Association of formaldehyde concentration with depression risk in US adults: a population-based epidemiology study.

The association of formaldehyde exposure with depression remains unknown. We used the data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2015-2016 to evaluate the association between formaldehyde exposure and depression. Multivariable logistic regressions and restricted cubic spline (RCS) were implemented to examine the association between formaldehyde exposure and depression. A total of 1336 participants were included in the analysis, of which 110 (8.23%) participants were depressed. After adjusting for confounders, a significant association between formaldehyde exposure and depression (OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 1.00-1.02, P = 0.043) was observed. The RCS plot showed a positive association in a linear manner (PNonlinear = 0.109), and the risk began to rise rapidly with concentrations above 129.37 nmol/g HB. The positive association remained in participants with high-intensity physical activity (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.02-1.13, P = 0.003), but not in participants with other physical activities. Moreover, we constructed a novel nomogram to easily estimate the individual-specific probabilities of depression. In conclusion, formaldehyde exposure was associated with an elevated risk of depression, and the effect exhibited differences in participants with different levels of physical activity.

Prenatal Healthy Dietary Patterns Are Associated with Reduced Behavioral Problems of Preschool Children in China: A Latent Class Analysis.

The relation between maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy and offspring behavioral problems is less verified. Therefore, we have aimed to assess the relationship between them and have hypothesized that children of mothers with healthy dietary patterns during pregnancy have better behavior. The 1612 mother-child pairs of the China-Anhui Birth Cohort Study (C-ABCS) have been enrolled as the study population. The dietary behaviors of mothers during early and mid-pregnancy have been investigated using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Preschool child behavioral problems have been assessed. Clusters of maternal food groups intakes have been identified using latent class analysis, and the association between maternal dietary patterns and child behavioral problems has been subsequently analyzed using logistic regression. Maternal age at inclusion is 26.56 ± 3.51 years. There has been a preponderance of boys (53.3%). Maternal food groups intakes have been classified into four groups: "High-consumed pattern (HCP)", "Southern dietary pattern (SDP)", "Northern dietary pattern (NDP)", and "Low-consumed pattern (LCP)". The offspring with maternal SDP and NDP have lower emotional symptoms compared to the offspring with maternal LCP in the first trimester (p < 0.05). It has been reported to lower conduct problems in children with maternal SDP than the children with maternal LCP in the second trimester (p < 0.05). In boys, we have detected associations between first-trimester SDP and lower emotional symptoms (p < 0.05) and between second-trimester SDP with decreased peer relationship problems (p < 0.05). In girls, total difficulty scores are lower with second-trimester SDP (p < 0.05). Maternal SDP in early and mid-pregnancy predicts reduced behavioral problems in preschool children, while maternal HCP and NDP during pregnancy may result in fewer developmental benefits.

Organophosphorus insecticides exposure and sex hormones in general U.S. population: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence showed organophosphorus (OPs) insecticide exposure is common in general population with endocrine-disrupting effects. However, the association between OPs metabolites and sex hormones remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between OPs metabolites and sex hormones. METHODS: Data of 1438 participants from NHANES 2015-2016 was applied. Urinary OPs metabolites, dialkyl phosphates (DAPs), and serum sex hormones (total testosterone (TT), estradiol (E2), and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG)) were measured. Free androgen index (FAI) and TT/E2 ratio were also calculated. The generalized linear regression model and restricted cubic spline (RCS) model were employed to evaluate the association and exposure-response curve of DAPs and sex hormones in males and females. The modulation effect of age on their associations in female participants was also explored. RESULTS: After adjusting for confounding factors, DETP was negatively associated with E2 (ß = -0.03; 95% CI: -0.05, -0.01) and FAI (ß = -0.03; 95% CI: -0.06, -0.001) in males. In females, all the four DAP metabolites (DMP, DEP, DMTP, and DETP) were negatively associated with FAI (DMP: ß = -0.06, 95% CI: -0.11, -0.01; DEP: ß = -0.06, 95% CI: -0.12, -0.01; DMTP: -0.05, 95% CI: -0.09, -0.02; DETP: -0.09, 95% CI: -0.14, -0.04). DETP was also found negatively associated with TT and TT/E2 ratio in females. The associations between DETP and TT, FAI, and TT/E2 ratio were modified by gender (Pinteraction<0.05). RCS analysis found these associations were in linear decreased exposure-response curves. For females of different age groups, the inverse associations of DETP with TT and FAI remained stable. Decreased FAI with DMP and DMTP was also found in females ≤50 years old. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates OPs metabolites had negative associations with androgen indicators, which was characterized as decreased FAI and E2 in males and decreased TT, FAI, and TT/E2 ratio in females, particularly among females ≤50 years old. Further studies are warranted in larger-scale populations.

