@article {797, title = {Fish intake and risk of incident atrial fibrillation.}, journal = {Circulation}, volume = {110}, year = {2004}, month = {2004 Jul 27}, pages = {368-73}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in clinical practice and is particularly common in the elderly. Although effects of fish intake, including potential antiarrhythmic effects, may favorably influence risk of AF, relationships between fish intake and AF incidence have not been evaluated.

METHODS AND RESULTS: In a prospective, population-based cohort of 4815 adults > or =age 65 years, usual dietary intake was assessed at baseline in 1989 and 1990. Consumption of tuna and other broiled or baked fish correlated with plasma phospholipid long-chain n-3 fatty acids, whereas consumption of fried fish or fish sandwiches (fish burgers) did not. AF incidence was prospectively ascertained on the basis of hospital discharge records and annual electrocardiograms. During 12 years{\textquoteright} follow-up, 980 cases of incident AF were diagnosed. In multivariate analyses, consumption of tuna or other broiled or baked fish was inversely associated with incidence of AF, with 28\% lower risk with intake 1 to 4 times per week (HR=0.72, 95\% CI=0.58 to 0.91, P=0.005), and 31\% lower risk with intake > or =5 times per week (HR=0.69, 95\% CI=0.52 to 0.91, P=0.008), compared with <1 time per month (P trend=0.004). Results were not materially different after adjustment for preceding myocardial infarction or congestive heart failure. In similar analyses, fried fish/fish sandwich consumption was not associated with lower risk of AF.

CONCLUSIONS: Among elderly adults, consumption of tuna or other broiled or baked fish, but not fried fish or fish sandwiches, is associated with lower incidence of AF. Fish intake may influence risk of this common cardiac arrhythmia.

}, keywords = {Aged, Animals, Atrial Fibrillation, Cardiotonic Agents, Cohort Studies, Cooking, Diet, Dietary Fats, Fatty Acids, Omega-3, Fish Oils, Fishes, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Incidence, Massachusetts, Proportional Hazards Models, Prospective Studies, Risk, Seafood, Tuna}, issn = {1524-4539}, doi = {10.1161/01.CIR.0000138154.00779.A5}, author = {Mozaffarian, Dariush and Psaty, Bruce M and Rimm, Eric B and Lemaitre, Rozenn N and Burke, Gregory L and Lyles, Mary F and Lefkowitz, David and Siscovick, David S} } @article {1147, title = {CRP gene variation and risk of community-acquired pneumonia.}, journal = {Respirology}, volume = {15}, year = {2010}, month = {2010 Jan}, pages = {160-4}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: CRP has several potentially antibacterial effects, and variation in the CRP gene is known to influence CRP levels. Whether this variation influences risk of infection, and hence whether CRP has anti-infective activity in humans, is uncertain.

METHODS: We evaluated a series of haplotype-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms among 5374 individuals in the Cardiovascular Health Study, a cohort of older adults from four communities, who were followed for community-acquired pneumonia for 12-13 years. Secondarily, we evaluated whether these polymorphisms varied among men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study who self-reported pneumonia on biennial questionnaires.

RESULTS: There were 581 (507 white and 74 black) Cardiovascular Health Study participants with incident hospitalizations for pneumonia. No single nucleotide polymorphism or haplotypes were associated with risk among white Cardiovascular Health Study participants. Among black participants, the haplotype tagged by A790T was associated with lower risk of incident pneumonia (hazard ratio 0.5; 95\% confidence interval: 0.3-0.9) and with higher CRP levels. In Health Professionals Follow-up Study, a separate haplotype was associated with less frequent self-reported pneumonia but not with circulating CRP levels.

CONCLUSIONS: Some genetic variants in CRP may be associated with risk of pneumonia, but haplotypes associated with risk are variably associated with baseline CRP levels. If CRP is a relevant component of innate immunity in humans, the inducibility or tissue-specificity of expression may be at least as important as chronic circulating levels.

}, keywords = {African Americans, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Body Mass Index, C-Reactive Protein, Cohort Studies, Community-Acquired Infections, European Continental Ancestry Group, Female, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Haplotypes, Humans, Male, Pneumonia, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Prospective Studies, Risk Factors, Smoking}, issn = {1440-1843}, doi = {10.1111/j.1440-1843.2009.01661.x}, author = {Mukamal, Kenneth J and Pai, Jennifer K and O{\textquoteright}Meara, Ellen S and Tracy, Russell P and Psaty, Bruce M and Kuller, Lewis H and Newman, Anne B and Yende, Sachin and Curhan, Gary C and Siscovick, David S and Rimm, Eric B} } @article {1172, title = {Food sources of individual plasma phospholipid trans fatty acid isomers: the Cardiovascular Health Study.}, journal = {Am J Clin Nutr}, volume = {91}, year = {2010}, month = {2010 Apr}, pages = {883-93}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: The overall consumption of trans fatty acids (TFAs) increases the risk of coronary artery disease. However, multiple TFA isomers exist, each with potentially different health effects. Different food sources of these specific TFA isomers are not well established.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine the major independent food sources of specific TFA isomers.

DESIGN: We investigated relations of major potential food sources of TFAs, as assessed by serial food-frequency questionnaires, with 10 plasma phospholipid TFA isomers [5 trans (t-) 18:1, 3 t-18:2, and 2 t-16:1] in 3330 older adults in the Cardiovascular Health Study, a community-based multicenter cohort. Stepwise regression was used to identify independent major food sources of individual plasma phospholipid TFA isomers, which were adjusted for demographic, lifestyle, and dietary factors.

RESULTS: All 5 t-18:1 isomers were similarly associated with foods commonly made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (PHVOs), including biscuits (0.51 higher SD of total 18:1 fatty acid concentrations per serving/d, P < 0.01), chips and/or popcorn (0.33 higher SD per serving/d, P = 0.02), margarine (0.32 higher SD per serving/d, P < 0.001), fried foods (0.32 higher SD per serving/d, P = 0.04), and bakery foods (0.23 higher SD per serving/d, P = 0.02). Each of the t-18:2 isomers were associated only with bakery foods (0.50 higher SD of total 18:2 fatty acid concentrations per serving/d, P < 0.001). Ruminant foods were major correlates of t-16:1n-7, including red meats (0.72 higher SD per serving/d, P < 0.001), butter (0.43 higher SD per serving/d, P < 0.001), and higher-fat dairy (0.37 higher SD per serving/d, P < 0.001). In contrast, t-16:1n-9 were derived mainly from margarine (0.31 higher SD per serving/d, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: t-18:1 Isomers are similarly derived from multiple PHVO-containing foods. In contrast, t-18:2 and t-16:1n-9 isomers are derived from more-specific types of PHVO-containing foods. Ruminant foods are major sources of t-16:1n-7. Different TFA isomers and dietary sources should be considered when investigating health effects and interventions to lower TFAs.

}, keywords = {Aged, Cardiovascular System, Diet, Diet Surveys, Dietary Fats, Female, Food Analysis, Health, Humans, Hydrogenation, Isomerism, Male, Phospholipids, Plant Oils, Regression Analysis, Surveys and Questionnaires, Trans Fatty Acids}, issn = {1938-3207}, doi = {10.3945/ajcn.2009.28877}, author = {Micha, Renata and King, Irena B and Lemaitre, Rozenn N and Rimm, Eric B and Sacks, Frank and Song, Xiaoling and Siscovick, David S and Mozaffarian, Dariush} } @article {1309, title = {Circulating long-chain ω-3 fatty acids and incidence of congestive heart failure in older adults: the cardiovascular health study: a cohort study.}, journal = {Ann Intern Med}, volume = {155}, year = {2011}, month = {2011 Aug 02}, pages = {160-70}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Few previous studies have evaluated associations between long-chain ω-3 fatty acids and incidence of congestive heart failure (CHF), and those that have are typically based on diet questionnaires and yield conflicting results. Circulating fatty acid concentrations provide objective biomarkers of exposure.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether plasma phospholipid concentrations of long-chain ω-3 fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), were associated with incident CHF.

DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.

SETTING: 4 U.S. communities.

PATIENTS: 2735 U.S. adults without prevalent heart disease who were enrolled in the Cardiovascular Health Study from 1992 to 2006.

MEASUREMENTS: Plasma phospholipid fatty acid concentrations and other cardiovascular risk factors were measured in 1992 by using standardized methods. Relationships with incident CHF (555 cases during 26 490 person-years, adjudicated by using medical records) were assessed by using Cox proportional hazards models.

RESULTS: After multivariate adjustment, plasma phospholipid EPA concentration was inversely associated with incident CHF; risk was approximately 50\% lower in the highest versus the lowest quartile (hazard ratio [HR], 0.52 [95\% CI, 0.38 to 0.72]; P for trend = 0.001). In similar analyses, trends toward lower risk were seen for DPA (HR, 0.76 [CI, 0.56 to 1.04]; P for trend = 0.057) and total long-chain ω-3 fatty acids (HR, 0.70 [CI, 0.49 to 0.99]; P for trend = 0.062) but not for DHA (HR, 0.84 [CI, 0.58 to 1.21]; P for trend = 0.38). In analyses censored to the middle of follow-up (7 years) to minimize exposure misclassification over time, multivariate-adjusted HRs were 0.48 for EPA (CI, 0.32 to 0.71; P for trend = 0.005), 0.61 for DPA (CI, 0.39 to 0.95; P for trend = 0.033), 0.64 for DHA (CI, 0.40 to 1.04; P for trend = 0.057), and 0.51 for total ω-3 fatty acids (CI, 0.32 to 0.80; P for trend = 0.003).

LIMITATIONS: Temporal changes in fatty acid concentrations over time may have caused underestimation of associations. Unmeasured or imperfectly measured covariates may have caused residual confounding.

CONCLUSION: Circulating individual and total ω-3 fatty acid concentrations are associated with lower incidence of CHF in older adults.

PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: National Institutes of Health.

