Circulation. Cardiovascular genetics
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Circ Cardiovasc Genet · Oct 2014
Observational StudyElevated remnant cholesterol in 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency in the general population: Mendelian randomization study.
Low plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels are associated with high cardiovascular risk. This may be because that low 25(OH)D levels are associated with high levels of atherogenic lipoproteins, but whether these 2 risk factors are genetically associated is unknown. We tested this hypothesis. ⋯ Genetically elevated nonfasting remnant cholesterol is associated with low 25(OH)D levels, whereas genetically reduced high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol is not associated with low 25(OH)D levels. These findings suggest that low 25(OH)D levels observationally is simply a marker for elevated atherogenic lipoproteins and question a role for vitamin D supplementation in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.
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Circ Cardiovasc Genet · Oct 2014
Toll-like receptor 4 regulates platelet function and contributes to coagulation abnormality and organ injury in hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation.
Growing evidence indicates that the presence of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) on platelets is a key regulator of platelet number and function. Platelets exposed to TLR4 agonists may serve to activate other cells such as neutrophils and endothelial cells in sepsis and other inflammatory conditions. The functional significance of platelet TLR4 in hemorrhagic shock (HS), however, remains unexplored. ⋯ We demonstrate for the first time that platelet TLR4 is an essential mediator of the inflammatory response as well as platelet activation and function in HS and resuscitation.
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Circ Cardiovasc Genet · Jun 2014
ADAM19 and HTR4 variants and pulmonary function: Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium Targeted Sequencing Study.
The pulmonary function measures of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and its ratio to forced vital capacity (FVC) are used in the diagnosis and monitoring of lung diseases and predict cardiovascular mortality in the general population. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified numerous loci associated with FEV1 and FEV1/FVC, but the causal variants remain uncertain. We hypothesized that novel or rare variants poorly tagged by GWASs may explain the significant associations between FEV1/FVC and 2 genes: ADAM19 and HTR4. ⋯ Sequencing identified 1 common variant associated with FEV1/FVC independent of the sentinel ADAM19 GWAS hit and supports the original HTR4 GWAS findings. Rare variants do not seem to underlie GWAS associations with pulmonary function for common variants in ADAM19 and HTR4.
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Circ Cardiovasc Genet · Jun 2014
Sequencing of 2 subclinical atherosclerosis candidate regions in 3669 individuals: Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium Targeted Sequencing Study.
Atherosclerosis, the precursor to coronary heart disease and stroke, is characterized by an accumulation of fatty cells in the arterial intimal-medial layers. Common carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) and plaque are subclinical atherosclerosis measures that predict cardiovascular disease events. Previously, genome-wide association studies demonstrated evidence for association with cIMT (SLC17A4) and plaque (PIK3CG). ⋯ Common and rare variants in PIK3CG and SLC17A4 regions demonstrated modest association with subclinical atherosclerosis traits. Although not conclusive, these findings may help to understand the genetic architecture of regions previously implicated by genome-wide association studies and identify variants within these regions for further investigation in larger samples.
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Circ Cardiovasc Genet · Jun 2014
Meta AnalysisGenome-wide association study of plasma N6 polyunsaturated fatty acids within the cohorts for heart and aging research in genomic epidemiology consortium.
Omega6 (n6) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and their metabolites are involved in cell signaling, inflammation, clot formation, and other crucial biological processes. Genetic components, such as variants of fatty acid desaturase (FADS) genes, determine the composition of n6 PUFAs. ⋯ Our findings suggest that along with the FADS gene cluster, additional genes may influence n6 PUFA composition.