RYR3 gene polymorphisms and cardiovascular disease outcomes in the context of antihypertensive treatment.

Nearly one-third of adults in the United States have hypertension, which is associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. The goal of antihypertensive pharmacogenetic research is to enhance understanding of drug response based on the interaction of individual genetic architecture and antihypertensive therapy to improve blood pressure control and ultimately prevent CVD outcomes. In the context of the Genetics of Hypertension Associated Treatment study and using a case-only design, we examined whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms in RYR3 interact with four classes of antihypertensive drugs, particularly the calcium channel blocker amlodipine versus other classes, to modify the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD; fatal CHD and non-fatal myocardial infarction combined) and heart failure (HF) in high-risk hypertensive individuals. RYR3 mediates the mobilization of stored Ca(+2) in cardiac and skeletal muscle to initiate muscle contraction. There was suggestive evidence of pharmacogenetic effects on HF, the strongest of which was for rs877087, with the smallest P-value=0.0005 for the codominant model when comparing amlodipine versus all other treatments. There were no pharmacogenetic effects observed for CHD. The findings reported here for the case-only analysis of the antihypertensive pharmacogenetic effect of RYR3 among 3058 CHD cases and 1940 HF cases show that a hypertensive patient's genetic profile may help predict which medication(s) might better lower CVD risk.

[The ways of harmonization of clinical laboratory measurement techniques].

The results of implementation of different clinical laboratory techniques are to be equal in clinically significant limits to be optimally applied in diagnostics of diseases and treatment of patients. When the results of laboratory tests are not standardized and harmonized for the very same clinical assay the results can be expressed by unmatched numbers. Unfortunately, in some handbooks the values are presented based on the results of application of specific laboratory techniques without considering possibility or likelihood of differences between various techniques. When this is a case, accumulation of data of diferent clinical research studies and working out of clinical handbooks on this basis will be inconsistent. Inadequate understanding of issue that the results of laboratory tests are not standardized and harmonized can lead to incorrect clinical, financial, managerial or technical decisions. The standardization of clinical laboratory techniques was applied to many measurands related to primary referent techniques (standard specimen of pure substance) or/and developed referent measurement techniques. However, harmonization of clinical laboratory techniques for those measurands which are not related any developed measurement techniques is quite problematic due to inadequate determination of measurand, its inadequate analytical specificity, insufficient attention to commutability of referent materials and poor systematic approach to harmonization. To overcome these issues an infrastructure is to be developed to support systematic approach to identification and prioritization of measurands which are to be harmonized on the basis of clinical importance and technical applicability. The management of technical implementation harmonization process for specific measurands.

NYD-SP18 is associated with obesity in the NHLBI Family Heart Study.

OBJECTIVE: The NHLBI Family Heart Study (FHS) genome-wide linkage scan identified a region of chromosome 7q with a logarithm of odds score of 4.9 for body mass index (BMI). DESIGN: We report the results of fine mapping the linkage peak using 1020 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to test for association to obesity in families exhibiting linkage to chromosome 7. Association observed in linked families (284 obese cases/381 controls) was examined in an independent set of unrelated FHS participants (172 obese cases/308 controls) to validate the observed association. Two dichotomous obesity phenotypes were studied based on clinical BMI cutoffs and the sex-specific distribution of both BMI and leptin levels. RESULTS: Using a P-value of 0.01 as criteria for association in the linked families, a P-value of 0.05 as criteria for association in the unrelated sample, and requiring consistency in the direction of the effect of the minor allele between the two samples, we identified two coding SNPs in the NYD-SP18 gene with minor alleles increasing the risk of obesity. Adjustment for exercise, smoking and FTO genotype did not influence the result in linked families, but improved the result in the unrelated sample. Carrying a minor allele of the nonsynonymous SNP rs6971091 conferred an odds ratio of at least 2 for obesity defined by both BMI and leptin levels. CONCLUSION: The effect of the NYD-SP18 SNP on obesity was larger than the effect of FTO in FHS families. Publicly available results from genome-wide association studies support the association between NYD-SP18 and BMI. The NYD-SP18 gene is described as testes development related, but little is known about the gene's function or the mechanism by which it may influence risk for obesity.

The effects of genes implicated in cardiovascular disease on blood pressure response to treatment among treatment-naive hypertensive African Americans in the GenHAT study.

