McMichael A J
Department of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, England.
Am J Epidemiol. 1994 Jul 1;140(1):1-11. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a117153.
The term "molecular epidemiology" is coming into general usage, but its implications are ambiguous. A simple definition is that it entails the inclusion in epidemiologic research of biologic measurements made at the molecular level--and is thus an extension of the increasing use of biologically based measures in epidemiologic research. "Molecular epidemiologic" measurements typically detect damaged or naturally variant molecular structures, or use immunologically based techniques to detect particular gene-product molecules. (In contrast, the measurement of biochemical concentration, such as of plasma estrogens, does not require information about molecular structure.) Molecular techniques can be used to measure exposure, early biologic response, or host characteristics that influence susceptibility. They may also elucidate mediating biologic events, and may enable differentiation of adverse health outcomes. Molecular biomarkers have been applied particularly in cancer epidemiology, to measure DNA damage, heritable genetic polymorphisms that influence susceptibility, and "cancer family" genes. Infectious disease epidemiologists use molecular measures of genetic strains of microbes, and they and cancer epidemiologists measure viral nucleic acids within host cells. The term "molecular epidemiology" may suggest the existence of a subdiscipline with substantive new research content. Molecular techniques, however, are directed principally at enhancing the measurement of exposure, effect, or susceptibility, and not at formulating new etiologic hypotheses. As techniques of refinement and elaboration, the integration of molecular measures into mainstream epidemiologic research can offer higher resolution answers in relation to disease causation.
“分子流行病学”这一术语正在广泛使用，但其含义尚不明确。一个简单的定义是，它要求在流行病学研究中纳入分子水平的生物学测量——因此它是流行病学研究中越来越多地使用基于生物学的测量方法的一种延伸。“分子流行病学”测量通常检测受损或自然变异的分子结构，或使用基于免疫的技术来检测特定的基因产物分子。（相比之下，生化浓度的测量，如血浆雌激素的测量，不需要分子结构信息。）分子技术可用于测量暴露、早期生物学反应或影响易感性的宿主特征。它们还可以阐明介导的生物学事件，并可能有助于区分不良健康结果。分子生物标志物尤其应用于癌症流行病学，以测量DNA损伤、影响易感性的可遗传基因多态性以及“癌症家族”基因。传染病流行病学家使用微生物基因菌株的分子测量方法，他们和癌症流行病学家测量宿主细胞内的病毒核酸。“分子流行病学”这个术语可能意味着存在一个具有实质性新研究内容的子学科。然而，分子技术主要旨在加强对暴露、效应或易感性的测量，而不是提出新的病因假设。作为细化和完善的技术，将分子测量整合到主流流行病学研究中可以提供关于疾病因果关系的更高分辨率的答案。
