Serum Dioxin and DNA Methylation in the Sperm of Operation Ranch Hand Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange
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PROVIDER: PRJNA579174 | ENA |
REPOSITORIES: ENA
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Project description:Purpose: We studied dioxin exposures and DNA methylation in sperm in 37 men from the Air Force Health Study Methods: We compared methylation levels in subjects with no, low, medium, and high dioxin levels using EWAS and looking at regions of DNA. We compared our results to those from a Russian study Results: No loci were found to be significantly associated with dioxin exposure in the EWAS when controlling for false discovery rate. Region H19 was found to have significant associations. Five of our loci of interest overlapped with significant findings from the Russian study
2019-10-24 | GSE139307 | GEO
Project description:BackgroundExposure to the herbicide Agent Orange during the Vietnam War was widespread and is associated with numerous adverse health outcomes. A continuing concern of veterans is the possibility that exposure to the dioxin-containing herbicide might induce adverse reproductive outcomes. We sought to assess whether exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam was associated with changes in DNA methylation in sperm in a subset of Vietnam veterans who participated in the Air Force Health Study (AFHS).MethodsWe studied 37 members of the AFHS chosen to have no, low, medium or high exposure to Agent Orange, based upon serum dioxin levels obtained during a series of examinations. DNA from stored semen was extracted and DNA methylation assessed on the Illumina 450 K platform.ResultsInitial epigenome-wide analysis returned no loci that survived control for false discovery. However, the TEAD3 gene had four different CpG sites that showed loss of DNA methylation associated with dioxin exposure. Analysis assessing regional DNA methylation changes revealed 36 gene regions, including the region of the imprinted gene H19 to have altered DNA methylation associated with high exposure compared to the low exposure group. Additional comparison of our data with sperm DNA methylation data from Russian boys exposed to dioxin found an additional 5 loci that were altered in both studies and exhibited a consistent direction of association.ConclusionsStudying a small number of sperm samples from veterans enrolled in the AFHS, we did not find evidence of significant epigenome-wide alterations associated with exposure to Agent Orange. However, additional analysis showed that the H19 gene region is altered in the sperm of Agent Orange-exposed Ranch Hand veterans. Our study also replicated several findings of a prior study of dioxin-exposed Russian boys. These results provide additional candidate loci for further investigation and may have implications for the reproductive health of dioxin-exposed individuals.
| S-EPMC6819394 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Immune transcriptomic changes in Australian Gulf War Veterans
2025-12-10 | GSE305935 | GEO
Project description:Objective: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects a high proportion of returning combat veterans, but the biological mechanisms of PTSD remain unclear. Circulating micro RNAs (miRNAs) have been associated with depression, and anxiety disorders, but there is little understanding of how miRNAs may relate to PTSD. In this study we compare profiles of circulating miRNA in combat veterans with and without PTSD in order to better understand biological mechanisms of PTSD. Methods: Blood from 24 male military service members was collected following deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), and subjects were assessed for PTSD symptoms using the PTSD checklist-military version. miRNA was isolated from whole blood and sequenced on the Ion Torrent PGM™ using the Ion 316 Chip v2. Differences in miRNA expression was compared between subjects with PTSD (N=15) and combat matched controls without PTSD (N=9). Significantly different miRNA, according to a FDR≤0.05, were assessed for predictive putative targets, and pathway analysis of related targets was completed. Results: PTSD was associated with 4 upregulated and 4 downregulated miRNA, including a 2.94 fold increase in miR-19a-3p and a 1.56 fold decrease in miR-15b. Pathway analysis show that PTSD is related to the axon guidance and Wnt signaling pathways, which work together along with the adherens junction and MAPK signaling pathways to support neuronal development through regulation of growth cones. The PTSD associated miRNAs related to transcription factors, including Transcription factor 7 (T-cell specific, HMG-box), Transcription factor 7 like 1, and Transcription factor 7 like 2. Conclusions: PTSD is associated with miRNAs that regulate biological functions that include neuronal activities, suggesting that they play a role in PTSD symptomatology.
2017-03-07 | GSE87768 | GEO
Project description:Circulating transcriptional landscapes between pre-operation and post-operation plasma samples were compared using the Arraystar Human LncRNA Microarray V4 with probes for profiling of 40173 human lncRNAs and 20730mRNAs. Goal was to investigate the impact of tumor removal on circulating lncRNA and mRNA expression levels.
2018-12-31 | GSE99870 | GEO
Project description:This pilot study enrolled 9 GWI (Gulf War Illness) cases identified from the Department of Veterans Affairs GWI registry, and 11 sedentary control veterans who had not been deployed to the Persian Gulf and were matched to cases by sex, body mass index (BMI) and age.<br>We exposed GWI patients and matched controls to an exercise challenge to explore differences in immune cell function measured by classic immune assays and gene expression profiling.
