Impact of EU regulatory label changes for diclofenac in people with cardiovascular disease in four countries:interrupted time series regression analysis

Objective: Due to cardiovascular safety concerns, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended new contraindications and changes to product information for diclofenac across Europe in 2013. This study aims to measure their impact among targeted populations. Method: Quarterly interrupted time series regression (ITS) analyses of diclofenac initiation among cohorts with contraindications (congestive cardiac failure [CHF], ischaemic heart disease [IHD], peripheral arterial disease [PAD], cerebrovascular disease [CVD]) and cautions (hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes) from Denmark, the Netherlands, England and Scotland. Results: The regulatory action was associated with significant immediate absolute reductions in diclofenac initiation in all countries for IHD (Denmark −0.08%, 95%CI −0.13, −0.03; England −0.09%, 95%CI −0.13 to −0.06%; the Netherlands −1.84%, 95%CI −2.51 to −1.17%; Scotland −0.34%, 95%CI −0.38 to −0.30%), PAD and hyperlipidaemia, the Netherlands, England and Scotland for hypertension and diabetes, and England and Scotland for CHF and CVD. Post-intervention there was a significant negative trend in diclofenac initiation in the Netherlands for IHD (−0.12%, 95%CI −0.19 to −0.04), PAD (−0.13%, 95%CI −0.22 to −0.05), hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and diabetes, and in Scotland for CHF (−0.01%, 95%CI −0.02 to −0.007%), IHD (−0.017, 95%CI −0.02, −0.01%), PAD and hypertension. In England, diclofenac initiation rates fell less steeply. In Denmark changes were more strongly associated with the earlier EMA 2012 regulatory action. Conclusion: Although significant reductions in diclofenac initiation occurred, patients with contraindications continued to be prescribed diclofenac, the extent of which varied by country and target condition. Understanding reasons for such variation may help to guide the design or dissemination of future safety warnings

<strong>Common and distinct genetic architecture of age at diagnosis of diabetes in South Indian and European populations</strong>

OBJECTIVE South Asians are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2D) more than a decade earlier in life than seen in European populations. We hypothesised that studying the genomics of age of diagnosis in these populations may give insight into earlier age diagnosis of T2D among individuals of South Asian descent.  RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS  We conducted a meta-analysis of GWAS of age at diagnosis of T2D in 34,001 individuals from four independent cohorts of European and South Asian Indians.  RESULTS  We identified two signals near the TCF7L2 and CDKAL1 associated with age at the onset of T2D. The strongest genome-wide significant variants at chromosome 10q25·3 in TCF7L2 (rs7903146; p = 2·4 ×10-12, Beta = -0·436; SE = 0·02) and chromosome 6 p22·3 in CDKAL1 (rs9368219; p = 2·29 ×10-8; Beta = -0·053; SE=0·01) were directionally consistent across ethnic groups and present at similar frequencies, however both loci harboured additional independent signals that were only present in the South Indian Cohorts. A genome wide signal was also obtained at chromosome 10q26·12 in WDR11 (rs3011366; p = 3.255 ×10-8; Beta = 1·44; SE=0·25) specifically in the South Indian cohorts. Heritability estimates for the age diagnosis were much stronger in South Indian compared to Europeans, and a polygenic risk score was constructed using a South Indians, which explained about 2% trait variance. CONCLUSIONS  Our findings provide a better understanding of ethnic differences in the age at diagnosis and indicate the potential importance of ethnic differences in the genetic architecture underpinning T2D.   </p

A genome-wide association study suggests new evidence for an association of the NADPH Oxidase 4 (NOX4) gene with severe diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetes

Purpose Diabetic retinopathy is the most common eye complication in patients with diabetes. The purpose of this study is to identify genetic factors contributing to severe diabetic retinopathy. Methods Results A genome-wide association approach was applied. In the Genetics of Diabetes Audit and Research in Tayside Scotland (GoDARTS) datasets, cases of severe diabetic retinopathy were defined as type 2 diabetic patients who were ever graded as having severe background retinopathy (Level R3) or proliferative retinopathy (Level R4) in at least one eye according to the Scottish Diabetic Retinopathy Grading Scheme or who were once treated by laser photocoagulation. Controls were diabetic individuals whose longitudinal retinopathy screening records were either normal (Level R0) or only with mild background retinopathy (Level R1) in both eyes. Significant Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) were taken forward for meta-analysis using multiple Caucasian cohorts. Five hundred and sixty cases of type 2 diabetes with severe diabetic retinopathy and 4,106 controls were identified in the GoDARTS cohort. We revealed that rs3913535 in the NADPH Oxidase 4 (NOX4) gene reached a p value of 4.05 x 10(-9). Two nearby SNPs, rs10765219 and rs11018670 also showed promising p values (p values = 7.41 x 10(-8) and 1.23 x 10(-8), respectively). In the meta-analysis using multiple Caucasian cohorts (excluding GoDARTS), rs10765219 and rs11018670 showed associations for diabetic retinopathy (p = 0.003 and 0.007, respectively), while the p value of rs3913535 was not significant (p = 0.429). Conclusion This genome-wide association study of severe diabetic retinopathy suggests new evidence for the involvement of the NOX4 gene.Peer reviewe

Genetic studies of body mass index yield new insights for obesity biology

Note: A full list of authors and affiliations appears at the end of the article. Obesity is heritable and predisposes to many diseases. To understand the genetic basis of obesity better, here we conduct a genome-wide association study and Metabochip meta-analysis of body mass index (BMI), a measure commonly used to define obesity and assess adiposity, in up to 339,224 individuals. This analysis identifies 97 BMI-associated loci (P 20% of BMI variation. Pathway analyses provide strong support for a role of the central nervous system in obesity susceptibility and implicate new genes and pathways, including those related to synaptic function, glutamate signalling, insulin secretion/action, energy metabolism, lipid biology and adipogenesis.</p