| 1. |
- Aulchenko, Yurii S, et al.
(författare)
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Loci influencing lipid levels and coronary heart disease risk in 16 European population cohorts
- 2009
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Ingår i: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 41:1, s. 47-55
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent genome-wide association (GWA) studies of lipids have been conducted in samples ascertained for other phenotypes, particularly diabetes. Here we report the first GWA analysis of loci affecting total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglycerides sampled randomly from 16 population-based cohorts and genotyped using mainly the Illumina HumanHap300-Duo platform. Our study included a total of 17,797-22,562 persons, aged 18-104 years and from geographic regions spanning from the Nordic countries to Southern Europe. We established 22 loci associated with serum lipid levels at a genome-wide significance level (P < 5 x 10(-8)), including 16 loci that were identified by previous GWA studies. The six newly identified loci in our cohort samples are ABCG5 (TC, P = 1.5 x 10(-11); LDL, P = 2.6 x 10(-10)), TMEM57 (TC, P = 5.4 x 10(-10)), CTCF-PRMT8 region (HDL, P = 8.3 x 10(-16)), DNAH11 (LDL, P = 6.1 x 10(-9)), FADS3-FADS2 (TC, P = 1.5 x 10(-10); LDL, P = 4.4 x 10(-13)) and MADD-FOLH1 region (HDL, P = 6 x 10(-11)). For three loci, effect sizes differed significantly by sex. Genetic risk scores based on lipid loci explain up to 4.8% of variation in lipids and were also associated with increased intima media thickness (P = 0.001) and coronary heart disease incidence (P = 0.04). The genetic risk score improves the screening of high-risk groups of dyslipidemia over classical risk factors.
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| 2. |
- Johansson, Åsa, et al.
(författare)
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Common variants in the JAZF1 gene associated with height identified by linkage and genome-wide association analysis
- 2009
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Ingår i: Human Molecular Genetics. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0964-6906 .- 1460-2083. ; 18:2, s. 373-380
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Genes for height has gained interest for decades, but only recently have candidate genes started to be identified. We have performed linkage analysis and genome-wide association for height in approximately 4,000 individuals from five European populations. A total of 5 chromosomal regions showed suggestive linkage and in one of these regions, two SNPs (rs849140 and rs1635852) were associated with height (nominal p=7.0 x 10(-8) and p=9.6 x 10(-7) respectively). In total, five SNPs across the genome showed an association with height that reached the threshold of genome-wide significance (nominal p<1.6 x 10(-7)). The association with height was replicated for two SNPs (rs1635852 and rs849140) using three independent studies (N=31,077, N=1,268 and N=5,746) with overall meta p-values of 9.4x10(-10) and 5.3x10(-8). These SNPs are located in the JAZF1 gene, which has recently been associated with type II diabetes, prostate and endometrial cancer. JAZF1 is a transcriptional repressor of NR2C2, which results in low IGF1 serum concentrations, perinatal and early postnatal hypoglycaemia and growth retardation when knocked-out in mice. Both the linkage and association analyses independently identified the JAZF1 region affecting human height. We have demonstrated, through replication in additional independent populations, the consistency of the effect of the JAZF1 SNPs on height. Since this gene also has a key function in the metabolism of growth, JAZF1 represents one of the strongest candidates influencing human height so far identified.
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| 3. |
- Borg, Christel, et al.
(författare)
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Life satisfaction in 6 European Countries : The Relationship to health, Self-Esteem, and Social and Financial Resources among People (Aged 65-89) with Reduced Functional Capacity
- 2008
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Ingår i: Geriatric Nursing. - New York : Mosby. - 0197-4572 .- 1528-3984. ; 29:1, s. 48-57
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study was to investigate how overall health, participation in physical activities, self-esteem and social and financial resources are related to life satisfaction among people (65+) with reduced Activities of Daily Living (ADL) capacity in six European countries. A subsample of the European Study of Adults’ Well-Being (ESAW), consisting of 2195 people with reduced ADL capacity from Sweden, the UK, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, and Italy, was included. The Older Americans’ Resources Schedule (OARS), the Life Satisfaction Index Z, and the Self-esteem scale were used. In all national samples, overall health, self-esteem and feeling worried, rather than ADL capacity, were significantly associated with life satisfaction. The findings indicate the importance of not only taking the reduction in functional capacity into account, but also the individual’s perception of health and self-esteem, when outlining health care and nursing aimed at improving life satisfaction. The study thus suggests that personal, rather than environmental, factors are important for life satisfaction among people with reduced ADL capacity living in Europe.
