| 1. |
- Mishra, A., et al.
(författare)
-
Stroke genetics informs drug discovery and risk prediction across ancestries
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 611, s. 115-123
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of stroke - the second leading cause of death worldwide - were conducted predominantly in populations of European ancestry(1,2). Here, in cross-ancestry GWAS meta-analyses of 110,182 patients who have had a stroke (five ancestries, 33% non-European) and 1,503,898 control individuals, we identify association signals for stroke and its subtypes at 89 (61 new) independent loci: 60 in primary inverse-variance-weighted analyses and 29 in secondary meta-regression and multitrait analyses. On the basis of internal cross-ancestry validation and an independent follow-up in 89,084 additional cases of stroke (30% non-European) and 1,013,843 control individuals, 87% of the primary stroke risk loci and 60% of the secondary stroke risk loci were replicated (P < 0.05). Effect sizes were highly correlated across ancestries. Cross-ancestry fine-mapping, in silico mutagenesis analysis(3), and transcriptome-wide and proteome-wide association analyses revealed putative causal genes (such as SH3PXD2A and FURIN) and variants (such as at GRK5 and NOS3). Using a three-pronged approach(4), we provide genetic evidence for putative drug effects, highlighting F11, KLKB1, PROC, GP1BA, LAMC2 and VCAM1 as possible targets, with drugs already under investigation for stroke for F11 and PROC. A polygenic score integrating cross-ancestry and ancestry-specific stroke GWASs with vascular-risk factor GWASs (integrative polygenic scores) strongly predicted ischaemic stroke in populations of European, East Asian and African ancestry(5). Stroke genetic risk scores were predictive of ischaemic stroke independent of clinical risk factors in 52,600 clinical-trial participants with cardiometabolic disease. Our results provide insights to inform biology, reveal potential drug targets and derive genetic risk prediction tools across ancestries.
|
|
| 2. |
- Sliz, E., et al.
(författare)
-
Evidence of a causal effect of genetic tendency to gain muscle mass on uterine leiomyomata
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 14:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Uterine leiomyomata (UL) are the most common tumours of the female genital tract and the primary cause of surgical removal of the uterus. Genetic factors contribute to UL susceptibility. To add understanding to the heritable genetic risk factors, we conduct a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of UL in up to 426,558 European women from FinnGen and a previous UL meta-GWAS. In addition to the 50 known UL loci, we identify 22 loci that have not been associated with UL in prior studies. UL-associated loci harbour genes enriched for development, growth, and cellular senescence. Of particular interest are the smooth muscle cell differentiation and proliferation-regulating genes functioning on the myocardin-cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 1A pathway. Our results further suggest that genetic predisposition to increased fat-free mass may be causally related to higher UL risk, underscoring the involvement of altered muscle tissue biology in UL pathophysiology. Overall, our findings add to the understanding of the genetic pathways underlying UL, which may aid in developing novel therapeutics.
|
|
| 3. |
- Jaworek, T., et al.
(författare)
-
Contribution of Common Genetic Variants to Risk of Early-Onset Ischemic Stroke
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Neurology. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0028-3878 .- 1526-632X. ; 99:16
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and Objectives Current genome-wide association studies of ischemic stroke have focused primarily on late-onset disease. As a complement to these studies, we sought to identify the contribution of common genetic variants to risk of early-onset ischemic stroke. Methods We performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of early-onset stroke (EOS), ages 18-59 years, using individual-level data or summary statistics in 16,730 cases and 599,237 nonstroke controls obtained across 48 different studies. We further compared effect sizes at associated loci between EOS and late-onset stroke (LOS) and compared polygenic risk scores (PRS) for venous thromboembolism (VTE) between EOS and LOS. Results We observed genome-wide significant associations of EOS with 2 variants in ABO, a known stroke locus. These variants tag blood subgroups O1 and A1, and the effect sizes of both variants were significantly larger in EOS compared with LOS. The odds ratio (OR) for rs529565, tagging O1, was 0.88 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.85-0.91) in EOS vs 0.96 (95% CI: 0.92-1.00) in LOS, and the OR for rs635634, tagging A1, was 1.16 (1.11-1.21) for EOS vs 1.05 (0.99-1.11) in LOS; p-values for interaction = 0.001 and 0.005, respectively. Using PRSs, we observed that greater genetic risk for VTE, another prothrombotic condition, was more strongly associated with EOS compared with LOS (p = 0.008). Discussion The ABO locus, genetically predicted blood group A, and higher genetic propensity for venous thrombosis are more strongly associated with EOS than with LOS, supporting a stronger role of prothrombotic factors in EOS.
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
- Beal, Jacob, et al.
(författare)
-
Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data.
|
|
| 6. |
- Bonkhoff, A. K., et al.
