14437 results for ""Pennsylvania+German"+ACS+study+'Socius'+open+access"

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• Genome-Wide Association Studies of Prematurity and Its Complications

  Preterm labor resulting in the delivery of a premature child is a complex problem with an enormous impact on individuals, families and society. An estimated 500,000 children are born prematurely in the U.S. each year, and 5 million worldwide die annually of prematurity and its complications. Prematurity is also the single largest contributor to disability-adjusted life years, a measure of the lifetime impact of a disease. Despite the importance of the problem and its disproportionate occurrence in poor and minority populations, its underlying etiology (or etiologies) remains unknown; the single best predictor for preterm delivery is a previous preterm birth. The largest single cause of prematurity is spontaneous preterm labor, and suspected triggers for this include infection, stress, poor nutrition and genetic factors. Family and twin studies provide strong evidence that genetic factors underlie about 40% of the risk for prematurity. A major challenge in studying genetic factors in prematurity is maternal/uterine factors, fetal/placental factors, or both may influence risk. Thus, any approach to studying preterm birth should account for both infant and maternal risk, environmental covariates and interactions. The Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) is a well-established, prospective cohort that enrolled women early in pregnancy, prior to any adverse pregnancy outcomes, to minimize bias in data collection and sampling. See details at: http://www.ssi.dk/English. The DNBC followed over 100,000 pregnancies beginning in the first trimester and has extensive biological material and epidemiologic data on health outcomes in both mother and child. The current study posted on dbGaP contains data from a genome-wide case/control study using approximately 1,000 preterm mother-child pairs from the DNBC most with spontaneous onset of labor or preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), along with 1,000 control pairs where the child was born at ~40 weeks' gestation. After data cleaning some small changes in case/control status and other variables resulted in minor changes in numbers of cases or controls in certain categories. Environmental variables are being used as covariates in the analysis. To replicate positive findings, we are using additional mother-child pairs from the DNBC and from the general Danish population, as well as 2200 samples coming primarily from an African-American population known to have high rates of preterm labor and delivery. This group includes over 1000 mostly very low birthweight infants, over 500 infant term controls, 326 term mother/baby pairs and 180 preterm mother/baby pairs. The data from these additional cohorts will be available in separate dbGaP postings. The study is expected to yield a better understanding of the biology of parturition, identify common genetic factors that play a role in preterm birth and its complications and suggest environmental modifications that can prolong gestation, with the goal of improving both neonatal and adult outcomes. This study is part of the Gene Environment Association Studies initiative (GENEVA, http://www.genevastudy.org) funded by the trans-NIH Genes, Environment, and Health Initiative (GEI). The overarching goal is to identify novel genetic factors that contribute to prematurity and its complications through large-scale genome-wide association studies of a well-characterized cohort of Danish mothers and babies. Genotyping was performed at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Inherited Disease Research (CIDR). Data cleaning and harmonization were done at the GEI-funded GENEVA Coordinating Center at the University of Washington.

  Study phs000103

• National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research (CSER) The MedSeq Project: Integration of Whole Genome Sequencing into Clinical Medicine (HG006500)

  Whole genome sequencing (WGS) and whole exome sequencing (WES) services are currently available to and being utilized by physicians and their patients in both research and clinical settings, and recently to anyone in the general public via direct-to-consumer companies. But the widespread availability and use of WGS and WES in the practice of clinical medicine is imminent. In the very near future, sequencing of individual genomes will be inexpensive and ubiquitous, and patients will be looking to the medical establishment for interpretations, insight and advice to improve their health. Developing standards and procedures for the use of WGS information in clinical medicine is an urgent need, but there are numerous obstacles related to integrity and storage of WGS data, interpretation and responsible clinical integration. The MedSeq Project is an exploratory trial of WGS in clinical medicine. At the conclusion of this study, we will have helped create innovative protocols and novel outcome measures that can be applied safely in future large-scale multi-site randomized clinical trials with larger numbers of physicians from broad specialties and with more economically and ethnically diverse patients. Together with our colleagues from across the nation through the U01 consortium formed as a result of this funding from the NIH, we will have invented a process of implementation and evaluation whereby the fruits of the Human Genome Project can be applied for the first time to the daily practice of medicine for the betterment of human health. The objectives of the MedSeq Project are to: Recruit, consent and enroll 2 study groups: 10 primary care physicians and 100 of their healthy middle-aged patients 10 cardiologists and 100 of their patients with cardiomyopathy. Randomize each study group to receive standard of care versus standard of care plus WGS. Monitor the entire protocol for subject safety. Only half the enrolled patients were selected for sequencing. Fifty subjects were selected from the primary care cohort and fifty were selected from the cardiomyopathy cohort. Whole genome sequencing was performed at 30x coverage in Illumina's CLIA-certified laboratory on these 100 individuals. Generate and optimize an algorithm for interpreting WGS data covering the spectrum of human genetic variation, in terms of both previously reported and novel variants likely to influence the health of patients. Create patient reports and provide an interface for communicating clinically relevant genomic information to practicing physicians. Describe physicians' and patients' attitudes toward, and preferences for, the disclosure of WGS results at the start of the study. Evaluate physicians' experiences with receiving and interpreting patients' genetic test results and how they communicate these results to their patients. Explore how patients respond to and use WGS results by administering validated scales of psychological impact, personal utility, and behavioral responses, as well as economic and health outcomes. Although we do not have a large enough sample size for statistical comparisons of outcomes, we will conduct exploratory comparisons: Exploratory Hypotheses: Patients who receive WGS results will show equivalent levels of distress compared to patients who receive family history only. Patients with higher genetic literacy and better understanding will report greater satisfaction and less decisional regret. Patients who receive WGS will (a) be more likely to change health behaviors and (b) utilize more health care resources than those who do not receive WGS.

