Epigenetic changes are a potential mechanism contributing to race/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in health. However, there is scant evidence of the race/ethnic and socioeconomic patterning of epigenetic marks. We used data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis Stress Study (N = 988) to describe age- and gender- independent associations of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) with methylation of Alu and LINE-1 repetitive elements in leukocyte DNA. Mean Alu and Line 1 methylation in the full sample were 24% and 81% respectively. In multivariable linear regression models, African-Americans had 0.27% (p<0.01) and Hispanics 0.20% (p<0.05) lower Alu methylation than whites. In contrast, African-Americans had 0.41% (p<0.01) and Hispanics 0.39% (p<0.01) higher LINE-1 methylation than whites. These associations remained after adjustment for SES. In addition, a one standard deviation higher wealth was associated with 0.09% (p<0.01) higher Alu and 0.15% (p<0.01) lower LINE-1 methylation in age- and gender- adjusted models. Additional adjustment for race/ethnicity did not alter this pattern. No associations were observed with income, education or childhood SES. Our findings, from a large community-based sample, suggest that DNA methylation is socially patterned. Future research, including studies of gene-specific methylation, is needed to understand better the opposing associations of Alu and LINE-1 methylation with race/ethnicity and wealth as well as the extent to which small methylation changes in these sequences may influence disparities in health.

Objective

Despite the recognized risk of accelerated atherosclerosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), little is known about cardiovascular risk management in contemporary cohorts of these patients. We tested the hypotheses that major modifiable cardiovascular risk factors were more frequent and rates of treatment, detection, and control were lower in patients with RA than in non-RA controls.

Methods

The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, elevated body mass index, smoking, moderate-high 10-year cardiovascular risk and the rates of underdiagnosis, therapeutic treatment, and recommended management were compared in 197 RA patients and 274 frequency-matched control subjects, and their associations with clinical characteristics were examined.

Results

Eighty percent of RA patients and 81% of control subjects had at least 1 modifiable traditional cardiovascular risk factor. Hypertension was more prevalent in the RA group (57%) than in controls [42%, P =0.001]. There were no statistically significant differences in the frequency of diabetes, elevated body mass index, smoking, intermediate-high 10-year coronary heart disease risk, or elevated LDL in patients with RA versus controls. Rates of newly identified diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia were similar in RA patients versus controls. Rates of therapeutic interventions were low in both groups but their use was associated with well-controlled blood pressure (OR = 4.55, 95% CI: 1.70, 12.19) and lipid levels (OR = 9.90, 95% CI: 3.30, 29.67).

Conclusions

Hypertension is more common in RA than in controls. Other traditional cardiovascular risk factors are highly prevalent, underdiagnosed, and poorly controlled in patients with RA, as well as controls.

Background: Whether lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) levels are associated with kidney function decline has not been well studied. Methods: We investigated associations of Lp-PLA2 antigen and activity with kidney function decline and rapid decline over 5.7 years in the Cardiovascular Health Study (n = 4,359). We estimated kidney function by cystatin C (eGFRcys) in repeated measures, and defined rapid decline as ≥3 ml/min/1.73 m2 per year. We stratified by baseline preserved GFR (≥60 ml/min/1.73 m2). Results: Mean age was 72 ± 5 years. Average eGFRcys decline was −1.79 ml/min/1.73 m2 (SD = 2.60) per year. Among persons with preserved GFR, compared to the lowest quartile of Lp-PLA2 antigen, eGFRcys decline was faster among persons in the second, β −0.31 (95% CI −0.52, −0.10), third −0.19 (–0.41, 0.02) and fourth quartiles −0.26 (–0.48, −0.04) after full adjustment. Persons in the highest quartile of Lp-PLA2 antigen had increased odds of rapid decline 1.34 (1.03, 1.75), compared to the lowest. There was no significant association between levels of Lp-PLA2 activity and eGFRcys decline or rapid decline. Associations were not statistically significant among persons with low eGFR (<60 ml/min/1.73 m2) at baseline. Conclusion: Higher levels of Lp-PLA2 antigen but not activity were significantly associated with faster rates of kidney function decline. These findings may suggest a novel vascular pathway for kidney disease progression.

Background

Genome wide association studies identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with prevalent coronary heart disease (CHD) but less is known of associations with incident CHD. The association of thirteen published CHD SNPs was examined in five ancestry groups of four large US prospective cohorts.

