Research summary
Twin epigenetics, osteoarthritis risk, COVID-19 health-worker exposure, and a postmenopausal osteoporosis trial cover this entry. A monozygotic-twin study examined global and locus-specific DNA methylation and histone-acetylation differences across a large twin cohort and found that while young MZ twins are epigenetically indistinguishable, older MZ pairs exhibit substantial differences in overall epigenetic content and distribution, supplying a mechanism for phenotypic discordance despite identical genotypes [1]. An Annals of Internal Medicine review of osteoarthritis frames the disease as bridging biomechanics and biochemistry, with systemic risk factors (genetics, diet, estrogen use, bone density) and local biomechanical factors (muscle weakness, obesity, joint laxity) prominent in weight-bearing joints, and surveys nutriceutical, pharmacologic, and surgical management options [2]. A prospective UK + USA cohort study using the COVID Symptom Study smartphone app (from March 24/29 to April 23, 2020) compared front-line health-care workers with the general community for COVID-19 risk and assessed the protective effect of personal protective equipment, drawing on demographic factors collected at first app use [3]. The SOTI trial randomized 1649 postmenopausal women with low bone-mineral density and at least one vertebral fracture to oral strontium ranelate 2 g/day or placebo for three years, evaluating efficacy in preventing vertebral fractures of a drug that dissociates bone remodeling by increasing formation and decreasing resorption [4]. The four works span basic epigenetics of complex-trait discordance in identical twins, integrative epidemiology of musculoskeletal disease, smartphone-driven prospective surveillance of an emerging pandemic, and a phase 3 pharmacologic trial in postmenopausal osteoporosis.
Recent publications
- Biological, clinical and population relevance of 95 loci for blood lipidsDOI
- Epigenetic differences arise during the lifetime of monozygotic twinsDOI
- Attributes and predictors of long COVIDDOI
- Osteoarthritis: New Insights. Part 1: The Disease and Its Risk FactorsDOI
- Role of the gut microbiota in nutrition and healthDOI
- Risk of COVID-19 among front-line health-care workers and the general community: a prospective cohort studyDOI
- Large-scale association analyses identify host factors influencing human gut microbiome compositionDOI
- An atlas of genetic influences on human blood metabolitesDOI
- The Effects of Strontium Ranelate on the Risk of Vertebral Fracture in Women with Postmenopausal OsteoporosisDOI
- Real-time tracking of self-reported symptoms to predict potential COVID-19DOI
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External profiles
- ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9795-0365
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