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| 4. |
- Burholt, Vanessa, et al.
(författare)
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Reliability and Validity of the Older Americans Resources and Services (OARS) Social Resources Scale in six European Countries
- 2007
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Ingår i: The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences. - 1079-5006 .- 1758-535X. ; 62B:6, s. 371-379
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: This paper documents the applicability of the Older Americans Resources and Services (OARS) Social Resources Scale in six European Countries (the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Austria, the United Kingdom and Sweden). METHOD: A questionnaire was administered through face-to-face interviews in five countries, and postal interview in the sixth, to representative populations of adults aged 50-90 living independently (N=12478). The paper examines the missing values and distribution of the items in the social resources scale, and the consistency of skew and kurtosis across the countries. Item-total correlations are performed. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) are run to test a three factor model which was obtained in USA and Spanish analyses. Cronbach’s Alpha determines the reliability of the social resources sub-scales. RESULTS: Relatively large proportion of missing data is observed for one item (have someone who would help you). All items correlate with a score equal to or greater than 0.20. Although the CFA generally support the acceptability of the three factor structure in the European data, the reliability of two of the sub-scales (dependability and affective) is unacceptably low. DISCUSSION: Differences across countries makes it unlikely a single social resources scale can be developed that would have item equivalence in multiple countries.
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| 5. |
- Burholt, Vanessa, et al.
(författare)
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Reliability and Validity of the Older Americans Resources and Services (OARS) Social Resources Scale in six European Countries
- 2007
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Ingår i: The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences. - : The Gerontological Society of America. - 1079-5014 .- 1758-5368. ; 62:6, s. 371-379
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives. The purpose of this article is to examine data quality, reliability, and construct validity of the Older Americans Resources and Services social resources scale in six European countries (The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Austria, the United Kingdom, and Sweden).Methods. A questionnaire was administered through face-to-face interviews in five countries, and postal interview in the sixth, to representative populations of adults aged 50 to 90 living independently (N = 12,478). This article examines missing values and distribution of items in the social resources scale, and consistency of skew and kurtosis across countries. We performed item–total correlations and ran confirmatory factor analyses to test a three-factor model obtained in previous U.S. and Spanish analyses. Cronbach's alpha determined the reliability of the factors.Results. We observed a relatively large proportion of missing data for one item (have someone who would help you). All items correlated with a score equal to or greater than 0.20. Although the confirmatory factor analyses generally supported the acceptability of the three-factor structure in the European data, the reliability of two dimensions (dependability and affective) was unacceptably low.Discussion. Differences across countries make it unlikely that researchers can develop a single social resources scale that would have item equivalence in multiple countries.
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| 6. |
- Fagerström, Cecilia, et al.
(författare)
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Life satisfaction and associated factors among people aged 60 years and above in six European countries
- 2007
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Ingår i: Applied Research in Quality of Life. - : Springer. - 1871-2584 .- 1871-2576. ; 2, s. 33-50
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Life satisfaction is a concept frequently used to measure wellbeing of older people. However, there is still a lack of cross-national comparative research investigating factors associated with life satisfaction. There may be unique and common factors associated with life satisfaction across European countries. This study aimed to investigate life satisfaction among people aged 60–89 years in six European countries in relation to health problems, ADL capacity, self-esteem, social and financial resources. A cross-sectional study was performed, including 7699 people aged 60–89 years, in Sweden, the UK, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, Austria and Italy, participating in the European Study of Adult Wellbeing, using questions from the Older Americans Resources and Services schedule, Multidimensional Functional Assessment Questionnaire, Life Satisfaction Index Z and Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine factors associated with life satisfaction in the six national samples. In cases where people were less satisfied with their life it was fairly satisfactory and unsatisfactory social contacts (Odds Ratio (OR) 1.5–13.8), poor financial resources (OR 1.7–15.1), feeling greatly hindered by health problems (OR 2.2–5.4) and self-esteem (OR 2.1–5.1) rather than the ability to perform activities of daily living and the extent of social contacts that gave the greatest risk of low life satisfaction in all the six European countries. There were both common and country-specific factors important for life satisfaction in the six European countries. However, the importance of satisfactory social contacts, financial resources, self-esteem and feeling hindered by health problems seems universal in the six included countries and thus important to target in preventive interventions.