Methods and Results

The analyses included incident coronary events over 9.1 to 15.7 average follow-up times in up to 26,617 white individuals (6,626 events), 8,018 African Americans (914 events), 1,903 Hispanics (113 events), 3,669 American Indians (595 events) and 885 Asian/Pacific Islanders (66 events). We used Cox proportional hazards models (with additive mode of inheritance) adjusted for age, sex and ancestry (as needed). Nine loci were statistically associated with incident CHD events in whites: 9p21 (rs10757278, p=4.7 × 10−41), 16q23.1 (rs2549513, p=0.0004), 6p24.1 (rs499818, p=0.0002), 2q36.3 (rs2943634, p=6.7 × 10−6), MTHFDIL (rs6922269, p=5.1 × 10−10), APOE (rs429358, p=2.7 × 10−18), ZNF627 (rs4804611, p=5.0 × 10−8), CXCL12 (rs501120, p=1.4 × 10−6) and LPL (rs268, p=2.7 × 10−17). The 9p21 region showed significant between-study heterogeneity, with larger effects in individuals aged 55 years or younger and in women. Inclusion of coronary revascularization procedures among the incident CHD events introduced heterogeneity. The SNPs were not associated with CHD in African Americans and associations varied in other US minorities.

Conclusions

Prospective analyses of white individuals replicated several reported cross-sectional CHD-SNP associations.

Background.

Adiponectin has anti-inflammatory properties, and its production is suppressed by inflammatory factors. Although elevated levels of adiponectin and inflammatory markers each predict mortality in older adults, the implications of their interdependent actions have not been examined.

Methods.

We investigated the joint associations of levels and interval changes in adiponectin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) with risk of death in 840 older adults participating in a population-based study. Adiponectin, CRP, and IL-6 were measured in samples collected 8.9 (8.2–9.8) years apart, and all-cause mortality was subsequently ascertained (n = 176).

Results.

Interval changes and end levels of adiponectin, CRP, and IL-6 showed mostly positive, independent associations with mortality, without evidence of multiplicative interaction. Joint models, however, showed an U-shaped relationship between end level of adiponectin and outcome (hazard ratio [HR] [95% CI] = 0.72 [0.52–0.99] per standard deviation [SD] for levels <20.0 mg/L; HR = 1.91 [1.61–3.44] per SD for levels ≥20.0 mg/L). Participants with the greatest longitudinal increases (upper quartile) in both adiponectin and inflammatory markers had a higher risk of death (HR = 2.85 [1.78–4.58]) than those with large increases in adiponectin alone (HR = 1.87 [1.20–2.92]) (p = .043), but not inflammatory markers alone (HR = 2.48 [1.67–3.67]) (p = .55), as compared with smaller changes for both.

Conclusion.

Higher levels or interval change in adiponectin and inflammatory markers predict increased mortality in older persons independent of each other, although for adiponectin, the association appears inverse below 20 mg/L. These findings suggest that inflammatory and noninflammatory mechanisms governing aging-related decline operate in parallel and provide a potential explanation for paradoxical adiponectin–outcome associations reported previously.

Background

Vitamin D deficiency and parathyroid hormone (PTH) excess are common among older adults and may adversely impact cardiovascular health. We evaluated associations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) and PTH concentrations, separately, and in combination, with incident cardiovascular events and mortality during 14 years of follow-up in the Cardiovascular Health Study.

Methods and results

We studied 2,312 participants who were free of cardiovascular disease at baseline. We measured 25-OHD and intact PTH from previously frozen serum using mass spectrometry and a two-site immunoassay. Outcomes were adjudicated cases of myocardial infarction, heart failure, cardiovascular death, and all cause mortality. There were 384 participants (17%) who had serum 25-OHD concentrations <15 ng/ml and 570 (25%) who had serum PTH concentrations ≥ 65 pg/ml. After adjustment, each 10-ng/ml lower 25-OHD concentration was associated with a 9% greater (95% CI 2% to 17% greater) relative hazard of mortality and a 25% greater (95% CI 8% to 44% greater) relative hazard of myocardial infarction. Serum 25-OHD concentrations <15 ng/ml, were associated with a 29% greater (95% CI 5% to 55% greater) risk of mortality. Serum PTH concentrations ≥ 65 pg/ml were associated with a 30% greater risk of heart failure (95% CI 6% to 61% greater), but not other outcomes. There was no evidence of an interaction between serum 25-OHD and PTH concentrations and cardiovascular events.

Conclusions

Among older adults, 25-OHD deficiency is associated with myocardial infarction and mortality; PTH excess is associated with heart failure. Vitamin D and PTH might influence cardiovascular risk through divergent pathways.

