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Comorbidity: meaning and uses in cross-cultural clinical research.

American Indians and Alaska Natives were the subject of a workshop sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health and the Indian Health Service. Comorbidity of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse is highly prevalent in these two populations, and this was the focus of the meeting. This paper introduces the topic of psychiatric comorbidity, and considers the topics of culture, psychiatric diagnosis, and assessment. Future research directions and a brief summary of the papers presented at the workshop, which are included in this issue, are provided.

Alaska

Systemic Comorbidities of Keloid and Hypertrophic Scars: A Phenome-Wide Association Study in a Multiethnic U.S. Pediatric Cohort.

BACKGROUND: Excessive scarring (ES), including keloids and hypertrophic scars, impairs function, appearance, and quality of life in children. Its pediatric comorbidity spectrum is not well defined, limiting anticipatory guidance and multidisciplinary care. This research aims to investigate comorbidities of ES in a diverse pediatric cohort using a phenome-wide association study (PheWAS). METHODS: This population-based study leveraged longitudinal electronic health record (EHR) data from participants enrolled in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) from 2006. Diagnosis codes (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM] and Tenth Revision [ICD-10-CM]) were mapped to 3109 phenotype codes (PheCodes). PheWAS analyses were conducted using logistic regression, with Bonferroni correction applied to account for multiple testing. RESULTS: Among 86,092 pediatric participants, 662 (0.77%) were identified with ES; the remaining served as controls. Multivariable PheWAS screening identified 154 significant associations across 16 disease categories, of which 105 were not reported previously to our knowledge. Dermatologic phenotypes (n = 28; 18%) were most enriched, including acne and other follicular disorders, eczema, pigmentary changes, papulosquamous and granulomatous disorders, and cutaneous infections. Respiratory phenotypes (n = 21; 14%) included respiratory failure, pneumonia, asthma, allergic rhinitis, pharyngitis, and tonsillar hypertrophy. Sense organ disorders (n = 19; 12%) comprised conjunctivitis, refractive errors, otitis, and hearing impairment. Infection-related phenotypes (n = 14; 9%) highlighted susceptibility to viral (influenza, human papillomavirus [HPV], molluscum contagiosum), fungal (candidiasis, dermatophytosis), and bacterial infections. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that ES in children indicates not only localized wound-healing impairment, but also systemic immune, developmental, and proliferative dysregulations, emphasizing the need for genetic and mechanistic studies to clarify causal pathways and multidisciplinary surveillance beyond dermatologic care.