  Study phs000958

• A Genomic Approach to Warfarin Dose Prescription in Admixed Caribbean Hispanics

  Warfarin is an oral anticoagulant and one of the most used drugs in the world accounting for up to 1.5% of prescriptions globally. Warfarin inhibits vitamin K epoxide reductase complex 1 (VKORC1), an enzyme responsible for the vitamin K recycling that is required for the activation of clotting factors. Warfarin is prescribed at an average dose of 5 mg/day for most of the indications but significant inter-patient variability has been observed. Single nucleotide variations at the VKORC1 (GeneID: 79001) and CYP2C9 (GeneID: 1559) genes alone explain from 28 to 35% of variability in warfarin dose requirements and up to 56% when clinical factors (age, gender, body surface area, diabetes and heart valve) are incorporated into regression analysis. However, genetic-guided dosing algorithms are mostly derived from studies in Europeans. The objective of the present study was to identify genetic polymorphisms that can explain variability in warfarin dose requirements among Caribbean Hispanics of Puerto Rico. VKORC1 (GeneID: 79001) and CYP2C9 (GeneID: 1559), the most important genetic predictors of warfarin response, were sequenced using Next Generation sequencing. Other candidate genes in DMET Plus Assay were assessed to identify genetic variants with relevance in warfarin dose requirements among Puerto Ricans. Our study used the Extreme Discordant Phenotype approach to perform a case-control association analysis that were confirmed with univariate and conditioned regressions. Accordingly, patients were stratified based on stable warfarin doses as sensitive (<4 mg/day), control (4-6 mg/day) and resistant (>6 mg/day). Genetic variants associated with warfarin response among the study cohort were used to perform a multivariate regression analyses to develop a genetic-guided dosing algorithm tailored for Puerto Ricans. The CYP2C9rs2860905 SNP was found to be strongly associated with warfarin dose requirements in Puerto Ricans. The CYP2C9 rs2860905 SNP tags four haplotypes that represent the trihybrid admixture of Puerto Ricans. Therefore, haplotypes harboring the rs2860905 variant are more informative in predicting warfarin dose among Puerto Ricans than the common single segregating SNPs (i.e., CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3) relevant to Europeans. DMET Plus array confirmed the strong association of VKORC1 (GeneID: 79001) and CYP2C9 (GeneID: 1559) with warfarin dose requirements, but also identified other polymorphisms in CES2 (GeneID: 8824) and ABCB1 (GeneID: 5243) associated with warfarin resistance (>6 mg/day). Ancestry analysis showed that Puerto Ricans from Veteran Affairs Caribbean Healthcare System (VACHS) using warfarin had higher Native American proportions than Puerto Ricans from the 1000 Genomes project; however, this difference was not significant. Incorporation of rs2860905 in a regression model (R2=0.60 MSE=0.38) that also included additional genetic predictors (i.e., VKORC1-1639G>A; CYP2C9 rs1856908; ABCB1 rs10276036; CES2 rs4783745) and non-genetic factors (i.e., hypertension, diabetes and age) showed better prediction of warfarin dose requirements than CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3 combined (partial R2=0.132 versus 0.023 and 0.007, respectively, p<0.001). Interestingly, deep vein thrombosis and diabetes were found associated with high warfarin dose requirements among Puerto Ricans. Our results support the use of CYP2C9 rs2860905 along with other genetic markers [e.g., VKORC1(GeneID: 79001 )] and clinical covariates to predict warfarin dose in Puerto Ricans. Although our findings need further replication, this study contributes to the field of Pharmacogenetics and to improve anticoagulation therapy among Puerto Ricans.