Inflammation biomarkers, including higher high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels, higher white blood cell (WBC) counts, and lower serum albumin levels, are associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality. Many studies have examined these biomarkers individually, but less is known about their joint association with mortality. hsCRP, WBC count, and serum albumin were measured at baseline in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke Study cohort members, who were enrolled in 2003–2007. Over 4.5 years, there were 1,062 deaths in 17,845 participants. High-risk categories were defined as hsCRP or WBC levels above the 75th percentile (5.1 mg/L and 6.9 × 109 cells/L, respectively) and albumin levels below the 25th percentile (4.00 g/dL). The authors derived 4 groups that corresponded to 0 (n = 8,341), 1 (n = 6,277), 2 (n = 2,635), or 3 (n = 592) biomarkers in the high-risk category. After adjustment for age, sex, waist circumference, race, region, smoking, alcohol use, income, educational level, physical activity frequency, and medical history and compared with those with no biomarkers in the high-risk category, the hazard ratios for all-cause mortality for 1, 2, and 3 biomarkers in the high-risk category were 1.56 (95% confidence interval: 1.33, 1.82), 2.19 (95% confidence interval: 1.84, 2.62), and 2.96 (95% confidence interval: 2.30, 3.80), respectively (Ptrend < 0.0001). Adding the 3 inflammation biomarkers to a fully adjusted model improved risk discrimination by 23.7% (95% confidence interval: 9.3, 39.9). Measurement of more than 1 biomarker is more useful in risk prediction than single biomarkers.

Objectives

To evaluate mineral metabolism markers as potential risk factors for calcific aortic valve disease.

Background

Mineral metabolism disturbances are common among older people and may contribute to cardiac valvular calcification. Associations of serum mineral metabolism markers with cardiac valvular calcification have not been evaluated in a well-characterized general population of older adults.

Methods

We measured serum levels of phosphate, calcium, parathyroid hormone, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D in 1,938 Cardiovascular Health Study participants who were free of clinical cardiovascular disease and who underwent echocardiography measurements of aortic valve sclerosis (AVS), mitral annular calcification (MAC), and aortic annular calcification (AAC). We used logistic regression models to estimate associations of mineral metabolism markers with AVS, MAC, and AAC after adjustment for relevant confounding variables, including kidney function.

Results

The respective prevalences of AVS, MAC, and AAC were 54%, 39%, and 44%. Each 0.5 mg/dl higher serum phosphate concentration was associated with a greater adjusted odds of AVS (odds ratio 1.17, 95% confidence interval 1.04 to 1.31, p = 0.01), MAC (odds ratio 1.12, 95% confidence interval 1.00 to 1.26, p =0.05), and AAC (odds ratio 1.12, 95% confidence interval 0.99 to 1.25, p = 0.05). In contrast, serum calcium, parathyroid hormone, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were not associated with aortic or mitral calcification.

Conclusions

Higher serum phosphate levels within the normal range are associated with valvular and annular calcification in a community-based cohort of older adults. Phosphate may be a novel risk factor for calcific aortic valve disease and warrants further study.

Background. Pentraxin-3 (PTX3), an inflammatory marker thought to be related to vascular inflammation, is elevated in advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). Whether PTX3 is associated with mild to moderate kidney dysfunction is unknown.

Methods. We tested associations of proteins in the pentraxin family [PTX3, C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid protein (SAP)] with estimated glomerular filtration rate by cystatin C (eGFRcys) and microalbuminuria among 2824 participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Associations were tested using multivariable linear regression with adjustment for demographics (age, gender, annual income), comorbidities (diabetes, hypertension, smoking, body mass index, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, ACE inhibitor and statin use) and systemic inflammation [interleukin-6 (IL-6)].

Results. Among the 2824 participants, mean age was 62 years and mean eGFRcys was 94 mL/min/1.73 m2; 25% were white, 25% Chinese, 25% African-American and 25% Hispanic. Among all participants after full adjustment, higher PTX3 was associated with lower eGFRcys independently of IL-6 (β − 3.0 mL/min/1.73 m2 per unit increase in lnPTX3, P < 0.001). In contrast, CRP and SAP were associated with eGFRcys in demographic adjusted models, but these associations were attenuated after adjustment for comorbidities and IL-6 (lnCRP β − 0.06, P = 0.9; lnSAP β − 0.35, P = 0.7). There was a significant interaction with race/ethnicity (P < 0.001) in the association of PTX3 and eGFRcys. After adjustment for demographics, comorbidities and IL-6, this association was significant in blacks (β − 5.7 mL/min/1.73 m2 per unit increase in lnPTX3, P = 0.002) but not in Hispanics (β − 2.4, P = 0.1), Chinese (β − 0.91, P = 0.5) or whites (β − 0.26, P = 0.9). PTX3 and CRP, but not SAP, had correlations with microalbuminuria in unadjusted models (Spearman coefficients PTX3 0.05, P = 0.005; CRP 0.07, P < 0.001; SAP 0.013, P = 0.5), but these were attenuated after full adjustment.

