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Birthweight is associated with health outcomes across the life course, DNA methylation may be an underlying mechanism. In this meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies of 8,825 neonates from 24 birth cohorts in the Pregnancy And Childhood Epigenetics Consortium, we find that DNA methylation in neonatal blood is associated with birthweight at 914 sites, with a difference in birthweight ranging from -183 to 178 grams per 10% increase in methylation (PBonferroni

Genetic background interacts with dietary components to modulate nutritional health status. This study aimed to review the evidence for gene-diet interactions in all forms of malnutrition. A comprehensive systematic literature search was conducted through April 2021 to identify observational and intervention studies reporting the effects of gene-diet interactions in over-nutrition, under-nutrition and micronutrient status. Risk of publication bias was assessed using the Quality Criteria Checklist and a tool specifically designed for gene-diet interaction research. 167 studies from 27 populations were included. The majority of studies investigated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in overnutrition (n = 158). Diets rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits and low in total and saturated fats, such as Mediterranean and DASH diets, showed promising effects for reducing obesity risk among individuals who had higher genetic risk scores for obesity, particularly the risk alleles carriers of FTO rs9939609, rs1121980 and rs1421085. Other SNPs in MC4R, PPARG and APOA5 genes were also commonly studied for interaction with diet on overnutrition though findings were inconclusive. Only limited data were found related to undernutrition (n = 1) and micronutrient status (n = 9). The findings on gene-diet interactions in this review highlight the importance of personalized nutrition, and more research on undernutrition and micronutrient status is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The global burden of liver cirrhosis is increasing, with 2.1 million incident cases and nearly 1.5 million deaths in 2019. Despite the enormous progress in our understanding of the etiology of liver cirrhosis, significant cases of the disease have been reported in Eastern Ethiopia due to unidentified causes. Hence, this study aimed to identify predictors of liver cirrhosis of unknown etiology in Eastern Ethiopia. Methods: A score of 7 out of 11 possible points on the ultrasound-based cirrhosis scale was used as a diagnostic criterion to include 127 liver cirrhosis patients. The study participants' demographic, dietary, lifestyle, and clinical data were gathered using a structured questionnaire and standardized reporting forms. The associations between the outcome (known and unknown etiology) and independent variables were modeled using binary logistic regression analysis. Results: The etiology of liver cirrhosis was known in only 23% of patients and attributed to hepatitis B virus (21%), hepatitis C virus (0.8%), and alcohol abuse (0.8%). Sorghum consumption as a staple food (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) =3.8; 95% CI: 1.2, 12.5), splenomegaly (AOR = 4.0; 95% CI: 1.1, 14.4), and a family history of liver disease (AOR = 0.24; 95% CI: 0.06, 0.91) were significantly associated with liver cirrhosis of unknown etiology. Conclusion: Sorghum consumption was found to be the determinant factor of liver cirrhosis of unknown etiology, suggesting it as a possible source of exposure to aflatoxin B1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Polymorphisms in glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) and T1 (GSTT1) can cause an entire gene deletion. The current methodology can accurately identify GSTM1 and GSTT1 copy number variants (CNVs), which may shed light on the true contribution of each gene copy to the cellular detoxification process and disease risk. Because liver cirrhosis is becoming a critical worldwide health issue, this study determined the CNVs of GSTM1 and GSTT1 and their relationship to the risk of liver cirrhosis.Methods: In this study, we compared 106 patients with liver cirrhosis to 104 healthy controls. Real-time PCR was used to identify the CNVs of GSTM1 and GSTT1. Logistic and linear regression models were used to estimate the relationship between liver cirrhosis and clinical chemistry variables with the CNVs, respectively.Results: In 3.3% of the study participants, > 2 copies of the GSTM1 or GSTT1 genes were detected. GSTT1 carriers had a significantly lower risk of liver cirrhosis (p< 0.05) compared with individuals who had homozygous deletion (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.47; 95% CI: 0.25, 0.86). This risk reduction was significant (p< 0.05) in patients with a single copy of the GSTT1 gene (AOR = 0.48; 95% CI: 0.25, 0.91). Those with ≥ 2 copies of combined GSTM1 and GSTT1 also had a significantly (p< 0.05) lower risk of developing liver cirrhosis compared with double null genotypes (AOR = 0.38; 95% CI: 0.16, 0.91, p trend < 0.001). Moreover, ≥ 2 copies of combined GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes were associated with a substantial decrease in alanine amino transferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, respectively.Conclusion: A single copy number of GSTT1, and ≥ 2 copies of combined GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes were associated with a reduced risk of liver cirrhosis in Ethiopians. These findings underscore the importance of gene–environment interactions in the multifactorial development of liver cirrhosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstraction form were used to collect demographic, lifestyle, and clinical information. A blood sample was also taken from each participant for clinical chemistry, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus tests as well as for an aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) albumin adduct (AF-alb) assay. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine predictors of liver cirrhosis.Results: AF-alb levels were detected in 75% of the cases and 64% of the controls, with a median (IQR) level of 11 pg/mg (5.5– 25) and 7.0 pg/mg (4.3– 20.5), respectively (p< 0.05). Moreover, the number of subjects with high AF-alb levels (≥ 8.6 pg/mg) was greater in cases (45%, p< 0.05)) than controls (28%). Age ≥ 55 years (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=0.4; 95% CI: 0.2, 0.8), being a farmer (AOR= 3.0; 95% CI: 1.5, 6.0), family history of liver disease (AOR= 2.9; 95% CI: 1.1, 7.9), HBV seropositivity (AOR=4.0; 95% CI: 1.9, 8.8), and exposure to high levels of AF-alb (AOR=2.0; 95% CI: 1.1, 3.7) were significantly associated with liver cirrhosis.Conclusion: This study found a strong link between AFB1 exposure and liver cirrhosis. Mitigation of aflatoxin exposure and a better understanding of additional environmental risk factors like pesticides may be necessary to reduce the disease burden in Ethiopia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]