Do Intraoperative Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections Influence the Final Appearance of Vertical Scars after Breast Reduction? Spectrophotometric Analysis.

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been shown to support wound healing and tissue regeneration due to its high concentration of growth factors and cytokines. This study aims to investigate the effect of intraoperative PRP injections on the final appearance of vertical scars after breast reduction, as well as to identify potential predictors of a scar's aesthetic assessment using spectrophotometric parameters. Methods: In this prospective, randomized trial, 82 scars from 41 women who underwent bilateral breast reduction with an inverted T pattern were analyzed. PRP or a placebo substance (0.9% sodium chloride solution) was injected intraoperatively into the edges of vertical wounds. Spectrophotometric measurements of scar pigmentation were performed 3 and 6 months after surgery; additionally, two independent observers evaluated the aesthetic appearance of scars based on photographs. Results: The results showed that the use of intraoperative PRP injections did not significantly influence the final appearance of vertical scars after breast reduction. Conclusions: We indicated spectrophotometric variables (b) in the early stages of wound healing (after 3 months) that can be predictors of the final scar's aesthetic outcome. This can be helpful in detecting scars that may need additional interventions to optimize the healing process.

Digit ratio and the femoral circumflex artery perforator: A sex-dependent association between the vascular system of the thigh and prenatal sex hormones?

BACKGROUND: The anterolateral thigh flap (ALTF) is a type of free flap which is commonly used in reconstructive surgery procedures and is based on the perforator from femoral circumflex artery. Some authors found that the location of the perforator differs between sexes. OBJECTIVE: To verify the influence of prenatal sex hormones (as measured by 2D:4D) on the morphology of the perforator of the descending branch of the femoral circumflex artery. METHODS: 88 participants (43 women) of a mean age of 28.5 years (SD 8.1 years) had the following measurements performed: height and weight; right and left-hand 2nd and 4th fingers' lengths; and distance from anterior superior iliac spine to the perforator from descending branch of lateral femoral circumflex artery related to the thigh length (right and left) (AP ratio). RESULTS: Right 2D:4D and Dr-l (right minus left 2D:4D) were dimorphic, similarly to AP ratio (right and left), which in women was significantly higher than in men. A significant correlation was found between right and left 2D:4D and location of the perforator of the left thigh in men. The higher right and left 2D:4D (more feminine) the higher the left AP ratio (more feminine). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the location of perforator of femoral circumflex artery may be influenced by prenatal sex steroids such that low prenatal testosterone and high prenatal oestrogen are correlated to high AP (lower branching of the artery).

Analysis of epigenetic clocks links yoga, sleep, education, reduced meat intake, coffee, and a SOCS2 gene variant to slower epigenetic aging.

DNA methylation (DNAm) clocks hold promise for measuring biological age, useful for guiding clinical interventions and forensic identification. This study compared the commonly used DNAm clocks, using DNA methylation and SNP data generated from nearly 1000 human blood or buccal swab samples. We evaluated different preprocessing methods for age estimation, investigated the association of epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) with various lifestyle and sociodemographic factors, and undertook a series of novel genome-wide association analyses for different EAA measures to find associated genetic variants. Our results highlighted the Skin&Blood clock with ssNoob normalization as the most accurate predictor of chronological age. We provided novel evidence for an association between the practice of yoga and a reduction in the pace of aging (DunedinPACE). Increased sleep and physical activity were associated with lower mortality risk score (MRS) in our dataset. University degree, vegetable consumption, and coffee intake were associated with reduced levels of epigenetic aging, whereas smoking, higher BMI, meat consumption, and manual occupation correlated well with faster epigenetic aging, with FitAge, GrimAge, and DunedinPACE clocks showing the most robust associations. In addition, we found a novel association signal for SOCS2 rs73218878 (p = 2.87 × 10-8) and accelerated GrimAge. Our study emphasizes the importance of an optimized DNAm analysis workflow for accurate estimation of epigenetic age, which may influence downstream analyses. The results support the influence of genetic background on EAA. The associated SOCS2 is a member of the suppressor of cytokine signaling family known for its role in human longevity. The reported association between various risk factors and EAA has practical implications for the development of health programs to improve quality of life and reduce premature mortality associated with age-related diseases.

