Cardiovascular Risk Factors Among First-Degree Relatives of Patients with Premature Cardiovascular Disease in Malta. Baseline Findings from the CRISO Project.

Purpose: A family history of premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) confers a greater risk of developing ASCVD. However, the prevalence of ASCVD risk factors among asymptomatic Maltese adults with parental or fraternal history of premature ASCVD is unknown. The study aimed to evaluate and compare their risk with the general population. Patients and Methods: Posters to market the project were distributed in cardiac rehabilitation areas. Patients with premature cardiovascular disease facilitated recruitment by informing their relatives about the project. Medical doctors and cardiac rehabilitation nurses referred first-degree relatives. Posters were put up in community pharmacies, and an explanatory video clip was shared on social media for interested individuals to contact researchers. Those eligible were enrolled in a preventive cardiology lifestyle intervention. Their data were compared with the risk in the general population. Results: Many first-degree relatives had a suboptimal risk profile, with 60% (N = 89) having a total cholesterol level of >5.0 mmol/L; 54% having a low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level of >3 mmol/L; 70.5% being overweight/obese, with 62% having a waist circumference greater than the recommended values; 34.8% having hypertension; 56.2% being inadequately adherent to the Mediterranean diet; 62% being underactive, with 18% being sedentary; and 25.8% being smokers. First-degree relatives had significantly higher proportions of underactive lifestyle (p = 0.00016), high body mass index (>25kg/m2) (p = 0.006), and systolic blood pressure (p = 0.001) than the general population, with 30% having metabolic syndrome. Conclusion: This study determined the prevalence of lifestyle, biochemical, physiological, and anthropometric cardiovascular risk factors among asymptomatic first-degree relatives of Maltese patients with premature ASCVD. First-degree relatives had considerable prevalences of an underactive lifestyle, hypertension, and obesity, suggesting better screening and early risk factor intervention are needed to modify their risk of ASCVD.

This study was done to evaluate factors that can increase the risk of heart disease in siblings and offspring of Maltese patients who developed atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) at a young age. Relatives were invited to meetings during which a risk evaluation was performed. The researchers found that relatives had a high prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors, meaning they were at increased risk of developing the disease. The researchers have concluded that reducing the risk of ASCVD in individuals at increased risk requires developing and testing potentially sustainable risk factor modification strategies.

THE EFFECT OF NUTRITIONAL GENOMICS ON CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM.

The idea that obesity and cardiovascular diseases together are considered for a sizable share of adult global morbidity and mortality is supported by epidemiological data. They have intricate systems in which environmental and genetic variables interact, including nutrition. As an environmental component, nutrition has a major and well-known role in managing health and preventing obesity and disorders connected to obesity, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). Nonetheless, people with the same food pattern but obese exhibit a notable difference in CVD. This variance might be explained by the various genetic polymorphisms which gave rise to the field of nutrigenetics. The discipline known as nutritional genomics, or nutrigenetics, examines and describes gene variants linked to varying reactions to particular nutrients and links these variations to various disorders, including obesity-related cardiovascular disease (CVD). Therefore, tailored nutrition advice depending on a person's genetic background could enhance the results of a particular dietary intervention and offer a novel dietary technique to enhance health by lowering obesity and cardiovascular disease. With these suppositions, it seems reasonable to assume that understanding food and gene interactions will provide more targeted and efficacious dietary treatments in preventing obesity and CVD by nutrigenetics-based personalized nutrition. In addition to elucidating the connection between diet and gene expression and the major nutrition-related genes involved in obesity and CVD, this research seeks to provide a concise summary of the greater significant genes linked to obesity and CVD.

A Comparison of 5 Measures of Accelerated Biological Aging and Their Association With Incident Cardiovascular Disease: The CARDIA Study.