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| 7. |
- Heard-Costa, Nancy L, et al.
(författare)
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NRXN3 is a novel locus for waist circumference : a genome-wide association study from the CHARGE Consortium
- 2009
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Ingår i: PLoS genetics. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7404. ; 5:6, s. e1000539-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Central abdominal fat is a strong risk factor for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. To identify common variants influencing central abdominal fat, we conducted a two-stage genome-wide association analysis for waist circumference (WC). In total, three loci reached genome-wide significance. In stage 1, 31,373 individuals of Caucasian descent from eight cohort studies confirmed the role of FTO and MC4R and identified one novel locus associated with WC in the neurexin 3 gene [NRXN3 (rs10146997, p = 6.4×10−7)]. The association with NRXN3 was confirmed in stage 2 by combining stage 1 results with those from 38,641 participants in the GIANT consortium (p = 0.009 in GIANT only, p = 5.3×10−8 for combined analysis, n = 70,014). Mean WC increase per copy of the G allele was 0.0498 z-score units (0.65 cm). This SNP was also associated with body mass index (BMI) [p = 7.4×10−6, 0.024 z-score units (0.10 kg/m2) per copy of the G allele] and the risk of obesity (odds ratio 1.13, 95% CI 1.07–1.19; p = 3.2×10−5 per copy of the G allele). The NRXN3 gene has been previously implicated in addiction and reward behavior, lending further evidence that common forms of obesity may be a central nervous system-mediated disorder. Our findings establish that common variants in NRXN3 are associated with WC, BMI, and obesity.
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| 8. |
- Solinas, Giovanni, et al.
(författare)
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JNK1 in hematopoietically derived cells contributes to diet-induced inflammation and insulin resistance without affecting obesity
- 2007
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Ingår i: Cell Metabolism. - 1550-4131 .- 1932-7420. ; 6:5, s. 386-397
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Obesity-induced insulin resistance is a major factor in the etiology of type 2 diabetes, and Jun kinases (JNKs) are key negative regulators of insulin sensitivity in the obese state. Activation of JNKs (mainly JNK1) in insulin target cells results in phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrates (IRSs) at serine and threonine residues that inhibit insulin signaling. JNK1 activation is also required for accumulation of visceral fat. Here we used reciprocal adoptive transfer experiments to determine whether JNK1 in myeloid cells, such as macrophages, also contributes to insulin resistance and central adiposity. Our results show that deletion of Jnk1 in the nonhematopoietic compartment protects mice from high-fat diet (HFD)-induced insulin resistance, in part through decreased adiposity. By contrast, Jnk1 removal from hematopoietic cells has no effect on adiposity but confers protection against HFD-induced insulin resistance by decreasing obesity-induced inflammation.
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| 9. |
- Vrede, T, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of N : P loading ratios on phytoplankton community composition, primary production and N fixation in a eutrophic lake
- 2009
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Ingår i: Freshwater Biology. - : Blackwell Publishing Ltd. ; 54:2, s. 331-344
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- 1. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of different nitrogen (N) to phosphorus (P) loading ratios on phytoplankton community composition and primary production in a naturally eutrophic lake. Furthermore, the sources of N fuelling primary production were estimated using (15)N stable isotope tracers.2. A mesocosm experiment was performed with the same amount of P added to all mesocosms (similar to internal loading rates) but with a range of N additions (0-86 mu m N), resulting in a gradient of N : P supply ratios.3. Low N : P supply ratios resulted in a significant shift in the phytoplankton assemblage to a community dominated by N-fixing cyanobacteria and a supply of atmospheric N(2) estimated to be up to 60% of total supply.4. The N : P loading ratio had no significant effect on primary production, total nitrogen (TN) concentration or particulate N concentration.5. Our results imply that a reduced N : P ratio of the nutrient load does not necessarily result in a lower TN concentration and downstream N export due to compensation by N-fixing cyanobacteria.
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