  Study phs001496

• National Cancer Institute (NCI) Adding Hispanics to Ongoing GWAS in Colorectal Cancer

  Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of colorectal cancer (CRC) have been instrumental in identifying a number of common susceptibility loci in Non Hispanic (NH)-White populations, and a NCI priority is to extend GWAS findings to other populations to address racial/ethnic disparities in cancer susceptibility. Currently, GWA studies of CRC in NH-Whites, Japanese and African-Americans are ongoing. We propose a complementary study to address this critical research area in Hispanics. Hispanics represent the fastest growing ethnic population in the U.S. and have been largely understudied in terms of genetic susceptibility to cancer. There are noted differences in incidence, survival and mortality in CRC by ethnic/racial groups. Hispanics often present with CRC at a younger age and have a significantly greater incidence of stage IV tumors or metastatic disease compared to NH-Whites. We propose to conduct a large, cost-efficient, population-based GWAS in Hispanics by building upon existing NIH-funded resources, the Colon Cancer Family Registry (Colon CFR) and the Multiethnic Cohort Study (MEC). We plan to recruit 2,500 Hispanic men and women diagnosed with CRC between 01/2008 to present using cancer registries in California, physican referrals and familial referrals. Risk factor/diet questionnaires, pathology reports, Oragene saliva samples (for genotyping), optional blood samples (for genotyping and biometric analysis) and tumor blocks (for MSI testing) will be collected using methodologies developed in the Colon CFR/MEC. Cases of CRC in the MEC (currently 473; anticipated 600 at end) will also be included. Population-based Hispanic individuals without a diagnosis of CRC participating in other GWA studies in the MEC (n=3,900, U01HG004726, Haiman) will be used as controls. We will genotype all 3,100 cases using the Illumina 1M array and use available genotype and epidemiologic data collected on 3,900 controls. Our statistical analyses will include: single-SNP and haplotype effects, gene-environment interactions and heterogeneity by MSI, tumor subtype and family history of CRC. We will replicate findings in a second-stage using CRC cases and controls from Mexico (1,000 cases and 1,000 controls, EU FP7 funding, CHIBCHA, Carvajal-Carmona/Tomlinson). We will also examine heterogeneity of the risk estimates by ethnicity/race by leveraging GWA data on NH-Whites (2,142 cases, 1,909 controls, U01 CA122839, Casey), (4,000 cases, 6,000 NH-White controls, UK-CHIBCHA, Tomlinson), Colombians (2,000 cases and 2,000 controls, CHIBCHA), Japanese (1,000 cases and 1,000 controls) and African-Americans (1,500 cases and 1,500 controls, R01CA126895, Le Marchand). We will genotype replicated significant SNPs in our main and combined analysis in several Hispanic populations (note: studies funded by EU or NIH for data collection but not GWAS), including 800 Puerto Ricans, 2,000 Brazilians, 2,000 Argentineans and 3,000 Spanish/Portuguese, to assess generalizability of findings. We will examine the differences in inflammatory gene transcription dynamics in leukocytes (from blood sample collection) by fatigue level (as assessed from study questionnaire data). This study will have a high impact by addressing the key question of racial/ethnic disparities related to genetic susceptibility to CRC, will provide translational guidelines on biological mechanisms during the cancer survivorship period to increase quality of life among cancer survivors, and will enable further growth and investment into research among Hispanics by providing a resource of genetic data and biospecimens, which is lacking.

