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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an idiopathic inflammatory disorder characterized by chronic and relapsing manifestations. Several environmental factors are known as triggers for exacerbation of IBD. However, an association between exacerbation of IBD and ambient temperature is uncertain. This study aimed to estimate the risk of acute exacerbation of IBD due to ambient temperature. We performed a bidirectional case-crossover study using a nationwide claim data from South Korea. The external validation was conducted with a large prospective cohort in the United Kingdom. We confirmed significant associations between acute exacerbation of IBD and the short-term ambient temperature changes toward severe temperatures, in the cold weather (-19.4°C–4.3°C) (odd ratio [OR] = 1.13, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13–1.14) and in the hot weather (21.3°C–33.5°C) (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.15–1.17). However, the association was not significant in the moderate weather (4.3°C–21.3°C). The external validation suggested consistent results with additional elevation of acute exacerbation risk in the colder weather (-13.4°C to 2.6°C) (OR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.62–2.22) and in the hotter weather (15.7°C–28.4°C) (OR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.32–1.51). We observed and validated that the short-term ambient temperature changes were associated with acute exacerbation of IBD in the cold and hot weathers. Our findings provide evidence that temperature changes are associated with the acute exacerbation of IBD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Background: When polygenic risk score (PRS) is derived from summary statistics, independence between discovery and test sets cannot be monitored. We compared two types of PRS studies derived from raw genetic data (denoted as rPRS) and the summary statistics for IGAP (sPRS). Results: Two variables with the high heritability in UK Biobank, hypertension, and height, are used to derive an exemplary scale effect of PRS. sPRS without APOE is derived from International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project (IGAP), which records ΔAUC and ΔR2 of 0.051 ± 0.013 and 0.063 ± 0.015 for Alzheimer's Disease Sequencing Project (ADSP) and 0.060 and 0.086 for Accelerating Medicine Partnership - Alzheimer's Disease (AMP-AD). On UK Biobank, rPRS performances for hypertension assuming a similar size of discovery and test sets are 0.0036 ± 0.0027 (ΔAUC) and 0.0032 ± 0.0028 (ΔR2). For height, ΔR2 is 0.029 ± 0.0037. Conclusion: Considering the high heritability of hypertension and height of UK Biobank and sample size of UK Biobank, sPRS results from AD databases are inflated. Independence between discovery and test sets is a well-known basic requirement for PRS studies. However, a lot of PRS studies cannot follow such requirements because of impossible direct comparisons when using summary statistics. Thus, for sPRS, potential duplications should be carefully considered within the same ethnic group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Background: Micronutrients, namely vitamins and minerals, are associated with cancer outcomes; however, their reported effects have been inconsistent across studies. We aimed to identify the causally estimated effects of micronutrients on cancer by applying the Mendelian randomization (MR) method, using single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with micronutrient levels as instrumental variables. Methods: We obtained instrumental variables of 14 genetically predicted micronutrient levels and applied two-sample MR to estimate their causal effects on 22 cancer outcomes from a meta-analysis of the UK Biobank (UKB) and FinnGen cohorts (overall cancer and 21 site-specific cancers, including breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer), in addition to six major cancer outcomes and 20 cancer subset outcomes from cancer consortia. We used sensitivity MR methods, including weighted median, MR-Egger, and MR-PRESSO, to assess potential horizontal pleiotropy or heterogeneity. Genome-wide association summary statistical data of European descent were used for both exposure and outcome data, including up to 940,633 participants of European descent with 133,384 cancer cases. Results: In total, 672 MR tests (14 micronutrients × 48 cancer outcomes) were performed. The following two associations met Bonferroni significance by the number of associations (P < 0.00016) in the UKB plus FinnGen cohorts: increased risk of breast cancer with magnesium levels (odds ratio [OR] = 1.281 per 1 standard deviation [SD] higher magnesium level, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.151 to 1.426, P < 0.0001) and increased risk of colorectal cancer with vitamin B12 level (OR = 1.22 per 1 SD higher vitamin B12 level, 95% CI = 1.107 to 1.345, P < 0.0001). These two associations remained significant in the analysis of the cancer consortia. No significant heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy was observed. Micronutrient levels were not associated with overall cancer risk. Conclusions: Our results may aid clinicians in deciding whether to regulate the intake of certain micronutrients, particularly in high-risk groups without nutritional deficiencies, and may help in the design of future clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Objective: Although the association between adiposity and gastrointestinal (GI) diseases has been explored, the causal effects of adiposity on GI diseases are largely unknown. Methods: Mendelian randomization was conducted using single‐nucleotide polymorphisms associated with BMI and waist circumference (WC) as instrumental variables, and the causal associations of BMI or WC with GI conditions were estimated among >400,000 UK Biobank