Conclusions. Endovascular inflammation may be an important mechanism associated with early kidney dysfunction, particularly among blacks. This mechanism appears to be independent of IL-6-regulated pathways.

The Metabochip is a custom genotyping array designed for replication and fine mapping of metabolic, cardiovascular, and anthropometric trait loci and includes low frequency variation content identified from the 1000 Genomes Project. It has 196,725 SNPs concentrated in 257 genomic regions. We evaluated the Metabochip in 5,863 African Americans; 89% of all SNPs passed rigorous quality control with a call rate of 99.9%. Two examples illustrate the value of fine mapping with the Metabochip in African-ancestry populations. At CELSR2/PSRC1/SORT1, we found the strongest associated SNP for LDL-C to be rs12740374 (p = 3.5×10−11), a SNP indistinguishable from multiple SNPs in European ancestry samples due to high correlation. Its distinct signal supports functional studies elsewhere suggesting a causal role in LDL-C. At CETP we found rs17231520, with risk allele frequency 0.07 in African Americans, to be associated with HDL-C (p = 7.2×10−36). This variant is very rare in Europeans and not tagged in common GWAS arrays, but was identified as associated with HDL-C in African Americans in a single-gene study. Our results, one narrowing the risk interval and the other revealing an associated variant not found in Europeans, demonstrate the advantages of high-density genotyping of common and rare variation for fine mapping of trait loci in African American samples.

Background.

Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is related to diseases of aging, but studies of mortality have been inconsistent.

Methods.

We evaluated LTL in relation to total mortality and specific cause of death in 1,136 participants of the Cardiovascular Health Study who provided blood samples in 1992–1993 and survived through 1997–1998. LTL was measured by Southern blots of the terminal restriction fragments. Cause of death was classified by a committee of physicians reviewing death certificates, medical records, and informant interviews.

Results.

A total of 468 (41.2%) deaths occurred over 6.1 years of follow-up in participants with mean age of 73.9 years (SD 4.7), 65.4% female, and 14.8% African American. Although increased age and male gender were associated with shorter LTLs, African Americans had significantly longer LTLs independent of age and sex (p < .001). Adjusted for age, sex, and race, persons with the shortest quartile of LTL were 60% more likely to die during follow-up than those within the longest quartile (hazard ratio: 1.61, 95% confidence interval: 1.22–2.12, p = .001). The association remained after adjustment for cardiovascular disease risk factors. Evaluations of cause of death found LTL to be related to deaths due to an infectious disease etiology (hazard ratio: 2.80, 95% confidence interval: 1.32–5.94, p = .007), whereas a borderline association was found for cardiac deaths (hazard ratio: 1.82, 95% confidence interval: 0.95–3.49, p = .07) in adjusted models. Risk estimates for deaths due to cancer, dementia, and ischemic stroke were not significant.

Conclusion.

These data weakly corroborate prior findings of associations between LTL and mortality in the elderly.

Objectives

A cluster of metabolic abnormalities termed metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with vascular endothelial dysfunction and oxidative internal milieu. We examined whether the association of MetS with subclinical atherosclerosis is explained by biomarkers of endothelial damage and oxidative stress.

Methods

MESA is a population based study of 45-84 year old individuals of four US ethnicities without clinical cardiovascular disease. A random sample of 997 MESA participants had data on the following biomarkers: von Willebrand Factor, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM1), CD40 ligand, soluble thrombomodulin, E-selectin, and oxidized LDL (oxLDL). We examined whether the associations of MetS with B-mode ultrasound-defined common and internal carotid intimal medial thickness (IMT) and coronary artery calcium (CAC) measured using computerized tomography were explained by the biomarkers using multiple regression methods.

Results

MetS was associated with higher levels of each of the biomarkers (p<0.001, CD40L suggestive association p=0.004), with greater IMT (p<0.001), and with greater extent of CAC in those in whom CAC was detectable (p=0.01). The association of MetS with measures of subclinical atherosclerosis remained unchanged after adjustment for the biomarkers. After adjusting for MetS, oxLDL was suggestively associated with greater prevalence of detectable CAC (p=0.005) and thicker internal carotid IMT (p=0.002), while sICAM-1was significantly associated with greater prevalence of detectable CAC (p=0.001).

