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Zhang X, Huangfu Z, Wang S. Review of mendelian randomization studies on age at natural menopause. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1234324. [PMID: 37766689 PMCID: PMC10520463 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1234324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Menopause marks the end of the reproductive phase of life. Based on epidemiological studies, abnormal age at natural menopause (ANM) is thought to contribute to a number of adverse outcomes, such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. However, the causality of these associations remains unclear. A powerful epidemiological method known as Mendelian randomization (MR) can be used to clarify the causality between ANM and other diseases or traits. The present review describes MR studies that included ANM as an exposure, outcome and mediator. The findings of MR analyses on ANM have revealed that higher body mass index, poor educational level, early age at menarche, early age at first live birth, early age at first sexual intercourse, and autoimmune thyroid disease appear to be involved in early ANM etiology. The etiology of late ANM appears to be influenced by higher free thyroxine 4 and methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase gene mutations. Furthermore, early ANM has been found to be causally associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis, fracture, type 2 diabetes mellitus, glycosylated hemoglobin, and the homeostasis model of insulin resistance level. In addition, late ANM has been found to be causally associated with an increased systolic blood pressure, higher risk of breast cancer, endometrial cancer, endometrioid ovarian carcinoma, lung cancer, longevity, airflow obstruction, and lower risk of Parkinson's disease. ANM is also a mediator for breast cancer caused by birth weight and childhood body size. However, due to the different instrumental variables used, some results of studies are inconsistent. Future studies with more valid genetic variants are needed for traits with discrepancies between MRs or between MR and other types of epidemiological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Beijing, China
- Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China
- Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhao Huangfu
- Department of Urology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shaowei Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Beijing, China
- Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China
- Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
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Kjaergaard AD, Wu Y, Ming WK, Wang Z, Kjaergaard MN, Ellervik C. Homocysteine and female fertility, pregnancy loss and offspring birthweight: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study. Eur J Clin Nutr 2022; 76:40-47. [PMID: 33772217 DOI: 10.1038/s41430-021-00898-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Observational studies link elevated homocysteine concentrations (Hcy) with female fertility, pregnancy loss, and low offspring birthweight. Maternal rs1801133, a functional variant in MTHFR strongly associated with lifelong elevated Hcy, is associated with recurrent pregnancy loss and offspring birthweight in Asian women. We investigated if genetically elevated Hcy is associated with fertility, pregnancy loss, and offspring birthweight in European women. SUBJECTS/METHODS We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study using publicly available data. We obtained 18 genetic variants (five involved in Hcy metabolism) explaining up to 5.9% of the variance in Hcy from a genome-wide association meta-analysis of 44,147 European individuals (82% women). We investigated fertility (including age at menopause), pregnancy loss, and offspring birthweight in the UK Biobank (N = 194,174), EGG (N = 190,406), and ReproGen (N = 69,360-252,514) consortia using summary statistics. We calculated inverse-variance weighted, and several sensitivity MR regression statistics. RESULTS rs1801133 was associated with a 7.45 months (95% CI: 4.09, 10.80) increase in age at menopause and 29.69 (12.87, 46.51) g decrease in offspring birthweight per SD increase in Hcy in the UK biobank, and confirmed in EGG and ReproGen. MR for Hcy metabolism alone (five variants in MTHFR, MTR, CBS) showed similar results for offspring birthweight across consortia. However, using all 18 variants resulted in no association for any of the outcomes across consortia. CONCLUSION Hcy and suggestively vitamin B variants are most likely the drug targets for folate supplementation in pregnant women on the offspring birthweight, while Hcy variants related to renal function or diabetes are not involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alisa D Kjaergaard
- Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Yanxin Wu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Wai-Kit Ming
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zillian Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | | | - Christina Ellervik
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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3
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Nabhan AF, Mburu G, Elshafeey F, Magdi R, Kamel M, Elshebiny M, Abuelnaga YG, Ghonim M, Abdelhamid MH, Ghonim M, Eid P, Morsy A, Nasser M, Abdelwahab N, Elhayatmy F, Hussein AA, Elgabaly N, Sawires E, Tarkhan Y, Doas Y, Farrag N, Amir A, Gobran MF, Maged M, Abdulhady M, Sherif Y, Dyab M, Kiarie J. OUP accepted manuscript. Hum Reprod Open 2022; 2022:hoac005. [PMID: 35280216 PMCID: PMC8907405 DOI: 10.1093/hropen/hoac005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION What is the scope of literature regarding women’s reproductive span in terms of definitions, trends and determinants? SUMMARY ANSWER The scoping review found a wide variation in definitions, trends and determinants of biological, social and effective women’s reproductive span. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY A woman’s reproductive span refers to her childbearing years. Its span influences a woman’s reproductive decisions. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION A systematic scoping review was conducted. We searched MEDLINE, PubMed, JSTOR, CINAHL, Web of Science and Scopus electronic databases from inception to January 2021 without imposing language or date restrictions. We searched unpublished sources including the Global Burden of Disease, Demographic and Health Surveys, and National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. The list of relevant references was searched by hand. Sixty-seven reports on women’s reproductive span were included in this review. