Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), a large class of chemicals that includes high production volume substances, have been used for decades as antimicrobials, preservatives, and antistatic agents and for other functions in cleaning, disinfecting, personal care products, and durable consumer goods. QAC use has accelerated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the banning of 19… Continue reading Quaternary Ammonium Compounds: A Chemical Class of Emerging Concern
Gut microbiome dysbiosis across early Parkinson’s disease, REM sleep behavior disorder and their first-degree relatives
The microbiota-gut-brain axis has been suggested to play an important role in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Here we performed a cross-sectional study to profile gut microbiota across early PD, REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), first-degree relatives of RBD (RBD-FDR), and healthy controls, which could reflect the gut-brain staging model of PD. We show gut microbiota compositions… Continue reading Gut microbiome dysbiosis across early Parkinson’s disease, REM sleep behavior disorder and their first-degree relatives
Successful aging of musicians: Preservation of sensorimotor regions aids audiovisual speech-in-noise perception
Musicianship can mitigate age-related declines in audiovisual speech-in-noise perception. We tested whether this benefit originates from functional preservation or functional compensation by comparing fMRI responses of older musicians, older nonmusicians, and young nonmusicians identifying noise-masked audiovisual syllables. Older musicians outperformed older nonmusicians and showed comparable performance to young nonmusicians. Notably, older musicians retained similar neural… Continue reading Successful aging of musicians: Preservation of sensorimotor regions aids audiovisual speech-in-noise perception
Testicular volume in 268 children and adolescents followed-up for childhood obesity—a retrospective cross-sectional study
AbstractContextPrevalence of obesity in childhood has increased over the past few decades. The impact of obesity and of obesity-related metabolic disorders on testicular growth is unknown.ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and insulin resistance on testicular volume (TV) in pre-pubertal (<9 years), peri-pubertal (9-14 years), and post-pubertal (14-16 years) periods.MethodsWe collected data on TV,… Continue reading Testicular volume in 268 children and adolescents followed-up for childhood obesity—a retrospective cross-sectional study
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and risk of rheumatoid arthritis: a cross-sectional analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007–2016
AbstractObjective While there are several well-established environmental risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a paucity of evidence exists linking environmental toxicants with RA prevalence. We aimed to examine the associations between various environmental toxicants and RA among adults in the U.S. general population while adjusting for non-heritable risk factors.Design Cross-sectional study.Setting National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted… Continue reading Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and risk of rheumatoid arthritis: a cross-sectional analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007–2016
Circulating Extracellular Vesicle-Propagated microRNA Signature as a Vascular Calcification Factor in Chronic Kidney Disease
Background:Chronic kidney disease (CKD) accelerates vascular calcification via phenotypic switching of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). We investigated the roles of circulating small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) between the kidneys and VSMCs and uncovered relevant sEV-propagated microRNAs (miRNAs) and their biological signaling pathways.Methods and Results:We established CKD models in rats and mice by adenine-induced tubulointerstitial fibrosis.… Continue reading Circulating Extracellular Vesicle-Propagated microRNA Signature as a Vascular Calcification Factor in Chronic Kidney Disease
Increased risk of osteoarthritis in patients with atopic disease
Objectives To determine the incidence of osteoarthrits (OA) in patients with atopic disease compared with matched non-exposed patients.Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study with propensity score matching using claims data from Optum’s de-identified Clinformatics Data Mart (CDM) (January 2003 to June 2019) and electronic health record data from the Stanford Research Repository (STARR) (January 2010 to… Continue reading Increased risk of osteoarthritis in patients with atopic disease
Transgenerational transmission of reproductive and metabolic dysfunction in the male progeny of polycystic ovary syndrome
Highlights•PCOS-sons are often obese and have dyslipidemia•miRNAs altered in the serum of PCOS-sons and women with PCOS targets PCOS-risk genes•Small RNAs present in sperm imply transgenerational transmission of phenotype in mice•Shared miRNAs between mouse sperm of F1–F3 generations and human serum are revealedSummaryThe transgenerational maternal effects of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in female progeny are being… Continue reading Transgenerational transmission of reproductive and metabolic dysfunction in the male progeny of polycystic ovary syndrome
Impaired muscle function, including its decline, is related to greater long-term late-life dementia risk in older women
AbstractBackgroundImpaired muscle function has been identified as a risk factor for declining cognitive function and cardiovascular health, both of which are risk factors for late-life dementia (after 80 years of age). We examined whether hand grip strength and timed-up-and-go (TUG) performance, including their change over 5 years, were associated with late-life dementia events in older women and… Continue reading Impaired muscle function, including its decline, is related to greater long-term late-life dementia risk in older women
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