Conclusions

The association of MetS with subclinical atherosclerosis was independent of its association with biomarkers of endothelial damage and oxidative stress, suggesting that metabolic abnormalities and oxidative endothelial damage may lead to atherosclerotic disease through distinct mechanisms.

Introduction

Because obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with increased levels of inflammatory cytokines, we examined the relationship between OSA and polymorphisms for interleukin-6 (IL-6).

Methods

6 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within IL-6 were genotyped in 259 African-Americans from the Cleveland Family Study with replication conducted in the Cardiovascular Health Study (n=124). OSA was dichotomized into apnea hypopnea index (AHI)>15 or on treatment vs. absent: AHI<5. Logistic regression was conducted, adjusting for age and sex in models with and without body mass index (BMI).

Results

SNP IL6-6021 was associated with a decreased risk of OSA after adjusting for BMI (Odds Ratio for T allele 0.24; 95%CI [0.09–0.67]; p=0.006; q=0.07) under an additive model. This same allele was associated with increased BMI. The results from the replication sample were consistent in direction though not statistically significant (p=0.23). The SNPs were studied in European-Americans, although the minor allele frequency in IL6-6021 was too low (4%) for meaningful comparisons.

Conclusion

A synonymous SNP within the IL-6 coding region was protective of OSA in African-Americans; with qualitatively similar findings observed in another cohort. This suggests that variants in IL-6 may influence the risk of OSA in a pathway that is not explained by obesity.

We investigated cross-sectional associations of neighborhood deprivation, problems, safety and cohesion with circulating levels of fibrinogen, interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein (n=5370) and longitudinal associations with changes in IL-6 over a 3–4 year period (n=946). In cross-sectional analyses, higher levels of neighborhood deprivation and problems were associated with higher levels of all three inflammatory markers, whereas higher levels of safety were associated with lower levels. Fibrinogen remained associated with all neighborhood characteristics except cohesion and IL-6 remained associated with safety after adjustment for race and SES. In longitudinal analyses, higher levels of neighborhood deprivation and problems, and lower levels of safety were associated with greater longitudinal increases in IL-6 after adjustment for age, sex, race and SES. These findings were not substantially modified by further risk factor adjustment. Although findings regarding different inflammatory markers were mixed, the longitudinal results which are less limited by race confounding suggest that inflammatory pathways may contribute to neighborhood differences in cardiovascular disease risk.

Rationale: Individuals with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) are at increased cardiovascular risk, possibly due to SDB-related stresses contributing to atherosclerosis.

Objectives: We postulate that pathways associated with a prothrombotic potential are up-regulated in SDB.

Methods: Morning and evening plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), morning fibrinogen, and morning D-dimer were measured in 537 Cleveland Family Study adults. Piecewise multivariable linear mixed models estimated relative mean change or mean change in the biomarker per 5-unit increase in apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) in two groups: AHI less than 15 and AHI greater than or equal to 15, and hypoxia defined as percentage of sleep time with SaO2 less than 90% (< 2%, ≥ 2%).

Measurements and Main Results: Nonlinear associations were demonstrated: morning and evening PAI-1 increased by 12% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5–20%; P < 0.001) and 11% (95% CI, 2–20%; P = 0.01), respectively per 5-unit AHI increase until an AHI of 15, when no further increase in PAI-1 was demonstrated. The association between AHI and morning PAI-1 remained significant after adjusting for evening PAI-1 level (10%; 95% CI, 3–17%; P < 0.01). Morning fibrinogen increased on average by 8.4 mg/dl (95% CI, 3.12–13.65; P = 0.002) per five-unit AHI increase until an AHI of 15. There was no association between AHI and morning D-dimer. Hypoxia severity was not associated with thrombotic marker levels.

Conclusions: PAI-1 and fibrinogen levels increase monotonically with AHI at degrees of SDB considered mildly to moderately abnormal, suggesting that even mild SDB levels may increase prothrombotic processes. There may be a plateau in this effect, occurring at levels considered to reflect only moderate SDB severity. These relationships with mild-to-moderate SDB were not observed with D-dimer.

Background

In cross-sectional analyses, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are inversely related to levels of kidney function. The relationship between kidney function and subsequent changes in CRP is unknown.

Methods

We studied 4,364 individuals from the Cardiovascular Health Study, a longitudinal cohort of community-dwelling older adults. Baseline eGFRcys was estimated using cystatin C. CRP was measured at baseline and after 3 and 7 years of follow-up; slopes of change in CRP were calculated.

