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Aswani SS, Aparna NS, Mohan MS, Boban PT, Saja K. Sesame oil downregulates the expression of ADAMTS-4 in high-fat diet-induced atherosclerosis. Prostaglandins Other Lipid Mediat 2024; 174:106862. [PMID: 38936541 DOI: 10.1016/j.prostaglandins.2024.106862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2024] [Revised: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease forming plaques in medium and large-sized arteries. ADAMTS-4 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs-4) is an extracellular-matrix remodelling enzyme involved in the degradation of versican in the arterial wall. Recent reports indicated that increased expression of ADAMTS-4 is associated with plaque progression and vulnerability. Bioactive components of dietary oil, like sesame oil, are reported to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Here, we studied the effect of sesame oil on regulating ADAMTS-4 in high-fat diet-induced atherosclerosis rat model. Our results indicated that sesame oil supplementation improved the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative status of the body. It also reduced atherosclerotic plaque formation in high-fat diet-fed rats. Our results showed that the sesame oil supplementation significantly down-regulated the expression of ADAMTS-4 in serum and aortic samples. The versican, the large proteoglycan substrate of ADAMTS-4 in the aorta, was downregulated to normal control level on sesame oil supplementation. This study, for the first time, reveals that sesame oil could down-regulate the expression of ADAMTS-4 in high-fat diet-induced atherosclerosis, imparting a new therapeutic potential for sesame oil in the management of atherosclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- S S Aswani
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695581, India
| | - N S Aparna
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695581, India
| | - Mithra S Mohan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695581, India
| | - P T Boban
- Department of Biochemistry, Government College Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695581, India
| | - K Saja
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695581, India.
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Tan M, Andersen LJ, Bruun NE, Lindholm MG, Tan Q, Snoer M. Transcription Factor Regulation of Gene Expression Network by ZNF385D and HAND2 in Carotid Atherosclerosis. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:213. [PMID: 38397203 PMCID: PMC10888454 DOI: 10.3390/genes15020213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is a surrogate indicator for atherosclerosis and has been shown to predict cardiovascular risk in multiple large studies. Identification of molecular markers for carotid atheroma plaque formation can be critical for early intervention and prevention of atherosclerosis. This study performed transcription factor (TF) network analysis of global gene expression data focusing on two TF genes, ZNF385D and HAND2, whose polymorphisms have been recently reported to show association with CIMT. Genome-wide gene expression data were measured from pieces of carotid endarterectomy collected from 34 hypertensive patients (atheroma plaque of stages IV and above according to the Stary classification) each paired with one sample of distant macroscopically intact tissue (stages I and II). Transcriptional regulation networks or the regulons were reconstructed for ZNF385D (5644 target genes) and HAND2 (781 target genes) using network inference. Their association with the progression of carotid atheroma was examined using gene-set enrichment analysis with extremely high statistical significance for regulons of both ZNF385D and HAND2 (p < 6.95 × 10-7) suggesting the involvement of expression quantitative loci (eQTL). Functional annotation of the regulon genes found heavy involvement in the immune system's response to inflammation and infection in the development of atherosclerosis. Detailed examination of the regulation and correlation patterns suggests that activities of the two TF genes could have high clinical and interventional impacts on impairing carotid atheroma plaque formation and preventing carotid atherosclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Tan
- Department of Cardiology, Zealand University Hospital, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark; (M.T.); (L.J.A.); (N.E.B.); (M.G.L.); (M.S.)
| | - Lars Juel Andersen
- Department of Cardiology, Zealand University Hospital, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark; (M.T.); (L.J.A.); (N.E.B.); (M.G.L.); (M.S.)
| | - Niels Eske Bruun
- Department of Cardiology, Zealand University Hospital, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark; (M.T.); (L.J.A.); (N.E.B.); (M.G.L.); (M.S.)
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Aalborg, 9260 Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Matias Greve Lindholm
- Department of Cardiology, Zealand University Hospital, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark; (M.T.); (L.J.A.); (N.E.B.); (M.G.L.); (M.S.)
| | - Qihua Tan
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Science, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense, Denmark
- Unit of Human Genetics, Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Health Science, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense, Denmark
| | - Martin Snoer
- Department of Cardiology, Zealand University Hospital, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark; (M.T.); (L.J.A.); (N.E.B.); (M.G.L.); (M.S.)
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Yew YW, Mina T, Ng HK, Lam BCC, Riboli E, Lee ES, Lee J, Ngeow J, Elliott P, Thng STG, Chambers JC, Loh M. Investigating causal relationships between obesity and skin barrier function in a multi-ethnic Asian general population cohort. Int J Obes (Lond) 2023; 47:963-969. [PMID: 37479793 PMCID: PMC10511308 DOI: 10.1038/s41366-023-01343-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Skin diseases impact significantly on the quality of life and psychology of patients. Obesity has been observed as a risk factor for skin diseases. Skin epidermal barrier dysfunctions are typical manifestations across several dermatological disturbances. OBJECTIVES We aim to establish the association between obesity and skin physiology measurements and investigate whether obesity may play a possible causal role on skin barrier dysfunction. METHODS We investigated the relationship of obesity with skin physiology measurements, namely transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin surface moisture and skin pH in an Asian population cohort (n = 9990). To assess for a possible causal association between body mass index (BMI) and skin physiology measurements, we performed Mendelian Randomization (MR), along with subsequent additional analyses to assess the potential causal impact of known socioeconomic and comorbidities of obesity on TEWL. RESULTS Every 1 kg/m2 increase in BMI was associated with a 0.221% (95%CI: 0.144-0.298) increase in TEWL (P = 2.82E-08), a 0.336% (95%CI: 0.148-0.524) decrease in skin moisture (P = 4.66E-04) and a 0.184% (95%CI: 0.144-0.224) decrease in pH (P = 1.36E-19), adjusting for age, gender, and ethnicity. Relationships for both TEWL and pH with BMI remained strong (Beta 0.354; 95%CI: 0.189-0.520 and Beta -0.170; 95%CI: -0.253 to -0.087, respectively) even after adjusting for known confounders, with MR experiments further supporting BMI's possible causal relationship with TEWL. Based on additional MR performed, none of the socioeconomic and comorbidities of obesity investigated are likely to have possible causal relationships with TEWL. CONCLUSION We establish strong association of BMI with TEWL and skin pH, with MR results suggestive of a possible causal relationship of obesity with TEWL. It emphasizes the potential impact of obesity on skin barrier function and therefore opportunity for primary prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yik Weng Yew
- National Skin Centre, Singapore, 308205, Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Clinical Sciences Building, Singapore, 308232, Singapore
| | - Theresia Mina
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Clinical Sciences Building, Singapore, 308232, Singapore
| | - Hong Kiat Ng
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Clinical Sciences Building, Singapore, 308232, Singapore
| | - Benjamin Chih Chiang Lam
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Clinical Sciences Building, Singapore, 308232, Singapore
- Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Integrated Care for Obesity & Diabetes, Singapore, 768828, Singapore
| | - Elio Riboli
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Clinical Sciences Building, Singapore, 308232, Singapore
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, St Mary's Campus, London, W2 1NY, United Kingdom
| | - Eng Sing Lee
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Clinical Sciences Building, Singapore, 308232, Singapore
- Clinical Research Unit, National Healthcare Group Polyclinic, Nexus@one-north, Singapore, 138543, Singapore
| | - Jimmy Lee
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Clinical Sciences Building, Singapore, 308232, Singapore
- Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, 539747, Singapore
| | - Joanne Ngeow
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Clinical Sciences Building, Singapore, 308232, Singapore
- Division of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Centre, Singapore, 169610, Singapore
| | - Paul Elliott
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Clinical Sciences Building, Singapore, 308232, Singapore
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, St Mary's Campus, London, W2 1NY, United Kingdom
| | | | - John C Chambers
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Clinical Sciences Building, Singapore, 308232, Singapore
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, St Mary's Campus, London, W2 1NY, United Kingdom
| | - Marie Loh
- National Skin Centre, Singapore, 308205, Singapore.
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Clinical Sciences Building, Singapore, 308232, Singapore.
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, St Mary's Campus, London, W2 1NY, United Kingdom.
- Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138672, Singapore.
