Single-atom nanozymes: Emerging talent for sensitive detection of heavy metals.

In recent years, the increasingly severe pollution of heavy metals has posed a significant threat to the environment and human safety. Heavy metal ions are highly non-biodegradable, with a tendency to accumulate through biomagnification. Consequently, accurate detection of heavy metal ions is of paramount importance. As a new type of synthetic nanomaterials, single-atom nanozymes (SANs) boast exceptional enzyme-like properties, setting them apart from natural enzymes. This unique feature affords SANs with a multitude of advantages such as dispersed active sites, low cost and variety of synthetic methods over natural enzymes, making them an enticing prospect for various applications in industrial, medical and biological fields. In this paper, we systematically summarize the synthetic methods and catalytic mechanisms of SANs. We also briefly review the analytical methods for heavy metal ions and present an overall overview of the research progress in recent years on the application of SANs in the detection of environmental heavy metal ions. Eventually, we propose the existing challenges and provide a vision for the future.

The mediating effect of perceived social support between family resilience and meaning in life in breast cancer patients.

PURPOSE: The beneficial effects of family resilience and meaning in life on patients are established, but limited is known for the effect of perceived social support. We aim to investigate the impact of family resilience on the meaning of life among Chinese patients with breast cancer (BC) and to further detect whether perceived social support mediated this association. METHODS: From February to June 2022, we conducted this cross-sectional study with 276 women who were diagnosed with BC in a tertial hospital in Guangdong province, China. The Chinese version of Meaning in Life Scale (C-MiLS) was used to measure the meaning in life. The Chinese version of the family resilience assessment scale (C-FRAS) and the perceived social support scale (PSSS) were adopted to obtain the family resilience and perceived social support, respectively. The mediating effect of perceived spousal support was estimated using the bootstrapped confidence interval (CI) via IBM SPSS AMOS 22.0. RESULTS: The mean scores were 60.79 ± 11.63 for meaning in life, 82.08 ± 11.48 for family resilience, and 62.72 ± 12.19 for perceived social support, respectively. Our results indicated the positive correlations of meaning in life with family resilience (ß = 0.822, P < 0.05) and perceived social support (ß = 0.886, P < 0.05). The perceived social support exerted the mediating effect in the relationship between family resilience and meaning in life (ß = 0.368 [95%CI, 0.274, 0.450], P < 0.001), accounting for 54.6% of the variance in meaning in life. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight that family resilience and perceived social support should be enhanced for BC patients to improve their meaning in life. In particular, the association between family resilience and meaning in life was positively mediated by perceived social support. Thus, interventions for improving family resilience and perceived social support might be useful in easing psychological distress and improving meaning in life in individuals with BC.

The freeze-thaw cycle exacerbates the ecotoxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics to Secale cereale L. seedlings.

In the context of global climate change, recurrent freeze-thaw cycles (FTC) and concurrent exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs) directly impact crop growth and indirectly affect resilience to abiotic stress. In January 2023, experiments at the Environmental Biology Laboratory, Jilin University, Changchun, China, exposed rye seedlings to 100 nm PSNPs at concentrations of 0, 10, 50, and 100 mg/L for seven days, followed by three FTC. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrated that PSNPs migrated from the roots to the leaves, with FTC significantly exacerbating their accumulation within plant tissues. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations showed that FTC disrupted normal cell division, and combined stress from NPs damaged plant organs, particularly chloroplasts, thereby substantially inhibiting photosynthesis. FTC delayed plant phenological stages. Under combined stress, malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation in plant tissues increased by 15.6%, while hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content decreased. Simultaneously, the activities of peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) increased by 34.2% and 38.6%, respectively. Molecular docking unveiled that PSNPs could bind to the active center of POD/CAT through hydrogen bonding or hydrophobic interactions. The Integrated Biomarker Response (IBR) index highlighted FTC as a crucial determinant for pronounced effects. Moreover, an apparent dose-dependent effect was observed, with antioxidant enzyme activities in rye seedlings induced by low pollutant concentrations and inhibited by high concentrations. These results indicate that FTC and PSNPs can disrupt plant membrane systems and cause severe oxidative damage. Overall, this study provides compelling scientific evidence of the risks associated with NPs exposure in plants subjected to abiotic stress.

