OBJECTIVES: Serum matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) levels are associated with cardiovascular diseases. However, the causal associations between serum levels of specific MMPs and venous thromboembolism (VTE) remain unclear. The present study sought to explore the causal relationship between serum MMP levels and VTE by using the Mendelian randomization (MR) method. METHODS: In this study 2-sample MR study, the exposure data on serum MMP levels were derived from genome-wide association studies involving 21,758 individuals from 13 cohorts of European descent. The outcome data on VTE, including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, were derived from the FinnGen research project. The primary method used was the inverse-variance weighting method. The MR-Egger intercept test and the Cochran Q test were used to evaluate pleiotropy and heterogeneity. RESULTS: Using the inverse-variance weighting method, higher serum MMP-12 levels were found to be associated with an increased risk of VTE (odds ratio, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.01 to 1.07; p=0.001). Moreover, there was a weak association between the levels of certain MMPs and VTE. Sensitivity analyses revealed no significant heterogeneity and pleiotropy in our study, and the Steiger directionality test did not reveal a significant reverse causation association. CONCLUSIONS There is a causal association between MMP-12 levels and VTE, which may have substantial implications for the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies used for VTE.

At the end of February 2023, the new Notice on the Issuance of Ethical Review Measures for Life Science and Medical Research Involving Humans was issued by the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It adheres to the basic principles and institutional framework of the Ethical Review Measures for Biomedical Research Involving Humans , and combines with the actual situation of domestic ethical work to optimize and improve the details and procedures of the review. Based on the Ethical Review Measures for Biomedical Research Involving Humans, the Ethical Review Measures for Life Science and Medical Research Involving Humans have expanded the scope of application of ethical review. Different experts in the field have discussed in detail the changes in the scope of review, and proposed review procedures that may need to be corresponding adjustments based on the changes for the readers’ reference.