}, keywords = {Aged, Biomarkers, Docosahexaenoic Acids, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Fatty Acids, Omega-3, Fatty Acids, Unsaturated, Feeding Behavior, Heart Failure, Humans, Incidence, Proportional Hazards Models, Prospective Studies, Risk Factors}, issn = {1539-3704}, doi = {10.7326/0003-4819-155-3-201108020-00006}, author = {Mozaffarian, Dariush and Lemaitre, Rozenn N and King, Irena B and Song, Xiaoling and Spiegelman, Donna and Sacks, Frank M and Rimm, Eric B and Siscovick, David S} } @article {1362, title = {Association of plasma phospholipid long-chain ω-3 fatty acids with incident atrial fibrillation in older adults: the cardiovascular health study.}, journal = {Circulation}, volume = {125}, year = {2012}, month = {2012 Mar 06}, pages = {1084-93}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Experimental studies suggest that long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) may reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). Prior studies evaluating fish or n-3 PUFA consumption from dietary questionnaires and incident AF have been conflicting. Circulating levels of n-3 PUFAs provide an objective measurement of exposure.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Among 3326 US men and women >=65 years of age and free of AF or heart failure at baseline, plasma phospholipid levels of eicosapentaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid were measured at baseline by use of standardized methods. Incident AF (789 cases) was identified prospectively from hospital discharge records and study visit ECGs during 31 169 person-years of follow-up (1992-2006). In multivariable Cox models adjusted for other risk factors, the relative risk in the top versus lowest quartile of total n-3 PUFAs (eicosapentaenoic acid+docosapentaenoic acid+docosahexaenoic acid) levels was 0.71 (95\% confidence interval, 0.57-0.89; P for trend=0.004) and of DHA levels was 0.77 (95\% confidence interval, 0.62-0.96; P for trend=0.01). Eicosapentaenoic acid and docosapentaenoic acid levels were not significantly associated with incident AF. Evaluated nonparametrically, both total n-3 PUFAs and docosahexaenoic acid showed graded and linear inverse associations with incidence of AF. Adjustment for intervening events such as heart failure or myocardial infarction during follow-up did not appreciably alter results.

CONCLUSIONS: In older adults, higher circulating total long-chain n-3 PUFA and docosahexaenoic acid levels were associated with lower risk of incident AF. These results highlight the need to evaluate whether increased dietary intake of these fatty acids could be effective for the primary prevention of AF.

}, keywords = {Aged, Atrial Fibrillation, Biomarkers, Dietary Fats, Docosahexaenoic Acids, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Fatty Acids, Omega-3, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Incidence, Male, Proportional Hazards Models, Risk Factors, Seafood}, issn = {1524-4539}, doi = {10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.111.062653}, author = {Wu, Jason H Y and Lemaitre, Rozenn N and King, Irena B and Song, Xiaoling and Sacks, Frank M and Rimm, Eric B and Heckbert, Susan R and Siscovick, David S and Mozaffarian, Dariush} } @article {1396, title = {Circulating and dietary α-linolenic acid and incidence of congestive heart failure in older adults: the Cardiovascular Health Study.}, journal = {Am J Clin Nutr}, volume = {96}, year = {2012}, month = {2012 Aug}, pages = {269-74}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated the association between the n-3 fatty acid α-linolenic acid (ALA) and the incidence of congestive heart failure (CHF).

OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether plasma phospholipid concentrations and estimated dietary consumption of ALA are associated with incident CHF.

DESIGN: We used data from the Cardiovascular Health Study, a prospective cohort study of cardiovascular diseases among adults aged >=65 y, from 4 US communities. A total of 2957 participants free of prevalent heart disease and with available fatty acid measurements were included in biomarker analyses (30,722 person-years and 686 incident CHF events). A total of 4432 participants free of prevalent heart disease were included in dietary analyses (52,609 person-years and 1072 events). We investigated the association of ALA with incident CHF by using Cox regression.

RESULTS: After adjustment for age, sex, race, education, smoking status, BMI, waist circumference, and alcohol consumption, plasma phospholipid ALA was not associated with incident CHF (HR for the highest compared with the lowest quartile: 0.97; 95\% CI: 0.79, 1.21; P-trend = 0.85). Likewise, dietary ALA was not associated with incident CHF (adjusted HR for the highest compared with the lowest quartile: 0.96; 95\% CI: 0.82, 1.20; P-trend = 0.97). We observed no association of biomarker or dietary ALA with nonvalvular CHF subtype. We also found little evidence of an association between ALA and CHF in subgroups based on age, sex, diabetes, fish consumption, BMI, or FADS2 genotype (rs1535).

CONCLUSION: ALA intake is not associated with incident CHF in older adults. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00005133.

}, keywords = {Aged, Alcohol Drinking, alpha-Linolenic Acid, Biomarkers, Body Mass Index, Cardiovascular Diseases, Diet, Fatty Acid Desaturases, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Heart Failure, Humans, Incidence, Male, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Prevalence, Prospective Studies, Risk Factors, Smoking, Surveys and Questionnaires, United States}, issn = {1938-3207}, doi = {10.3945/ajcn.112.037960}, author = {Lemaitre, Rozenn N and Sitlani, Colleen and Song, Xiaoling and King, Irena B and McKnight, Barbara and Spiegelman, Donna and Sacks, Frank M and Djouss{\'e}, Luc and Rimm, Eric B and Siscovick, David S and Mozaffarian, Dariush} } @article {5846, title = {Associations of plasma phospholipid and dietary alpha linolenic acid with incident atrial fibrillation in older adults: the Cardiovascular Health Study.}, journal = {J Am Heart Assoc}, volume = {2}, year = {2013}, month = {2013 Jan 31}, pages = {e003814}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the relationship of α-linolenic acid (ALA 18:3n-3), an intermediate-chain essential n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid derived from plants and vegetable oils, with incident atrial fibrillation (AF).

METHODS AND RESULTS: The study population included participants from the Cardiovascular Health Study, a community-based longitudinal cohort of adults aged 65 or older, free of prevalent coronary heart disease and atrial fibrillation. We assessed the associations of plasma phospholipid and dietary ALA with incident AF using Cox regression. The biomarker analysis comprised a total of 2899 participants, and the dietary analysis comprised 4337 participants. We found no association of plasma phospholipid ALA and incident AF. Comparing each of the second, third, and fourth quartiles to the lowest quartile, the hazard ratios for AF were 1.11 (95\% CI, 0.90 to 1.37), 1.09 (95\% CI, 0.88 to 1.35), and 0.92 (95\% CI, 0.74 to 1.15), after adjustment for age, sex, race, clinic, education, smoking, alcohol, body mass index, waist circumference, diabetes, heart failure, stroke, treated hypertension, and physical activity (P trend=0.48). When dietary ALA was considered the exposure of interest, results were similar.

CONCLUSIONS: Results from this prospective cohort study of older adults indicate no association of plasma phospholipid or dietary ALA and incident AF.

}, keywords = {Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, alpha-Linolenic Acid, Atrial Fibrillation, Biomarkers, Diet, Female, Humans, Incidence, Linear Models, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Nutritional Status, Phospholipids, Proportional Hazards Models, Prospective Studies, Risk Assessment, Risk Factors, Time Factors, United States}, issn = {2047-9980}, doi = {10.1161/JAHA.112.003814}, author = {Fretts, Amanda M and Mozaffarian, Dariush and Siscovick, David S and Heckbert, Susan R and McKnight, Barbara and King, Irena B and Rimm, Eric B and Psaty, Bruce M and Sacks, Frank M and Song, Xiaoling and Spiegelman, Donna and Lemaitre, Rozenn N} } @article {6177, title = {Circulating omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and subclinical brain abnormalities on MRI in older adults: the Cardiovascular Health Study.}, journal = {J Am Heart Assoc}, volume = {2}, year = {2013}, month = {2013 Oct 10}, pages = {e000305}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Consumption of tuna or other broiled or baked fish, but not fried fish, is associated with fewer subclinical brain abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We investigated the association between plasma phospholipid omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), objective biomarkers of exposure, and subclinical brain abnormalities on MRI.

METHODS AND RESULTS: In the community-based Cardiovascular Health Study, 3660 participants aged >= 65 underwent brain MRI in 1992-1994, and 2313 were rescanned 5 years later. MRIs were centrally read by neuroradiologists in a standardized, blinded manner. Participants with recognized transient ischemic attacks or stroke were excluded. Phospholipid PUFAs were measured in stored plasma collected in 1992-1993 and related to cross-sectional and longitudinal MRI findings. After multivariable adjustment, the odds ratio for having a prevalent subclinical infarct was 0.60 (95\% CI, 0.44 to 0.82; P for trend = 0.001) in the highest versus lowest long-chain omega-3 PUFA quartile. Higher long-chain omega-3 PUFA content was also associated with better white matter grade, but not with sulcal or ventricular grades, markers of brain atrophy, or with incident subclinical infarcts. The phospholipid intermediate-chain omega-3 PUFA alpha-linolenic acid was associated only with modestly better sulcal and ventricular grades. However, this finding was not supported in the analyses with alpha-linolenic acid intake.

CONCLUSIONS: Among older adults, higher phospholipid long-chain omega-3 PUFA content was associated with lower prevalence of subclinical infarcts and better white matter grade on MRI. Our results support the beneficial effects of fish consumption, the major source of long-chain omega-3 PUFAs, on brain health in later life. The role of plant-derived alpha-linolenic acid in brain health requires further investigation.

