scholarly journals The skin we live in: pigmentation traits and tanning behaviour in British young adults, an observational and genetically-informed study.

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Bonilla ◽  
Cilia Mejia-Lancheros
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Skin Cancer ◽  
Indoor Tanning ◽  
European Ancestry ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
Lower Socioeconomic ◽  
Eye Pigmentation ◽  
Preventative Interventions

Background: Skin cancer incidence has been increasing worldwide, representing a particularly high burden for populations of European ancestry. Outdoor and indoor tanning using ultraviolet radiation (UVR) devices are major risk factors for skin cancer. While tanning behaviours can be modified by targeted interventions to reduce skin cancer rates, there is insufficient evidence on the motivations for tanning preferences and their relationship with pigmentation phenotypes. The present observational and genetically-informed study investigates motives for tanning and the role that pigmentation phenotypes play on outdoor and indoor tanning behaviour in British young adults. Methods: This study included 3722 participants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children in South West England. Skin, hair and eye colour features, and tanning ability and preferences were collected using a questionnaire applied when participants were ~25 years of age. Genotypes for 41 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with pigmentation were obtained from a subset of participants who provided a biological sample, and used to estimate the probability of having particular pigmentation traits with the HIrisPlex-S system. Results: Liking to tan and outdoor tanning were strongly influenced by skin, hair and eye pigmentation, and tanning ability. However, the association of these traits with UV indoor tanning was weaker. Conversely, females, participants of lower socioeconomic position, individuals who were unhappy with their pigmentation phenotype during adolescence, and participants who believed that tanning helps prevent sunburn were more likely to have used UVR-based tanning devices. Conclusion: Our results provide evidence to support the implementation of skin cancer preventative interventions that consider individual biological characteristics and motives for undergoing outdoor and indoor tanning.

scholarly journals Causal Association between Periodontitis and Parkinson’s Disease: A Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 772
Author(s):  
João Botelho ◽  
Vanessa Machado ◽  
José João Mendes ◽  
Paulo Mascarenhas
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Instrumental Variables ◽  
Mendelian Randomization ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
European Ancestry ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Genetic Liability ◽  
Bidirectional Association

The latest evidence revealed a possible association between periodontitis and Parkinson’s disease (PD). We explored the causal relationship of this bidirectional association through two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) in European ancestry populations. To this end, we used openly accessible data of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on periodontitis and PD. As instrumental variables for periodontitis, seventeen single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from a GWAS of periodontitis (1817 periodontitis cases vs. 2215 controls) and eight non-overlapping SNPs of periodontitis from an additional GWAS for validation purposes. Instrumental variables to explore for the reverse causation included forty-five SNPs from a GWAS of PD (20,184 cases and 397,324 controls). Multiple approaches of MR were carried-out. There was no evidence of genetic liability of periodontitis being associated with a higher risk of PD (B = −0.0003, Standard Error [SE] 0.0003, p = 0.26). The eight independent SNPs (B = −0.0000, SE 0.0001, p = 0.99) validated this outcome. We also found no association of genetically primed PD towards periodontitis (B = −0.0001, SE 0.0001, p = 0.19). These MR study findings do not support a bidirectional causal genetic liability between periodontitis and PD. Further GWAS studies are needed to confirm the consistency of these results.

scholarly journals Updated Estimates of Vitamin a Total Body Stores in Healthy Young Adults Determined by Compartmental Modeling with Vitamin a Intake Added as Data (FS06-07-19)

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Ford ◽  
Georg Lietz ◽  
Anthony Oxley ◽  
Joanne Green ◽  
Michael Green
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Model Prediction ◽  
Simulation Analysis ◽  
Geometric Mean ◽  
Compartmental Analysis ◽  
Science Research ◽  
European Ancestry ◽  
Retinyl Acetate ◽  
Total Body