African Americans have the highest prevalence of hypertension in the United States. Blood pressure (BP) control is important to reduce cardiovascular disease-related morbidity and mortality in this ethnic group. Genetic variants have been found to be associated with BP response to treatment. Previous pharmacogenetic studies of BP response to treatment in African Americans suffer limitations of small sample size as well as a limited number of candidate genes, and often focused on one antihypertensive treatment. Using 1131 African-American treatment-naive participants from the Genetics of Hypertension Associated Treatment Study, we examined whether variants in 35 candidate genes might modulate BP response to four different antihypertensive medications, including an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (lisinopril), a calcium channel blocker (amlodipine), and an a-adrenergic blocker (doxazosin) as compared with a thiazide diuretic (chlorthalidone) after 6 months of follow-up. Several suggestive gene by treatment interactions were identified. For example, among participants with two minor alleles of renin rs6681776, diastolic BP response was much improved on doxazosin compared with chlorthalidone (on average -9.49 mm Hg vs -1.70 mm Hg) (P=0.007). Although several suggestive loci were identified, none of the findings passed significance criteria after correction for multiple testing. Given the impact of hypertension and its sequelae in this population, this research highlights the potential for genetic factors to contribute to BP response to treatment. Continued concerted research efforts focused on genetics are needed to improve treatment response in this high-risk group.

Genome-wide linkage analysis of lipids in the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network (HyperGEN) Blood Pressure Study.

Full genome scans were performed for quantitative lipid measurements in 622 African American and 649 white sibling pairs not taking lipid-lowering medications who were ascertained through the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network (HyperGEN) of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Family Blood Pressure Program. Genotypes for 391 markers spaced roughly equally throughout the genome were typed by the NHLBI Mammalian Genotyping Service. Each of the phenotypes was adjusted for covariates within sex and race and then subjected to variance components linkage analysis, which was performed separately within race by using race-specific marker allele frequencies from additional random samples. The highest lod score detected was 2.77 for logarithmically transformed triglyceride (TG) on chromosome 20 (at 28.6 cM) in the African American sibling pairs. The highest score detected in the white sibling pairs was 2.74 for high density lipoprotein cholesterol on chromosome 5 (at 48.2 cM). Although no scores >3.0 were obtained, positive scores were found in several regions that have been reported in other genome scans in the literature. For example, a score of 1.91 for TG was found on chromosome 15 (at 28.8 cM) in white sibling pairs. This score overlaps the positive findings for TG in 2 other genome scans.

Hyperamylasemia following methyl alcohol intoxication. Source and significance.

Methyl alcohol intoxication has been reported to cause hyperamylasemia and pancreatitis. We describe a patient with severe, nonfatal methyl alcohol intoxication who had a rise in serum amylase activity with the level peaked on the second hospital day at tenfold the upper limit of normal. However, isoamylase analysis showed that this striking hyperamylasemia was due to salivary-type amylase. Furthermore, the serum lipase activity remained entirely normal during the peak amylase elevation. Thus, in cases of methyl alcohol intoxication, as in other clinical situations, hyperamylasemia, even when striking, should not be equated with pancreatitis. More specific laboratory tests for pancreatitis should be used before embarking on extensive investigations of the pancreas.

Cholesterol lowering in the elderly. Results of the Cholesterol Reduction in Seniors Program (CRISP) pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Total and lipoprotein cholesterol levels continue to be predictors of coronary heart disease risk in men and women over 65 years old. Cholesterol-lowering trials, however, while sometimes including such subjects, have not concentrated on this age group. The Cholesterol Reduction in Seniors Program was a five-center pilot study to assess feasibility of recruitment and efficacy of cholesterol lowering in this age group. METHODS: The study was a randomized, double-masked clinical trial with placebo, 20-mg lovastatin, and 40-mg lovastatin arms. Major efforts were made to recruit women and minorities. Participants were followed up for 1 year on a cholesterol-lowering diet plus placebo or study drug. End points were changes in blood lipid levels. Data on other blood chemistry values, as well as quality-of-life measures and coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality, were also collected. RESULTS: Four hundred thirty-one subjects with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels greater than 4.1 and less than 5.7 mmol/L (159 and 221 mg/dL) were randomized, of whom 71% were women and 21% were African Americans; the mean age was 71 years. In the 20- and 40-mg lovastatin groups, total cholesterol levels fell 17% and 20%; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels fell 24% and 28%; triglyceride levels fell 4.4% and 9.9%, respectively. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels rose 7.0% and 9.0%, respectively. No changes were observed in the placebo group. Gender, race, and age did not significantly affect responses. Coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality data were collected but not analyzed for this study. CONCLUSION: Older subjects of both genders and a variety of racial and ethnic groups can be successfully recruited into a cholesterol-lowering trial. Lovastatin has effects similar to those reported in younger subjects in previous controlled trials. There is little advantage to the higher lovastatin daily dose. Side effects were remarkably low in all groups.