Introduction of a multiplex amplicon sequencing assay to quantify DNA methylation in target cytosine markers underlying four selected epigenetic clocks.

BACKGROUND: DNA methylation analysis has proven to be a powerful tool for age assessment. However, the implementation of epigenetic age prediction in diagnostics or routine forensic casework requires appropriate laboratory methods. In this study, we aimed to compare the performance of large-scale DNA methylation analysis protocols that show promise in terms of accuracy, throughput, multiplexing capacity, and high sensitivity. RESULTS: The protocols were designed to target a predefined panel of 161 genomic CG/CA sites from four known estimators of epigenetic age-related parameters, optimized and validated using artificially methylated controls or blood samples. We successfully targeted 96% of these loci using two enrichment protocols: Ion AmpliSeq™, an amplicon-based method integrated with Ion Torrent S5, and SureSelectXT Methyl-Seq, a hybridization-based method followed by MiSeq FGx sequencing. Both protocols demonstrated high accuracy and robustness. Although hybridization assays have greater multiplexing capabilities, the best overall performance was observed for the amplicon-based protocol with the lowest variability in DNA methylation at 25 ng of starting DNA, mean observed marker coverage of ~ 6.7 k reads, and accuracy of methylation quantification with a mean absolute difference between observed and expected methylation beta value of 0.054. The Ion AmpliSeq method correlated strongly with genome-scale EPIC microarray data (R = 0.91) and showed superiority in terms of methylation measurement accuracy. Method-to-method bias was accounted for by the use of linear transformation, which provided a highly accurate prediction of calendar age with a mean absolute error of less than 5 years for the VISAGE and Hannum age clocks used. The pace of aging (PoAm) and the mortality risk score (MRS) estimators included in our panel represent next-generation clocks, were found to have low to moderate correlations with the VISAGE and Hannum models (R < 0.75), and thus may capture different aspects of epigenetic aging. CONCLUSIONS: We propose a laboratory tool that allows the quantification of DNA methylation in cytosines underlying four different clocks, thus providing broad information on epigenetic aging while maintaining a reasonable number of CpG markers, opening the way to a wide range of applications in forensics, medicine, and healthcare.

The impact of exposure to tobacco smoking and maternal trauma in fetal life on risk of migraine.

Introduction: Prenatal period is the key time in human development. Many prenatal factors are well-known and increase the risk of developing diseases' after birth. Few studies indicated the link between the prenatal period and the prevalence of migraine in childhood and adolescence so far. We decided to broaden current knowledge and investigate whether the prenatal factors influence the prevalence of migraine in adulthood. The objective of this study is to provide evidence of relationship between in utero environment and risk of migraine. Methods: In total 266 females (136 in the migraine group, 130 in the control group) and 80 males (35 in the migraine group, 45 in the control group), aged 18-65 participated in the study. The quality of prenatal environment was characterized on the basis of mother's and father's education, tobacco smoke exposure, alcohol consumption, and traumatic event during pregnancy, which are considered as prenatal factors and affect on fetal development. Results: Migraine occurrence in adulthood was significantly associated with maternal tobacco smoking during pregnancy (OR 3.42, 95% CI 1.54-7.61, p = 0.036) and traumatic event during pregnancy (OR 2.27, 95% CI 1.24-4.13, p = 0.020). Discussion: Our study suggests that the fetal programming effect of tobacco smoking exposure and maternal trauma is not limited to prenatal life and is suggested as having a role in adulthood. Our findings support evidence that migraine adulthood can be partly influenced by early life conditions.

Digit ratio (2D:4D), laryngeal cancer and vocal fold leukoplakia.