}, keywords = {Aged, Animals, Biomarkers, Brain, Cross-Sectional Studies, Fatty Acids, Omega-3, Female, Fishes, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Prospective Studies}, issn = {2047-9980}, doi = {10.1161/JAHA.113.000305}, author = {Virtanen, Jyrki K and Siscovick, David S and Lemaitre, Rozenn N and Longstreth, William T and Spiegelman, Donna and Rimm, Eric B and King, Irena B and Mozaffarian, Dariush} } @article {1552, title = {Fetuin-A, type 2 diabetes, and risk of cardiovascular disease in older adults: the cardiovascular health study.}, journal = {Diabetes Care}, volume = {36}, year = {2013}, month = {2013 May}, pages = {1222-8}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVE: Fetuin-A, a hepatic secretory protein that simultaneously inhibits arterial calcification and insulin action, is associated with type 2 diabetes, but its association with cardiovascular disease (CVD) is uncertain. Preliminary studies suggest that the association of fetuin-A with CVD might differ among individuals with or without type 2 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a prospective study of 3,810 community-living individuals older than 65 years (511 with type 2 diabetes) and free of CVD in 1992 when fetuin-A levels were measured. Participants were followed-up for incident CVD through June 2008.

RESULTS: Mean age was 75 years, and 61\% were women; 1,456 participants had an incident CVD event (248 among individuals with type 2 diabetes). The association of fetuin-A with CVD was modified by type 2 diabetes (P interaction = 0.02). Higher fetuin-A was associated with lower CVD risk among persons without type 2 diabetes [hazard ratio per SD 0.1 g/L higher fetuin-A, 0.93 (95\% CI, 0.88-0.99)], whereas a trend in the opposite direction was observed among individuals with type 2 diabetes, although it was not statistically significant [1.07 (0.93-1.22)]. Among individuals without type 2 diabetes, similar effect modification was observed by obesity and insulin resistance. Consistently, higher fetuin-A was associated with lower CVD risk only in the subgroups without obesity or with HOMA-IR below the median [0.91 (0.85-0.97) and 0.87 (0.79-0.95), respectively].

CONCLUSIONS: The association of fetuin-A with risk of CVD differs among elderly individuals with and without insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Cardiovascular Diseases, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Female, Fetuins, Humans, Incidence, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Risk Factors}, issn = {1935-5548}, doi = {10.2337/dc12-1591}, author = {Jensen, Majken K and Bartz, Traci M and Mukamal, Kenneth J and Djouss{\'e}, Luc and Kizer, Jorge R and Tracy, Russell P and Zieman, Susan J and Rimm, Eric B and Siscovick, David S and Shlipak, Michael and Ix, Joachim H} } @article {5995, title = {Genetically elevated fetuin-A levels, fasting glucose levels, and risk of type 2 diabetes: the cardiovascular health study.}, journal = {Diabetes Care}, volume = {36}, year = {2013}, month = {2013 Oct}, pages = {3121-7}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVE: Fetuin-A levels are associated with higher risk of type 2 diabetes, but it is unknown if the association is causal. We investigated common (>5\%) genetic variants in the fetuin-A gene (AHSG) fetuin-A levels, fasting glucose, and risk of type 2 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Genetic variation, fetuin-A levels, and fasting glucose were assessed in 2,893 Caucasian and 542 African American community-living individuals 65 years of age or older in 1992-1993.

RESULTS: Common AHSG variants (rs4917 and rs2248690) were strongly associated with fetuin-A concentrations (P<0.0001). In analyses of 259 incident cases of type 2 diabetes, the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were not associated with diabetes risk during follow-up and similar null associations were observed when 579 prevalent cases were included. As expected, higher fetuin-A levels were associated with higher fasting glucose concentrations (1.9 mg/dL [95\% CI, 1.2-2.7] higher per SD in Caucasians), but Mendelian randomization analyses using both SNPs as unbiased proxies for measured fetuin-A did not support an association between genetically predicted fetuin-A levels and fasting glucose (-0.3 mg/dL [95\% CI, -1.9 to 1.3] lower per SD in Caucasians). The difference between the associations of fasting glucose with actual and genetically predicted fetuin-A level was statistically significant (P=0.001). Results among the smaller sample of African Americans trended in similar directions but were statistically insignificant.

CONCLUSIONS: Common variants in the AHSG gene are strongly associated with plasma fetuin-A concentrations, but not with risk of type 2 diabetes or glucose concentrations, raising the possibility that the association between fetuin-A and type 2 diabetes may not be causal.

}, keywords = {alpha-2-HS-Glycoprotein, Blood Glucose, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Fasting, Female, Genotype, Humans, Male, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide}, issn = {1935-5548}, doi = {10.2337/dc12-2323}, author = {Jensen, Majken K and Bartz, Traci M and Djouss{\'e}, Luc and Kizer, Jorge R and Zieman, Susan J and Rimm, Eric B and Siscovick, David S and Psaty, Bruce M and Ix, Joachim H and Mukamal, Kenneth J} } @article {8015, title = {Identification of heart rate-associated loci and their effects on cardiac conduction and rhythm disorders.}, journal = {Nat Genet}, volume = {45}, year = {2013}, month = {2013 Jun}, pages = {621-31}, abstract = {

Elevated resting heart rate is associated with greater risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. In a 2-stage meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in up to 181,171 individuals, we identified 14 new loci associated with heart rate and confirmed associations with all 7 previously established loci. Experimental downregulation of gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster and Danio rerio identified 20 genes at 11 loci that are relevant for heart rate regulation and highlight a role for genes involved in signal transmission, embryonic cardiac development and the pathophysiology of dilated cardiomyopathy, congenital heart failure and/or sudden cardiac death. In addition, genetic susceptibility to increased heart rate is associated with altered cardiac conduction and reduced risk of sick sinus syndrome, and both heart rate-increasing and heart rate-decreasing variants associate with risk of atrial fibrillation. Our findings provide fresh insights into the mechanisms regulating heart rate and identify new therapeutic targets.

}, keywords = {Animals, Arrhythmias, Cardiac, Gene Frequency, Genetic Loci, Genome-Wide Association Study, Heart Conduction System, Heart Rate, Humans, Metabolic Networks and Pathways, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Quantitative Trait Loci}, issn = {1546-1718}, doi = {10.1038/ng.2610}, author = {den Hoed, Marcel and Eijgelsheim, Mark and Esko, T{\~o}nu and Brundel, Bianca J J M and Peal, David S and Evans, David M and Nolte, Ilja M and Segr{\`e}, Ayellet V and Holm, Hilma and Handsaker, Robert E and Westra, Harm-Jan and Johnson, Toby and Isaacs, Aaron and Yang, Jian and Lundby, Alicia and Zhao, Jing Hua and Kim, Young Jin and Go, Min Jin and Almgren, Peter and Bochud, Murielle and Boucher, Gabrielle and Cornelis, Marilyn C and Gudbjartsson, Daniel and Hadley, David and van der Harst, Pim and Hayward, Caroline and den Heijer, Martin and Igl, Wilmar and Jackson, Anne U and Kutalik, Zolt{\'a}n and Luan, Jian{\textquoteright}an and Kemp, John P and Kristiansson, Kati and Ladenvall, Claes and Lorentzon, Mattias and Montasser, May E and Njajou, Omer T and O{\textquoteright}Reilly, Paul F and Padmanabhan, Sandosh and St Pourcain, Beate and Rankinen, Tuomo and Salo, Perttu and Tanaka, Toshiko and Timpson, Nicholas J and Vitart, Veronique and Waite, Lindsay and Wheeler, William and Zhang, Weihua and Draisma, Harmen H M and Feitosa, Mary F and Kerr, Kathleen F and Lind, Penelope A and Mihailov, Evelin and Onland-Moret, N Charlotte and Song, Ci and Weedon, Michael N and Xie, Weijia and Yengo, Loic and Absher, Devin and Albert, Christine M and Alonso, Alvaro and Arking, Dan E and de Bakker, Paul I W and Balkau, Beverley and Barlassina, Cristina and Benaglio, Paola and Bis, Joshua C and Bouatia-Naji, Nabila and Brage, S{\o}ren and Chanock, Stephen J and Chines, Peter S and Chung, Mina and Darbar, Dawood and Dina, Christian and D{\"o}rr, Marcus and Elliott, Paul and Felix, Stephan B and Fischer, Krista and Fuchsberger, Christian and de Geus, Eco J C and Goyette, Philippe and Gudnason, Vilmundur and Harris, Tamara B and Hartikainen, Anna-Liisa and Havulinna, Aki S and Heckbert, Susan R and Hicks, Andrew A and Hofman, Albert and Holewijn, Suzanne and Hoogstra-Berends, Femke and Hottenga, Jouke-Jan and Jensen, Majken K and Johansson, Asa and Junttila, Juhani and K{\"a}{\"a}b, Stefan and Kanon, Bart and Ketkar, Shamika and Khaw, Kay-Tee and Knowles, Joshua W and Kooner, Angrad S and Kors, Jan A and Kumari, Meena and Milani, Lili and Laiho, P{\"a}ivi and Lakatta, Edward G and Langenberg, Claudia and Leusink, Maarten and Liu, Yongmei and Luben, Robert N and Lunetta, Kathryn L and Lynch, Stacey N and Markus, Marcello R P and Marques-Vidal, Pedro and Mateo Leach, Irene and McArdle, Wendy L and McCarroll, Steven A and Medland, Sarah E and Miller, Kathryn A and Montgomery, Grant W and Morrison, Alanna C and M{\"u}ller-Nurasyid, Martina and Navarro, Pau and Nelis, Mari and O{\textquoteright}Connell, Jeffrey R and O{\textquoteright}Donnell, Christopher J and Ong, Ken K and Newman, Anne B and Peters, Annette and Polasek, Ozren and Pouta, Anneli and Pramstaller, Peter P and Psaty, Bruce M and Rao, Dabeeru C and Ring, Susan M and Rossin, Elizabeth J and Rudan, Diana and Sanna, Serena and Scott, Robert A and Sehmi, Jaban S and Sharp, Stephen and Shin, Jordan T and Singleton, Andrew B and Smith, Albert V and Soranzo, Nicole and Spector, Tim D and Stewart, Chip and Stringham, Heather M and Tarasov, Kirill V and Uitterlinden, Andr{\'e} G and Vandenput, Liesbeth and Hwang, Shih-Jen and Whitfield, John B and Wijmenga, Cisca and Wild, Sarah H and Willemsen, Gonneke and Wilson, James F and Witteman, Jacqueline C M and Wong, Andrew and Wong, Quenna and Jamshidi, Yalda and Zitting, Paavo and Boer, Jolanda M A and Boomsma, Dorret I and Borecki, Ingrid B and van Duijn, Cornelia M and Ekelund, Ulf and Forouhi, Nita G and Froguel, Philippe and Hingorani, Aroon and Ingelsson, Erik and Kivimaki, Mika and Kronmal, Richard A and Kuh, Diana and Lind, Lars and Martin, Nicholas G and Oostra, Ben A and Pedersen, Nancy L and Quertermous, Thomas and Rotter, Jerome I and van der Schouw, Yvonne T and Verschuren, W M Monique and Walker, Mark and Albanes, Demetrius and Arnar, David O and Assimes, Themistocles L and Bandinelli, Stefania and Boehnke, Michael and de Boer, Rudolf A and Bouchard, Claude and Caulfield, W L Mark and Chambers, John C and Curhan, Gary and Cusi, Daniele and Eriksson, Johan and Ferrucci, Luigi and van Gilst, Wiek H and Glorioso, Nicola and de Graaf, Jacqueline and Groop, Leif and Gyllensten, Ulf and Hsueh, Wen-Chi and Hu, Frank B and Huikuri, Heikki V and Hunter, David J and Iribarren, Carlos and Isomaa, Bo and Jarvelin, Marjo-Riitta and Jula, Antti and K{\"a}h{\"o}nen, Mika and Kiemeney, Lambertus A and van der Klauw, Melanie M and Kooner, Jaspal S and Kraft, Peter and Iacoviello, Licia and Lehtim{\"a}ki, Terho and Lokki, Marja-Liisa L and Mitchell, Braxton D and Navis, Gerjan and Nieminen, Markku S and Ohlsson, Claes and Poulter, Neil R and Qi, Lu and Raitakari, Olli T and Rimm, Eric B and Rioux, John D and Rizzi, Federica and Rudan, Igor and Salomaa, Veikko and Sever, Peter S and Shields, Denis C and Shuldiner, Alan R and Sinisalo, Juha and Stanton, Alice V and Stolk, Ronald P and Strachan, David P and Tardif, Jean-Claude and Thorsteinsdottir, Unnur and Tuomilehto, Jaako and van Veldhuisen, Dirk J and Virtamo, Jarmo and Viikari, Jorma and Vollenweider, Peter and Waeber, G{\'e}rard and Widen, Elisabeth and Cho, Yoon Shin and Olsen, Jesper V and Visscher, Peter M and Willer, Cristen and Franke, Lude and Erdmann, Jeanette and Thompson, John R and Pfeufer, Arne and Sotoodehnia, Nona and Newton-Cheh, Christopher and Ellinor, Patrick T and Stricker, Bruno H Ch and Metspalu, Andres and Perola, Markus and Beckmann, Jacques S and Smith, George Davey and Stefansson, Kari and Wareham, Nicholas J and Munroe, Patricia B and Sibon, Ody C M and Milan, David J and Snieder, Harold and Samani, Nilesh J and Loos, Ruth J F} } @article {6079, title = {Plasma phospholipid long-chain ω-3 fatty acids and total and cause-specific mortality in older adults: a cohort study.}, journal = {Ann Intern Med}, volume = {158}, year = {2013}, month = {2013 Apr 02}, pages = {515-25}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Long-chain ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3-PUFAs), including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (20:5ω-3), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) (22:5ω-3), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (22:6ω-3), have been shown to reduce cardiovascular risk, but effects on cause-specific and total mortality and potential dose-responses remain controversial. Most observational studies have assessed self-reported dietary intake and most randomized trials have tested effects of adding supplements to dietary intake and evaluated secondary prevention, thus limiting inference for dietary ω3-PUFAs or primary prevention.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate associations of plasma phospholipid EPA, DPA, DHA, and total ω3-PUFA levels with total and cause-specific mortality among healthy older adults not receiving supplements.

DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.

SETTING: 4 U.S. communities.

PARTICIPANTS: 2692 U.S. adults aged 74 years ({\textpm}5 years) without prevalent coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, or heart failure at baseline.

MEASUREMENTS: Phospholipid fatty acid levels and cardiovascular risk factors were measured in 1992. Relationships with total and cause-specific mortality and incident fatal or nonfatal CHD and stroke through 2008 were assessed.

RESULTS: During 30 829 person-years, 1625 deaths (including 570 cardiovascular deaths), 359 fatal and 371 nonfatal CHD events, and 130 fatal and 276 nonfatal strokes occurred. After adjustment, higher plasma levels of ω3-PUFA biomarkers were associated with lower total mortality, with extreme-quintile hazard ratios of 0.83 for EPA (95\% CI, 0.71 to 0.98; P for trend = 0.005), 0.77 for DPA (CI, 0.66 to 0.90; P for trend = 0.008), 0.80 for DHA (CI, 0.67 to 0.94; P for trend = 0.006), and 0.73 for total ω3-PUFAs (CI, 0.61 to 0.86; P for trend < 0.001). Lower risk was largely attributable to fewer cardiovascular than noncardiovascular deaths. Individuals in the highest quintile of phospholipid ω3-PUFA level lived an average of 2.22 more years (CI, 0.75 to 3.13 years) after age 65 years than did those in the lowest quintile.

LIMITATION: Temporal changes in fatty acid levels and misclassification of causes of death may have resulted in underestimated associations, and unmeasured or imperfectly measured covariates may have caused residual confounding.

CONCLUSION: Higher circulating individual and total ω3-PUFA levels are associated with lower total mortality, especially CHD death, in older adults.

PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: National Institutes of Health.

}, keywords = {Aged, Biomarkers, Cause of Death, Coronary Disease, Diet Records, Docosahexaenoic Acids, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Fatty Acids, Omega-3, Fatty Acids, Unsaturated, Feeding Behavior, Female, Humans, Male, Prospective Studies, Risk Assessment, Stroke}, issn = {1539-3704}, doi = {10.7326/0003-4819-158-7-201304020-00003}, author = {Mozaffarian, Dariush and Lemaitre, Rozenn N and King, Irena B and Song, Xiaoling and Huang, Hongyan and Sacks, Frank M and Rimm, Eric B and Wang, Molin and Siscovick, David S} } @article {6541, title = {Fibrosis-related biomarkers and incident cardiovascular disease in older adults: the cardiovascular health study.}, journal = {Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol}, volume = {7}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Aug}, pages = {583-9}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Fibrotic changes in the heart and arteries have been implicated in a diverse range of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), but whether circulating biomarkers that reflect fibrosis are associated with CVD is unknown.

METHODS AND RESULTS: We determined the associations of 2 biomarkers of fibrosis, transforming growth factor- β (TGF-β), and procollagen type III N-terminal propeptide (PIIINP), with incident heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke among community-living older adults in the Cardiovascular Health Study. We measured circulating TGF-β (n=1371) and PIIINP (n=2568) from plasma samples collected in 1996 and ascertained events through 2010. Given TGF-β{\textquoteright}s pleiotropic effects on inflammation and fibrogenesis, we investigated potential effect modification by C-reactive protein in secondary analyses. After adjustment for sociodemographic, clinical, and biochemical risk factors, PIIINP was associated with total CVD (hazard ratio [HR] per SD=1.07; 95\% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.14) and heart failure (HR per SD=1.08; CI, 1.01-1.16) but not myocardial infarction or stroke. TGF-β was not associated with any CVD outcomes in the full cohort but was associated with total CVD (HR per SD=1.16; CI, 1.02-1.31), heart failure (HR per SD=1.16; CI, 1.01-1.34), and stroke (HR per SD=1.20; CI, 1.01-1.42) among individuals with C-reactive protein above the median, 2.3 mg/L (P interaction <0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide large-scale, prospective evidence that circulating biomarkers of fibrosis, measured in community-living individuals late in life, are associated with CVD. Further research on whether TGF-β has a stronger fibrogenic effect in the setting of inflammation is warranted.

}, keywords = {Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Biomarkers, C-Reactive Protein, Cardiovascular Diseases, Female, Fibrosis, Heart Failure, Humans, Incidence, Male, Myocardial Infarction, Peptide Fragments, Procollagen, Prognosis, Prospective Studies, Risk Assessment, Risk Factors, Stroke, Time Factors, Transforming Growth Factor beta, United States}, issn = {1941-3084}, doi = {10.1161/CIRCEP.114.001610}, author = {Agarwal, Isha and Glazer, Nicole L and Barasch, Eddy and Biggs, Mary L and Djouss{\'e}, Luc and Fitzpatrick, Annette L and Gottdiener, John S and Ix, Joachim H and Kizer, Jorge R and Rimm, Eric B and Sicovick, David S and Tracy, Russell P and Mukamal, Kenneth J} } @article {6336, title = {Fibrosis-related biomarkers and risk of total and cause-specific mortality: the cardiovascular health study.}, journal = {Am J Epidemiol}, volume = {179}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Jun 01}, pages = {1331-9}, abstract = {

