DNA Methylation-Derived Immune Cell Proportions and Cancer Risk in Black Participants.

This study describes associations between immune cell types and cancer risk in a Black population; elevated regulatory T-cell proportions that were associated with increased overall cancer and lung cancer risk, and elevated memory B-cell proportions that were associated with increased prostate and all cancer risk.

Blood Leukocyte DNA Methylation Markers of Periodontal Disease and Risk of Lung Cancer in a Case-Control Study Nested in the CLUE II Cohort.

Background: Periodontal disease and DNA methylation markers have separately been associated with lung cancer risk. Examining methylation levels at genomic regions previously linked to periodontal disease may provide insights on the link between periodontal disease and lung cancer.

Methods: In a nested case-control study drawn from the CLUE II cohort, we measured DNA methylation levels in 208 lung cancer cases and 208 controls.

Pulse Consumption and Health Outcomes: A Scoping Review.

Pulses-comprising the dry, edible seeds of leguminous plants-have long been lauded for their culinary flexibility and substantial nutritional advantages. This scoping review aimed to map the evidence on how pulses contribute to overall human health. Four electronic databases were searched for clinical and observational studies in English.

DNA Methylation-Derived Immune Cell Proportions and Cancer Risk, Including Lung Cancer, in Black Participants.

Prior cohort studies assessing cancer risk based on immune cell subtype profiles have predominantly focused on White populations. This limitation obscures vital insights into how cancer risk varies across race. Immune cell subtype proportions were estimated using deconvolution based on leukocyte DNA methylation markers from blood samples collected at baseline on participants without cancer in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.

Dynamics of the Gut Mycobiome in Patients With Ulcerative Colitis.

Background & Aims: Intestinal fungi have been implicated in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC). However, it remains unclear if fungal composition is altered during active versus quiescent disease.

Methods: We analyzed clinical and metagenomic data from the Study of a Prospective Adult Research Cohort with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (SPARC IBD), available via the IBD Plexus Program of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation.

Microbial-host isozyme: A novel target in "drug the bug" strategies for diabetes.

The role of the gut microbiome in metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, has emerged as a pivotal area of medical research. Wang et al.'s recent work reported that a gut bacteria-derived microbial-host isozyme, mimicking a human enzyme responsible for blood glucose regulation, can significantly impact the efficacy of diabetes medications.

Epigenome-wide association study using peripheral blood leukocytes identifies genomic regions associated with periodontal disease and edentulism in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study.

Aim: To investigate individual susceptibility to periodontitis by conducting an epigenome-wide association study using peripheral blood.

Materials And Methods: We included 1077 African American and 457 European American participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study who had completed a dental examination or reported being edentulous at Visit 4 and had available data on DNA methylation from Visit 2 or 3. DNA methylation levels were compared by periodontal disease severity and edentulism through discovery analyses and subsequent testing of individual CpGs.

Alterations in the Fungal Microbiome in Ulcerative Colitis.

Background: Although gut fungi have been implicated in the immunopathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease, the fungal microbiome has not been deeply explored across endohistologic activity and treatment exposure in ulcerative colitis.

Methods: We analyzed data from the SPARC IBD (Study of a Prospective Adult Research Cohort with Inflammatory Bowel Disease) registry. We evaluated the fungal composition of fecal samples from 98 patients with ulcerative colitis across endoscopic activity (n = 43), endohistologic activity (n = 41), and biologic exposure (n = 82).

Epigenetic age and lung cancer risk in the CLUE II prospective cohort study.

Background: Epigenetic age, a robust marker of biological aging, has been associated with obesity, low-grade inflammation and metabolic diseases. However, few studies have examined associations between different epigenetic age measures and risk of lung cancer, despite great interest in finding biomarkers to assist in risk stratification for lung cancer screening.

Methods: A nested case-control study of lung cancer from the CLUE II cohort study was conducted using incidence density sampling with 1:1 matching of controls to lung cancer cases ( = 208 matched pairs).

Effects of garlic intake on cancer: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials and cohort studies.

Background/objectives: Due to the rapid increase of global cancer incidence and mortality and a high level of interest in cancer prevention, a systematic review of garlic intake and cancer risk is needed.

Subjects/methods: We implemented a systematic review to examine the effects of varying levels of garlic intake on cancer. We conducted comprehensive literature searches in three electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science) for studies published between database inception and July or September of 2018.

Comparisons of oral, intestinal, and pancreatic bacterial microbiomes in patients with pancreatic cancer and other gastrointestinal diseases.

: Oral microbiota is believed to play important roles in systemic diseases, including cancer. : We collected oral samples (tongue, buccal, supragingival, and saliva) and pancreatic tissue or intestinal samples from 52 subjects, and characterized 16S rRNA genes using high-throughput DNA sequencing. : Bray-Curtis plot showed clear separations between bacterial communities in the oral cavity and those in intestinal and pancreatic tissue samples.

Guild-based analysis for understanding gut microbiome in human health and diseases.

To demonstrate the causative role of gut microbiome in human health and diseases, we first need to identify, via next-generation sequencing, potentially important functional members associated with specific health outcomes and disease phenotypes. However, due to the strain-level genetic complexity of the gut microbiota, microbiome datasets are highly dimensional and highly sparse in nature, making it challenging to identify putative causative agents of a particular disease phenotype. Members of an ecosystem seldomly live independently from each other.

DNA methylation ageing clocks and pancreatic cancer risk: pooled analysis of three prospective nested case-control studies.

DNA methylation (DNAm) age may reflect age-related variations in biological changes and abnormalities related to ageing. DNAm age acceleration measures have been associated with a number of cancers, but to our knowledge, have not been examined in relation to pancreatic cancer risk or survival. DNAm levels in leukocytes of prediagnostic blood samples of 393 pancreatic cancer cases and 431 matched controls, pooled from three large prospective cohort studies, were used to estimate DNAm age, epigenetic age acceleration (AA), and intrinsic epigenetic age acceleration (IEAA) metrics.