Results

The mean (SD) age of the cohort was 72 (5.2) years; mean (SD) eGFRcys was 78.9 (18.4) ml/min/1.73 m2. The median (interquartile range IQR) baseline CRP was 2.39 (1.22, 4.33) mg/l; the median (IQR) yearly change in CRP was −0.0051 (−0.020 to 0.27) mg/l/year. After adjustment for demographic characteristics and the initial level of CRP, each standard deviation lower baseline eGFR was associated with a small and non-significant yearly increase in CRP (0.032 mg/l/year; 95% CI: −0.005 to 0.070, p = 0.094).

Conclusions

We did not find a relationship between eGFR and subsequent changes in CRP. The association between kidney function and CRP in cross-sectional analyses may reflect unmeasured confounding by atherosclerosis; alternatively, the burden of comorbidity and interval mortality in this population may have masked a stronger longitudinal association between kidney function and change in CRP. Further study in younger populations may clarify whether impaired kidney function leads to change in inflammation over time.

P-selectin and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) participate in inflammatory processes by promoting adhesion of leukocytes to vascular wall endothelium. Their soluble levels have been associated with adverse cardiovascular events. To identify loci affecting soluble levels of P-selectin (sP-selectin) and ICAM-1 (sICAM-1), we performed a genome-wide association study in a sample of 4115 (sP-selectin) and 9813 (sICAM-1) individuals of European ancestry as a part of The Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genome Epidemiology consortium. The most significant SNP association for sP-selectin was within the SELP gene (rs6136, P = 4.05 × 10−61) and for sICAM-1 levels within the ICAM-1 gene (rs3093030, P = 3.53 × 10−23). Both sP-selectin and sICAM-1 were associated with ABO gene variants (rs579459, P = 1.86 × 10−41 and rs649129, P = 1.22 × 10−15, respectively) and in both cases the observed associations could be accounted for by the A1 allele of the ABO blood group. The absence of an association between ABO blood group and platelet-bound P-selectin levels in an independent subsample (N = 1088) from the ARIC study, suggests that the ABO blood group may influence cleavage of the P-selectin protein from the cell surface or clearance from the circulation, rather than its production and cellular presentation. These results provide new insights into adhesion molecule biology.

Several models for estimating risk of incident diabetes in US adults are available. The authors aimed to determine the discriminative ability and calibration of published diabetes risk prediction models in a contemporary multiethnic cohort. Participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis without diabetes at baseline (2000–2002; n = 5,329) were followed for a median of 4.75 years. The predicted risk of diabetes was calculated using published models from the Framingham Offspring Study, the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, and the San Antonio Heart Study. The mean age of participants was 61.6 years (standard deviation, 10.2); 29.3% were obese, 53.1% had hypertension, 34.9% had a family history of diabetes, 27.5% had high triglyceride levels, 33.8% had low high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and 15.3% had impaired fasting glucose. There were 446 incident cases of diabetes (fasting glucose level ≥126 mg/dL or initiation of antidiabetes medication use) diagnosed during follow-up. C statistics were 0.78, 0.84, and 0.83 for the Framingham, ARIC, and San Antonio risk prediction models, respectively. There were significant differences between observed and predicted diabetes risks (Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit chi-squared test for each model: P < 0.001). The recalibrated and best-fit models achieved sufficient goodness of fit (each P > 0.10). The Framingham, ARIC, and San Antonio models maintained high discriminative ability but required recalibration in a modern, multiethnic US cohort.

SUMMARY

Context

Statin use and type has been variably associated with impaired or improved cognitive performance.

Objective

To assess the association of statin use and type (lipophilic vs hydrophilic) and cognitive impairment

Design

Cross-sectional analysis of 24595 (7191 statin users and 17404 non-users) participants (age >45), from a population-based national cohort study (REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke) enrolled from January 2003-October 2008 with over-sampling from the southeastern Stroke Belt, and African Americans.

Main Outcomes

Statin use and type were documented in participants’ homes by a trained health professional. Cognitive performance was assessed with a prior validated instrument of global cognitive status (Six-Item Screener). Cognitive impairment was defined as a score of < 4. .

Results

Overall, an association of cognitive impairment and statin use was observed (8.6% of users vs 7.7% or non-users had cognitive impairment p=.014) but, after adjusting for variables known to be associated with cognition (age, gender, race, income, levels of education, and cardiovascular disease) the association was attenuated (OR 0.98, CI; 0.87;1.10). No association was observed between statin type (lipophilic vs hydrophilic) and cognition (OR 1.03, CI; 0.86;1.24), and there were no regional differences in cognitive impairment in statin users (8% in the stroke belt and 7.9% other regions p=0.63).