Biopolymer Hydrogel-Based Salt-Resistant Evaporator for Solar-Energy-Driven Desalination and Water Purification.

Interfacial solar steam generation (ISSG) has recently received much attention as a low-carbon-footprint and high-energy-efficient strategy for seawater desalination and wastewater treatment. However, achieving the goals of a high evaporation rate, ecofriendliness, and high tolerance to salt ions in brine remains a bottleneck. Herein, a novel hydrogel-based evaporator for effective solar desalination was synthesized on the basis of sodium alginate (SA) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) incorporating a carbon nanotube (CNT)-wrapped melamine sponge (MS) through a simple dipping-drying-cross-linking process. The hydrogel-based evaporator reaches a high evaporation rate of 2.18 kg m-2 h-1 in 3.5 wt % brine under 1 sun irradiation. Furthermore, it demonstrated excellent salt ion rejection in high-concentration salt water. Simultaneously, it exhibits excellent purification functionality toward heavy metals and organic dyes. This study provides a simple and efficient strategy for seawater desalination and wastewater treatment.

The influence of stress on mental health among Chinese college students: The moderating role of psychological suzhi.

Depending on its duration, stress can be divided into chronic and acute stress, both of which can be detrimental to an individual's mental health. Psychological suzhi may act as a protective factor that buffers the adverse effects of stress. This study aimed to explore the moderating role of psychological suzhi in the relationship between these two types of stress and mental health based on a dual-factor model of mental health. Study 1 explored the moderating role of psychological suzhi on the relationship between chronic stress and mental health using the Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Check List, College Student Psychological Suzhi Scale Brief Mental Health Version, Satisfaction With Life Scale, and 12-item General Health Questionnaire to investigate 919 Chinese college students. A hierarchical regression model was used to examine the moderating effects. Study 2 examined the moderating role of psychological suzhi on the relationship between acute stress and mental health. Participants (N = 56) were classified into high (N = 30) and low (N = 26) psychological suzhi groups based on the Psychological Suzhi Scale. They completed the Trier Social Stress Test for Groups and a specific control condition, and their state anxiety and happiness levels were assessed. Data were analyzed using a mixed-design repeated-measures ANOVA. The results of Study 1 revealed that psychological suzhi moderated the influence of chronic stress on the negative indicator of mental health (psychological symptoms) (ß = -0.18, t = -6.90, p < 0.001). The results of Study 2 showed that psychological suzhi moderated the effect of acute stress on the negative indicator of mental health (state anxiety) [F (1, 54) = 4.79, p < 0.05, η2 = 0.08]. Psychological suzhi can moderate the influence of both chronic and acute stress on the negative indicators of college students' mental health but cannot moderate the influence on the positive indicators of mental health.

Prevalence and influencing factors of post-traumatic stress disorder among Chinese healthcare workers during the COVID-19 epidemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder is an important psychological problem affecting the physical mental health of Chinese healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aims: To estimate the prevalence and influencing factors of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Chinese healthcare workers during COVID-19. Methods: Search of Chinese and English literature in PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, Medline, Elsevier, SpringerLink, China Biomedical Literature Database, CNKI, Wan-fang, and CQVIP for the period from December 2019 to August 2023. Stata 14.0 software was used for data analysis. The methodological quality of each study was scored, and data were extracted from the published reports. Pooled prevalence was estimated using the Random-effects model. Publication bias was evaluated using Egger's test and Begg's test. Results: Twenty-one studies included 11841 Chinese healthcare workers in this review. First, the overall prevalence of Post-traumatic stress disorder among Chinese healthcare workers during the COVID-19 epidemic was 29.2% (95% CI: 20.7% to 33.7%). Twelve factors included in the meta-analysis were found to be protective against PTSD among Chinese healthcare workers: female, nurse, married, front-line work, less work experience, family or friend diagnosed with COVID-19, history of chronic disease and fear of COVID-19. Conversely, outside Hubei, higher education, social support and psychological resilience are protective factors. Conclusion: These recent findings increase our understanding of the psychological status of Chinese healthcare workers and encourage that long-term monitoring and long-term interventions should be implemented to improve the mental health of Chinese healthcare workers in the aftermath of the COVID-19.

