Does vitamin D have a potential role in precocious puberty? A meta-analysis.

Background: Precocious puberty, one of the common pediatric endocrine system diseases, has been related to reduced adult height, adverse psychological outcomes and long-term health consequences. Previous findings have found that low levels of vitamin D appear to be associated with the characteristics of precocious puberty such as early menarche. However, the effect of vitamin D on precocious puberty remains controversial. Methods: The published literature was searched from PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CNKI, Wan Fang and VIP databases up to October 2022. A randomized effect model was used to perform a meta-analysis to evaluate differences in vitamin D concentration between precocious puberty subjects and normal subjects, the risk of precocious puberty in subjects with low vitamin D levels, and the effect of supplementation of vitamin D on subjects with precocious puberty on medication. Results: Our study found that precocious puberty subjects had lower serum vitamin D levels than the normal population (standardized mean difference (SMD) = -1.16 ng ml-1 and 95% confidence interval (CI) = -1.41 and -0.91 ng ml-1). Meanwhile, the lower level of vitamin D was associated with the risk of precocious puberty (odd ratio (OR) = 2.25 and 95% CI = 1.66 and 3.04). Moreover, compared with gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue (GnRHa) intervention alone, subjects receiving GnRHa + vitamin D intervention had significantly lower luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and estradiol levels and bone age, and higher predicted adult height (PAH). Conclusions: Vitamin D may have a potential role in precocious puberty and more data from large clinical trials are needed to confirm the findings.

Can Artificial Sweeteners Increase the Risk of Cancer Incidence and Mortality: Evidence from Prospective Studies.

Cancer has become a major challenge in the global disease burden. Artificial sweeteners are a class of chemical compounds that are used as food and beverage addition agent to replace sugar. However, the health effects of consuming artificial sweeteners are still unclear. This meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the role of artificial sweeteners on cancer. The databases PubMed, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Web of Science and EMBASE were searched up until July 2022. A Newcastle−Ottawa scale (NOS) was used to estimate the study quality. A total of 25 observational studies were included with a total of 3,739,775 subjects. The intake of artificial sweeteners had no apparent association with overall cancer incidence and mortality. However, in Europe, artificial sweeteners' intake could increase the risk of cancer incidence (HR/RR = 1.07, 95% CI = [1.02, 1.12], I2 = 25.8%, P = 0.223), which appears to be related to a shift in nutritional behaviors in the countries. Significant results were also observed in subgroups with aspartame and a mixed intake of artificial sweeteners. Moreover, higher risk was observed for artificial sweeteners intake in all-cause mortality (HR/RR =1.13, 95% CI = [1.03, 1.25], I2 = 79.7%, p < 0.001) and a J-shaped association between them was found. More data from well-conducted studies and clinical trials are required.

Efficacy and Safety of Four Different Endoscopic Treatments for Early Esophageal Cancer: a Network Meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Cap-assisted endoscopic mucosal resection (EMRC), ligation-assisted endoscopic mucosal resection (EMRL), endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), and multiband mucosectomy (MBM) are used for treating early esophageal cancer patients. Our aim was to compare the efficacy and safety of four different endoscopic treatments. METHODS: Electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Web of Science) were systematically searched to include relevant studies published from database inception until February 15, 2021. There were no date or language restrictions. Data related to study such as characteristics, methods, outcomes, and risks of bias were extracted by two reviewers. RESULTS: A total of 11 articles with 1880 patients were included. The results of the network meta-analysis showed that ESD was a better choice considering the efficacy of en bloc resection rate (surface under the cumulative ranking curves (SUCRA) = ESD: 99.5%, EMRC: 26.5%, MBM: 24.1%) and local recurrence rate (SUCRA = EMRC: 95.6%, MBM: 42.9%, ESD: 11.6%). MBM had a lower rate of side effects compared to the other treatments: perforation rate (SUCRA = ESD: 100%, EMRC: 48.1%, MBM: 1.9%), stricture rate (SUCRA = ESD: 99.8%, MBM: 40.8%, EMRC: 9.4%), and bleeding rate (SUCRA = EMRC: 69.4%, ESD: 62.2%, EMRL: 61.6%, MBM: 6.8%). MBM also had the shortest operation time and smallest diameter of the specimens. CONCLUSION: The MBM endoscopic treatment was recommended for early esophageal cancer patients, but considering the increase in lesion size, ESD would be better.