Fibrosis has been implicated in diverse diseases of the liver, kidney, lungs, and heart, but its importance as a risk factor for mortality remains unconfirmed. We determined the prospective associations of 2 complementary biomarkers of fibrosis, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and procollagen type III N-terminal propeptide (PIIINP), with total and cause-specific mortality risks among community-living older adults in the Cardiovascular Health Study (1996-2010). We measured circulating TGF-β and PIIINP levels in plasma samples collected in 1996 and ascertained the number of deaths through 2010. Both TGF-β and PIIINP were associated with elevated risks of total and pulmonary mortality after adjustment for sociodemographic, clinical, and biochemical risk factors. For total mortality, the hazard ratios per doubling of TGF-β and PIIINP were 1.09 (95\% confidence interval (CI): 1.01, 1.17; P = 0.02) and 1.14 (CI: 1.03, 1.27; P = 0.01), respectively. The corresponding hazard ratios for pulmonary mortality were 1.27 (CI: 1.01, 1.60; P = 0.04) for TGF-β and 1.52 (CI: 1.11, 2.10; P = 0.01) for PIIINP. Associations of TGF-β and PIIINP with total and pulmonary mortality were strongest among individuals with higher C-reactive protein concentrations (P for interaction < 0.05). Our findings provide some of the first large-scale prospective evidence that circulating biomarkers of fibrosis measured late in life are associated with death.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Biomarkers, Cause of Death, Female, Fibrosis, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Likelihood Functions, Male, Multivariate Analysis, Peptide Fragments, Procollagen, Proportional Hazards Models, Prospective Studies, Risk Factors, Transforming Growth Factor beta}, issn = {1476-6256}, doi = {10.1093/aje/kwu067}, author = {Agarwal, Isha and Glazer, Nicole L and Barasch, Eddy and Biggs, Mary L and Djouss{\'e}, Luc and Fitzpatrick, Annette L and Gottdiener, John S and Ix, Joachim H and Kizer, Jorge R and Rimm, Eric B and Siscovick, David S and Tracy, Russell P and Zieman, Susan J and Mukamal, Kenneth J} } @article {6562, title = {Plasma phospholipid and dietary α-linolenic acid, mortality, CHD and stroke: the Cardiovascular Health Study.}, journal = {Br J Nutr}, volume = {112}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Oct 14}, pages = {1206-13}, abstract = {

Previous studies have suggested that long-chain n-3 fatty acids derived from seafood are associated with a lower risk of mortality, CHD and stroke. Whether α-linolenic acid (ALA, 18~:~3n-3), a plant-derived long-chain essential n-3 fatty acid, is associated with a lower risk of these outcomes is unclear. The aim of the present study was to examine the associations of plasma phospholipid and dietary ALA with the risk of mortality, CHD and stroke among older adults who participated in the Cardiovascular Health Study, a cohort study of adults aged >=~65 years. A total of 2709 participants were included in the plasma phospholipid ALA analysis and 2583 participants were included in the dietary ALA analysis. Cox regression was used to assess the associations of plasma phospholipid and dietary ALA with the risk of mortality, incident CHD and stroke. In minimally and multivariable-adjusted models, plasma phospholipid ALA was found to be not associated with the risk of mortality, incident CHD or stroke. After adjustment for age, sex, race, enrolment site, education, smoking status, diabetes, BMI, alcohol consumption, treated hypertension and total energy intake, higher dietary ALA intake was found to be associated with a lower risk of total and non-cardiovascular mortality; on comparing the highest quintiles of dietary ALA with the lowest quintiles, the HR for total mortality and non-cardiovascular mortality were found to be 0{\textperiodcentered}73 (95~\% CI 0{\textperiodcentered}61, 0{\textperiodcentered}88) and 0{\textperiodcentered}64 (95~\% CI 0{\textperiodcentered}52, 0{\textperiodcentered}80), respectively. Dietary ALA was found to be not associated with the risk of cardiovascular mortality, incident CHD or stroke. In conclusion, the results of the present suggest study that dietary ALA, but not plasma phospholipid ALA, is associated with a lower risk of total and non-cardiovascular mortality in older adults.

}, keywords = {Aged, alpha-Linolenic Acid, Cardiovascular Diseases, Cohort Studies, Coronary Disease, Diet, Female, Humans, Male, Mortality, Phospholipids, Proportional Hazards Models, Prospective Studies, Risk Factors, Stroke, United States}, issn = {1475-2662}, doi = {10.1017/S0007114514001925}, author = {Fretts, Amanda M and Mozaffarian, Dariush and Siscovick, David S and Sitlani, Colleen and Psaty, Bruce M and Rimm, Eric B and Song, Xiaoling and McKnight, Barbara and Spiegelman, Donna and King, Irena B and Lemaitre, Rozenn N} } @article {6609, title = {Plasma phospholipid trans-fatty acids levels, cardiovascular diseases, and total mortality: the cardiovascular health study.}, journal = {J Am Heart Assoc}, volume = {3}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Aug}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: While self-reported trans-fatty acid (TFA) consumption is linked to coronary heart disease (CHD), relationships between objective biomarkers of TFA subtypes (t-16:1n9, total t-18:1, and cis/trans-(c/t-), t/c- and t/t-18:2) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) or total mortality are not well established.

METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated 2742 adults in the Cardiovascular Health Study, aged 74{\textpm}5 years and free of prevalent CVD, with plasma phospholipid TFA measures in 1992. Incident fatal and nonfatal CHD events, CVD and non-CVD mortality, and total mortality were centrally adjudicated through 2010. Risks were assessed using Cox proportional hazards. During 31 494 person-years, 1735 total deaths and 639 total CHD events occurred. In the multivariate model including mutual adjustment for the 5 TFA subtypes, circulating t/t-18:2 was associated with higher total mortality (extreme quintile hazard ratio (HR)=1.23, 95\% CI=1.04 to 1.44, P-trend=0.01), CVD mortality (HR=1.40, 95\% CI=1.05 to 1.86, P-trend=0.02), and total CHD (HR=1.39, 95\% CI=1.06 to 1.83, P-trend=0.01). t/c-18:2 was positively related to total mortality (HR=1.19, P-trend=0.05), total CHD (HR=1.67, P-trend=0.002), and nonfatal CHD (HR=2.06, P-trend=0.002) after mutual adjustment; these associations were insignificant without mutual adjustment. Neither t-16:1n9 nor t-18:1 was significantly associated with total mortality or CVD, nor was c/t-18:2 if we excluded early cases.

CONCLUSIONS: Among circulating TFAs, t/t-18:2 was most adversely associated with total mortality, mainly due to the increased risk of CVD. t/c-18:2 was also positively associated with total mortality and CHD, but only after adjustment for other TFAs. These results highlight the need for further investigation of dietary sources, nondietary determinants, and health effects of specific TFA subtypes, especially t-18:2 isomers.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Biomarkers, Cardiovascular Diseases, Cohort Studies, Dietary Fats, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Incidence, Male, Mortality, Phospholipids, Prognosis, Proportional Hazards Models, Prospective Studies, Trans Fatty Acids}, issn = {2047-9980}, doi = {10.1161/JAHA.114.000914}, author = {Wang, Qianyi and Imamura, Fumiaki and Lemaitre, Rozenn N and Rimm, Eric B and Wang, Molin and King, Irena B and Song, Xiaoling and Siscovick, David and Mozaffarian, Dariush} } @article {6805, title = {Associations between metabolic dysregulation and circulating biomarkers of fibrosis: the Cardiovascular Health Study.}, journal = {Metabolism}, volume = {64}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Oct}, pages = {1316-23}, abstract = {

AIM: Fibrosis is one postulated pathway by which diabetes produces cardiac and other systemic complications. Our aim was to determine which metabolic parameters are associated with circulating fibrosis-related biomarkers transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and procollagen type III N-terminal propeptide (PIIINP).

METHODS: We used linear regression to determine the cross-sectional associations of diverse metabolic parameters, including fasting glucose, fasting insulin, body mass index, fatty acid binding protein 4, and non-esterified fatty acids, with circulating levels of TGF-β (n = 1559) and PIIINP (n = 3024) among community-living older adults in the Cardiovascular Health Study.

RESULTS: Among the main metabolic parameters we examined, only fasting glucose was associated with TGF-β (P = 0.03). In contrast, multiple metabolic parameters were associated with PIIINP, including fasting insulin, body mass index, and non-esterified fatty acids (P<0.001, P<0.001, P=0.001, respectively). These associations remained statistically significant after mutual adjustment, except the association between BMI and PIIINP.

CONCLUSIONS: Isolated hyperglycemia is associated with higher serum concentrations of TGF-β, while a broader phenotype of insulin resistance is associated with higher serum PIIINP. Whether simultaneous pharmacologic targeting of these two metabolic phenotypes can synergistically reduce the risk of cardiac and other manifestations of fibrosis remains to be determined.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Biomarkers, Blood Glucose, Cardiovascular System, Cross-Sectional Studies, Diabetes Complications, Diabetes Mellitus, Fatty Acids, Nonesterified, Female, Fibrosis, Health, Humans, Insulin, Insulin Resistance, Male, Metabolic Diseases, Peptide Fragments, Procollagen, Transforming Growth Factor beta}, issn = {1532-8600}, doi = {10.1016/j.metabol.2015.07.013}, author = {Agarwal, Isha and Glazer, Nicole L and Barasch, Eddy and Djouss{\'e}, Luc and Gottdiener, John S and Ix, Joachim H and Kizer, Jorge R and Rimm, Eric B and Siscovick, David S and King, George L and Mukamal, Ken J} } @article {6853, title = {Fetuin-A and risk of coronary heart disease: A Mendelian randomization analysis and a pooled analysis of AHSG genetic variants in 7 prospective studies.}, journal = {Atherosclerosis}, volume = {243}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Nov}, pages = {44-52}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Fetuin-A has a plausible role in the inhibition of arterial calcification, but its association with risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in the general population is unclear. We used two common genetic variants in the fetuin-A gene (AHSG) that are strongly associated with circulating fetuin-A levels to investigate the associations with risk of CHD and subclinical cardiovascular measures (intima-media thickness, ankle-arm index, and coronary artery calcification).

METHODS: Genetic variation and fetuin-A levels were assessed in 3299 community-living individuals (2733 Caucasians and 566 African Americans) 65 years of age or older, free of previous cardiovascular disease, who participated in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) in 1992-1993.