Abstract Objectives We applied a new modeling approach to generate estimates of vitamin A total body stores (TBS) for previously-studied subjects (Green et al. J Nutr 2016;146:2129–36) who were consuming moderate amounts of preformed vitamin A. Based on recent work, we hypothesized that inclusion of an estimate of vitamin A dietary intake (DI) during modeling would help compensate for the less-than-optimal study duration (14 d). Methods We reanalyzed retinol kinetic data collected after ingestion of [13C10]retinyl acetate by 26 young adults of European ancestry for whom estimates of DI were available. To predict TBS by compartmental analysis, geometric mean (GM) data on fraction of dose in plasma versus time plus estimated intake (2.9 µmol retinol activity equivalents/d) were analyzed using the Simulation, Analysis and Modeling software in light of previously-established models. We also used modeling to estimate coefficients (“FaS”) used in retinol isotope dilution (RID) equations and calculated TBS for the group and individuals. Results TBS predicted by the model without DI data included was 98 µmol; when the GM DI was included in the modeling data stream, predicted TBS was 273 µmol. Including DI data during modeling also resulted in lower predictions of intake [2.9 versus 8.7 µmol/d without DI, compared with the average RDA for adults (2.8 µmol/d)] and longer predicted days of vitamin A stores (125 versus 15 d). Using the FaS at 7 d (0.90) predicted by the model with DI, RID-predicted TBS agreed with the model prediction (GM, 274 µmol, range 106–889 µmol). Conclusions Results indicate that including an estimate of DI during modeling provides more realistic predictions of TBS for studies of short duration and improves confidence in model prediction of vitamin A status. Funding Sources Original human studies were supported by Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council (grant BB/G004056/1 to GL) and Cancer Research UK; current analyses were supported by College of Health and Human Development, Penn State University.

scholarly journals Appetite disinhibition rather than hunger explains genetic effects on adult BMI trajectory

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric J. Brunner ◽  
Koutatsu Maruyama ◽  
Martin Shipley ◽  
Noriko Cable ◽  
Hiroyasu Iso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Genetic Susceptibility ◽  
Eating Behaviors ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Cohort Effect ◽  
The Body ◽  
European Ancestry ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Bmi Trajectories

Abstract Background/objectives The mediating role of eating behaviors in genetic susceptibility to weight gain during mid-adult life is not fully understood. This longitudinal study aims to help us understand contributions of genetic susceptibility and appetite to weight gain. Subjects/methods We followed the body-mass index (BMI) trajectories of 2464 adults from 45 to 65 years of age by measuring weight and height on four occasions at 5-year intervals. Genetic risk of obesity (gene risk score: GRS) was ascertained, comprising 92 BMI-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms and split at a median (=high and low risk). At the baseline, the Eating Inventory was used to assess appetite-related traits of ‘disinhibition’, indicative of opportunistic eating or overeating and ‘hunger’ which is susceptibility to/ability to cope with the sensation of hunger. Roles of the GRS and two appetite-related scores for BMI trajectories were examined using a mixed model adjusted for the cohort effect and sex. Results Disinhibition was associated with higher BMI (β = 2.96; 95% CI: 2.66–3.25 kg/m2), and accounted for 34% of the genetically-linked BMI difference at age 45. Hunger was also associated with higher BMI (β = 1.20; 0.82–1.59 kg/m2) during mid-life and slightly steeper weight gain, but did not attenuate the effect of disinhibition. Conclusions Appetite disinhibition is most likely to be a defining characteristic of genetic susceptibility to obesity. High levels of appetite disinhibition, rather than hunger, may underlie genetic vulnerability to obesogenic environments in two-thirds of the population of European ancestry.

scholarly journals The Influence of Alcohol Consumption on Fighting, Shoplifting and Vandalism in Young Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 3509
Author(s):  
Ieuan Evans ◽  
Jon Heron ◽  
Joseph Murray ◽  
Matthew Hickman ◽  
Gemma Hammerton
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
Experimental Findings ◽  
Avon Longitudinal Study ◽  
Causal Component

Experimental studies support the conventional belief that people behave more aggressively whilst under the influence of alcohol. To examine how these experimental findings manifest in real life situations, this study uses a method for estimating evidence for causality with observational data—‘situational decomposition’ to examine the association between alcohol consumption and crime in young adults from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Self-report questionnaires were completed at age 24 years to assess typical alcohol consumption and frequency, participation in fighting, shoplifting and vandalism in the previous year, and whether these crimes were committed under the influence of alcohol. Situational decomposition compares the strength of two associations, (1) the total association between alcohol consumption and crime (sober or intoxicated) versus (2) the association between alcohol consumption and crime committed while sober. There was an association between typical alcohol consumption and total crime for fighting [OR (95% CI): 1.47 (1.29, 1.67)], shoplifting [OR (95% CI): 1.25 (1.12, 1.40)], and vandalism [OR (95% CI): 1.33 (1.12, 1.57)]. The associations for both fighting and shoplifting had a small causal component (with the association for sober crime slightly smaller than the association for total crime). However, the association for vandalism had a larger causal component.

