Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Although the risk of developing CRC increases with age, approximately 10% of newly diagnosed cases occur in individuals under the age of 50. Significant changes in dietary habits in young adults since industrialization create a favorable microenvironment for colorectal carcinogenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntestinal permeability has been related to colorectal cancer (CRC) development. Zonulin, a protein able to regulate tight junction function and intestinal permeability, emerges as a promising marker to elucidate the contribution of bacterial translocation in CRC. An Italian case-control study included 77 CRC cases, 72 intestinal adenoma and 76 healthy controls (for a total of 148 tumor-free subjects), aged 20-85.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The neonates' inflammatory response may in part be shaped during development by the placental epigenome, but evidence is scarce. We investigated the association between placental DNA methylation and pro-inflammatory proteins in cord blood.
Methods: A total of 249 mother-child dyads from the Harvard Epigenetic Birth Cohort were included in this study.
Objectives: The risk of Post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) under hybrid immunity remains unclear.
Methods: Using data from the German National Cohort (NAKO Gesundheitsstudie), we investigated risk factors for self-reported post-infection symptoms (any PCC is defined as having at least one symptom, and high symptom burden PCC as having nine or more symptoms).
Results: Sixty percent of 109,707 participants reported at least one previous SARS-CoV-2 infection; 35% reported having had any symptoms 4-12 months after infection; among them 23% reported nine or more symptoms.
Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) represents the most common inflammatory neurological disease causing disability in early adulthood. Childhood and adolescence factors might be of relevance in the development of MS. We aimed to investigate the association between various factors (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLarge population-based cohort studies utilizing device-based measures of physical activity are crucial to close important research gaps regarding the potential protective effects of physical activity on chronic diseases. The present study details the quality control processes and the derivation of physical activity metrics from 100 Hz accelerometer data collected in the German National Cohort (NAKO). During the 2014 to 2019 baseline assessment, a subsample of NAKO participants wore a triaxial ActiGraph accelerometer on their right hip for seven consecutive days.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhether trace metals modify breast density, the strongest predictor for breast cancer, during critical developmental stages such as puberty remains understudied. Our study prospectively evaluated the association between trace metals at Tanner breast stage B1 (n = 291) and at stages both B1 and B4 (n = 253) and breast density at 2 years post-menarche among Chilean girls from the Growth and Obesity Cohort Study. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry assessed the volume of dense breast tissue (absolute fibroglandular volume [FGV]) and percent breast density (%FGV).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To determine the association between personality characteristics and use of different cancer screenings.
Methods: We used data from the German National Cohort (NAKO; mean age was 53.0 years (SD: 9.
Introduction: Family history of depression and childhood maltreatment are established risk factors for depression. However, how these factors are interrelated and jointly influence depression risk is not well understood. The present study investigated (i) if childhood maltreatment is associated with a family history of depression (ii) if family history and childhood maltreatment are associated with increased lifetime and current depression, and whether both factors interact beyond their main effects, and (iii) if family history affects lifetime and current depression via childhood maltreatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Breast density (BD) is a strong risk factor for breast cancer. Little is known about how BD develops during puberty. Understanding BD trajectories during puberty and its determinants could be crucial for promoting preventive actions against breast cancer (BC) at early ages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Obesity is a worldwide health problem. We conducted detailed analyses of anthropometric measures in a comprehensive, population-based, current cohort in Germany.
Methods: In the German National Cohort (NAKO), we analyzed cross-sectional data on body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumference, subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) as measured by ultrasound, and body fat percentage.
In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the perception of substandard image quality may prompt repetition of the respective image acquisition protocol. Subsequently selecting the preferred high-quality image data from a series of acquisitions can be challenging. An automated workflow may facilitate and improve this selection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Phthalate exposures are ubiquitous during pregnancy and may contribute to racial and ethnic disparities in preterm birth.
Objectives: We investigated race and ethnicity in the relationship between biomarkers of phthalate exposure and preterm birth by examining: ) how hypothetical reductions in racial and ethnic disparities in phthalate metabolites might reduce the probability of preterm birth; and ) exposure-response models stratified by race and ethnicity.
Methods: We pooled individual-level data on 6,045 pregnancies from 16 U.
Folate is an essential mediator in one-carbon metabolism, which provides methyl groups for DNA synthesis and methylation. The availability of active methyl groups can be influenced by the uptake of folic acid. We conducted a randomized intervention trial to test the influence of folic acid supplementation on DNA methylation in an unfortified population in Germany.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrebiotics are believed to exhibit high specificity in stimulating the growth or activity of a limited number of commensal microorganisms, thereby conferring health benefits to the host. However, the mechanism of action of prebiotics depends on multiple factors, including the composition of an individual's gut microbiota, and is therefore difficult to predict. It is known that different bacteria can utilize inulin and xylooligosaccharides (XOS), but an overview of which bacteria in the human gut may be affected is lacking.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Clin Endocrinol Metab
October 2023
Context: Prepubertal adiposity is associated with earlier puberty. It is unclear when this association starts, if all adiposity markers are similarly associated, and whether all pubertal milestones are similarly affected.
Objective: To evaluate the association between different adiposity markers during childhood and the timing of different pubertal milestones in Latino girls.
Biochemical premature adrenarche is defined by elevated serum DHEAS [≥40 μg/dL] before age 8 y in girls. This condition is receiving more attention due to its association with obesity, hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia, and polycystic ovary syndrome. Nevertheless, the link between early androgen excess and these risk factors remains unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Early onset of menarche is considered an important risk factor for a number of diseases in adulthood. Iron intake may be related to pubertal timing because of its role in childhood growth and reproductive function.
Objective: We investigated the relation between dietary iron intake and age at menarche in a prospective cohort of Chilean girls.
Effective preventive strategies are urgently needed to address the rising burden of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. To date, most prevention efforts to reduce disease incidence have primarily targeted populations using "one size fits all" public health recommendations and strategies. However, the risk for complex heterogeneous diseases is based on a multitude of clinical, genetic, and environmental factors, which translate into individual sets of component causes for every person.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) updated in 2018 the cut-off points for low grip strength to assess sarcopenia based on pooled data from 12 British studies.
Objective: Comparison of the EWGSOP2 cut-off points for low grip strength to those derived from a large German sample.
Methods: We assessed the grip strength distribution across age and derived low grip strength cut-off points for men and women (peak mean -2.