(författare)
-
Association of Stroke Lesion Pattern and White Matter Hyperintensity Burden With Stroke Severity and Outcome
- 2022
-
Ingår i: NEUROLOGY. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0028-3878 .- 1526-632X. ; 99:13
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and Objectives To examine whether high white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden is associated with greater stroke severity and worse functional outcomes in lesion pattern-specific ways. Methods MR neuroimaging and NIH Stroke Scale data at index stroke and the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 3-6 months after stroke were obtained from the MRI-Genetics Interface Exploration study of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Individual WMH volume was automatically derived from fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images. Stroke lesions were automatically segmented from diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) images, parcellated into atlas-defined brain regions and further condensed to 10 lesion patterns via machine learning-based dimensionality reduction. Stroke lesion effects on AIS severity and unfavorable outcomes (mRS score >2) were modeled within purpose-built Bayesian linear and logistic regression frameworks. Interaction effects between stroke lesions and a high vs lowWMHburden were integrated via hierarchical model structures. Models were adjusted for age, age2, sex, total DWI lesion and WMH volumes, and comorbidities. Data were split into derivation and validation cohorts. Results A total of 928 patients with AIS contributed to acute stroke severity analyses (age: 64.8 [14.5] years, 40% women) and 698 patients to long-term functional outcome analyses (age: 65.9 [14.7] years, 41% women). Stroke severity was mainly explained by lesions focused on bilateral subcortical and left hemispherically pronounced cortical regions across patients with both a high and low WMH burden. Lesions centered on left-hemispheric insular, opercular, and inferior frontal regions and lesions affecting right-hemispheric temporoparietal regions had more pronounced effects on stroke severity in case of high compared with low WMH burden. Unfavorable outcomes were predominantly explained by lesions in bilateral subcortical regions. In difference to the lesion location-specific WMH effects on stroke severity, higher WMH burden increased the odds of unfavorable outcomes independent of lesion location. Discussion Higher WMH burden may be associated with an increased stroke severity in case of stroke lesions involving left-hemispheric insular, opercular, and inferior frontal regions (potentially linked to language functions) and right-hemispheric temporoparietal regions (potentially linked to attention). Our findings suggest that patients with specific constellations of WMH burden and lesion locations may have greater benefits from acute recanalization treatments. Future clinical studies are warranted to systematically assess this assumption and guide more tailored treatment decisions.
|
|
| 7. |
- Bonkhoff, A. K., et al.
(författare)
-
Outcome after acute ischemic stroke is linked to sex-specific lesion patterns
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 12:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Acute ischemic stroke affects men and women differently. In particular, women are often reported to experience higher acute stroke severity than men. We derived a low-dimensional representation of anatomical stroke lesions and designed a Bayesian hierarchical modeling framework tailored to estimate possible sex differences in lesion patterns linked to acute stroke severity (National Institute of Health Stroke Scale). This framework was developed in 555 patients (38% female). Findings were validated in an independent cohort (n=503, 41% female). Here, we show brain lesions in regions subserving motor and language functions help explain stroke severity in both men and women, however more widespread lesion patterns are relevant in female patients. Higher stroke severity in women, but not men, is associated with left hemisphere lesions in the vicinity of the posterior circulation. Our results suggest there are sex-specific functional cerebral asymmetries that may be important for future investigations of sex-stratified approaches to management of acute ischemic stroke.
|
|
| 8. |
- Bonkhoff, A. K., et al.
(författare)
-
Deep profiling of multiple ischemic lesions in a large, multi-center cohort: Frequency, spatial distribution, and associations to clinical characteristics
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Frontiers in Neuroscience. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1662-453X .- 1662-4548. ; 16
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background purposeA substantial number of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) experience multiple acute lesions (MAL). We here aimed to scrutinize MAL in a large radiologically deep-phenotyped cohort. Materials and methodsAnalyses relied upon imaging and clinical data from the international MRI-GENIE study. Imaging data comprised both Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) for white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden estimation and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) sequences for the assessment of acute stroke lesions. The initial step featured the systematic evaluation of occurrences of MAL within one and several vascular supply territories. Associations between MAL and important imaging and clinical characteristics were subsequently determined. The interaction effect between single and multiple lesion status and lesion volume was estimated by means of Bayesian hierarchical regression modeling for both stroke severity and functional outcome. ResultsWe analyzed 2,466 patients (age = 63.4 +/- 14.8, 39% women), 49.7% of which presented with a single lesion. Another 37.4% experienced MAL in a single vascular territory, while 12.9% featured lesions in multiple vascular territories. Within most territories, MAL occurred as frequently as single lesions (ratio similar to 1:1). Only the brainstem region comprised fewer patients with MAL (ratio 1:4). Patients with MAL presented with a significantly higher lesion volume and acute NIHSS (7.7 vs. 1.7 ml and 4 vs. 3, p(FDR) < 0.001). In contrast, patients with a single lesion were characterized by a significantly higher WMH burden (6.1 vs. 5.3 ml, p(FDR) = 0.048). Functional outcome did not differ significantly between patients with single versus multiple lesions. Bayesian analyses suggested that the association between lesion volume and stroke severity between single and multiple lesions was the same in case of anterior circulation stroke. In case of posterior circulation stroke, lesion volume was linked to a higher NIHSS only among those with MAL. ConclusionMultiple lesions, especially those within one vascular territory, occurred more frequently than previously reported. Overall, multiple lesions were distinctly linked to a higher acute stroke severity, a higher total DWI lesion volume and a lower WMH lesion volume. In posterior circulation stroke, lesion volume was linked to a higher stroke severity in multiple lesions only.
