Sedentary Behaviors, Light-Intensity Physical Activity, and Healthy Aging.

Importance: Sleep duration and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) are associated with healthy aging, but the associations of sedentary behaviors and light-intensity physical activity (LPA) with healthy aging are still unclear. Objective: To examine the independent association of sedentary behaviors and LPA with healthy aging, and to estimate the theoretical association of replacing sedentary behavior with LPA, MVPA, or sleep with healthy aging. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this cohort study using data from the Nurses' Health Study, participants aged 50 years or older and free of major chronic diseases in 1992 were prospectively followed up for 20 years. Data were analyzed from January to May 2022. Exposures: Three measures for sedentary behaviors (hours watching television, sitting at work, and other sitting at home) and 2 measures for LPA (hours of standing or walking around at home [LPA-Home] and at work [LPA-Work]). Main Outcomes and Measures: Healthy aging was defined as survival to at least age 70 years with maintenance of 4 health domains (ie, no major chronic diseases and no impairment in subjective memory, physical function, or mental health). The isotemporal substitution model was used to evaluate the potential impact on healthy aging of replacing 1 hour of 1 behavior with equivalent duration of another. Results: Among 45 176 participants (mean [SD] age, 59.2 [6.0] years), 3873 (8.6%) women achieved healthy aging. After adjustment for covariates including MVPA, each increment of 2 hours per day in sitting watching television was associated with a 12% (95% CI, 7%-17%) reduction in the odds of healthy aging. In contrast, each increase of 2 hours per day in LPA-Work was associated with a 6% (95% CI, 3%-9%) increase in the odds of healthy aging. Replacing 1 hour of sitting watching television with LPA-Home (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.05-1.12), LPA-Work (OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.07-1.14), or MVPA (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.23-1.34) was associated with increased odds of healthy aging. Among participants who slept 7 hours per day or less, replacing television time with sleep was also associated with increased odds of healthy aging. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, longer television watching time decreased odds of healthy aging, whereas LPA and MVPA increased odds of healthy aging and replacing sitting watching television with LPA or MVPA, or with sleep in those who slept 7 hours per day or less, was associated with increased odds of healthy aging, providing evidence for rearranging 24-hour behavior to promote overall health.

Associations between common contraceptive use and circulating inflammatory biomarkers.

Ovarian cancer incidence has declined in recent decades, due in part to oral contraceptive (OC) use and tubal ligation. However, intrauterine device (IUD) use has increasingly replaced OC use. As ovarian cancer is an inflammation-related disease, we examined the association of OC use, IUD use, and tubal ligation with plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and soluble tumor necrosis factor α receptor 2 (sTNFR2), in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and NHSII. After adjusting for reproductive, hormonal, and lifestyle factors, and mutual adjustment for other methods of contraception, there were no differences in inflammatory markers between ever and never use of each method. However, CRP levels decreased from an average 30.4% (-53.6, 4.4) with every 5 years since initial IUD use (P-trend=0.03), while CRP increased an average 9.9% (95% CI: 5.7, 14.3) with every 5 years of use of OC (P-trend<0.0001) as well as differences by BMI and menopausal status. Our results suggest IUD use and tubal ligation are not associated with higher circulating inflammatory markers long term, although long duration of OC use may increase generalized inflammation, which may in part explain why its protective effect wanes over time.

Use of melatonin supplements and risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in the USA: insights from three prospective cohort studies.