RESULTS: Among Caucasians, both rs2248690 and rs4917 were associated with 12\% lower fetuin-A concentrations per minor allele (P~<~0.0001). The hazard ratios (HRs) per minor allele for incident CHD were 1.12 (95\% CI: 1.00-1.26) for rs2248690 and 1.02 (0.91-1.14) for rs4917. Using both genotypes as an instrumental variable for measured fetuin-A, the HRs for one standard deviation increase in genetically determined fetuin-A levels on CHD risk were 0.84 (95\% CI: 0.70-1.00) for rs2248690 and 0.97 (95\% CI: 0.82-1.14) for rs4917, respectively. However, in CHS neither of the genotypes were associated with subclinical cardiovascular measures and when CHS data were meta-analyzed with data from six other prospective studies (totaling 26,702 Caucasian participants and 3295 CHD cases), the meta-analyzed HRs for incident CHD were 1.12 (0.93-1.34) and 1.06 (0.93-1.20) for rs2248690 and rs4917, respectively (p heterogeneity 0.005 and 0.0048).

CONCLUSION: Common variants in the AHSG gene are strongly associated with fetuin-A levels, but their concurrent association with CHD risk in current prospective studies is inconsistent. Further investigation in studies with measured fetuin-A and AHSG variants is needed to clarify the potential causal association of fetuin-A with CHD risk.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, alpha-2-HS-Glycoprotein, Carotid Intima-Media Thickness, Coronary Vessels, Female, Genetic Variation, Genotype, Heart Diseases, Humans, Insulin Resistance, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Mendelian Randomization Analysis, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Prospective Studies, Risk Factors, Vascular Calcification}, issn = {1879-1484}, doi = {10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2015.08.031}, author = {Laugsand, Lars E and Ix, Joachim H and Bartz, Traci M and Djouss{\'e}, Luc and Kizer, Jorge R and Tracy, Russell P and Dehghan, Abbas and Rexrode, Kathryn and Lopez, Oscar L and Rimm, Eric B and Siscovick, David S and O{\textquoteright}Donnell, Christopher J and Newman, Anne and Mukamal, Kenneth J and Jensen, Majken K} } @article {6665, title = {Fibrosis-related biomarkers and large and small vessel disease: the Cardiovascular Health Study.}, journal = {Atherosclerosis}, volume = {239}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Apr}, pages = {539-46}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVE: Fibrosis has been implicated in a number of pathological, organ-based conditions of the liver, kidney, heart, and lungs. The objective of this study was to determine whether biomarkers of fibrosis are associated with vascular disease in the large and/or small vessels.

METHODS: We evaluated the associations of two circulating biomarkers of fibrosis, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and procollagen type III N-terminal propeptide (PIIINP), with incident peripheral artery disease (PAD) and subclinical macrovascular (carotid intima-media thickness, flow-mediated vasodilation, ankle-brachial index, retinal vein diameter), and microvascular (retinal artery diameter and retinopathy) disease among older adults in the Cardiovascular Health Study. We measured TGF-β and PIIINP from samples collected in 1996 and ascertained clinical PAD through 2011. Measurements of large and small vessels were collected between 1996 and 1998.

RESULTS: After adjustment for sociodemographic, clinical, and biochemical risk factors, TGF-β was associated with incident PAD (hazard ratio [HR]~=~1.36 per doubling of TGF-β, 95\% confidence interval [CI]~=~1.04, 1.78) and retinal venular diameter (1.63~μm per doubling of TGF-β, CI~=~0.23, 3.02). PIIINP was not associated with incident PAD, but was associated with carotid intima-media thickness (0.102~mm per doubling of PIIINP, CI~=~0.029, 0.174) and impaired brachial artery reactivity (-0.20\% change per doubling of PIIINP, CI~=~-0.39,~-0.02). Neither TGF-β nor PIIINP were associated with retinal arteriolar diameter or retinopathy.

CONCLUSIONS: Serum concentrations of fibrosis-related biomarkers were associated with several measures of large vessel disease, including incident PAD, but not with small vessel disease. Fibrosis may contribute to large vessel atherosclerosis in older adults.

}, keywords = {Aged, Ankle Brachial Index, Biomarkers, Brachial Artery, Carotid Artery Diseases, Carotid Intima-Media Thickness, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Fibrosis, Humans, Incidence, Male, Peptide Fragments, Peripheral Arterial Disease, Predictive Value of Tests, Procollagen, Prognosis, Prospective Studies, Retinal Diseases, Risk Factors, Transforming Growth Factor beta, United States, Vasodilation}, issn = {1879-1484}, doi = {10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2015.02.020}, author = {Agarwal, Isha and Arnold, Alice and Glazer, Nicole L and Barasch, Eddy and Djouss{\'e}, Luc and Fitzpatrick, Annette L and Gottdiener, John S and Ix, Joachim H and Jensen, Richard A and Kizer, Jorge R and Rimm, Eric B and Siscovick, David S and Tracy, Russell P and Wong, Tien Y and Mukamal, Kenneth J} } @article {6615, title = {Genetic loci associated with circulating levels of very long-chain saturated fatty acids.}, journal = {J Lipid Res}, volume = {56}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Jan}, pages = {176-84}, abstract = {

Very long-chain saturated fatty acids (VLSFAs) are saturated fatty acids with 20 or more carbons. In contrast to the more abundant saturated fatty acids, such as palmitic acid, there is growing evidence that circulating VLSFAs may have beneficial biological properties. Whether genetic factors influence circulating levels of VLSFAs is not known. We investigated the association of common genetic variation with plasma phospholipid/erythrocyte levels of three VLSFAs by performing genome-wide association studies in seven population-based cohorts comprising 10,129 subjects of European ancestry. We observed associations of circulating VLSFA concentrations with common variants in two genes, serine palmitoyl-transferase long-chain base subunit 3 (SPTLC3), a gene involved in the rate-limiting step of de novo sphingolipid synthesis, and ceramide synthase 4 (CERS4). The SPTLC3 variant at rs680379 was associated with higher arachidic acid (20:0 , P = 5.81 {\texttimes} 10(-13)). The CERS4 variant at rs2100944 was associated with higher levels of 20:0 (P = 2.65 {\texttimes} 10(-40)) and in analyses that adjusted for 20:0, with lower levels of behenic acid (P = 4.22 {\texttimes} 10(-26)) and lignoceric acid (P = 3.20 {\texttimes} 10(-21)). These novel associations suggest an inter-relationship of circulating VLSFAs and sphingolipid synthesis.

}, keywords = {Cohort Studies, Fatty Acids, Genetic Loci, Genetic Variation, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans}, issn = {1539-7262}, doi = {10.1194/jlr.M052456}, author = {Lemaitre, Rozenn N and King, Irena B and Kabagambe, Edmond K and Wu, Jason H Y and McKnight, Barbara and Manichaikul, Ani and Guan, Weihua and Sun, Qi and Chasman, Daniel I and Foy, Millennia and Wang, Lu and Zhu, Jingwen and Siscovick, David S and Tsai, Michael Y and Arnett, Donna K and Psaty, Bruce M and Djouss{\'e}, Luc and Chen, Yii-der I and Tang, Weihong and Weng, Lu-Chen and Wu, Hongyu and Jensen, Majken K and Chu, Audrey Y and Jacobs, David R and Rich, Stephen S and Mozaffarian, Dariush and Steffen, Lyn and Rimm, Eric B and Hu, Frank B and Ridker, Paul M and Fornage, Myriam and Friedlander, Yechiel} } @article {6685, title = {Genetic loci associated with circulating phospholipid trans fatty acids: a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies from the CHARGE Consortium.}, journal = {Am J Clin Nutr}, volume = {101}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Feb}, pages = {398-406}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Circulating trans fatty acids (TFAs), which cannot be synthesized by humans, are linked to adverse health outcomes. Although TFAs are obtained from diet, little is known about subsequent influences (e.g., relating to incorporation, metabolism, or intercompetition with other fatty acids) that could alter circulating concentrations and possibly modulate or mediate impacts on health.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to elucidate novel biologic pathways that may influence circulating TFAs by evaluating associations between common genetic variation and TFA biomarkers.

DESIGN: We performed meta-analyses using 7 cohorts of European-ancestry participants (n = 8013) having measured genome-wide variation in single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and circulating TFA biomarkers (erythrocyte or plasma phospholipids), including trans-16:1n-7, total trans-18:1, trans/cis-18:2, cis/trans-18:2, and trans/trans-18:2. We further evaluated SNPs with genome-wide significant associations among African Americans (n = 1082), Chinese Americans (n = 669), and Hispanic Americans (n = 657) from 2 of these cohorts.

RESULTS: Among European-ancestry participants, 31 SNPs in or near the fatty acid desaturase (FADS) 1 and 2 cluster were associated with cis/trans-18:2; a top hit was rs174548 (β = 0.0035, P = 4.90 {\texttimes} 10(-15)), an SNP previously associated with circulating n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations. No significant association was identified for other TFAs. rs174548 in FADS1/2 was also associated with cis/trans-18:2 in Hispanic Americans (β = 0.0053, P = 1.05 {\texttimes} 10(-6)) and Chinese Americans (β = 0.0028, P = 0.002) but not African Americans (β = 0.0009, P = 0.34); however, in African Americans, fine mapping identified a top hit in FADS2 associated with cis/trans-18:2 (rs174579: β = 0.0118, P = 4.05 {\texttimes} 10(-5)). The association between rs174548 and cis/trans-18:2 remained significant after further adjustment for individual circulating n-3 and n-6 fatty acids, except arachidonic acid. After adjustment for arachidonic acid concentrations, the association between rs174548 and cis/trans-18:2 was nearly eliminated in European-ancestry participants (β-coefficient reduced by 86\%), with similar reductions in Hispanic Americans and Chinese Americans.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide novel evidence for genetic regulation of cis/trans-18:2 by the FADS1/2 cluster and suggest that this regulation may be influenced/mediated by concentrations of arachidonic acid, an n-6 polyunsaturated fat.

