Non-fasting lipids and cardiovascular disease in those with and without diabetes in Alberta’s Tomorrow Project: A prospective cohort study
This study’s objective was to assess the relationship of non-fasting remnant cholesterol (RC) with cardiovascular disease (CVD) in those with and without diabetes using data from 13,631 Alberta’s Tomorrow Project participants. Researchers found that elevated non-fasting RC was associated with increased CVD risk in middle and older-aged adults without diabetes.
Investigating the oral microbiome in retrospective and prospective cases of prostate, colon, and breast cancer
Salivary samples from the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (PATH) project and Alberta’s Tomorrow Project (ATP) to examine the existence of prostate, colon, and breast cancer biomarkers in the human oral microbiome. While no significant changes in oral microbiome diversity were detected, results indicate that there may be associations between oral microbiome and colon cancer disease status.
Mental health service use and associated predisposing, enabling and need factors in community living adults and older adults across Canada
The authors utilized data from the CanPath COVID-19 health survey (May to December 2020) to conduct multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine the association between mental health service use (MHSU) and predisposing, enabling, and need factors — derived from Andersen’s model of healthcare-seeking behaviour — among five regional cohorts. Among the 45,542 adults in the study population, 6.3% of respondents reported MHSU and need factors were consistently associated with MHSU.
Evaluation of the accuracy of the PLCOm2012 6-year lung cancer risk prediction model among smokers in the CARTaGENE population-based cohort
This study aimed to validate a tool to predict lung cancer risk using data from CARTaGENE participants. It showed good accuracy in identifying lung cancer risk but underestimated the number of cases. This tool may require calibration adjustments for the Quebec population.
Physical activity-induced alterations of the gut microbiota are BMI dependent
Researchers assessed physical activity and hand-grip strength’s role in gut microbiome composition in middle-aged adults with normal and overweight body mass index. Data from 443 participants from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project suggest that BMI plays a significant role in modelling PA-induced changes in gut microbiota.
Genetic analyses of DNA repair pathway associated genes implicate new candidate cancer predisposing genes in ancestrally defined ovarian cancer cases
Researchers investigated families with a history of ovarian cancer that couldn’t be explained by known genetic risk factors. Using healthy controls from CARTaGENE, they applied a targeted gene approach and found rare genetic variants in DNA repair pathway genes, particularly in ERCC5, EXO1, FANCC, NEIL1, and NTHL1, in a significant portion of these families.
Relationships between Obesity and Incidence of Fractures in a Middle-Aged Population: A Study from the CARTaGENE Cohort
The study examined the CARTaGENE cohort to evaluate the association between obesity and fracture incidence among middle-aged individuals, 40 to 70 years, and further stratified the data by sex. The authors determined that, in middle-aged individuals, obesity was associated with distal lower limb fracture risk among both men and women.
Impact of Comorbidity on Hospitalization and Emergency Room Visits in Adults With Diabetes: A Longitudinal Study of Alberta’s Tomorrow Project
Using data from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project, Ye et al. investigated the impact of comorbidities on hospitalization and emergency room visits in people with diabetes. Over the 5-year study period, the authors observed a significant association between the number of comorbidities and increased healthcare utilization among the 2,110 cases in the study population.
Mental health, cancer risk, and the mediating role of lifestyle factors in the CARTaGENE cohort study
This study investigates the associations between depression, anxiety, and cancer risk and the mediating effects of lifestyle. Using data from 34,571 CARTaGENE participants, researchers found positive links between mental health disorders, all cancers, and lung cancer risk, except for anxiety and lung cancer in women, where associations were lower when adjusting for sociodemographics, health and lifestyle. The study also found that smoking affected the relationship between mental health disorders and cancer risk. Overall, the study suggests that lifestyle factors, like smoking, may be important in understanding the relationship between mental health and cancer risk.
Circulating microRNA expression signatures accurately discriminate myalgic encephalomyelitis from fibromyalgia and comorbid conditions
Researchers examined the levels of 11 specific molecules called miRNAs in individuals with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), and those with both conditions (ME/CFS + FM), as well as in healthy controls. Using samples from 38 CARTaGENE participants and other sources, they found distinct patterns of these miRNAs that can help differentiate between ME/CFS, FM, and ME/CFS + FM, indicating that these miRNAs could serve as potential biomarkers to aid in the accurate diagnosis of these complex illnesses.