BACKGROUND: Use of melatonin supplements has been increasing substantially in both children and adults in the USA; however, their long-term cardiometabolic effects remain unclear. We aimed to assess the associations between regular use of melatonin supplements and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease in adults. METHODS: In this study, we included individuals from three US cohorts: the Nurses' Health Study (women only), the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (men only), and the Nurses' Health Study II (women only). Women aged 25-55 years and men aged 45-75 years at baseline, who had no diagnosis of cancer at baseline, and who responded to the question about melatonin supplement use (yes or no) were included. We excluded baseline prevalent cardiovascular disease and baseline prevalent type 2 diabetes for the main analyses. The main outcomes were cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes incidence. In secondary analyses, we stratified by duration of rotating night shift work in the Nurses' Health Study and Nurses' Health Study II to examine whether the associations with melatonin supplement use differed by rotating night shift work. FINDINGS: For the cardiovascular disease analysis, we included 67 202 women from the Nurses' Health Study (follow-up 1998-2019, mean age at baseline: 63·6 years [SD 7·1]), 26 629 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1998-2020, 62·9 years [8·8], and 65 241 women from the Nurses' Health Study II (2003-19, 48·2 years [4·7]). Follow-up for incident type 2 diabetes was from 1998 to June 30, 2021, for the Nurses' Health Study; 2003 to Jan 31, 2023, for the Nurses' Health Study II; and from 1998 to Jan 31, 2020, for the Health Professionals' Follow-up Study. Melatonin supplement use in the study cohorts doubled over recent decades from less than 2% in 1998-2007 to 4% or higher in 2014-15 (4·0% in men and 5·3% in women). We documented 16 917 incident cardiovascular disease events during 2 609 068 person-years of follow-up and 12 730 incident cases of type 2 diabetes during 2 701 830 person-years of follow-up. In a pooled analysis of the three cohorts, comparing users with non-users of melatonin supplements, the pooled multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios were 0·94 (95% CI 0·83-1·06, p=0·32) for cardiovascular disease and 0·98 (0·86-1·12, p=0·80) for type 2 diabetes. In secondary analyses, melatonin supplement use appeared to attenuate the positive association between long-term shift work (>5 years) and risk of cardiovascular disease (pinteraction=0·013) among the female nurses. INTERPRETATION: With up to 23 years of follow-up of three large prospective cohorts of middle-aged and older men and women, self-reported melatonin supplement use was not associated with risk of type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Further research is warranted to assess if melatonin supplement use could mitigate the potential risks of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease associated with rotating night shift work. FUNDING: US National Institutes of Health.

24-h urinary sodium and potassium excretions, plasma metabolomic profiles, and cardiometabolic biomarkers in the United States adults: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: High-sodium and low-potassium intakes are associated with a higher risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, but there are limited data on the circulating metabolomics profiles of 24-h urinary sodium and potassium excretions in free-living individuals. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to characterize the metabolomics signatures of a high-sodium and low-potassium diet in a cross-sectional study. METHODS: In 1028 healthy older adults from the Women's and Men's Lifestyle Validation Studies, we investigated the association of habitual sodium and potassium intakes measured by 2 to 4 24-h urine samples with plasma metabolites (quantified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry) and metabolomic pathways. Our primary exposures were energy-adjusted 24-h urinary sodium excretion, potassium excretion, and sodium-to-potassium ratio, calculated based on energy expenditure derived from the doubly labeled water method. We then assessed the partial correlations of their metabolomics scores, derived from elastic net regressions, with cardiometabolic biomarkers. RESULTS: Higher sodium excretion was associated with 38 metabolites including higher piperine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and C5:1 carnitine. In pathway analysis, higher sodium excretion was associated with enhanced biotin and propanoate metabolism and enhanced degradation of lysine and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). Metabolites associated with higher potassium and lower sodium-to-potassium ratio included quinic acid and proline-betaine. After adjusting for confounding factors, the metabolomics score for sodium-to-potassium ratio positively correlated with fasting insulin (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient ρ = 0.27), C-peptide (ρ = 0.30), and triglyceride (ρ = 0.46), and negatively with adiponectin (ρ = -0.40), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (ρ = -0.42). CONCLUSIONS: We discovered metabolites and metabolomics pathways associated with a high-sodium diet, including metabolites related to biotin, propanoate, lysine, and BCAA pathways. The metabolomics signature for a higher sodium low-potassium diet is associated with multiple components of elevated cardiometabolic risk.

Artificial intelligence assisted diagnosis of early tc markers and its application.