A prospective study of coronary heart disease in relation to fasting insulin, glucose, and diabetes. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence with diabetes, fasting serum glucose, and insulin in a biracial cohort of middle-aged men and women. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We examined a population-based sample (n = 13,446 free of baseline CHD) from four U.S. communities in 1987-1989. We defined diabetes on the basis of baseline fasting glucose concentration (> or = 7.8 mmol/l), medical history, and current medications. A central laboratory measured fasting insulin with a nonspecific radioimmunoassay. After 4-7 years, 209 men and 96 women developed CHD. RESULTS: After adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, smoking status, ethanol intake, sports participation, and hormone replacement therapy, the relative risk of CHD for people with diabetes versus those without diabetes was 3.45 (95% CI 2.16-5.50) among women and 2.52 (1.78-3.56) among men. Relative risks of CHD with diabetes were somewhat lower in blacks than non-blacks, but because diabetes was more than twice as prevalent in blacks, the percentage of CHD cases attributable to diabetes (population attributable risk) was 27% for black women, 15% for non-black women, 8% for black men, and 12% for non-black men. Among people without diabetes, fasting glucose was not independently associated with CHD incidence. Among women without diabetes, there was a positive association between fasting insulin and CHD; multivariable adjusted relative risks of CHD across quintiles of fasting insulin were 1.00, 0.76, 2.08, 2.08 and 2.82 (P for linear trend = 0.02). However, among men without diabetes, fasting insulin and CHD were not associated. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes conveys a high risk of CHD in black and non-black middle-aged men and women. Fasting insulin, however, is a CHD risk factor only among women in this cohort.

Glycosylated hemoglobin level and carotid intimal-medial thickening in nondiabetic individuals. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

OBJECTIVE: People with diabetes are at increased risk for cardiovascular events. However, questions remain about what role, if any, homeostatic glucose control plays in the development of cardiovascular disease among nondiabetic individuals. We investigated the relationship between HbA1c level and carotid intimal-medial thickening in normoglycemic individuals. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted a case-control study among 208 normoglycemic individuals (fasting glucose < or = 6.4 mmol/l and no history of diabetes) who had carotid initial-medial thickening (case subjects) and 208 normoglycemic control subjects individually matched for age, sex, race, field center, and date of exam. Subjects were free-living men and women, aged 45-64 years at baseline, who participated in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. RESULTS: HbA1c levels, expressed as percent of total hemoglobin, ranged from 4 to 7% and correlated only modestly with single measurements of fasting glucose (r = 0.16) and fasting insulin (r = 0.14). The mean level of HbA1c was 5.18% among case subjects and 5.07% among control subjects (P = 0.004, paired t test). As compared with the first quartile of HbA1c the matched relative odds of being a case were 1.15, 1.33, and 2.30 for the second, third, and fourth quartiles, respectively (P = 0.005 for linear trend). After multivariate adjustment for age, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, BMI, smoking status, hypertension, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, fibrinogen, and education level, the respective relative odds estimates were 0.98, 1.07, and 1.88 (P = 0.16 for linear trend). When modeled linearly as a continuous variable and after adjustment for the above-mentioned covariates, a 1% point increment in HbA1c level was associated with 1.77 greater odds of being a case (95% CI, 0.9-3.5). CONCLUSIONS: These data provide some support to the hypothesis that in the absence of diabetes, homeostatic glycemic control is a risk factor for atherosclerosis.

The effects of several weeks of ethanol consumption on ethanol kinetics in normal men and women.

