Causal effects of education attainment on oral and oropharyngeal cancer: New evidence from a meta-analysis and Mendelian randomization study

Chen, Gui; Xie, Junyang; Liu, Di; Zhang, Xiaowen; Tang, Anzhou

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1132035

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 35 publications

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“…Notably, MR is often likened to a "natural" randomized controlled trial (RCT) because alleles are randomly distributed during gamete production, possibly minimizing confounders and biases due to reverse causality (12). The enduring nature of genetic influences, together with the extensive GWAS data on oral diseases (13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19), makes MR studies an effective alternative to conventional, long-term clinical trials focused on preventing oral cancer, avoiding their significant costs and lengthy monitoring periods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of blood metabolites in oral cancer: insights from a Mendelian randomization approach

Hu,

Xu,

Yue

et al. 2024

Front. Oncol.

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AimThis research aimed to explore the causal impact of blood metabolites on oral cancer using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. The study endeavored to identify potential biomarkers for oral cancer’s clinical management.Materials and methodsBased on the large individual-level datasets from UK Biobank as well as GWAS summary datasets, we first constructed genetic risk scores (GRSs) of 486 human blood metabolites and evaluated the effect on oral cancer. Various statistical methods, including inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, and weighted median, among others, were employed to analyze the potential causal relationship between blood metabolites and oral cancer. The sensitivity analyses were conducted using Cochran’s Q tests, funnel plots, leave-one-out analyses, and MR-Egger intercept tests.Results29 metabolites met the stringent selection criteria. Out of these, 14 metabolites demonstrated a positive association with oral cancer risk, while 15 metabolites indicated a protective effect against oral cancer. The IVW-derived estimates were significant, and the results were consistent across different statistical methodologies. Both the Cochran Q test and the MR-Egger intercept test indicated no heterogeneity and pleiotropy.ConclusionThis MR study offers evidence of the role specific blood metabolites play in oral cancer, pinpointing several with potential risk or protective effects. These findings could be helpful for new diagnostic tools and treatments for oral cancer. While the results are promising, additional research is necessary to fully validate and refine these conclusions. This study serves as a foundational step towards more comprehensive understandings in the future.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of blood metabolites in oral cancer: insights from a Mendelian randomization approach

Hu,

Xu,

Yue

et al. 2024

Front. Oncol.

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Causal effects of educational attainment on temporomandibular disorders and the mediating pathways: A Mendelian randomization study

Chen,

Cheng,

et al. 2024

J of Oral Rehabilitation

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BackgroundAs one of the most important indicators of socioeconomic status, educational attainment (EA) exhibits a strong association with temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). Despite this link, there is a lack of evidence regarding the causal role of EA in either facilitating or preventing TMDs.ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the causal effect of education on TMDs and explore potential mediating pathways.MethodsUtilizing summary statistics from genome‐wide association studies on years of schooling (N = 766 345) and TMDs (N = 211 023), we conducted Mendelian randomization (MR) to assess the overall effect of education. Additionally, a two‐step MR approach was employed to evaluate 30 potential mediators and calculate the mediation proportions in the association. Comprehensive sensitivity analyses were used to verify the robustness, heterogeneity, and pleiotropy.ResultsUnivariable MR analyses revealed a causal effect of lower EA on an increased risk of TMDs (OR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.43–0.66, p < .001). Five out of 30 modifiable factors were identified as causal mediators in the associations of EA with TMDs, including feeling nervous (mediation proportion: 11.6%), feeling tense (10.2%), depression (9.6%), feeling worry (7.6%) and daily smoking (8.9%). Meanwhile, no pleiotropy was detected in the analyses (p > .05).ConclusionOur findings supported that higher EA has a protective effect on the onset of TMDs, with partial mediation by psychological disorders and daily smoking. Interventions on these factors thus have the potential of substantially reducing the burden of TMDs attributed to low education.

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The association between 22 psychological cognitive factors and temporomandibular joint disorders:a Mendelian randomization study

Wang,

Li,

Liu

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background Although existing research suggests a broad association between psychological cognitive factors and TMD, the specific impact of psychiatric factors on TMD remains unknown, as does the causal relationship between them. Methods Utilizing summary statistics obtained from genome-wide association studies predominantly conducted on individuals of European ancestry, we employed a two-sample MR approach to estimate the causal and reverse causal effects of 22 psychological cognitive factors on TMD. Subsequently, for statistically significant findings, we performed multivariable MR analysis and bidirectional MR analysis after categorization to ascertain independent associations and explore potential reverse causation. Results We found that intelligence(OR: 0.731, 95%CI: 0.557–0.960), education(OR: 0.487, 95%CI: 0.368–0.644) and cognition(OR: 0.760, 95%CI: 0.586–0.986) were protective causal factors for TMD, with education(OR: 0.501, 95%CI: 0.307–0.818) having the independent association. And we found that major depression(OR: 2.116, 95%CI: 1.542–2.904), anxious feelings(OR: 6.014, 95%CI: 1.692–21.373), nervous feelings(OR: 14.019, 95%CI: 2.499–78.64), depressed feelings(OR: 20.905, 95%CI: 1.695–263.5), sensitivity(OR: 5.965, 95%CI: 1.471–24.19) and neuroticism (OR: 1.258, 95%CI: 1.101–1.438) were the factors that constituted harmful causal effects on TMD, with major depression(OR: 1.964, 95%CI: 1.320–2.920) having the independent relationship. These results were all robust to sensitivity analyses. We found no evidence on causal effects between other phychological cognitive factors and TMD, in either direction. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that intelligence, education, and cognition exert a protective influence on TMD, with education exhibiting an independent effect. Furthermore, we elucidated that major depression, anxious feelings, nervous feelings, depressed feelings, sensitivity, and neuroticism pose as risk factors for TMD development, with major depression being an independent predictor. These findings provide valuable insights into the causal relationship between 22 psychological cognitive factors and TMD.

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Causal effects of education attainment on oral and oropharyngeal cancer: New evidence from a meta-analysis and Mendelian randomization study

Cited by 3 publications

References 35 publications

The role of blood metabolites in oral cancer: insights from a Mendelian randomization approach

The role of blood metabolites in oral cancer: insights from a Mendelian randomization approach

Causal effects of educational attainment on temporomandibular disorders and the mediating pathways: A Mendelian randomization study

The association between 22 psychological cognitive factors and temporomandibular joint disorders:a Mendelian randomization study

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