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Kononov S, Azarova I, Klyosova E, Bykanova M, Churnosov M, Solodilova M, Polonikov A. Lipid-Associated GWAS Loci Predict Antiatherogenic Effects of Rosuvastatin in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1259. [PMID: 37372439 DOI: 10.3390/genes14061259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
We have shown that lipid-associated loci discovered by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have pleiotropic effects on lipid metabolism, carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), and CAD risk. Here, we investigated the impact of lipid-associated GWAS loci on the efficacy of rosuvastatin therapy in terms of changes in plasma lipid levels and CIMT. The study comprised 116 CAD patients with hypercholesterolemia. CIMT, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG) were measured at baseline and after 6 and 12 months of follow-up, respectively. Genotyping of fifteen lipid-associated GWAS loci was performed by the MassArray-4 System. Linear regression analysis adjusted for sex, age, body mass index, and rosuvastatin dose was used to estimate the phenotypic effects of polymorphisms, and p-values were calculated through adaptive permutation tests by the PLINK software, v1.9. Over one-year rosuvastatin therapy, a decrease in CIMT was linked to rs1689800, rs4846914, rs12328675, rs55730499, rs9987289, rs11220463, rs16942887, and rs881844 polymorphisms (Pperm < 0.05). TC change was associated with rs55730499, rs11220463, and rs6065906; LDL-C change was linked to the rs55730499, rs1689800, and rs16942887 polymorphisms; and TG change was linked to polymorphisms rs838880 and rs1883025 (Pperm < 0.05). In conclusion, polymorphisms rs1689800, rs55730499, rs11220463, and rs16942887 were found to be predictive markers for multiple antiatherogenic effects of rosuvastatin in CAD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanislav Kononov
- Department of Internal Medicine No. 2, Kursk State Medical University, 3 Karl Marx Street, 305041 Kursk, Russia
| | - Iuliia Azarova
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Kursk State Medical University, 3 Karl Marx Street, 305041 Kursk, Russia
- Laboratory of Biochemical Genetics and Metabolomics, Research Institute for Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology, Kursk State Medical University, 18 Yamskaya Street, 305041 Kursk, Russia
| | - Elena Klyosova
- Laboratory of Biochemical Genetics and Metabolomics, Research Institute for Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology, Kursk State Medical University, 18 Yamskaya Street, 305041 Kursk, Russia
- Department of Biology, Medical Genetics and Ecology, Kursk State Medical University, 3 Karl Marx Street, 305041 Kursk, Russia
| | - Marina Bykanova
- Department of Biology, Medical Genetics and Ecology, Kursk State Medical University, 3 Karl Marx Street, 305041 Kursk, Russia
- Laboratory of Genomic Research, Research Institute for Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology, Kursk State Medical University, 18 Yamskaya Street, 305041 Kursk, Russia
| | - Mikhail Churnosov
- Department of Medical Biological Disciplines, Belgorod State University, 85 Pobedy Street, 308015 Belgorod, Russia
| | - Maria Solodilova
- Department of Biology, Medical Genetics and Ecology, Kursk State Medical University, 3 Karl Marx Street, 305041 Kursk, Russia
| | - Alexey Polonikov
- Department of Biology, Medical Genetics and Ecology, Kursk State Medical University, 3 Karl Marx Street, 305041 Kursk, Russia
- Laboratory of Statistical Genetics and Bioinformatics, Research Institute for Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology, Kursk State Medical University, 18 Yamskaya Street, 305041 Kursk, Russia
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Kuppa A, Tripathi H, Al-Darraji A, Tarhuni WM, Abdel-Latif A. C-Reactive Protein Levels and Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases: A Two-Sample Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:9129. [PMID: 37298077 PMCID: PMC10252732 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24119129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are an indicator of inflammation, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, this potential association in observational studies remains inconclusive. We performed a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) study using publicly available GWAS summary statistics to evaluate the relationship between CRP and CVD. Instrumental variables (IVs) were carefully selected, and multiple approaches were used to make robust conclusions. Horizontal pleiotropy and heterogeneity were evaluated using the MR-Egger intercept and Cochran's Q-test. The strength of the IVs was determined using F-statistics. The causal effect of CRP on the risk of hypertensive heart disease (HHD) was statistically significant, but we did not observe a significant causal relationship between CRP and the risk of myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, heart failure, or atherosclerosis. Our primary analyses, after performing outlier correction using MR-PRESSO and the Multivariable MR method, revealed that IVs that increased CRP levels also increased the HHD risk. However, after excluding outlier IVs identified using PhenoScanner, the initial MR results were altered, but the sensitivity analyses remained congruent with the results from the primary analyses. We found no evidence of reverse causation between CVD and CRP. Our findings warrant updated MR studies to confirm the role of CRP as a clinical biomarker for HHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annapurna Kuppa
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Himi Tripathi
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Ahmed Al-Darraji
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Wadea M. Tarhuni
- Canadian Cardiac Research Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A2, Canada;
| | - Ahmed Abdel-Latif
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Ann Arbor VA Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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6
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Markozannes G, Koutsioumpa C, Cividini S, Monori G, Tsilidis KK, Kretsavos N, Theodoratou E, Gill D, Ioannidis JP, Tzoulaki I. Global assessment of C-reactive protein and health-related outcomes: an umbrella review of evidence from observational studies and Mendelian randomization studies. Eur J Epidemiol 2021; 36:11-36. [PMID: 32978716 PMCID: PMC7847446 DOI: 10.1007/s10654-020-00681-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
C-reactive protein (CRP) has been studied extensively for association with a large number of non-infectious diseases and outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the breadth and validity of associations between CRP and non-infectious, chronic health outcomes and biomarkers. We conducted an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses and a systematic review of Mendelian randomization (MR) studies. PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were systematically searched from inception up to March 2019. Meta-analyses of observational studies and MR studies examining associations between CRP and health outcomes were identified, excluding studies on the diagnostic value of CRP for infections. We found 113 meta-analytic comparisons of observational studies and 196 MR analyses, covering a wide range of outcomes. The overwhelming majority of the meta-analyses of observational studies reported a nominally statistically significant result (95/113, 84.1%); however, the majority of the meta-analyses displayed substantial heterogeneity (47.8%), small study effects (39.8%) or excess significance (41.6%). Only two outcomes, cardiovascular mortality and venous thromboembolism, showed convincing evidence of association with CRP levels. When examining the MR literature, we found MR studies for 53/113 outcomes examined in the observational study meta-analyses but substantial support for a causal association with CRP was not observed for any phenotype. Despite the striking amount of research on CRP, convincing evidence for associations and causal effects is remarkably limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Markozannes
- Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Ioannina Medical School, 45110, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Charalampia Koutsioumpa
- Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Ioannina Medical School, 45110, Ioannina, Greece
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- BBS Program, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Sofia Cividini
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Grace Monori
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Konstantinos K Tsilidis
- Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Ioannina Medical School, 45110, Ioannina, Greece
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Nikolaos Kretsavos
- Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Ioannina Medical School, 45110, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Evropi Theodoratou
- Centre for Global Health, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Dipender Gill
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - John Pa Ioannidis
- Department of Medicine, Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Health Research and Policy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Statistics, Stanford University School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS), Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Ioanna Tzoulaki
- Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Ioannina Medical School, 45110, Ioannina, Greece.
