Gender differences in the relationship between nicotine exposure and symptoms of depression.

BACKGROUND: Tobacco-derived nicotine exposure is linked to depression. However, the associations of nicotine and its metabolites with symptoms of depression, particularly concerning gender differences, remain underexplored. METHODS: The characteristics and total nicotine equivalents (TNE) of 1001 subjects were determined. The association between the TNE and symptoms of depression, accounting for gender differences, was investigated using generalized linear models and subgroup analyses. RESULTS: Men exhibited significantly greater levels of the nicotine exposure indicators TNE2, TNE3, TNE6, and TNE7 (P < 0.005). A significantly greater percentage of women (23.45 %) than men (9.81 %) exhibited symptoms of depression (P < 0.0001). In women, the relationship between the TNE and depression was reflected by a U-shaped curve with significant inflection points, particularly for TNE3, TNE6, and TNE7. Furthermore, in women, concentrations above 48.98 nmol/mL for TNE3, 53.70 nmol/mL for TNE6, and 57.54 nmol/mL for TNE7 were associated with 154 %, 145 %, and 138 % increases in the risk of depression, respectively. In contrast, these associations did not reach significance among men. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional design limits the ability to infer causality between nicotine exposure and depressive symptoms. Larger-scale studies are needed to confirm these findings. CONCLUSIONS: Gender could be a significant factor influencing the relationship between nicotine exposure levels and symptoms of depression. The impact of nicotine exposure on symptoms of depression should be particularly considered among women. IMPLICATIONS: This study revealed the complex relationship between tobacco-related nicotine exposure and depressive symptoms, with a particular focus on gender differences. Our results revealed a distinct U-shaped correlation between total nicotine equivalents and depression in women, which differed from that in men. These findings emphasize the importance of tailoring clinical approaches to address nicotine exposure and manage depressive symptoms based on gender.

Association Between Different Inflammatory Markers and Generalized Abdominal Obesity: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PURPOSE: Inflammation is strongly correlated with obesity. However, very few studies have reported associations between novel inflammatory markers, such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), C-reactive protein (CRP), and C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR), and different obesity types. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the associations of these inflammatory markers with generalized and abdominal obesity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study included data from 2015 to 2018 obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to determine the associations between different inflammatory biomarkers and obesity. The discriminative capacities of the markers for obesity types were depicted using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, with corresponding area under the curve (AUC) metrics quantifying this discrimination. RESULTS: After adjusting for confounding variables, generalized obesity was found to be positively associated with an increased risk of NLR by 35%, SII by 52%, CRP by 941%, and CAR by 925%, compared with the reference groups. In the model, the CRP concentration and CAR demonstrated high AUC values of 0.690 and 0.889, respectively, for the identification of generalized and abdominal obesity (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study revealed associations between obesity and inflammatory biomarkers, such as the NLR, SII, CRP, and CAR. CRP is the most sensitive marker for generalized obesity, while CAR shows the strongest association with abdominal obesity. These findings suggest that inflammatory biomarkers may be useful for assessing and managing obesity-related health concerns.