Prenatal Bisphenol A Exposure and Early Childhood Behavior and Cognitive Function: A Chinese Birth Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: Biomonitoring of bisphenol A (BPA) in human blood is still scarce, although already noticeable. We aimed to examine the associations between prenatal serum BPA concentrations and behavior and cognitive function in preschool children. METHODS: A total of 1,782 mother-child pairs with complete demographic information, blood samples, and psychological measurements were included from the China-Anhui Birth Cohort (C-ABCS). We detected serum BPA concentrations and assessed children's neurodevelopment using a set of psychometric scales. RESULTS: The median prenatal maternal serum BPA concentration was 0.23 (P25, P75: 0.07, 0.52) ng/mL, with a detection frequency of 85.19%. Compared with the girls with the lowest concentrations, those with highest BPA concentrations had increased risks of inhibitory self-control impairment [relative risk (RR) = 3.66, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.53, 7.58], emergent metacognition impairment (RR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.07, 2.78), conduct problem (RR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.12, 2.39), peer relationship problem (RR = 2.57, 95% CI: 1.33, 4.47), higher total difficulties score (RR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.12, 2.67), and higher impact factor score (RR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.11, 2.05), while the boys with the highest prenatal BPA concentrations had an increased risk of conduct problem compared with those with the lowest concentrations (RR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.09, 2.24) (P-interaction = 0.011). After stratification by age, high prenatal BPA concentrations were associated with increased ADHD (RR = 4.44, 95% CI: 1.54, 10.85) among children aged 3 years, not among children aged 4 years. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed the sex-specific and age-specific impacts of prenatal BPA exposure on preschool children's cognitive and behavioral development.

Aberrant default mode network and auditory network underlying the sympathetic skin response of the penis (PSSR) of patients with premature ejaculation: A resting-state fMRI study.

INTRODUCTION: Hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system is considered as an important component involved in the pathological mechanisms of premature ejaculation (PE). However, the neural mechanisms of PE with high sympathetic activity are still not well understood. METHODS: The activity of the sympathetic innervations in the penis was evaluated by the sympathetic skin response of the penis (PSSR) with an electromyograph and evoked potential equipment. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were acquired from 18 PE patients with high sympathetic activity (sPE), 17 PE patients with normal sympathetic activity (nsPE), and 24 healthy controls (HC). We investigated the neural basis of sPE based on the measure of regional homogeneity (ReHo). Moreover, the correlations between brain regions with altered ReHo and PEDT scores and PSSR latencies in the patient group were explored. RESULTS: Altered ReHo values among three groups were found in the temporal, cingulated, and parietal cortex in the default mode network (DMN), as well as the temporal cortex in the auditory network (AUD). Compared with HC, Patients with sPE had increased ReHo values of brain regions in DMN, AUD, and decreased ReHo values of brain regions in DMN. In addition, increased ReHo values were found in DMN of patients with nsPE, while decreased ReHo values were found in DMN and the attention network (AN). Moreover, sPE patients had increased ReHo values in AUD and decreased ReHo values in DMN when compared with nsPE patients. Finally, altered ReHo values of brain regions in DMN and AUD were associated with PEDT scores and PSSR latencies in the patient group. CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that PE patients had abnormal ReHo values in DMN, AUD, and AN. Patients with sPE were characterized by increased neuronal activity in AUD and decreased activity in DMN. This highlighted the significances of DMN, AUD, and AN in the pathophysiology of PE and also provided potential neuroimaging biomarkers for distinguishing sPE from nsPE and HC.

Profiling Analysis Reveals the Crucial Role of the Endogenous Peptides in Bladder Cancer Progression.

