| 1. |
- Mubanga, Mwenya
(författare)
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Dog Ownership and Cardiovascular Disease
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The relationship between pet ownership and human health has been studied extensively; however, the effect of dog ownership on human health has had conflicting results. The overall aim of this research project was to investigate the impact of dog ownership, and the death of the dog, on human cardiovascular health and all-cause mortality.Study I was a population-based study investigating the association between dog ownership with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death. Of 3,432,153 individuals included, dog ownership (13.1%) was associated with a lower risk of CVD- and all-cause death by 23% and 20%, respectively. In single-person households, there was an inverse association between dog ownership and incident CVD, as well as a stronger inverse association with CVD-death and all-cause death.Study II was a population-based study investigating the association between dog ownership and initiation of treatment for cardiovascular risk factors in 2,026,865 adults. Dog ownership (14.6%) was associated with a slightly elevated risk of initiating treatment (2%) for hypertension and dyslipidaemia, but not for diabetes mellitus. However, some evidence for residual confounding was found.Study III investigated the risk of death after hospitalization for a first-ever acute myocardial infarction (n=181,696) or first-ever ischemic stroke (n=157,617) in two population-based cohorts. Dog ownership was associated with a 20% to 24% lower risk of all-cause mortality and CVD-death, respectively.In Study I-III, ownership of hunting breed dogs was associated with the lowest risk of the outcomes, while owning dogs of mixed pedigree was associated with worse cardiovascular health.Study IV found evidence of an increased risk of CVD after the loss of a life-insured pet (dog or cat; n=147,251) during the first week, 3-6 months after and 6-12 months after pet-loss.This thesis has used the Swedish population and health registers to investigate the relationship between various aspects of dog ownership and cardiovascular risk. By using defined, quantifiable end-points and robust statistical methods, this project has made an important contribution to the body of research underlying the positive relationship between dog ownership and cardiovascular health, paving the way for further research into causal mechanisms.
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| 2. |
- Åhman, Hanna Bozkurt, 1981-
(författare)
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Timed Up-and-Go Dual-Task Tests for Early Detection of Dementia Disorder
- 2021
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Dementia constitutes an important and growing public health concern. There is a need for new, simple, and inexpensive methods to detect dementia disorders early in the disease progression. For this purpose, dual-tasking, i.e., simultaneous performance of two tasks, has been proposed.The overall aim of this thesis was to explore if Timed Up-and-Go (TUG) dual-task (TUGdt) tests can be used for early detection of dementia disorder. Cross-sectional and longitudinal designs were used. Participants were recruited when undergoing memory assessment at memory clinics (patients) and through advertisements (controls). The TUGdt tests involved TUG combined with the cognitive tasks a) naming animals (TUGdt NA) and b) reciting months in reverse order (TUGdt MB). The tests were video recorded. Test outcomes were calculated using time scores and/or verbal performances. Additionally, the data collection comprised clinical tests and medical record reviews. Paper I included 90 patients who had carried out lumbar puncture as part of the memory assessment. By Spearman’s rank correlation, the TUGdt NA test outcomes “number of animals” and “animals/10 s” correlated negatively to the cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers t-tau and p-tau, suggesting that neurodegeneration is associated with dual-task performance. In Paper II, 298 patients and 166 controls participated. Logistic regression models showed that “animals/10 s” and “months/10 s” discriminated significantly between dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), subjective cognitive impairment (SCI), and controls. Thus, TUGdt testing could be useful in diagnostic assessments. Paper III involved 172 patients, initially diagnosed with MCI or SCI, for whom diagnostic information was available after 2.5 years. Logistic regression showed inverse associations between “animals/10 s” and dementia incidence, particularly for patients <72 years (median age). For these younger patients, the predictive capacity of “animals/10 s” was excellent. Hence, TUGdt NA has potential for predicting dementia from SCI or MCI, particularly among younger patients. Paper IV included 166 controls for presenting TUGdt reference values in age- and sex-specific groups, and 43 controls for test-retest reliability. Reference values were calculated with quantile regression and may be useful in clinic and research. Intra-class correlation coefficients showed excellent reliability for time scores, while the other test outcomes were poor to good. “Animals/10 s” showed fair to good reliability despite being a ratio of other variables, which negatively affects reliability. In summary, TUGdt NA has the potential to be used for early detection of dementia disorder, and the test outcome “animals/10 s” merits further evaluation.