Humans

Prevalence of unruptured intracranial aneurysms according to comorbidities, risk factors, country, and time period: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage declined between 1980 and 2010, which coincided with a decline in smoking and prevalence of hypertension. We aimed to investigate whether the decrease in subarachnoid haemorrhage incidence is paralleled by declines in unruptured intracranial aneurysm (UIA) prevalence. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science for articles published in any language from Jan 1, 2011 to Dec 31, 2025, and reassessed 68 articles published before March 1, 2011 from a 2011 systematic review and meta-analysis. Articles were eligible for inclusion if they used a cross-sectional or case-control design and provided the crude number of participants and those with UIA. We only included studies reporting numbers of UIA separately from ruptured aneurysms and with ten or more patients. Summary data were independently extracted by JD with AZ or CB and conflicts were resolved by GJER. The primary outcome was proportion of participants with UIA. Relative to a hypothetical reference population (mean age 50 years, 50% women, and no comorbidities), age and/or sex-adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) for regions, comorbidities, and risk ratios (RRs) for female sex, smoking, and hypertension were estimated using generalised linear mixed models. A time trend analysis was done by binomial meta regression using the mid-year of data acquisition. We assessed the certainty of evidence using GRADE. The study was registered with PROSPERO, number CRD420261296728. FINDINGS: Our search screened 4708 studies. 67 reassessed and 95 newly identified articles, reporting on 316 131 participants and 11 822 people with UIAs, were included in our meta-analysis. In the reference population, the estimated prevalence of UIAs was 3·9% (95% CI 3·0-5·1). The prevalence of UIAs in individuals with atherosclerosis was 5·5% (4·7-6·4; 2229 of 40970 participants) and the adjusted PR was 1·3 (95% CI 0·8-2·0) compared with the reference population. For positive family history of aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH) or UIA, the UIA prevalence was 7·9% (5·6-11·1; 412 of 4252 participants) and the adjusted PR was 2·4 (0·5-11·2). For connective-tissue disorder, the UIA prevalence was 10·3% (6·5-16·0; 94 of 879 participants) and the adjusted PR was 3·9 (2·0-7·6). For autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), the UIA prevalence was 12·8% (9·2-17·6; 293 of 1990 participants) and the adjusted PR was 4·4 (1·5-12·6). RRs were for current smoking 1·4 (1·2-1·6; 798 of 27911 participants), for having hypertension 1·6 (1·5-1·7, 4043 of 83053 participants), and for female sex 1·9 (1·8-2·0; 3415 of 65020 women and 2122 of 76130 men). In studies on healthy individuals with MR angiography or CT angiography as imaging modality, the prevalence in 2016-2022 was 6·6% (6·3-6·8; 2904 of 41191 participants). The adjusted PR was 1·8 (1·1-2·8) for 2016-2022 versus 2002-2015. Prevalence of UIAs of 5 mm or larger was 0·7% (0·6-0·8) in 2002-2015 and 1·4% (1·0-1·9) in 2016-2022. The UIA prevalence did not differ between countries. τ2 showed significant heterogeneity between studies. The certainty of the evidence ranged from very low to moderate. INTERPRETATION: Prevalence of UIA is increasing, particularly over the past two decades. This increase is only in part explained by improved detection of small UIAs and an ageing population, and other factors-such as environmental-are likely involved. Alongside patients with ADPKD and a positive family history of aSAH, patients with connective-tissue disorders had a higher prevalence of UIA than the reference population. Our findings warrant further investigation into the potential benefit of personalised screening and management strategies in groups at high risk for having UIAs. FUNDING: None.

Humans

Executive function in alcohol use disorder with low psychiatric comorbidity: Comparison with a non-clinical sample and predictive value for treatment outcome.

BACKGROUND: Executive functions (EF) encompass abilities such as planning, decision-making, and inhibitory control, critical for learning, establishing and maintaining behavioral change. The association between alcohol use disorder (AUD) and impairments in EF are well established. However, prior research is dominated by studies on convenience samples including individuals with severe AUD with high levels of psychiatric comorbidity, which limits generalizability. The present study therefore aimed to investigate the degree of impairment and predictive ability of EF, on alcohol consumption, among individuals with moderate AUD with low levels of psychiatric comorbidity. METHODS: Adults with moderate AUD (n = 147) were recruited at three specialized addiction outpatient clinics in Stockholm, to a randomized controlled trial investigating the efficacy of two psychological treatments. Participants underwent neuropsychological testing before treatment. Eight tests from the CANTAB® battery were administered at baseline, assessing mental flexibility, sustained attention, visuospatial working memory, response inhibition, and delay discounting. Assessments of alcohol use and related symptoms were conducted at baseline, the 12- and 26-weeks follow-up. A non-clinical reference sample (n = 72) completed corresponding CANTAB® tests. The two groups were compared regarding EF using descriptive statistics and t-tests, and the predictive value of EF for reduction in alcohol consumption, was investigated using multiple regression models. RESULTS: Individuals with AUD did not perform worse on any of the tests on executive function (CANTAB®) as compared to the non-clinical reference sample. Measures of EF were not significant predictors for reduction in alcohol use for the 12-week, or the 26-week follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: EFs were not impaired and were not a clinically relevant predictor of treatment outcomes in this population with AUD. Future research on EF as a predictor in AUD treatment, needs to corroborate the present findings, and include other populations, e.g., with different socio-economic backgrounds and by including other methodologies for measuring EF.

Humans

Four-year surveillance of major Gram-negative pathogens in a Saudi tertiary hospital: clinical distribution, comorbidity profiles, and antimicrobial resistance.