Conclusions

Statin use and type was marginally associated with cognitive impairment. After adjusting for known variables that affect cognition, no association was observed. No regional differences were observed. This large study found no evidence to support an association between statins and cognitive performance.

OBJECTIVE

Many studies have documented associations between inflammation and type 2 diabetes incidence. We assessed potential variability in this association in the major U.S. racial/ethnic groups.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Incident type 2 diabetes was assessed among men and women aged 45–84 years without prior clinical cardiovascular disease or diabetes in the prospective Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Interleukin (IL)-6, fibrinogen, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured at baseline (2000–2002); fasting glucose and diabetes medication use was assessed at baseline and three subsequent in-person exams through 2007. Type 2 diabetes was defined as use of diabetes drugs or glucose ≥126 mg/dl. Covariates included baseline demographics, clinic, smoking, alcohol, exercise, hypertension medication, systolic blood pressure, insulin resistance, and BMI. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) by quartiles of CRP, IL-6, and fibrinogen.

RESULTS

Among 5,571 participants (mean age 61.6 years, 53% female, 42.1% white, 11.5% Chinese, 25.7% black, and 20.7% Hispanic), 410 developed incident diabetes during a median follow-up time of 4.7 years (incidence 16.8 per 1,000 person-years). CRP, IL-6, and fibrinogen levels were associated with incident diabetes in the entire sample. After adjustment, the associations were attenuated; however, quartile 4 (versus quartile 1) of IL-6 (HR 1.5 [95% CI 1.1–2.2]) and CRP (1.7 [1.3–2.4]) remained associated with incident diabetes. In stratified analyses, similar associations were observed among white, black, and Hispanic participants.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher levels of inflammation predict short-term incidence of type 2 diabetes in a multiethnic American sample.

Objective

To examine associations between lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) antigen level (mass) and enzymatic activity (activity) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in older adults.

Methods

We examined associations of Lp-PLA2 mass and activity with incident myocardial infarction (MI; n=508), stroke (n= 565) and CVD death (n=665) using Cox regressions adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity and CVD risk factors in 3,949 older adults, aged ≥ 65 years at baseline, from the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS).

Results

Lp-PLA2 was associated with incident CVD events in these older adults. Hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for highest versus lowest tertiles of Lp-PLA2 mass were 1.49 (1.19–1.85) for MI, 1.21 (0.98–1.49) for stroke and 1.11 (0.92–1.33) for CVD death. The highest tertile of Lp-PLA2 activity was associated with MI (1.36; 1.09–1.70) and CVD death (1.23; 1.02–1.50). Combined Lp-PLA2 tertile 3 and CRP >3mg/l, compared to Lp-PLA2 tertile 1 and CRP <1 mg/l, was associated with MI (2.29; 1.49–3.52) for Lp-PLA2 mass and MI (1.66; 1.10–2.51) and CVD death (1.57; 1.08–2.26) for activity. For MI, both mass and activity added excess risk to elevated CRP alone (~20% excess risk) and activity added excess risk for CVD death (~12%).

Conclusion

Lp-PLA2 mass and activity were associated with incident CVD events in older adults in CHS. Lp-PLA2 and CRP were independent and additive in prediction of events. While associations were modest, these results support further exploration of Lp-PLA2 to identify older individuals at risk for CVD.

Objective

Inflammatory markers predict coronary heart disease (CHD). However, associations with coronary artery calcium (CAC), a marker of subclinical CHD, are not established.

Methods

We examined cross-sectional associations of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and fibrinogen with CAC presence (Agatston score > 0 by computed tomography) in 6,783 Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) participants.

Results

In all participants, those in the highest, compared to lowest, quartile of CRP had a relative risk (RR, 95% confidence interval) of 1.13 (1.06-1.19; p<0.01) for CAC in age, sex and ethnicity adjusted models. For highest versus lowest quartiles, relative risks were 1.22 (1.15-1.30; p<0.01) for IL-6 and 1.18 (1.11-1.24; p<0.01) for fibrinogen. Adjusting for CHD risk factors (smoking, diabetes, blood pressure, obesity and dyslipidemia) attenuated RRs. RRs for CAC were 1.05 (0.99-1.12; p=0.63) for CRP, 1.12 (1.06-1.20; p<0.01) for IL-6 and 1.09 (1.02-1.16; p=0.01) for fibrinogen in multivariable adjusted models. Results were similar for men and women and across ethnic groups.