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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Hines O, Diaz-Ordaz K, Vansteelandt S, Jamshidi Y. Causal graphs for the analysis of genetic cohort data. Physiol Genomics 2020; 52:369-378. [PMID: 32687429 DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00115.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The increasing availability of genetic cohort data has led to many genome-wide association studies (GWAS) successfully identifying genetic associations with an ever-expanding list of phenotypic traits. Association, however, does not imply causation, and therefore methods have been developed to study the issue of causality. Under additional assumptions, Mendelian randomization (MR) studies have proved popular in identifying causal effects between two phenotypes, often using GWAS summary statistics. Given the widespread use of these methods, it is more important than ever to understand, and communicate, the causal assumptions upon which they are based, so that methods are transparent, and findings are clinically relevant. Causal graphs can be used to represent causal assumptions graphically and provide insights into the limitations associated with different analysis methods. Here we review GWAS and MR from a causal perspective, to build up intuition for causal diagrams in genetic problems. We also examine issues of confounding by ancestry and comment on approaches for dealing with such confounding, as well as discussing approaches for dealing with selection biases arising from study design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Hines
- Department of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.,Molecular and Clinical Sciences Institute, St. George's, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Karla Diaz-Ordaz
- Department of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stijn Vansteelandt
- Department of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Yalda Jamshidi
- Molecular and Clinical Sciences Institute, St. George's, University of London, London, United Kingdom
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8
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Lee K, Lim CY. Mendelian Randomization Analysis in Observational Epidemiology. J Lipid Atheroscler 2019; 8:67-77. [PMID: 32821701 PMCID: PMC7379124 DOI: 10.12997/jla.2019.8.2.67] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2019] [Accepted: 09/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Mendelian randomization (MR) in epidemiology is the use of genetic variants as instrumental variables (IVs) in non-experimental design to make causality of a modifiable exposure on an outcome or disease. It assesses the causal effect between risk factor and a clinical outcome. The main reason to approach MR is to avoid the problem of residual confounding. There is no association between the genotype of early pregnancy and the disease, and the genotype of an individual cannot be changed. For this reason, it results with randomly assigned case-control studies can be set by regressing the measurements. IVs in MR are used genetic variants for estimating the causality. Usually an outcome is a disease and an exposure is risk factor, intermediate phenotype which may be a biomarker. The choice of the genetic variable as IV (Z) is essential to a successful in MR analysis. MR is named 'Mendelian deconfounding' as it gives to estimate of the causality free from biases due to confounding (C). To estimate unbiased estimation of the causality of the exposure (X) on the clinically relevant outcome (Y), Z has the 3 core assumptions (A1-A3). A1) Z is independent of C; A2) Z is associated with X; and A3) Z is independent of Y given X and C; The purpose of this review provides an overview of the MR analysis and is to explain that using an IV is proposed as an alternative statistical method to estimate causal effect of exposure and outcome under controlling for a confounder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwan Lee
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Dongguk University College of Medicine, Goyang, Korea
| | - Chi-Yeon Lim
- Department of Biostatistics, Dongguk University College of Medicine, Goyang, Korea
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9
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Hughes A, Kumari M. Age modification of the relationship between C-reactive protein and fatigue: findings from Understanding Society (UKHLS). Psychol Med 2018; 48:1341-1349. [PMID: 28994356 PMCID: PMC6088542 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291717002872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2017] [Revised: 06/05/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Systemic inflammation may play a role in the development of idiopathic fatigue, that is, fatigue not explained by infections or diagnosed chronic illness, but this relationship has never been investigated in community studies including the entire adult age span. We examine the association of the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) and fatigue assessed annually in a 3-year outcome period for UK adults aged 16-98. METHODS Multilevel models were used to track fatigue 7, 19, and 31 months after CRP measurement, in 10 606 UK individuals. Models accounted for baseline fatigue, demographics, health conditions diagnosed at baseline and during follow-up, adiposity, and psychological distress. Sensitivity analyses considered factors including smoking, sub-clinical disease (blood pressure, anaemia, glycated haemoglobin), medications, ethnicity, and alcohol consumption. RESULTS Fatigue and CRP increased with age, and women had higher values than men. CRP was associated with future self-reported fatigue, but only for the oldest participants. Thus, in those aged 61-98 years, high CRP (>3 mg/L) independently predicted greater fatigue 7, 19, and 31 months after CRP measurement [odds ratio for new-onset fatigue after 7 months: 1.88, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21-2.92; 19 months: 2.25, CI 1.46-3.49; 31 months: 1.65, CI 1.07-2.54]. No significant longitudinal associations were seen for younger participants. CONCLUSIONS Our findings support previously described CRP-fatigue associations in older individuals. However, there are clear age modifications in these associations, which may reflect a contribution of unmeasured sub-clinical disease of limited relevance to younger individuals. Further work is necessary to clarify intervening processes linking CRP and fatigue in older individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Hughes
- Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex, UK
| | - M. Kumari
- Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex, UK
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10
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Yang XF, Deng Y, Gu H, Lim A, Snellingen T, Liu XP, Wang NL, Domalpally A, Danis R, Liu NP. C-reactive protein and diabetic retinopathy in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Int J Ophthalmol 2016; 9:111-8. [PMID: 26949620 DOI: 10.18240/ijo.2016.01.19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2015] [Accepted: 05/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
AIM To investigate the relationship between C-reactive protein (CRP) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in a cohort of Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS Community-based observational cohort study. There were 1131 participants recruited from November 2009 to September 2011 in Desheng community in urban Beijing. Patients diagnosed T2DM were recruited and underwent a standardized evaluation consisting of a questionnaire, ocular and anthropometric examinations and laboratory investigation. The presence and severity of DR were assessed by seven fields 30° color fundus photographs. Subjects were then classified into groups with no DR, any DR, or vision-threatening DR. CRP was analyzed from serum of study subjects. RESULTS A total of 1007 patients with T2DM were included for analysis, including 408 (40.5%) men and 599 (59.5%) women. The median CRP level was 1.5 mg/L for women and 1.1 mg/L for men (P=0.004, OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.18-0.74). After adjusting for possible covariates, higher levels of CRP were associated with lower prevalence of any DR (P=0.02, OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.35-0.89), but not associated with vision-threatening DR (P=0.62, OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.28-2.14). After stratification by sex, the inverse association between CRP and DR was found to be statistically significant in men (P=0.006, OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.16-0.73), but not in women (P=0.58, OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.29-1.16). CONCLUSION The data drawn from a Chinese population with T2DM suggest that increasing CRP levels may be inversely associated with development of DR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiu-Fen Yang
- Department of Ophthalmology, the Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China; Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Key Laboratory, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100730, China
| | - Yu Deng
- Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Key Laboratory, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100730, China
| | - Hong Gu
- Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Key Laboratory, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100730, China
| | - Apiradee Lim
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus, Muang Pattani 9400, Thailand
| | | | - Xi-Pu Liu
- Sekwa Research Institute, Beijing 100088, China
| | - Ning-Li Wang
- Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Key Laboratory, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100730, China
| | - Amitha Domalpally
- Fundus Photograph Reading Center, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53705, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Ronald Danis
- Fundus Photograph Reading Center, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53705, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Ning-Pu Liu
- Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Key Laboratory, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100730, China
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11
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Zingg S, Collet TH, Locatelli I, Nanchen D, Depairon M, Bovet P, Cornuz J, Rodondi N. Associations Between Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Inflammation, and Progression of Carotid Atherosclerosis Among Smokers. Nicotine Tob Res 2015; 18:1533-8. [PMID: 26574552 DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntv255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2014] [Accepted: 11/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The high risk of cardiovascular events in smokers requires adequate control of other cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) to curtail atherosclerosis progression. However, it is unclear which CVRFs have the most influence on atherosclerosis progression in smokers. METHODS In 260 smokers aged 40-70 included in a smoking cessation trial, we analyzed the association between traditional CVRFs, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), smoking cessation and 3-year progression of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT, assessed by repeated ultrasound measurements) in a longitudinal multivariate model. RESULTS Participants (mean age 52 years, 47% women) had a mean smoking duration of 32 years with a median daily consumption of 20 cigarettes. Baseline CIMT was 1185 μm (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1082-1287) and increased by 93 μm (95% CI: 25-161) and 108 μm (95% CI: 33-183) after 1 and 3 years, respectively. Age, male sex, daily cigarette consumption, systolic blood pressure (SBP), but neither low-density lipoprotein cholesterol nor hs-CRP, were independently associated with baseline CIMT (all P ≤ .05). Baseline SBP, but neither low-density lipoprotein cholesterol nor hs-CRP, was associated with 3-year atherosclerosis progression (P = .01 at 3 years). The higher the SBP at baseline, the steeper was the CIMT increase over 3-year follow-up. We found an increase of 26 μm per each 10-mmHg raise in SBP at 1 year and an increase of 39 μm per each 10 mmHg raise in SBP at 3 years. Due to insufficient statistical power, we could not exclude an effect of smoking abstinence on CIMT progression. CONCLUSION Control of blood pressure may be an important factor to limit atherosclerosis progression in smokers, besides support for smoking cessation. IMPLICATIONS Among 260 smokers aged 40-70 years with a mean smoking duration of 32 years, baseline SBP was associated with atherosclerosis progression over 3 years, as measured by CIMT (P = .01 at 3 years), independently of smoking variables and other CVRFs. The higher the SBP at baseline, the steeper was the CIMT increase over 3-year follow-up. Our findings emphasize the importance of focusing not only on smoking cessation among smokers, but to simultaneously control other CVRFs, particularly blood pressure, in order to prevent future cardiovascular disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Zingg
