FcԑRI-mediated basophil activation and degranulation, exhibiting superior IgE-neutralizing activity to that of omalizumab. UB-221 and ligelizumab bound cellular IgE and effectively neutralized IgE in sera of patients with atopic dermatitis with equal strength, while omalizumab lagged behind. A single UB-221 dose administered to cynomolgus macaques and human IgE (ε, κ)-knockin mice could induce rapid, pronounced serum-IgE reduction. A single UB-221 dose administered to patients with CSU in a first-in-human trial exhibited durable disease symptom relief in parallel with a rapid reduction in serum free-IgE level.

Y-box binding protein-1 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma-initiating cell progression and tumorigenesis via Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

Y-box binding protein-1 (YB-1) is a pleiotropic molecule that binds DNA to regulate genes on a transcriptional level in the nucleus and binds RNA to modulate gene translation in the cytoplasm. In our previous studies, YB-1 was also characterized as a fetal hepatic protein that regulates the maturation of hepatocytes and is upregulated during liver regeneration. Moreover, YB-1 has been shown to be expressed in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the role of YB-1 in HCC remains unclear. Here, we aimed to characterize the role of YB-1 in HCC. Based on the results of loss-of-function in HCC and gain-of-function in mice liver using hydrodynamic gene delivery, YB-1 promoted hepatic cells proliferation in vitro and in vivo. YB-1 was also involved in HCC cell proliferation, migration, and drug-resistance. The results of extreme limiting dilution sphere forming analysis and cancer initiating cell marker analysis were also shown that YB-1 maintained HCC initiating cells population. YB-1 also induced the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and stemness-related gene expression. Knockdown of YB-1 suppressed the expression of Wnt ligands and ß-catenin, impaired Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway and reduced the numbers of HCC initiating cells. Moreover, YB-1 displayed nuclear localization particularly in the HCC initiating cells, the EpCAM+ cells or sphere cells. Our findings suggested that YB-1 was a key factor in HCC tumorigenesis and maintained the HCC initiating cell population.