participants, >170,000 Finnish‐descent participants, and numerous consortia participants of predominantly European ancestry. Results: Genetically predicted BMI was robustly associated with increased risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, and primary biliary cholangitis. For the diseases, the odds ratio per 1‐SD increase in genetically predicted BMI (4.77 kg/m2) ranged from 1.22 (95% CI: 1.12–1.34; p < 0.0001) for NAFLD to 1.65 (95% CI: 1.31–2.06; p < 0.0001) for cholecystitis. Genetically predicted WC was robustly associated with increased risk of NAFLD, alcoholic liver disease, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, colon cancer, and gastric cancer. Alcoholic liver disease was consistently associated with WC even after adjusting for alcohol consumption in a multivariable Mendelian randomization analysis. The odds ratio per 1‐SD increase in genetically predicted WC (12.52 cm) for such associations ranged from 1.41 (95% CI: 1.17–1.70; p = 0.0015) for gastric cancer to 1.74 (95% CI: 1.21–1.78; p < 0.0001) for cholelithiasis. Conclusions: High genetically predicted adiposity was causally associated with an increased risk of GI abnormalities, particularly of hepatobiliary organs (liver, biliary tract, and gallbladder) that are functionally related to fat metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

OBJECTIVE: We investigated genetic risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by age at type 2 diabetes (T2D) diagnosis. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We compared incident CVD events by age at T2D diagnosis using UK Biobank (N = 12,321) and the Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) cohort (N = 1,165). Genetic risk was quantified using polygenic risk score (PRS). RESULTS: Individuals with earlier T2D diagnosis had higher CVD risk. In UK Biobank, the effect size of coronary artery disease (CAD) PRS on incident CAD was largest in individuals diagnosed with T2D at ages 30–39 years (hazard ratio 2.25; 95% CI 1.56–3.26) and decreased as age at diagnosis increased: ages 40–49 (1.51; 1.30–1.75), 50–59 (1.36; 1.24–1.50), and 60–69 years (1.30; 1.14–1.48) (Pinteraction = 0.0031). A similar trend was observed in the SNUH cohort. This increased genetic risk associated with earlier T2D diagnosis was largely mitigated by a healthy lifestyle. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with an earlier T2D diagnosis have a higher genetic risk of CAD, and this information could be used to tailor lifestyle interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Purpose: The extant gastronomy literature has rarely examined a connection between authentic gastronomic experiences and destinations. Specifically, ethnic enclaves, which are unique gastronomic and cultural destinations providing ethnic cuisine and cultural experiences to visitors, have been under-researched. Thus, this study aims to address this knowledge gap. Design/methodology/approach: Using a 2 (history: long vs short) × 2 (location: Central Business District vs rural; main street vs alleyway) × 2 size/ownership type (big vs small; chain vs independent) between-subjects design, two experiments were conducted using a sample of 557 British consumers to test the effect of history, location and size of ethnic enclaves and ethnic restaurants on consumers' authentic cultural and gastronomic experiences in a UK context. Findings: In Study 1, ethnic enclave's size affected consumers' authentic cultural experiences. In Study 2, restaurants' history and ownership type positively influenced consumers' authentic gastronomic experiences. Both studies consistently reported the positive relationship between authentic experiences and behavioural intentions. Practical implications: For ethnic enclaves, the management team may consider expanding the size of ethnic enclaves to increase consumers' authentic cultural experience. For those ethnic restaurants within the ethnic enclave, any independent or old ethnic restaurants should actively promote both characteristics in their marketing materials to create a feeling of offering authentic gastronomic experiences to customers. Originality/value: This study identified important ethnic enclave-related factors and ethnic restaurant-related factors forming consumers' authentic cultural and gastronomic experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Employing biochar for environmental remediation has been widely practiced. Nonetheless, the reduction mechanisms of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in the presence of biochar have not been fully elucidated (i.e., direct or indirect reduction of Cr(VI) by biochar). In particular, the effect of light on Cr(VI) reduction by biochar was rarely reported. Thus, to clarify the reduction mechanisms of Cr(VI) by biochar at the fundamental level, this study laid great emphasis on the photo-induced reduction of Cr(VI) in the application of biochar. Biochar releases dissolved organic matter (DOM), the DOM can extract Fe(III) from soil by complexation, and the complexes can be photo-reacted under the light. In these respects, Fe(II) formed by the photo-induced reaction of DOM-Fe(III) was particularly evaluated in this study. To evaluate that, three biomass samples (rice straw, granular sludge from an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket, and spent coffee ground) were torrefied to biochar. To circumvent the adsorption of Cr(VI) onto biochar, biochar extractives (served as a source for DOM) and Fe(III) solution were tested with/without UV light to prove Fe(II) formation. This study experimentally proved that the more Fe(II) under the UV radiation was formed in the co-existence with biochar extractives and Fe(III). All experimental data from three biochar samples were indeed very similar. Cr(VI) reduction by Fe(II) from GB, RB, and CB reached up to 96, 79, and 100%, respectively. The different reduction