  Study phs001193

• Women's Health Initiative Clinical Trial and Observational Study - Imaging

  Objectives: The clinical trial assessed the safety and efficacy of three interventions. Specifically, it evaluated (1) the major health benefits and risks of estrogen plus progestin and estrogen alone, (2) the effects of a low-fat eating pattern on risk of colorectal cancer, and (3) the efficacy of calcium with vitamin D supplementation for preventing hip and other fractures. The objective of the memory study was to determine whether estrogen plus progestin therapy protects global cognitive function, and evaluate the therapy's effect on the incidence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment.The observational study is examining the relationship between lifestyle, socioeconomic, health, and other risk factors with cardiovascular, breast cancer, colorectal cancer and osteoporotic fracture outcomes. Secondary objectives include providing more reliable estimates of the extent to which known risk factors predict disease, more precise estimates of new occurrences of disease, and to provide a future resource for the identification of new or novel risk factors especially factors found in blood. Background: The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) is a long-term national health study that has focused on strategies for preventing the major causes of death, disability, and frailty in postmenopausal women, specifically heart disease, cancer, and osteoporotic fractures. The WHI is primarily composed of an observational study (OS), as well a clinical trial (CT) with three components: Hormone Replacement Therapy (HT), Dietary Modification, (DM) and Calcium/Vitamin D supplementation (CaD).Prior to the WHI, observational studies suggested that postmenopausal hormone therapy was associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Potential cardioprotection was based on generally supportive data on lipid levels in intermediate outcome clinical trials, trials in nonhuman primates, and a large body of observational studies suggesting a 40% to 50% reduction in risk among users of either estrogen alone or, less frequently, combined estrogen and progestin. Observational studies primarily examining unopposed estrogen preparations have suggested a 30% to 50% reduction in coronary events, and an 8% to 30% increase in breast cancer with extended use. Other research findings indicated that hormone therapy was also associated with a decreased risk of osteoporosis and increased bone density. The WHI HT trials were designed to test the effects of postmenopausal hormone therapy on risk for coronary heart disease and assess overall risks and benefits in predominantly healthy women. The Women's Health Initiative Memory Program (WHIMS) consists of a suite of studies which include cohorts of women who participated in the WHI HT trials. Postmenopausal women have a greater risk than men of developing Alzheimer's disease, but studies of the effects of estrogen therapy on Alzheimer's disease have been inconsistent. Additionally, observational studies have suggested that postmenopausal hormone treatment may improve cognitive function, but data from randomized clinical trials have been sparse and inconclusive. International comparisons and migration studies have suggested that countries with 50% lower fat intake than the US population had approximately one third the risk of colorectal cancer. Additionally, fairly consistent evidence existed for an effect of dietary fat, vegetables and fruits, and grains on colorectal cancer risk from within-country observational studies, although the protective effect of lower fat intake was no longer clear after adjusting for energy intake. The WHI DM trial was the first randomized trial to directly address the health effects of a low-fat eating pattern in predominantly healthy postmenopausal women from diverse racial/ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Osteoporosis is a major cause of injury, loss of independence, and death, and contributes to hip fractures. Observational evidence and data from previous randomized clinical trials suggest that calcium and/or vitamin D supplements may slow bone loss and reduce the risk of falls in postmenopausal and elderly women. However, evidence from trials, observational studies, and meta-analyses of calcium and vitamin D supplementation with respect to hip and other fractures was limited at the time the WHI was initiated. In two prior randomized trials, calcium plus vitamin D supplements did not reduce the risk of nonvertebral fractures among older women. When the WHI CaD trial was designed, guidelines recommended daily intakes of 800 to 1200 mg of calcium with 400 IU of vitamin D for the prevention of osteoporosis, which was not met by many American women. Therefore, the WHI CaD trial was designed to test the primary hypothesis that postmenopausal women randomly assigned to calcium plus vitamin D supplementation would have a lower risk of hip fracture and, secondarily, of all fractures than women assigned to placebo. Subjects: Postmenopausal women ages 50 to 79 were eligible to participate. A woman was considered postmenopausal if she had experienced no vaginal bleeding for 6 months (12 months for women under 55 years of age), had had a hysterectomy, or had ever used postmenopausal hormones. Recruitment was carried out in 40 US clinical centers in 1993-1998. The clinical trial components had additional specific inclusion or exclusion criteria.A total of 68,132 women were randomized into at least one component of the clinical trial. 27,347 women were enrolled in the hormone therapy component with 16,608 in the estrogen plus progestin trial and 10,739 in the unopposed estrogen trial, 48,835 women were enrolled in the diet modification component, and 36,282 women were enrolled in the calcium/vitamin D component. 7,479 women 65 years of age and older at baseline and that participated in the HT trial component were enrolled in the ancillary memory study. Women who were either ineligible or unwilling to participate in the clinical trial component were enrolled in the observational study. For example, many potential participants to the clinical trial component of the study were already undertaking a low fat diet or were using hormone replacement therapy. The effect of the selection process was that women enrolled in the observational study tended to have healthier lifestyles compared to those enrolled in the clinical trial. In total, 93,676 subjects were enrolled in WHI OS, with over 16% being members of a racial/ethnic minority group. The first WHI Extension Study enrolled 115,407 consenting participants from all components of the original WHI study for an additional five years of follow-up, from 2005 to 2010. In 2010, 93,567 women consented to continued follow-up. Design: The clinical trial component of the WHI included three randomized comparisons: hormone therapy, dietary modification, and calcium/vitamin D supplementation. Women could have been randomized into one, two or all three trials.The hormone therapy trial enrolled women to one of two double-blinded trials: estrogen (0.625 mg of conjugated equine estrogens daily) plus progestin (2.5 mg of medroxyprogesterone acetate daily) or estrogen alone. Women with a prior hysterectomy were eligible for the trial of unopposed estrogen. Women with an intact uterus at screening were initially also eligible for unopposed estrogen, but were reassigned to the trial of combined postmenopausal