Impact of sleep duration and sleep disturbances on the incidence of dementia and Alzheimer's disease: A 10-year follow-up study.

The nature of the relationship between sleep problems and dementia remains unclear. This study investigated the relationship between sleep measures and dementia in older adults (≥ 65) using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) and further investigated the causal association in Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. In total of 7,223 individuals, 5.7 % developed dementia (1.7 % Alzheimer's disease (AD)) within an average of 8 (± 2.9) years. Cox regression models and MR were employed. Long sleep duration (>8 h) was associated with 64 % increased risk of incident dementia and 2-fold high risk of AD compared to ideal sleep duration (7-8 h). This association was particularly evident in older-older adults (≥70 years) and those who consumed alcohol. Short sleep duration (<7 h) was associated with lower risk of incident dementia among older-older but higher risk among younger-older adults. Sleep disturbances and perceived sleep quality were not associated with dementia or AD. The MR study did not reveal causal associations between sleep duration and dementia. These findings suggest that self-reported short sleep in younger-older and long sleep in older-older adults and those with frequent alcohol consumption are associated with dementia. Early detection of these sleep patterns may help identify individuals at higher dementia risk.

Metabolome and Transcriptome Analysis Revealed the Basis of the Difference in Antioxidant Capacity in Different Tissues of Citrus reticulata 'Ponkan'.

Citrus is an important type of fruit, with antioxidant bioactivity. However, the variations in the antioxidant ability of different tissues in citrus and its metabolic and molecular basis remain unclear. Here, we assessed the antioxidant capacities of 12 tissues from Citrus reticulata 'Ponkan', finding that young leaves and root exhibited the strongest antioxidant capacity. Secondary metabolites accumulated differentially in parts of the citrus plant, of which flavonoids were enriched in stem, leaf, and flavedo; phenolic acids were enriched in the albedo, while coumarins were enriched in the root, potentially explaining the higher antioxidant capacities of these tissues. The spatially specific accumulation of metabolites was related to the expression levels of biosynthesis-related genes such as chalcone synthase (CHS), chalcone isomerase (CHI), flavone synthase (FNS), O-methyltransferase (OMT), flavonoid-3'-hydroxylase (F3'H), flavonoid-6/8-hydroxylase (F6/8H), p-coumaroyl CoA 2'-hydroxylase (C2'H), and prenyltransferase (PT), among others, in the phenylpropane pathway. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) identified modules associated with flavonoids and coumarin content, among which we identified an OMT involved in coumarin O-methylation, and related transcription factors were predicted. Our study identifies key genes and metabolites influencing the antioxidant capacity of citrus, which could contribute to the enhanced understanding and utilization of bioactive citrus components.

Advances in the Application of Transition-Metal Composite Nanozymes in the Field of Biomedicine.

Due to the limitation that natural peroxidase enzymes can only function in relatively mild environments, nanozymes have expanded the application of enzymology in the biological field by dint of their ability to maintain catalytic oxidative activity in relatively harsh environments. At the same time, the development of new and highly efficient composite nanozymes has been a challenge due to the limitations of monometallic particles in applications and the inherently poor enzyme-mimetic activity of composite nanozymes. The inherent enzyme-mimicking activity is due to Au, Ag, and Pt, along with other transition metals. Moreover, the nanomaterials exhibit excellent enzyme-mimicking activity when composited with other materials. Therefore, this paper focuses on composite nanozymes with simulated peroxidase activity that have been prepared using noble metals such as Au, Ag, and Pt and other transition metal nanoparticles in recent years. Their simulated enzymatic activity is utilized for biomedical applications such as glucose detection, cancer cell detection and tumor treatment, and antibacterial applications.

Study on the thawing characteristics of beef in ultrasound combined with plasma-activated water.

The effects of deionized water thawing (DT), plasma-activated water thawing (PT), ultrasound (150 W, 40 kHz) combined with deionized water thawing (UDT), and ultrasound combined with plasma-activated water thawing (UPT) on the thawing characteristics and the physicochemical properties of the beef were investigated. The results showed that the UPT group had a faster thawing rate (38 % higher compared to the PT group) and good bactericidal ability (75 % higher compared to the UDT group), and had no adverse effect on the color and pH value of the beef. Plasma-activated water (PAW) can maintain the stability of the beef fiber, improve the water holding capacity (WHC), inhibit lipid oxidation, and reduce the loss of soluble substances such as protein. Therefore, UPT thawing is a promising meat thawing technology, which provides practical guidance and methods for the wide application of UPT in the field of meat thawing.