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS This scoping systematic review followed an established framework. The reporting of this scoping review followed the reporting requirements provided in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, Extension for Scoping Reviews. Identified records were independently screened and data were extracted. We performed conceptual synthesis by grouping the studies by available concepts of reproductive span and then summarized definitions, measures used, temporal trends, determinants, and broad findings of implications on population demographics and assisted reproduction. Structured tabulation and graphical synthesis were used to show patterns in the data and convey detailed information efficiently, along with a narrative commentary. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE A total of 67 relevant reports on women’s reproductive span were published between 1980 and 2020 from 74 countries. Most reports (42/67) were cross-sectional in design. Literature on reproductive span was conceptually grouped as biological (the interval between age at menarche and age at menopause), effective (when a woman is both fertile and engaging in sexual activity) and social (period of exposure to sexual activity). We summarized the working definitions, trends and determinants of each concept. Few articles addressed implications on demographics and assisted reproduction. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION A formal assessment of methodological quality of the included studies was not performed because the aim of this review was to provide an overview of the existing evidence base regardless of quality. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS The review produced a comprehensive set of possible definitions of women’s reproductive span, trends, and potential determinants. Further advancement of these findings will involve collaboration with relevant stakeholders to rate the importance of each definition in relation to demography and fertility care, outline a set of core definitions, identify implications for policy, practice or research and define future research opportunities to explore linkages between reproductive spans, their determinants, and the need for assisted reproduction. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This work received funding from the UNDP-UNFPA-UNICEF-WHO-World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP), a cosponsored programme executed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The authors had no competing interests. STUDY REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- A F Nabhan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, El-Khalifa El-Maamoun Street, Cairo 11341, Egypt. E-mail: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4572-2210
| | - G Mburu
- The UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP Research), World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - F Elshafeey
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - R Magdi
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - M Kamel
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - M Elshebiny
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Y G Abuelnaga
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - M Ghonim
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - M H Abdelhamid
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mo Ghonim
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - P Eid
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - A Morsy
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - M Nasser
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - N Abdelwahab
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - F Elhayatmy
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - A A Hussein
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - N Elgabaly
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - E Sawires
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Y Tarkhan
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Y Doas
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - N Farrag
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - A Amir
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - M F Gobran
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - M Maged
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - M Abdulhady
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Y Sherif
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - M Dyab
- Egyptian Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - J Kiarie
- The UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP Research), World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
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Dvornyk V, Churnosov M, Deng HW. Polymorphisms of the TNF, LTA, and TNFRSF1B genes are associated with onsets of menarche and menopause in US women of European ancestry. Ann Hum Biol 2021; 48:400-405. [PMID: 34595982 DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2021.1987519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The TNF, LTA and TNFRSF1B genes have been implicated in various traits related to menarche and menopause. AIM To analyse the TNF, LTA and TNFRSF1B genes for their association with ages at menarche (AM) and natural menopause (ANM). SUBJECTS AND METHODS The study sample consisted of 314 unrelated females of European ancestry. Twenty SNPs located in and near the genes were analysed using various statistical methods. In addition, the functional significance of the loci associated with AM and ANM was analysed in silico. RESULTS Locus rs2229094 of the LTA gene was associated with AM according to the additive (β = -0.295, pperm = 0.016) and recessive (β = -0.940, pperm = 0.016) genetic models. Haplotype GG rs1148459-rs590368 of the TNFRSF1B gene was associated with AM (β = 0.307, pperm = 0.023). Haplotype GCA rs2844484-rs2229094-rs1799964 was associated with ANM after adjustment for covariates (β = -1.020, pperm = 0.035). All studied loci were associated with ANM after adjustment for breastfeeding (raw p < 0.05). In addition, eight of the most significant models of interlocus interactions were associated with AM and five with ANM. CONCLUSION The results of the present study suggest that the TNF, LTA and TNFRSF1B genes are associated with AM and ANM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Volodymyr Dvornyk