hormones beginning in 1995. Both trials randomized participants 1:1 to either hormone therapy or placebo. A 3-month washout period was required before baseline evaluation of women using postmenopausal hormones at initial screening. Study participants were contacted by telephone 6 weeks after randomization to assess symptoms and reinforce adherence. Follow-up contacts by telephone or clinic visit occurred every 6 months, with clinic visits required annually. The estrogen plus progestin trial was halted in July 2002 after a mean 5.2 years of follow-up because health risks, including increased risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease, exceeded benefits. The estrogen alone trial was stopped early in March 2004, because an increased risk of stroke was found with no benefit for coronary heart disease. The primary outcome was coronary heart disease (CHD) (nonfatal myocardial infarction and CHD death), with invasive breast cancer as the primary adverse outcome. The dietary modification trial evaluated the effect of a low-fat, high fruit, vegetable, and grain diet on preventing cardiovascular disease and cancer. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention or a comparison group in the ratio of 2:3 for cost-efficiency. The intervention was an intensive behavioral modification program, using 18 group sessions in the first year and quarterly sessions thereafter, led by specially trained and certified nutritionists. The program was designed to promote dietary change with the goals of reducing total fat to 20% of energy intake, increasing vegetables and fruits to at least 5 servings daily and grains to at least 6 servings daily. The intervention did not include total energy reduction or weight loss goals. Comparison group participants received a copy of the US Department of Health and Human Services' Dietary Guidelines for Americans and other health-related materials but were not asked to make dietary changes. Dietary intake was monitored using the WHI food frequency questionnaire at 1 year and in a rotating one-third subsample every year thereafter. Women completed a medical update questionnaire every 6 months, and medical records were sought for all women reporting colorectal cancer. The primary outcome was invasive colorectal cancer incidence. Participants in the calcium/vitamin D trial were randomized 1:1 to either supplements or placebo. Active tablets contained 500 mg of elemental calcium (as calcium carbonate) and 200 IU of vitamin D3, to be taken twice daily with meals. The presence and severity of symptoms, safety concerns, and outcomes were ascertained at annual clinic visits and telephone or clinic visits at intervening six-month intervals. Risk factors for fracture were assessed by questionnaire, interview, and clinical examination. The primary outcome was incidence of hip fracture. Participants in the observational study attended a baseline examination and were re-examined three years later. Participants completed annual updates of exposures and clinical outcomes by mail. Final data were collected by mail during the close-out period in April 2004 to March 2005. The major clinical outcomes of interest were coronary heart disease, stroke, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, osteoporotic fractures, diabetes, and total mortality. Most outcomes were initially ascertained by self-report on an annual questionnaire and documented by hospital and related records. Charts with potential cardiovascular, cancer, and fracture outcomes were sent to the local physician adjudicator for evaluation and classification. Staff at the Clinical Coordinating Center coded and adjudicated all cancers of major interest in the study using standardized SEER guidelines. In 2005, WHI participants were invited to join the Extension Study for an additional five years of follow-up in order to collect long-term outcomes. Participants completed annual data collection forms primarily by mail, similar to the OS follow-up. Women reporting study outcomes were contacted by WHI field center staff to obtain additional details and medical records, which were evaluated by physician adjudicators. In 2010, the woman remaining were invited to join the next Extension Study. In the second extension, women were divided into two groups, one of which would have outcomes documented with medical records (the Medical Records Cohort, MRC), and the other would just be followed by self-report (the Self-Report Cohort, SRC). The MRC consists of women who were in the hormone therapy trials, and all African-American and Hispanic women. In 2012-2013, a subset of the MRC was identified for a potential in-home visit to collect blood and several objective measures of physical functioning. Conclusions: Overall health risks exceeded benefits from use of combined estrogen plus progestin after an average 5.2 year follow-up among healthy postmenopausal US women (Rossouw et al., 2002, PMID:12117397). Among postmenopausal women aged 65 years or older, estrogen plus progestin did not improve cognitive function when compared with placebo (Rapp et al., 2003, PMID: 12771113), increased the risk for probable dementia, and did not prevent mild cognitive impairment (Shumaker, et al., 2003, PMID: 12771112). The use of conjugated equine estrogen increased the risk of stroke, decreased the risk of hip fracture, and did not affect CHD incidence in postmenopausal women with prior hysterectomy after an average of 6.8 years of follow-up (Anderson et al., 2004, PMID: 15082697). Over approximately 8 years of follow-up, a low-fat dietary pattern did not reduce the risk of colorectal cancer (Beresford, et al., PMID: 16467233). Calcium with vitamin D supplementation resulted in a small but significant improvement in hip bone density; however, no significant difference was observed in hip fractures (Jackson, et al., 2006, PMID: 16481635). A recent review summarizes the conclusions from the WHI clinical trials with a focus on clinical practice (Manson, et al., 2024, PMID: 38691368).Description of ECG Imaging Data: Electric cardiograms (ECGs) were given to all clinical trial participants at baseline and in years 3, 6, and 9 of the original WHI study.EKG data consist of 12 lead 10 seconds ECGS sampled at 500Hz via GE ECG machines and process via GE MUSE system. The ECG waveform were directly exported from GE MUSE using MUSE export function in XML format, which include EKG waveform data as well as other ECG characteristics. Waveform data is in base64 encoded format, when it is decoded, it is a binary data that can be used to draw waveform graph. Many programming languages and data tools have built in functions to decode base64 strings. All the other necessary information is included in the LeadData section, total byte size, total sample size etc. (usually 1 sample is 2 bytes). See example below: encoded-data (base64 encoded string) JwAoAC0AKAAiACIAJAAkACQAIwAiACIAHgAcABwAGwAZABgAGAAYABcAEwAQABAAEAAL^/AAsADAAM... decoded-binary-data (1 sample is 2 bytes) 270028002D002800220022002400240024002300220022001E001C001C001B00 1900180018001800170013001000100010000B000B000C000C000D000D000D00 0A000A000A0009000600040004000700070005000500020... These binary values are integers (Y axis data of the graph), hence it is a straightforward process to draw the waveform graph. Acquisition dates have been redacted from this ECG data to comply with WHI policy. All acquisition dates within files and in file names have been set to January 1, 1900 (19000101) to comply with this policy.