BACKGROUND: To date, there are no studies that have analyzed the possible influence of exposure to prenatal sex hormones on the risk of laryngeal cancer (LC) and premalignant laryngeal lesion-vocal fold leukoplakia (VFL). Digit ratio (2D:4D) is suggested to be a proxy of prenatal sex hormone exposure. OBJECTIVE: To examine 2D:4D in patients with LC and clarify if it could add to the verified risk factors in estimating the overall risk of LC. METHODS: 511 subjects participated in the study. The study group included 269 patients: with LC (N = 114, 64 men) and VFL (N = 155, 116 men). Controls included 242 healthy individuals (66.40 ± 4.50 years (106 men)). RESULTS: Predictive models estimating the risk of VFL and LC in women, based solely on predictors like smoking and alcohol consumption had a lower area under the ROC curve (AUC) than the model with left 2D:4D. AUC for the model estimating the likelihood of VFL increased from 0.83 to 0.85, and for LC from 0.76 to 0.79. CONCLUSIONS: Low left 2D:4D may be associated with an increased risk of developing leukoplakia and laryngeal cancer in women. In the case of laryngeal cancer, left 2D:4D may serve as additional variable (to other known risk factors, such as smoking and/or alcohol consumption), which can improve cancer risk prediction.

DNAmFitAge: biological age indicator incorporating physical fitness.

Physical fitness is a well-known correlate of health and the aging process and DNA methylation (DNAm) data can capture aging via epigenetic clocks. However, current epigenetic clocks did not yet use measures of mobility, strength, lung, or endurance fitness in their construction. We develop blood-based DNAm biomarkers for fitness parameters gait speed (walking speed), maximum handgrip strength, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) which have modest correlation with fitness parameters in five large-scale validation datasets (average r between 0.16-0.48). We then use these DNAm fitness parameter biomarkers with DNAmGrimAge, a DNAm mortality risk estimate, to construct DNAmFitAge, a new biological age indicator that incorporates physical fitness. DNAmFitAge is associated with low-intermediate physical activity levels across validation datasets (p = 6.4E-13), and younger/fitter DNAmFitAge corresponds to stronger DNAm fitness parameters in both males and females. DNAmFitAge is lower (p = 0.046) and DNAmVO2max is higher (p = 0.023) in male body builders compared to controls. Physically fit people have a younger DNAmFitAge and experience better age-related outcomes: lower mortality risk (p = 7.2E-51), coronary heart disease risk (p = 2.6E-8), and increased disease-free status (p = 1.1E-7). These new DNAm biomarkers provide researchers a new method to incorporate physical fitness into epigenetic clocks.

Correlations between antimicrobial peptides and spectrophotometric skin color parameters in patients with basal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are active molecules in the human innate immune system, that participate in host defense and regulate the inflammation process. Previous reports have confirmed that antimicrobial peptides play a critical role in carcinogenesis. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to evaluate the correlations between plasma concentrations of AMPs and spectrophotometric parameters of skin color in patients with basal cell carcinoma and compare the results with those of healthy controls. METHODS: The plasma concentrations of cathelicidin and beta-defensin-2 in 100 patients (50 with skin cancer and 50 healthy control subjects) were measured, and skin color parameters were tested using a DermaSpectrophotometer. RESULTS: In patients with basal cell carcinoma, the concentrations of cathelicidin and beta-defensin-2 were significantly higher than those in healthy controls. In healthy control patients, when erythema increases, the levels of cathelicidin and beta-defensin-2 also increase. The direction of the relationship is opposite in people with basal cell carcinoma-the concentration of antimicrobial peptides decreases and the level of erythema increases. CONCLUSION: A significantly higher level of plasma concentrations of cathelicidin and HBD-2 are correspondent to the presence of basal cell carcinoma. Skin cancer modifies the relationship between intensity of skin erythema and the levels of cathelicidin and HBD-2. This can be related to inadequate immunological response in patients with skin cancers. New direction of research may be pioneered in searching for cytokine or mast cells disorders.

Selected factors affecting the rate of reduction of body weight components during the first six months after bariatric surgery: A cohort study.