Thyroid cancer (TC) is a common endocrine malignancy with an increasing incidence worldwide. Early diagnosis is particularly important for TC patients, because it allows patients to receive treatment as early as possible. Artificial intelligence (AI) provides great advantages for complex healthcare systems by analyzing big data based on machine learning. Nowadays, AI is widely used in the early diagnosis of cancer such as TC. Ultrasound detection and fine needle aspiration biopsy are the main methods for early diagnosis of TC. AI has been widely used in the detection of malignancy in thyroid nodules by ultrasound images, cytopathology images and molecular markers. It shows great potential in auxiliary medical diagnosis. The latest clinical trial has shown that the performance of AI models matches with the diagnostic efficiency of experienced clinicians, and more efficient AI tools will be developed in the future. Therefore, in this review, we summarized the recent advances in the application of AI algorithms in assessing the risk of malignancy in thyroid nodules. The objective of this review was to provide a data base for the clinical use of AI-assisted diagnosis in TC, as well as to provide new ideas for the next generation of AI-assisted diagnosis in TC.

Aircraft noise exposure and body mass index among female participants in two Nurses' Health Study prospective cohorts living around 90 airports in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: Aircraft noise exposure is linked to cardiovascular disease risk. One understudied candidate pathway is obesity. This study investigates the association between aircraft noise and obesity among female participants in two prospective Nurses' Health Study (NHS and NHSII) cohorts. METHODS: Aircraft day-night average sound levels (DNL) were estimated at participant residential addresses from modeled 1 dB (dB) noise contours above 44 dB for 90 United States (U.S.) airports in 5-year intervals 1995-2010. Biennial surveys (1994-2017) provided information on body mass index (BMI; dichotomized, categorical) and other individual characteristics. Change in BMI from age 18 (BMI18; tertiles) was also calculated. Aircraft noise exposures were dichotomized (45, 55 dB), categorized (<45, 45-54, ≥55 dB) or continuous for exposure ≥45 dB. Multivariable multinomial logistic regression using generalized estimating equations were adjusted for individual characteristics and neighborhood socioeconomic status, greenness, population density, and environmental noise. Effect modification was assessed by U.S. Census region, climate boundary, airline hub type, hearing loss, and smoking status. RESULTS: At baseline, the 74,848 female participants averaged 50.1 years old, with 83.0%, 14.8%, and 2.2% exposed to <45, 45-54, and ≥55 dB of aircraft noise, respectively. In fully adjusted models, exposure ≥55 dB was associated with 11% higher odds (95% confidence interval [95%CI]: -1%, 24%) of BMIs ≥30.0, and 15% higher odds (95%CI: 3%, 29%) of membership in the highest tertile of BMI18 (ΔBMI 6.7 to 71.6). Less-pronounced associations were observed for the 2nd tertile of BMI18 (ΔBMI 2.9 to 6.6) and BMI 25.0-29.9 as well as exposures ≥45 versus <45 dB. There was evidence of DNL-BMI trends (ptrends ≤ 0.02). Stronger associations were observed among participants living in the West, arid climate areas, and among former smokers. DISCUSSION: In two nationwide cohorts of female nurses, higher aircraft noise exposure was associated with higher BMI, adding evidence to an aircraft noise-obesity-disease pathway.

Strain regulates the photovoltaic performance of thick-film perovskites.

Perovskite photovoltaics, typically based on a solution-processed perovskite layer with a film thickness of a few hundred nanometres, have emerged as a leading thin-film photovoltaic technology. Nevertheless, many critical issues pose challenges to its commercialization progress, including industrial compatibility, stability, scalability and reliability. A thicker perovskite film on a scale of micrometres could mitigate these issues. However, the efficiencies of thick-film perovskite cells lag behind those with nanometre film thickness. With the mechanism remaining elusive, the community has long been under the impression that the limiting factor lies in the short carrier lifetime as a result of defects. Here, by constructing a perovskite system with extraordinarily long carrier lifetime, we rule out the restrictions of carrier lifetime on the device performance. Through this, we unveil the critical role of the ignored lattice strain in thick films. Our results provide insights into the factors limiting the performance of thick-film perovskite devices.