BACKGROUND: Peptide drugs provide promising regimes in bladder cancer. In order to identify potential bioactive peptides involved in bladder cancer, we performed the present study. METHODS: Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry assay was used to compare the endogenous peptides between bladder cancer and normal control. The potential biological functions of these dysregulated peptides are assessed by GO analysis and KEGG pathway analysis of their precursors. The SMART and UniProt databases are used to identify the sequences of the dysregulated peptides located in the functional domains. The Open Targets Platform database was used to investigate the precursors related to metabolic diseases. RESULTS: A total of 9 up-regulated peptides and 110 down-regulated peptides in bladder cancer compared with normal control were identified (fold change > 1.2, P < 0.05). The MW of these dysregulated peptides ranged from 500 Da to 2500 Da and the MW of all identified peptides was below 3500 Da. The GO and KEGG pathway analysis indicated that these dysregulated peptides could play an important role in bladder cancer. Our further analysis revealed that 45HFNPRFNAHGDAN 57 derived from LGALS1 and those peptides derived from P4HB and SERPINA1 might be the promising diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets of bladder cancer. CONCLUSION: In the present study, we have identified the profile of the peptides significantly dysregulated in bladder cancer. Moreover, using bioinformatic analysis, we found the peptides derived from LGALS1, P4HB and SERPINA1 could be the promising diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets of bladder cancer.

Long non-coding RNA in bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer (BC) is the ninth most common malignant disease and ranks fourteenth in cancer mortality worldwide. Moreover, among cancers, the incidence and mortality of BC in males increased to the 6th and 9th place, respectively. The overall survival (OS) declines dramatically as the cancer progresses, especially when urothelial cells transition from noninvasive to invasive. It is well known that epithelial cells can acquire invasive properties and a propensity to metastasize through the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in tumourigenesis and progression. However, the potential molecular mechanisms and key pathways are still unclear. As the sequencing technology advances, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been proven to play an important role in regulating biological processes and cellular pathways. Here, we reviewed important lncRNAs, such as H19, UCA1 and MALAT1, that participate in the malignant phenotype of BC and regulate EMT signalling networks in the invasion-metastasis cascade during BC development. We further discuss MALAT1, PCAT-1 and SPRY4-IT1, and also urine and blood exosomal H19 and PTENP as potential noninvasive biomarkers. Moreover, antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and a double-stranded DNA plasmid (BC-819) have been designed for use in preclinical cancer models and clinical trials in patients. Therefore, the results of investigations have gradually prompted the utility of lncRNAs.

Association of maternal folate intake during pregnancy with infant asthma risk.

Several studies assessed the association of maternal folate intake with infant asthma risk, but the findings are controversial. We performed a meta-analysis to clarify the association between maternal folate intake and infant asthma risk. PubMed and SCOPUS databases were searched for related studies published until August 2018. Fixed-effects models were applied to pool relative risks (RRs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) due to the low heterogeneity. We also adopted generalized least-squares trend (GLST) estimation for the dose-response analysis. In our study, a total of 10 studies with maternal folate intake and 5 studies with blood folate concentration were included. We found that maternal folate intake during pregnancy was significantly related to the risk of infant asthma (RR = 1.11; 95% CI = 1.06-1.17). Similar results were found for geographic region from Europe (RR = 1.08; 95% CI = 1.01-1.16) and North America (RR = 1.20; 95% CI = 1.11-1.30) in subgroup analyses. Meanwhile, the dose-response analysis showed a linear relationship between maternal folic acid intake during pregnancy and infant asthma risk. This meta-analysis indicates that maternal folate intake during pregnancy could increase infant asthma risk. Therefore, the adverse effect of folic acid on infant asthma should not be ignored when it is supplemented during pregnancy to prevent birth defects.

Effects of Prenatal Phthalate Exposure on Thyroid Hormone Concentrations Beginning at The Embryonic Stage.

Limited studies have consistently shown an association of phthalates exposure with thyroid hormones (THs) in pregnant women. However, it remains unknown on which specific phthalates can affect THs and whether any effects could differ by gestational age. In the present study, we investigated associations between serum concentrations of phthalate monoesters [monoethyl phthalate (MEP), mono-(n + iso)-butyl phthalate (MBP) and mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP)] and THs [thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), total thyroxine (TT4) and free thyroxine (FT4)] in Chinese pregnant women. 1,397 women were recruited from the China-Anhui Birth Cohort. Maternal serum samples were collected and used to measure phthalate metabolites and THs. Covariate-adjusted linear regression analyses showed that natural log (Ln)-transferred concentrations of MBP and LnMEHP were negatively associated with TT4 (ß = -0.277 and -0.461, respectively; p < 0.001). Stratification analyses by gestational weeks showed significant associations of LnMBP and LnMEHP with TT4 in gestational weeks 5 to 8, 9 to 12, and 13 to 20. Our findings suggest an association of serum phthalates with lower TT4. The influence of MBP and MEHP on TT4 concentrations throughout the early pregnancy may begin from the embryonic stage (gestational weeks 5 to 8).