PURPOSE: To describe four-year diagnostic-distribution, burden, and antimicrobial-resistances of major Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a tertiary-care surveillance framework. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied first non-duplicate-isolate per/patient/organism between 2022-2025 at a Saudi tertiary-care. Diagnostics used automated-platforms with GeneXpert-Carba-R employed parallel to cultures. Susceptibility interpretations used CLSI-breakpoints relevant to test-year. Annual-trends were assessed with grouped-binomial logistic-regression, and Benjamini-Hochberg false-discovery-rate correction was applied within prespecified analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,857 isolates, Klebsiella pneumoniae was most frequent (36.2%), followed by P.&#xa0;aeruginosa (33.4%), Escherichia coli (17.9%), and Enterobacter cloacae (12.3%). Mean patient age was 64.8&#x2009;years, 51.3% isolates were from intensive-care, 37.4% from urine, and 80.8% records had comorbidity. K.&#xa0;pneumoniae showed overall ESBL (76.6%), CRE (59.9%), MDR (69.3%), panel-defined XDR (64.7%), and panel-defined PDR (15.2%) frequencies. Enterobacterales ESBL-positivity increased (58.1% to 76.8%;q&#x2009;<0.001), whereas meropenem non-susceptibility decreased (52.6% to 33.2%;q&#x2009;<0.001). In P.&#xa0;aeruginosa, ceftazidime non-susceptibility increased (55.2% to 78.6%;q&#x2009;<0.001), meropenem decreased (46.8% to 32.9%;q&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.031), and tobramycin increased (22.2% to 45.7%;q&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.030). Crude-comorbidity differences remained insignificant after false-discovery-rate correction. CONCLUSION: We show a persistent species-specific Gram-negative resistance burden, led by K.&#xa0;pneumoniae and accompanied by substantial P.&#xa0;aeruginosa non-susceptibility. This supports organism-specific detections, antibiograms and continued multicenter-surveillance linked to antimicrobial exposure, genomic-data, and patient outcomes.

ESBL

[Efficacy and safety of acute-phase transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation for herpes zoster-related pain in middle-aged and elderly patients with comorbid depression and anxiety].

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) during the acute phase in middle-aged and elderly patients with herpes zoster (HZ) comorbid depressive and anxiety states. Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial. Forty middle-aged and elderly patients with acute-phase HZ who attended the Department of Dermatology at Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, from June 2024 to June 2025 were enrolled and randomly assigned in a 1&#x2236;1 ratio using a random number table to receive either taVNS (n=20) or sham stimulation (n=20) for 5 consecutive days. Both groups received antiviral therapy and on-demand rescue analgesia. Pain, anxiety/depression, and sleep quality were evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4), and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), respectively. The primary outcome was the incidence of subacute pain at 30 days post-rash onset. Secondary outcomes included cumulative analgesic consumption at 1 and 2 weeks after treatment, the changes from baseline (&#x394; values) in PHQ-4 and ISI scores at 2 weeks, and the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) at 90 days post-rash onset. Results: In the taVNS group, 7 patients (35%) were female, with a mean age of (64.1&#xb1;9.7) years; in the sham group, 10 patients (50%) were female, with a mean age of (61.5&#xb1;8.5) years. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in baseline VAS, PHQ-4, or ISI scores (all P>0.05). The incidence of subacute pain was significantly lower in the taVNS group than in the sham group [5% (1/20) vs 35% (7/20), RD=-30.0% (95%CI:-52.1%--4.9%); RR=0.14 (95%CI: 0.02-1.06); P=0.044]. At 2 weeks after treatment, the &#x394; values of PHQ-4 and ISI in the taVNS group were significantly greater than those in the sham group. The proportion of patients taking Lofentadine and the cumulative Lofentadine consumption at weeks 1 and 2 were both lower in the taVNS group than in the sham group (all P<0.05). No serious adverse events occurred in either group, and the difference in PHN incidence between groups was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusions: Acute-phase taVNS appears to be feasible and safe in middle-aged and elderly patients with HZ and comorbid depressive and anxiety, effectively reducing subacute pain and improving emotional and sleep outcomes.

Humans

Add-on treatment with vinpocetine reduces seizure frequency and improves comorbidities in patients with loss-of-function &#x3b3;-aminobutyric acid type A receptor variants.