We examined in normal men and women the effects of chronic ethanol consumption and the coadministration of cimetidine and ranitidine on the kinetics of ethanol. We found that the consumption of 45 gm ethanol per day for 3 weeks increased the apparent volume of distribution of ethanol in men from 732 to 884 ml/kg (P less than 0.01) but had no such effect in women (697 ml/kg before ethanol and 746 ml/kg after chronic ethanol consumption). This combined therapy had no effect on the rate of ethanol disappearance in either sex. In men the rate of disappearance was 165 mg/L/hr before and 168 mg/L/hr after chronic consumption, while in women the respective values were 209 and 203 mg/L/hr. The addition of either cimetidine or ranitidine had no effect on either parameter compared with values observed on day 22 of the study. In view of the known inhibitory effects of cimetidine on cytochrome P-450-dependent enzymes, our data suggest that this enzyme system does not metabolize a significant fraction of ingested ethanol in subjects who have consumed moderate doses of alcohol for several weeks.

Plasma fatty acid composition as an indicator of habitual dietary fat intake in middle-aged adults. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study Investigators.

We compared the plasma fatty acid (FA) composition of the habitual diet, measured by a 66-item semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ), with the corresponding plasma phospholipid and cholesterol ester (CE) FA composition measured by gas chromatography in 3570 free-living, middle-aged adults. Pearson correlations between dietary and plasma FA (expressed as % of total FAs) for phospholipid and CE, respectively, were as follows: saturated FA (r = 0.15 and 0.23), monounsaturated FA (r = 0.05 and 0.01), polyunsaturated FA (r = 0.25, 0.31), linoleic acid (r = 0.22 and 0.28), linolenic acid (r = 0.15 and 0.21), eicosapentaenoic acid (r = 0.20 and 0.23), and docosahexaenoic acid (r = 0.42 and 0.42). The correlations between diet and plasma FAs held relatively constant regardless of whether participants were overweight, had chronic diseases, were alcohol drinkers, or were cigarette smokers. However, at similar reported dietary intakes, the plasma lipid concentration of saturated FAs was higher and/or that of linoleic acid was lower in people with these characteristics compared with those without these characteristics.

Vitamin E concentrations in human blood plasma and platelets.

Vitamin E (tocopherol), cholesterol, triglyceride, and total lipid concentrations were determined in the plasma of 49 healthy, human, male subjects ranging in age from 24 to 91 yr. Tocopherol concentrations in the blood platelets of these subjects were also determined. alpha and gamma tocopherol accounted for nearly all of the vitamin E compounds in plasma and platelet samples. The mean gamma tocopherol concentration was one-fourth of that of alpha in both plasma and platelets. The alpha and gamma tocopherol concentrations in plasma showed statistically significant positive correlations with total lipid, cholesterol, and triglyceride concentrations. However, the platelet alpha and gamma tocopherol concentrations were not significantly correlated with plasma lipid, cholesterol, or triglyceride concentrations. Thus platelet vitamin E concentrations do not passively reflect plasma lipid changes and are postulated to be better indicators of vitamin E nutritional status than plasma tocopherol concentrations.

Relation of plasma phospholipid and cholesterol ester fatty acid composition to carotid artery intima-media thickness: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.

We examined the relation of fatty acid composition of plasma phospholipids and cholesterol esters with carotid artery intima-media thickness (a measure of atherosclerosis) in 2872 white men and women aged 45-64 y from the Minneapolis center of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. In both men and women, average carotid intima-media thickness was associated significantly (P < 0.01) and positively with saturated (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acid composition, and inversely with polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) composition and the ratio of PUFAs to SFAs in both phospholipids and cholesterol esters. These associations were independent of age, cigarette smoking, low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, body mass index, diabetes, and hypertension in men; but in women, only SFAs and PUFAs in the cholesterol esters and the ratio of PUFAs to SFAs were independently associated. The plasma fatty acid pattern is associated with carotid atherosclerosis in a direction generally consistent with the dietary fat-coronary artery disease relation. These results support recommendations to reduce dietary saturated fat to prevent cardiovascular disease.

Short- and long-term repeatability of fatty acid composition of human plasma phospholipids and cholesterol esters. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study Investigators.

