A systematic review on the applicability of cell-free DNA level as an obesity biomarker.

Obesity has become a global health concern in recent decades. Utilizing biomarkers presents a promising approach to comprehensively monitor the progress of obesity and its associated health conditions. This review aims to synthesize the available evidence on the correlation between cfDNA level and obesity and to provide insights into the applicability of using cfDNA level as a tool for monitoring progression of obesity. Searches were performed in PubMed and Embase on April 1, 2022. Data and other relevant information were extracted and compiled into a structured table for further analysis. Among 1170 articles screened, 11 articles were included in this review and assessed qualitatively. The results demonstrated that existing evidence mainly focused on three populations, including healthy individuals, cancer patients and pregnant women. Majority of the studies on healthy individuals identified a significant association between cfDNA level and body weight status but not among cancer patients. Varying results were observed among pregnant women at different gestational trimesters. Our review summarized some preliminary evidence on the association between cfDNA level and obesity. More cohort studies in larger scale with comprehensive assessment have to be conducted to examine the applicability of cfDNA as a biomarker for severity and disease progression of obesity.

Evidence of individual differences in the long-term social, psychological, and cognitive consequences of child maltreatment.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence and consequences of child maltreatment are alarming, but evidence from studies with long follow-up intervals are limited. This study examined the long-term consequences of child maltreatment in relation to age of onset and follow-up interval. METHODS: The exposed group comprised 63 individuals (aged 13-34 years) with a first-time diagnosis of child maltreatment between 2001 and 2010, whereas the unexposed group comprised 63 individuals who were matched upon gender, age of onset, follow-up period, and poverty status at the index hospital admission but had no medical records of maltreatment in Hong Kong. The participants completed a set of questionnaires on executive functions and mental health and provided blood samples for measurement of IL-6 and IL-10 levels during a health assessment session. RESULTS: Compared with the unexposed group, the exposed group reported poorer maternal care during childhood (ß = -4.64, p < 0.001) and had lower family support (ß = -2.97, p = 0.010) and higher inflammatory responses (IL-6: ß = 0.15, p = 0.001; IL-10: ß = 0.11, p = 0.011) at follow-up. Additionally, the associations of childhood maltreatment exposure with family support and maternal care differed by age of onset and the length of time since exposure. CONCLUSIONS: This matched cohort study highlights childhood maltreatment as a risk factor for systemic inflammation and an indicator of suboptimal social environment, both of which could persist over a long period of time.