{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,6]],"date-time":"2026-02-06T20:39:49Z","timestamp":1770410389677,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"IMR Press","issue":"9","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Br J Hosp Med"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,25]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Aims\/Background Several types of plasma protein ratios (PPRs) have been shown to have significant associations with alopecia areata (AA); however, their causal relationships remain to be elucidated. This study aimed to identify causal relationships of 2821 PPRs with AA.<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>Methods Data from the United Kingdom Biobank Pharma Proteomics Project (n &gt; 54,000) and FinnGen R11 data (862 cases\/432,686 controls) were used for a bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. Inverse-variance weighting (IVW), weighted median, simple mode, weighted mode and MR-Egger regression tests were used to estimate the causality between PPRs and AA. Sensitivity analyses were performed to ensure the robustness of our findings.<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>Results Our analysis showed that the agrin (AGRN)\/heparan sulfate proteoglycan 2 (HSPG2) and 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase 1 (DECR1)\/FK506-binding protein 1B (FKBP1B) ratios were significantly elevated in AA patients (p &lt; 0.05). The IVW method revealed that for every one standard deviation (SD) increase in the AGRN\/HSPG2 ratio, the risk of AA increased by 44.8% (odds ratio [OR] = 1.448, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.200\u20131.745, p &lt; 0.001). Similarly, for every one SD increase in the DECR1\/FKBP1B ratio, the risk of AA increased by 65.8% (OR = 1.658, 95% CI: 1.273\u20132.159, p &lt; 0.001). In contrast, reverse MR analysis did not detect any significant causal effects of AA on these two PPRs (p &gt; 0.05). Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of our results and ruled out horizontal pleiotropy (MR-Egger intercept p &gt; 0.05).<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>Conclusion This study uncovered the causal relationships between two types of PPRs and AA, offering new insights into the diagnosis, treatment, and underlying mechanisms of AA.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.12968\/hmed.2025.0405","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,15]],"date-time":"2025-09-15T14:26:15Z","timestamp":1757946375000},"page":"1-15","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Investigating Potential Causal Relationships Between Plasma Protein Ratios and Alopecia Areata: A Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study"],"prefix":"10.31083","volume":"86","author":[{"given":"Xiaoqi","family":"Tan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University and Jinan University Institute of Dermatology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China"},{"name":"Department of Dermatology, The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China"},{"name":"Department of Dermatology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Heyuan, Guangdong, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zhen","family":"Yin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Clinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Shiyu","family":"Zhu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Clinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Liehua","family":"Deng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University and Jinan University Institute of Dermatology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China"},{"name":"Department of Dermatology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Heyuan, Guangdong, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"16242","reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1152\/ajpcell.00113.2022"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1083\/jcb.151.1.41"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cell.2024.11.004"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/exd.14536"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41536-022-00267-y"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s13287-025-04182-z"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2023.1190388"},{"key":"B8","first-page":"405","volume":"11","author":"Freyschmidt-Paul P","year":"2001","journal-title":"European Journal of Dermatology"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ydbio.2024.07.012"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.actbio.2021.08.032"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bj.2025.100837"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jocd.13131"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jocd.15460"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1159\/000123041"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jaad.2019.08.032"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12916-022-02657-x"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.celrep.2024.114879"},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/jcsm.13761"},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2023.1231611"},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/bjd.21055"},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/science.abj1541"},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1242\/jcs.107.11.3201"},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.isci.2020.101370"},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2021.18236"},{"key":"B25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jaad.2017.04.1141"},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.xgen.2024.100506"},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms25115652"},{"key":"B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s12016-017-8620-9"},{"key":"B29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/jcb.24788"},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/dom.15792"},{"key":"B31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s12016-021-08883-0"}],"container-title":["British Journal of Hospital Medicine"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/www.magonlinelibrary.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.12968\/hmed.2025.0405","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,6]],"date-time":"2026-02-06T10:00:05Z","timestamp":1770372005000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.imrpress.com\/journal\/BJHM\/86\/9\/10.12968\/hmed.2025.0405"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,25]]},"references-count":31,"journal-issue":{"issue":"9","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,25]]}},"alternative-id":["10.12968\/hmed.2025.0405"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.12968\/hmed.2025.0405","relation":{},"ISSN":["1750-8460","1759-7390"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1750-8460","type":"print"},{"value":"1759-7390","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,25]]}}}