Association between urinary phthalate metabolites and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease incidence in US adults: results from NHANES 2007-2018.

Despite associations between urinary phthalates and respiratory symptoms and disorders have been investigated, knowledge about their impact on COPD incidence remains limited. Using data of 8242 adults (aged 20-80 years) from the 2007-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the association of mixed urinary phthalate metabolites with COPD incidence was evaluated. Among them, 789 were COPD patients, and the rest were non-COPD participants.

Novel clinical radiomic nomogram method for differentiating malignant from non-malignant pleural effusions.

Objectives: To establish a clinical radiomics nomogram that differentiates malignant and non-malignant pleural effusions.

Methods: A total of 146 patients with malignant pleural effusion (MPE) and 93 patients with non-MPE (NMPE) were included. The ROI image features of chest lesions were extracted using CT.

Associations between urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations and rheumatoid arthritis in the U.S. adult population.

Phthalates are ubiquitous environmental contaminants. Nevertheless, limited data is available about the impacts of phthalates on rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The purpose of this study was to use National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2005 to 2018 to assess the individual and combined effects of exposure to phthalate mixtures on RA in adults.

Associations of exposure to blood and urinary heavy metal mixtures with psoriasis risk among U.S. adults: A cross-sectional study.

Accumulating evidence showed that environmental exposure to toxic metals was harmful to human health. However, information about the effects of exposure to metal mixtures on psoriasis was scarce. To investigate the independent and comprehensive associations between heavy metal co-exposure and psoriasis in adults, data of 6534 adults aged 20-80 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used.

The cuproptosis related genes signature predicts the prognosis and correlates with the immune status of clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) has a high incidence and poor prognosis. Cuproptosis, an independent pattern of cell death associated with copper, plays an important role in cancer proliferation and metastasis. The role of cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) in CCRCC is unclear.

Tea consumption and risk of lower respiratory tract infections: a two-sample mendelian randomization study.

Background: Observational studies have reported the association between tea consumption and the risk of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs). However, a consensus has yet to be reached, and whether the observed association is driven by confounding factors or reverse causality remains unclear.

Method: A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was conducted to determine whether genetically predicted tea intake is causally associated with the risk of common LRTI subtypes.

Serum procalcitonin and C-reactive protein levels as diagnostic markers for distinguishing bacterial infections from lupus flares in systemic lupus erythematosus: A systematic review and meta‑analysis.

Purpose: To systematically evaluate the diagnostic performance of procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) for distinguishing bacterial infections from lupus flares in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) via meta-analysis.

Methods: Electronic databases were comprehensively searched. The pooled standard mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to estimate the differences of serum PCT and CRP levels between bacterial infections and flares in SLE.

Association analysis of B7-H3 and B7-H4 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms in susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis in eastern Chinese Han population.

This study was conducted to describe the association between the genetic variation of the recently identified immune checkpoint molecules B7-H3 and B7-H4, and the susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of B7-H3 gene and three SNPs of B7-H4 gene were genotyped in 649 AS patients and 646 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Allele, genotype frequencies and different inheritance models were performed to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and the demographic and clinical parameters of patients were recorded.

Effect of Exercise on Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis Patients: A Network Meta-analysis.

Few studies have directly compared the effects of different exercise therapies on reducing fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis. Thus, we conducted a Frequentist network meta-analysis to analyze and compare the effectiveness of different types of exercise on reducing multiple sclerosis-related fatigue. Relevant randomized controlled trials were searched in PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases from the date of their inception up to April 1, 2021.