Associations of Sex Steroids and Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Population-Based Study and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Prior studies have reported inconsistent results or less well-explored associations between sex hormones and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Here, we aimed to investigate the associations of NAFLD with sex steroids and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) in the population-based study and conduct a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of all published observational studies.

Methods: Analyses included 755 men and 1109 women with available data on sex steroids, SHBG, and ultrasound-based NAFLD from the Rotterdam Study.

Healthy lifestyle in older adults and life expectancy with and without heart failure.

Several lifestyle factors have been linked to risk for heart failure (HF) and premature mortality. The aim of this study was to estimate the impact of a healthy lifestyle on life expectancy with and without HF among men and women from a general population. This study was performed among 6113 participants (mean age 65.

Age at Natural Menopause and Blood Pressure Traits: Mendelian Randomization Study.

Observational studies suggest that early onset of menopause is associated with increased risk of hypertension. Whether this association is causal or due to residual confounding and/or reverse causation remains undetermined. We aimed to evaluate the observational and causal association between age at natural menopause (ANM) and blood pressure traits in Caucasian women.

Phytochemical characterization of turnip greens (Brassica rapa ssp. rapa): A systematic review.

Objective: The Turnip (Brassica rapa L. ssp. rapa) is a leaf and root vegetable grown and consumed worldwide.

Deciphering the role of epigenetic modifications in fatty liver disease: A systematic review.

Background: Fatty liver disease (FLD), primarily nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is the most common liver disorder that affects a quarter of the global population. NAFLD is a spectrum of disease ranging from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, which is associated with increased risk of developing liver cancer. Given that the pathogenic mechanisms of fatty liver remain largely elusive, it is important to further investigate potential underlying mechanisms including epigenetic modifications.

Discovery of rare variants associated with blood pressure regulation through meta-analysis of 1.3 million individuals.

Genetic studies of blood pressure (BP) to date have mainly analyzed common variants (minor allele frequency > 0.05). In a meta-analysis of up to ~1.

A systematic review of phytochemicals in oat and buckwheat.

Consumption of oat and buckwheat have been associated with various health benefits that may be attributed to their nutritional composition. We performed a systematic review to evaluate the profile and quantity of bioactive compounds present in oat and buckwheat. Among 154 studies included in final analysis, 113 and 178 bioactive compounds were reported in oat and buckwheat, respectively.

Effects of phytoestrogen supplementation on intermediate cardiovascular disease risk factors among postmenopausal women: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Importance: Phytoestrogens are becoming popular constituents of human diets and are increasingly used by postmenopausal women.

Objective: Our study aims to determine the effects of phytoestrogen supplementation on intermediate cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in postmenopausal women.

Evidence Review: Five electronic databases (Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane CENTRAL, Google Scholar) were systematically searched to identify eligible studies, that is, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that assessed the association of phytoestrogen supplementation with CVD risk factors (serum lipids, homocysteine, fibrinogen, markers of inflammation, oxidative stress and endothelial function, carotid intima-media thickness [CIMT]) in postmenopausal women.

Bioactive compounds and nutritional composition of Swiss chard ( L. var. and ): a systematic review.

Swiss chard ( L. var. or ) is a green leafy vegetable whose bioactive compounds have been studied due to its effects on health.

Trajectories of BMI Before Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes: The Rotterdam Study.

Objective: People with diabetes show great variability in weight gain and duration of obesity at the time of diagnosis. BMI trajectories and other cardiometabolic risk factors prior to type 2 diabetes were investigated.

Methods: A total of 6,223 participants from the Rotterdam Study cohort were included.

Sexually dimorphic DNA-methylation in cardiometabolic health: A systematic review.

Sex is a major determinant of cardiometabolic risk. DNA methylation (DNAm), an important epigenetic mechanism that differs between sexes, has been associated with cardiometabolic diseases. Therefore, we aimed to systematically review studies in adults investigating sex-specific associations of DNAm with intermediate cardiometabolic traits and incident cardiovascular disease including stroke, myocardial infarction (MI) and coronary heart disease (CHD).

