Association between volatile organic compounds exposure and infertility risk among American women aged 18-45 years from NHANES 2013-2020.

The risk of infertility is progressively escalating over the years, and it has been established that exposure to environmental pollutants is closely linked to infertility. As a prevalent environmental pollutant in daily life, there is still a lack of substantial evidence on the association between volatile organic compounds (VOCs) exposure and infertility risk. This study aimed to examine the association between VOCs exposure and the risk of female infertility in the United States. Participant data sets from three cycles (2013-2020) were collected and downloaded from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), including demographics, examination, laboratory and questionnaire data. The baseline characteristics of the included population were evaluated, and the weighted quartile logistic regression was used to analyze the association between the urinary metabolites of VOCs (mVOCs) levels and the risk of infertility. Further exploration of the relationship between mVOCs and infertility was conducted by using 35 and 25 as the cut-off points for age and BMI subgroup analyses, respectively. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) was employed to elucidate the nonlinear relationship between mVOCs and infertility risk. Additionally, the Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) model with 20,000 iterations was applied to elucidate the link between mVOCs and the risk of infertility when exposed to mixed or individual mVOCs. A total of 1082 women aged 18 to 45 years were included in this study, with 133 in the infertility group and 949 in the control group. The analysis of baseline characteristics suggested that urinary 34MHA, AMCC and DHBMA levels were significantly higher in the infertility group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Quartile logistic regression analysis indicated that AAMA (Q3), AMCC (Q4), CYMA (Q3) and HPMMA (Q3) were positively associated with infertility risk in all models (p < 0.05). Subgroup analysis revealed different risk factors for infertility among various subgroups, with CYMA consistently showing a positive correlation with infertility risk in two age subgroups (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the association between mVOCs and infertility was observed only in the subgroup with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. RCS analysis indicated that 2MHA, ATCA, BMA, BPMA, CYMA, 2HPMA, 3HPMA and PGA exhibited linear dose-response relationships with infertility (p > 0.05), while the remaining variables showed nonlinear relationships (p < 0.05). The BKMR model demonstrated that the risk of female infertility exhibited an increasing trend with the accumulation of mVOCs co-exposure. A positive association between the exposure to mVOCs represented by 34MHA and AMCC and the risk of infertility was observed in this research. However, the inherent limitations associated with the cross-sectional study design necessitate the pursuit of additional prospective and experimental research to further elucidate and validate the relationships between various mVOCs exposure and female infertility.

Yang Q ，Zhang J ，Fan Z 《Scientific Reports》

Association between fatty acids and female infertility: dual evidence from a cross-sectional study and Mendelian randomization analysis.

Yang Q ，Tao J ，Jia S ，Fan Z ... -  《-》

Association between urinary volatile organic compounds metabolites and rheumatoid arthritis among the adults from NHANES 2011-2018.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is closely associated with environmental factors. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a common environment pollutant which can induce autoimmune diseases. However, studies on the relationship between VOCs and RA are still unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the potential associations between exposure to urinary VOCs and RA risk among adults. Data was analyzed from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2018. We used logistics regression, restricted cubic splines (RCS) model, (Weighted Quantile Sum) WQS, qgcomp and (Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression) BKMR models to assess single and mixed relationships between VOCs and RA. A total of 3390 participants and 15 urinary VOCs included in this study. The results showed that AMCC, CEMC, DHBC, MB3C, PHGA, and PMMC were significantly higher than in RA compare to the participants without RA. Logistic regression model reveals that AAMC, AMCC, CEMC, CYMC, DHBC, HPMC, and MB3C were positive correlation with RA which age between 20 and 50. Then the WQS, qgcomp, and BKMR model suggest a positive association between mixed urinary VOCs and RA, with WQS and qgcomp model highlighting CYMC and CEMC as the major contributors in age 20-59 group. In BKMR analysis, the overall effects of co-exposure displayed CYMC, CEMC, and AMCC has significant positive with RA in age 20-59. Furthermore, RCS regression proved the positive linear relationship between CYMC, AMCC, and CEMC with RA. According to our study results, we demonstrated that exposure to certain urinary VOCs (CYMC, CEMC, and AMCC) is associated with an increased prevalence of RA among adults that age 20-59.

Zhou L ，Wu D ，Chen H ，Han J ，Liu W ... -  《Scientific Reports》

Increased levels of urine volatile organic compounds are associated with hypertension risk.

Individuals are exposed to various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in their surroundings. VOCs were associated with some cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, but the effects on blood pressure (BP) have not yet been clarified. This study aimed to ascertain the relationship between the urine levels of VOCs and the prevalence of hypertension (HTN) in the general population. This analysis utilized data from 4156 participants aged from 20 to 79 years in 2013-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Exposure to VOCs was assessed through measurements of urinary VOC metabolites, with 16 VOCs selected for analysis. The relationships between VOCs and the risk of HTN in patients were examined through the weighted logistic regression and the weighted linear regression models. Generalized additive models were employed to analyze potential nonlinear associations between VOCs and the risk of HTN. Additionally, subgroup analyses and intergroup interaction tests were conducted. A total of 4156 participants with 16 VOCs were finally included for analysis. Multivariable logistic regression showed that ln-transformed urine levels of N -acetyl-S-(2-cyanoethyl)-L-cysteine (CYMA) [odds ratio (OR) 1.54; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.18-2.02], N -acetyl-S-(3-hydroxypropyl)-L-cysteine (3HPMA; OR 1.33; 95% CI 1.03-1.74), N -acetyl-S-(4-hydroxy-2-butenyl)-L-cysteine (MHBMA3; OR 1.68; 95% CI 1.29-2.20), and N -acetyl-S-(1-phenyl-2-hydroxyethyl)-L-cysteine + N -acetyl-S-(2-phenyl-2-hydroxyethyl)-L-cysteine (PHEMA; OR 1.55; 95% CI 1.19-2.00) were significantly associated with an increased risk of HTN in US general population. A nonlinear relationship and a threshold effect were only observed between ln ( N -acetyl-S-(2-hydroxypropyl)-L-cysteine or 2HPMA) and HTN. There was a significantly positive correlation between ln(2HPMA) and HTN when ln(2HPMA) at least 5.29. Sub-analysis revealed that there was a more pronounced association in the elderly group (age ≥60 years), the overweight group (BMI ≥25), and the alcohol consumption group. Our work presents novel epidemiological evidence supporting the establishment of the relationship between environmental pollutants and HTN, highlighting hitherto ignored positive correlations between nonoccupational VOC exposure and the entire population's risk of HTN.

Zheng X ，Zou P ，Zeng C ，Liu J ，He Y ... -  《-》

Defining the optimum strategy for identifying adults and children with coeliac disease: systematic review and economic modelling.

Elwenspoek MM ，Thom H ，Sheppard AL ，Keeney E ，O'Donnell R ，Jackson J ，Roadevin C ，Dawson S ，Lane D ，Stubbs J ，Everitt H ，Watson JC ，Hay AD ，Gillett P ，Robins G ，Jones HE ，Mallett S ，Whiting PF ... -  《-》