Browsing by Author "Li, Mingyue"

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    Age, inflammation, alkaline phosphatase, and coronary artery calcification in firefighters
    (Springer Nature, 2025-04-23) Li, Mingyue; Han, Jiali; Muegge, Carolyn; Zollinger, Terrell; Zhou, Laura Y.; Monahan, Patrick; Wessel, Jennifer; Kleinschmidt, Vanessa; Moffatt, Steven; Nan, Hongmei; Epidemiology, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
    Background: Firefighting involves exposure to hazardous conditions that may contribute to adverse long term health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease. While coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of morbidity among firefighters, the specific occupational contributions to Coronary Artery Calcification (CAC), a reliable predictor of CAD, are not well understood. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 410 firefighters, aged 35-68, who underwent comprehensive health assessments, including CAC measurement using computed tomography. Multiple logistic regression models were built to examine the associations of demographic, lifestyle, and clinical variables with CAC score. Results: Our analysis revealed statistically significant associations between several clinical indicators and CAC score. Age (odds ratio (OR): 1.12; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): [1.05, 1.19]) and percentage of monocytes (OR: 1.29; 95% CI: [1.06, 1.58]) were positively correlated with higher CAC score, highlighting the role of inflammation in CAD among firefighters. Moreover, the enzyme alkaline phosphatase emerged as an independent predictor of CAC score (OR: 1.02; 95% CI: [1.01, 1.04]), suggesting a novel biomarker of cardiovascular risk in this population. Conclusion: Our study identified several risk factors associated with increased CAC score in firefighters, including age, inflammation, and alkaline phosphatase. These findings underscore the importance of tailored health monitoring and interventions to mitigate CAD risk in firefighters, considering both general and occupation-specific risk factors. This study contributes to a better understanding of the occupational health challenges faced by firefighters and provides a foundation for future research and preventive strategies in this high-risk group.
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    Association between plasma L-carnitine levels and mitochondrial DNA copy number
    (Springer Nature, 2023-12-11) Li, Mingyue; Yang, Keming; De Vivo, Immaculata; Eliassen, A. Heather; Qureshi, Abrar A.; Nan, Hongmei; Han, Jiali; Epidemiology, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
    Mitochondria are key cytoplasmic organelles in eukaryotic cells that generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) through the electron transport chain and oxidative phosphorylation. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number (mtDNAcn) is considered a biomarker for both mitochondrial quantity and function as well as cellular oxidative stress level. Previous epidemiologic findings revealed that weight gain, higher body mass index (BMI), smoking, and high insulinemic potential of lifestyle were associated with lower leukocyte mtDNAcn. Carnitines are a group of compounds that play a critical role in energy production. We quantified the associations of plasma L-carnitine levels with leukocyte mtDNAcn. We then examined the association between mtDNAcn and L-carnitine (HMDB0000062) in 538 U.S. men without cancers, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease at blood collection from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS). We found a significant inverse association between L-carnitine and mtDNAcn (ρ = −0.1, P = 0.02). This implies that the carnitine metabolic pathway may be associated with mitochondrial function and oxidative stress.
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    Associations of Nutritional, Environmental, and Metabolic Biomarkers with Diabetes-Related Mortality in U.S. Adults: The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys between 1988–1994 and 2016
    (MDPI, 2022-06-24) Zhang, Xi; Ardeshirrouhanifard, Shirin; Li, Jing; Li, Mingyue; Dai, Hongji; Song, Yiqing; Epidemiology, School of Public Health
    Background: Nutritional, environmental, and metabolic status may play a role in affecting the progression and prognosis of type 2 diabetes. However, results in identifying prognostic biomarkers among diabetic patients have been inconsistent and inconclusive. We aimed to evaluate the associations of nutritional, environmental, and metabolic status with disease progression and prognosis among diabetic patients. Methods: In a nationally representative sample in the NHANES III (The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988−1994), we analyzed available data on 44 biomarkers among 2113 diabetic patients aged 20 to 90 years (mean age: 58.2 years) with mortality data followed up through 2016. A panel of 44 biomarkers from blood and urine specimens available from NHANES III were included in this study and the main outcomes as well as the measures are mortalities from all-causes. We performed weighted logistic regression analyses after controlling potential confounders. To assess incremental prognostic values of promising biomarkers beyond traditional risk factors, we compared c-statistics of the adjusted models with and without biomarkers, separately. Results: In total, 1387 (65.2%) deaths were documented between 1988 and 2016. We observed an increased risk of all-cause mortality associated with higher levels of serum C-reactive protein (p for trend = 0.0004), thyroid stimulating hormone (p for trend = 0.04), lactate dehydrogenase (p for trend = 0.02), gamma glutamyl transferase (p for trend = 0.02), and plasma fibrinogen (p for trend = 0.03), and urine albumin (p for trend < 0.0001). In contrast, higher levels of serum sodium (p for trend = 0.005), alpha carotene (p for trend = 0.006), and albumin (p for trend = 0.005) were associated with a decreased risk of all-cause mortality. In addition, these significant associations were not modified by age, sex, or race. Inclusion of thyroid stimulating hormone (p = 0.03), fibrinogen (p = 0.01), and urine albumin (p < 0.0001), separately, modestly improved the discriminatory ability for predicting all-cause mortality among diabetic patients. Conclusions: Our nationwide study findings provide strong evidence that some nutritional, environmental, and metabolic biomarkers were significant predictors of all-cause mortality among diabetic patients and may have potential clinical value for improving stratification of mortality risk.
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    Exploring the Coronary Calcium Scores in Indiana Firefighters from Risk Factors to AI Predictions
    (2024-05) Li, Mingyue; Han, Jiali; Monahan, Patrick O.; Wessel, Jennifer; Nan, Hongmei
    Firefighters, facing toxic exposure and mandatory personal protective equipment use, are at increased risk for cardiovascular strain. Coronary artery disease (CAD) can lead to sudden heart attacks, making early detection and risk assessment critical. Coronary calcium score (CCS), obtained via computed tomography, serve as precise indicators of pre-clinical CAD, and are linked to increased cardiovascular events and mortality. However, specific risk factors affecting CCS in firefighters remain underexplored. In my study, I utilized existing health data from Indiana firefighters aged 35-68, gathered during their health screenings at Ascension Public Safety Medical. Focusing on those with complete evaluations—including physicals, lab tests, fitness assessments, and CT scans for CCS — I first examined the clinical risk factors influencing CCS. Then, I explored the association between maximal oxygen uptake MaxVO2, an essential measure of aerobic capacity and cardiovascular fitness, and CCS among different age groups (< 45, and >= 45 years). Subsequently, I developed machine learning models using these risk factors to predict CCS. I observed significant positive associations between age, monocyte percentage, and CCS. Also, I identified significant positive associations between alkaline phosphatase and CCS. Higher MaxVO2 levels were associated with lower CCS, especially in firefighters over 45. Finally, utilizing these findings, I developed machine learning models to predict CCS and selected the most precise one. In conclusion, this research provides a novel perspective on the cardiovascular risks faced by firefighters. The associations and predictive models I've established not only contribute to the understanding of CCS in this population but pave the way for targeted interventions. These findings emphasize the importance of age, monocyte percentage, alkaline phosphatase, and regular cardiovascular fitness assessments and may influence future guidelines for firefighter health monitoring, ultimately aiming to reduce CAD incidence and enhance occupational safety.