OBJECTIVE: The semisynthetic compound vinpocetine has gained attention as a potential precision medicine for developmental and epileptic encephalopathies caused by loss-of-function (LoF) variants in &#x3b3;-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor genes. As a positive allosteric modulator of GABAA receptors, case reports suggest that vinpocetine can reduce epileptiform activity and seizure frequency, while improving cognitive function in patients with GABAA receptor-related epilepsies. Here, we extend these observations with a retrospective observational study evaluating the response to vinpocetine in an additional seven patients. METHODS: Patients initiated treatment with vinpocetine between 2018 and 2025 at the Danish Epilepsy Centre or abroad. Clinical data were collected from medical records, seizure diaries, and neuropsychological assessments. The modulatory efficacy of vinpocetine was investigated using electrophysiological studies. RESULTS: Nine patients harboring eight GABAA receptor LoF variants were given add-on vinpocetine treatment. Electrophysiological analyses confirmed dose-dependent positive modulation by vinpocetine across tested variants. Six patients with a median age of 15.5&#x2009;years (range&#x2009;=&#x2009;6-29) continued treatment for a median of 24&#x2009;months (range&#x2009;=&#x2009;12-90), whereas three discontinued due to adverse effects (AEs) or lack of efficacy. The patients' level of function ranged from normal to moderate intellectual disability, psychiatric comorbidities, and behavioral disturbances. Four patients initiated vinpocetine due to uncontrolled seizures. One became seizure-free, and two experienced a 50%-55% reduction. Electroencephalograms demonstrated improved spike-wave indexes in four patients. Six showed improvement in nonseizure factors, and caregivers reported reduced aggressivity and better vocabulary in one. Vinpocetine was well tolerated, with only mild and reversible AEs reported. SIGNIFICANCE: Adjunctive vinpocetine shows promise as a targeted therapy for patients with GABAA receptor LoF variants, decreasing seizure frequency and positively impacting nonseizure factors, with only mild AEs reported. Vinpocetine may be a safe and effective therapy for patients with GABAA receptor-related epilepsies, which should be investigated further in future N-of-1 trials.

Humans

Effectiveness of physical activity intervention for depression, anxiety and comorbid symptoms during the perinatal period among Chinese primiparas.

BACKGROUND: To examine the effectiveness of a physical activity (PA) programme incorporating partner support and enjoyment in preventing perinatal depression, anxiety, and comorbid anxiety and depression (CAD) among Chinese primiparas. METHODS: A total of 120 eligible primiparas were randomised into intervention or control groups. The intervention group received the 13-week PA programme and the control group received the usual care. The outcomes were depression, anxiety, and CAD assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and 6 weeks after delivery. Differences were examined using generalised linear mixed models with intention-to-treat. RESULTS: A significant group&#x2009;&#xd7;&#x2009;time interaction was observed for depression score, anxiety score, anxiety incidence, and CAD incidence (all p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.05). However, no significant interaction was found for depression incidence. Compared to the control, the intervention substantially reduced the scores of depression (MD: -2.67 (-4.16 to -1.17); -2.63 (-4.15 to -1.11)) and anxiety (MD: -4.95 (-9.23 to -0.67); -7.33 (-11.85 to -2.82)), as well as the rates of depression (OR: 0.40 (0.18 to 0.85); 0.44 (0.21 to 0.93)) and CAD (OR: 0.35 (0.14 to 0.87); 0.26 (0.11 to 0.62)) at post-intervention and 6-week postpartum. Notably, anxiety incidence showed significant reduction only at 6-week postpartum (OR: 0.34 (0.16 to 0.74)) (all p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.05). Within the intervention group, no significant changes occurred in most outcomes from baseline to post-intervention and 6-week postpartum, except depression scores (MD:-1.60 (-2.79 to -0.41); -1.23 (-2.44 to -0.03); p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The PA programme (including partner support and enjoyment) may be effective in reducing perinatal depression, anxiety and CAD among primiparas.

Adult

Assessing comorbidities and predicting risk: A primer for APRNs.

Today's clinical environments are rife with tools designed to comprehensively account for medical complexity and comorbidities while predicting risk for a host of adverse health-related outcomes. Therefore, it is imperative that advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) understand the structure and function of these tools, their similarities and differences, their limitations, and strategies for appropriate incorporation into practice. This article offers a practical overview for APRNs, emphasizing clinical implications and guidance for aligning assessment tools with the clinical population of interest to improve care delivery, quality, and patient outcomes.

Humans

Host Genetic Factors and Clinical Comorbidities Associated With Tuberculosis Risk.

