Influence of fat intake and BMI on the association of rs1799983 NOS3 polymorphism with blood pressure levels in an Iberian population

Genome-Wide Interaction Analysis With DASH Diet Score Identified Novel Loci for Systolic Blood Pressure

BACKGROUND

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet score lowers blood pressure (BP). We examined interactions between genotype and the DASH diet score in relation to systolic BP.

METHODS

We analyzed up to 9 420 585 single nucleotide polymorphisms in up to 127 282 individuals of 6 population groups (91% of European population) from the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology consortium (n=35 660) and UK Biobank (n=91 622) and performed European population-specific and cross-population meta-analyses.

RESULTS

We identified 3 loci in European-specific analyses and an additional 4 loci in cross-population analyses at Pinteraction<5e-8. We observed a consistent interaction between rs117878928 at 15q25.1 (minor allele frequency, 0.03) and the DASH diet score (Pinteraction=4e-8; P for heterogeneity, 0.35) in European population, where the interaction effect size was 0.42±0.09 mm Hg (Pinteraction=9.4e-7) and 0.20±0.06 mm Hg (Pinteraction=0.001) in Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology and the UK Biobank, respectively. The 1 Mb region surrounding rs117878928 was enriched with cis-expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) variants (P=4e-273) and cis-DNA methylation quantitative trait loci variants (P=1e-300). Although the closest gene for rs117878928 is MTHFS, the highest narrow sense heritability accounted by single nucleotide polymorphisms potentially interacting with the DASH diet score in this locus was for gene ST20 at 15q25.1.

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrated gene-DASH diet score interaction effects on systolic BP in several loci. Studies with larger diverse populations are needed to validate our findings.

Genome-Wide Interaction Analysis with DASH Diet Score Identified Novel Loci for Systolic Blood Pressure

Objective

We examined interactions between genotype and a Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet score in relation to systolic blood pressure (SBP).

Methods

We analyzed up to 9,420,585 biallelic imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in up to 127,282 individuals of six population groups (91% of European population) from the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology consortium (CHARGE; n=35,660) and UK Biobank (n=91,622) and performed European population-specific and cross-population meta-analyses.

Results

We identified three loci in European-specific analyses and an additional four loci in cross-population analyses at P for interaction < 5e-8. We observed a consistent interaction between rs117878928 at 15q25.1 (minor allele frequency = 0.03) and the DASH diet score (P for interaction = 4e-8; P for heterogeneity = 0.35) in European population, where the interaction effect size was 0.42±0.09 mm Hg (P for interaction = 9.4e-7) and 0.20±0.06 mm Hg (P for interaction = 0.001) in CHARGE and the UK Biobank, respectively. The 1 Mb region surrounding rs117878928 was enriched with cis-expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) variants (P = 4e-273) and cis-DNA methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTL) variants (P = 1e-300). While the closest gene for rs117878928 is MTHFS, the highest narrow sense heritability accounted by SNPs potentially interacting with the DASH diet score in this locus was for gene ST20 at 15q25.1.

Conclusion

We demonstrated gene-DASH diet score interaction effects on SBP in several loci. Studies with larger diverse populations are needed to validate our findings.

Rheum officinale Baill. Treats zebrafish embryo thrombosis by regulating NOS3 expression in the arginine biosynthesis pathway

BACKGROUND

Rheum officinale Baill. (ROB), as one of the traditional Chinese medicines for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, has a wide range of pharmacological effects, such as cardiovascular protection, and has become a common drug in the clinical care of thrombosis.

OBJECTIVE

Although there are some pharmacological studies on ROB in the treatment of thrombotic diseases, the mechanism and material basis are still unclear. Based on the arginine biosynthesis signalling pathway, this research explored the target proteins and metabolites related to the intervention of ROB in thrombosis and expounded on the antithrombotic mechanism of ROB from the comprehensive perspectives of target prediction, intermediate metabolites and potential metabolic pathways.

METHODS

In this research, ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) technology was used to qualitatively detect the chemical compounds of ROB, and the antithrombotic activity of ROB was evaluated by establishing a zebrafish model. The target function was predicted by network pharmacology, and differential metabolites were screened by metabolomics and multivariate statistical analysis methods. Correlation analysis of network pharmacology and metabolomics screening results was conducted to identify the potential pathway of ROB intervention in thrombosis, and the prediction results were further verified.