- Department of Ambulatory Care and Community Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Tinh-Hai Collet
- Department of Ambulatory Care and Community Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland; Service of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Isabella Locatelli
- Department of Ambulatory Care and Community Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland; Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - David Nanchen
- Department of Ambulatory Care and Community Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michèle Depairon
- Service of Angiology, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pascal Bovet
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jacques Cornuz
- Department of Ambulatory Care and Community Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Rodondi
- Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Boef AGC, Dekkers OM, le Cessie S. Mendelian randomization studies: a review of the approaches used and the quality of reporting. Int J Epidemiol 2015; 44:496-511. [PMID: 25953784 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyv071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 259] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mendelian randomization (MR) studies investigate the effect of genetic variation in levels of an exposure on an outcome, thereby using genetic variation as an instrumental variable (IV). We provide a meta-epidemiological overview of the methodological approaches used in MR studies, and evaluate the discussion of MR assumptions and reporting of statistical methods. METHODS We searched PubMed, Medline, Embase and Web of Science for MR studies up to December 2013. We assessed (i) the MR approach used; (ii) whether the plausibility of MR assumptions was discussed; and (iii) whether the statistical methods used were reported adequately. RESULTS Of 99 studies using data from one study population, 32 used genetic information as a proxy for the exposure without further estimation, 44 performed a formal IV analysis, 7 compared the observed with the expected genotype-outcome association, and 1 used both the latter two approaches. The 80 studies using data from multiple study populations used many different approaches to combine the data; 52 of these studies used some form of IV analysis; 44% of studies discussed the plausibility of all three MR assumptions in their study. Statistical methods used for IV analysis were insufficiently described in 14% of studies. CONCLUSIONS Most MR studies either use the genotype as a proxy for exposure without further estimation or perform an IV analysis. The discussion of underlying assumptions and reporting of statistical methods for IV analysis are frequently insufficient. Studies using data from multiple study populations are further complicated by the combination of data or estimates. We provide a checklist for the reporting of MR studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna G C Boef
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, and Department of Medical Statistics and Bioinformatics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Olaf M Dekkers
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, and Department of Medical Statistics and Bioinformatics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands. Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, and Department of Medical Statistics and Bioinformatics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Saskia le Cessie
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, and Department of Medical Statistics and Bioinformatics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands. Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, and Department of Medical Statistics and Bioinformatics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Asferg CL, Andersen UB, Linneberg A, Møller DV, Hedley PL, Christiansen M, Jeppesen JL. Obese hypertensive men have plasma concentrations of C-reactive protein similar to that of obese normotensive men. Am J Hypertens 2014; 27:1301-7. [PMID: 24610897 DOI: 10.1093/ajh/hpu029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Low-grade chronic inflammation is a characteristic feature of obesity, the most important lifestyle risk factor for hypertension. Elevated plasma concentrations of the inflammatory biomarker C-reactive protein (CRP) are associated with an increased risk of hypertension, but elevated plasma CRP concentrations are also closely associated with obesity. It is uncertain whether CRP is directly involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension or is only a marker of other pathogenic processes closely related to obesity. METHODS We studied 103 obese men (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30.0 kg/m(2)); 63 of these men had 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) ≥ 130/80 mm Hg and comprised the obese hypertensive (OHT) group. The 40 remaining obese men had 24-hour ABP < 130/80 mm Hg and comprised the obese normotensive (ONT) group. Our control group comprised 27 lean normotensive (LNT) men. All participants were medication-free. We measured plasma CRP concentrations with a high-sensitivity assay and determined body composition by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry scanning. RESULTS There were no differences in anthropometric measures (BMI, waist circumference, or total fat mass percentage) between OHT and ONT groups (P ≥ 0.08). The obese groups had higher CRP concentrations than the LNT group (OHT: median = 2.30, interquartile range (IQR) = 1.10-4.10mg/L; ONT: median = 2.55, IQR = 1.25-4.80 mg/L; LNT: median = 0.60, IQR = 0.30-1.00 mg/L; P < 0.001), but there was no difference in CRP concentrations between OHT and ONT groups (P = 1.00). In the obese men, CRP was not correlated with either 24-hour systolic (r = 0.04; P = 0.71) or 24-hour diastolic ABP (r = -0.03; P = 0.78). CONCLUSIONS Obese hypertensive men, matched for anthropometric measurements, have plasma CRP concentrations similar to those of obese normotensive men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla L. Asferg
- Department of Diagnostics, Glostrup Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ulrik B. Andersen
- Department of Diagnostics, Glostrup Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Allan Linneberg
- Research Centre for Prevention and Health, Glostrup Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Daniel V. Møller
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Paula L. Hedley
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
- University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Michael Christiansen
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jørgen L. Jeppesen
- Department of Medicine, Glostrup Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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14
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Gertow K, Sennblad B, Strawbridge RJ, Ohrvik J, Zabaneh D, Shah S, Veglia F, Fava C, Kavousi M, McLachlan S, Kivimäki M, Bolton JL, Folkersen L, Gigante B, Leander K, Vikström M, Larsson M, Silveira A, Deanfield J, Voight BF, Fontanillas P, Sabater-Lleal M, Colombo GI, Kumari M, Langenberg C, Wareham NJ, Uitterlinden AG, Gabrielsen A, Hedin U, Franco-Cereceda A, Nyyssönen K, Rauramaa R, Tuomainen TP, Savonen K, Smit AJ, Giral P, Mannarino E, Robertson CM, Talmud PJ, Hedblad B, Hofman A, Erdmann J, Reilly MP, O'Donnell CJ, Farrall M, Clarke R, Franzosi MG, Seedorf U, Syvänen AC, Hansson GK, Eriksson P, Samani NJ, Watkins H, Price JF, Hingorani AD, Melander O, Witteman JCM, Baldassarre D, Tremoli E, de Faire U, Humphries SE, Hamsten A. Identification of the BCAR1-CFDP1-TMEM170A locus as a determinant of carotid intima-media thickness and coronary artery disease risk. CIRCULATION. CARDIOVASCULAR GENETICS 2012; 5:656-65. [PMID: 23152477 DOI: 10.1161/circgenetics.112.963660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) is a widely accepted marker of subclinical atherosclerosis. To date, large-scale investigations of genetic determinants of cIMT are sparse. METHODS AND RESULTS To identify cIMT-associated genes and genetic variants, a discovery analysis using the Illumina 200K CardioMetabochip was conducted in 3430 subjects with detailed ultrasonographic determinations of cIMT from the IMPROVE (Carotid Intima Media Thickness [IMT] and IMT-Progression as Predictors of Vascular Events in a High Risk European Population) study. Segment-specific IMT measurements of common carotid, bifurcation, and internal carotid arteries, and composite IMT variables considering the whole carotid tree (IMT(mean), IMT(max), and IMT(mean-max)), were analyzed. A replication stage investigating 42 single-nucleotide polymorphisms for association with common carotid IMT was undertaken in 5 independent European cohorts (total n=11,590). A locus on chromosome 16 (lead single-nucleotide polymorphism rs4888378, intronic in CFDP1) was associated with cIMT at significance levels passing multiple testing correction at both stages (array-wide significant discovery P=6.75 × 10(-7) for IMT(max); replication P=7.24×10(-6) for common cIMT; adjustments for sex, age, and population substructure where applicable; minor allele frequency 0.43 and 0.41, respectively). The protective minor allele was associated with lower carotid plaque score in a replication cohort (P=0.04, n=2120) and lower coronary artery disease risk in 2 case-control studies of subjects with European ancestry (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 0.83 [0.77-0.90], P=6.53 × 10(-6), n=13 591; and 0.95 [0.92-0.98], P=1.83 × 10(-4), n=82 297, respectively). Queries of human biobank data sets revealed associations of rs4888378 with nearby gene expression in vascular tissues (n=126-138). CONCLUSIONS This study identified rs4888378 in the BCAR1-CFDP1-TMEM170A locus as a novel genetic determinant of cIMT and coronary artery disease risk in individuals of European descent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl Gertow
- Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Karolinska University Hospital Solna, Center for Molecular Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden.
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15
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Chen Z, Qian Q, Tang C, Ding J, Feng Y, Ma G. Association of two variants in the interleukin-6 receptor gene and premature coronary heart disease in a Chinese Han population. Mol Biol Rep 2012; 40:1021-6. [PMID: 23073775 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-012-2143-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2012] [Accepted: 10/03/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Two novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; rs7529229 and rs2228145) in the interleukin-6 receptor (IL6R) gene have recently been associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) in a European population. We sought to replicate this finding and to investigate associations of these two SNPs with the severity and clinical phenotypes of premature CHD in a Chinese Han population. A total of 418 patients were studied, including 187 cases with coronary stenosis ≥50 % or acute myocardial infarction (males < 55 years and females < 65 years) and 231 controls without documented CHD. A ligase detection reaction was performed to detect rs7529229 and rs2228145. There were no differences between the controls and premature CHD groups in the frequencies for the three genotypes and alleles of rs7529229 and rs2228145 (all P > 0.05), nor did they differ between the two groups when grouped by gender (all P > 0.05). There were also no associations between these two SNPs and the severity of coronary lesions or clinical phenotypes of premature CHD (all P > 0.05). Our results do not support an association between rs7529229 or rs2228145 with premature CHD in the Chinese Han population. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the role of these two SNPs in the development of atherosclerosis and CHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhong Chen
- Department of Cardiology, The Affiliated Zhongda Hospital and School of Medicine, Southeast University, No. 87 Dingjiaqiao, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China.