}, keywords = {African Americans, Arachidonic Acid, Asian Americans, Biomarkers, European Continental Ancestry Group, Fatty Acids, Omega-6, Gene Frequency, Genetic Association Studies, Genetic Loci, Genotyping Techniques, Humans, Phospholipids, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Trans Fatty Acids}, issn = {1938-3207}, doi = {10.3945/ajcn.114.094557}, author = {Mozaffarian, Dariush and Kabagambe, Edmond K and Johnson, Catherine O and Lemaitre, Rozenn N and Manichaikul, Ani and Sun, Qi and Foy, Millennia and Wang, Lu and Wiener, Howard and Irvin, Marguerite R and Rich, Stephen S and Wu, Hongyu and Jensen, Majken K and Chasman, Daniel I and Chu, Audrey Y and Fornage, Myriam and Steffen, Lyn and King, Irena B and McKnight, Barbara and Psaty, Bruce M and Djouss{\'e}, Luc and Chen, Ida Y-D and Wu, Jason H Y and Siscovick, David S and Ridker, Paul M and Tsai, Michael Y and Rimm, Eric B and Hu, Frank B and Arnett, Donna K} } @article {6929, title = {Associations of Plasma Phospholipid SFAs with Total and Cause-Specific Mortality in Older Adults Differ According to SFA Chain Length.}, journal = {J Nutr}, volume = {146}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Feb}, pages = {298-305}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Not much is known about the relations of circulating saturated fatty acids (SFAs), which are influenced by both metabolic and dietary determinants, with total and cause-specific mortality.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the associations of plasma phospholipid SFAs with total and cause-specific mortality among 3941 older adults from the Cardiovascular Health Study, a population-based prospective study of adults aged >=65 y who were followed from 1992 through 2011.

METHODS: The relations of total and cause-specific mortality with plasma phospholipid palmitic acid (16:0), stearic acid (18:0), arachidic acid (20:0), behenic acid (22:0), and lignoceric acid (24:0) were assessed using Cox proportional hazards models.

RESULTS: During 45,450 person-years of follow-up, 3134 deaths occurred. Higher concentrations of the plasma phospholipid SFAs 18:0, 22:0, and 24:0 were associated with a lower risk of total mortality [multivariable-adjusted HRs (95\% CIs)] for the top compared with the bottom quintile: 0.85 (0.75, 0.95) for 18:0; 0.85 (0.75, 0.95) for 22:0; and 0.80 (0.71, 0.90) for 24:0. In contrast, plasma 16:0 concentrations in the highest quintile were associated with a higher risk of total mortality compared with concentrations in the lowest quintile [1.25 (1.11, 1.41)]. We also found no association of plasma phospholipid 20:0 with total mortality.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the associations of plasma phospholipid SFAs with the risk of death differ according to SFA chain length and support future studies to better characterize the determinants of circulating SFAs and to explore the mechanisms underlying these relations.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Cause of Death, Diet, Dietary Fats, Eicosanoic Acids, Fatty Acids, Female, Humans, Male, Mortality, Palmitic Acid, Phospholipids, Prospective Studies, Risk Factors, Stearic Acids}, issn = {1541-6100}, doi = {10.3945/jn.115.222117}, author = {Fretts, Amanda M and Mozaffarian, Dariush and Siscovick, David S and King, Irena B and McKnight, Barbara and Psaty, Bruce M and Rimm, Eric B and Sitlani, Colleen and Sacks, Frank M and Song, Xiaoling and Sotoodehnia, Nona and Spiegelman, Donna and Lemaitre, Rozenn N} } @article {7004, title = {Genome-Wide Association Study for Incident Myocardial Infarction and Coronary Heart Disease in Prospective Cohort Studies: The CHARGE Consortium.}, journal = {PLoS One}, volume = {11}, year = {2016}, month = {2016}, pages = {e0144997}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Data are limited on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for incident coronary heart disease (CHD). Moreover, it is not known whether genetic variants identified to date also associate with risk of CHD in a prospective setting.

METHODS: We performed a two-stage GWAS analysis of incident myocardial infarction (MI) and CHD in a total of 64,297 individuals (including 3898 MI cases, 5465 CHD cases). SNPs that passed an arbitrary threshold of 5{\texttimes}10-6 in Stage I were taken to Stage II for further discovery. Furthermore, in an analysis of prognosis, we studied whether known SNPs from former GWAS were associated with total mortality in individuals who experienced MI during follow-up.

RESULTS: In Stage I 15 loci passed the threshold of 5{\texttimes}10-6; 8 loci for MI and 8 loci for CHD, for which one locus overlapped and none were reported in previous GWAS meta-analyses. We took 60 SNPs representing these 15 loci to Stage II of discovery. Four SNPs near QKI showed nominally significant association with MI (p-value<8.8{\texttimes}10-3) and three exceeded the genome-wide significance threshold when Stage I and Stage II results were combined (top SNP rs6941513: p = 6.2{\texttimes}10-9). Despite excellent power, the 9p21 locus SNP (rs1333049) was only modestly associated with MI (HR = 1.09, p-value = 0.02) and marginally with CHD (HR = 1.06, p-value = 0.08). Among an inception cohort of those who experienced MI during follow-up, the risk allele of rs1333049 was associated with a decreased risk of subsequent mortality (HR = 0.90, p-value = 3.2{\texttimes}10-3).

CONCLUSIONS: QKI represents a novel locus that may serve as a predictor of incident CHD in prospective studies. The association of the 9p21 locus both with increased risk of first myocardial infarction and longer survival after MI highlights the importance of study design in investigating genetic determinants of complex disorders.

}, keywords = {Aged, Cohort Studies, Cooperative Behavior, Coronary Artery Disease, Female, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Myocardial Infarction, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Prospective Studies}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0144997}, author = {Dehghan, Abbas and Bis, Joshua C and White, Charles C and Smith, Albert Vernon and Morrison, Alanna C and Cupples, L Adrienne and Trompet, Stella and Chasman, Daniel I and Lumley, Thomas and V{\"o}lker, Uwe and Buckley, Brendan M and Ding, Jingzhong and Jensen, Majken K and Folsom, Aaron R and Kritchevsky, Stephen B and Girman, Cynthia J and Ford, Ian and D{\"o}rr, Marcus and Salomaa, Veikko and Uitterlinden, Andr{\'e} G and Eiriksdottir, Gudny and Vasan, Ramachandran S and Franceschini, Nora and Carty, Cara L and Virtamo, Jarmo and Demissie, Serkalem and Amouyel, Philippe and Arveiler, Dominique and Heckbert, Susan R and Ferrieres, Jean and Ducimetiere, Pierre and Smith, Nicholas L and Wang, Ying A and Siscovick, David S and Rice, Kenneth M and Wiklund, Per-Gunnar and Taylor, Kent D and Evans, Alun and Kee, Frank and Rotter, Jerome I and Karvanen, Juha and Kuulasmaa, Kari and Heiss, Gerardo and Kraft, Peter and Launer, Lenore J and Hofman, Albert and Markus, Marcello R P and Rose, Lynda M and Silander, Kaisa and Wagner, Peter and Benjamin, Emelia J and Lohman, Kurt and Stott, David J and Rivadeneira, Fernando and Harris, Tamara B and Levy, Daniel and Liu, Yongmei and Rimm, Eric B and Jukema, J Wouter and V{\"o}lzke, Henry and Ridker, Paul M and Blankenberg, Stefan and Franco, Oscar H and Gudnason, Vilmundur and Psaty, Bruce M and Boerwinkle, Eric and O{\textquoteright}Donnell, Christopher J} } @article {7147, title = {Genomewide meta-analysis identifies loci associated with IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels with impact on age-related traits.}, journal = {Aging Cell}, volume = {15}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Oct}, pages = {811-24}, abstract = {

The growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis can be manipulated in animal models to promote longevity, and IGF-related proteins including IGF-I and IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) have also been implicated in risk of human diseases including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. Through genomewide association study of up to 30~884 adults of European ancestry from 21 studies, we confirmed and extended the list of previously identified loci associated with circulating IGF-I and IGFBP-3 concentrations (IGF1, IGFBP3, GCKR, TNS3, GHSR, FOXO3, ASXL2, NUBP2/IGFALS, SORCS2, and CELSR2). Significant sex interactions, which were characterized by different genotype-phenotype associations between men and women, were found only for associations of IGFBP-3 concentrations with SNPs at the loci IGFBP3 and SORCS2. Analyses of SNPs, gene expression, and protein levels suggested that interplay between IGFBP3 and genes within the NUBP2 locus (IGFALS and HAGH) may affect circulating IGF-I and IGFBP-3 concentrations. The IGF-I-decreasing allele of SNP rs934073, which is an eQTL of ASXL2, was associated with lower adiposity and higher likelihood of survival beyond 90~years. The known longevity-associated variant rs2153960 (FOXO3) was observed to be a genomewide significant SNP for IGF-I concentrations. Bioinformatics analysis suggested enrichment of putative regulatory elements among these IGF-I- and IGFBP-3-associated loci, particularly of rs646776 at CELSR2. In conclusion, this study identified several loci associated with circulating IGF-I and IGFBP-3 concentrations and provides clues to the potential role of the IGF axis in mediating effects of known (FOXO3) and novel (ASXL2) longevity-associated loci.