BACKGROUND: Accelerated biological aging is an increasingly popular way to track the acceleration of biology over time that may not be captured by calendar time. Biological aging has been linked to external and internal chronic stressors and has the potential to be used clinically to understand a person's personalized functioning and predict future disease. We compared the association of different measures of biological aging and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) overall and by race. METHODS AND RESULTS: We used multiple informants models to compare the strength of clinical marker-derived age acceleration, 5 measures of epigenetic age acceleration (intrinsic and extrinsic epigenetic age acceleration, GrimAge acceleration, and PhenoAge acceleration), and 1 established clinical predictor of future CVD, Framingham 10-year risk score, with incident CVD over an 11-year period (2007-2018). Participants were 913 self-identified Black or White (41% and 59%, respectively) female or male (51% and 49%, respectively) individuals enrolled in the US-based CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) cohort study. The analytic baseline for this study was the 20-year follow-up examination (2005-2006; median age 45 years). We also included race-specific analysis. We found that all measures were modestly correlated with one another. However, clinical marker-derived age acceleration and Framingham 10-year risk score were more strongly associated with incident CVD than all the epigenetic measures. Clinical marker-derived age acceleration and Framingham 10-year risk score were not significantly different than one another in their association with incident CVD. CONCLUSIONS: The type of accelerated aging measure should be taken into consideration when comparing their association with clinical outcomes. A multisystem clinical composite shows associations with incident CVD equally to a well-known clinical predictor.

Serum albumin and cardiovascular disease: a Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: An increasing body of evidence suggests that serum albumin levels play a role in cardiovascular diseases. However, the specific causal relationship between serum albumin levels and cardiovascular disease remains partially unknown. METHODS: Mendelian randomization (MR) was employed in this study to examine potential causal relationships between instrumental variables and cardiovascular diseases. Specifically, we utilized genetic variants of serum albumin levels within the reference range as our instrumental variables. To acquire data on genetic associations with cardiovascular diseases, we sourced information from renowned genome-wide association studies such as UK BioBank, EMBL-EBI, and FinnGen. Notably, our study leveraged summary statistics from large cohorts that have been previously described. RESULTS: We explored the association between serum albumin levels and various conditions, including heart failure (HF), venous thromboembolism (VTE), stroke, atrial fibrillation (AF), coronary artery disease (CAD), type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and pulmonary heart disease (PHD). Genetically predicted serum albumin levels were associated with PHD (odds ratio = 0.737, 95% CI = 0.622 - 0.874, P < 0.001), AF (odds ratio = 0.922, 95% CI = 0.870 - 0.977, P = 0.006), VTE (odds ratio = 0.993, 95% CI = 0.991 - 0.995, P < 0.001), and Stroke (odds ratio = 0.997, 95% CI = 0.995 - 0.999, P = 0.002). However, genetically predicted serum albumin level traits were not associated with HF, CAD and T2DM. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates a significant association between serum albumin levels and cardiovascular disease, underscoring the crucial role of low serum albumin as a predictive factor in patients with cardiovascular disease.

State of Gene Therapy for Monogenic Cardiovascular Diseases.

Over the past 2 decades, significant efforts have been made to advance gene therapy into clinical practice. Although successful examples exist in other fields, gene therapy for the treatment of monogenic cardiovascular diseases lags behind. In this review, we (1) highlight a brief history of gene therapy, (2) distinguish between gene silencing, gene replacement, and gene editing technologies, (3) discuss vector modalities used in the field with a special focus on adeno-associated viruses, (4) provide examples of gene therapy approaches in cardiomyopathies, channelopathies, and familial hypercholesterolemia, and (5) present current challenges and limitations in the gene therapy field.

Characterizing the polygenic overlap and shared loci between rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular diseases.

BACKGROUND: Despite substantial research revealing that patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have excessive morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the mechanism underlying this association has not been fully known. This study aims to systematically investigate the phenotypic and genetic correlation between RA and CVD. METHODS: Based on UK Biobank, we conducted two cohort studies to evaluate the phenotypic relationships between RA and CVD, including atrial fibrillation (AF), coronary artery disease (CAD), heart failure (HF), and stroke. Next, we used linkage disequilibrium score regression, Local Analysis of [co]Variant Association, and bivariate causal mixture model (MiXeR) methods to examine the genetic correlation and polygenic overlap between RA and CVD, using genome-wide association summary statistics. Furthermore, we explored specific shared genetic loci by conjunctional false discovery rate analysis and association analysis based on subsets. RESULTS: Compared with the general population, RA patients showed a higher incidence of CVD (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.21, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.15-1.28). We observed positive genetic correlations of RA with AF and stroke, and a mixture of negative and positive local genetic correlations underlying the global genetic correlation for CAD and HF, with 13 ~ 33% of shared genetic variants for these trait pairs. We further identified 23 pleiotropic loci associated with RA and at least one CVD, including one novel locus (rs7098414, TSPAN14, 10q23.1). Genes mapped to these shared loci were enriched in immune and inflammatory-related pathways, and modifiable risk factors, such as high diastolic blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed the shared genetic architecture of RA and CVD, which may facilitate drug target identification and improved clinical management.