RESULTS

ROB significantly reduced the reactive oxygen species (ROS) staining intensity in zebrafish induced by phenylhydrazine (PHZ) and improved the inhibition rate of thrombosis. By constructing the "herb-disease-component-target" network, it was concluded that the active ingredients of ROB in treating thrombosis involved emodin, aloe-emodin and physcion, and the key targets included nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS2) and nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3). A total of 341 differential metabolites in zebrafish with thrombosis were screened by partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The results of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) experiments and targeted metabolomics verification showed that ROB was mainly involved in improving thrombosis by upregulating the expression of NOS3 mRNA and regulating the levels of arginine, glutamate and glutamine in the arginine biosynthesis pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

ROB improved thrombosis by regulating the expression of NOS3 mRNA and the contents of arginine, glutamate and glutamine in the arginine biosynthesis signalling pathway.

Prevalence of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (ENOS) gene G894T polymorphism and its association with hypertension: a population-based study with Brazilian women

Introduction

Hypertension is one of the most prevalent diseases in the world, accounting for millions of deaths each year. The reduction in the concentration of nitric oxide (NO) produced by the catalysis of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is associated with higher blood pressure (BP) levels. This reduction might be because of genetic polymorphisms. This study investigated the prevalence of the eNOS gene G894T polymorphism in women from northeast Brazil and its association with hypertension.

Material and methods

This cross-sectional study included 810 women (aged 19–49 years). Sociodemographic, health, anthropometric, and BP data were collected. Hypertension was defined according to the following criteria: systolic BP ≥ 140 mm Hg, diastolic BP ≥ 90 mm Hg, the regular use of antihypertensive medication, or some combination thereof. Epithelial cells from the cheek mucosa were obtained for DNA extraction. Genotyping was performed via real-time PCR. The measure of association was the prevalence ratio (PR) and its 95% CI as calculated via Poisson regression.

Results

The frequencies of the GG, GT, and TT genotypes were 57.1%, 35.7%, and 7.2%, respectively. For each of these genotypes, the prevalence of hypertension in women was 17.9%, 23.6%, and 34.4%, respectively. Relative to the GG genotype, the PRs after adjusting for cofounding factors were 1.24 (95% CI: 0.95–1.61, p = 0.11) for GT and 1.76 (95% CI: 1.16–2.67, p < 0.01) for TT.

Conclusions

The T allele of the G894T polymorphisms is associated with hypertension in women. This may have implications for prevention and treatment.

Gene and environmental interactions according to the components of lifestyle modifications in hypertension guidelines

Risk factors for hypertension consist of lifestyle and genetic factors. Family history and twin studies have yielded heritability estimates of BP in the range of 34–67%. The most recent paper of BP GWAS has explained about 20% of the population variation of BP. An overestimation of heritability may have occurred in twin studies due to violations of shared environment assumptions, poor phenotyping practices in control cohorts, failure to account for epistasis, gene-gene and gene-environment interactions, and other non-genetic sources of phenotype modulation that are suspected to lead to underestimations of heritability in GWAS. The recommendations of hypertension guidelines in major countries consist of the following elements: weight reduction, a healthy diet, dietary sodium reduction, increasing physical activity, quitting smoking, and moderate alcohol consumption. The hypertension guidelines are mostly the same for each country or region, beyond race and culture. In this review, we summarize gene-environmental interactions associated with hypertension by describing lifestyle modifications according to the hypertension guidelines. In the era of precision medicine, clinicians who are responsible for hypertension management should consider the gene-environment interactions along with the appropriate lifestyle components toward the prevention and treatment of hypertension. We briefly reviewed the interaction of genetic and environmental factors along the constituent elements of hypertension guidelines, but a sufficient amount of evidence has not yet accumulated, and the results of genetic factors often differed in each study.

General Nutrition and Fitness for the Child with Rheumatic Disease

As a result of new medications and therapeutic approaches, most children with rheumatic diseases are no longer at risk for growth failure which results from chronic inflammation and prolonged corticosteroid treatment. However, obesity, poor nutrition, and insufficient exercise are still problems which increase risks for poor bone, cardiovascular, and general health. Diet should be monitored and modified as appropriate; supplemental calcium and Vitamin D should be provided. Obesity and poor physical fitness can be ameliorated by an exercise program that should become part of a more healthy lifestyle.