DNA methylation effects on Van der Woude Syndrome phenotypic variability.

OBJECTIVE: Van der Woude Syndrome (VWS) classically presents with combinations of lip pits (LP) and orofacial clefts, with marked phenotypic discordance even amongst individuals carrying the same mutation. Such discordance suggests a possible role for epigenetic factors as phenotypic modifiers. Both IRF6 , causal for 70% of VWS cases, and TP63 interact in a regulatory loop to coordinate epithelial proliferation and differentiation for palatogenesis. We hypothesize that differential DNA methylation (DNAm) in CpG sites within regulatory regions of IRF6 and TP63 are associated with VWS phenotypic discordance. METHODS: We measured DNAm levels of CpG sites located in the promoter regions of IRF6 and TP63 and in an IRF6 enhancer element (MCS9.7) in 83 individuals with VWS grouped within 5 phenotypes for primary analysis: 1=CL+/-P+LP, 2=CL+/-P, 3=CP+LP, 4=CP, 5=LP and 2 phenotypes for secondary analysis: 1=any cleft and LP, 2= any cleft without LP. DNA samples were bisulfite converted and pyrosequenced with target-specific primers. Methylation levels were compared amongst phenotypes. RESULTS: CpG sites in the IRF6 promoter showed statistically significant differences in methylation among phenotypic groups in both analyses (P<0.05). Individuals with any form of cleft (Groups 1-4) had significantly higher methylation levels than individuals with lip pits only (Group 5). In the secondary analysis, individuals in Group 1 (cleft+LP) had significantly higher methylation than Group 2 (cleft only). CONCLUSION: Results indicated that hypermethylation of the IRF6 promoter is associated with more severe phenotypes (any cleft +/- lip pits); thus, possibly impacting an already genetically weakened IRF6 protein and leading to a more severe phenotype.

Impact of Chronic Kidney Disease on Utilization of Coronary Angiography and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, and Their Outcomes in Patients With Non-ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Coronary angiography (CAG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are frequently performed in patients presenting with a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Utilizing the National Inpatient Sample database, we assessed the trends in utilization of CAG, PCI, and coronary artery bypass grafting in 3,654,586 admissions with NSTEMI from 2001 to 2012. The rates of CAG were 54%, 36.1%, and 45.9%, respectively, in patients with normal renal function, patients with CKD not on renal replacement therapy (RRT), and patients with CKD requiring RRT. The in-hospital mortality for patients with NSTEMI was significantly higher in patients with CKD-3.9% in patients without CKD, 6.9% in CKD patients not on RRT, and 8.6% in CKD patients needing RRT. In a propensity-matched cohort of 126,740 NSTEMI admissions, CKD was associated with increased in-hospital mortality (7.9% vs 5.3%, p <0.001), acute kidney injury (34.3 % vs 10.6%, p <0.001), lower use of CAG (37.8% vs 46.4%, p <0.001), and PCI (16.2% vs 20.8, p <0.001), higher hospital costs ($17,333 vs $15,583, p <0.001), and a longer length of stay (6.8 days vs 5.5 days, p <0.001). PCI was associated with decreased mortality (odds ratio of 0.31 ± 0.01, p <0.001) in all the 3 groups. In conclusion, CKD is a marker of adverse outcomes in patients with NSTEMI. Although CAG and PCI were associated improved outcomes, they remain underutilized in these patients.

US FDA Perspective on Elbasvir/Grazoprevir Treatment for Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 1 or 4 Infection.

Elbasvir/grazoprevir demonstrated high sustained virologic response rates 12 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR12) across five clinical trials in subjects infected with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1, including those with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), and GT4. Despite favorable results overall, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) encountered challenging regulatory issues due to the limitations of clinical trial data in certain subpopulations. In GT1a-infected subjects, baseline NS5A resistance-associated polymorphisms emerged as the strongest baseline characteristic associated with diminished SVR12 rates following 12 weeks of elbasvir/grazoprevir treatment. The decision for recommending 16 weeks of elbasvir/grazoprevir + ribavirin in this population and for extrapolating these recommendations to patients with advanced CKD was based on benefit-versus-risk analyses using the available data. Conversely, FDA had insufficient data to define a specific elbasvir/grazoprevir treatment regimen for GT1a-infected subjects with baseline NS5A resistance-associated polymorphisms who failed prior treatment with pegylated interferon + ribavirin (PR) and either boceprevir, simeprevir, or telaprevir. For GT4 PR-experienced patients, leveraging of data in related populations and additional pooled analyses were employed to support labeling for elbasvir/grazoprevir. This article describes FDA's rationale for labeling determinations in situations where limited data made these decisions challenging.

Evaluation of proton-coupled folate transporter (SLC46A1) polymorphisms as risk factors for neural tube defects and oral clefts.

Many folate-related genes have been investigated for possible causal roles in neural tube defects (NTDs) and oral clefts. However, no previous reports have examined the major gene responsible for folate uptake, the proton-coupled folate transporter (SLC46A1). We tested for association between these birth defects and single nucleotide polymorphisms in the SLC46A1 gene. The NTD study population included 549 complete and incomplete case-family triads, and 999 controls from Ireland. The oral clefts study population comprised a sample from Utah (495 complete and incomplete case-family triads and 551 controls) and 221 Filipino multiplex cleft families. There was suggestive evidence of increased NTD case risk with the rs17719944 minor allele (odds ratio (OR): 1.29; 95% confidence intervals (CI): [1.00-1.67]), and decreased maternal risk of an NTD pregnancy with the rs4795436 minor allele (OR: 0.62; [0.39-0.99]). In the Utah sample, the rs739439 minor allele was associated with decreased case risk for cleft lip with cleft palate (genotype relative risk (GRR): 0.56 [0.32-0.98]). Additionally, the rs2239907 minor allele was associated with decreased case risk for cleft lip with cleft palate in several models, and with cleft palate only in a recessive model (OR: 0.41; [0.20-0.85]). These associations did not remain statistically significant after correcting for multiple hypothesis testing. Nominal associations between SLC46A1 polymorphisms and both Irish NTDs and oral clefts in the Utah population suggest some role in the etiology of these birth defects, but further investigation in other populations is needed.

