Mental Health Week & Research

Unmasking mental health means asking deeper questions, and CanPath data is helping researchers find the answers. This Mental Health Week, we’re recognizing how interconnected mental health is with every part of life. Researchers are using Atlantic PATH data to explore: ? Mental health and shift work (Sweeney et al., 2021) ? Depression, anxiety and the risk of cancer incidence (van Tuijl et al., 2023) ? Socioeconomic status, depression and prostate cancer survivorship (Ilie et al., 2021) ? Post-treatment adverse health correlates among prostate cancer survivors (Ilie et al., 2021) ? Anxiety and depression in prostate cancer survivors (Ilie et al., 2020) Researchers are using CanPath data to explore: ? COVID-19 and mental health in 23 international cohorts (In progress) ? Depression, diet, and diabetes (Schmitz & Sen, 2024) ? System costs of effective mental healthcare coverage (Vasiliadis et al., 2024) ? And more, like how our environments and chronic diseases like cancer intersect with mental health When we look beyond the surface, we see the whole person, and more possibilities for care, policy, and prevention. ? Watch the webinar on depression, diet, and diabetes >> https://lnkd.in/eHNm97YM ? Read the latest publications addressing mental health using CanPath data >> https://lnkd.in/ecQkdGQR  

Estimating Additive Interaction in Two-Stage Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis

Authors: Maartje Basten, Lonneke A van Tuijl, Kuan-Yu Pan, Adriaan W Hoogendoorn, Femke Lamers, Adelita V Ranchor, Joost Dekker, Philipp Frank, Henrike Galenkamp, Mirjam J Knol, Nolwenn Noisel, Yves Payette, Erik R Sund, Aeilko H Zwinderman, Lützen Portengen, Mirjam I Geerlings Journal: American Journal of Epidemiology Abstract: Individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis provides important opportunities to study interaction and effect modification for which individual studies often lack power. While previous meta-analyses have commonly focused on multiplicative interaction, additive interaction holds greater relevance for public health and may in certain contexts better reflect biological interaction. Methodological literature on interaction in IPD meta-analysis does not cover additive interaction for models including binary or time-to-event outcomes. We aimed to describe how the Relative Excess Risk due to Interaction (RERI) and other measures of additive interaction or effect modification can be validly estimated within two-stage IPD meta-analysis. First, we explain why direct pooling of study-level RERI estimates may lead to invalid results. Next, we propose a three-step procedure to estimate additive interaction: 1) estimate effects of both exposures and their product term on the outcome within each individual study; 2) pool study-specific estimates using multivariate meta-analysis; 3) estimate an overall RERI and 95% confidence interval based on the pooled effect estimates. We illustrate this procedure by investigating interaction between depression and smoking and risk of smoking-related cancers using data from the PSYchosocial factors and Cancer (PSY-CA) consortium. We discuss implications of this procedure, including the application in meta-analysis based on published data. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwae325

Upcoming CanPath Webinar on Ultra-processed food consumption, depression, and diabetes

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a widespread chronic condition with severe consequences, including complications affecting blood vessels and organs, disability, and premature death. Research indicates that depression can significantly raise the risk of developing T2D, potentially through lifestyle and biological factors. Additionally, our modern diet presents a challenge with the increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF), which have been linked to a higher risk of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. In this webinar, Dr. Norbert Schmitz and Dr. Akankasha Sen will share the synergistic effects of depression and UPF consumption on T2D risk and the risk of developing diabetes-specific complications for those with type 2 diabetes. Using longitudinal data from the CARTaGENE cohort, Dr. Schmitz and colleagues demonstrate whether the combination of these factors exacerbates the likelihood of developing T2D beyond their individual effects and whether other mechanisms affect the association, like smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. Additional Details and Registration: https://canpath.ca/2024/03/webinar-ultra-processed-food-consumption-depression-diabetes/

World Mental Health Day

October 10th is World Mental Health Day and Atlantic PATH is pleased to be involved in multiple studies examining mental health and well-being. COVID Global Mental Health Consortium The COVID Global Mental Health Consortium was recently funded and includes 23 global cohorts representing 2.8 million participants. It will produce a global evaluation of pandemic-related mental health outcomes using individual-level harmonized longitudinal data. Research will begin this fall and we look forward to participating and contributing to this important work. Depression, Anxiety and Risk of Cancer Depression and anxiety have long been thought to be related to an increased cancer risk. The Psychosocial Factors and Cancer Incidence (PSY-CA) consortium is led from the Netherlands and includes Atlantic PATH, CARTaGENE (Quebec) and the Ontario Health Study. This study found that mental health was not related to an increased risk of cancer. Shift Work & Mental Health The relationship between mental health and shift work was evaluated among Atlantic PATH participants. Shift workers reported higher levels of each of the mental health domains compared to non-shift workers. Shift workers were more likely to have increased rates of depression and poor self-rated health, as well as depressive and anxiety symptom scores compared to non-shift workers. As a result, shift workers may be at increased risk of comorbidity, poor quality of life, missed work, and early retirement. Physical Activity and Self-Rated Health The population of Atlantic Canada is aging rapidly and has among the highest rates of chronic disease in the country. This study examined the association between physical activity and self-rated health among Atlantic PATH participants. The results suggest that physical activity is associated with and may help to improve perceived health status of individuals with one or more chronic conditions. The findings support literature suggesting that physical activity can be beneficial for adults as they age with chronic disease. Anxiety, Depression and Prostate Cancer Prostate cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer among males in Canada, and has one of the most favorable survival rates among all cancers. The incidence rates are expected to remain high with an aging population and an increase in asymptomatic detection. Prostate cancer survivors had higher odds of anxiety or depression symptoms compared to those with no history of cancer or a history of any other type of cancer. Prostate cancer survivors with a low household income had a higher rate of depression compared to those  with a history of another type of cancer and a high household income. Prostate cancer survivors who were treated with surgery had a higher odds of depression symptoms compared to those with a history of other types of cancer. Increased rates of anxiety and depression among males with a history of prostate cancer highlights the need for mental health screening among prostate cancer survivors. The findings highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary effort to prioritize and deliver comprehensive mental health support throughout the prostate cancer journey.  