HLA influence the immune response, shaping genetic susceptibility or resistance to tuberculosis (TB). This study aimed to investigate the associations of host genetics and comorbidities with TB infection in Taiwanese populations. This retrospective case-control study utilised data from the Taiwan Precision Medicine Initiative. TB cases and non-TB controls were compared using genome-wide association studies (GWAS), HLA allele typing, and genotype data. Multivariate logistic regression identified independent predictors of TB and interactions between risk factors. A total of 390 TB cases and 3,909 controls were analysed. Risk factors for TB included bronchiectasis (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;2.76; 95% CI 1.54-4.44; p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.001), diabetes mellitus (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;1.30; 95% CI 1.00-1.68; p&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.050), malignancy (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;1.46; 95% CI 1.15-1.85; p&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.002), smoking (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;1.42; 95% CI 1.08-1.88; p&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.012), and steroid use (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;1.66; 95% CI 1.29-2.13; p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.001). HLA-DRB1*16:02 was associated with a higher frequency in the TB group (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;1.47; 95% CI 1.04-2.09; p&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.030). Interaction analysis showed HLA-DRB1*16:02 increased TB risk in non-smokers (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;1.58; 95% CI 1.02-2.46; p&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.042), but not in smokers. HLA-DRB1*16:02 was associated with a higher risk for TB. While carriers of HLA-DRB1*16:02 did not exhibit an increased risk of TB among smokers, we demonstrated a heightened risk among non-smokers.

Humans

New insights into genetic comorbidity mechanisms: type 2 diabetes and primary open-angle glaucoma.

AIMS: To investigate the shared genetic mechanisms between type 2 diabetes (T2D) and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Using large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) data, we performed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) level analysis to detect pleiotropic variants and loci, paired eQTL mapping analysis and gene-level analysis to identify candidate pleiotropic genes. In addition, Mendelian randomisation (MR) analysis was performed to assess causal associations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used POAG GWAS data from Finngen (9565 cases and 430&#x2009;250 controls) and T2D GWAS data from 55&#x2009;555 European ancestry samples. We used Linkage Disequilibrium SCore (LDSC) regression to assess the genetic association between T2D and POAG and further used PLeiotropic Analysis under the COmposite null hypothesis (PLACO) to identify shared genetic variants between paired traits. Finally, we further used MR analysis to explore the causal association between T2D and POAG at the genetic level. RESULTS: The LDSC results and MR analysis revealed that the T2D effect was significantly higher than that of the POAG (OR=1.09, 95%&#x2009;CI 1.03 to 1.14, p=1.50&#xd7;10-3). The PLACO property analysis determined that the T2D sum POAG shared 178 individual SNPs, separate localisation of 79 individual causes. The five most popular choices are based on the effectiveness of CCND2, SVEP1, ST6GAL1, TCF7L2 and HMGA2. expression quantitative trait loci mapping further revealed 36 genes with regulatory roles in optic nerve-related brain tissues. Functional enrichment analyses indicated that these pleiotropic genes are involved in neurodevelopmental, neuroprotective and metabolic pathways, with tissue-specific enrichment observed in neural, pancreatic, adipose and retinal tissues. It is possible to present the main comorbid mechanisms of T2D and POAG. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides new insights into the aetiology and pathogenesis of T2D and POAG at the genetic level.

Humans

Deciphering the Genetic Underpinnings of Liver Cirrhosis-Heart Failure Comorbidity Through Multi-Omics: CRIM1 as a Key Endothelial Mediator.

The co-occurrence of liver cirrhosis (LC) and heart failure (HF) poses considerable clinical challenges, yet the cellular and molecular determinants of this comorbidity remain poorly characterized. To address this, we developed an integrative multi-omics pipeline encompassing GWAS meta-analysis, gsMap-based spatial transcriptomic projection, GeneEnrich functional annotation, single-cell atlas construction, seismicGWAS and ECLIPSER cell-type scoring, eCAVIAR and fastenloc colocalization, hdWGCNA network inference, scTenifoldKnk in silico gene perturbation, and GCTA-COJO fine-mapping. Quality-controlled meta-analysis yielded 12,347,758 and 9,256,862 variant-level associations for LC and HF, respectively. Spatial projection confirmed preferential enrichment of disease signals within embryonic hepatic and cardiac compartments. Pathway analyses disclosed that LC-linked loci were concentrated in lipid metabolic programs, whereas HF-linked loci implicated mitochondrial bioenergetics and lysosomal degradation. At the cellular level, endothelial cells emerged as the dominant HF-associated population. Convergent evidence from five orthogonal algorithms pinpointed CRIM1 as the sole robustly supported shared gene, selectively enriched in HF endothelial cells; virtual perturbation further identified LCP1 and PTPRC as downstream regulatory nodes. Fine-mapping of the chromosome 2 locus harboring rs12476437 revealed multiple statistically independent signals in the vicinity of CRIM1. Collectively, these findings computationally prioritize the endothelial-CRIM1 axis as a previously unappreciated candidate mechanistic bridge between LC and HF requiring experimental validation.

