Journal of internal medicine
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Although epistaxis is one of the most common side effects of oral anticoagulation, it is unclear whether epistaxis rates vary between different oral anticoagulants (OAC). ⋯ Warfarin treatment was associated with higher rates of clinically relevant epistaxis compared to direct oral anticoagulants.
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Long-term exposure to ambient ozone links to aging biomarkers and increased risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD). However, the roles of aging biomarkers in the association of long-term exposure to ambient ozone with ASCVD are unclear. ⋯ Long-term exposure to ambient ozone was associated with increased 10-year ASCVD risk, and the association was partially mediated by aging biomarkers (shortened TL and decreased mtDNA-CN). This study indicated that ambient ozone pollution-related ASCVD risk might be partially explained by the telomere-mitochondrial axis of aging.
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DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification that has consistently been shown to be linked with a variety of human traits and diseases. Because DNA methylation is dynamic and potentially reversible in nature and can reflect environmental exposures and predict the onset of diseases, it has piqued interest as a potential disease biomarker. DNA methylation patterns are more stable than transcriptomic or proteomic patterns, and they are relatively easy to measure to track exposure to different environments and risk factors. ⋯ In this review, we will first discuss the advantages and challenges of DNA methylation biomarkers in general. We will then review the current state and future potential of DNA methylation biomarkers in two human traits that show rather consistent alterations in methylome-obesity and smoking. Lastly, we will briefly speculate about the future prospects of DNA methylation biomarkers, and possible ways to achieve them.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Risk factors for anti-drug antibody formation to infliximab: secondary analyses of a randomised controlled trial.
Anti-drug antibodies (ADAb) frequently form early in the treatment course of infliximab and other tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, leading to treatment failure and adverse events. ⋯ Several risk factors for ADAb formation during early-phase infliximab treatment were identified. This knowledge provides a basis for treatment strategies to mitigate the formation of ADAb and identify patients in whom these measures are of particular importance.
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Epidemiological studies consistently find low concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in blood to be associated with increased mortality, and a recent large-scale Mendelian randomization study strongly supports a causal relationship among individuals with low vitamin D status. Evolving evidence suggested that bioavailable or free 25(OH)D may better predict mortality. We aimed to compare the prognostic values of vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP), total, bioavailable, complementary "nonbioavailable", and free 25(OH)D for total and cause-specific mortality in a large population-based cohort study of older adults from Germany. ⋯ Total, nonbioavailable, bioavailable, and free 25(OH)D showed very similar inverse associations with total and cause-specific mortality, which were strongest among those with low vitamin D status in this large population-based cohort.