- Department of Life Sciences, College of Science and General Studies, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Mikhail Churnosov
- Department of Medical Biological Disciplines, Belgorod State University, Belgorod, Russia
| | - Hong-Wen Deng
- Deming Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Tulane Centre of Biomedical Informatics and Genomics, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
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Ma L, Lu H, Chen R, Wu M, Jin Y, Zhang J, Wang S. Identification of Key Genes and Potential New Biomarkers for Ovarian Aging: A Study Based on RNA-Sequencing Data. Front Genet 2020; 11:590660. [PMID: 33304387 PMCID: PMC7701310 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.590660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Ovarian aging leads to reproductive and endocrine dysfunction, causing the disorder of multiple organs in the body and even declined quality of offspring's health. However, few studies have investigated the changes in gene expression profile in the ovarian aging process. Here, we applied integrated bioinformatics to screen, identify, and validate the critical pathogenic genes involved in ovarian aging and uncover potential molecular mechanisms. The expression profiles of GSE84078 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, which included the data from ovarian samples of 10 normal C57BL/6 mice, including old (21-22 months old, ovarian failure period) and young (5-6 months old, reproductive bloom period) ovaries. First, we filtered 931 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 876 upregulated and 55 downregulated genes through comparison between ovarian expression data from old and young mice. Functional enrichment analysis showed that biological functions of DEGs were primarily immune response regulation, cell-cell adhesion, and phagosome pathway. The most closely related genes among DEGs (Tyrobp, Rac2, Cd14, Zap70, Lcp2, Itgb2, H2-Ab1, and Fcer1g) were identified by constructing a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and consequently verified using mRNA and protein quantitative detection. Finally, the immune cell infiltration in the ovarian aging process was also evaluated by applying CIBERSORT, and a correlation analysis between hub genes and immune cell type was also performed. The results suggested that plasma cells and naïve CD4+ T cells may participate in ovarian aging. The hub genes were positively correlated with memory B cells, plasma cells, M1 macrophages, Th17 cells, and immature dendritic cells. In conclusion, this study indicates that screening for DEGs and pathways in ovarian aging using bioinformatic analysis could provide potential clues for researchers to unveil the molecular mechanism underlying ovarian aging. These results could be of clinical significance and provide effective molecular targets for the treatment of ovarian aging.
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Canelón SP, Boland MR. A Systematic Literature Review of Factors Affecting the Timing of Menarche: The Potential for Climate Change to Impact Women's Health. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17051703. [PMID: 32150950 PMCID: PMC7084472 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17051703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Menarche is the first occurrence of a woman’s menstruation, an event that symbolizes reproductive capacity and the transition from childhood into womanhood. The global average age for menarche is 12 years and this has been declining in recent years. Many factors that affect the timing menarche in girls could be affected by climate change. A systematic literature review was performed regarding the timing of menarche and four publication databases were interrogated: EMBASE, SCOPUS, PubMed, and Cochrane Reviews. Themes were identified from 112 articles and related to environmental causes of perturbations in menarche (either early or late), disease causes and consequences of perturbations, and social causes and consequences. Research from climatology was incorporated to describe how climate change events, including increased hurricanes, avalanches/mudslides/landslides, and extreme weather events could alter the age of menarche by disrupting food availability or via increased toxin/pollutant release. Overall, our review revealed that these perturbations in the timing of menarche are likely to increase the disease burden for women in four key areas: mental health, fertility-related conditions, cardiovascular disease, and bone health. In summary, the climate does have the potential to impact women’s health through perturbation in the timing of menarche and this, in turn, will affect women’s risk of disease in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia P. Canelón
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA ;
| | - Mary Regina Boland
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA ;
- Institute for Biomedical Informatics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Center for Excellence in Environmental Toxicology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Correspondence:
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Premenopausal cardiovascular disease and age at natural menopause: a pooled analysis of over 170,000 women. Eur J Epidemiol 2019; 34:235-246. [DOI: 10.1007/s10654-019-00490-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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Biological and Social Determinants of Fertility Behaviour among the Jat Women of Haryana State, India. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1155/2016/5463168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Fertility is a way through which human beings biologically replace themselves in order to continue their existence on earth. The present paper therefore attempts to study the factors affecting fertility among the Jat women of Haryana state. A household survey was conducted in 15 villages of Palwal district in which the concentration of Jats was found to be highest and 1014 ever married women were interviewed. Age at marriage, present age, education status, family type, and preference for male child were the most important factors that affected fertility in the studied population. Age at menarche, age at first conception, occupation status, use of birth control measures, and household per capita annual income did not affect the fertility in the studied population.