Association of a genetic variant in angiopoietin-like 3 with serum HDL-C and risk of cardiovascular disease: A study of the MASHAD cohort over 6 years.

BACKGROUND: Loss-of-function (LOF) variants of the angiopoietin-like 3 (ANGPTL3) gene are reported to be associated with serum triglyceride (TG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations and thereby affect the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). OBJECTIVE: In the present study, we examined the association of rs10789117 in the ANGPTL 3 gene locus and the risk of CVD in the group of people who were part of the Mashhad-Stroke and Heart-Atherosclerotic-Disorders (MASHAD) cohort. METHODS: One thousand and two healthy individuals enrolled in this study of whom 849 subjects were healthy and 153 subjects developed CVD outcomes after 6 years of follow-up. After a 12-h overnight fasting, 20 mL of blood samples were collected for the measurement of fasting blood glucose and lipid profile. DNA was extracted, and the Tetra-ARMS PCR (amplification refractory mutation system) was used for genotyping of rs10789117 in the ANGPTL3 gene. The genotype frequencies of the variant of rs10789117 in the ANGPTL3 gene were estimated using χ2 tests. Eventually, the statistical analysis was done by SPSS version 20. RESULTS: Individuals with AC/CC genotypes (rs10789117) were found to have to greater risk of CVD events compared to AA genotype (OR = 1.43, 95%CI = 1.01-2.02, p = 0.041). There was a 1.3-fold increase in cardiovascular events in individuals carrying the C allele of rs10789117 variant compared to non-carriers (OR = 1.32, 95%CI = 1.06-1.72, p value = 0.038). There were significant differences between different genotypes for serum triglyceride levels within the control group, but this difference was not significant in the group with CVD. Moreover, there was a significant association between CC genotype and CVD risk in the individuals with a normal serum HDL-C. CONCLUSION: We have found that a rs10789117 C>A in ANGPTL3 gene polymorphism was associated with incident CVD events, and this may be of value as a risk stratification biomarker in CVD in the Iranian population.

The Senescent Heart-"Age Doth Wither Its Infinite Variety".

Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality world-wide. While many factors like smoking, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, a sedentary lifestyle, and genetic factors can predispose to cardiovascular diseases, the natural process of aging is by itself a major determinant of the risk. Cardiac aging is marked by a conglomerate of cellular and molecular changes, exacerbated by age-driven decline in cardiac regeneration capacity. Although the phenotypes of cardiac aging are well characterised, the underlying molecular mechanisms are far less explored. Recent advances unequivocally link cardiovascular aging to the dysregulation of critical signalling pathways in cardiac fibroblasts, which compromises the critical role of these cells in maintaining the structural and functional integrity of the myocardium. Clearly, the identification of cardiac fibroblast-specific factors and mechanisms that regulate cardiac fibroblast function in the senescent myocardium is of immense importance. In this regard, recent studies show that Discoidin domain receptor 2 (DDR2), a collagen-activated receptor tyrosine kinase predominantly located in cardiac fibroblasts, has an obligate role in cardiac fibroblast function and cardiovascular fibrosis. Incisive studies on the molecular basis of cardiovascular aging and dysregulated fibroblast function in the senescent heart would pave the way for effective strategies to mitigate cardiovascular diseases in a rapidly growing elderly population.

Non-Coding RNA-Targeted Therapy: A State-of-the-Art Review.