<b><br>Aim:</b> To determine whether the rate of slimming following bariatric surgery depends on the sex, type of bariatric surgery, time elapsed since surgery or body weight components.</br> <b><br>Materials and methods:</b> The material is comprised of the results of three series of anthropometric measurements in 91 obese patients (before bariatric surgery, about 3 months after bariatric surgery and about 6 months afterwards). The inclusion criteria were patients of Polish origin admitted to the hospital from July 1, 2017 to January 31, 2019 for surgical treatment of obesity and written consent for the surgery and participation in the study. The measurements included body weight components assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis.</br> <b><br>Results:</b> The reduction of all features was greater after SG than GB (p<0.0001), greater in the first quartile than in the second quartile after surgery (p<0.0001), and higher for fat mass than for other body weight components (p<0.0001). The sex of the patients, type of bariatric surgery, time elapsed since the operation, and type of body weight component constituted interactive modifiers of the rate of reduction.</br> <b><br>Conclusion:</b> After bariatric surgery, the reduction of fat mass was quicker in men than in women. SG and RYGB lead to a greater reduction of fat mass than GB. Among all three analyzed procedures, only for SG did the rate of body weight component reduction not decrease in the second quartile after surgery. This finding should be taken into account when creating an algorithm for treating a patient after bariatric surgery</br>.

Variability of anterolateral thigh flap perforator locations - clinical implications.

<b><br>Introduction:</b> The anterolateral thigh flap is an example of a free flap widely applied for reconstruction of tissues within various areas of the body.</br> <b><br>Aim:</b> The aim of the study was to determine the most common locations of the ALT flap perforators in men and women as well as to clarify any potential differences in the location of the vessel in male vs. female subjects.</br> <b><br>Material and method:</b> In years 2021-2022, a study was conducted at the Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery Clinic in a group of 90 volunteers (45 women and 45 men, a total of 180 lower extremities) to determine the location of the anterolateral thigh flap perforator against the flap surface using a portable Doppler probe.</br> <b><br>Results:</b> Variable locations were revealed for the anterolateral thigh flap perforator within the study. In women, the perforator is located more distally from the anterior superior iliac spine, most frequently within the inferolateral quadrant, while being located closer to the anterior superior iliac spine, and most frequently within the superolateral quadrant, in men. No perforator was found in 3.3% of the examined limbs. No statistically significant differences were observed between the course of the perforators within the left and right lower limbs in individual patients.</br> <b><br>Conclusions:</b> The location of the ALT flap perforator is subject to sexual dimorphism, which facilitates the investigation area being narrowed down to the well-defined locations of its most frequent occurrence when planning anterolateral thigh flap reconstructive procedures.</br>.

Maternal Age and Behavior during Pregnancy Affect the 2D:4D Digit Ratio in Polish Children Aged 6-13 Years.

BACKGROUND: The length of the second and fourth finger calculated as a ratio (2D:4D) is a marker of prenatal exposure to sex hormones. Higher exposure to testosterone is related to a lower 2D:4D digit ratio, and inversely, higher exposure to estrogen is related to a higher 2D:4D. The digit ratio in humans (prenatally determined by sex hormone levels and androgen receptor activity) is associated with multiple biological, cognitive, and behavioral traits, as well as health in later life. The aim of this study was to verify if maternal traits during pregnancy are associated with 2D:4D among their children. METHODS: We investigated 537 boys, 646 girls, and their mothers. The investigation consisted of a questionnaire and a measurement part. In the questionnaire, we included questions about maternal traits during pregnancy such as: illnesses, active and passive smoking, work activity, psychological trauma (death or serious illness of a loved one, divorce, job loss), and age. We performed length measurements of the second and fourth fingers on both hands for both study groups. RESULTS: The GLM analysis showed that children of smoking mothers were characterized by a higher 2D:4D R as compared to their peers whose mothers did not smoke (ß = 0.10, p = 0.0008). In turn, the offspring of women who worked during pregnancy exhibited lower 2D:4D R values than the children of women who did not work (ß = -0.07, p = 0.0233). It should be noted, however, that the effects of those maternal factors were small, as each of them explained less than 1% of 2D:4D R in the population, adjusted for child age and sex. Pearson's linear correlation revealed that maternal age was negatively correlated with 2D:4D R in daughters (r = -0.11, p = 0.0137), but not in sons (r = 0.02, p = 0.6908). The negative correlation of 2D:4D R with maternal age indicates that the daughters of older mothers exhibited lower values of that ratio relative to the same-age daughters of younger mothers. CONCLUSIONS: For both study groups, the right-hand digit ratio was positively correlated with maternal smoking and negatively with maternal work during pregnancy. Maternal age during pregnancy was negatively related to right hand 2D:4D only among girls.