Fulfilled Mind, Healthy Gut? Relationships of Eudaimonic Psychological Well-Being With the Gut Microbiome in Postmenopausal Women.

OBJECTIVE: Eudaimonic facets of psychological well-being (PWB), like purpose in life and sense of mastery, are associated with healthy aging. Variation in the gut microbiome may be one pathway by which mental health influences age-related health outcomes. However, associations between eudaimonic PWB and the gut microbiome are understudied. We examined whether purpose in life and sense of mastery, separately, were associated with features of the gut microbiome in older women. METHODS: Participants were from the Mind-Body Study ( N = 206, mean age = 61 years), a substudy of the Nurses' Health Study II cohort. In 2013, participants completed the Life Engagement Test and the Pearlin Mastery Scale. Three months later, up to two pairs of stool samples were collected, 6 months apart. Covariates included sociodemographics, depression, health status, and health behaviors. Analyses examined associations of PWB with gut microbiome taxonomic diversity, overall community structure, and specific species/pathways. To account for multiple testing, statistical significance was established using Benjamini-Hochberg adjusted p values (i.e., q values ≤0.25). RESULTS: We found no evidence of an association between PWB and gut microbiome alpha diversity. In multivariate analysis, higher purpose levels were significantly associated with lower abundance of species previously linked with poorer health outcomes, notably Blautia hydrogenotrophica and Eubacterium ventriosum ( q values ≤0.25). No significant associations were found between PWB and metabolic pathways. CONCLUSIONS: These findings offer early evidence suggesting that eudaimonic PWB is linked with variation in the gut microbiome, and this might be one pathway by which PWB promotes healthy aging.

Mediation effect of hope on the relationship between inner strength and self-management in patients after percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: Effective self-management can enhance a patient's quality of life and delay disease progression. However, motivating patients to adhere to self-management behavior following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains a challenge. With the robust development of positive psychology and interdisciplinary research, the role of psychology factors in patients' health behavior has increasingly garnered attention. This study, focusing on positive psychological qualities, aims to investigate the relationship between inner strength, hope, and self-management in patients post-PCI, and to analyze the mediating role of hope between inner strength and self-management. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 216 PCI patients from a tertiary hospital in Nanjing. Research instruments included a self-designed general information questionnaire, the Inner Strength Scale (ISS), the Herth Hope Index (HHI), and the Coronary Self-Management Scale (CSMS). T-test, analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation analysis, and mediating effect test were utilized for statistical analysis. Results: The average scores of the ISS, HHI, and CSMS were 81.46 ± 12.00, 35.94 ± 5.38, and 86.79 ± 14.84, respectively. Inner strength was positively correlated with hope and self-management (r = 0.867, r = 0.630, respectively; all P < 0.05), and hope was positively correlated with self-management (r = 0.671, P < 0.05). Moreover, hope had a complete mediating effect between inner strength and self-management (ß = 0.630, P < 0.01). Conclusion: The inner strength, hope, and self-management of patients with PCI are at a moderate level. Inner strength primarily influences patients' self-management behavior through hope, suggesting that medical staff can target hope to help patients build confidence in life after illness, form and accumulate inner strength, thereby promoting their self-management and improving prognosis.

Timing and duration of dog walking and dog owner's chronotype in relation to incident depression risk among middle to older-aged female nurses.