Progress of stimulus responsive nanosystems for targeting treatment of bacterial infectious diseases.

In recent decades, due to insufficient concentration at the lesion site, low bioavailability and increasingly serious resistance, antibiotics have become less and less dominant in the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases. It promotes the development of efficient drug delivery systems, and is expected to achieve high absorption, targeted drug release and satisfactory therapy effects. A variety of endogenous stimulation-responsive nanosystems have been constructed by using special infection microenvironments (pH, enzymes, temperature, etc.). In this review, we firstly provide an extensive review of the current research progress in antibiotic treatment dilemmas and drug delivery systems. Then, the mechanism of microenvironment characteristics of bacterial infected lesions was elucidated to provide a strong theoretical basis for bacteria-targeting nanosystems design. In particular, the discussion focuses on the design principles of single-stimulus and dual-stimulus responsive nanosystems, as well as the use of endogenous stimulus-responsive nanosystems to deliver antimicrobial agents to target locations for combating bacterial infectious diseases. Finally, the challenges and prospects of endogenous stimulus-responsive nanosystems were summarized.

Advances in the application of metal oxide nanozymes in tumor detection and treatment.

Natural enzymes play an important role to support the regular life activities of the human body. However, the application conditions of natural enzymes are harsh and there are limitations in their use. As artificial enzymes, nanozymes possess the substrate specificity of natural enzymes. Due to the advantages of low cost, good stability and strong catalytic properties, nanozymes hold a wide range of applications in the fields of sensing, chemical, food and medicine. Some of the more common ones are noble metal nanozymes, metal oxide nanozymes and carbon-based nanozymes. Among them, metal oxide nanozymes have attracted much attention because of their decent fixity, exceedingly good physicochemical properties and other advantages. Today, malignant tumors pose a great danger to the human body and are a serious threat to human health. However, traditional treatments have more side effects, and finding new treatment modalities is particularly important for tumor treatment. For example, enzyme therapy can be used to catalyze reactions in the body to achieve tumor treatment. Nanozymes can exert enzymatic activity and effectively treat malignant tumors through catalysis and synergy, and have made certain progress. This paper reviews the detection and application of metal oxide nanozymes in tumor detection and treatment in recent years and provides an outlook on their future application and development.

LncRNA JHDM1D-AS1 promotes osteogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament cells by targeting miR-532-5p to activate IGF1R signaling.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the mechanism underlying periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs) osteogenic differentiation. BACKGROUND: Periodontitis causes damage to tooth-supporting apparatus and eventually leads to tooth loss. PDLCs hold great promise in periodontal regeneration due to their osteogenic features. METHODS: The expression of osteogenic markers, lncRNA JHDM1D-AS1, miR-532-5p and IGF1R was examined. For osteogenic differentiation, primary human PDLCs (hPDLCs) were cultured in an osteogenic medium, and it was assessed by ALP activity and Alizarin Red staining. The interaction between JHDM1D-AS1, miR-532-5p and IGF1R was analyzed via dual luciferase, RIP and RNA pull-down assays. RESULTS: JHDM1D-AS1 was up-regulated during osteogenic differentiation and its silencing inhibited hPDLC osteogenic differentiation. JHDM1D-AS1 worked as a miR-532-5p sponge in hPDLCs. miR-532-5p directly targeted IGF1R to suppress its expression, and miR-532-5p knockdown facilitated osteogenic differentiation of hPDLCs. Overexpression of IGF1R promoted osteogenic differentiation of hPDLCs via activating Notch/HES1 signaling in hPDLCs. CONCLUSION: JHDM1D-AS1 promotes osteogenic differentiation of hPDLCs via sponging miR-532-5p to facilitate IGF1R expression and activate Notch/HES1 signaling.