Assessment of the Predictive Value of Spectrophotometric Skin Color Parameters and Environmental and Behavioral Factors in Estimating the Risk of Skin Cancer: A Case-Control Study.

Keratinocyte carcinomas are the most common cancers with different etiological risk factors. The aim of this study was to assess the predictive value of spectrophotometric parameters of skin color in correlation with environmental/behavioral factors to estimate the risk of skin cancer. The case-control study involved 389 patients. The analysis was performed on the training group to build a predictive model and on the testing group to check the quality of the designed model. Area under the curve based on the spectrophotometric skin parameters varied from 0.536 to 0.674. A statistically significant improvement of the area under curve was achieved by adding the number of sunburns for some models. The best single spectrophotometric measurement for estimating skin cancer is the skin melanin index measured on the arm or buttock. Spectrophotometric skin parameters are not very strong but are essential elements of models for estimating the risk of skin cancer. The most important environmental/behavioral factor seems to be the number of sunburns, but not the total exposure to ultraviolet radiation or usage of photoprotectors. Some other pigmentation predictors should be taken into account when creating new models, especially those that can be easily measured in objective and repeatable way. Spectrophotometric measurements can be employed as quick screening skin examination method.

Risk of Migraine in Europeans with Low Melanin Levels-A Population Based Case-Control Study.

Populations with a relatively low concentration of melanin, e.g., inhabitants of Europe, North America, and Australia, are the most vulnerable to the harmful effects of UV radiation. Individuals with fair phototype are at greatest risk of developing skin cancer. Several neurological studies present that light skin may modify the risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. However, the relationship between migraine and skin pigmentation has not been investigated yet. The objective of this study is to provide evidence of the relationship between skin pigmentation and migraine prevalence in adults. We examined a group of 148 adults (33 men, 115 women) with migraine and a control group of 107 adults (43 men, 64 women). Parameters of skin pigmentation (melanin index, erythema index, CIElab, and RGB scales) were measured using a DSM II Cortex Technology dermospectrophotometer. Risk of migraine in lightly pigmented adults was elevated. Individuals with a low melanin index had over 3-fold increased risk of migraine (women: OR 3.53, men: OR 3.73). Fair phototype, which results from lightly pigmented skin, was associated with migraine prevalence. Migraineurs should take extra care to protect their skin from the negative effects of solar radiation.

The 2D:4D index is associated with the development of excess body weight in adults, but not with the rate of weight loss following bariatric surgery.

2D:4D finger length ratio is a proxy of prenatal sex hormone exposure. Prenatal testosterone decreases and prenatal estrogens increase this index. In the current study we investigated whether the 2D:4D index, as a marker of the prenatal hormonal environment, is associated with the development of overweight and obesity in adults, and whether is it correlated with the rate of weight loss in patients after bariatric surgery. We tested 125 adults with obesity (BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m2), 125 adults with overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9 kg/m2) and 153 persons with normal body weight (BMI < 25 kg/m2) of both sexes. We have found that the development of excessive body weight in men and women, and fat accumulation in the upper arms, thighs and lower legs in women with obesity (but not men) are associated with increased prenatal estrogen exposure. This relationship indicates a new area of activity in the field of obesity prevention. Moreover, it seems that the 2D:4D index (especially of the right hand) may be a useful factor in early prediction of the risk of developing excessive body weight in humans. The rate of weight loss after bariatric surgery is independent of prenatal exposure to sex hormones.

Prenatal oestrogen-testosterone balance as a risk factor of migraine in adults.