}, issn = {1474-9726}, doi = {10.1111/acel.12490}, author = {Teumer, Alexander and Qi, Qibin and Nethander, Maria and Aschard, Hugues and Bandinelli, Stefania and Beekman, Marian and Berndt, Sonja I and Bidlingmaier, Martin and Broer, Linda and Cappola, Anne and Ceda, Gian Paolo and Chanock, Stephen and Chen, Ming-Huei and Chen, Tai C and Chen, Yii-Der Ida and Chung, Jonathan and Del Greco Miglianico, Fabiola and Eriksson, Joel and Ferrucci, Luigi and Friedrich, Nele and Gnewuch, Carsten and Goodarzi, Mark O and Grarup, Niels and Guo, Tingwei and Hammer, Elke and Hayes, Richard B and Hicks, Andrew A and Hofman, Albert and Houwing-Duistermaat, Jeanine J and Hu, Frank and Hunter, David J and Husemoen, Lise L and Isaacs, Aaron and Jacobs, Kevin B and Janssen, Joop A M J L and Jansson, John-Olov and Jehmlich, Nico and Johnson, Simon and Juul, Anders and Karlsson, Magnus and Kilpel{\"a}inen, Tuomas O and Kovacs, Peter and Kraft, Peter and Li, Chao and Linneberg, Allan and Liu, Yongmei and Loos, Ruth J F and Lorentzon, Mattias and Lu, Yingchang and Maggio, Marcello and M{\"a}gi, Reedik and Meigs, James and Mellstr{\"o}m, Dan and Nauck, Matthias and Newman, Anne B and Pollak, Michael N and Pramstaller, Peter P and Prokopenko, Inga and Psaty, Bruce M and Reincke, Martin and Rimm, Eric B and Rotter, Jerome I and Saint Pierre, Aude and Schurmann, Claudia and Seshadri, Sudha and Sj{\"o}gren, Klara and Slagboom, P Eline and Strickler, Howard D and Stumvoll, Michael and Suh, Yousin and Sun, Qi and Zhang, Cuilin and Svensson, Johan and Tanaka, Toshiko and Tare, Archana and T{\"o}njes, Anke and Uh, Hae-Won and van Duijn, Cornelia M and van Heemst, Diana and Vandenput, Liesbeth and Vasan, Ramachandran S and V{\"o}lker, Uwe and Willems, Sara M and Ohlsson, Claes and Wallaschofski, Henri and Kaplan, Robert C} } @article {7328, title = {Detection of genetic loci associated with plasma fetuin-A: A meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies from the CHARGE Consortium.}, journal = {Hum Mol Genet}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 Apr 03}, abstract = {

Plasma fetuin-A is associated with type 2 diabetes, and AHSG, the gene encoding fetuin-A, has been identified as a susceptibility locus for diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Thus far, unbiased investigations of the genetic determinants of plasma fetuin-A concentrations have not been conducted. We searched for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to fetuin-A concentrations by a genome-wide association study in six population-based studies.We examined the association of fetuin-A levels with \~{} 2.5 million genotyped and imputed SNPs in 9,055 participants of European descent and 2,119 African Americans. In both ethnicities, strongest associations were centered in a region with a high degree of LD near the AHSG locus. Among 136 genome-wide significant (p < 0.05x10-8) SNPs near the AHSG locus, the top SNP was rs4917 (p = 1.27x10-303), a known coding SNP in exon 6 that is associated with a 0.06 g/L (\~{}13\%) lower fetuin-A level. This variant alone explained 14\% of the variation in fetuin-A levels. Analyses conditioned on rs4917 indicated that the strong association with the AHSG locus stems from additional independent associations of multiple variants among European Americans. In conclusion, levels of fetuin-A in plasma are strongly associated with SNPs in its encoding gene, AHSG, but not elsewhere in the genome. Given the strength of the associations observed for multiple independent SNPs, the AHSG gene is an example of a candidate locus suitable for additional investigations including fine mapping to elucidate the biological basis of the findings and further functional experiments to clarify AHSG as a potential therapeutic target.

}, issn = {1460-2083}, doi = {10.1093/hmg/ddx091}, author = {Jensen, Majken K and Jensen, Richard A and Mukamal, Kenneth J and Guo, Xiuqing and Yao, Jie and Sun, Qi and Cornelis, Marilyn and Liu, Yongmei and Chen, Ming-Huei and Kizer, Jorge R and Djouss{\'e}, Luc and Siscovick, David S and Psaty, Bruce M and Zmuda, Joseph M and Rotter, Jerome I and Garcia, Melissa and Harris, Tamara and Chen, Ida and Goodarzi, Mark O and Nalls, Michael A and Keller, Margaux and Arnold, Alice M and Newman, Anne and Hoogeeven, Ron C and Rexrode, Kathryn M and Rimm, Eric B and Hu, Frank B and Vasan, Ramachandran S and Katz, Ronit and Pankow, James S and Ix, Joachim H} } @article {7346, title = {Discovery and fine-mapping of loci associated with monounsaturated fatty acids through trans-ethnic meta-analysis in Chinese and European populations.}, journal = {J Lipid Res}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 Mar 15}, abstract = {

Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) are unsaturated fatty acids with one double bond and are derived from endogenous synthesis and dietary intake. Accumulating evidence has suggested that plasma and erythrocyte MUFA levels were associated with cardiometabolic disorders including cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes (T2D) and metabolic syndrome (MS). Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified seven loci for plasma and erythrocyte palmitoleic acid and oleic acid levels in populations of European origin. To identify additional MUFA-associated loci and the potential causal variant at each locus, we performed ethnic-specific GWAS meta-analyses and trans-ethnic meta-analyses in over 15,000 participants of Chinese- and European-ancestry. We identified novel genome-wide significant associations for vaccenic acid at FADS1/2 and PKD2L1 [log10(Bayes factor)>=8.07] and for gondoic acid at FADS1/2 and GCKR [log10(Bayes factor)>=61619;6.22], and also observed improved fine-mapping resolutions at FADS1/2 and GCKR loci. The greatest improvement was observed at GCKR, where the number of variants in the 99\% credible set was reduced from 16 (covering ~95kb) to five (covering ~20kb, including a missense variant rs1260326) after trans-ethnic meta-analysis. We also confirmed the previously reported associations of PKD2L1, FADS1/2, GCKR and HIF1AN with palmitoleic acid and of FADS1/2 and LPCAT3 with oleic acid in the Chinese-specific GWAS and trans-ethnic meta-analyses. Pathway-based analyses suggested that the identified loci were enriched in unsaturated fatty acids metabolism and signaling pathways. Our findings provided novel insight into the genetic basis relevant to MUFA metabolism and biology.

}, issn = {1539-7262}, doi = {10.1194/jlr.P071860}, author = {Hu, Yao and Tanaka, Toshiko and Zhu, Jingwen and Guan, Weihua and Wu, Jason H Y and Psaty, Bruce M and McKnight, Barbara and King, Irena B and Sun, Qi and Richard, Melissa and Manichaikul, Ani and Frazier-Wood, Alexis C and Kabagambe, Edmond K and Hopkins, Paul N and Ordovas, Jose M and Ferrucci, Luigi and Bandinelli, Stefania and Arnett, Donna K and Chen, Yii-der I and Liang, Shuang and Siscovick, David S and Tsai, Michael Y and Rich, Stephen S and Fornage, Myriam and Hu, Frank B and Rimm, Eric B and Jensen, Majken K and Lemaitre, Rozenn N and Mozaffarian, Dariush and Steffen, Lyn M and Morris, Andrew P and Li, Huaixing and Lin, Xu} } @article {7791, title = {Genome-wide association meta-analysis of circulating odd-numbered chain saturated fatty acids: Results from the CHARGE Consortium.}, journal = {PLoS One}, volume = {13}, year = {2018}, month = {2018}, pages = {e0196951}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Odd-numbered chain saturated fatty acids (OCSFA) have been associated with potential health benefits. Although some OCSFA (e.g., C15:0 and C17:0) are found in meats and dairy products, sources and metabolism of C19:0 and C23:0 are relatively unknown, and the influence of non-dietary determinants, including genetic factors, on circulating levels of OCSFA is not established.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the biological processes that influence circulating levels of OCSFA by investigating associations between genetic variation and OCSFA.

DESIGN: We performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of plasma phospholipid/erythrocyte levels of C15:0, C17:0, C19:0, and C23:0 among 11,494 individuals of European descent. We also investigated relationships between specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the lactase (LCT) gene, associated with adult-onset lactase intolerance, with circulating levels of dairy-derived OCSFA, and evaluated associations of candidate sphingolipid genes with C23:0 levels.

RESULTS: We found no genome-wide significant evidence that common genetic variation is associated with circulating levels of C15:0 or C23:0. In two cohorts with available data, we identified one intronic SNP (rs13361131) in myosin X gene (MYO10) associated with C17:0 level (P = 1.37{\texttimes}10-8), and two intronic SNP (rs12874278 and rs17363566) in deleted in lymphocytic leukemia 1 (DLEU1) region associated with C19:0 level (P = 7.07{\texttimes}10-9). In contrast, when using a candidate-gene approach, we found evidence that three SNPs in LCT (rs11884924, rs16832067, and rs3816088) are associated with circulating C17:0 level (adjusted P = 4{\texttimes}10-2). In addition, nine SNPs in the ceramide synthase 4 (CERS4) region were associated with circulating C23:0 levels (adjusted P<5{\texttimes}10-2).

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that circulating levels of OCSFA may be predominantly influenced by non-genetic factors. SNPs associated with C17:0 level in the LCT gene may reflect genetic influence in dairy consumption or in metabolism of dairy foods. SNPs associated with C23:0 may reflect a role of genetic factors in the synthesis of sphingomyelin.

}, keywords = {Fatty Acids, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans, Introns, Lactase, Myosins, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Sphingomyelins, Sphingosine N-Acyltransferase, Tumor Suppressor Proteins}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0196951}, author = {de Oliveira Otto, Marcia C and Lemaitre, Rozenn N and Sun, Qi and King, Irena B and Wu, Jason H Y and Manichaikul, Ani and Rich, Stephen S and Tsai, Michael Y and Chen, Y D and Fornage, Myriam and Weihua, Guan and Aslibekyan, Stella and Irvin, Marguerite R and Kabagambe, Edmond K and Arnett, Donna K and Jensen, Majken K and McKnight, Barbara and Psaty, Bruce M and Steffen, Lyn M and Smith, Caren E and Riserus, Ulf and Lind, Lars and Hu, Frank B and Rimm, Eric B and Siscovick, David S and Mozaffarian, Dariush} }