New Publication – Depression, Anxiety and Risk of Cancer

We are pleased to share that the first results from the Psychosocial Factors and Cancer Incidence (PSY-CA) consortium have been published in Cancer. Led from the Netherlands by Dr. Lonneke van Tuijl and Dr. Joost Dekker, this study includes 18 cohorts with more than 300,000 participants including Atlantic PATH, the Ontario Health Study and CARTaGENE from CanPath. Our local team members include Mr. Yunsong Cui (Atlantic PATH) who completed all local analyses, Dr. Ellen Sweeney (Atlantic PATH) and Dr. Melanie Keats (Dalhousie University). Depression and anxiety have long been hypothesized to be related to an increased cancer risk, but, to date, findings are inconclusive. Individual participant data meta-analyses were performed within the PSY-CA consortium to assess the associations between depression, anxiety, and the incidence of various cancer types (overall, breast, lung, prostate, colorectal, alcohol-related, and smoking-related cancers). Findings from the study indicate that depression and anxiety are not related to increased risk for most cancer outcomes, except for lung and smoking-related cancers. This study shows that key covariates are likely to explain the relationship between depression, anxiety, and lung and smoking-related cancers. Link to publication: https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.34853 Link to Neuroscience News article: https://neurosciencenews.com/depression-anxiety-cancer-23769/    

COVID Global Mental Health Consortium Funded – 23 cohorts with 2.8 million participants

We’re excited to share that the collaborative project, “International Evaluation of Modifiable Social Determinants of Health on COVID-related Mental Health Outcomes” has been approved for funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (Mental Health Research Grant, award number 1RF1MH134638-01). Led by Dr. Jordan Smoller (Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital), Dr. Sarah Bauermeister (University of Oxford), and Dr. André Russowsky Brunoni (University of Sao Paulo), the COVID Global Mental Health Consortium (CGMHC) will produce a global evaluation of pandemic-related mental health outcomes using individual-level harmonized longitudinal data. The CGHMC is comprised of 23 global cohorts representing 2.8 million participants.1  This work will address critical knowledge gaps related to the impact of policy, psychological and social factors on mental health in the COVID-19 pandemic. 2 We look forward to participating in the CGHMC and contributing to this important research.   1 CGMHC cohorts include CanPath, Health and Retirement Study, Brains for Dementia Research, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, National Study of Health and Development, Oxwell, Generation Scotland, UK Biobank, Igana Mayuge Health and Demographic Surveillance Site, Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, All of Us, Einstein Study, Mass Gen Brigham Biobank, Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Service Members Longitudinal Study, COVID-19 Mental Health Survey, FinnGen, Taiwan Biobank, University of College London COVID Study, The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, COVIDMENT, Qatar Biobank, Brazilian High Risk Cohort Study, and the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA). 2 CanPath was represented on this application by Dr. Ellen Sweeney, Dr. Philip Awadalla, Dr. Robin Urquhart, and Mr. Yunsong Cui. Atlantic PATH is pleased to lead this work on behalf of CanPath.

#PlaidForDad2023

#PlaidForDad2023 — Prostate Cancer Awareness and Research Atlantic PATH welcomes our youngest team member(!) and continues the Plaid for Dad tradition raising awareness about prostate cancer in Canada. We have ongoing research on prostate cancer exploring environmental exposure to arsenic and cancer risk using toxicological and machine learning methods. This research stream has received and benefitted from funding from Nova Scotia Health, the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute, Prostate Cancer Canada, the Canadian Cancer Society, and the New Frontiers in Research Fund.  Related publications to date include: Keltie, E., Hood, K., Cui, Y., Sweeney, E., Ilie, G., Adishesh, A., Dummer, T.J.B., Bharti, V., Kim, J.S. (2022). Arsenic speciation and metallomics profiling of human toenails as a biomarker to assess prostate cancer cases: Atlantic PATH cohort study. Frontiers in Public Health, 10.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9301242/ Hood, K., Sweeney, E., Ilie, G., Keltie, E., Kim, J.S. (2023). Toenail arsenic species and metallome profiles associated with breast, cervical, prostate, and skin cancer prevalence in the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health cohort. Frontiers in Public Health, Environmental Health and Exposome.  https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1148283/full Smith, N., Keltie, E., Sweeney, E., Weerasinghe, S., MacPherson, K., Kim, J.S. (2022). Toenail speciation biomarkers in arsenic-releated disease: a feasibility study for investigating the association between arsenic expsosure and chronic disease. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 232. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651322001099 We have also conducted research on the mental health of prostate cancer survivors compared to those with no history of cancer and those with types of cancer. This work was supported by funding from the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute. Publications to date include: Ilie, G., Rutledge, R., Sweeney, E. (2020). Anxiety and depression symptoms in adult males in Atlantic Canada with or without a lifetime history of prostate cancer. Psycho-Oncology. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pon.5244 Ilie, G., Rutledge, R., Sweeney, E. (2021). An examination of the role of socioeconomic status in the relationship between depression and prostate cancer survivorship in a population-based sample of men from Atlantic Canada. Oncology, 99(4). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33486485/ Ilie, G., Rutledge, R., Sweeney, E. (2021). Post-Treatment Adverse Health Correlates among Prostate Cancer Survivors in a Sample of Men Residing in Atlantic Canada. Current Oncology, 28(4). https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/28/4/246