Association between angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor-induced cough and the risk of lung cancer: a Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Observational studies and meta-analyses have demonstrated a positive correlation between the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and lung cancer. However, the findings remain controversial; furthermore, the relationship between ACEI-induced cough and lung cancer development remains unknown. We used Mendelian randomization (MR) to verify the association between ACEI use, ACEI-induced cough, and the risk of lung cancer. Methods: We performed a two-sample MR analysis to determine the unconfounded relationships between ACE inhibition, which mimics the effects of ACEIs, and genetic proxies for ACEI-induced cough and lung cancer. Single nucleotide polymorphisms that imitate ACE receptors and ACEI-induced cough were collected and integrated into a meta-analysis of existing genome-wide association studies for various lung cancers. The relationship was quantified using inverse variance weighting, weighted median, and MR-Egger methods. Results: A statistically significant association was observed between ACE inhibition and the risk of small cell lung cancer for Europeans (excluding rs118121655/rs80311894). Associations were identified between ACEI-induced cough and the risk of lung cancer for Europeans, although not for Asians, and between ACEI-induced cough and lung adenocarcinoma (excluding rs360206). Conclusion: Our findings reveal a relationship between ACE inhibition and lung cancer development, as well as a significant association between ACEI-induced cough and a higher risk of lung cancer for Europeans. Patients with hypertension who experience dry cough as a side effect of ACEI use should consider switching to an alternative antihypertensive treatment.

Using the C-Read as a Portable Device to Evaluate Reading Ability in Young Chinese Adults: An Observational Study.

We evaluated the reading characteristics of normal-sighted young adults using C-Read to provide baseline healthy population values. We also investigated the relationship between the National Eye Institute's Visual Functioning Questionnaire (VFQ-25) score and reading ability, myopia, and hours of screen use, focusing on the extent to which these factors affect participants' visual function and, ultimately, their vision-related quality of life (QoL). Overall, 207 young, healthy participants (414 eyes) aged 18-35 years were tested for reading speed using C-Read connected to a smartphone-based application between December 2022 and January 2023. Each participant received a VFQ-25 questionnaire to evaluate vision-related QoL. Data on daily e-screen usage hours were collected. Among the participants, 91 (44.0%) were women; their mean (SD) age was 22.45 (4.01) years. The mean (SD) reading acuity (RA) was 0.242 (0.124), 0.249 (0.120), and 0.193 (0.104) logarithmic minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) for the right, left, and both eyes, respectively. The mean (SD) maximum reading speed (MRS) was 171.65 (46.27), 168.59 (45.68), and 185.16 (44.93) words per minute (wpm) with the right, left, and both eyes, respectively. The mean (SD) critical print size (CPS) was 0.412 (0.647), 0.371 (0.229), and 0.419 (1.05) logMAR per the right, left, and both eyes, respectively. The RA and CPS were significantly different between sexes (p = 0.002 and p = 0.001). MRS was significantly different between the education level (p = 0.005) and myopia level groups (p = 0.010); however, it was not clear whether this difference was confounded by age. The myopic power in diopters significantly affected RA (coefficient, -0.012; 95% CI, -0.018 to -0.006; p = 0.001); screen time significantly affected MRS (coefficient, 0.019; 95% CI, 0.57 to 6.33; p = 0.019). RA (coefficient, -21.41; 95% CI, -33.74 to -9.08; p = 0.001) and duration of screen use (coefficient, -0.86; 95% CI, -1.29 to -0.43; p < 0.001) independently had a significantly negative correlation with VFQ-25 scores. Our findings provide a baseline value for C-Read in normal-sighted young adults. Refractive status significantly affected RA, while screen time significantly affected MRS. Interventions aimed at enhancing RA may have the potential to maximize vision-related QoL and enable older adults with impaired vision to achieve greater outcomes. Future, larger-scale, C-Read experiments will help provide newer, more optimal methods for the early diagnosis of visual impairment.

Association between angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and the risk of lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The association between the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and lung cancer risk remains controversial. This study evaluated the association between the use of ACEIs and lung cancer risk. METHODS: Records from five databases were searched from inception to 26 January 2022. Clinical studies involving persons aged ≥18 years with at least one year of follow-up and reporting adverse events, including lung cancer, were recorded with separate outcome reports supplied for the ACEIs and control groups. Data were extracted independently by three authors and pooled using a random-effects model. The primary outcome was lung cancer development. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and lung cancer-related morbidity were calculated. RESULTS: Of 2400 records screened, 13,061,226 patients were included from seven cohort studies and four case-control studies. Pooled results showed that ACEIs use was linked to increased lung cancer risk (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.05-1.36; P = 0.008), with high heterogeneity (I2 = 98%). CONCLUSIONS: ACEI usage is a greater risk factor for lung carcinogenesis than angiotensin receptor blocker use, especially in Asian patients. Further randomised controlled trials are needed to confirm the causal association between the use of ACEIs and lung cancer risk.

Screening of primary open-angle glaucoma diagnostic markers based on immune-related genes and immune infiltration.

PURPOSE: Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) continues to be a poorly understood disease. Although there were multiple researches on the identification of POAG biomarkers, few studies systematically revealed the immune-related cells and immune infiltration of POAG. Bioinformatics analyses of optic nerve (ON) and trabecular meshwork (TM) gene expression data were performed to further elucidate the immune-related genes of POAG and identify candidate target genes for treatment. METHODS: We performed a gene analysis of publicly available microarray data, namely, the GSE27276-GPL2507, GSE2378-GPL8300, GSE9944-GPL8300, and GSE9944-GPL571 datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The obtained datasets were used as input for parallel pathway analyses. Based on random forest and support vector machine (SVM) analysis to screen the key genes, significantly changed pathways were clustered into functional categories, and the results were further investigated. CIBERSORT was used to evaluate the infiltration of immune cells in POAG tissues. A network visualizing the differences between the data in the POAG and normal groups was created. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed using the Metascape database. We divided the differentially expressed mRNAs into upregulated and downregulated groups and predicted the drug targets of the differentially expressed genes through the Connectivity Map (CMap) database. RESULTS: A total of 49 differentially expressed genes, including 19 downregulated genes and 30 upregulated genes, were detected. Five genes ((Keratin 14) KRT14, (Hemoglobin subunit beta) HBB, (Acyl-CoA Oxidase 2) ACOX2, (Hephaestin) HEPH and Keratin 13 (KRT13)) were significantly changed. The results showed that the expression profiles of drug disturbances, including those for avrainvillamide-analysis-3, cytochalasin-D, NPI-2358, oxymethylone and vinorelbine, were negatively correlated with the expression profiles of disease disturbances. This finding indicated that these drugs may reduce or even reverse the POAG disease state. CONCLUSION: This study provides an overview of the processes involved in the molecular pathogenesis of POAG in the ON and TM. The findings provide a new understanding of the molecular mechanism of POAG from the perspective of immunology.