We examined short-term and long-term repeatability (reliability) of the fatty acid (FA) composition of plasma phospholipids and cholesterol esters (CEs). For short-term reliability, fasting blood samples of 34 subjects were collected three times, 2 wk apart, and in 24 subjects duplicate samples were collected during each visit. For long-term reliability, two fasting samples were collected in 50 subjects approximately 3 y apart. In both phospholipids and CEs, short-term and long-term reliability coefficients were > 0.65 for the major plasma FAs (16:0, 18:0, 18:2n-6, and 20:4n-6), with the exception of 18:1n-9, but were generally lower for FAs that compose < 1% of total FAs. Reliability tended to be better for CEs than for phospholipids. Method variability was small (< 5% of total variability for most FAs), indicating that biological and dietary variability contribute most to total variability. Plasma FA measurement warrants consideration as a biochemical marker of diet in epidemiologic studies.

Relation between dietary linolenic acid and coronary artery disease in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic studies suggest that a higher consumption of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Studies in humans and animals also reported an inverse association between alpha-linolenic acid and cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE: We examined the relation between dietary linolenic acid and prevalent coronary artery disease (CAD). DESIGN: We studied 4584 participants with a mean (+/-SD) age of 52.1 +/- 13.7 y in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study in a cross-sectional design. Participants' diets were assessed with a semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire. For each sex, we created age- and energy-adjusted quintiles of linolenic acid, and we used logistic regression to estimate prevalent odds ratios for CAD. RESULTS: From the lowest to the highest quintile of linolenic acid, the prevalence odds ratios of CAD were 1.0, 0.77, 0.61, 0.58, and 0.60 for the men (P for trend = 0.012) and 1.0, 0.57, 0.52, 0.30, and 0.42 for the women (P for trend = 0.014) after adjustment for age, linoleic acid, and anthropometric, lifestyle, and metabolic factors. Linoleic acid was also inversely related to the prevalence odds ratios of CAD in the multivariate model (0.60 and 0.61 in the second and third tertiles, respectively) after adjustment for linolenic acid. The combined effect of linoleic and linolenic acids was stronger than the individual effects of either fatty acid. CONCLUSIONS: A higher intake of either linolenic or linoleic acid was inversely related to the prevalence odds ratio of CAD. The 2 fatty acids had synergistic effects on the prevalence odds ratio of CAD.

Lack of association between ferritin level and measures of LDL oxidation: the ARIC study. Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities.

Body iron status has been implicated in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The main hypothesis was that high iron status was associated with increased oxidation of LDL. The associations of serum ferritin (a marker of iron status) and dietary iron intake with the susceptibility of LDL to in vitro oxidation (lag phase) and autoantibodies against MDA-modified LDL (two markers of oxidation stress) were examined among 281 men and 192 women with a mean age of 59 years (S.D. = 5) who participated in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study visit 2 in 1990 through 1992. Lag phase duration and the autoantibodies against MDA-modified LDL were weakly correlated with each other (r = 0.19, P = 0.001 in men; r = 0.15, P = 0.03 in women). In linear regression analysis adjusting for age, field center, blood storage time, and carotid atherosclerosis case-control status, there was no association between ferritin level and the lag-phase, or between ferritin level and autoantibodies against MDA-modified LDL in either sex. Further adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors (smoking, vitamin supplement use, body mass index, LDL cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes) did not alter these null results. Ferritin was significantly and positively correlated with body mass index in both sexes (r = 0.21 among men and r = 0.22 among women) and with the waist-to-hip ratio among women (r = 0.26). In addition, among women, ferritin was positively correlated with orosomucoid (r = 0.24) and with sialic acid (r = 0.19). Dietary iron was not associated with the parameters of LDL oxidation or with ferritin level. These findings do not support a role of body iron stores in promoting oxidation of LDL.

Plasma homocysteine and its association with carotid intimal-medial wall thickness and prevalent coronary heart disease: NHLBI Family Heart Study.