|
|
| 9. |
- Bonkhoff, A. K., et al.
(författare)
-
Sex-specific lesion pattern of functional outcomes after stroke
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Brain Communications. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 2632-1297. ; 4:2
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Relying on neuroimaging and clinical data of 822 acute stroke patients, Bonkhoff et al. report substantially more detrimental effects of lesions in left-hemispheric posterior circulation regions on functional outcomes in women compared to men. These findings may motivate a sex-specific clinical stroke management to improve outcomes in the longer term. Stroke represents a considerable burden of disease for both men and women. However, a growing body of literature suggests clinically relevant sex differences in the underlying causes, presentations and outcomes of acute ischaemic stroke. In a recent study, we reported sex divergences in lesion topographies: specific to women, acute stroke severity was linked to lesions in the left-hemispheric posterior circulation. We here determined whether these sex-specific brain manifestations also affect long-term outcomes. We relied on 822 acute ischaemic patients [age: 64.7 (15.0) years, 39% women] originating from the multi-centre MRI-GENIE study to model unfavourable outcomes (modified Rankin Scale >2) based on acute neuroimaging data in a Bayesian hierarchical framework. Lesions encompassing bilateral subcortical nuclei and left-lateralized regions in proximity to the insula explained outcomes across men and women (area under the curve = 0.81). A pattern of left-hemispheric posterior circulation brain regions, combining left hippocampus, precuneus, fusiform and lingual gyrus, occipital pole and latero-occipital cortex, showed a substantially higher relevance in explaining functional outcomes in women compared to men [mean difference of Bayesian posterior distributions (men - women) = -0.295 (90% highest posterior density interval = -0.556 to -0.068)]. Once validated in prospective studies, our findings may motivate a sex-specific approach to clinical stroke management and hold the promise of enhancing outcomes on a population level.
|
|
| 10. |
- Bretzner, M., et al.
(författare)
-
MRI Radiomic Signature of White Matter Hyperintensities Is Associated With Clinical Phenotypes
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Frontiers in Neuroscience. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1662-4548 .- 1662-453X. ; 15
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: Neuroimaging measurements of brain structural integrity are thought to be surrogates for brain health, but precise assessments require dedicated advanced image acquisitions. By means of quantitatively describing conventional images, radiomic analyses hold potential for evaluating brain health. We sought to: (1) evaluate radiomics to assess brain structural integrity by predicting white matter hyperintensities burdens (WMH) and (2) uncover associations between predictive radiomic features and clinical phenotypes. Methods: We analyzed a multi-site cohort of 4,163 acute ischemic strokes (AIS) patients with T2-FLAIR MR images with total brain and WMH segmentations. Radiomic features were extracted from normal-appearing brain tissue (brain mask-WMH mask). Radiomics-based prediction of personalized WMH burden was done using ElasticNet linear regression. We built a radiomic signature of WMH with stable selected features predictive of WMH burden and then related this signature to clinical variables using canonical correlation analysis (CCA). Results: Radiomic features were predictive of WMH burden (R-2 = 0.855 +/- 0.011). Seven pairs of canonical variates (CV) significantly correlated the radiomics signature of WMH and clinical traits with respective canonical correlations of 0.81, 0.65, 0.42, 0.24, 0.20, 0.15, and 0.15 (FDR-corrected p-values(CV1-6) < 0.001, p-value(CV7) = 0.012). The clinical CV1 was mainly influenced by age, CV2 by sex, CV3 by history of smoking and diabetes, CV4 by hypertension, CV5 by atrial fibrillation (AF) and diabetes, CV6 by coronary artery disease (CAD), and CV7 by CAD and diabetes. Conclusion: Radiomics extracted from T2-FLAIR images of AIS patients capture microstructural damage of the cerebral parenchyma and correlate with clinical phenotypes, suggesting different radiographical textural abnormalities per cardiovascular risk profile. Further research could evaluate radiomics to predict the progression of WMH and for the follow-up of stroke patients' brain health.
|
|