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He C, Murabito JM. Genome-wide association studies of age at menarche and age at natural menopause. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2014; 382:767-779. [PMID: 22613007 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2012.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2011] [Revised: 04/04/2012] [Accepted: 05/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been successful in uncovering genetic determinants of age at menarche and age at natural menopause. To date, more than 30 novel genetic loci have been identified in GWAS for age at menarche and 17 for age at natural menopause. These findings have stimulated a plethora of follow-up studies particularly with respect to the functional characterization of these novel loci and how these results can be translated into risk prediction. However, the genetic loci identified so far account for only a small fraction of the overall heritability. This review provides an overview of the current state of our knowledge of the genetic basis of menarche and menopause timing. It emphasizes recent GWAS results and outlines strategies for discovering the missing heritability and strategies to further our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of the observed genetic associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunyan He
- Department of Public Health, Indiana University School of Medicine, 980 West Walnut Street, R3-C241, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, Indiana University, 535 Barnhill Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
| | - Joanne M Murabito
- The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, 73 Mount Wayte, Suite 2, Framingham, MA 01701, USA; Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, 720 East Concord Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
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Wu C, Gong Y, Sun A, Zhang Y, Zhang C, Zhang W, Zhao G, Zou Y, Ge J. The human MTHFR rs4846049 polymorphism increases coronary heart disease risk through modifying miRNA binding. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2013; 23:693-698. [PMID: 22647417 DOI: 10.1016/j.numecd.2012.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2011] [Revised: 02/13/2012] [Accepted: 02/29/2012] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Abnormal functioning of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) enhances the risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). Here, we tested whether a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located in the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of MTHFR was associated with CHD susceptibility by affecting microRNAs binding. METHODS AND RESULTS We first analyzed in silico the SNPs localized in the 3' UTR of MTHFR for their ability to modify miRNA binding. We observed that rs4846049 (G > T) was a potential candidate SNP to modulate miRNAs:MTHFR mRNA complex, with the greatest changed binding free energy for has-miR-149. Based on luciferase analysis, hsa-miR-149 inhibited the activity of the reporter vector carrying -T allele, but not -G allele. We further conducted a case-control study (654 vs 455) in a Chinese Han population. rs4846049 was significantly associated with increased risk for CHD. In addition, the T allele was associated with decreased levels of HDL-cholesterol and apoA. Finally, we observed a reduced MTHFR protein level in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of CHD patients with TT carriers compared to GG carriers of rs4846049. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that rs4846049 (G > T) of MTHFR is associated with increased risk for CHD. We also identified a potentially pathogenetic mechanism of SNP-modified posttranscriptional gene regulation by miRNAs to MTHFR.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Wu
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
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Qiu C, Chen H, Wen J, Zhu P, Lin F, Huang B, Wu P, Lin Q, Lin Y, Rao H, Huang H, Liang J, Li L, Gong X, Peng S, Li M, Chen L, Tang K, Chen Z, Lin L, Lu J, Bi Y, Ning G, Chen G. Associations between age at menarche and menopause with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis in Chinese women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2013; 98:1612-21. [PMID: 23471979 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2012-2919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Ages at menarche and menopause are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, and osteoporosis in Caucasian women, but associations remain unexplored in Chinese women. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to assess associations between age at menarche and menopause with CVD, diabetes, and osteoporosis in Chinese women. DESIGN AND SETTING A cross-sectional, population-based study was conducted in Fujian, China, from June 2011 to January 2012. PARTICIPANTS Among 6242 women aged 21 to 92 years, 3304 postmenopausal women were enrolled, excluding premenopausal women (n = 2527), those with unreported ages at menarche and menopause (n = 138), those with unrecorded physical measurements (n = 203), and those with menarche age <8 years or >20 years (n = 70). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES An oral glucose tolerance test, a 12-lead resting electrocardiogram, and calcaneus quantitative ultrasound were performed. RESULTS No significant associations were found between menarche age, diabetes, and osteoporosis (both P > .05); later menarche (>18 years) was significantly associated with lower CVD risk (odds ratio = 0.71, 95% confidence interval, 0.57-0.89; P = .002). Menopause age was not associated with diabetes; higher menopause age was associated with decreasing CVD risk (P for trend = .020) and earlier menopause (≤46 years) with significantly higher osteoporosis risk (odds ratio = 1.59, 95% confidence interval, 1.07-2.36; P = .023). CONCLUSIONS In China, ages at menarche and menopause are not associated with diabetes. Later menarche and menopause are associated with decreasing CVD risk and earlier menopause with higher osteoporosis risk. Menarche and menopause history may help identify women with increased risk of developing CVD and osteoporosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changsheng Qiu
- Department of Osteology, Wuyishan Municipal Hospital, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Wuyishan, 354300, China
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Spencer KL, Malinowski J, Carty CL, Franceschini N, Fernández-Rhodes L, Young A, Cheng I, Ritchie MD, Haiman CA, Wilkens L, ChunyuanWu, Matise TC, Carlson CS, Brennan K, Park A, Rajkovic A, Hindorff LA, Buyske S, Crawford DC. Genetic variation and reproductive timing: African American women from the Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) Study. PLoS One 2013; 8:e55258. [PMID: 23424626 PMCID: PMC3570525 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2012] [Accepted: 12/20/2012] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Age at menarche (AM) and age at natural menopause (ANM) define the boundaries of the reproductive lifespan in women. Their timing is associated with various diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular disease. Genome-wide association studies have identified several genetic variants associated with either AM or ANM in populations of largely European or Asian descent women. The extent to which these associations generalize to diverse populations remains unknown. Therefore, we sought to replicate previously reported AM and ANM findings and to identify novel AM and ANM variants using the Metabochip (n = 161,098 SNPs) in 4,159 and 1,860 African American women, respectively, in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) and Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) studies, as part of the Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) Study. We replicated or generalized one previously identified variant for AM, rs1361108/CENPW, and two variants for ANM, rs897798/BRSK1 and rs769450/APOE, to our African American cohort. Overall, generalization of the majority of previously-identified variants for AM and ANM, including LIN28B and MCM8, was not observed in this African American sample. We identified three novel loci associated with ANM that reached significance after multiple testing correction (LDLR rs189596789, p = 5×10⁻⁰⁸; KCNQ1 rs79972789, p = 1.9×10⁻⁰⁷; COL4A3BP rs181686584, p = 2.9×10⁻⁰⁷). Our most significant AM association was upstream of RSF1, a gene implicated in ovarian and breast cancers (rs11604207, p = 1.6×10⁻⁰⁶). While most associations were identified in either AM or ANM, we did identify genes suggestively associated with both: PHACTR1 and ARHGAP42. The lack of generalization coupled with the potentially novel associations identified here emphasize the need for additional genetic discovery efforts for AM and ANM in diverse populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kylee L. Spencer
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Heidelberg University, Tiffin, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Malinowski
- Center for Human Genetics Research, Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Cara L. Carty
- Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Nora Franceschini
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Lindsay Fernández-Rhodes
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Alicia Young
- Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Iona Cheng
- University of Hawaii Cancer Center, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America
| | - Marylyn D. Ritchie
- Center for Human Genetics Research, Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State University, University Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Christopher A. Haiman
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Lynne Wilkens
- University of Hawaii Cancer Center, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America
| | - ChunyuanWu
- Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Tara C. Matise
- Department of Genetics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Christopher S. Carlson
- Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Kathleen Brennan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Amy Park
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Aleksandar Rajkovic