Humans

Elevated 5-oxoproline levels and adverse outcomes in heart failure: Association with renal cortical OPLAH loss in a multi-comorbidity model.

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) progression is closely linked to oxidative stress. 5-Oxoproline (5-OP), a product of glutathione degradation, is normally metabolized by 5-oxoprolinase (OPLAH) but accumulates when the gamma-glutamyl cycle is disrupted. Here, we investigated the clinical characteristics of circulating 5-OP, its proteomic correlates, and the associations to outcome in HF. METHODS: In serum of 823 BIOSTAT-CHF patients, 5-OP was quantified by validated liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and analyzed for associations with clinical outcomes. Proteomic correlates were identified across 355 OLINK proteins using stability selection with Minimax Concave Penalty regression. Mechanistic context was evaluated in a multi-comorbidity, large-animal cardio-kidney-metabolic (CKM) model with regional OPLAH assessment. RESULTS: Higher 5-OP was associated with worse renal function (eGFR declining across 5-OP tertiles, 67.9 to 60.2&#x202f;mL/min/1.73&#x202f;m2; p&#x202f;=&#x202f;0.0012) and higher all-cause mortality (HR 1.55, 95% CI 1.11-2.17, p&#x202f;=&#x202f;0.010). Per SD increase in log-5-OP, risk for the 2-year composite endpoint increased (HR 1.27, 95% CI 1.05-1.53), with broadly similar associations across CKD strata (interaction p&#x202f;=&#x202f;0.63). TGF-&#x3b1; was the most robust proteomic correlate (&#x3c0;&#x202f;=&#x202f;0.70; empirical permutation p&#x202f;=&#x202f;0.001). In CKM swine, circulating 5-OP was elevated and renal cortical OPLAH protein, but not cardiac OPLAH, was selectively reduced, consistent with a renal contribution to systemic 5-OP elevation. CONCLUSION: Circulating 5-OP identifies HF patients at higher risk and is robustly associated with TGF-&#x3b1;. In a translational swine model, selective loss of renal cortical OPLAH provides tissue context supporting a renal contribution to systemic 5-OP elevation in cardiorenal syndrome.

Heart Failure

Genetic liability to meniscus degeneration and its comorbidity patterns: a phenome-wide association study in the UK Biobank.

Meniscus degeneration is a common knee pathology causing pain, disability, and osteoarthritis. While mechanical factors are established, the contribution of inherited genetic liability to its systemic disease patterns remains unclear. We applied a polygenic risk score (PRS) for meniscus degeneration, derived from FinnGen genome-wide association study (GWAS) results to 323,999 UK Biobank participants and conducted a phenome-wide association study (PRS-PheWAS) across 962 clinical phenotypes. The PRS-PheWAS revealed significant associations beyond musculoskeletal traits, extending to metabolic, cardiovascular, psychiatric, and gastrointestinal domains, indicating broad shared genetic architecture. To support these findings, linkage disequilibrium score regression confirmed strong genetic correlations with osteoarthritis and related arthropathies, and genotype-tissue expression (GTEx) analysis highlighted tissue-specific expression of lead genes (e.g., GDF5, SOX5, BMP6) in connective and metabolic tissues. The results demonstrate that genetic liability to meniscus degeneration extends beyond the knee, sharing pathways with systemic conditions. This systemic genetic architecture underscores the need for integrative management approaches that combine orthopedic care with metabolic and lifestyle interventions.

Journal Article

Stressful life events and co-occurring depression, substance abuse and suicidality among American Indian and Alaska Native adolescents.

