Genome-wide association study identifies six new loci influencing pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure.

Numerous genetic loci have been associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in Europeans. We now report genome-wide association studies of pulse pressure (PP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP). In discovery (N = 74,064) and follow-up studies (N = 48,607), we identified at genome-wide significance (P = 2.7 × 10(-8) to P = 2.3 × 10(-13)) four new PP loci (at 4q12 near CHIC2, 7q22.3 near PIK3CG, 8q24.12 in NOV and 11q24.3 near ADAMTS8), two new MAP loci (3p21.31 in MAP4 and 10q25.3 near ADRB1) and one locus associated with both of these traits (2q24.3 near FIGN) that has also recently been associated with SBP in east Asians. For three of the new PP loci, the estimated effect for SBP was opposite of that for DBP, in contrast to the majority of common SBP- and DBP-associated variants, which show concordant effects on both traits. These findings suggest new genetic pathways underlying blood pressure variation, some of which may differentially influence SBP and DBP

Genetic variants in novel pathways influence blood pressure and cardiovascular disease risk.

Blood pressure is a heritable trait influenced by several biological pathways and responsive to environmental stimuli. Over one billion people worldwide have hypertension (≥140 mm Hg systolic blood pressure or  ≥90 mm Hg diastolic blood pressure). Even small increments in blood pressure are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. This genome-wide association study of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, which used a multi-stage design in 200,000 individuals of European descent, identified sixteen novel loci: six of these loci contain genes previously known or suspected to regulate blood pressure (GUCY1A3-GUCY1B3, NPR3-C5orf23, ADM, FURIN-FES, GOSR2, GNAS-EDN3); the other ten provide new clues to blood pressure physiology. A genetic risk score based on 29 genome-wide significant variants was associated with hypertension, left ventricular wall thickness, stroke and coronary artery disease, but not kidney disease or kidney function. We also observed associations with blood pressure in East Asian, South Asian and African ancestry individuals. Our findings provide new insights into the genetics and biology of blood pressure, and suggest potential novel therapeutic pathways for cardiovascular disease prevention

Mining the human phenome using allelic scores that index biological intermediates

J. Kaprio ja M-L. Lokki työryhmien jäseniä.It is common practice in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to focus on the relationship between disease risk and genetic variants one marker at a time. When relevant genes are identified it is often possible to implicate biological intermediates and pathways likely to be involved in disease aetiology. However, single genetic variants typically explain small amounts of disease risk. Our idea is to construct allelic scores that explain greater proportions of the variance in biological intermediates, and subsequently use these scores to data mine GWAS. To investigate the approach's properties, we indexed three biological intermediates where the results of large GWAS meta-analyses were available: body mass index, C-reactive protein and low density lipoprotein levels. We generated allelic scores in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, and in publicly available data from the first Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium. We compared the explanatory ability of allelic scores in terms of their capacity to proxy for the intermediate of interest, and the extent to which they associated with disease. We found that allelic scores derived from known variants and allelic scores derived from hundreds of thousands of genetic markers explained significant portions of the variance in biological intermediates of interest, and many of these scores showed expected correlations with disease. Genome-wide allelic scores however tended to lack specificity suggesting that they should be used with caution and perhaps only to proxy biological intermediates for which there are no known individual variants. Power calculations confirm the feasibility of extending our strategy to the analysis of tens of thousands of molecular phenotypes in large genome-wide meta-analyses. We conclude that our method represents a simple way in which potentially tens of thousands of molecular phenotypes could be screened for causal relationships with disease without having to expensively measure these variables in individual disease collections.Peer reviewe

Changes in the Market Structure of the Breakfast Foods Industry

Excerpts from the report Preface: In this report important structural changes in the breakfast foods industry from 1947-49 to 1961 are examined. Concentration of the industry, channels of distribution, degree of product differentiation, and conditions of entry are the predominant aspects of market structure considered. The performance, or economic results of changes in the structure of the breakfast foods industry, is measured in terms of technological progress, competition, changes in farm-retail price spreads, and profits. Specific changes in the price spreads and margins of corn flakes and rolled oats, the two most important varieties of breakfast foods, are analyzed in detail. Data were obtained by personal interviews with breakfast food manufacturers and from many secondary sources as indicated in the bibliography

Solar-Assisted Combination Grain Drying: An Economic Evaluation

A solar-assisted combination grain drying system could result in a 53-percent savings in fossil fuel under optimum conditions. It must be integrated into the planned harvest schedule and other farm energy needs for profitable results. Savings under the most favorable conditions studied showed a 6.6-percent return on investment. Solar collectors costing more than $10 per square foot will likely find little acceptance in a combination drying system at current fossil fuel prices

Changing Grain Market Channels

Excerpts from the Introduction: The flow of grain through channels from the producer to the consumer is a continually changing process. Changes occur gradually and over a long period of time. Marketing channels are affected by many factors such as total grain production, shifts in population, new technology, changes in farming operations, engineering feats such as new highways and the Saint Lawrence Seaway, new markets at home and abroad, and competitive advantages. Changes in marketing channels may, for example, be causes or results of mergers, consolidations, integrations, and liquidations or additional entries into the industry. Such changes usually influence the efficiency of the marketing system in all of its functions Information on the nature and extent of changes can affect decisions of marketing firms and their operations. The objectives of this primarily descriptive study are (1) to estimate the volumes of grain that flowed through various marketing channels in 1959 and contrast the volumes with estimates for earlier years, (2) to indicate some of the major forces causing the changes that have occurred, and (3) to suggest some of the possible effects of these changes on grain marketing in the future

U.S. Wheat Industry

U.S. wheat production doubled between 1950 and 1975. Improved yields per acre accounted for most of the increase. Since 1974, however, the growth in U.S. wheat yields per acre has leveled off. About half of the U.S. wheat crop is exported, but the somewhat erratic nature of foreign demand has caused considerable instability in the U.S. wheat industry. Large carryovers have been a problem in most years since 1950, despite Government programs to regulate wheat acreage, subsidize producers, store wheat, and facilitate wheat exports

Changing Grain Market Channels

Excerpts from the Introduction: The flow of grain through channels from the producer to the consumer is a continually changing process. Changes occur gradually and over a long period of time. Marketing channels are affected by many factors such as total grain production, shifts in population, new technology, changes in farming operations, engineering feats such as new highways and the Saint Lawrence Seaway, new markets at home and abroad, and competitive advantages. Changes in marketing channels may, for example, be causes or results of mergers, consolidations, integrations, and liquidations or additional entries into the industry. Such changes usually influence the efficiency of the marketing system in all of its functions Information on the nature and extent of changes can affect decisions of marketing firms and their operations. The objectives of this primarily descriptive study are (1) to estimate the volumes of grain that flowed through various marketing channels in 1959 and contrast the volumes with estimates for earlier years, (2) to indicate some of the major forces causing the changes that have occurred, and (3) to suggest some of the possible effects of these changes on grain marketing in the future

Turning Great Plains Crop Residues and Other Products Into Energy

Crop residues, such as corn stover, grain sorghum stover, and wheat straw, are abundant sources of fuel energy in the 10-State Great Plains region. These residues and other wastes, such as manure, may be either burned directly or decomposed into methane gas. However, costs of collecting these residues may be too high to be competitive with coal or other conventional fuels. Bulky crop residues and wastes, expensive to transport, can be economically shipped no more than 50 miles to a conversion plant