2009-02-24 | E-MEXP-2069 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:This SuperSeries is composed of the following subset Series: GSE15857: The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Regulates Tissue-Specific Dioxin-Dependent and Dioxin-Independent Gene Batteries: Kidney GSE15858: The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Regulates Tissue-Specific Dioxin-Dependent and Dioxin-Independent Gene Batteries: Liver Refer to individual Series
2010-05-05 | E-GEOD-15859 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:ImportanceTo date, limited data exist regarding the association between Agent Orange and bladder cancer, and the Institute of Medicine concluded that the association between exposure to Agent Orange and bladder cancer outcomes is an area of needed research.ObjectiveTo examine the association between bladder cancer risk and exposure to Agent Orange among male Vietnam veterans.Design, setting, and participantsThis nationwide Veterans Affairs (VA) retrospective cohort study assesses the association between exposure to Agent Orange and bladder cancer risk among 2 517 926 male Vietnam veterans treated in the VA Health System nationwide from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2019. Statistical analysis was performed from December 14, 2021, to May 3, 2023.ExposureAgent Orange.Main outcomes and measuresVeterans exposed to Agent Orange were matched in a 1:3 ratio to unexposed veterans on age, race and ethnicity, military branch, and year of service entry. Risk of bladder cancer was measured by incidence. Aggressiveness of bladder cancer was measured by muscle-invasion status using natural language processing.ResultsAmong the 2 517 926 male veterans (median age at VA entry, 60.0 years [IQR, 56.0-64.0 years]) who met inclusion criteria, there were 629 907 veterans (25.0%) with Agent Orange exposure and 1 888 019 matched veterans (75.0%) without Agent Orange exposure. Agent Orange exposure was associated with a significantly increased risk of bladder cancer, although the association was very slight (hazard ratio [HR], 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02-1.06). When stratified by median age at VA entry, Agent Orange was not associated with bladder cancer risk among veterans older than the median age but was associated with increased bladder cancer risk among veterans younger than the median age (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.04-1.10). Among veterans with a diagnosis of bladder cancer, Agent Orange was associated with lower odds of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (odds ratio [OR], 0.91; 95% CI, 0.85-0.98).Conclusions and relevanceIn this cohort study among male Vietnam veterans, there was a modestly increased risk of bladder cancer-but not aggressiveness of bladder cancer-among those exposed to Agent Orange. These findings suggest an association between Agent Orange exposure and bladder cancer, although the clinical relevance of this was unclear.
| S-EPMC10300690 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceAgent Orange is a powerful herbicide that contains dioxin and was used during the Vietnam War. Although prior studies have found that Agent Orange exposure is associated with increased risk of a wide range of conditions, including neurologic disorders (eg, Parkinson disease), metabolic disorders (eg, type 2 diabetes), and systemic amyloidosis, the association between Agent Orange and dementia remains unclear.ObjectiveTo examine the association between Agent Orange exposure and incident dementia diagnosis in US veterans of the Vietnam era.Design, setting, and participantsThis cohort study included Veterans Health Administration data from October 1, 2001, and September 30, 2015, with up to 14 years of follow-up. Analyses were performed from July 2018 to October 2020. A 2% random sample of US veterans of the Vietnam era who received inpatient or outpatient Veterans Health Administration care, excluding those with dementia at baseline, those without follow-up visits, and those with unclear Agent Orange exposure status.ExposuresPresumed Agent Orange exposure documented in electronic health record.Main outcomes and measuresFine-Gray competing risk models were used to compare the time to dementia diagnosis (with age as the time scale) for veterans with vs without presumed Agent Orange exposure (as per medical records), adjusting for demographic variables and medical and psychiatric comorbidities.ResultsThe total sample was 511 189 individuals; after exclusions, 316 351 were included in analyses. Veterans were mostly male (n = 309 889 [98.0%]) and had a mean (SD) age of 62 (6.6) years; 38 121 (12.1%) had presumed Agent Orange exposure. Prevalence of most conditions, including Parkinson disease, diabetes, and amyloidosis, was similar at baseline among veterans with and without Agent Orange exposure. After adjusting for demographic variables and comorbidities, veterans exposed to Agent Orange were nearly twice as likely as those not exposed to receive a dementia diagnosis over a mean (SD) of 5.5 (3.8) years of follow-up (1918 of 38 121 [5.0%] vs 6886 of 278 230 [2.5%]; adjusted hazard ratio: 1.68 [95% CI, 1.59-1.77]). Veterans with Agent Orange exposure developed dementia at a mean of 1.25 years earlier (at a mean [SD] age of 67.5 [7.0] vs 68.8 [8.0] years).Conclusions and relevanceVeterans with Agent Orange exposure were nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with dementia, even after adjusting for the competing risk of death, demographic variables, and medical and psychiatric comorbidities. Additional studies are needed to examine potential mechanisms underlying the association between Agent Orange exposure and dementia.
| S-EPMC7835948 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a widely-expressed ligand-dependent transcription-factor that mediates cellular responses to dioxins and other planar aromatic hydrocarbons. Indeed, AHR-null mice are refractory to the physiological effects of dioxin-exposure. Although some mechanistic aspects of AHR activity are well understood, the tissue-specificity of AHR effects remains unclear, both during development and following administration of exogenous ligands. Previously we employed studied the transcriptional responses of wild-type and AHR-null C57BL/6J mice to dioxin-exposure. We found that essentially all hepatic effects of dioxin were mediated by the AHR, and that large numbers of genes were affected by dioxin exposure. Surprisingly, we also identified a large effect of AHR genotype, even in the absence of dioxin-exposure. To help assess the tissue-specificity of AHR activity we replicated that prior study in the kidney from the same animals previously studied, and extensively compared the hepatic and renal transcriptional profiles. We find that dioxin-exposure causes essentially no transcriptional effects in the absence of a functional AHR in either liver or kidney. Surprisingly, aside from a number of well-established AHR target genes, dioxin-exposure has few effects in animals harbouring a wild-type AHR. By contrast, AHR genotype profoundly remodels the renal transcriptome, and is associated with perturbation of specific functional pathways and with specific DNA motifs. Our results demonstrate the importance of inter-tissue comparisons and highlight the basal role of AHR activity in renal and hepatic development or normal physiology.
2009-09-21 | GSE15858 | GEO