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Lucia A. Hindorff
- Office of Population Genomics, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Steven Buyske
- Department of Genetics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
- Department of Statistics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Dana C. Crawford
- Center for Human Genetics Research, Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
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Forman MR, Mangini LD, Thelus-Jean R, Hayward MD. Life-course origins of the ages at menarche and menopause. Adolesc Health Med Ther 2013; 4:1-21. [PMID: 24600293 PMCID: PMC3912848 DOI: 10.2147/ahmt.s15946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
A woman's age at menarche (first menstrual period) and her age at menopause are the alpha and omega of her reproductive years. The timing of these milestones is critical for a woman's health trajectory over her lifespan, as they are indicators of ovarian function and aging. Both early and late timing of either event are associated with risk for adverse health and psychosocial outcomes. Thus, the search for a relationship between age at menarche and menopause has consequences for chronic disease prevention and implications for public health. This article is a review of evidence from the fields of developmental biology, epidemiology, nutrition, demography, sociology, and psychology that examine the menarche-menopause connection. Trends in ages at menarche and menopause worldwide and in subpopulations are presented; however, challenges exist in constructing trends. Among 36 studies that examine the association between the two sentinel events, ten reported a significant direct association, two an inverse association, and the remainder had null findings. Multiple factors, including hormonal and environmental exposures, socioeconomic status, and stress throughout the life course are hypothesized to influence the tempo of growth, including body size and height, development, menarche, menopause, and the aging process in women. The complexity of these factors and the pathways related to their effects on each sentinel event complicate evaluation of the relationship between menarche and menopause. Limitations of past investigations are discussed, including lack of comparability of socioeconomic status indicators and biomarker use across studies, while minority group differences have received scant attention. Suggestions for future directions are proposed. As research across endocrinology, epidemiology, and the social sciences becomes more integrated, the confluence of perspectives will yield a richer understanding of the influences on the tempo of a woman's reproductive life cycle as well as accelerate progress toward more sophisticated preventive strategies for chronic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele R Forman
- Nutritional Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
| | - Lauren D Mangini
- Nutritional Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
| | | | - Mark D Hayward
- Population Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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Dvornyk V, Waqar-ul-Haq. Genetics of age at menarche: a systematic review. Hum Reprod Update 2012; 18:198-210. [PMID: 22258758 DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dmr050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Menarche is the first menstrual period of a girl at puberty. The timing of menarche is important for health in later life. Age at menarche is a complex trait and has a strong genetic component. This review summarizes the results of the genetic studies of age at menarche conducted to date, highlights existing problems in this area and outlines prospects of future studies on genetic factors for the trait. METHODS PubMed and Google Scholar were searched until May 2011 using the keywords: 'menarche', 'puberty' and 'age at menarche' in combination with the keywords 'polymorphism', 'candidate gene', 'genome-wide association study' and 'linkage'. RESULTS Our search yielded 170 papers, 35 of which were selected for further analysis. Several large-scale genome-wide association studies along with a powerful meta-analysis of their aggregated data identified about 50 candidate genes for the trait. Some genes were replicated in different studies of Caucasians (e.g. LIN28B, TMEM38B) or in different ethnicities (e.g. SPOCK, RANK and RANKL). However, despite the large volume of results obtained, there is a huge gap in relevant data on ethnic groups other than Caucasians. CONCLUSIONS The reviewed studies laid a solid basis for future research on genetics of age at menarche. However, as yet specific genes for this trait have not been identified consistently in all ethnicities and types of studies. We suggest expanding the research to different ethnicities and propose several methodologies to increase the efficiency of studies in this area, including a systems approach, which combines existing high-throughput methods in a single pipeline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Volodymyr Dvornyk
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, PR China.
