Article
Cell Biology
Noemie Gensous, Claudia Sala, Chiara Pirazzini, Francesco Ravaioli, Maddalena Milazzo, Katarzyna Malgorzata Kwiatkowska, Elena Marasco, Sara De Fanti, Cristina Giuliani, Camilla Pellegrini, Aurelia Santoro, Miriam Capri, Stefano Salvioli, Daniela Monti, Gastone Castellani, Claudio Franceschi, Maria Giulia Bacalini, Paolo Garagnani
Summary: In this study, a targeted epigenetic clock was developed to measure biological age based on DNA methylation. The results showed that the targeted epigenetic clock can serve as a new marker for biological age and should be further evaluated in large cohorts.
Article
Oncology
Xue-Yong Chang, Wan-Yu Lin
Summary: This study comprehensively investigates the role of five measures of epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) in mediating the associations of smoking with health outcomes in an Asian population. The results show that the second-generation epigenetic clocks (GrimEAA, DunedinPACE, and PhenoEAA) significantly mediate smoking associations with diabetes-related outcomes. In contrast, the first-generation epigenetic clocks (HannumEAA and IEAA) do not significantly mediate any associations of smoking variables with the four health outcomes. Cigarette smoking can directly and indirectly deteriorate human health through DNA methylation changes in aging-related CpG sites.
CLINICAL EPIGENETICS
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Xuelin Tang, Paulina Gonzalez-Latapi, Connie Marras, Naomi P. Visanji, Wanli Yang, Christine Sato, Anthony E. Lang, Ekaterina Rogaeva, Ming Zhang
Summary: This study demonstrates for the first time that DNAm-age acceleration is associated with the age at onset of Parkinson's disease, and the faster-aging group has a higher risk.
MOVEMENT DISORDERS
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ersilia Paparazzo, Vincenzo Lagani, Silvana Geracitano, Luigi Citrigno, Mirella Aurora Aceto, Antonio Malvaso, Francesco Bruno, Giuseppe Passarino, Alberto Montesanto
Summary: The prediction of chronological age using methylation-based biomarkers holds great potential in forensic sciences. However, current age-prediction models are not easily applicable to forensic casework. This study aimed to develop an accurate single-locus model for age prediction using the ELOVL2 gene. The findings showed a strong relationship between ELOVL2 methylation levels and age, with the gradient boosting regressor model exhibiting the best age-prediction accuracy of around 5.5 years. These results support the use of ELOVL2 in the formulation of a single-locus epigenetic model, but additional markers are necessary for more robust forensic applications.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Eva E. Lancaster, Dana M. Lapato, Colleen Jackson-Cook, Jerome F. Strauss, Roxann Roberson-Nay, Timothy P. York
Summary: Maternal age is a predictor of preterm birth independent of other risk factors, but using biological age estimated from DNA methylation in early pregnancy can provide additional predictive value. The study found that maternal biological age in early pregnancy was associated with gestational age at birth, particularly among African American participants.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Giulietta S. Monasso, Trudy Voortman, Janine F. Felix
Summary: Maternal pregnancy fatty acid status is associated with child health, and a higher concentration of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may be related to accelerated epigenetic gestational ageing. However, these findings require further confirmation.
Article
Oncology
Shohei Komaki, Hideki Ohmomo, Tsuyoshi Hachiya, Yoichi Sutoh, Kanako Ono, Ryohei Furukawa, So Umekage, Yayoi Otsuka-Yamasaki, Shiori Minabe, Akira Takashima, Kozo Tanno, Makoto Sasaki, Atsushi Shimizu
Summary: This study analyzed the fluctuations of epigenetic age in samples from two Japanese men and found that there were considerable fluctuations in epigenetic age over a 3-month period, and these fluctuations were not suppressed by correcting for cell-type composition.
CLINICAL EPIGENETICS
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Mary E. Sehl, Jill E. Henry, Anna M. Storniolo, Steve Horvath, Patricia A. Ganz
Summary: The study found associations between earlier age at menarche and higher BMI with elevated DNA methylation-based age estimates in healthy breast tissues, indicating that cumulative estrogen exposure drives breast epigenetic aging. This suggests that epigenetic clock measures may help advance understanding of the relationship between accelerated breast tissue aging and increased breast cancer incidence in younger women.