Exploring the associations between microRNA expression profiles and environmental pollutants in human placenta from the National Children's Study (NCS).

The placenta is the principal regulator of the in utero environment, and disruptions to this environment can result in adverse offspring health outcomes. To better characterize the impact of in utero perturbations, we assessed the influence of known environmental pollutants on the expression of microRNA (miRNA) in placental samples collected from the National Children's Study (NCS) Vanguard birth cohort. This study analyzed the expression of 654 miRNAs in 110 term placentas. Environmental pollutants measured in these placentas included dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), bisphenol A (BPA), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd). A moderated t-test was used to identify a panel of differentially expressed miRNAs, which were further analyzed using generalized linear models. We observed 112 miRNAs consistently expressed in >70% of the samples. Consistent with the literature, miRNAs located within the imprinted placenta-specific C19MC cluster, specifically mir-517a, mir-517c, mir-522, and mir-23a, are among the top expressed miRNA in our study. We observed a positive association between PBDE 209 and miR-188-5p and an inverse association between PBDE 99 and let-7c. Both PCBs and Cd were positively associated with miR-1537 expression level. In addition, multiple let-7 family members were downregulated with increasing levels of Hg and Pb. We did not observe DDE or BPA levels to be associated with placental miRNA expression. This is the first birth cohort study linking environmental pollutants and placental expression of miRNAs. Our results suggest that placental miRNA profiles may signal in utero exposures to environmental chemicals.

Genetic variants associated with severe retinopathy of prematurity in extremely low birth weight infants.

PURPOSE: To determine genetic variants associated with severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in a candidate gene cohort study of US preterm infants. METHODS: Preterm infants in the discovery cohort were enrolled through the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network, and those in the replication cohort were from the University of Iowa. All infants were phenotyped for ROP severity. Because of differences in the durations of enrollment between cohorts, severe ROP was defined as threshold disease in the discovery cohort and as threshold disease or type 1 ROP in the replication cohort. Whole genome amplified DNA from stored blood spot samples from the Neonatal Research Network biorepository was genotyped using an Illumina GoldenGate platform for candidate gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) involving angiogenic, developmental, inflammatory, and oxidative pathways. Three analyses were performed to determine significant epidemiologic variables and SNPs associated with levels of ROP severity. Analyses controlled for multiple comparisons, ancestral eigenvalues, family relatedness, and significant epidemiologic variables. Single nucleotide polymorphisms significantly associated with ROP severity from the discovery cohort were analyzed in the replication cohort and in meta-analysis. RESULTS: Eight hundred seventeen infants in the discovery cohort and 543 in the replication cohort were analyzed. Severe ROP occurred in 126 infants in the discovery and in 14 in the replication cohort. In both cohorts, ventilation days and seizure occurrence were associated with severe ROP. After controlling for significant factors and multiple comparisons, two intronic SNPs in the gene BDNF (rs7934165 and rs2049046, P < 3.1 × 10(-5)) were associated with severe ROP in the discovery cohort and were not associated with severe ROP in the replication cohort. However, when the cohorts were analyzed together in an exploratory meta-analysis, rs7934165 increased in associated significance with severe ROP (P = 2.9 × 10(-7)). CONCLUSIONS: Variants in BDNF encoding brain-derived neurotrophic factor were associated with severe ROP in a large candidate gene study of infants with threshold ROP.

Language features in a mother and daughter of a chromosome 7;13 translocation involving FOXP2.

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were (a) to locate the breakpoints of a balanced translocation (7;13) within a mother (B) and daughter (T); (b) to describe the language and cognitive skills of B and T; and (c) to compare this profile with affected family members of the KE family who have a mutation within FOXP2. METHOD: The breakpoint locations for T and B were identified by use of fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis followed by DNA sequencing using long-range polymer chain reaction amplification methods. The cognitive and language characteristics were obtained via the use of standardized tests of intelligence, receptive and expressive vocabulary and sentence use, and a spontaneous language sample. RESULTS: The translocation breakpoints in T and B were found in FOXP2 on chromosome 7 and in RFC3 on chromosome 13. T and B's pattern of relative strengths and weaknesses across their cognitive and language performance was found to be similar to descriptions of the affected KE family members. CONCLUSIONS: Prior reports of individuals with chromosomal rearrangements of FOXP2 have emphasized their speech impairment. This study provides additional evidence that language-in particular, grammar-is likely to be influenced by abnormalities of FOXP2 function.

Improving HIV/AIDS services through a network-based health information system.

RW CAREWare is a free Microsoft Accessâ-based application developed and distributed by the HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) in the Health Resources and Services Administration of the US Dept. of Health and Human Services. This presentation will demonstrate the main screens and functions of CAREWare, including the ability to generate a number of service and clinical outcome reports; produce lists of clients requiring specific follow-up for care and treatment; create custom fields; and produce longitudinal graphs of laboratory tests and medication regimens. The security features, data-sharing arrangements among network members, and flexibility of the.NET version will also be emphasized.