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16
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Antonogeorgos G, Panagiotakos DB, Pitsavos C, Papageorgiou C, Chrysohoou C, Papadimitriou GN, Stefanadis C. Understanding the role of depression and anxiety on cardiovascular disease risk, using structural equation modeling; the mediating effect of the Mediterranean diet and physical activity: the ATTICA study. Ann Epidemiol 2012; 22:630-7. [PMID: 22831995 DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2012.06.103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2012] [Revised: 05/07/2012] [Accepted: 06/25/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To evaluate the mediating role of behavioral patterns, such as adherence to the Mediterranean diet and physical activity status, in the relationship between depression, anxiety, and the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk score HellenicSCORE. METHODS In the context of the ATTICA study, a cross-sectional survey, 453 men (45 ± 13 years) and 400 women (44 ± 18 years), with complete psychological evaluation were studied. Participants were without any evidence of cardiovascular or other chronic disease. Depression was assessed with the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale and anxious state by the Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory Scale. Physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and adherence to the Mediterranean diet was assessed by the MedDietScore. Structural equation modeling methodology was implemented in the statistical analysis. RESULTS Five latent depression and anxiety factors were revealed and associated with CVD risk score through mediation of physical activity status and adherence to the Mediterranean diet with very good fit to the data (χ(2)/df ratio = 2.34; root mean square error of approximation = 0.021; 90% confidence interval, 0.020-0.022; comparative fit index = 0.951). Significant total effect on CVD risk was found for the "anxiety-worry" latent factor, and this effect was through the inverse relationship of "anxiety-worry" with MedDietScore (P = .002). Moreover, "positive feelings" latent construct was associated with lower CVD risk, and this seems to be through the higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet (P = .01). CONCLUSIONS Adherence to the Mediterranean diet seems to mediate the unfavorable effect of depression and anxiety on CVD risk.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of death worldwide, yet many areas of its pathogenesis remain unknown or poorly understood, leaving potential for novel preventive and therapeutic interventions. Recent major advances in genomic science and technology have opened new avenues of investigation in the pathogenesis of CHD, some of which are leading to clinical translation. SOURCES OF DATA The published literature in CHD genetics has burgeoned in the last 5 years with the reporting of genome-wide association studies (GWASs) and many other findings. AREAS OF AGREEMENT Identification of many genetic variants with small effects on CHD risk has been a common finding. These have included several predicted loci, such as those involved in conventional CHD risk factors (e.g. plasma lipids) and many novel loci, where their mechanism of action is unclear. The need for large, collaborative approaches to research has also become clear and is now an accepted modus operandi. AREAS OF CONTROVERSY The clinical utility of novel GWAS findings remains uncertain. In particular, the relative contribution of common variants of modest effect and rare variants of larger effects to risk of CHD or response to drugs is unclear. GROWING POINTS As a greater number of larger GWASs are conducted in CHD and its related phenotypes, much effort is being made to find translational applications for their findings. Therapeutics, prediction and pathology are major areas of research endeavour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel I Swerdlow
- Genetic Epidemiology Group, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London, UK
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18
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Swerdlow DI, Holmes MV, Kuchenbaecker KB, Engmann JEL, Shah T, Sofat R, Guo Y, Chung C, Peasey A, Pfister R, Mooijaart SP, Ireland HA, Leusink M, Langenberg C, Li KW, Palmen J, Howard P, Cooper JA, Drenos F, Hardy J, Nalls MA, Li YR, Lowe G, Stewart M, Bielinski SJ, Peto J, Timpson NJ, Gallacher J, Dunlop M, Houlston R, Tomlinson I, Tzoulaki I, Luan J, Boer JMA, Forouhi NG, Onland-Moret NC, van der Schouw YT, Schnabel RB, Hubacek JA, Kubinova R, Baceviciene M, Tamosiunas A, Pajak A, Topor-Madry R, Malyutina S, Baldassarre D, Sennblad B, Tremoli E, de Faire U, Ferrucci L, Bandenelli S, Tanaka T, Meschia JF, Singleton A, Navis G, Mateo Leach I, Bakker SJL, Gansevoort RT, Ford I, Epstein SE, Burnett MS, Devaney JM, Jukema JW, Westendorp RGJ, Jan de Borst G, van der Graaf Y, de Jong PA, Mailand-van der Zee AH, Klungel OH, de Boer A, Doevendans PA, Stephens JW, Eaton CB, Robinson JG, Manson JE, Fowkes FG, Frayling TM, Price JF, Whincup PH, Morris RW, Lawlor DA, Smith GD, Ben-Shlomo Y, Redline S, Lange LA, Kumari M, Wareham NJ, Verschuren WMM, Benjamin EJ, Whittaker JC, Hamsten A, Dudbridge F, Delaney JAC, Wong A, Kuh D, Hardy R, Castillo BA, Connolly JJ, van der Harst P, Brunner EJ, Marmot MG, Wassel CL, Humphries SE, Talmud PJ, Kivimaki M, Asselbergs FW, Voevoda M, Bobak M, Pikhart H, Wilson JG, Hakonarson H, Reiner AP, Keating BJ, Sattar N, Hingorani AD, Casas JP. The interleukin-6 receptor as a target for prevention of coronary heart disease: a mendelian randomisation analysis. Lancet 2012; 379:1214-24. [PMID: 22421340 PMCID: PMC3316968 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(12)60110-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 779] [Impact Index Per Article: 64.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A high circulating concentration of interleukin 6 is associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease. Blockade of the interleukin-6 receptor (IL6R) with a monoclonal antibody (tocilizumab) licensed for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis reduces systemic and articular inflammation. However, whether IL6R blockade also reduces risk of coronary heart disease is unknown. METHODS Applying the mendelian randomisation principle, we used single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene IL6R to evaluate the likely efficacy and safety of IL6R inhibition for primary prevention of coronary heart disease. We compared genetic findings with the effects of tocilizumab reported in randomised trials in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. FINDINGS In 40 studies including up to 133,449 individuals, an IL6R SNP (rs7529229) marking a non-synonymous IL6R variant (rs8192284; p.Asp358Ala) was associated with increased circulating log interleukin-6 concentration (increase per allele 9·45%, 95% CI 8·34-10·57) as well as reduced C-reactive protein (decrease per allele 8·35%, 95% CI 7·31-9·38) and fibrinogen concentrations (decrease per allele 0·85%, 95% CI 0·60-1·10). This pattern of effects was consistent with IL6R blockade from infusions of tocilizumab (4-8 mg/kg every 4 weeks) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis studied in randomised trials. In 25,458 coronary heart disease cases and 100,740 controls, the IL6R rs7529229 SNP was associated with a decreased odds of coronary heart disease events (per allele odds ratio 0·95, 95% CI 0·93-0·97, p=1·53×10(-5)). INTERPRETATION On the basis of genetic evidence in human beings, IL6R signalling seems to have a causal role in development of coronary heart disease. IL6R blockade could provide a novel therapeutic approach to prevention of coronary heart disease that warrants testing in suitably powered randomised trials. Genetic studies in populations could be used more widely to help to validate and prioritise novel drug targets or to repurpose existing agents and targets for new therapeutic uses. FUNDING UK Medical Research Council; British Heart Foundation; Rosetrees Trust; US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Du Pont Pharma; Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland; Wellcome Trust; Coronary Thrombosis Trust; Northwick Park Institute for Medical Research; UCLH/UCL Comprehensive Medical Research Centre; US National Institute on Aging; Academy of Finland; Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development; SANCO; Dutch Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports; World Cancer Research Fund; Agentschap NL; European Commission; Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation; Swedish Research Council; Strategic Cardiovascular Programme of the Karolinska Institutet; Stockholm County Council; US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; MedStar Health Research Institute; GlaxoSmithKline; Dutch Kidney Foundation; US National Institutes of Health; Netherlands Interuniversity Cardiology Institute of the Netherlands; Diabetes UK; European Union Seventh Framework Programme; National Institute for Healthy Ageing; Cancer Research UK; MacArthur Foundation.
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Best LG, Nadeau M, Davis K, Lamb F, Bercier S, Anderson CM. Genetic variants, immune function, and risk of pre-eclampsia among American Indians. Am J Reprod Immunol 2011; 67:152-9. [PMID: 22004660 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0897.2011.01076.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
PROBLEM To determine the prevalence in an American Indian population of genetic variants with putative effects on immune function and determine if they are associated with pre-eclampsia (PE). METHOD OF STUDY In a study of 66 cases and 130 matched controls, six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) with either previously demonstrated or postulated modulating effects on the immune system were genotyped. Allele frequencies and various genetic models were evaluated by conditional logistic regression in both univariate and multiply adjusted models. RESULTS Although most genetic variants lacked evidence of association with PE, the minor allele of the CRP related, rs1205 SNP in a dominant model with adjustment for age at delivery, nulliparity, and body mass index, exhibited an odds ratio of 0.259 (95% CI of 0.08-0.81, P=0.020) in relation to severe PE (48 cases). The allelic prevalence of this variant was 46.1% in this population. CONCLUSION Of the six SNPs related to immune function in this study, a functional variant in the 3'UTR of the CRP gene was shown to be associated with severe PE in an American Indian population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyle G Best
- Department of Natural Sciences, Turtle Mountain Community College, Belcourt, ND 58366, USA.