Dentoperiodontal and skeletal changes induced by miniscrew-assisted rapid maxillary expansion (C-expander) treatment in adults: A retrospective clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to evaluate the dental periodontal and skeletal response to ≥5 mm of expansion width achieved by C-expander treatment with posterior miniscrews placed between the first and second molars in adults. METHODS: A total of 28 patients aged 21.91 ± 3.20 years with maxillary transverse deficiency underwent C-expander treatment. Anterior miniscrews were positioned between the first and second premolars, whereas posterior miniscrews were positioned between the first and second molars. Cone-beam computed tomography records were obtained before expansion and 3 months after expansion. The dental periodontal and skeletal changes for all patients were recorded. RESULTS: The C-expander treatment expanded the palatal suture with slight buccal alveolar bone inclination. An increase in the nasal cavity width and a greater increase in the maxillary base bone width were observed after maxillary expansion. The expansion at the posterior nasal spine (3.78 mm) was approximately 85.7% of that at the anterior nasal spine (4.41 mm). No significant buccal dehiscence occurred after expansion, whereas the mesiobuccal alveolar bone thickness of the first molars was decreased at the 8 mm level with respect to the cementoenamel junction. The first molar showed decreased inclination (right, -0.45°; left, -0.38°, P >0.05), whereas the expansion at the apical level was less than that at the crown level. Age and the skeletal/dental expansion ratio had no discernible relationship. CONCLUSIONS: Miniscrew-assisted C-expander treatment can be effective for adults with maxillary transverse deficiency. Rearward placement of the miniscrews may create an approximately parallel expansion. Most maxillary expansion was derived from skeletal expansion with slight alveolar bone buccal inclination.

Bio-based alginate and Si-, P- and N-containing compounds cooperate toward flame-retardant modification of polyester fabrics.

Imparting flame retardancy to polyester fabrics is still a pressing issue for the textile industry. To this end, a composite coating was developed by phosphite, pentamethyldisiloxane, urea and sodium alginate, and then applied together with calcium chloride to prepare flame-retardant polyester fabrics. The optimized polyester fabrics named PF-HUSC exhibited a rough surface with P, Si, N and Ca element distributions, as observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX). Flame retardancy evaluations showed that the damaged length of PF-HUSC with a limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of 35.3 ± 0.3 % was reduced from the contrastive 17.6 ± 0.4 cm to 4.6 ± 0.2 cm after vertical burning test. Thermogravimetric (TG) test confirmed that PF-HUSC retained a char residue as high as 35.1 % at 700 °C. Cone calorimetry test displayed that the total heat release (THR) and total smoke production (TSP) values of PF-HUSC were reduced to 3.1 MJ/m2 and 1.1 m2, respectively, as compared to those of pure polyester fabrics. More importantly, PF-HUSC still exhibited higher LOI value than that of pure polyester fabrics after 25 washing cycles. Hence, the coating scheme is considered as a new method to expand the preparation of flame-retardant polyester fabrics.

Influence of electrohydrodynamics on the drying characteristics and volatile components of iron stick yam.

The drying characteristics, rehydration capacity, color, infrared spectra and volatile components of iron stick yam slices were investigated under different alternating current (AC) voltages (13, 17, 21 kV), hot air drying (HAD) (60 °C) and natural drying (AD) by electrohydrodynamic (EHD) drying and HAD experimental devices. The results showed that slices of iron stick yam dried the quickest with HAD, which also had the fastest drying rate; while drying the slices of iron stick yam with EHD led to a better rehydration capacity, higher brightness L* and whiteness, a more stable protein secondary structure, and a greater variety and content of volatile components compared with AD and HAD. These finding indicated that EHD is a more promising method for drying iron stick yam.

Influence of electrohydrodynamics on the drying characteristics and physicochemical properties of garlic.

Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) drying, natural air drying (AD) and hot air drying (HAD) were used to comprehensively study the drying characteristics and physicochemical properties of garlic, and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and other technologies were used as detection methods. In terms of drying characteristics, HAD has the largest effective diffusion coefficient of moisture and the shortest average drying time. EHD-treated garlic slices had the most attractive color, the highest rehydration rate, the most stable cell structure, the highest content of active ingredients, and the most stable protein secondary structure. Therefore, electrohydrodynamic drying is a promising garlic slice drying technology and provides an effective method for the large-scale production of high-quality garlic.