The use of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) as drug targets is being researched due to their discovery and their role in disease. Targeting ncRNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), is an attractive approach for treating various diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. This seminar discusses the current status of ncRNAs as therapeutic targets in different pathological conditions. Regarding miRNA-based drugs, this approach has made significant progress in preclinical and clinical testing for cardiovascular diseases, where the limitations of conventional pharmacotherapy are evident. The challenges of miRNA-based drugs, including specificity, delivery, and tolerability, will be discussed. New approaches to improve their success will be explored. Furthermore, it extensively discusses the potential development of targeted therapies for cardiovascular disease. Finally, this document reports on the recent advances in identifying and characterizing microRNAs, manipulating them, and translating them into clinical applications. It also addresses the challenges and perspectives towards clinical application.

Causal associations of particulate matter 2.5 and cardiovascular disease: A two-sample mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: According to epidemiological studies, particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) is a significant contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, making causal inferences is difficult due to the methodological constraints of observational studies. In this study, we used two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) to examine the causal relationship between PM 2.5 and the risk of CVD. METHODS: Genome-wide association study (GWAS) statistics for PM2.5 and CVD were collected from the FinnGen and UK Biobanks. Mendelian randomization analyses were applied to explore the causal effects of PM2.5 on CVD by selecting single-nucleotide polymorphisms(SNP) as instrumental variables. RESULTS: The results revealed that a causal effect was observed between PM2.5 and coronary artery disease(IVW: OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.35, 3.14), and hypertension(IVW: OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.03, 1.12). On the contrary, no causal effect was observed between PM2.5 and myocardial infarction(IVW: OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.44, 1.22), heart failure(IVW: OR 1.54, 95% CI 0.96, 2.47), atrial fibrillation(IVW: OR 1.03, 95% CI 0.71, 1.48), and ischemic stroke (IS)(IVW: OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.54, 1.77). CONCLUSION: We discovered that there is a causal link between PM2.5 and coronary artery disease and hypertension in the European population, using MR methods. Our discovery may have the significance of public hygiene to improve the understanding of air quality and CVD risk.

Harnessing RNA Interference for Cholesterol Lowering: The Bench-to-Bedside Story of Inclisiran.

Lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a cornerstone of reducing risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Despite the approval of nonstatin therapies for LDL-C lowering over the past 2 decades, these medications are underused, and most patients are still not at guideline-recommended LDL-C goals. Barriers include poor adherence, clinical inertia, concern for side effects, cost, and complex prior authorization processes. With atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease-related mortality increasing globally, there remains a need for additional therapeutic options for lowering LDL-C as part of an atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease prevention strategy. Following the identification of PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9) as a promising therapeutic target, inclisiran was developed using the natural process of RNA interference for robust, sustained prevention of hepatic PCSK9 synthesis. Twice-yearly maintenance subcutaneous inclisiran (following initial loading doses at Day 1 and Day 90) reduces circulating LDL-C levels by ≈50% versus placebo when added to maximally tolerated statins. Long-term safety and tolerability of inclisiran have been assessed, with studies underway to evaluate the effects of inclisiran on cardiovascular outcomes and to provide additional safety and effectiveness data. In 2021, <20 years after the discovery of PCSK9, inclisiran became the first RNA interference therapeutic approved in the United States for LDL-C lowering in patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or familial hypercholesterolemia and has since been approved for use in patients with primary hyperlipidemia. This article reviews the journey of inclisiran from bench to bedside, including early development, the clinical trial program, key characteristics of inclisiran, and practical points for its use in the clinic.

Regional Variation in Cardiovascular Genes Enables a Tractable Genome Editing Strategy.

