As the global burden of glaucoma continues to rise, evidence suggests factors beyond intraocular pressure contribute to its pathogenesis. Environmental pollutants are increasingly implicated in ocular disease, yet the association between dichlorophenol exposure and glaucoma remains unexamined. This study addresses this gap by analyzing NHANES data to investigate their relationship, providing new evidence for disease prevention and environmental intervention. The data originated from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2005-2008). To explore the connection between urinary dichlorophenol levels and glaucoma, we conducted weighted logistic regression analyses. Additionally, to examine potential nonlinear associations, restricted cubic splines (RCS) were utilized. We further performed subgroup analyses to investigate interaction effects. There were 1,742 participants. The risk of glaucoma was significantly associated with higher ln-transformed urinary 2,4-dichlorophenol levels (OR = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.11-1.74; P = 0.002), as were Ln-transformed urinary 2,5-dichlorophenol levels (OR = 1.28; 95% CI: 1.09-1.51; P = 0.001). Participants in the third tertile of 2,4-dichlorophenol were at a greater risk for glaucoma compared to the first tertile (OR = 2.11; 95% CI: 1.07-4.17; P for trend = 0.042), according to the completely adjusted model. Similar results were observed for the levels of 2,5-dichlorophenol (OR = 2.15; 95% CI: 1.03-4.48; P for trend = 0.039). RCS demonstrated the nonlinear connection between urinary dichlorophenol levels (2,4-dichlorophenol and 2,5-dichlorophenol) and glaucoma risk (P for nonlinearity < 0.05). Our results demonstrated a strong nonlinear positive association between urinary dichlorophenol levels and glaucoma risk. Given the global prevalence of dichlorophenols and the universal burden of glaucoma, these findings provide a valuable reference for international counterparts investigating similar environmental-ocular health links. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40201-025-00971-z.

Alpha-tocopherol intake and status exhibit population-specific associations with metabolic syndrome among two Hispanic/Latinos populations.

Hypocholesterolemia is a consequence, not a cause, of kidney cancer: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study with NHANES 2001-2018.

Obesity is a well-established risk factor for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), but body mass index (BMI) does not distinguish adiposity from skeletal muscle mass. The role of sarcopenia in CTS has received little attention. Sarcopenia may increase nerve vulnerability to compression. We examined whether appendicular lean mass index (ALMI) and ALMI-defined sarcopenia are associated with CTS independent of BMI. We retrospectively analyzed 193 consecutive patients aged 50 years or older who underwent carpal tunnel release by a single surgeon at a tertiary center over 4 years. Controls were 5665 age-matched participants from the 2022-2023 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. ALMI-defined sarcopenia was compared between groups. Multivariable logistic regression was applied to examine the association between ALMI-defined sarcopenia and CTS, adjusting for BMI. Compared with controls, CTS patients exhibited a higher prevalence of sarcopenia in both men and women (p < 0.05). The association with sarcopenia was significant across most age and sex subgroups, whereas obesity was more evident in younger age groups (50-69 years). In multivariable models, sarcopenia showed a stronger association with CTS (OR 2.41, 95% CI 1.79-3.22) compared with BMI (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01-1.10). In this case-control study, both obesity and ALMI-based sarcopenia were associated with CTS, with sarcopenia showing a stronger association. These findings suggest an association between reduced muscle mass and CTS independent of BMI. Muscle mass assessment alongside BMI may help clinicians identify at-risk patients who might otherwise be overlooked by conventional obesity metrics.

Depressive symptoms and psoriasis: Domain-specific associations in national cohorts.

Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome (CKM) is closely associated with obesity, diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although the dietary inflammatory index (DII) reflects the inflammatory potential of diet, the relationship between CKM and DII, as well as the potential mediators, remains unclear. This prospective cohort study included adults with complete dietary data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2018. DII was ascertained using the 24-hour recall method. Cox models and cubic spline analyses assessed mortality risk, while the mediating role of insulin resistance-related indicators was further investigated by causal mediation analysis. As of December 31, 2019, a total of 2,505 (13.4%) all-cause deaths and 777 (4.1%) cardiovascular deaths were documented in 18,746 adults over a median follow-up of approximately 8years. Highest DII tertile showed increased all-cause mortality (HR=1.24, 95%CI:1.11-1.37) and cardiovascular mortality (HR =1.22, 95%CI:1.01-1.48) versus lowest tertile. RCS analysis showed that mortality risk increased linearly with increasing DII (all-cause mortality: P for overall: <0.001; cardiovascular mortality: P for overall: <0.135). The time-dependent curves show the long-term predictive performance of DII. In addition, TyG-WC and TyG-WHtR mediated 4.69% and 4.18% of all-cause mortality and 13.13% and 13.96% of cardiovascular mortality (both P<0.05) in DII and CKM patients, respectively. Elevated DII was strongly associated with an elevated risk of death in patients with CKM. In addition, the TyG index and its combined indicator of abdominal obesity partially mediated the association between DII and mortality risk in CKM.

Association between phenotypic age acceleration and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk among individuals with cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome stages 0-3: a cohort study.

The mediating role of obesity in the relationship between sleep duration and depressive symptoms: A population-based cross-sectional study.

