Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26231364›Full record

ReviewCurrent environmental health reports2015

DNA Methylation in Whole Blood: Uses and Challenges.

E Andres Houseman, Stephanie Kim, Karl T Kelsey, John K Wiencke

Abstract readReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Current environmental health reports, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 98 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
98citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

98 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  13. The association between blood-basedLung cancer management · 2025
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38 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

E Andres HousemanSchool of Biological and Population Health Sciences, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA, andres.houseman@oregonstate.edu.
Stephanie Kim
Karl T Kelsey
John K Wiencke

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Due to its convenience, the blood is commonly used in epigenomic studies, but its heterogeneous nature leads to interpretation difficulties, given the now widely recognized potential for confounding by cell composition effects. Many recent publications have reported significant associations between DNA methylation and a variety of health conditions or exposures. In this review, we summarize many of these recent publications, highlighting the findings in the context of potential cell composition effects, particularly findings that are indicative of immune response or inflammation. While there is substantial evidence for confounding by cell composition, there is nevertheless also evidence for differential DNA methylation suggestive of processes that are not cell mediated. We conclude that important biological insights still may be gained from studying DNA methylation in whole blood, either by investigating the cell composition effects themselves or processes that demonstrate associations even after adjusting for cell composition effects.

Indexed as

DNA MethylationEpigenesis, GeneticEpigenomicsBloodHumansImmunity, Cellular

Identifiers

PMID26231364

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.