BACKGROUND: To realize the potential of genome engineering therapeutics, tractable strategies must be identified that balance personalized therapy with the need for off-the-shelf availability. We hypothesized that regional clustering of pathogenic variants can inform the design of rational prime editing therapeutics to treat the majority of genetic cardiovascular diseases with a limited number of reagents. METHODS: We collated 2435 high-confidence pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants in 82 cardiovascular disease genes from ClinVar. We assessed the regional density of these variants by defining a regional clustering index. We then combined a highly active base editor with prime editing to demonstrate the feasibility of a P/LP hotspot-directed genome engineering therapeutic strategy in vitro. RESULTS: P/LP variants in cardiovascular disease genes display higher regional density than rare variants found in the general population. P/LP missense variants displayed higher average regional density than P/LP truncating variants. Following hypermutagenesis at a pathogenic hotspot, mean prime editing efficiency across introduced variants was 57±27%. CONCLUSIONS: Designing therapeutics that target pathogenic hotspots will not only address known missense P/LP variants but also novel P/LP variants identified in these hotspots as well. Moreover, the clustering of P/LP missense rather than truncating variants in these hotspots suggests that prime editing technology is particularly valuable for dominant negative disease. Although prime editing technology in relation to cardiac health continues to improve, this study presents an approach to targeting the most impactful regions of the genome for inherited cardiovascular disease.

A bioinformatics approach to elucidate conserved genes and pathways in C. elegans as an animal model for cardiovascular research.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a collective term for disorders of the heart and blood vessels. The molecular events and biochemical pathways associated with CVD are difficult to study in clinical settings on patients and in vitro conditions. Animal models play a pivotal and indispensable role in CVD research. Caenorhabditis elegans, a nematode species, has emerged as a prominent experimental organism widely utilized in various biomedical research fields. However, the specific number of CVD-related genes and pathways within the C. elegans genome remains undisclosed to date, limiting its in-depth utilization for investigations. In the present study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of genes and pathways related to CVD within the genomes of humans and C. elegans through a systematic bioinformatic approach. A total of 1113 genes in C. elegans orthologous to the most significant CVD-related genes in humans were identified, and the GO terms and pathways were compared to study the pathways that are conserved between the two species. In order to infer the functions of CVD-related orthologous genes in C. elegans, a PPI network was constructed. Orthologous gene PPI network analysis results reveal the hubs and important KRs: pmk-1, daf-21, gpb-1, crh-1, enpl-1, eef-1G, acdh-8, hif-1, pmk-2, and aha-1 in C. elegans. Modules were identified for determining the role of the orthologous genes at various levels in the created network. We also identified 9 commonly enriched pathways between humans and C. elegans linked with CVDs that include autophagy (animal), the ErbB signaling pathway, the FoxO signaling pathway, the MAPK signaling pathway, ABC transporters, the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, fatty acid metabolism, glutathione metabolism, and metabolic pathways. This study provides the first systematic genomic approach to explore the CVD-associated genes and pathways that are present in C. elegans, supporting the use of C. elegans as a prominent animal model organism for cardiovascular diseases.

Polygenic Scores and Preclinical Cardiovascular Disease in Individuals With HIV: Insights From the REPRIEVE Trial.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of death among the 38.4 million people with HIV globally. The extent to which cardiovascular polygenic risk scores (PRSs) derived in non-HIV populations generalize to people with HIV is not well understood. METHODS AND RESULTS: PRSs for CAD (GPSMult) and lipid traits were calculated in a global cohort of people with HIV treated with antiretroviral therapy with low-to-moderate atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk enrolled in REPRIEVE (Randomized Trial to Prevent Vascular Events in HIV). The PRSs were associated with baseline lipid traits in 4495 genotyped participants, and with subclinical CAD in a subset of 662 who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography. Among participants who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography (mean age, 50.9 [SD, 5.8] years; 16.1% women; 41.8% African, 57.3% European, 1.1% Asian), GPSMult was associated with plaque presence with odds ratio (OR) per SD in GPSMult of 1.42 (95% CI, 1.20-1.68; P=3.8×10-5), stenosis >50% (OR, 2.39 [95% CI, 1.48-3.85]; P=3.4×10-4), and noncalcified/vulnerable plaque (OR, 1.45 [95% CI, 1.23-1.72]; P=9.6×10-6). Effects were consistent in subgroups of age, sex, 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk, ancestry, and CD4 count. Adding GPSMult to established risk factors increased the C-statistic for predicting plaque presence from 0.718 to 0.734 (P=0.02). Furthermore, a PRS for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was associated with plaque presence with OR of 1.21 (95% CI, 1.01-1.44; P=0.04), and partially calcified plaque with OR of 1.21 (95% CI, 1.01-1.45; P=0.04) per SD. CONCLUSIONS: Among people with HIV treated with antiretroviral therapy without documented atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and at low-to-moderate calculated risk in REPRIEVE, an externally developed CAD PRS was predictive of subclinical atherosclerosis. PRS for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was also associated with subclinical atherosclerosis, supporting a role for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in HIV-associated CAD. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.reprievetrial.org; Unique identifier: NCT02344290.

