Current research suggests laminin, a protein that helps cells stick together, may lead to enhanced muscle repair in muscular dystrophy. The related report by Rooney et al, “Laminin-111 restores regenerative capacity in a mouse model for alpha 7 integrin congenital myopathy,” appears in the January 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology. Muscular dystrophy
Full Post: Laminin-111 shows potential for congenital muscular dystrophy
Patients with type 2 diabetes who have poor glycemic control and a certain genetic variation have an increased risk of coronary artery disease, according to a study in the November 26 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Among the known risk factors for cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus ranks as one of the most potent. It increases the lifetime risk of a major cardiac event by 2 to 4 times, relative to individuals without diabetes, according to background information in the article. A substantial proportion of cardiovascular risk is under the control of genetic factors.
Genetic variation on chromosome 9p21 has been associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in the general population. Alessandro Doria, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., of the Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues examined the association of this genetic variant with coronary artery disease in individuals with type 2 diabetes and whether the association is affected by poor glycemic control. The researchers conducted two studies, with one including 734 type 2 diabetes patients (322 with angiographically diagnosed CAD and 412 with no evidence of CAD), who were recruited between 2001 and 2006; the other study included 475 type 2 diabetes patients whose survival status was monitored from their recruitment between 1993 and 1996 until December 31, 2004.
Participants for both studies were tested for a representative single-nucleotide polymorphism (gene variation) of chromosome 9p21 (rs2383206) and characterized for their long-term glycemic control by averaging measurements of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) taken in the years before study entry.
The researchers found that relative to the CAD risk for patients with neither a 9p21 risk gene variant nor poor glycemic control, the odds for CAD among participants having two risk gene variants but not poor glycemic control was increased 2-fold, whereas the odds for CAD among study participants with the same genotype but poor glycemic control was increased 4-fold. The interaction was stronger when a measure of long-term glycemic control (7-year average rather than most recent HbA1c) was used for participants having two risk gene variants and a history of poor glycemia and for participants with the same genotype but not long-term poor glycemia.
A similar interaction between the 9p21 variant and poor glycemic control was observed with respect to the rate of death after 10 years.
“In conclusion, 9p21 [variant] and poor glycemic control interact in determining the odds of CAD in type 2 diabetes. This finding may have implications for our understanding of atherogenesis [the process of plaque forming in arteries] in diabetes and for the design of more effective prevention strategies. More broadly, it illustrates the complex etiology of multifactorial disorders and highlights the importance of accounting for gene-environment and gene-gene interactions in the quest for genetic factors contributing to these conditions,” the authors write.
http://jama.ama-assn.org/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Related Posts:
Persons with type 2 diabetes who had a diet high in low-glycemic foods such as nuts, beans and lentils had greater improvement in glycemic control and risk factors for coronary heart disease than persons on a diet with an emphasis on high-cereal fiber, according to a study in the December 17 issue of JAMA, the
Full Post: Low-glycemic foods better for glycemic control than high-fiber
A study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA ) on 16 December 2008 has found that those with type 2 diabetes who had a diet high in low-glycemic foods such as nuts, beans and lentils had greater improvement in glycemic control and risk factors for coronary heart disease than those on
Full Post: Well balanced diet improves blood glucose tolerance and blood lipid levels
Identifying a single, common variation in a person’s genetic information improves prediction of his or her risk of a heart attack or other heart disease events and thus, choice of the best treatment accordingly, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. These findings are being presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in
Full Post: Genetics for personalized coronary heart disease treatment
deCODE genetics has announced the discovery by an international consortium of scientists from deCODE and major European and US academic institutions of a single letter variation in the human genome (SNP) that is associated with increased fasting glucose levels and risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). deCODE will employ its CLIA-registered genotyping laboratory and existing
Full Post: deCODE to integrate new genetic risk factor for type 2 diabetes into its personal genome scan service
Researchers at Mayo Clinic have discovered the first gender-linked susceptibility gene for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. In the Jan. 11 online edition of Nature Genetics, they report the results of their two-stage genome-wide association study of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The research showed that women who inherited two copies of a variant in the PCDH11X gene,
Full Post: Discovery of first gender-linked susceptibility gene for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