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| 3. |
- Nerpin, Elisabet, 1962-
(författare)
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The Kidney in Different Stages of the Cardiovascular Continuum
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Patients with chronic kidney disease are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The complex, interaction between the kidney and the cardiovascular system is incompletely understood, particularly at the early stages of the cardiovascular continuum.The overall aim of this thesis was to clarify novel aspects of the interplay between the kidney and the cardiovascular system at different stages of the cardiovascular continuum; from risk factors such as insulin resistance, inflammation and oxidative stress, via sub-clinical cardiovascular damage such as endothelial dysfunction and left ventricular dysfunction, to overt cardiovascular death.This thesis is based on two community-based cohorts of elderly, Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men (ULSAM) and Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS).The first study, show that higher insulin sensitivity, measured with euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp technique was associated to improve estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in participants with normal fasting plasma glucose, normal glucose tolerance and normal eGFR. In longitudinal analyses, higher insulin sensitivity at baseline was associated with lower risk of impaired renal function during follow-up. In the second study, eGFR was inversely associated with different inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, serum amyloid A) and positively associated with a marker of oxidative stress (urinary F2-isoprostanes). In line with this, the urinary albumin/creatinine ratio was positively associated with these inflammatory markers, and negatively associated with oxidative stress.In study three, higher eGFR was associated with better endothelial function as assessed by the invasive forearm model. Further, in study four, higher eGFR was significantly associated with higher left ventricular systolic function (ejection fraction). The 5th study of the thesis shows that higher urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER) and lower eGFR was independently associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular mortality. Analyses of global model fit, discrimination, calibration, and reclassification suggest that UAER and eGFR add relevant prognostic information beyond established cardiovascular risk factors in participants without prevalent cardiovascular disease.Conclusion: this thesis show that the interaction between the kidney and the cardiovascular system plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease and that this interplay begins at an early asymptomatic stage of the disease process.
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| 4. |
- Nowak, Christoph, 1986-
(författare)
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Insulin Resistance : Causes, biomarkers and consequences
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The worldwide increasing number of persons affected by largely preventable diseases like diabetes demands better prevention and treatment. Insulin is required for effective utilisation of circulating nutrients. Impaired responsiveness to insulin (insulin resistance, IR) is a hallmark of type 2 diabetes and independently raises the risk of heart attack and stroke. The pathophysiology of IR is incompletely understood. High-throughput measurement of large numbers of circulating biomarkers may provide new insights beyond established risk factors.The aims of this thesis were to (i) use proteomics, metabolomics and genomics methods in large community samples to identify biomarkers of IR; (ii) assess biomarkers for risk prediction and insights into aetiology and consequences of IR; and (iii) use Mendelian randomisation analysis to assess causality.In Study I, analysis of 80 circulating proteins in 70-to-77-year-old Swedes identified cathepsin D as a biomarker for IR and highlighted a tentative causal effect of IR on raised plasma tissue plasminogen activator levels. In Study II, nontargeted fasting plasma metabolomics was used to discover 52 metabolites associated with glycaemic traits in non-diabetic 70-year-old men. Replication in independent samples of several thousand persons provided evidence for a causal effect of IR on reduced plasma oleic acid and palmitoleic acid levels. In Study III, nontargeted metabolomics in plasma samples obtained at three time points during an oral glucose challenge in 70-year-old men identified associations between a physiologic measure of IR and concentration changes in medium-chain acylcarnitines, monounsaturated fatty acids, bile acids and lysophosphatidylethanolamines. Study IV provided evidence in two large longitudinal cohorts for causal effects of type 2 diabetes and impaired insulin secretion on raised coronary artery disease risk.In conclusion, the Studies in this thesis provide new insights into the pathophysiology and adverse health consequences of IR and illustrate the value of combining traditional epidemiologic designs with recent molecular techniques and bioinformatics methods. The results provide limited evidence for the role of circulating proteins and small molecules in IR and require replication in separate studies and validation in experimental designs.
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| 5. |
- Folkersen, Lasse, et al.
(författare)
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Genomic and drug target evaluation of 90 cardiovascular proteins in 30,931 individuals.
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature metabolism. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2522-5812. ; 2:10, s. 1135-1148
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Circulating proteins are vital in human health and disease and are frequently used as biomarkers for clinical decision-making or as targets for pharmacological intervention. Here, we map and replicate protein quantitative trait loci (pQTL) for 90 cardiovascular proteins in over 30,000 individuals, resulting in 451 pQTLs for 85 proteins. For each protein, we further perform pathway mapping to obtain trans-pQTL gene and regulatory designations. We substantiate these regulatory findings with orthogonal evidence for trans-pQTLs using mouse knockdown experiments (ABCA1 and TRIB1) and clinical trial results (chemokine receptors CCR2 and CCR5), with consistent regulation. Finally, we evaluate known drug targets, and suggest new target candidates or repositioning opportunities using Mendelian randomization. This identifies 11 proteins with causal evidence of involvement in human disease that have not previously been targeted, including EGF, IL-16, PAPPA, SPON1, F3, ADM, CASP-8, CHI3L1, CXCL16, GDF15 and MMP-12. Taken together, these findings demonstrate the utility of large-scale mapping of the genetics of the proteome and provide a resource for future precision studies of circulating proteins in human health.
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| 6. |
- Gustafsson, Stefan, et al.