Conclusion

Inflammatory markers were weakly associated with CAC presence and burden in MESA. Our data support the hypothesis that inflammatory biomarkers and CAC reflect distinct pathophysiology.

Background

Telomere length reflects biological aging and may be influenced by environmental factors, including those that affect inflammatory processes.

Objective

With data from 840 white, black, and Hispanic adults from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, we studied cross-sectional associations between telomere length and dietary patterns and foods and beverages that were associated with markers of inflammation.

Design

Leukocyte telomere length was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Length was calculated as the amount of telomeric DNA (T) divided by the amount of a single-copy control DNA (S) (T/S ratio). Intake of whole grains, fruit and vegetables, low-fat dairy, nuts or seeds, nonfried fish, coffee, refined grains, fried foods, red meat, processed meat, and sugar-sweetened soda were computed with responses to a 120-item food-frequency questionnaire completed at baseline. Scores on 2 previously defined empirical dietary patterns were also computed for each participant.

Results

After adjustment for age, other demographics, lifestyle factors, and intakes of other foods or beverages, only processed meat intake was associated with telomere length. For every 1 serving/d greater intake of processed meat, the T/S ratio was 0.07 smaller (β ± SE: −0.07 ± 0.03, P = 0.006). Categorical analysis showed that participants consuming ≥1 serving of processed meat each week had 0.017 smaller T/S ratios than did nonconsumers. Other foods or beverages and the 2 dietary patterns were not associated with telomere length.

Conclusions

Processed meat intake showed an expected inverse association with telomere length, but other diet features did not show their expected associations.

The validity of self-reported dietary intake is critical to the design and interpretation of diet-disease investigations. For many nutrients, there are no ideal methods to establish validity, given correlated error between reference and assessment tools, and constraints on time and resources available to perform such studies. Therefore, we quantified associations between macronutrient intakes and plasma HDL-cholesterol and TAG, relying on known associations between these factors to test the criterion validity of the FFQ used in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Baseline dietary macronutrient intakes (derived from 120-item FFQ), and fasting plasma HDL and TAG were measured in 4510 MESA participants, aged 45–84 years. After adjusting for non-dietary factors known to affect plasma lipid concentrations, greater carbohydrate intake was associated with lower HDL and higher TAG (β per 5-unit change in percentage energy intake from carbohydrate = −5 (se 1) mg/l (P<0·001) for HDL and 15 (se 6) mg/l (P=0·008) for TAG), whereas higher energy intake from fat was associated with higher HDL and lower TAG (β per 5-unit change in percentage energy from fat = 3·7 (se 2) mg/l (P=0·01) for HDL and β = 19 (se 7) mg/l (P=0·004) for TAG). Associations of dietary carbohydrate and fat intakes with HDL and TAG concentrations were consistent with previous studies, demonstrating criterion validity of these dietary measures in the MESA.

Objective

Fibrosis plays an important role in heart failure (HF) and other diseases that occur more frequently with increasing age. Depression is associated with an increased risk of heart failure and other age-related diseases. This study examined the association between depressive symptoms and fibrosis markers in adults aged 65 years and above.

Methods

Fibrosis markers and depressive symptoms were assessed in 870 participants (age=80.9±5.9, 49% women) using a case-control design based on heart failure status (307 HF patients and 563 age- and sex-matched controls, of whom 284 with CVD risk factors (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or hypercholesterolemia) and 279 controls without these CVD risk factors). Fibrosis markers were procollagen type I (PIP), type I collagen (CITP), and procollagen type III (PIIINP). Inflammation markers included C-reactive protein, white blood cell counts and fibrinogen. Depression was assessed using the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale using a previously validated cut-off point for depression (CES-D ≥ 8). Covariates included: demographic and clinical variables.

Results

Depression was associated with higher levels of PIP (median=411.0, inter quartile range (IQR)=324.4–472.7 ng/mL vs. 387.6, IQR=342.0–512.5 ng/mL, p=0.006) and CITP (4.99, IQR=3.53–6.85, vs. 4.53, IQR=3.26–6.22 μg/L, p=0.024), but not PIIIINP (4.07, IQR = 2.75–5.54 μg/mL vs. 3.58, IQR=2.71–5.01 μg/mL, p=0.29) compared to individuals without depression. Inflammation markers were also elevated in depressed participants (CRP, p=0.014; WBC, p=0.075; fibrinogen, p=0.074), but these inflammation markers did not account for the relationship between depression and fibrosis markers.

Conclusions

Depression is associated with elevated fibrosis markers and may therefore adversely affect heart failure and other age-related diseases in which extra-cellular matrix formation plays a pathophysiological role.