  Study phs003824

• Genome-Wide Association Study of Hypertriglyceridemia in Mexicans

  Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the number one cause of death and mortality world-wide. High levels of serum triglycerides (TGs) and low levels of serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) are major risk factors for CAD. Previous epidemiological studies have shown that these two lipid disturbances are highly common dyslipidemias in Mexicans. However, the genetic factors underlying high serum TGs and low HDL-C are underinvestigated and poorly identified in Mexicans. As the Mexican-American and the genetically related Latin-American populations represent the fastest growing minority in the United States, elucidation of the unknown genetic factors influencing the increased susceptibility of Mexicans to these common dyslipidemias is of great relevance to these U.S. minorities and the American healthcare system. This study is a research collaboration between investigators at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición (INCMN), Mexico City, to perform a two-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) for hypertriglyceridemia and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in Mexicans (Weissglas-Volkov et al. 2013, PMID: 23505323). This study was funded by an RO1 grant from NIH/NHLBI (PI Paivi Pajukanta; PI of the subaward Teresa Tusie-Luna). In stage 1 of the GWAS, we tested all GWAS SNPs from the Illumina Infinium Human610-Quad platform that passed quality control for association in ~2,200 hypertriglyceridemia cases and controls. In stage 2, we genotyped the ~1,200 positive signals of stage 1 in additional ~2,200 hypertriglyceridemia cases and controls, and performed a combined analysis of the two stages to identify genome-wide significant variants. The subjects were recruited at the INCMN. The DNA isolation and clinical laboratory measurements of the case-control study samples were performed at INCMN using standardized procedures. Genotyping and statistical analyses of the data were performed at UCLA. A summary of this GWAS can be found in Weissglas-Volkov et al. 2013 Journal of Medical Genetics, PMID: 23505323. Briefly, using the two-stage GWAS design, we identified a novel Mexican-specific genome-wide significant locus for serum TG levels close to the Niemann-Pick type C1 protein (NPC1) gene (Weissglas-Volkov et al. 2013, PMID: 23505323). Of the European lipid GWAS loci, three TG loci (APOA5, GCKR, and LPL) and four HDL-C loci (ABCA1, CETP, LIPC and LOC55908) resulted in genome-wide significant signals in Mexicans. Furthermore, our cross-ethnic mapping narrowed three European TG GWAS loci, APOA5, MLXIPL, and CILP2 that exhibited long range LD and a large number of candidate SNPs in the European GWAS scan. In the apolipoprotein A1C3A4A5 gene cluster region, the cross-ethnic fine mapping and LD comparisons reduced the number of candidate variants to one SNP, rs964184. We also found that although 52% of the associations from European lipid GWAS meta-analysis could be generalized to Mexicans, in 82% of the European GWAS loci, a different variant other than the European lead SNP provided the statistically strongest evidence of association in the Mexican scan (Weissglas-Volkov et al. 2013, PMID: 23505323). Taken together, our Mexican GWAS for lipids identified a novel Mexican-specific locus for high serum TGs; restricted three European GWAS loci; and investigated which European lipid GWAS variants extend to the Mexican population (Weissglas-Volkov et al. 2013, PMID: 23505323). This NHLBI sponsored RO1 project aimed to identify genetic variants contributing to serum lipid levels in Mexicans. In addition to de-identified genome wide genotypic data, a selected list of de-identified phenotypic data related to hypertriglyceridemia and related metabolic traits are also available in dbGaP.