Associations between Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation and Anti-Inflammatory Effects in Patients with Digestive System Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: Patients with digestive system cancer frequently over-express inflammatory cytokines after surgical operations or chemotherapy. Omega-3 fatty acids are key nutrients with numerous beneficial anti-inflammatory effects in cancer patients. The anti-inflammatory effect of supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids in patients with digestive system cancer requires further validation.Methods: The meta-analysis includes studies that compared the variations in inflammatory marker (interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and C-reactive protein (IL-6, TNF-α, and CRP)) concentrations between patients with digestive system cancer who were supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids versus controls who were not supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids.Results: Our findings indicated that the variations in the IL-6 and CRP concentrations in patients with digestive system cancer did not differ between the supplementation groups and the controls. Statistically significant differences in the variations in the TNF-α concentrations were observed between the supplementation groups and the controls. However, there were no significant differences in the variations in the TNF-α concentrations according to the subgroup analysis.Conclusions: Omega-3 fatty acids may have an inhibitory effect on postoperative TNF-α elevation in patients with digestive system tumors, but additional supporting data require a large clinical trial.

Association Between Copper, Zinc, Iron, and Selenium Intakes and TC/HDL-C Ratio in US Adults.

The trace minerals zinc, copper, iron, and selenium are essential micronutrients, and because of their antioxidant activity, they are hypothesized to improve cardiovascular health. However, their associations with different risk levels for cardiovascular diseases are less clear. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2014 were used. In this study, the ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TC/HDL-C) was used as a risk marker for cardiovascular disease, and a ratio ≥ 5 was considered to indicate high risk. A total of 7597 adults (3673 men and 3924 women) were included, and 15.9% of the participants had a high risk of cardiovascular disease. Using quantile regression analysis, we found the negative correlation between zinc, copper, iron, and selenium intakes and TC/HDL-C. The effects of copper and zinc were enhanced with increasing quantiles of risk levels. In addition, the difference in the associations of the trace minerals was sex-dependent. The correlation between iron and cardiovascular risk in males was stronger than those in females, while that of copper was weaker than that in females. Moreover, a significant nonlinear relationship between selenium and the TC/HDL-C ratio was only found in females, and this relationship was U-shaped. Our findings suggest that among healthy adults in the US, zinc, copper, iron, and selenium intakes are inversely associated with cardiovascular disease risk, and the effect is enhanced with increasing quantiles of risk levels, with magnitudes differing by sex. Therefore, trace minerals may have the ability to prevent cardiovascular disease.

Association of multiple mineral and vitamin B group intake with blood glucose using quantile regression analysis: NHANES 2007-2014.

BACKGROUND: Hyperglycaemia and diabetes have become major public health problems worldwide. There is increasing evidence that minerals and the vitamin B group might play specific roles in hyperglycaemia and the pathogenesis and progression of diabetes or metabolic complications. OBJECTIVES: The main aim of this study is to investigate the effect of mineral and vitamin B group supplementation on the blood glucose levels of different populations. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2014 were used in this study. A total of 8,322 participants (4,169 men and 4,153 women) were included in the study. Quantile regression (QR) was performed to identify the influence of mineral and vitamin B group intake on the level of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) in individuals in different quantiles of FPG. RESULTS: After adjusting for age, income, education, race, smoking, and alcohol consumption, FPG had a negative association with folic acid in individuals with normal or high FPG, with calcium in individuals with normal FPG, and with magnesium in males. FPG was negatively associated with folic acid and calcium in individuals with normal FPG, and magnesium in most of the quantiles for females. DISCUSSION: Hyperglycaemia and diabetes are currently becoming popular research topics. However, little is known about how the whole continuum of blood glucose is associated with commonly researched nutrient supplementation in terms of hyperglycaemia and diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: The intake of calcium, folic acid and magnesium was negatively associated with blood glucose levels in individuals in different quantiles of FPG. Appropriate prevention and treatment strategies should be developed for people with different blood glucose levels.

Urban-rural differences in related factors of second-hand smoke exposure: a cross-sectional study of adult non-smokers in Northeast China.

BACKGROUND: this study aims to examine the different factors associated with exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) between urban and rural areas and to facilitate a reduction in SHS exposure in Northeast China. METHODS: a multistage stratified random cluster sampling design was used in this 2012 cross-sectional survey in Jilin Province, Northeast China. A total of 13 056 non-smokers were included in this study. The Rao-Scott χ2 test, multiple regression analysis and discriminant function analysis were used. RESULTS: the SHS prevalence among adult non-smokers was 60.2% in urban areas and 61.8% in rural areas. In urban areas, males were more likely to be exposed to SHS, while in rural areas, females were more likely to be exposed to SHS (P < 0.05). Increasing age was a protective factor against SHS exposure both in urban and rural areas (P < 0.05). Tobacco-relevant knowledge was positively associated with SHS exposure. Among urban non-smokers, high education level and engagement in manual work were risk factors for SHS exposure, and retired subjects were less likely to be exposed to SHS (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: non-smokers from urban and rural areas differ in the factors associated with SHS exposure, and urban-rural differentials, especially with regard to gender, should be considered in tobacco control.