CANCER EPIDEMIOLOGY BIOMARKERS & PREVENTION
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Antoine Daunay, Lise M. Hardy, Yosra Bouyacoub, Mourad Sahbatou, Mathilde Touvier, Helene Blanche, Jean-Francois Deleuze, Alexandre How-Kit
Summary: Aging is a progressive biological process that affects individuals in different ways. Epigenetic alterations, specifically the epigenetic drift and clock at the DNA methylation level, are one of the hallmarks of aging. This study examined the DNA methylation-based age (DNAmage) in French centenarians and semi-supercentenarians as well as nonagenarians' and centenarians' offspring. The findings showed that exceptionally long-lived individuals have a younger DNAmage compared to their chronological age, indicating a potential slowing of epigenetic and biological aging. Additionally, it was found that epigenetic clocks based on a small number of CpGs are sufficient to detect alterations in the overall epigenetic clock.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Dafni Anastasiadi, Francesc Piferrer
Summary: Epigenetic clocks are accurate tools for age prediction in fish, and have great potential for fisheries management and conservation biology. This review discusses the computational steps and tools necessary to build an epigenetic clock in any fish species, with a focus on the recommended bisulfite conversion method for distinguishing methylated and unmethylated cytosines. Machine learning statistical procedures, particularly penalized regressions, are applied to identify a set of CpGs that can accurately predict age, and once validated, only a small number of CpGs are needed for age prediction. The implementation of this molecular resource is expected to increase in the future due to its accuracy and decreasing sequencing costs. Accurate age prediction will greatly contribute to fish population management and conservation efforts.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nita Kanney, Amit Patki, Paula Chandler-Laney, W. Timothy Garvey, Bertha A. Hidalgo
Summary: There is a known association between exposure to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) in GDM-exposed offspring. This study aimed to assess this association in mothers with pregnancies complicated by GDM. The results showed a significant association between EAA and fasting insulin levels in offspring, and between EAA and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in mothers.
Article
Oncology
Chris P. Verschoor, David T. S. Lin, Michael S. Kobor, Oxana Mian, Jinhui Ma, Guillaume Pare, Gustavo Ybazeta
Summary: The study found that epigenetic clocks trained on phenotypic markers of health or mortality outperformed age-trained clocks in their association with frailty. GrimAge showed the strongest association with frailty. Some epigenetic clocks were significantly associated with short-term changes in frailty, supporting their utility in initiatives and interventions to promote healthy aging.
CLINICAL EPIGENETICS
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Yun-Hsiang Lo, Wan-Yu Lin
Summary: This study comprehensively investigates the associations between cardiovascular health and four epigenetic clocks. The findings suggest that ideal cardiovascular health is associated with lower levels of biological aging, reducing the risk of aging-related disorders.
CLINICAL EPIGENETICS
(2022)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Daisy Zavala, Natalie Dzikowski, Shyamalika Gopalan, Karra D. Harrington, Giancarlo Pasquini, Jacqueline Mogle, Kerry Reid, Martin Sliwinski, Jennifer E. Graham-Engeland, Christopher G. Engeland, Kristin Bernard, Krishna Veeramah, Stacey B. Scott
Summary: DNA methylation-derived epigenetic clocks can provide insights into age acceleration and its impact on cognitive function. This study found that age acceleration has comparable or greater effects on cognitive performance compared to chronological age, suggesting that it may account for additional risk and interindividual variation in cognitive performance.
JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES A-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND MEDICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Elena Bernabeu, Daniel L. McCartney, Danni A. Gadd, Robert F. Hillary, Ake T. T. Lu, Lee Murphy, Nicola Wrobel, Archie Campbell, Sarah E. Harris, David Liewald, Caroline Hayward, Cathie Sudlow, Simon R. Cox, Kathryn L. Evans, Steve Horvath, Andrew M. McIntosh, Matthew R. Robinson, Catalina A. Vallejos, Riccardo E. Marioni
Summary: This study developed accurate blood-based epigenetic predictors for both biological and chronological age through large-scale epigenome-wide association studies. The predictors were able to estimate an individual's age and their risk of mortality, providing important indicators of survival.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Louise A. Rabbitt, Mairead McNally, Laura Reynolds, Kate Hinchion, Andrew Simpkin, Margaret Scarry, Mary Bohan-Keane, Carol Goulding
Summary: This study used the FLI to estimate the prevalence of NAFLD in patients attending an Irish AMU and found that approximately 44.4% of patients were at high risk of NAFLD. Male sex and increasing age were associated with higher risk. FLI scores were associated with CAP scores but did not predict LSM levels.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY & HEPATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Kaavya Rekanar, Ian R. O'Keeffe, Sarah Buckley, Manzar Abbas, Sarah Beecham, Muslim Chochlov, Brian Fitzgerald, Liam Glynn, Kevin Johnson, John Laffey, Bairbre McNicholas, Bashar Nuseibeh, James O'Connell, Derek O'Keeffe, Mike O'Callaghan, Abdul Razzaq, Ita Richardson, Andrew Simpkin, Cristiano Storni, Damyanka Tsvyatkova, Jane Walsh, Thomas Welsh, Jim Buckley
Summary: Digital contact tracing is important in reducing the spread of Covid-19, but it requires high uptake and continued participation from the population. A manual analysis of user reviews of the Irish HSE Contact Tracker app found largely positive sentiment towards the app, with suggestions for improvements such as more targeted feedback on virus incidence and more proactive engagement features. Issues with android battery and backward compatibility with older iPhones were identified as impacting app uptake.
IRISH JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alexandre A. Lussier, Yiwen Zhu, Brooke J. Smith, Andrew J. Simpkin, Andrew D. A. C. Smith, Matthew J. Suderman, Esther Walton, Kerry J. Ressler, Erin C. Dunn
Summary: This study assessed the impact of different data and analytic versions on the results of epigenome-wide analyses. The findings showed that changes in data and analytic versions can lead to different associations at conventional p-value thresholds, especially in analyses of childhood adversity. However, the magnitude and direction of associations were generally consistent between versions, regardless of p-values. This highlights the importance of considering the magnitude and direction of associations for replication and stability.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
James R. Staley, Frank Windmeijer, Matthew Suderman, Matthew S. Lyon, George Davey Smith, Kate Tilling
Summary: This passage discusses the importance of studying the variability of outcomes in addition to mean levels, suggesting that a joint test of mean and variability could provide more insights into biological mechanisms. The Brown-Forsythe test and JLSsc are identified as robust tests that can detect associations driven by factors beyond just the mean effect, offering potential improvements in high-dimensional phenotype studies.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jean Golding, Steve Gregory, Kate Northstone, Marcus Pembrey, Sarah Watkins, Yasmin Iles-Caven, Matthew Suderman
Summary: Using data from ALSPAC, researchers found that paternal and maternal grandfathers who started smoking before puberty were associated with excess fat mass in their granddaughters and great-granddaughters, but not in their grandsons and great-grandsons. However, there were no similar associations with lean mass.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Rhona A. Beynon, Suzanne M. Ingle, Ryan Langdon, Margaret May, Andy Ness, Richard M. Martin, Matthew Suderman, Kate Ingarfield, Riccardo E. Marioni, Daniel L. McCartney, Tim Waterboer, Michael Pawlita, Caroline Relton, George Davey Smith, Rebecca C. Richmond
Summary: In a clinical cohort of individuals with head and neck cancer, epigenetic markers of aging were found to enhance survival prediction, beyond established prognostic factors, suggesting potential utility in clinical and non-clinical contexts for treatment planning and patient stratification.
CLINICAL EPIGENETICS
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Jean Golding, Marcus E. Pembrey, Steven Gregory, Matthew Suderman, Yasmin Iles-Caven, Kate Northstone
Summary: Although there are limited studies on the impact of environmental exposure on subsequent generations in humans, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) has found associations between grandparental exposures and their grandchildren's development. The study shows that smoking during pregnancy by the paternal grandmother is more likely to result in extreme tasters in grandchildren, particularly granddaughters.
