Medicine
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The genetic basis of iridocyclitis, an inflammatory eye disease, remains poorly understood, particularly in relation to autoimmune diseases. This study aimed to explore the causal associations between 6 immune-related diseases and iridocyclitis using Mendelian randomization (MR). A total of 230 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis (AS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Graves disease (GD), Crohn disease (CD), and allergic contact dermatitis were identified based on stringent MR assumptions. ⋯ Heterogeneity was observed among the SNPs, but no significant horizontal pleiotropy was detected. This study identifies potential genetic links between AS, RA, CD, GD, and the risk of iridocyclitis, providing new insights into the genetic underpinnings of this eye disease. The results support the need for further investigation into the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying these associations.
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It is well-known that childhood obesity is associated with various adult gastrointestinal diseases, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) being no exception. However, previous epidemiological observational studies, while reporting a correlation between the 2, have left the question of a causal relationship inconclusive. This study aims to use a 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to assess the causal relationship between childhood obesity and IBD as well as its subtypes (ulcerative colitis [UC] and Crohn disease [CD]). ⋯ We found that childhood obesity is not causally related to IBD or its subtypes (UC and CD). This differs from prior studies. The observed discrepancies may be due to common biological or environmental confounding factors.
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Previous research has indicated a possible link between mobile phone usage and the incidence of glaucoma. This study employs a 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to examine the causal relationship between mobile phone use and glaucoma risk. We used single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from publicly accessible genome-wide association study (GWAS) datasets as instrumental variables (IVs). ⋯ The results demonstrate a causal effect of mobile phone usage on an increased risk of glaucoma (ORIVW = 1.358, 95% CI: 1.052-1.752, P = .019; ORMR-Egger = 1.882, 95% CI: 0.53-6.682, P = .337; ORWeighted median = 1.387, 95% CI: 1.012-1.900, P = .042; ORMR-PRESSO = 1.358, 95% CI: 1.052-1.752, P = .026). Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness and reliability of these findings. The study identifies mobile phone usage as a potentially modifiable risk factor for glaucoma, providing new avenues for exploring the specific mechanisms underlying these ocular disorders.
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The tyrosine kinase ephrin type-A receptor 2 (EPHA2) was remarkably elevated expressed in various tumors and plays a crucial role in cancer tumorigenesis and progression, while pan-cancer analyses are currently lacking. This study was designed to analyze the expression status and prognostic significance of EPHA2 in pan-cancer. By mining The Cancer Genome Atlas data, we performed a comprehensive and systematic characterization of EPHA2 across >10,000 samples of 33 types of cancer. ⋯ Furthermore, functional enrichment analysis showed that the biological role of EPHA2 in tumors was mainly involved in some noticeably pro-oncogenic pathways, such as the Ras signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, ErbB signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, etc. This study provided the first pan-cancer analyses of EPHA2 in various tumors, and EPHA2 was potentially involved in many cancer types and can be developed as candidates for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic biomarkers. In addition, EPHA2 seemed to be a key modulator of the tumor immune microenvironment and might be a potential biomarker in predicting the immunotherapeutic efficacy for cancer patients.
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Understanding the role of the tumor microenvironment in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression remains a challenge due to its complexity. Investigating the interplay between immune cell characteristics, serum metabolites, inflammatory protein factors, and CRC could unveil novel therapeutic avenues. We used 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) on Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) data to explore causal links between 731 immune cell characteristics, 1400 serum metabolites, 91 inflammatory proteins, and CRC. ⋯ Our study scrutinized 731 immune cell characteristics, 1400 serum metabolites, and 91 inflammatory protein factors within the tumor microenvironment. We confirmed causal relationships between 43 immune cell characteristics, 37 serum metabolites, and 7 inflammatory protein factors with CRC. These findings offer novel insights into the potential etiology, prevention, and treatment strategies for CRC.