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Environmental Research Apr 2024Ambient PM exposure has been recognized as a major health risk and related to aging, cardiovascular, respiratory and neurologic diseases, and cancer. However, underlying...
Ambient PM exposure has been recognized as a major health risk and related to aging, cardiovascular, respiratory and neurologic diseases, and cancer. However, underlying mechanism of epigenetic alteration and regulated pathways still remained unclear. The study on methylome effect of PM exposure was quite limited in Chinese population, and cohort-based study was absent. The study included blood-derived DNA methylation for 3365 Chinese participants from the NSPT cohort. We estimated individual PM exposure level of short-medium-, medium- and long-term, based on a validated prediction model. We preformed epigenome-wide association studies to estimate the links between PM exposure and DNA methylation change, as well as stratification and sensitive analysis to examined the robustness of the association models. A systematic review was conducted to obtain the previously published CpGs and examined for replication. We also conducted comparison on the DNA methylation variation corresponding to different time windows. We further conducted gene function analysis and pathway enrichment analysis to reveal related biological response. We identified a total of 177 CpGs and 107 DMRs associated with short-medium-term PM exposure, at a strict genome-wide significance (P < 5 × 10). The effect sizes on most CpGs tended to cease with the exposure of extended time scale. Associated markers and aligned genes were related to aging, immunity, inflammation and carcinogenesis. Enriched pathways were mostly involved in cell cycle and cell division, signal transduction, inflammatory pathway. Our study is the first EWAS on PM exposure conducted in large-scale Han Chinese cohort and identified associated DNA methylation change on CpGs and regions, as well as related gene functions and pathways.
Topics: Humans; Air Pollutants; Particulate Matter; Epigenome; DNA Methylation; China
PubMed: 38246299
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118276 -
Translational Psychiatry Dec 2023Prenatal stress and poor maternal mental health are associated with adverse offspring outcomes; however, the biological mechanisms are unknown. Epigenetic modification... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Prenatal stress and poor maternal mental health are associated with adverse offspring outcomes; however, the biological mechanisms are unknown. Epigenetic modification has linked maternal health with offspring development. Epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) have examined offspring DNA methylation profiles for association with prenatal maternal mental health to elucidate mechanisms of these complex relationships. The objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive, systematic review of EWASs of infant epigenetic profiles and prenatal maternal anxiety, depression, or depression treatment. We conducted a systematic literature search following PRISMA guidelines for EWAS studies between prenatal maternal mental health and infant epigenetics through May 22, 2023. Of 645 identified articles, 20 fulfilled inclusion criteria. We assessed replication of CpG sites among studies, conducted gene enrichment analysis, and evaluated the articles for quality and risk of bias. We found one repeated CpG site among the maternal depression studies; however, nine pairs of overlapping differentially methylatd regions were reported in at least two maternal depression studies. Gene enrichment analysis found significant pathways for maternal depression but not for any other maternal mental health category. We found evidence that these EWAS present a medium to high risk of bias. Exposure to prenatal maternal depression and anxiety or treatment for such was not consistently associated with epigenetic changes in infants in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Small sample size, potential bias due to exposure misclassification and statistical challenges are critical to address in future efforts to explore epigenetic modification as a potential mechanism by which prenatal exposure to maternal mental health disorders leads to adverse infant outcomes.
Topics: Pregnancy; Infant; Female; Humans; Epigenome; Mental Health; DNA Methylation; Maternal Health; Epigenesis, Genetic
PubMed: 38062042
DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02620-1 -
Medicine May 2024Folic acid is the synthetic form of vitamin B9, found in supplements and fortified foods, while folate occurs naturally in foods. Folic acid and its derivatives are...
Folic acid is the synthetic form of vitamin B9, found in supplements and fortified foods, while folate occurs naturally in foods. Folic acid and its derivatives are extremely important in the synthesis of nucleic acids (DNA and ribose nucleic acid [RNA]) and different proteins. It acts as a coenzyme for the transfer of 1 carbon in the biosynthesis of purine, pyrimidine, and amino acids. Folic acid is critically important in rapidly proliferating tissues, including fetus and trophoblastic tissue to prevent neural tube defect (NTD). The main objective of this review is to identify the role of folic acid to prevent NTD among pregnancy mothers. Electronic databases including Web of Science, Google Scholar, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane library used to systematically search without limitation of publication date and status. In pregnancy, the first trimester is a significant time for neural tube closure. Decreased blood folic acid levels inhibit DNA replication, repair, RNA synthesis, histone and DNA methylation, methionine production, and homocysteine remethylation reactions that cause NTDs in pregnancy. Therefore, folic acid supplementation is critically important for childbearing mothers before conception and in the first trimester pregnancy. As a result, women are recommended to take 400 microgram FA/day from preconception until the end of the first trimester to prevent NTD-affected pregnancies. This allows the developing neural tissue to acquire critical mass and provides the preferred rostrocaudal orientation so that these divisions contribute to the elongation of the developing neural tube in embryos.
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Dietary Supplements; Folic Acid; Neural Tube Defects; Vitamin B Complex
PubMed: 38728462
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000038154