ENVIRONMENTAL EPIGENETICS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sarah Holmes Watkins, Yasmin Iles-Caven, Marcus Pembrey, Jean Golding, Matthew Suderman
Summary: This study provides evidence that grandmaternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with altered DNA methylation in the offspring, with potentially transgenerational effects. These effects are often sex-specific and suggest a mechanism for the transmission of health outcomes through epigenetic means.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sarah Holmes Watkins, Karen Ho, Christian Testa, Louise Falk, Patrice Soule, Linda Nguyen, Sophie FitzGibbon, Catherine Slack, Jarvis T. Chen, George Davey Smith, Immaculata De Vivo, Andrew J. Simpkin, Kate Tilling, Pamela D. Waterman, Nancy Krieger, Matthew Suderman, Caroline Relton
Summary: This study aimed to assess the impact of DNA input on data quality when using the Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip for DNA methylation analysis. The study found that as DNA input decreased, data quality decreased and larger sample sizes were required to detect associations.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Nancy Krieger, Jarvis T. Chen, Christian Testa, Ana Diez Roux, Kate Tilling, Sarah Watkins, Andrew J. Simpkin, Matthew Suderman, George Davey Smith, Immaculata De Vivo, Pamela D. Waterman, Caroline Relton
Summary: Motivated by a literature review, this study reports on the treatment of age in studies on social exposures and accelerated aging using epigenetic clocks. Among 50 reviewed articles, the majority used an incorrect method of analysis, while only 42% used correct methods. The study provides simulation and empirical analyses to illustrate the biases introduced by the incorrect method and recommends best practices.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Scott Waterfield, Paul Yousefi, Amy Webster, Caroline Relton, Chrissie Thirlwell, Matt Suderman
Summary: This study examines the genetic characteristics and clinical features of different subtypes of small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors (siNETs) and identifies potential genes and CD14 infiltration associated with the 18LOH subtype and poorer prognosis. The findings highlight the importance of the 18LOH subtype and provide potential clues about the underlying mechanisms.
NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Pediatrics
Kirsty Bowman, Tim Cadman, Ana Goncalves Soares, Oliver Robinson, Amanda Hughes, Jon Heron, Alexa Blair Segal, Maria Carmen Huerta, Laura D. Howe
Summary: This study examines the association between BMI and educational attainment and finds that in females, externalizing behaviors are a major mediator of the negative impact of BMI on educational achievement, while in males there is no significant mediation effect. Therefore, supporting behavioral problems may help improve the academic performance of overweight children.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Samantha Hayward, Kevon Parmesar, Gavin I. Welsh, Matthew Suderman, Moin A. Saleem
Summary: A small subset of people with nephrotic syndrome (NS) have genetically driven disease, while the mechanisms for the remaining majority are unknown. Epigenetic marks have potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. The majority of published human studies on epigenetic mechanisms in NS have examined micro-RNAs (miRNAs), and there are some promising concordant results. However, the study quality is low and larger clinical studies focusing on DNA methylation and histone modifications are needed to address this critical gap in the literature.
Article
Toxicology
Jean Golding, Holly Tunstall, Steve Gregory, Raquel Granell, James W. Dodd, Yasmin Iles-Caven, Sarah Watkins, Matthew Suderman
Summary: This study found associations between grandparental exposures during childhood and grandchildren's asthma outcomes, with the associations depending on the sex of the grandchildren and the sex of the grandparents involved.
FRONTIERS IN TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Engineering, Biomedical
Mouzzam Husain, Andrew Simpkin, Claire Gibbons, Tanya Talkar, Daniel Low, Paolo Bonato, Satrajit S. Ghosh, Thomas Quatieri, Derek T. O'Keeffe
Summary: This article explores the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology for COVID-19 detection using cough, breathing, and speech recordings. The study finds that these methods have the potential to be an effective approach in detecting diseases related to respiratory and neurophysiological changes in the human body.
IEEE OPEN JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY
(2022)