Mildly elevated plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) levels have been associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Carotid artery intimal-medial wall thickening is a predictor of cardiovascular disease and has been previously shown to be positively associated with plasma tHcy in studies of asymptomatic subjects. In the current study we examined 1467 subjects with regard to their fasting plasma tHcy levels and intimal-medial wall thickness as measured by B-mode ultrasound and early onset CHD. The results showed that there is a significant positive association between plasma tHcy levels and carotid-artery wall thickness in participants 55 years or older even after the tHcy levels are adjusted for age, smoking and anti-hypertensive medication. The direction and magnitude of the relationship is similar although the result was not statistically significant in younger participants ( < 55 years). Early onset CHD at any age was not significantly different across the tHcy quintiles. The lack of an association of tHcy and CHD in the presence of a positive association with intimal-medial wall thickening may be a reflection of increased statistical power of quantitative versus qualitative traits. We conclude that the present finding of a positive association between tHcy and intimal-medial wall thickness strengthens the in vitro finding of the stimulating effect of homocysteine on vascular smooth muscle cell growth. Vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation may be an important mechanism through which mildly elevated plasma tHcy promotes atherosclerosis.

Association of plasma bilirubin with coronary heart disease and segregation of bilirubin as a major gene trait: the NHLBI family heart study.

Decreased serum bilirubin levels have been associated with coronary heart disease (CHD). It is believed that bilirubin acts as an antioxidant, preventing formation of oxidized LDL and subsequent atherosclerosis. Serum bilirubin also segregates as a major gene, with the rarer genotype associated with elevated bilirubin levels and occurring in about 12% of the population. Using a large population-based study of random and CHD high risk families, this analysis was designed to replicate the association of lower serum bilirubin levels with early CHD (onset by age 55 for males and 65 for females) using 328 case/control samples and the major gene segregation of bilirubin levels in 555 families. There were significant differences in plasma bilirubin levels between 188 males (12.5 micromol/l) and 140 females (9.3 micromol/l, P<0.0001). Higher serum albumin and lower HDL-C significantly correlated with higher plasma bilirubin levels in females but not males. In sex-specific logistic regression models of early CHD (148 cases and 180 controls), lower plasma bilirubin was associated with increased prevalence of CHD in males with borderline significance (odds ratio=0.93 for a 1 micromol/l increase in bilirubin, P=0.056) but not in females. Bilirubin was found to segregate as a major gene using all 555 families consisting of 1292 individuals, with estimates replicating those in the previously published study. The most parsimonious model was a recessive model for high bilirubin levels that occurred in about 23% of the population. The means were separated by 1.7 standard deviations and there was a significant polygenic effect (h2=0.33, P=0.0009). We conclude that decreased bilirubin is mildly related to CHD in males but not in females. Because of an inverse correlation between HDL-C and bilirubin, the protective high HDL-C levels may have counteracted the CHD risk associated with lower bilirubin levels in females. The inferred major gene for bilirubin may protect against CHD, since elevated levels, rather than lower levels, were associated with this inferred gene.

Plasma phospholipid fatty acid composition and factor VII coagulant activity.

Plasma phospholipid fatty acid composition reflects, to a moderate degree, the fatty acid composition of the diet. To determine whether plasma phospholipid fatty acid composition might influence factor VII coagulant activity (factor VIIc), we examined 2207 middle-aged adults free of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Factor VIIc was associated positively with the percentage of fatty acids that was saturated, and it was associated negatively with the linoleic acid percentage and the phospholipid polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio. For example, a 1.9% greater saturated fatty acid level was associated with approximately a 5% higher factor VIIc. These results suggest a role for dietary fat composition, or related dietary patterns, in determining levels of factor VIIc.

Familial and genetic determinants of systemic markers of inflammation: the NHLBI family heart study.

Inflammation is thought to play a central role in the etiology and outcome of atherosclerosis. Animal studies as well as in vitro and in vivo human studies suggest that host factors modulate the magnitude and extent of inflammatory responses. We investigated familial aggregation of three systemic markers of inflammation (C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count (WBC), and albumin) in a large, cross-sectional study conducted in four US communities. We found evidence of substantial heritability (35-40%) for CRP levels as well as for WBC and albumin levels. Negligible spouse correlations suggested little influence of shared household environment on these traits. The combination of sociodemographic factors (age, center, education), behavioral and lifestyle factors (cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, hormone replacement therapy), obesity and fat patterning, and prevalent diabetes explained 13-30% the interindividual variability of these traits. There was no evidence that these inflammation phenotypes were linked to a microsatellite marker in the interleukin-1 gene cluster on chromosome 2q, a region that includes several candidate genes for chronic inflammatory diseases. Our findings suggest that CRP levels, albumin levels, and WBC are determined at least partially by genetic factors. Further efforts to identify gene loci affecting these traits are warranted.