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The following is a summary of “Causal relationships between gut microbiome and aplastic anemia: a Mendelian randomization analysis,” published in the September 2024 issue of Hematology by Liu et al.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study investigating the bidirectional relationship between aplastic anemia and the gut microbiome, building upon previous observational findings.

They performed a bidirectional 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study to explore the potential relationship between the gut microbiome and AA. The gut microbiome data came from a meta-analysis of 18,340 samples (genome-wide association study) by MiBioGen Alliance. Summary statistics for AA were sourced from the Integrative Epidemiology Unit database. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were evaluated and summarized using inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR Egger, and weighted median methods in the bidirectional MR analysis. Cochran’s Q test, MR Egger intercept test, and sensitivity analysis were used to evaluate SNP heterogeneity, horizontal pleiotropy, and stability.

The results showed that IVW analysis identified a significant correlation between AA and 10 bacterial taxa. However, there is insufficient evidence to confirm a relationship between AA and gut microbiome composition.

Investigators suggested a link between specific gut microbiomes and AA, highlighting the potential for bacterial community interactions to improve prevention, monitoring, and treatment.

Source: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16078454.2024.2399421