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Tousoulis D, Papageorgiou N, Latsios G, Siasos G, Antoniades C, Stefanadis C. C-reactive protein and endothelial dysfunction: Gazing at the coronaries. Int J Cardiol 2011; 152:1-3. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2011.07.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2011] [Accepted: 07/25/2011] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Molins B, Peña E, de la Torre R, Badimon L. Monomeric C-reactive protein is prothrombotic and dissociates from circulating pentameric C-reactive protein on adhered activated platelets under flow. Cardiovasc Res 2011; 92:328-37. [PMID: 21859817 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvr226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS We previously reported that C-reactive protein bioactivity on thrombogenesis was based on loss of its pentameric symmetry, resulting in formation of monomeric C-reactive protein. Our purpose was to provide mechanistic information on the direct effects of C-reactive protein isoforms on platelet activation and provide a C-reactive protein dissociation mechanism in circulating blood. METHODS AND RESULTS C-reactive protein-induced platelet activation was evaluated by flow cytometry. Platelet aggregation, clot properties, and coagulation were also measured. Washed platelets were incubated with C-reactive protein isoforms and vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) phosphorylation was analysed by western blot and immunofluorescence. C-reactive protein dissociation under flow was evaluated by confocal microscopy on the surface of adhered platelets after perfusing human blood containing pentameric C-reactive protein at different shear rates. Dissociated monomeric C-reactive protein thrombogenicity was measured in flow experiments. Platelet aggregation and flow cytometry analysis revealed that monomeric C-reactive protein significantly induced platelet aggregation, surface P-selectin and CD63 exposure, and glycoprotein IIb-IIIa activation, whereas pentameric C-reactive protein was unable to produce any effect. p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitors, as well as CD36 blocking antibody partially inhibited monomeric C-reactive protein-induced platelet activation and aggregation. Additionally, monomeric C-reactive protein significantly induced VASP dephosphorylation at serine 239. We found that pentameric C-reactive protein dissociated into monomeric C-reactive protein on the surface of activated adhered platelets under flow conditions and that this generated monomeric C-reactive protein promoted further platelet recruitment. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that whereas serum pentameric C-reactive protein may not affect platelet activation, monomeric C-reactive protein, which dissociates from pentameric C-reactive protein on the surface of activated platelets, could contribute to atherothrombotic complications by promoting thrombosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blanca Molins
- Cardiovascular Research Center, CSIC-ICCC, Institut Investigacions Biomèdiques Sant Pau, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, C/ Sant Antoni Mª Claret 167, 08025 Barcelona, Spain
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Is periodontal inflammation associated with raised blood pressure? Evidence from a National US survey. J Hypertens 2011; 28:2386-93. [PMID: 20706132 DOI: 10.1097/hjh.0b013e32833e0fe1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
There is incomplete and inconclusive evidence for the association between periodontal disease markers and arterial blood pressure, particularly from large national epidemiological studies. This study assessed the relationship between different markers of periodontal inflammation and disease with arterial blood pressure in people aged 17 years and over in USA. We analysed data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey on 6617 men and 7377 women who received a periodontal examination. Blood pressure was analysed in both a continuous format and a binary variable for case definition of hypertension. Periodontal disease markers (extent of gingival bleeding, pocket depth, and loss of attachment, and a case definition of periodontitis) were associated on the arterial blood pressure outcomes through a series of regression models, incrementally adjusting for confounders (demographic, inflammation markers, chronic conditions, smoking, BMI, socio-economic status). All periodontal measures had significant crude associations with SBP and hypertension. Gingival bleeding, a marker of current periodontal inflammation, was the only measure consistently and significantly associated with raised SBP and an increased odds of hypertension in the US adult population throughout the adjustment process. For a 10% greater extent of gingival bleeding, the average SBP was higher by 0.5 (0.3, 0.6) mmHg in the fully adjusted model. By referring to the general population and the whole distribution of blood pressure, not only to those at higher risk for hypertension, this association might have some important implications for clinical practice and public health strategies.
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Cheung BMY, Ong KL, Tso AWK, Leung RYH, Xu A, Cherny SS, Sham PC, Lam TH, Lam KSL. C-reactive protein as a predictor of hypertension in the Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factor Prevalence Study (CRISPS) cohort. J Hum Hypertens 2011; 26:108-16. [DOI: 10.1038/jhh.2010.125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Hamer M, Batty GD, Marmot MG, Singh-Manoux A, Kivimäki M. Anti-depressant medication use and C-reactive protein: results from two population-based studies. Brain Behav Immun 2011; 25:168-73. [PMID: 20863880 PMCID: PMC3014524 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2010.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2010] [Revised: 09/07/2010] [Accepted: 09/16/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of anti-depressant medication has been linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD). We examined the association between anti-depressant medication use and a marker of low grade systemic inflammation as a potential pathway linking anti-depressant use and CVD in two population based studies. Data were collected in a representative sample of 8131 community dwelling adults (aged 47.4±15.9 years, 46.7% male) from the Scottish Health Surveys (SHS). The use of anti-depressant medication was coded according to the British National Formulary and blood was drawn for the measurement of C-reactive protein (CRP). In a second study, we attempted to replicate our findings using longitudinal data from the Whitehall II study (n=4584, aged 55.5±5.9 years, mean follow-up 5.5 years). Antidepressants were used in 5.6% of the SHS sample, with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) being the most common. There was a higher risk of elevated CRP (>3 mg/L) in users of tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) medication (multivariate adjusted odds ratio (OR)=1.52, 95% CI, 1.07-2.15), but not in SSRI users (multivariate adjusted OR=1.07, 95% CI, 0.81-1.42). A longitudinal association between any antidepressant use and subsequent CRP was confirmed in the Whitehall cohort. In summary, the use of anti-depressants was associated with elevated levels of systemic inflammation independently from the symptoms of mental illness and cardiovascular co-morbidity. This might be a potential mechanism through which antidepressant medication increases CVD risk. Further data are required to explore the effects of dosage and duration of antidepressant treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Hamer
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK.
| | - G. David Batty
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK, Medical Research Council Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, Glasgow, UK, Centre for Cognitive Ageing & Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Michael G. Marmot
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Archana Singh-Manoux
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK, INSERM, U1018, Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health, Villejuif, France
| | - Mika Kivimäki
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK
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Hodge AM, Maple-Brown L, Cunningham J, Boyle J, Dunbar T, Weeramanthri T, Shaw J, O'Dea K. Abdominal obesity and other risk factors largely explain the high CRP in indigenous Australians relative to the general population, but not gender differences: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health 2010; 10:700. [PMID: 21078191 PMCID: PMC2998493 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-10-700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2010] [Accepted: 11/15/2010] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Previous studies reported high C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in Indigenous Australians, which may contribute to their high risk of cardiovascular disease. We compared CRP levels in Indigenous Australians and the general population, accounting for obesity and other risk factors. Methods Cross-sectional study of CRP and risk factors (weight, height, waist and hip circumferences, blood pressure, lipids, blood glucose, and smoking status) in population-based samples from the Diabetes and Related conditions in Urban Indigenous people in the Darwin region (DRUID) study, and the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle study (AusDiab) follow-up. Results CRP concentrations were higher in women than men and in DRUID than AusDiab. After multivariate adjustment, including waist circumference, the odds of high CRP (>3.0 mg/L) in DRUID relative to AusDiab were no longer statistically significant, but elevated CRP was still more likely in women than men. After adjusting for BMI (instead of waist circumference) the odds for elevated CRP in DRUID participants were still higher relative to AusDiab participants among women, but not men. Lower HDL cholesterol, impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and higher diastolic blood pressure were associated with having a high CRP in both men and women, while current smoking was associated with high CRP in men but not women. Conclusions High concentrations of CRP in Indigenous participants were largely explained by other risk factors, in particular abdominal obesity. Irrespective of its independence as a risk factor, or its aetiological association with coronary heart disease (CHD), the high CRP levels in urban Indigenous women are likely to reflect increased vascular and metabolic risk. The significance of elevated CRP in Indigenous Australians should be investigated in future longitudinal studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison M Hodge
- University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
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Hamer M, Stamatakis E, Kivimaki M, Lowe GD, Batty GD. Reply. J Am Coll Cardiol 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2010.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Brown IJ, Elliott P. Recent Findings from Mendelian Randomization Studies of Cardiovascular Disease. CURRENT CARDIOVASCULAR RISK REPORTS 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s12170-010-0127-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Burgess S, Thompson SG, Burgess S, Thompson SG, Andrews G, Samani NJ, Hall A, Whincup P, Morris R, Lawlor DA, Davey Smith G, Timpson N, Ebrahim S, Ben-Shlomo Y, Davey Smith G, Timpson N, Brown M, Ricketts S, Sandhu M, Reiner A, Psaty B, Lange L, Cushman M, Hung J, Thompson P, Beilby J, Warrington N, Palmer LJ, Nordestgaard BG, Tybjaerg-Hansen A, Zacho J, Wu C, Lowe G, Tzoulaki I, Kumari M, Sandhu M, Yamamoto JF, Chiodini B, Franzosi M, Hankey GJ, Jamrozik K, Palmer L, Rimm E, Pai J, Psaty B, Heckbert S, Bis J, Anand S, Engert J, Collins R, Clarke R, Melander O, Berglund G, Ladenvall P, Johansson L, Jansson JH, Hallmans G, Hingorani A, Humphries S, Rimm E, Manson J, Pai J, Watkins H, Clarke R, Hopewell J, Saleheen D, Frossard R, Danesh J, Sattar N, Robertson M, Shepherd J, Schaefer E, Hofman A, Witteman JCM, Kardys I, Ben-Shlomo Y, Davey Smith G, Timpson N, de Faire U, Bennet A, Sattar N, Ford I, Packard C, Kumari M, Manson J, Lawlor DA, Davey Smith G, Anand S, Collins R, Casas JP, Danesh J, Davey Smith G, Franzosi M, Hingorani A, Lawlor DA, Manson J, Nordestgaard BG, Samani NJ, Sandhu M, Smeeth L, Wensley F, Anand S, Bowden J, Burgess S, Casas JP, Di Angelantonio E, Engert J, Gao P, Shah T, Smeeth L, Thompson SG, Verzilli C, Walker M, Whittaker J, Hingorani A, Danesh J. Bayesian methods for meta-analysis of causal relationships estimated using genetic instrumental variables. Stat Med 2010; 29:1298-311. [PMID: 20209660 DOI: 10.1002/sim.3843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Genetic markers can be used as instrumental variables, in an analogous way to randomization in a clinical trial, to estimate the causal relationship between a phenotype and an outcome variable. Our purpose is to extend the existing methods for such Mendelian randomization studies to the context of multiple genetic markers measured in multiple studies, based on the analysis of individual participant data. First, for a single genetic marker in one study, we show that the usual ratio of coefficients approach can be reformulated as a regression with heterogeneous error in the explanatory variable. This can be implemented using a Bayesian approach, which is next extended to include multiple genetic markers. We then propose a hierarchical model for undertaking a meta-analysis of multiple studies, in which it is not necessary that the same genetic markers are measured in each study. This provides an overall estimate of the causal relationship between the phenotype and the outcome, and an assessment of its heterogeneity across studies. As an example, we estimate the causal relationship of blood concentrations of C-reactive protein on fibrinogen levels using data from 11 studies. These methods provide a flexible framework for efficient estimation of causal relationships derived from multiple studies. Issues discussed include weak instrument bias, analysis of binary outcome data such as disease risk, missing genetic data, and the use of haplotypes.
