Associations of multiple plasma metals with the risk of metabolic syndrome: A cross-sectional study in the mid-aged and older population of China.

BACKGROUND: Metal exposures have been reported to be related to the progress of metabolic syndrome (MetS), however, the currents results were still controversial, and the evidence about the effect of multi-metal exposure on MetS were limited. In this study, we intended to evaluate the relationships between metal mixture exposure and the prevalence of MetS in a mid-aged and older population of China. METHODS: The plasma levels of 13 metals (aluminum, magnesium, calcium, iron, manganese, cobalt, copper, arsenic, zinc, selenium, cadmium, molybdenum and thallium) were detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in 1277 adults recruited from the Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University (Shenzhen, China). Logistic regression, the adaptive least absolute shrinkage and selectionator operator (LASSO) penalized regression analysis and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis were used to explore the associations and dose-response relationships of plasma metals with MetS. To evaluate the cumulative effect of metals, the Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) model was applied. RESULTS: The concentrations of magnesium and molybdenum were lower in the MetS group (p < 0.05). In the single-metal model, the adjusted ORs (95%CI) in the highest quartiles were 0.44 (0.35, 0.76) for magnesium and 0.30 (0.17, 0.51) for molybdenum compared with the lowest quartile. The negative associations and dose-dependent relationships of magnesium and molybdenum with MetS were further validated by the stepwise model, adaptive LASSO penalized regression and RCS analysis. The BKMR models showed that the metal mixture were associated with decreased MetS when the chemical mixtures were≥ 25th percentile compared to their medians, and Mg, Mo were the major contributors to the combined effect. Moreover, concentrations of magnesium were significantly related to blood glucose, and molybdenum was related with BMI, blood glucose and blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated levels of plasma magnesium and molybdenum were associated with decreased prevalence of MetS. Further investigations in larger perspective cohorts are needed to confirm our findings.

Association of the serum uric acid to creatinine ratio with metabolic syndrome in the middle age and older population in China.

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has attracted great interest, with an increasing prevalence. Recent studies have shown that the serum uric acid-to-creatinine ratio (SUACr) might be an excellent biomarker for MetS risk prediction in diabetic patients and postmenopausal women. However, the relationship between SUACr and MetS in a middle-aged and older population remains unclear. Methods: A total of 1277 participants were included in this cross-sectional study. Logistic regression modelling was performed to assess the association between SUACr and MetS in the total population. The dose-response relationship of SUACr and MetS was further assessed by a restricted cubic spline model (RCS). Furthermore, to explore the relationships between the levels of SUACr and the number of metabolic components, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was applied. Results: The levels of SUACr were lower in the non-MetS participants (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.36 to 1.89; P<0.001),. Positive and dose-response relationships were further confirmed by the RCS model. We also found that, with increased number of components, the SUACr tended to increase. Moreover, values of SUACr were strongly related to levels of triglycerides (TGs), body mass index (BMI), blood glucose levels, systolic blood pressure/diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP), and hypertension. In addition, the positive association between SUACr and MetS also occurred in those patients with normal uric acid levels. Conclusion: Elevated values of SUACr were strongly associated with an increased risk of MetS; this positive relationship remained in those individuals with normal uric acid levels.

Associations of plasma multiple metals with risk of hyperuricemia: A cross-sectional study in a mid-aged and older population of China.

BACKGROUND: Metal exposures are suspected to associate with the risk of hyperuricemia (HUA), but the current results are still conflicting. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations between multiple plasma metal exposures and HUA risk. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 1406 Chinese Han adults who underwent routine physical examination in the Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University in Shenzhen. The plasma levels of 13 metals were measured by the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Multivariable logistic, linear regression models, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) penalized regression analysis, and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were applied to assess the associations. RESULTS: The median plasma uric acid concentration in HUA group (434 µmol/L) was significantly higher than that in non-HUA group (305 µmol/L). The multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of HUA were 1.62(1.08-2.43) for magnesium, 1.61(1.05-2.47) for copper, 1.62(1.06-2.49) for zinc, 1.87(1.26-2.81) for arsenic, 1.50(1.01-2.23) for selenium, and 1.70(1.16-2.49) for thallium based on the single-metal logistic regression models, comparing the highest versus the lowest quartile of metal levels. Further multi-metal logistic, linear regression models and the LASSO analysis all indicated positive associations of zinc, arsenic with HUA risk or uric acid levels. RCS model indicated an inverted V-shaped positive association between zinc levels and HUA risk (p for non-linearity = 0.048, p for overall association = 0.022), while arsenic levels showed a positive and linear dose-response relationship with HUA risk (p for non-linearity = 0.892, p for overall association<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Higher plasma levels of zinc and arsenic might increase HUA risk and showed positive dose-response relationships. Further cohort studies in larger population are required to testify our findings.

Blood microRNA 202-3p associates with the risk of essential hypertension by targeting soluble ST2.

MicroRNA (miR)-202-3p has attracted a great deal of attention in the fields of oncology, gynecology, and metabolic disorders. However, its role in cardiovascular diseases remains to be clarified. We previously found that disruption of miR-202-3p mediated regulation of expression of soluble (s)ST2, a decoy receptor for interleukin (IL)-33, promotes essential hypertension (EH). In the present study, we first measured miR-202-3p expression levels in the blood of 182 EH cases and 159 healthy controls using TaqMan assays. miR-202-3p levels were shown to be significantly higher in EH cases than controls (fold change = 3.58, P<0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that higher miR-202-3p expression was associated with an increased occurrence of EH (adjusted odds ratio (OR): 1.57; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.36-1.82; P<0.001). Addition of miR-202-3p to traditional risk factors showed an additive prediction value for EH. Further functional experiments indicated that miR-202-3p could be induced by angiotensin II (Ang II) and inhibited by Ang II-triggered soluble ST2 (sST2) expression in a negative feedback manner. Moreover, blood miR-202-3p levels were negatively correlated with sST2 expression in vivo. Our study shows that blood miR-202-3p levels were significantly associated with the occurrence of EH. These findings indicate that miR-202-3p exerts a protective role against EH by antagonizing the induction of sST2 by Ang II.