Depression, suicidality and substance abuse disorders are examined with special emphasis on the role of stressful life events in predicting severity and patterns of comorbidity among American Indian and Alaska Native adolescents in boarding school environments. Both amount and severity of comorbidity increase with age and specific patterns of comorbidity are associated with gender. Different types and amounts of stressful life events predict specific combinations of comorbidity. These outcomes are interpretable with respect to associated cultural dynamics and the ecology of mental health services delivery for Indian and Native adolescents. Theoretical and methodological issues are discussed in relation to the use of stressful life events in examining cultural factors related to comorbidity among culturally different populations.

Adolescent

Clonal Hematopoiesis and Incident Heart Failure.

IMPORTANCE: Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP), the age-related clonal expansion of hematopoietic cells with acquired preleukemic variants, has been associated with cardiometabolic diseases, including heart failure (HF). However, prior studies have lacked power to examine less common CHIP driver variants and have not investigated potential mediators of the CHIP-HF association. OBJECTIVE: To test whether specific CHIP subtypes are associated with incident HF and determine the extent to which CHIP-associated comorbidities mediate this association. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a UK Biobank prospective population-based cohort study of community-dwelling adults in the UK, with enrollment from 2006 to 2010 and follow-up through 2020. Included were participants with whole-exome sequencing (WES) and without prevalent HF, hematologic malignancy, or other CHIP-associated comorbidities (coronary artery disease [CAD], atrial fibrillation [AF], type 2 diabetes [T2D], or chronic kidney disease [CKD]) at baseline. Study data were analyzed from April through October 2025. EXPOSURES: Presence of CHIP and gene-specific CHIP subtypes (DNMT3A, non-DNMT3A, TET2, ASXL1, JAK2, DNA damage repair genes, and spliceosome genes). Mediation analyses examined CHIP-associated comorbidities (CAD, AF, T2D, and CKD). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was incident HF. Cox regression tested associations of CHIP and CHIP subtypes with incident HF, adjusted for age, sex, race, and cardiovascular risk factors. RESULTS: Among 417&#x202f;616 participants (mean [SD] age, 56.1 [8.1] years; 234&#x202f;868 female [56.2%]), 7183 (1.7%) developed incident HF over a median (IQR) of 11.1 (10.4-11.8) years of follow-up. CHIP was associated with HF risk (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.27; 95% CI, 1.15-1.40; P&#x2009;<&#x2009;.001), driven by non-DNMT3A subtypes (aHR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.33-1.75; P&#x2009;<&#x2009;.001), including associations with TET2, ASXL1, JAK2, and spliceosome CHIP. DNMT3A CHIP was more modestly associated with HF (aHR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.00-1.31; P&#x2009;=&#x2009;.04). In mediation analyses, development of CAD, AF, T2D, and/or CKD collectively accounted for 28.2% of the association (95% CI, 11.6%-45.4%; P&#x2009;=&#x2009;.001) between non-DNMT3A CHIP and HF. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Results of this cohort study suggest that CHIP, especially non-DNMT3A CHIP, was associated with incident HF. Other CHIP-associated comorbidities explained only a minority of the association between non-DNMT3A CHIP and HF. These findings suggest that CHIP is an HF risk factor and potential therapeutic target.

Adult

"Feeling worthless": an ethnographic investigation of depression and problem drinking at the Flathead reservation.

The study of depression, drinking and suicidality has long preoccupied students of American Indian life, in part because of the assumed connection between these specific forms of psychiatric distress and generalized demoralization. Given the significant variation in suicidal behavior and prevalence rates intertribally, this assumption deserves closer attention. Recently, researchers working with Western populations have sought to clarify the relationships among depression, alcohol abuse and suicidality through an explicit investigation of their comorbidity. Using data collected at the Flathead Reservation, this paper explores the degree to which the investigation of the comorbidity of these three disorders can validly reveal the relevant contours of psychopathological distress in a cross-cultural setting. The data show that while the comorbidity of problem drinking and depression can sometimes indicate severe psychopathological distress, measured in this case by suicidality, comorbidity cannot account for another group at high risk for suicide. The discrepancy is explicable with reference to the cultural construction of depression, drinking and suicidality in relation to the creation, maintenance and disruption of social bonds, rather than in relation to an internal state of demoralization.

Adult