BACKGROUND: We examined associations between dog ownership, morning dog walking and its timing and duration, and depression risk in female nurses, exploring effect modification by chronotype. We hypothesized that dog ownership and morning walking with the dog are associated with lower odds of depression, and that the latter is particularly beneficial for evening chronotypes by helping them to synchronize their biological clock with the solar system. METHODS: 26,169 depression-free US women aged 53-72 from the Nurses' Health Study 2 (NHS2) were prospectively followed from 2017-2019. We used age- and multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) for depression according to dog ownership, and morning dog walking, duration, and timing. RESULTS: Overall, there was no association between owning a dog (ORvs_no_pets = 1.12, 95%CI = 0.91-1.37), morning dog walking (ORvs_not = 0.87, 95%CI = 0.64-1.18), or the duration (OR>30min vs. ≤15mins = 0.68, 95%CI = 0.35-1.29) or timing of morning dog walks (ORafter9am vs. before7am = 1.06, 95%CI = 0.54-2.05) and depression. Chronotype of dog owners appeared to modify these associations. Compared to women of the same chronotype but without pets, dog owners with evening chronotypes had a significantly increased odds of depression (OR = 1.60, 95%CI = 1.12-2.29), whereas morning chronotypes did not (OR = 0.94, 95%CI = 0.71-1.23). Further, our data suggested that evening chronotypes benefited more from walking their dog themselves in the morning (OR = 0.75, 95%CI = 0.46-1.23, Pintx = 0.064;) than morning chronotypes. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, dog ownership was not associated with depression risk though it was increased among evening chronotypes. Walking their dog in the morning might help evening chronotypes to lower their odds of depression, though more data are needed to confirm this finding.

Objectively regular sleep patterns and mortality in a prospective cohort: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Irregular sleep and non-optimal sleep duration separately have been shown to be associated with increased disease and mortality risk. We used data from the prospective cohort Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis sleep study (2010-2013) to investigate: do aging adults whose sleep is objectively high in regularity in timing and duration, and of sufficient duration tend to have increased survival compared with those whose sleep is lower in regularity and duration, in a diverse US sample? At baseline, sleep was measured by 7-day wrist actigraphy, concurrent with at-home polysomnography and questionnaires. Objective metrics of sleep regularity and duration from actigraphy were used for statistical clustering using sparse k-means clustering. Two sleep patterns were identified: "regular-optimal" (average duration: 7.0 ± 1.0 hr obtained regularly) and "irregular-insufficient" (duration: 5.8 ± 1.4 hr obtained with twice the irregularity). Using proportional hazard models with multivariate adjustment, we estimated all-cause mortality hazard ratios. Among 1759 participants followed for a median of 7.0 years (Q1-Q3, 6.4-7.4 years), 176 deaths were recorded. The "regular-optimal" group had a 39% lower mortality hazard than did the "irregular-insufficient" sleep group (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.61 [0.45, 0.83]) after adjusting for socio-demographics, lifestyle, medical comorbidities and sleep disorders. In conclusion, a "regular-optimal" sleep pattern was significantly associated with a lower hazard of all-cause mortality. The regular-optimal phenotype maps behaviourally to regular bed and wake times, suggesting sleep benefits of adherence to recommended healthy sleep practices, with further potential benefits for longevity.

Light exposure during sleep is bidirectionally associated with irregular sleep timing: The multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis (MESA).

Exposure to light at night (LAN) may influence sleep timing and regularity. Here, we test whether greater light exposure during sleep (LEDS) is bidirectionally associated with greater irregularity in sleep onset timing in a large cohort of older adults in cross-sectional and short-term longitudinal (days) analyses. Light exposure and activity patterns, measured via wrist-worn actigraphy (ActiWatch Spectrum), were analyzed in 1933 participants with 6+ valid days of data in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) Exam 5 Sleep Study. Summary measures of LEDS averaged across nights were evaluated in linear and logistic regression analyses to test the association with standard deviation (SD) in sleep onset timing (continuous variable) and irregular sleep onset timing (SD > 90 min, binary). Night-to-night associations between LEDS and absolute differences in nightly sleep onset timing were also evaluated with distributed lag non-linear models and mixed models. In between-individual linear and logistic models adjusted for demographic, health, and seasonal factors, every 5-lux unit increase in LEDS was associated with a 7.8-min increase in sleep onset SD (ß = 0.13 h, 95%CI:0.09-0.17) and 32% greater odds (OR = 1.32, 95%CI:1.17-1.50) of irregular sleep onset. In within-individual night-to-night mixed model analyses, every 5-lux unit increase in LEDS the night prior was associated with a 2.2-min greater deviation of sleep onset the next night (ß = 0.036 h, p < 0.05). Conversely, every 1-h increase in sleep deviation was associated with a 0.35-lux increase in future LEDS (ß = 0.348 lux, p < 0.05). LEDS was associated with greater irregularity in sleep onset in between-individual analyses and subsequent deviation in sleep timing in within-individual analyses, supporting a role for LEDS in irregular sleep onset timing. Greater deviation in sleep onset was also associated with greater future LEDS, suggesting a bidirectional relationship. Maintaining a dark sleeping environment and preventing LEDS may promote sleep regularity and following a regular sleep schedule may limit LEDS.