Drug target Mendelian randomization supports apolipoprotein C3-lowering for lipoprotein-lipid levels reductions and cardiovascular diseases prevention.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Inhibitors of apolipoprotein C-III (apoC3) are currently approved for the reduction of triglyceride levels in patients with Familial Chylomicronemia Syndrome. We used drug target Mendelian randomization (MR) to assess the effect of genetically predicted decrease in apoC3 blood protein levels on cardiometabolic traits and diseases. METHODS: We quantified lifelong reductions in apoC3 blood levels by selecting all genome wide significant and independent (r2<0.1) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the APOC3 gene region ±1 Mb, from three genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of apoC3 blood protein levels (deCODE, n = 35,378, Fenland, n = 10,708 and ARIC, n = 7213). We included the largest GWASes on 18 cardiometabolic traits and 9 cardiometabolic diseases as study outcomes. RESULTS: A one standard deviation lowering in apoC3 blood protein levels was associated with lower triglycerides, apolipoprotein B, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase, and glomerular filtration rate as well as higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. ApoC3 lowering was also associated with lower risk of acute pancreatitis (odds ratio [OR] = 0.91 95% CI = 0.82 to 1.00), aortic stenosis (OR = 0.82 95% CI = 0.73 to 0.93), and coronary artery disease (OR = 0.86 95% CI = 0.80 to 0.93), and was associated with increased parental lifespan (0.06 95% CI = 0.03-0.09 years). These results were concordant across robust MR methods, the three protein datasets and upon adjustment for APOA1, APOA4 and APOA5 using a multivariable MR framework. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide evidence that apoC3 lowering could result in widespread benefits for cardiometabolic health and encourage the launch of trials on apoC3 inhibition for coronary artery disease prevention.

Genetically predicted mood swings increased risk of cardiovascular disease: Evidence from a Mendelian randomization analysis.

BACKGROUND: Mood swings is linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, the causal relationships between them remain unknown. METHODS: We conducted this Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to evaluate the causal associations between mood swings (n = 373,733) and 5 CVDs, including CAD, MI, HF, AF, and stroke using summary data of large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS). FinnGen datasets validated the results. Various MR approaches, sensitivity analyses, multivariable MR (MVMR), and two-step MR mediation analyses were applied. RESULTS: The MR analysis revealed significant causal effects of mood swings on CAD (OR = 1.45, 95 % CI 1.24-1.71; P = 5.52e-6), MI (OR = 1.60, 95 % CI 1.32-1.95; P = 1.77e-6), HF (OR = 1.42, 95 % CI 1.18-1.71; P = 2.32e-4), and stroke (OR = 1.48, 95 % CI 1.19-1.83; P = 3.46e-4), excluding AF (P = 0.16). In the reverse MR analysis, no causal relationships were observed. The results were reproducible using FinnGen data. In the MVMR analysis, the causal effects of mood swings on CAD, MI, HF and stroke still remain significant after adjusting potential confounding factors including BMI, smoking and T2DM, but not for LDL and hypertension. Further mediation analysis indicated hypertension may mediate the causal pathways from mood swings to CAD (18.11 %, 95 % CI: 8.83 %-27.39 %), MI (16.40 %, 95 % CI: 7.93 %-24.87 %), HF (13.06 %, 95 % CI: 6.25 %-19.86 %), and stroke (18.04 %, 95 % CI: 8.73 %-27.34 %). CONCLUSION: Mood swings has a significant causal impact on the development of CAD, MI, HF, and stroke, partly mediated by hypertension.