(författare)
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Markers of imminent myocardial infarction
- 2024
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Ingår i: Nature Cardiovascular Research. - : Springer Nature. - 2731-0590.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Myocardial infarction is a leading cause of death globally but is notoriously difficult to predict. We aimed to identify biomarkers of an imminent first myocardial infarction and design relevant prediction models. Here, we constructed a new case–cohort consortium of 2,018 persons without prior cardiovascular disease from six European cohorts, among whom 420 developed a first myocardial infarction within 6 months after the baseline blood draw. We analyzed 817 proteins and 1,025 metabolites in biobanked blood and 16 clinical variables. Forty-eight proteins, 43 metabolites, age, sex and systolic blood pressure were associated with the risk of an imminent first myocardial infarction. Brain natriuretic peptide was most consistently associated with the risk of imminent myocardial infarction. Using clinically readily available variables, we devised a prediction model for an imminent first myocardial infarction for clinical use in the general population, with good discriminatory performance and potential for motivating primary prevention efforts.
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| 7. |
- Lind, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Longitudinal effects of aging on plasma proteins levels in older adults : associations with kidney function and hemoglobin levels
- 2019
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 14:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: A targeted proteomics chip has been shown to be useful to discover novel associations of proteins with cardiovascular disease. We investigated how these proteins change with aging, and whether this change is related to a decline in kidney function, or to a change in hemoglobin levels.MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) study, including 1,016 participants from the general population aged 70 at baseline, 84 proteins were measured at ages 70, 75, 80. At these occasions, glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was estimated and the hemoglobin levels were measured.RESULTS: Sixty-one of the 84 evaluated proteins changed significantly during the 10-year follow-up (multiple testing-adjusted alpha = 0.00059), most showing an increase. The change in eGFR was inversely related to changes of protein levels for the vast majority of proteins (74%). The change in hemoglobin was significantly related to the change in 40% of the evaluated proteins, with no obvious preference of the direction of these relationships.CONCLUSION: The majority of evaluated proteins increased with aging in adults. Therefore, normal ranges for proteins might be given in age-strata. The increase in protein levels was associated with the degree of reduction in eGFR for the majority of proteins, while no clear pattern was seen for the relationships between the proteins and the change in hemoglobin levels. Studies on changes in urinary proteins are warranted to understand the association between the reduction in eGFR and increase in plasma protein levels.
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| 8. |
- Carlsson, Axel C, et al.
(författare)
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Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) is a potential biomarker of both diabetic kidney disease and future cardiovascular events in cohorts of individuals with type 2 diabetes : a proteomics approach
- 2020
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Ingår i: Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences. - : Uppsala Medical Society. - 0300-9734 .- 2000-1967. ; 25:1, s. 37-43
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a leading risk factor for end-stage renal disease and is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes. It is possible that novel markers portraying the pathophysiological underpinning processes may be useful.Aim: To investigate the associations between 80 circulating proteins, measured by a proximity extension assay, and prevalent DKD and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in type 2 diabetes.Methods: We randomly divided individuals with type 2 diabetes from three cohorts into a two-thirds discovery and one-third replication set (total n = 813, of whom 231 had DKD defined by estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mg/mL/1.73 m2 and/or urinary albumin-creatinine ratio ≥3 g/mol). Proteins associated with DKD were also assessed as predictors for incident major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in persons with DKD at baseline.Results: Four proteins were positively associated with DKD in models adjusted for age, sex, cardiovascular risk factors, glucose control, and diabetes medication: kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1, odds ratio [OR] per standard deviation increment, 1.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.27-2.14); growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15, OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.16-1.69); myoglobin (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.30-1.91), and matrix metalloproteinase 10 (MMP-10, OR 1.43, 95% CI 1.17-1.74). In patients with DKD, GDF-15 was significantly associated with increased risk of MACE after adjustments for baseline age, sex, microalbuminuria, and kidney function and (59 MACE events during 7 years follow-up, hazard ratio per standard deviation increase 1.43 [95% CI 1.03-1.98]) but not after further adjustments for cardiovascular risk factors.Conclusion: Our proteomics approach confirms and extends previous associations of higher circulating levels of GDF-15 with both micro- and macrovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes. Our data encourage additional studies evaluating the clinical utility of our findings.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Evangelou, Evangelos, et al.
(författare)
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Genetic analysis of over 1 million people identifies 535 new loci associated with blood pressure traits.
- 2018
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Ingår i: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 50:10, s. 1412-1425
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High blood pressure is a highly heritable and modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We report the largest genetic association study of blood pressure traits (systolic, diastolic and pulse pressure) to date in over 1 million people of European ancestry. We identify 535 novel blood pressure loci that not only offer new biological insights into blood pressure regulation but also highlight shared genetic architecture between blood pressure and lifestyle exposures. Our findings identify new biological pathways for blood pressure regulation with potential for improved cardiovascular disease prevention in the future.
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