  Study phs000618

• Genes and Blood Clotting Study (GABC)

  Objectives: Use genome-wide approaches to identify genetic variants that influence common thrombosis and hemostasis factors, as well as selected common human traits. Design/Methods: The GABC study was a prospective sibling cohort design. Siblings were recruited by targeted email to the undergraduate and graduate student email lists at the University of Michigan. Healthy persons between 14 and 35 years old who had healthy siblings within the same age restriction were able to participate. Study participants agreed to an online informed consent and subsequently completed a 52-question online survey describing their specific bleeding traits as well as many common human traits. Fifty milliliters of blood was collected into a citrate-dextrose solution (ACD) from each participant. An aliquot of whole blood was used for an automated complete blood count analysis and the remainder was processed into platelet poor plasma and buffy coat portions. Plasma and buffy coat aliquots were snap frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen for future studies. 1189 individuals representing 507 sibships were collected between 06/26/2006 and 01/30/2009. Phenotyping Survey Details: To characterize individual bruising and bleeding history, the online survey recorded answers to questions based on a modified von Willebrand Disease (VWD) screening questionnaire. To characterize a collection of participant's common human traits, the survey recorded answers to questions about height, weight, presence of skin tags, history of acne, eye color, hair color, hair line characteristics, skin sunburn sensitivity, skin tanning ability, natural skin color, freckling, cheek dimpling, earlobe shape, shoe size, foot arch characteristics, hand fifth digit morphology, history of dyslexia, history of migraine headaches, history of seasonal allergies, history of apthous ulcers, tendency to sneeze while walking into a bright sunny place, history of dental caries, need for corrective eye lenses, handedness and like or dislike of strongly flavored foods. Biochemical phenotyping: Assays for plasma Von Willebrand Factor (VWF) antigen were performed using ELISA and "Alphalisa" techniques. Automated complete blood count analysis was performed on a Bayer Advia 120 on all participants (including WBC differential, RBC indices, and platelet count.) For the dbGaP v2 update, new biochemical phenotypes have been submitted and include von Willebrand Factor, von Willebrand Factor propeptide, plasminogen, gamma prime fibrinogen, ADAMTS 13, antithrombin III, protein C, and protein S. All new phenotypes were obtained using "Alphalisa" techniques. Genotyping Details: SNP genotyping was performed using genomic DNA extracted from peripheral blood at the Broad Institute, (MIT/Harvard). Genotyping was performed on the Illumina Omni-1 quad chip at the Broad Institute. For the dbGaP v2 update, genotyping data from the Illumina Human Exome was deposited. This study is part of the Gene Environment Association Studies initiative (GENEVA, http://www.genevastudy.org) funded by the trans-NIH Genes, Environment, and Health Initiative (GEI). The overarching goal is to identify novel genetic factors that contribute to blood clotting through large-scale genome-wide association studies of siblings. Genotyping was performed at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, a GENEVA genotyping center. Data cleaning and harmonization was performed by the primary investigators at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and at the GEI-funded GENEVA Coordinating Center at the University of Washington. This study serves as a resource for investigators who are interested in the genetic determinants of specific plasma proteins in a healthy population. The sibling cohort design allows for linkage analysis in addition to association studies. Analysis of thrombosis and hemostasis related traits should help elucidate specific biochemical and genetic networks that maintain hemostasis. We hope to identify specific genetic determinants of VWF levels in order to better understand the factors that influence the development of VWD.