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Tabák AG, Kivimäki M, Brunner EJ, Lowe GD, Jokela M, Akbaraly TN, Singh-Manoux A, Ferrie JE, Witte DR. Changes in C-reactive protein levels before type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular death: the Whitehall II study. Eur J Endocrinol 2010; 163:89-95. [PMID: 20573938 DOI: 10.1530/eje-10-0277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Prospective studies show that high C-reactive protein (CRP) levels predict diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD), but changes in this marker preceding disease onset are not well characterized. This study describes CRP trajectories prior to type 2 diabetes onset and fatal CVD. METHODS In a prospective cohort of 7350 British civil servants (70% male, mean age 51 years), 558 incident type 2 diabetes cases (75-g oral glucose tolerance test, doctor's diagnosis, or self-report) and 125 certified fatal cardiovascular events were observed during a median follow-up of >14 years. Trajectories of logarithmically transformed CRP levels prior to incident diabetes or fatal cardiovascular event (cases), or the end of follow-up (controls) were calculated using multilevel modeling. RESULTS Baseline CRP levels were higher among participants who developed diabetes (median (interquartile range) 1.44 (2.39) vs 0.78 (1.21) mg/l) or fatal CVD (1.49 (2.47) vs 0.84 (1.30) mg/l) compared with controls (both P<0.0001). In models adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, ethnicity, and employment grade, CRP levels increased with time among both incident diabetes cases and controls (P<0.0001), but this increase was less steep for cases group (P<0.05). CRP levels followed increasing linear trajectories in fatal cardiovascular cases and controls (P<0.0001) with no slope difference between the groups. CONCLUSIONS CRP levels were higher among those who subsequently developed diabetes or died from CVD. For type 2 diabetes, age-related increase in CRP levels was less steep in the cases group than in controls, whereas for fatal CVD these trajectories were parallel.
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Affiliation(s)
- A G Tabák
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London WC1E 6 BT, UK.
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Bochud M, Rousson V. Usefulness of Mendelian randomization in observational epidemiology. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2010; 7:711-28. [PMID: 20616999 PMCID: PMC2872313 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph7030711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2009] [Accepted: 02/16/2010] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Mendelian randomization refers to the random allocation of alleles at the time of gamete formation. In observational epidemiology, this refers to the use of genetic variants to estimate a causal effect between a modifiable risk factor and an outcome of interest. In this review, we recall the principles of a "Mendelian randomization" approach in observational epidemiology, which is based on the technique of instrumental variables; we provide simulations and an example based on real data to demonstrate its implications; we present the results of a systematic search on original articles having used this approach; and we discuss some limitations of this approach in view of what has been found so far.
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Affiliation(s)
- Murielle Bochud
- University Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Rue du Bugnon 17, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Straczek C, Ducimetiere P, Barberger-Gateau P, Helmer C, Ritchie K, Jouven X, Carcaillon L, Amouyel P, Tzourio C, Empana JP. Higher Level of Systemic C-Reactive Protein Is Independently Predictive of Coronary Heart Disease in Older Community-Dwelling Adults: The Three-City Study. J Am Geriatr Soc 2009; 58:129-35. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02625.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Abstract
Nutritional epidemiology aims to identify dietary and lifestyle causes for human diseases. Causality inference in nutritional epidemiology is largely based on evidence from studies of observational design, and may be distorted by unmeasured or residual confounding and reverse causation. Mendelian randomization is a recently developed methodology that combines genetic and classical epidemiological analysis to infer causality for environmental exposures, based on the principle of Mendel's law of independent assortment. Mendelian randomization uses genetic variants as proxies for environmental exposures of interest. Associations derived from Mendelian randomization analysis are less likely to be affected by confounding and reverse causation. During the past 5 years, a body of studies examined the causal effects of diet/lifestyle factors and biomarkers on a variety of diseases. The Mendelian randomization approach also holds considerable promise in the study of intrauterine influences on offspring health outcomes. However, the application of Mendelian randomization in nutritional epidemiology has some limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Qi
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
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Kuper H, Nicholson A, Kivimaki M, Aitsi-Selmi A, Cavalleri G, Deanfield JE, Heuschmann P, Jouven X, Malyutina S, Mayosi BM, Sans S, Thomsen T, Witteman JCM, Hingorani AD, Lawlor DA, Hemingway H. Evaluating the causal relevance of diverse risk markers: horizontal systematic review. BMJ 2009; 339:b4265. [PMID: 19892791 PMCID: PMC2773829 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.b4265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To develop a new methodology to systematically compare evidence across diverse risk markers for coronary heart disease and to compare this evidence with guideline recommendations. DESIGN "Horizontal" systematic review incorporating different sources of evidence. DATA SOURCES Electronic search of Medline and hand search of guidelines. Study selection Two reviewers independently determined eligibility of studies across three sources of evidence (observational studies, genetic association studies, and randomised controlled trials) related to four risk markers: depression, exercise, C reactive protein, and type 2 diabetes. Data extraction For each risk marker, the largest meta-analyses of observational studies and genetic association studies, and meta-analyses or individual randomised controlled trials were analysed. RESULTS Meta-analyses of observational studies reported adjusted relative risks of coronary heart disease for depression of 1.9 (95% confidence interval 1.5 to 2.4), for top compared with bottom fourths of exercise 0.7 (0.5 to 1.0), for top compared with bottom thirds of C reactive protein 1.6 (1.5 to 1.7), and for diabetes in women 3.0 (2.4 to 3.7) and in men 2.0 (1.8 to 2.3). Prespecified study limitations were more common for depression and exercise. Meta-analyses of studies that allowed formal Mendelian randomisation were identified for C reactive protein (and did not support a causal effect), and were lacking for exercise, diabetes, and depression. Randomised controlled trials were not available for depression, exercise, or C reactive protein in relation to incidence of coronary heart disease, but trials in patients with diabetes showed some preventive effect of glucose control on risk of coronary heart disease. None of the four randomised controlled trials of treating depression in patients with coronary heart disease reduced the risk of further coronary events. Comparisons of this horizontal evidence review with two guidelines published in 2007 showed inconsistencies, with depression prioritised more in the guidelines than in our review. CONCLUSIONS This horizontal systematic review pinpoints deficiencies and strengths in the evidence for depression, exercise, C reactive protein, and diabetes as unconfounded and unbiased causes of coronary heart disease. This new method could be used to develop a field synopsis and prioritise future development of guidelines and research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Kuper
- Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT.