BACKGROUND: Migraine is a common neurological disease with extremely debilitating, but fully reversible symptoms. Women suffer from migraine more often than men. It was assumed that fluctuation of oestrogen level during menstrual cycle is one of many factors responsible for more frequent migraine attacks. The second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) is considered as an indicator of prenatal sex steroids. Balance of prenatal androgens (testosterone) and oestrogen has been studied in numerous diseases that are affected by hormones. However, the relationship between migraine and the sex steroids balance in prenatal development is still unexplained. The aim of this paper is to provide an evidence of relationship between prenatal oestrogen and testosterone exposure following 2D:4D digit ratio, and migraine prevalence in adults. METHODS: We examined a group of 151 adults (33 males, 118 females) with migraine and a control group of 111 adults (45 males, 66 females). 2D:4D digit ratio of both hands was measured using sliding Vernier calliper. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in the right hand. Female migraineurs had lower value of 2D:4D ratio than the control group and the right 2D:4D was lower than left 2D:4D (Δ2D:4D), suggesting prenatal testosterone dominance. The opposite relationship was observed in males. Male migraineurs had higher value of 2D:4D ratio and Δ2D:4D was greater than the control group, suggesting prenatal oestrogen dominance. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that depending on sex, different proportion of prenatal sex steroids might be a risk factor of migraine in adults. Women with migraine were presumably exposed in prenatal life to higher testosterone levels relative to oestrogen, while men with migraine were probably exposed in prenatal life to higher levels of oestrogen relative to testosterone.

Association of prenatal sex steroid exposure estimated by the digit ratio (2D:4D) with birth weight, BMI and muscle strength in 6- to 13-year-old Polish children.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this paper was to provide evidence for the impact of prenatal sex steroid exposure on prenatal and postnatal body size parameters, and muscle strength in children. METHODS: The following anthropometric data were studied in a group of 1148 children (536 boys and 612 girls) aged 6-13 years: the 2D:4D digit ratio, birth weight and length, and birth head and chest circumference. Postnatal parameters (6-13 years) included body weight and height, BMI, waist and hip circumference, WHR, as well as grip strength in both hands. All parameters that required it were adjusted for sex and gestational or chronological age. A general linear model, Pearson's correlation, t-statistics and Cohen's Δ were used in statistical analysis. RESULTS: Among birth size parameters, only birth weight was significantly negatively correlated with the 2D:4D digit ratio in children. Higher (feminized) digit ratios were significantly correlated with postnatal parameters such as body weight, BMI, and waist and hip circumference (positively), as well as hand grip strength-a proxy for muscular strength (negatively). CONCLUSION: Problems with maintaining adequate body size parameters and muscle strength may be programmed in fetal life and predicted on the basis of the 2D:4D digit ratio. Body weight at birth and in early ontogenesis are additive correlates of the 2D:4D ratio. The present findings suggest that the 2D:4D digit ratio is related to postnatal phenotypes such as birth weight, overweight, and obesity as well as muscle strength in 6-13-year-old children of both sexes.

Thyroid diseases and second to fourth digit ratio in Polish adults.

The association between second to fourth finger ratio and thyroid diseases is unexplained. There is a possible interaction between prenatal exposition to sex hormone and thyroid functions in the adulthood. The study included 175 adults investigated in Lódz in the central Poland. It consisted of two main parts: a survey including questions about occurrence of thyroid gland dysfunction and anthropometric measurements (body mass and height and length of the second and fourth finger, waist and hip circumferences). The women who had thyroid disease had higher 2D:4D digit ratio (left hand) (mean = 1.004; SD = 0.036) than healthy ones (mean = 0.989; SD = 0.030) (t = - 2105; p = 0.038; d = 0.707). The association between thyroid diseases occurrence and prenatal steroid hormone exposition is noticed. Only females who had thyroid diseases tend to have higher 2D:4D digit ratio, for left hand.

Cortisol concentration affects fat and muscle mass among Polish children aged 6-13 years.