Causal Association Between Subtypes of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases.

BACKGROUND: Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), experienced in 10% to 20% of the population, has been associated with cardiovascular disease and death. However, the condition is heterogeneous and is prevalent in individuals having short and long sleep duration. We sought to clarify the relationship between sleep duration subtypes of EDS with cardiovascular outcomes, accounting for these subtypes. METHODS AND RESULTS: We defined 3 sleep duration subtypes of excessive daytime sleepiness: normal (6-9 hours), short (<6 hours), and long (>9 hours), and compared these with a nonsleepy, normal-sleep-duration reference group. We analyzed their associations with incident myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke using medical records of 355 901 UK Biobank participants and performed 2-sample Mendelian randomization for each outcome. Compared with healthy sleep, long-sleep EDS was associated with an 83% increased rate of MI (hazard ratio, 1.83 [95% CI, 1.21-2.77]) during 8.2-year median follow-up, adjusting for multiple health and sociodemographic factors. Mendelian randomization analysis provided supporting evidence of a causal role for a genetic long-sleep EDS subtype in MI (inverse-variance weighted ß=1.995, P=0.001). In contrast, we did not find evidence that other subtypes of EDS were associated with incident MI or any associations with stroke (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests the previous evidence linking EDS with increased cardiovascular disease risk may be primarily driven by the effect of its long-sleep subtype on higher risk of MI. Underlying mechanisms remain to be investigated but may involve sleep irregularity and circadian disruption, suggesting a need for novel interventions in this population.

A Plasma Metabolite Score Related to Psychological Distress and Diabetes Risk: A Nested Case-control Study in US Women.

CONTEXT: Psychological distress has been linked to diabetes risk. Few population-based, epidemiologic studies have investigated the potential molecular mechanisms (e.g., metabolic dysregulation) underlying this association. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between a metabolomic signature for psychological distress and diabetes risk. METHODS: We conducted a nested case-control study of plasma metabolomics and diabetes risk in the Nurses' Health Study, including 728 women (mean age: 55.2 years) with incident diabetes and 728 matched controls. Blood samples were collected between 1989-1990 and incident diabetes was diagnosed between 1992-2008. Based on our prior work, we calculated a weighted plasma metabolite-based distress score (MDS) comprised of 19 metabolites. We used conditional logistic regression accounting for matching factors and other diabetes risk factors to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% CI for diabetes risk according to MDS. RESULTS: After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, family history of diabetes, and health behaviors, the OR (95% CI) for diabetes risk across quintiles of the MDS was 1.00 (reference) for Q1, 1.16 (0.77, 1.73) for Q2, 1.30 (0.88, 1.91) for Q3, 1.99 (1.36, 2.92) for Q4, and 2.47 (1.66, 3.67) for Q5. Each SD increase in MDS was associated with 36% higher diabetes risk (95% CI: 1.21, 1.54; p-trend<0.0001). This association was moderately attenuated after additional adjustment for BMI (comparable OR: 1.17; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.35; p-trend=0.02). The MDS explained 17.6% of the association between self-reported psychological distress (defined as presence of depression or anxiety symptoms) and diabetes risk (p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: MDS was significantly associated with diabetes risk in women. These results suggest that differences in multiple lipid and amino acid metabolites may underlie the observed association between psychological distress and diabetes risk.

Another benefit of regular sleep.

A large observational study has found that irregular sleep-wake patterns are associated with a higher risk of overall mortality, and also mortality from cancers and cardiovascular disease.