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Marioni RE, Deary IJ, Murray GD, Lowe GDO, Rafnsson SB, Strachan MWJ, Luciano M, Houlihan LM, Gow AJ, Harris SE, Stewart MC, Rumley A, Fowkes FGR, Price JF. Genetic variants associated with altered plasma levels of C-reactive protein are not associated with late-life cognitive ability in four Scottish samples. Behav Genet 2009; 40:3-11. [PMID: 19821022 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-009-9302-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2009] [Accepted: 09/26/2009] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
It is unknown whether the relationship between raised inflammatory biomarker levels and late-life cognitive ability is causal. We explored this issue by testing the association between genetic regulators of plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) and cognition. Data were analysed from four cohorts based in central Scotland (Total N = 4,782). Associations were tested between variants in the CRP gene and both plasma CRP levels and a battery of neuropsychological tests, including a vocabulary-based estimate of peak prior cognitive ability and a general (summary) cognitive factor score, or 'g'. CRP levels were associated with a number of variants in the CRP gene (SNPs), including rs1205, rs1130864, rs1800947, and rs1417938 (P range 4.2e-06 to 0.041). Higher CRP levels were also associated with vocabulary-adjusted cognitive ability, used here to estimate lifetime cognitive change (P range 1.7e-04 to 0.038). After correction for multiple testing and adjustment for age and sex, no statistically significant associations were found between the SNPs and cognition. CRP is unlikely to be a causal determinant of late-life cognitive ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo E Marioni
- Public Health Sciences Section, Division of Community Health Sciences, Centre for Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Medical School, Teviot Place, EH8 9AG Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
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Nordestgaard BG. Does elevated C-reactive protein cause human atherothrombosis? Novel insights from genetics, intervention trials, and elsewhere. Curr Opin Lipidol 2009; 20:393-401. [PMID: 19667982 DOI: 10.1097/mol.0b013e3283307bfe] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW To evaluate evidence from human epidemiology, mechanistic studies, animal studies, human genetics, and human intervention trials to address whether elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) causes human atherothrombotic cardiovascular disease. RECENT FINDINGS Human epidemiology demonstrates that elevated CRP levels are associated with increased risk of atherothrombosis. Mechanistic and animal studies provide evidence both for and against a causal relationship of CRP with atherothrombosis. Human genetics demonstrate that genetic variation in the CRP gene is associated with lifelong increased CRP levels, but not with increased risk of atherothrombosis. A human intervention trial in healthy people with low LDL cholesterol and elevated CRP demonstrated that aggressive statin treatment caused reductions of 50% in LDL cholesterol, 37% in CRP, 50% in atherothrombotic cardiovascular events, 20% in total mortality, and 45% in venothrombotic events. Importantly, the maximal atherothrombotic treatment benefits were obtained in those who achieved the lowest levels of both LDL cholesterol and CRP. SUMMARY Given the data available in mid-2009, elevated CRP per se does not seem to cause atherothrombotic cardiovascular disease, which questions whether CRP-reducing agents will prevent these diseases. However, inflammation per se possibly contributes to atherothrombotic and venothrombotic disease, and CRP measurement may be used in risk assessment and treatment monitoring in atherothrombotic cardiovascular disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Børge G Nordestgaard
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Herlev Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Association of the -757T>C polymorphism in the CRP gene with circulating C-reactive protein levels and carotid atherosclerosis. Thromb Res 2009; 124:458-62. [DOI: 10.1016/j.thromres.2009.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2009] [Revised: 04/13/2009] [Accepted: 04/14/2009] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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Hingorani AD, Shah T, Casas JP, Humphries SE, Talmud PJ. C-reactive protein and coronary heart disease: predictive test or therapeutic target? Clin Chem 2008; 55:239-55. [PMID: 19114670 DOI: 10.1373/clinchem.2008.115923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The hepatocyte-derived acute-phase reactant C-reactive protein (CRP) has been the subject of intense research over the last 2 decades for its possible role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. This research has spawned interest in the use of the blood concentration of CRP for predicting a first coronary heart disease (CHD) event, which has been made possible with the development of high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) assays that can measure the typically low concentrations of CRP that circulate in the absence of an overt infective or inflammatory episode, and as a potential causal factor that might be targeted therapeutically. The research has encompassed observational and genetic epidemiology, basic science studies with cells and tissues, experiments with animal models and humans, and randomized trials (although not of specific CRP-lowering therapies as yet). CONTENT We focus on investigations of the potential role of small differences in basal hsCRP concentration seen in healthy individuals and the relationship of such differences to the long-term risk of a first CHD event, rather than on research devoted to the high acute-phase CRP concentrations, which occur after acute atherothrombotic events and can influence the severity of ischemic tissue damage and the subsequent prognosis. We concentrate mainly on research findings at the translational interface and draw on evidence from human observational and genetic epidemiology, as well as from randomized trials. CONCLUSIONS As the field matures from one of discovery to an evaluative science, the development of possible clinical applications requires a sharpening of focus on and a critical appraisal of the strengths and deficiencies of the accumulated evidence. Such assessments require attention to both the current state of affairs and the design of future research, so that the existing uncertainties about the utility of CRP in predicting CHD and its role in causing this disease can be resolved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aroon D Hingorani
- Division of Population Sciences, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK
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Carter KW, McCaskie PA, Palmer LJ. SimHap GUI: an intuitive graphical user interface for genetic association analysis. BMC Bioinformatics 2008; 9:557. [PMID: 19109877 PMCID: PMC2639440 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2105-9-557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2008] [Accepted: 12/25/2008] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Researchers wishing to conduct genetic association analysis involving single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or haplotypes are often confronted with the lack of user-friendly graphical analysis tools, requiring sophisticated statistical and informatics expertise to perform relatively straightforward tasks. Tools, such as the SimHap package for the R statistics language, provide the necessary statistical operations to conduct sophisticated genetic analysis, but lacks a graphical user interface that allows anyone but a professional statistician to effectively utilise the tool. Results We have developed SimHap GUI, a cross-platform integrated graphical analysis tool for conducting epidemiological, single SNP and haplotype-based association analysis. SimHap GUI features a novel workflow interface that guides the user through each logical step of the analysis process, making it accessible to both novice and advanced users. This tool provides a seamless interface to the SimHap R package, while providing enhanced functionality such as sophisticated data checking, automated data conversion, and real-time estimations of haplotype simulation progress. Conclusion SimHap GUI provides a novel, easy-to-use, cross-platform solution for conducting a range of genetic and non-genetic association analyses. This provides a free alternative to commercial statistics packages that is specifically designed for genetic association analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim W Carter
- Western Australian Institute for Medical Research and UWA Centre for Medical Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
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Agrawal A. Therapeutic potential of phosphoethanolamine-bound C-reactive protein in atherosclerosis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 3. [PMID: 24363775 DOI: 10.2217/17460875.3.6.599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alok Agrawal
- Department of Pharmacology, James H. Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
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Lawlor DA, Harbord RM, Timpson NJ, Lowe GDO, Rumley A, Gaunt TR, Baker I, Yarnell JWG, Kivimäki M, Kumari M, Norman PE, Jamrozik K, Hankey GJ, Almeida OP, Flicker L, Warrington N, Marmot MG, Ben-Shlomo Y, Palmer LJ, Day INM, Ebrahim S, Smith GD. The association of C-reactive protein and CRP genotype with coronary heart disease: findings from five studies with 4,610 cases amongst 18,637 participants. PLoS One 2008; 3:e3011. [PMID: 18714384 PMCID: PMC2507759 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0003011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2008] [Accepted: 07/28/2008] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background It is unclear whether C-reactive protein (CRP) is causally related to coronary heart disease (CHD). Genetic variants that are known to be associated with CRP levels can be used to provide causal inference of the effect of CRP on CHD. Our objective was to examine the association between CRP genetic variant +1444C>T (rs1130864) and CHD risk in the largest study to date of this association. Methods and Results We estimated the association of CRP genetic variant +1444C>T (rs1130864) with CRP levels and with CHD in five studies and then pooled these analyses (N = 18,637 participants amongst whom there were 4,610 cases). CRP was associated with potential confounding factors (socioeconomic position, physical activity, smoking and body mass) whereas genotype (rs1130864) was not associated with these confounders. The pooled odds ratio of CHD per doubling of circulating CRP level after adjustment for age and sex was 1.13 (95%CI: 1.06, 1.21), and after further adjustment for confounding factors it was 1.07 (95%CI: 1.02, 1.13). Genotype (rs1130864) was associated with circulating CRP; the pooled ratio of geometric means of CRP level among individuals with the TT genotype compared to those with the CT/CC genotype was 1.21 (95%CI: 1.15, 1.28) and the pooled ratio of geometric means of CRP level per additional T allele was 1.14 (95%CI: 1.11, 1.18), with no strong evidence in either analyses of between study heterogeneity (I2 = 0%, p>0.9 for both analyses). There was no association of genotype (rs1130864) with CHD: pooled odds ratio 1.01 (95%CI: 0.88, 1.16) comparing individuals with TT genotype to those with CT/CC genotype and 0.96 (95%CI: 0.90, 1.03) per additional T allele (I2<7.5%, p>0.6 for both meta-analyses). An instrumental variables analysis (in which the proportion of CRP levels explained by rs1130864 was related to CHD) suggested that circulating CRP was not associated with CHD: the odds ratio for a doubling of CRP level was 1.04 (95%CI: 0.61, 1.80). Conclusions We found no association of a genetic variant, which is known to be related to CRP levels, (rs1130864) and having CHD. These findings do not support a causal association between circulating CRP and CHD risk, but very large, extended, genetic association studies would be required to rule this out.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debbie A Lawlor
- MRC Centre for Causal Analyses in Translational Epidemiology, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
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