Estimating potential cardiovascular health benefits of improved population level control of LDL cholesterol through a twice-yearly siRNA-based approach: A simulation study of a health-system level intervention.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Inclisiran, an siRNA therapy, consistently reduces low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) with twice-yearly dosing. Potential cardiovascular benefits of implementing inclisiran at a population level, added to statins, were evaluated through simulation. METHODS: For each participant in the ORION-10 and ORION-11 trials comparing inclisiran with placebo, baseline 10-year cardiovascular risk was estimated using the SMART equation. The time-adjusted LDL-C difference from baseline observed 90-540 days after baseline was assumed to persist and used to estimate potential reduction in 10-year cardiovascular risk. Impact on 500,000 ORION-like individuals was simulated with Monte-Carlo. RESULTS: Mean baseline LDL-C and predicted 10-year major vascular risk among patients randomized to inclisiran (n = 1288) versus placebo (n = 1264) were 2.66 mmol/L versus 2.60 mmol/L and 24.9% versus 24.6%, respectively. Placebo-corrected time-adjusted absolute reduction in LDL-C with inclisiran was -1.32 mmol/L (95% CI -1.37 to -1.26; p < 0.001), which predicted a 10-year cardiovascular risk of 18.1% with inclisiran versus 24.7% with placebo (absolute difference [95% CI], -6.99% [-7.33 to -6.66]; p < 0.001) NNT 15. Extrapolating to 500,000 inclisiran-treated individuals, the model predicted large population shifts towards lower quintiles of risk with fewer remaining in high-risk categories; 3350 to 471 (≥80% risk), 11,793 to 3332 (60-<80% risk), 52,142 to 22,665 (40-<60% risk), 197,752 to 141,014 (20-<40% risk), and more moving into the lowest risk category (<20%) from 234,963 to 332,518. CONCLUSIONS: Meaningful gains in population health might be achieved over 10 years by implementing at-scale approaches capable of providing substantial and sustained reductions in LDL-C beyond those achievable with statins.

Red and processed meat intake and risk of cardiovascular disease: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Previous observational studies have yielded inconsistent findings regarding associations between red/processed meat intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Some studies have suggested positive relationships, while others have demonstrated no significant associations. However, causal effects remain uncertain. This 2023 Mendelianrandomization (MR) study investigated the causal relationship between red and processed meat (porkmeat, mutton meat, beef meat)intake and CVD risk by analyzing summary data from the UK Biobank (exposure), CARDIoGRAMplusC4D (coronary artery disease [CAD]), MEGASTROKE (stroke), Nielsen et al. (atrial fibrillation [AF]), HERMES (heart failure [HF]), and FinnGen (cardiovascular outcomes) public databases. METHODS: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of red meat (pork, beef, and mutton) and processed meat were sourced from the United Kingdom (UK) Biobank. GWAS data on CVD for this study were obtained from the Gene and FinnGen consortia. The primary method employed for the two-sample MR analysis was inverse variance weighting (IVW). Sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the reliability and consistency of the results. RESULTS: Genetically predicted red and processed meat consumption did not demonstrate a causal association with any CVD outcomes when employing the IVW method. For processed meat intake, the odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence intervals CIs) in large consortia were as follows: 0.88 (0.56-1.39) for CAD, 0.91 (0.65-1.27) for AF, 0.84 (0.58-1.21) for HF, and 1.00 (0.75-1.05) for stroke. In FinnGen, the ORs were as follows: 1.15 (0.83-1.59) for CAD, 1.25 (0.75-2.07) for AF, 1.09 (0.73-1.64) for HF, and 1.27 (0.85-1.91) for stroke. For beef intake, the ORs (95% CIs) in large consortia were as follows: 0.70 (0.28-1.73) for CAD, 0.85 (0.49-1.49) for AF, 0.80 (0.35-1.83) for HF, and 1.29 (0.85-1.95) for stroke. In FinnGen, the ORs were as follows: 2.01 (0.75-5.39) for CAD, 1.83 (0.60-5.56) for AF, 0.80 (0.30-2.13) for HF, and 1.30 (0.62-2.73) for stroke. For pork intake, the ORs (95% CIs) in large consortia were as follows: 1.25 (0.37-4.22) for CAD, 1.26 (0.73-2.15) for AF, 1.71 (0.86-3.39) for HF, and 1.15 (0.63-2.11) for stroke. In FinnGen, the ORs were as follows: 1.12 (0.43-2.88) for CAD, 0.39 (0.08-1.83) for AF, 0.62 (0.20-1.88) for HF, and 0.60 (0.21-1.65) for stroke. For mutton intake, the ORs (95% CIs) in large consortia were as follows: 0.84 (0.48-1.44) for CAD, 0.84 (0.56-1.26) for AF, 1.04 (0.65-1.67) for HF, and 1.06 (0.77-1.45) for stroke. In FinnGen, the ORs were as follows: 1.20 (0.65-2.21) for CAD, 0.92 (0.44-1.92) for AF, 0.74 (0.34-1.58) for HF, and 0.75 (0.45-1.24) for stroke. The results remained robust and consistent in both the meta-analysis and supplementary MR analysis. CONCLUSIONS: This MR study demonstrated no significant causal relationships between red/processed meat intake and the risk of the four CVD outcomes examined. Further investigation is warranted to confirm these findings.