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Pan R, Liu YZ, Deng HW, Dvornyk V. Association analyses suggest the effects of RANK and RANKL on age at menarche in Chinese women. Climacteric 2011; 15:75-81. [PMID: 22023082 DOI: 10.3109/13697137.2011.587556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Age at menarche (AAM), the time of the first menstrual bleeding, is an important developmental milestone in the female life. It marks the beginning of the reproductive period. AAM is implicated in the risk of many health complications in later life. In this study, we conducted an analysis for association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and common haplotypes of two candidate genes, RANK (receptor activator of the NF-κB) and RANKL (receptor activator of the NF-κB ligand), with AAM in 825 unrelated Chinese women. METHODS In total, 73 SNPs of RANKL and 23 SNPs of RANK were genotyped. The SNPs and common haplotypes were then analyzed for their association with AAM. Age and age( 2 ) were used as covariates. RESULTS We found five individual SNPs (rs7239261, rs8094884, rs3826620, rs8089829, and rs9956850) of RANK significantly associated with AAM (p < 0.05). Although no significant association was identified for the RANKL gene, three polymorphisms showed nearly significant (0.05 < p < 0.08) association with AAM. Seven haplotypes of RANK were significantly associated with AAM (p < 0.05); the most significant association of the AT haplotype composed by rs1805034 and rs4524034 (p = 9.4 × 10(-4)) remained significant (p = 0.0235) after the Bonferroni correction for multiple testing. Three haplotypes of RANKL were significantly associated with AAM (p < 0.05). Importantly, the association of rs3826620 replicated our previous findings for Caucasian females. CONCLUSIONS The results of the present study suggest that the RANK and RANKL are two candidate genes for AAM in Chinese women.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Pan
- Laboratory of Molecular and Statistical Genetics, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, PR China
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Cerne JZ, Pohar-Perme M, Cerkovnik P, Gersak K, Novakovic S. Age at menarche and menopause is not associated with two common genetic variants in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene. EUR J CONTRACEP REPR 2011; 16:241-7. [PMID: 21506883 DOI: 10.3109/13625187.2011.575481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The study aimed at investigating the independent and the combined effects of the two common genetic variants in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene, 677C > T and 1298A > C, and their interaction with lifestyle factors on timing of menarche and natural menopause. METHODS Postmenopausal women (N = 792) were assessed for the association of the two genetic variants with age at menarche (AM). A subsample of 578 of them who had a natural menopause were further investigated for the association of the two genetic variants with age at natural menopause (ANM). Genotyping was done by means of the TaqMan(®) allelic discrimination method. The effect of genetic variants and of lifestyle factors on AM and ANM were calculated by linear regression models. RESULTS The study revealed no association between the individual or combined effects of the two genetic variants and AM or ANM. The genetic variant 677C > T showed a significant interaction effect with duration of breastfeeding on ANM (p = 0.047). CONCLUSION We were unable to replicate previous findings suggesting that the MTHFR gene influences the onset of menarche and natural menopause. The interaction effect between the 677C >T genetic variant and duration of breastfeeding on the timing of natural menopause requires further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmina-Ziva Cerne
- Institute of Medical Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Lu Y, Liu P, Recker RR, Deng HW, Dvornyk V. TNFRSF11A and TNFSF11 are associated with age at menarche and natural menopause in white women. Menopause 2010; 17:1048-54. [PMID: 20531232 PMCID: PMC2939156 DOI: 10.1097/gme.0b013e3181d5d523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Menarche and menopause mark the lower and upper limits of the female reproductive period. The timing of these events influences women's health in later life. The onsets of menarche and menopause have a strong genetic basis. We tested two genes, TNFRSF11A (RANK) and TNFSF11 (RANKL), for their association with age at menarche (AM) and age at natural menopause (ANM). METHODS Nineteen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of TNFRSF11A and 12 SNPs of TNFSF11 were genotyped in a random sample of 306 unrelated white women. This sample was analyzed for the association of the SNPs and common haplotypes with AM. Then, a subsample of 211 women with natural menopause was analyzed for the association of both genes with ANM. Smoking, alcohol intake, and duration of lactation were applied as covariates in the association analyses. RESULTS Three polymorphisms of TNFSF11 were associated with AM: rs2200287 (P = 0.005), rs9525641 (P = 0.039), and rs1054016 (P = 0.047). Two SNPs of this gene, rs346578 and rs9525641, showed an association with ANM (P = 0.007 and P = 0.011, respectively). Two SNPs of TNFRSF11A were associated with AM (rs3826620; P = 0.022) and ANM (rs8086340; P = 0.015). Multiple SNP-SNP and SNP-environment interaction effects on AM and ANM were detected for both genes. One polymorphism of TNFRSF11A, rs4436867, was not directly associated with either trait but indicated significant interactions with four TNFSF11 polymorphisms on ANM. Two other TNFRSF11A polymorphisms, rs4941125 and rs7235803, showed interaction effects with several TNFSF11 polymorphisms on AM. Both genes manifested significant interaction with the duration of breast-feeding in their effect on ANM. CONCLUSIONS The TNFRSF11A and TNFSF11 genes are associated with the onset of AM and ANM in white women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Lu
- Department of Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis, Campus Box 8109, 660 S. Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Pengyuan Liu
- Department of Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis, Campus Box 8109, 660 S. Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Robert R. Recker
- Osteoporosis Research Center and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University, Omaha, NE 68131, USA
| | - Hong-Wen Deng
- School of Medicine, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA
| | - Volodymyr Dvornyk
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, PR China
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