  Study phs000304

• Study of Melanoma Risk in Australia and the United Kingdom

  The results from a small number of melanoma GWAS have been published. Initial studies identified several pigmentation- and nevus-associated loci that mediate an effect on melanoma risk, however, these studies were somewhat limited in that sample number (hence power) was low, they used first-generation low density SNP arrays, or used pools of DNA samples. Subsequently, additional melanoma GWAS have been completed, including a "Phase 2" study by the International Melanoma Genetics Consortium (GenoMEL), a full GWAS of the Australian sample resource previously used in a pooled-DNA GWAS, and study conducted through the MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Brigham and Women's Hospital. The groups who performed these studies have recently shared data and replicated a number of new melanoma susceptibility loci. Aside from the identification of novel loci, there are two additional notable outcomes of these studies. Firstly, an examination of the observed versus expected test statistics (Q-Q plot) from the Australian study, even after removing data from SNPs within known replicated susceptibility loci, reveals that there remains an excess of positive results. Similarly, the latest GenoMEL study finds almost three times as many SNPs reaching p-values between 10-4 and 10-5 as would be expected by chance. In the light of other studies of complex traits [1], these data suggest that studies based on additional melanoma samples from the same population are likely to identify an even larger "polygenic tail" and should prove invaluable in identifying and characterizing the underlying loci. A second observation, is that the effect size for replicated associations differs very little between GWAS. Given the strong effect of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on risk of melanoma this might be expected to affect penetrance, particularly in the Australian and English samples, which are ethnically similar, but have very different sun exposures. We hypothesize that those SNPs whose effects are strongly mediated by UVR exposure may have smaller marginal effects on risk and are therefore harder to detect initially, suggesting a whole category of genetic effects that are unexplored.Indeed, most melanoma GWAS performed to date used samples from both European and Australian populations in discovery and or replication, and thus, existing studies have been poorly powered to detect associations with a wide difference in effect between these low- and high-UVR populations. Here, we wish to pursue this hypothesis further and plan to genotype additional cases drawn from the English and Australian populations. This will serve two complementary objectives: firstly, it will greatly increase our collective power to detect additional new melanoma risk alleles; secondly, it will highlight associations that are stronger specifically within the context of either low-UVR or high-UVR exposure environments. We posit that these data will be invaluable, not just for identifying novel melanoma-associated loci, but also for addressing gene-environment interactions. We have available a collection of valuable resources to help fulfill our aims. These include a considerable number of well-characterized and ungenotyped Australian and UK melanoma cases, as well as existing genotype data from sets of Australian and UK cases and population-based controls. We propose the following Specific Aims: To extend our current collective melanoma GWAS by genotyping a large number of additional UK and Australian cases. To jointly analyze these data and identify new melanoma risk loci. To determine whether pre-existing and new melanoma risk alleles show different degrees of association between the English and Australian populations, and assess whether these differences might be due to differences in sunlight exposure.

  Study phs000519

• NHLBI and NIA The New England Centenarian Study (NECS)

  Supercentenarians (age 110+ years old) generally delay or escape age-related diseases and disability well beyond the age one hundred and this exceptional survival is likely to be influenced by a genetic predisposition that includes both common and rare genetic variants. In this report, we describe the complete genomic sequences of male and female supercentenarians, both age >114 years old. We show that: (1) the sequence variant spectrum of these two individuals' DNA sequences is largely comparable to existing non-supercentenarian genomes; (2) the two individuals do not appear to carry most of the well-established human longevity enabling variants already reported in the literature; (3) they have a comparable number of known disease-associated variants relative to most human genomes sequenced to date; (4) approximately 1% of the variants these individuals possess are novel and may point to new genes involved in exceptional longevity; and (5) both individuals are enriched for longevity-associated variants that we discovered through a large genome-wide association study. These analyses suggest that there are both common and rare longevity associated variants that may counter the effects of disease predisposing variants and extend lifespan. The continued analysis of the genomes of these rare individuals who have survived to extremely old ages should provide insight into the processes that contribute to the maintenance of health during extreme ageing.

  Study phs000451

• NHLBI GO-ESP: Family Studies (JHMI-Molecular Genetics of Atypical Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Study)

  The NHLBI "Grand Opportunity" Exome Sequencing Project (GO-ESP), a signature project of the NHLBI Recovery Act investment, was designed to identify genetic variants in coding regions (exons) of the human genome (the "exome") that are associated with heart, lung and blood diseases. These and related diseases that are of high impact to public health and individuals from diverse racial and ethnic groups will be studied. These data may help researchers understand the causes of disease, contributing to better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases, as well as determine whether to tailor prevention and treatments to specific populations. This could lead to more effective treatments and reduce the likelihood of side effects. GO-ESP is comprised of five collaborative components: 3 cohort consortia - HeartGO, LungGO, and WHISP - and 2 sequencing centers - BroadGO and SeattleGO. Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients without detectable disease-causing mutations in CFTR present a clinical phenotype very similar to, but possibly discrete from, classic CF. We hypothesize that the phenotype of these atypical CF patients is not due only to mutations in the carbonic anhydrase gene CA12 or in the genes encoding the epithelium sodium ion channel ENaC, but is due to mutations in novel genes that have yet to be associated with CF. The goal of this study is to determine the molecular etiology of this atypical CF.

  Study phs000556