Age at natural menopause and life expectancy with and without type 2 diabetes.

Objective: Effective interventions of future health care require a better understanding of the health risks associated with early onset of menopause and diabetes, but the necessary data are scarce. Little quantitative information is available about the combined association of early menopause and diabetes on life expectancy and the number of years lived with and without diabetes.

Methods: We included 3,650 postmenopausal women aged 45+ years from the Rotterdam Study, a prospective population-based cohort study.

Phytoestrogen supplementation and body composition in postmenopausal women: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Phytoestrogen-based medications are commonly used by menopausal women, and especially by obese postmenopausal women, to relieve menopausal symptoms. Substitution of animal with soy protein is often used in weight loss regimens, yet the effect of phytoestrogens, the main constituent of soy foods, on body composition is not completely understood. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the associations between phytoestrogen supplementation and body weight and the main parameters of body composition in postmenopausal women.

Electrocardiographic abnormalities in Chagas disease in the general population: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Chagas disease (CD) is a major public health concern in Latin America and a potentially serious emerging threat in non-endemic countries. Although the association between CD and cardiac abnormalities is widely reported, study design diversity, sample size and quality challenge the information, calling for its update and synthesis, which would be very useful and relevant for physicians in non-endemic countries where health care implications of CD are real and neglected. We performed to systematically review and meta-analyze population-based studies that compared prevalence of overall and specific ECG abnormalities between CD and non-CD participants in the general population.

Association between progestin-only contraceptive use and cardiometabolic outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aims The association between progestin-only contraceptive (POC) use and the risk of various cardiometabolic outcomes has rarely been studied. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the impact of POC use on cardiometabolic outcomes including venous thromboembolism, myocardial infarction, stroke, hypertension and diabetes. Methods and results Nineteen observational studies (seven cohort and 12 case-control) were included in this systematic review.

Menopause, ageing, and alcohol use disorders in women.

Alcohol intake affects the female body differently than it affects the male body. This is caused by females' lower levels of dehydrogenase enzymes, the enzyme that breaks down alcohol, coupled with the higher fat/water ratio of the female body. Both these factors cause alcohol levels to rise more quickly after ingestion in women than in men.

Sex steroids, sex hormone-binding globulin and levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide in postmenopausal women.

Background: Amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) has a well-documented prognostic value for cardiovascular disease and sex-hormones are suggested to modulate NT-proBNP levels.

Objective: To examine whether endogenous sex-hormones and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) are associated with NT-proBNP levels in postmenopausal women free of clinical cardiovascular diseases.

Methods: Total estradiol (E), total testosterone (TT), androstenedione (AD), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and NT-proBNP were assessed in 4112 postmenopausal women free of cardiovascular diseases from the prospective population-based Rotterdam Study.

Associations of Endogenous Estradiol and Testosterone Levels With Plaque Composition and Risk of Stroke in Subjects With Carotid Atherosclerosis.

Rationale: Sex steroids may play a role in plaque composition and in stroke incidence.

Objectives: To study the associations of endogenous estradiol and testosterone with carotid plaque composition in elderly men and postmenopausal women with carotid atherosclerosis, as well as with risk of stroke in this population.

Methods And Results: Data of 1023 postmenopausal women and 1124 men (≥45 years) with carotid atherosclerosis, from prospective population-based RS (Rotterdam Study), were available.

Age at natural menopause and risk of type 2 diabetes: a prospective cohort study.

Aims/hypothesis: In this study, we aimed to examine the association between age at natural menopause and risk of type 2 diabetes, and to assess whether this association is independent of potential mediators.

Methods: We included 3639 postmenopausal women from the prospective, population-based Rotterdam Study. Age at natural menopause was self-reported retrospectively and was treated as a continuous variable and in categories (premature, <40 years; early, 40-44 years; normal, 45-55 years; and late menopause, >55 years [reference]).