efficiency signified that the low molecular weight of organic acids, such as oxalate, were more sensitive to the UV light, thereby resulting in the enhanced Fe(II) formation. Such Fe(II) formation subsequently led to the high reduction efficiency of Cr(VI). Image 1 • Biochar application increases significantly the reduction of Cr(VI) under the light condition. • A reductant Fe(II) was transformed via photoreaction of DOM-Fe (III) complexes. • Photo-induced indirect reduction is a major mechanism of Cr(VI) reduction by biochar. The indirect photo-reduction is more important mechanisms for the reduction of Cr(VI) by biochar and the mechanism is faster than the direct reduction via electron donation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Background: Randomized controlled trials provide high-level evidence, but the necessity to include selected patients may limit the generalisability of their results. Methods: Comparisons were made of baseline and outcome data between patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) recruited into the alteplase-dose arm of the international, multi-center, Enhanced Control of Hypertension and Thrombolysis Stroke study (ENCHANTED) in the United Kingdom (UK), and alteplase-treated AIS patients registered in the UK Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) registry, over the study period June 2012 to October 2015. Results: There were 770 AIS patients (41.2% female; mean age 72 years) included in ENCHANTED at sites in England and Wales, which was 19.5% of alteplase-treated AIS patients registered in the SSNAP registry. Trial participants were significantly older, had lower baseline neurological severity, less likely Asian, and had more premorbid symptoms, hypertension and atrial fibrillation. Although ENCHANTED participants had higher rates of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage than those in SSNAP, there were no differences in onset-to-treatment time, levels of disability (assessed by the modified Rankin scale) at hospital discharge, and mortality over 90 days between groups. Conclusions: Despite the high level of participation, equipoise over the dose of alteplase among UK clinician investigators favored the inclusion of older, frailer, milder AIS patients in the ENCHANTED trial. Clinical trial registration: Clinical Trial Registration-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01422616 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Summary: Introduction: Sun protection, particularly the appropriate use of sunscreens is an important modifiable risk factor in the prevention of skin cancers. Our aim was to assess the current knowledge levels regarding sun protection, across plastic surgeons in the UK. Methods: A 12-point questionnaire based on the points contained in the patient information packs on sun protection produced by the British Association of Dermatology was circulated electronically amongst 551 BAPRAS members. We received 73 responses (13.3%). Questions were formulated around the basic information patients would expect to receive from a skin cancer specialist at the time of the diagnosis. Results: On average, participants could answer only 52.4% of the questions correctly. Only 9.7% (95% CI 3–17) of participants could accurately quantify the role of UV exposure in causation of melanoma. A total of 37.5% correctly identified the duration of action of sunscreen to be 3–4 h. Half of the participants were not aware that geographical conditions like altitude and latitude, as well as shade, could alter sun protection. A similar number could not answer questions related to the protective action of clothing. Conclusion: As principal stakeholders in the treatment and outcomes of skin cancer patients, plastic surgeons could be at the forefront of influencing patients’ behaviour regarding sun protection measures. The results demonstrate a need for better awareness and education regarding the knowledge of sunscreens and UV protection. Improved education would lead to health benefits for patients and their relatives and influence the primary prevention of this enlarging health issue of skin cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Scientific evidence sustains PM 2.5 particles' inhalation may generate harmful impacts on human beings' health; therefore, their monitoring in ambient air is of paramount relevance in terms of public health. Due to the limited number of fixed stations within the air quality monitoring networks, development of methodological frameworks to model ambient air PM 2.5 particles is primordial to providing additional information on PM 2.5 exposure and its trends. In this sense, this work aims to offer a global easily-applicable tool to estimate ambient air PM 2.5 as a function of meteorological conditions using a multivariate analysis. Daily PM 2.5 data measured by 84 fixed monitoring stations and meteorological data from ERA5 (ECMWF Reanalysis v5) reanalysis daily based data between 2000 and 2021 across the United Kingdom were attended to develop the suggested approach. Data from January 2017 to December 2020 were employed to build a mathematical expression that related the dependent variable (PM 2.5 ) to predictor ones (sea-level pressure, planetary boundary layer height, temperature, precipitation, wind direction and speed), while 2021 data tested the model. Evaluation indicators evidenced a good performance of model (maximum values of RMSE, MAE and MAPE: 1.80 µg/m 3 , 3.24 µg/m 3 , and 20.63%, respectively), compiling the current legislation's requirements for modelling ambient air PM 2.5 concentrations. A retrospective analysis of meteorological features allowed estimating ambient air PM 2.5 concentrations from 2000 to 2021. The highest PM 2.5 concentrations relapsed in the Mid- and Southlands, while Northlands sustained the lowest concentrations., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.) more...