The purpose of this study is to elicit how investments in agricultural development and food security would safeguard the Virgin Islands （BVI） and the Caribbean, by extension, from future global crisis. History shows...The purpose of this study is to elicit how investments in agricultural development and food security would safeguard the Virgin Islands （BVI） and the Caribbean, by extension, from future global crisis. History shows that agriculture played a significant role in the rise of civilization globally and was the main contributor to the Caribbean economy before the 1950＇s. Overall, it was determined that the BVI population, in general, is desirous of more investment opportunities within the agricultural sector, to assist with the alleviation of poverty at the national level, to advance economic development and trade across the region and to make sustainable development more attainable for the Caribbean, as a whole. To do this, agricultural development and food security must become the focal point of the BVI and other Caribbean economies. Accordingly, the paper recommends that investment within the agricultural sector be undertaken more aggressively across the region. The mixed research approach method was used to validate these claims.展开更多
Purpose Systemic inflammation has been increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS),but the causal nature and direction of this relationship remain uncertain.This study aimed to evalu...Purpose Systemic inflammation has been increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS),but the causal nature and direction of this relationship remain uncertain.This study aimed to evaluate the potential causal associations between circulating inflammatory cytokines and the risk of PCOS using a Mendelian randomisation(MR)approach.Methods We conducted a two-sample MR analysis using summary-level data from large-scale genome-wide association studies involving 91 systemic inflammatory markers(n=14824)and PCOS(10074 cases and 103164 controls)among individuals of European ancestry.Genetic variants associated with cytokines at genome-wide significance(p<5×10^(-8))were selected as instrumental variables.The inverse-variance weighted method was used as the primary analytical strategy,supplemented by sensitivity analyses and correction for multiple testing.Results Genetically predicted higher circulating levels of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 11(CXCL11)were significantly associated with a reduced risk of PCOS(OR=0.740,95%CI 0.625 to 0.871,p<0.001),and this association remained statistically significant after multiple testing correction(adjusted p=0.030).Nominal associations with decreased PCOS risk were also observed for interleukin-13(IL-13),IL-10 and adenosine deaminase(ADA),but these did not withstand correction for multiple comparisons.No evidence of horizontal pleiotropy was detected,and leave-one-out sensitivity analyses supported the robustness of the findings.Conclusion These results support a potential causal role of systemic inflammation in the development of PCOS,with CXCL11 emerging as a promising inflammatory marker and potential therapeutic target.Further studies are needed to validate these findings and explore their clinical relevance in PCOS management.展开更多
文摘The purpose of this study is to elicit how investments in agricultural development and food security would safeguard the Virgin Islands （BVI） and the Caribbean, by extension, from future global crisis. History shows that agriculture played a significant role in the rise of civilization globally and was the main contributor to the Caribbean economy before the 1950＇s. Overall, it was determined that the BVI population, in general, is desirous of more investment opportunities within the agricultural sector, to assist with the alleviation of poverty at the national level, to advance economic development and trade across the region and to make sustainable development more attainable for the Caribbean, as a whole. To do this, agricultural development and food security must become the focal point of the BVI and other Caribbean economies. Accordingly, the paper recommends that investment within the agricultural sector be undertaken more aggressively across the region. The mixed research approach method was used to validate these claims.
基金supported by the Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Innovation Team Project of Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital(grant no.CYDXK202203)。
文摘Purpose Systemic inflammation has been increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS),but the causal nature and direction of this relationship remain uncertain.This study aimed to evaluate the potential causal associations between circulating inflammatory cytokines and the risk of PCOS using a Mendelian randomisation(MR)approach.Methods We conducted a two-sample MR analysis using summary-level data from large-scale genome-wide association studies involving 91 systemic inflammatory markers(n=14824)and PCOS(10074 cases and 103164 controls)among individuals of European ancestry.Genetic variants associated with cytokines at genome-wide significance(p<5×10^(-8))were selected as instrumental variables.The inverse-variance weighted method was used as the primary analytical strategy,supplemented by sensitivity analyses and correction for multiple testing.Results Genetically predicted higher circulating levels of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 11(CXCL11)were significantly associated with a reduced risk of PCOS(OR=0.740,95%CI 0.625 to 0.871,p<0.001),and this association remained statistically significant after multiple testing correction(adjusted p=0.030).Nominal associations with decreased PCOS risk were also observed for interleukin-13(IL-13),IL-10 and adenosine deaminase(ADA),but these did not withstand correction for multiple comparisons.No evidence of horizontal pleiotropy was detected,and leave-one-out sensitivity analyses supported the robustness of the findings.Conclusion These results support a potential causal role of systemic inflammation in the development of PCOS,with CXCL11 emerging as a promising inflammatory marker and potential therapeutic target.Further studies are needed to validate these findings and explore their clinical relevance in PCOS management.