Abstract 2924: Association of NOS1AP Genetic Variants with QT Interval Duration in Families from the Diabetes Heart Study

Circulation ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 116 (suppl_16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison B Lehtinen ◽  
Christopher Newton-Cheh ◽  
Julie T Ziegler ◽  
Carl D Langefeld ◽  
Barry I Freedman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variants ◽  
Qt Interval ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
Additive Model ◽  
Adaptor Protein ◽  
European Ancestry ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Interval Duration ◽  
Common Genetic Variants ◽  
Qt Interval Duration

Background: Prolongation of the electrocardiographic QT interval is a risk factor for sudden cardiac death (SCD) in unselected samples as well as in post-myocardial infarction patients or those with diabetes. Common genetic variants in the nitric oxide synthase 1 adaptor protein (NOS1AP) gene have been reported to be associated with QT interval duration in individuals of European ancestry. We sought to replicate the association of NOS1AP variants with QT interval duration in pedigrees enriched for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods and Results: Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the NOS1AP gene, rs10494366 and rs10918594, were genotyped in a collection of 937 European Americans (EAs) and 177 African Americans (AAs) in 450 pedigrees containing at least two siblings with T2DM. An additive genetic model was tested for each SNP in ancestry-specific analyses using SOLAR in the total sample and in the diabetic subset (EA n=778, AA n=159), with and without exclusion of QT-altering medications. In the EA individuals, rs10494366 minor allele homozygotes had an 8.9 msec longer mean QT interval compared to major homozygotes (additive model p=4.4x10 -3 ); rs10918594 minor homozygotes had a 12.9 msec longer mean QT interval compared to major homozygotes (p=9.9x10 -5 ). Excluding users of QT-altering medications in the diabetic-only EA sample (n=514) strengthened the association despite the reduction in sample size (20.6 msec difference, p=2.0x10 -5 ; 23.4 msec difference, p=8.9x10 -7 , respectively). No association between the NOS1AP SNPs and QT interval duration was observed in the limited number of AA individuals examined. Conclusions: Two NOS1AP SNPs are strongly associated with QT interval duration in a predominately diabetic EA sample. Stronger effects of NOS1AP variants in diabetic individuals compared to previously reported unselected samples suggest that this patient subset may be particularly susceptible to genetic variants that influence myocardial depolarization and repolarization as manifest in the QT interval.

scholarly journals All sites but skin cancer incidences analyzed worldwide by sex, age, and skin type over time (1955-2007), advancing age, and UVB dose reveals important carcinogenic drivers

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Dianne E. Godar ◽  
Rossen Gurov ◽  
Stephen J. Merrill
Keyword(s):  
Human Papillomavirus ◽  
Skin Cancer ◽  
Vitamin D3 ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Hair Follicles ◽  
Skin Type ◽  
European Ancestry ◽  
Developed Country ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Over Time

Because we observed increasing incidences over time, advancing age, higher estrogen levels, decreasing UVB (290-315 nm) doses, or lower vitamin D3, and Human Papillomavirus hiding in immune-privileged sites of hair follicles play roles in melanoma, we wondered if the majority of cancers might have similar carcinogenic drivers. To investigate this possibility, we performed worldwide analysis of all sites but skin cancer over time (1955-2007), advancing age, and UVB doses for males and females with all skin types and ages (0-85+) and in five age groups using IARC data. To investigate Human Papillomavirus’s role, we analyzed the incidences of breast, prostate, and colon cancers in a developed country with European ancestry (New Zealand) having high amounts of androgenic hair and a developing country with Asian ancestry (India) having low amounts of androgenic hair. To potentially add epidemiology to the already established role of estrogen in cancer, we analyzed males and females in various countries around the world using the incidence of breast cancer (> 70 yr.) as an established indicator of estrogen levels. The analysis reveals cancer incidences are steadily increasing over time in developed but not developing countries regardless of skin type. Only US white, but not black, breast, prostate, and colon cancer incidences in the oldest age group significantly decreased with increasing UVB dose suggesting a role for vitamin D3. The data suggests the carcinogenic drivers in many cancers are estrogen, increasing age (or reactive oxygen species), decreasing vitamin D3 levels, and persistence of Human Papillomavirus infection in immune-privileged sites.