Pharmacokinetic study and preliminary evaluation of safety and efficacy of the recombinant human monoclonal antibodies against rabies virus (rhRIG) in Chinese healthy population: A randomized, single-blinded, placebo-controlled phase Ia clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Passive immune agents play an important role in the prevention of rabies following exposure. This trial investigated the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of recombinant human monoclonal antibodies against rabies virus (rhRIG). METHOD: This clinical trial was conducted on healthy Chinese adults. The subjects were enrolled into three dosage groups. The safety of the drug was assessed, and the blood concentration of the monoclonal antibody (NM57) and the neutralizing antibody levels were measured. RESULTS: The rhRIG presented favorable safety and tolerability.The subjects in the low(10 IU/kg), medium(20 IU/kg), and high(40 IU/kg) dosage groups reported the Cmax of 87.15 ± 18.86, 210.92 ± 77.5, and 394.11 ± 134.98 ng/ml, respectively, and the AUC0-t of 2115.8 ± 791.3, 6064 ± 1890, and 10735.6 ± 4090 ng/mL*d, and the T1/2 z of 15.82 ± 3.03, 15.96 ± 2.37, and 14.34 ± 3.84 d. The Tmax of neutralizing antibody levels in the serum was about 10d (5-14d). The detectable rate of neutralizing antibody levels in the medium dosage group was close to that in the high dosage group and higher than that in the low dosage group. CONCLUSIONS: The 10-40IU/kg rhRIG was well tolerated by the participants. The results of the pharmacokinetic analysis were consistent with the characteristics of linear elimination. The neutralizing antibody levels was positively correlated with the dosage of rhRIG.

Interactive association between insomnia symptoms and sleep duration for the risk of dementia-a prospective study in the Swedish National March Cohort.

OBJECTIVE: Given the importance of sleep in maintaining neurocognitive health, both sleep duration and quality might be component causes of dementia. However, the possible role of insomnia symptoms as risk factors for dementia remain uncertain. METHODS: We prospectively studied 22,078 participants in the Swedish National March Cohort who were free from dementia and stroke at baseline. Occurrence of dementia was documented by national registers during a median follow-up period of 19.2 years. Insomnia symptoms and sleep duration were ascertained by Karolinska Sleep Questionnaire. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Compared to participants without insomnia at baseline, those who reported any insomnia symptom experienced a greater incidence of dementia during follow-up (HR 1.08, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.35). Difficulty initiating sleep versus non-insomnia (HR 1.24, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.52), but not difficulty maintaining sleep or early morning awakening was associated with an increased risk of dementia. Short sleep duration was associated with increased risk of dementia (6 h vs. 8 h, HR 1.29, 95% CI: 1.11-1.51; 5 h vs. 8 h, HR 1.26, 95% CI: 1.00-1.57). Stratified analyses suggested that insomnia symptoms increased the risk of dementia only amongst participants with ≥7 h sleep (vs. non-insomnia HR 1.24, 95% CI: 1.00-1.54, P = 0.05), but not amongst short sleepers (<7 h). Short sleep duration also did not further inflate the risk of dementia amongst insomniacs. CONCLUSION: Insomnia and short sleep duration increase the risk of dementia amongst middle-aged to older adults.

Influence of chronic diseases on the occurrence of depression: A 13-year follow-up study from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe.

The causal association between chronic diseases and depression remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the effects of types and number of chronic diseases on the risk of depression using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). A self-admitted questionnaire was used to obtain data on 14 predefined chronic diseases and the European-Depression Scale (EURO-D) was used to assess depression. Among the 16,080 baseline depression-free participants aged 50+, 31.29% (5032) developed depression over 13 years. Multivariate Cox regression models showed that individuals with any chronic diseases were at higher risk of new onset depression compared to disease-free participants. The risk of new onset depression increased with an increasing number of diseases among both younger (50-64) and older (65+) adults. Individuals with heart attack, stroke, diabetes, chronic lung disease, and arthritis were at increased risk of depression across age groups. However, some age-specific associations were observed, with cancer increasing depression risk among younger- and peptic ulcer, Parkinson's disease and cataracts increasing depression risk among older adults. These findings highlight the importance of managing chronic diseases, especially among those with more than two diseases, to prevent the development of depression among middle-aged and older adults.