BACKGROUND: Cortisol is a steroid hormone acting as a stress hormone, which is crucial in regulating homeostasis. Previous studies have linked cortisol concentration to body mass and body composition. METHODS: The investigations were carried out in 2016-2017. A total of 176 children aged 6-13 years in primary schools in central Poland were investigated. Three types of measurements were performed: anthropometric (body weight and height, waist and hip circumferences), body composition (fat mass FM (%), muscle mass - MM (%), body cellular mass - BCM (%), total body water - TBW (%)), and cortisol concentration using saliva of the investigated individuals. Information about standard of living, type of feeding after birth, parental education and maternal trauma during pregnancy was obtained with questionnaires. RESULTS: The results of regression models after removing the environmental factors (parental education, standard of living, type of feeding after birth, and maternal trauma during pregnancy) indicate a statistically significant association between the cortisol concentration and fat mass and muscle mass. The cortisol concentration was negatively associated with FM (%) (Beta=-0.171; p = 0.026), explaining 2.32 % of the fat mass variability and positively associated with MM (%) (Beta = 0.192; p = 0.012) explaining 3.09 % of the muscle mass variability. CONCLUSIONS: Cortisol concentration affects fat and muscle mass among Polish children. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Ethical Commission at the University of Lodz (nr 19/KBBN-UL/II/2016).

Associations between second to fourth digit ratio, cortisol, vitamin D, and body composition among Polish children.

Associations between body characteristics (body composition: fat mass, muscle mass, cell, and water mass as well as body proportion-BMI), the 2D:4D digit ratio, and the concentrations of cortisol and vitamin (25-OH)D among Polish children have not been studied before. A total of 133 (73 girls and 60 boys) healthy Polish children aged 7-11 years were examined. The investigation was divided into three parts: measuring (the length of the second and fourth fingers in both hands, body composition, and body height and mass), questionnaires (socioeconomic status), and laboratory investigations (25-OH vitamin D and cortisol concentrations in saliva measured with ELISA methods). Boys with digit ratios below 1 had lower vitamin D concentration than those with digit ratios equal to or higher than 1 (Z = - 2.33; p = 0.019). Only boys with the male-typical pattern of 2D:4D digit ratio tended to have a lower 25-OH vitamin D concentration in saliva. Thus, it might indicate an effect of prenatal programming on the concentrations of steroid hormones in later life. Neither vitamin D, 2D:4D digit ratio nor the cortisol level was associated with the body components or proportions. More studies are needed to evaluate the molecular and genetic background of this phenomenon.

Association Between rs12037447, rs146732504, rs151078858, rs55723436, and rs6094136 Polymorphisms and Kawasaki Disease in the Population of Polish Children.

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute self-limited febrile vasculitis that mainly affects young children. Coronary artery involvement is the most serious complication in children with KD. It is currently the leading cause of acquired cardiac disease in children from developed countries. Literature data indicate a significant role of genetic susceptibility to KD. Objective: The aim of this study was to perform the first Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) in a population of Polish children with KD and identify susceptible genes involved in the pathogenesis of KD. Materials and Methods: The blood samples of Kawasaki disease patients (n = 119) were collected between 2016 and 2020, isolated and stored at the Department of Pediatrics, Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases, Children's Memorial Health Institute in Warsaw. The control group was based on Polish donors (n = 6,071) registered as the POPULOUS collection at the Biobank Lab of The Department of Molecular Biophysics in University of Lodz. DNA samples were genotyped for 558,231 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) using the 24 × 1 Infinium HTS Human Core Exome microarrays according to the protocol provided by the manufacturer. In order to discover and verify genetic risk-factors for KD, association analysis was carried out using PLINK 1.9. Results: Of all 164,395 variants, 5 were shown to occur statistically (padjusted < 0.05) more frequent in Kawasaki disease patients than in controls. Those are: rs12037447 in non-coding sequence (padjusted = 8.329 × 10-4, OR = 8.697, 95% CI; 3.629-20.84) and rs146732504 in KIF25 (padjusted = 0.007354, OR = 11.42, 95% CI; 3.79-34.43), rs151078858 in PTPRJ (padjusted = 0.04513, OR = 8.116, 95% CI; 3.134-21.01), rs55723436 in SPECC1L (padjusted = 0.04596, OR = 5.596, 95% CI; 2.669-11.74), rs6094136 in RPN2 (padjusted = 0.04755, OR = 10.08, 95% CI; 3.385-30.01) genes. Conclusion: Polymorphisms of genes KIF25, PTRPJ, SPECC1L, RNP2 may be linked with the incidence of Kawasaki disease in Polish children.