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of sarcopenia and examine its associations with glycaemic control, blood pressure and lifestyle behaviours among older adults in Korea. We conducted a secondary analysis of the 2023 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey that included 1394 adults aged 65 years or older. Sarcopenia followed Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 criteria (low appendicular skeletal muscle mass index and low handgrip strength). Complex-sample descriptive tests and multivariable logistic regression identified independent correlates adjusting for sociodemographic, behavioural and clinical covariates. Blood pressure was measured per standard protocol; fasting glucose and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) were assayed in a central laboratory. Sarcopenia prevalence was 14% (n = 199). Age 76 years or older (OR 3.19, 95% CI 2.27-4.49) and poor glycaemic control (HbA1c ≥ 7.0%; OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.16-3.08) were associated with higher odds of sarcopenia. Protective factors included body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2 (OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.21-0.48), meeting the World Health Organization physical activity guideline (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.28-0.90) and alcohol consumption in the past year (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.41-0.82). Hypertension diagnosis and smoking were not significant. Diastolic, but not systolic, blood pressure was lower among participants with sarcopenia. In a nationally representative Korean sample, sarcopenia was common and linked to modifiable factors-glycaemic control and physical activity. Findings support integrating HbA1c monitoring, resistance and aerobic exercise promotion, and nutrition counselling into community and primary care to reduce sarcopenia risk and support healthy ageing.

Symptoms with the highest strength centrality in mental disorders are regarded as potential intervention targets, and their suitability as intervention targets remains uncertain. This study employs the NodeIdentifyR algorithm (NIRA), a novel network intervention method, to examine how alleviating or aggravating specific symptoms affects the network's sum scores. A total of 701 pregnant women from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2003-2023) were included. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and pregnancy status was confirmed via urine tests or self-report. The Ising model was used to construct the symptom network, and NIRA was applied to simulate both alleviating and aggravating interventions. The results revealed that the centrality analysis identified "guilt or low self-worth" as the central symptom with the highest strength value. Alleviating interventions targeting "fatigue" had the greatest reduction in symptom network activation, resulting in the largest decrease in the projected symptom sum score by 52.53%, indicating it as a potential target for alleviating depressive symptoms. Aggravating interventions targeting "guilt or low self-worth" had the greatest increase in the severity of depressive symptoms, causing the largest increase in the symptom sum score by 70.97%, suggesting its potential as a prevention target. Aggravating interventions caused greater overall changes in symptom activation than alleviating interventions, with both affecting the same symptoms in different ways. Notably, "fatigue" is primarily associated with physiological and other somatic factors rather than emotional symptoms, highlighting the need for cautious interpretation of fatigue-targeted interventions.

Association of dietary index for gut microbiota with premature and all-cause mortality: A mediation analysis of biological age.

This study aimed to examine whether engagement in weekly walking moderates the relationship between frailty and depressive symptoms among patients with rheumatoid arthritis, a population known to be vulnerable to both physical and psychological decline. This cross-sectional observational study used data from the 2016 and 2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. The sample included 206 adults aged 45 years or older who were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Survey-weighted multivariable linear regression analyses accounting for the complex sampling design were employed to examine the moderating effects of walking frequency on the frailty-depression relationship. Subsequently, the conditional effect of the moderator was examined using the Johnson-Neyman technique to identify the levels of weekly walking days at which the relationship between frailty and depressive symptoms varied. Frailty emerged as a significant predictor of depressive symptoms. A significant interaction was found between frailty and walking frequency, indicating a buffering effect of walking (β = -3.68, p = 0.010). The Johnson-Neyman analysis revealed that the positive association between frailty and depressive symptoms emerged when individuals walked less than approximately 3.5 days per week. Engagement in weekly walking attenuated the relationship between frailty and depressive symptoms among patients with rheumatoid arthritis. These findings highlight the importance of promoting even low levels of physical activity, such as short walking sessions, to support mental health and reduce the risk of depression in frail patients with rheumatoid arthritis. However, the cross-sectional design, self-reported data, and lack of control for clinical factors limit causal interpretation.

Association between physical activity and stationary time variability and frailty in adults meeting and not meeting activity guidelines.

This study aimed to explore the relationship between type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and to identify the mediating role of immune cells. We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2023 to evaluate the association between DM and ITP. Multivariable regression was performed to estimate this relationship, and propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to control for confounding and assess the robustness of the findings. To infer causality, a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was further conducted. Inverse variance weighting (IVW) was employed as the primary analysis method in MR analysis. Additionally, we explored the potential mediating role of 731 immune cell traits in the relationship between T1DM and ITP. Finally, multiple sensitivity analyses were utilized to assess the robustness of the results. Observational analysis revealed a significant association between DM and ITP (OR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.10 to 2.41). MR analysis further supported a causal effect of genetically predicted T1DM on ITP risk (OR = 1.073, 95% CI: 1.021 to 1.128). Mediation analysis identified that IgD expression on unswitched memory B cells and CD4 levels on terminally differentiated CD4+T cells play a mediating role in the causal effect of T1DM on ITP, accounting for 3.6% (95% CI: 1.4% to 5.9%) and 5.7% (95% CI: 1.8% to 21.4%) of the total effect, respectively. Sensitivity analyses yielded no evidence of significant heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy, confirming the robustness of the primary causal inference.​. Our findings indicate that T1DM elevates the risk of developing ITP, which may inform future clinical strategies to include regular hematological monitoring for early detection and management in this patient population.​. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40200-026-01860-4.

Associations of a behavioral and mental health score with all-cause and cause-specific mortality and life expectancy: two nationwide cohort studies from the UK and US.

Cardiovascular health factors and altered proteomic landscapes in the progression of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome: Evidence from multi-cohorts in China, the UK, and the US.

Metabolic syndrome in Korean older adults: Prevalence, determinants, and nursing implications.

Food insecurity and elevated nicotine exposure among U.S. tobacco users: Evidence from NHANES

Association between neutrophil percentage-to-albumin ratio and sleep disorders risk: insights from a large US population-based study.

Mixture effects of dietary fatty acids on Parkinson's disease: A weighted quantile sum analysis.