Genetically Predicted Serum Albumin and Risk of Colorectal Cancer: A Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study.

Purpose: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third-most frequently diagnosed cancer globally. Studies have linked low serum albumin with increased risk of CRC, but the causal nature of the association remains unclear. In the present study, we explored the potential causal relationship using bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR).

Sleep disturbance and psychiatric disorders: a bidirectional Mendelian randomisation study.

Aims: Sleep disturbance is an important factor in the pathophysiology and progression of psychiatric disorders, but whether it is a cause, or a downstream effect is still not clear.

Methods: To investigate causal relationships between three sleep-associated traits and seven psychiatric diseases, we used genetic variants related to insomnia, chronotype and sleep duration to perform a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomisation analysis. Summary-level data on psychiatric disorders were extracted from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium.

Association Between Circulating Linoleic Acid and Risk of Ischemic Stroke.

Background: Observational studies have shown an inverse association between circulating linoleic acid (LA) and risk of ischemic stroke (IS).

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore whether genetic variants predicting levels of circulating LA are associated with IS and its subtypes using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

Methods: LA-related single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected from a genome-wide association study of 8,631 participants, and summary statistics of IS and IS subtypes were obtained from the MEGASTROKE consortium.

Genetic predisposition to smoking is associated with risk of rheumatoid arthritis: a Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Although observational epidemiological studies have found that smoking is positively associated with risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), assessing the causality of this relationship has remained elusive because conventional observational studies are susceptible to bias such as confounding and reverse causation. Here, we applied the Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to examine the potential causal relationship between smoking and risk of RA.

Methods: Summary statistics data for RA were obtained from a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS), including 14,361 RA cases and 43,923 controls of European ancestry.

Coffee Consumption and Risk of Stroke: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Objective: Observational epidemiological studies have reported a relationship between coffee intake and risk of stroke. However, evidence for this association is inconsistent, and it remains uncertain whether the association is causal or due to confounding or reverse causality. To clarify this relationship, we adopted a Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to evaluate the effects of coffee consumption on the risk of stroke and its subtypes.

Association of telomere length with risk of rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis and Mendelian randomization.

Objective: To evaluate the telomere length (TL) in patients with RA relative to that in controls and to test whether TL is causally associated with risk of RA.

Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis of relevant literature was conducted to evaluate the association between TL and RA. Standardized mean differences with 95% CIs of TL in RA patients relative to controls were pooled using fixed or random-effects models.