Light exposure during sleep is associated with irregular sleep timing: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Objective: Exposure to light at night (LAN) may influence sleep timing and regularity. Here, we test whether greater light exposure during sleep (LEDS) associates with greater irregularity in sleep onset timing in a large cohort of older adults. Methods: Light exposure and activity patterns, measured via wrist-worn actigraphy (ActiWatch Spectrum), were analyzed in 1,933 participants with 6+ valid days of data in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) Exam 5 Sleep Study. Summary measures of LEDS averaged across nights were evaluated in linear and logistic regression analyses to test the association with standard deviation (SD) in sleep onset timing (continuous variable) and irregular sleep onset timing (SD≥1.36 hours, binary). Night-to-night associations between LEDS and absolute differences in nightly sleep onset timing were also evaluated with distributed lag non-linear models and mixed models. Results: In between-individual linear and logistic models adjusted for demographic, health, and seasonal factors, every 5-lux unit increase in LEDS was associated with an increase of 7.8 minutes in sleep onset SD (ß=0.13 hours, 95%CI:0.09-0.17) and 40% greater odds (OR=1.40, 95%CI:1.24-1.60) of irregular sleep onset. In within-individual night-to-night mixed model analyses, every 5-lux unit increase in LEDS the night prior (lag0) was associated with a 2.2-minute greater deviation of sleep onset the next night (ß=0.036 hours, p<0.05). Conversely, every 1-hour increase in sleep deviation (lag0) was associated with a 0.35-lux increase in future LEDS (ß=0.347 lux, p<0.05). Conclusion: LEDS was associated with greater irregularity in sleep onset in between-individual analyses and subsequent deviation in sleep timing in within-individual analyses, supporting a role for LEDS in exacerbating irregular sleep onset timing. Greater deviation in sleep onset was also associated with greater future LEDS, suggesting a bidirectional relationship. Maintaining a dark sleeping environment and preventing LEDS may promote sleep regularity and following a regular sleep schedule may limit LEDS.

Biological function and clinical application prospect of tsRNAs in digestive system biology and pathology.

tsRNAs are small non-coding RNAs originating from tRNA that play important roles in a variety of physiological activities such as RNA silencing, ribosome biogenesis, retrotransposition, and epigenetic inheritance, as well as involvement in cellular differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis. tsRNA-related abnormalities have a significant influence on the onset, development, and progression of numerous human diseases, including malignant tumors through affecting the cell cycle and specific signaling molecules. This review introduced origins together with tsRNAs classification, providing a summary for regulatory mechanism and physiological function while dysfunctional effect of tsRNAs in digestive system diseases, focusing on the clinical prospects of tsRNAs for diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Video Abstract.

A tRF-5a fragment that regulates radiation resistance of colorectal cancer cells by targeting MKNK1.

Radiotherapy serves as a crucial strategy in the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, its efficacy is often hindered by the challenge of radiation resistance. Although the literature suggests that some tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) are associated with various cancers, studies reporting the relationship of tsRNAs with cancer cell radiosensitivity have not been published yet. In our study, we utilized tsRNAs sequencing to predict differentially expressed tsRNAs in two CRC cells and their radioresistant cells, and 10 tsRNAs with significant differences in expression were validated by qPCR. The target genes of tRF-16-7X9PN5D were predicted and verified by the bioinformatics, dual-luciferase reporter gene assay and western blotting analyses. Wound healing, colony formation, transwell invasion and CCK-8 assays were performed to detect the effects of tRF-16-7X9PN5D on cell function and radiosensitivity. Western blotting evaluated the relationship between tRF-16-7X9PN5D and the MKNK-eIF4E axis. Our findings demonstrated that tRF-16-7X9PN5D expression was substantially downregulated in radioresistant CRC cells. Furthermore, tRF-16-7X9PN5D could promote CRC cells' ability to proliferate, migrate, invade and obtain radiation resistance by targeting MKNK1. Finally, tRF-16-7X9PN5D could regulate eIF4E phosphorylation via MKNK1. This investigation indicated that tRF-16-7X9PN5D has an essential regulatory role in the radiation resistance of CRC by directly targeting MKNK1, and may be a new pathway for regulating the CRC radiosensitivity.