Frequent Indoor Tanners’ Beliefs About Indoor Tanning and Cessation

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Glanz ◽  
Amy Jordan ◽  
DeAnn Lazovich ◽  
Amy Bleakley
Keyword(s):  
Skin Cancer ◽  
White Women ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Indoor Tanning ◽  
Psychological Benefits ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Increased Risk

Purpose: Indoor tanning is associated with an increased risk of developing skin cancer. In the United States, nearly 1 in 5 white women aged 18 to 25 are indoor tanners. This study elicited beliefs about tanning indoors and quitting/cutting back on indoor tanning. Design: Semi-structured interviews. Participants and Setting: Forty 18- to 25-year-old white females who engaged in frequent indoor tanning participated in either in-person or telephone interviews. Most were college students from southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware. Method: A semi-structured interview was used to elicit beliefs about indoor tanning and quitting or cutting back. Data analyses using NVivo and multiple coders identified key themes about going and quitting/cutting back on indoor tanning. Results: Key themes stated as reasons for indoor tanning included improving physical appearance, social acceptance, increased confidence, and happiness. The main themes identified as advantages of quitting/cutting back on indoor tanning were to decrease skin cancer risk and save money. Perceived disadvantages of quitting/cutting back included themes of concerns about being pale and a decline in self-confidence. The prospect of saving money and warm weather were seen as facilitating quitting/cutting back. Conclusion: Findings suggest the necessity of addressing appearance concerns, psychological benefits associated with feeling more attractive, and short-term gains such as saving money. These findings provide a foundation for developing effective anti-indoor tanning communication.

scholarly journals An Avatar-Led Digital Smoking Cessation Program for Sexual and Gender Minority Young Adults: Intervention Development and Results of a Single-Arm Pilot Trial (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaimee L Heffner ◽  
Noreen L Watson ◽  
Edit Serfozo ◽  
Megan M Kelly ◽  
Erin D Reilly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Pilot Trial ◽  
Intervention Development ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Gender Minority ◽  
Tobacco Treatment ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment ◽  
Sexual And Gender Minority ◽  
Biochemical Testing ◽  
And Gender

BACKGROUND Sexual and gender minority young adults have a high prevalence of smoking and unique barriers to accessing tobacco treatment. OBJECTIVE To address these challenges as well as their preferences for sexual and gender minority–targeted interventions and digital programs, we developed and evaluated the acceptability, preliminary efficacy, and impact on theory-based change processes of an acceptance and commitment therapy–based digital program called Empowered, Queer, Quitting, and Living (EQQUAL). METHODS Participants (n=22) of a single-arm trial conducted to evaluate the program were young adults, age 18 to 30 years, who self-identified as sexual and gender minority individuals and smoked at least one cigarette per day. All participants received access to the EQQUAL program. Participants completed web-based surveys at baseline and at a follow-up 2 months after enrollment. We verified self-reported smoking abstinence with biochemical testing; missing data were counted as smoking or using tobacco. RESULTS For young adults who logged in at least once (n=18), the mean number of log-ins was 5.5 (SD 3.6), mean number of sessions completed was 3.1 (SD 2.6), and 39% (7/18) completed all 6 sessions. Overall, 93% of participants (14/15) were satisfied with the EQQUAL program, 100% (15/15) found it easy to use, and 100% (15/15) said it helped them be clearer about how to quit. Abstinence from smoking or using tobacco was confirmed with biochemical testing for 23% of participants (5/22). Both quantitative and qualitative results suggested a positive overall response to the avatar guide, with areas for future improvement largely centered on the avatar’s appearance and movements. CONCLUSIONS Treatment acceptability of EQQUAL was very promising. The rate of abstinence, which was biochemically confirmed, was 3 times higher than that of the only other digital program to date that has targeted sexual and gender minority young adults and 6 to 13 times higher than those of nontargeted digital smoking interventions among sexual and gender minority young adults. Planned improvements for the next iteration of the program include making the avatar’s movements more natural; offering multiple avatar guides with different on characteristics such as race, ethnicity, and gender identity from which to choose; and providing a support forum for users to connect anonymously with peers.

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