Impact of genetic background as a risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: A protocol for a nationwide genetic case-control (CV-GENES) study in Brazil.

Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) represents the leading cause of death worldwide, and individual screening should be based on behavioral, metabolic, and genetic profile derived from data collected in large population-based studies. Due to the polygenic nature of ASCVD, we aimed to assess the association of genomics with ASCVD risk and its impact on the occurrence of acute myocardial infarction, stroke, or peripheral artery thrombotic-ischemic events at population level. CardioVascular Genes (CV-GENES) is a nationwide, multicenter, 1:1 case-control study of 3,734 patients in Brazil. Inclusion criterion for cases is the first occurrence of one of the ASCVD events. Individuals without known ASCVD will be eligible as controls. A core lab will perform the genetic analyses through low-pass whole genome sequencing and whole exome sequencing. In order to estimate the independent association between genetic polymorphisms and ASCVD, a polygenic risk score (PRS) will be built through a hybrid approach including effect size of each Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP), number of effect alleles observed, sample ploidy, total number of SNPs included in the PRS, and number of non-missing SNPs in the sample. In addition, the presence of pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants will be screened in 8 genes (ABCG5, ABCG8, APOB, APOE, LDLR, LDLRAP1, LIPA, PCSK9) associated with atherosclerosis. Multiple logistic regression will be applied to estimate adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), and population attributable risks will be calculated. Clinical trial registration: This study is registered in clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05515653).

Alcohol consumption and the risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality-a linear and nonlinear Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Many observational studies support light-to-moderate alcohol intake as potentially protective against premature death. We used a genetic approach to evaluate the linear and nonlinear relationships between alcohol consumption and mortality from different underlying causes. METHODS: We used data from 278 093 white-British UK Biobank participants, aged 37-73 years at recruitment and with data on alcohol intake, genetic variants, and mortality. Habitual alcohol consumption was instrumented by 94 variants. Linear Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were conducted using five complementary approaches, and nonlinear MR analyses by the doubly-ranked method. RESULTS: There were 20 834 deaths during the follow-up (median 12.6 years). In conventional analysis, the association between alcohol consumption and mortality outcomes was 'J-shaped'. In contrast, MR analyses supported a positive linear association with premature mortality, with no evidence for curvature (Pnonlinearity ≥ 0.21 for all outcomes). The odds ratio [OR] for each standard unit increase in alcohol intake was 1.27 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16-1.39) for all-cause mortality, 1.30 (95% CI 1.10-1.53) for cardiovascular disease, 1.20 (95% CI 1.08-1.33) for cancer, and 2.06 (95% CI 1.36-3.12) for digestive disease mortality. These results were consistent across pleiotropy-robust methods. There was no clear evidence for an association between alcohol consumption and mortality from respiratory diseases or COVID-19 (1.32, 95% CI 0.96-1.83 and 1.46, 95% CI 0.99-2.16, respectively; Pnonlinearity ≥ 0.21). CONCLUSION: Higher levels of genetically predicted alcohol consumption had a strong linear association with an increased risk of premature mortality with no evidence for any protective benefit at modest intake levels.