GWAS analysis of handgrip and lower body strength in older adults in the CHARGE consortium

Decline in muscle strength with aging is an important predictor of health trajectory in the elderly. Several factors, including genetics, are proposed contributors to variability in muscle strength. To identify genetic contributors to muscle strength, a meta-analysis of genomewide association studies of handgrip was conducted. Grip strength was measured using a handheld dynamometer in 27 581 individuals of European descent over 65 years of age from 14 cohort studies. Genomewide association analysis was conducted on ~2.7 million imputed and genotyped variants (SNPs). Replication of the most significant findings was conducted using data from 6393 individuals from three cohorts. GWAS of lower body strength was also characterized in a subset of cohorts. Two genomewide significant (P-value< 5 × 10−8) and 39 suggestive (P-value< 5 × 10−5) associations were observed from meta-analysis of the discovery cohorts. After meta-analysis with replication cohorts, genomewide significant association was observed for rs752045 on chromosome 8 (β = 0.47, SE = 0.08, P-value = 5.20 × 10−10). This SNP is mapped to an intergenic region and is located within an accessible chromatin region (DNase hypersensitivity site) in skeletal muscle myotubes differentiated from the human skeletal muscle myoblasts cell line. This locus alters a binding motif of the CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-β (CEBPB) that is implicated in muscle repair mechanisms. GWAS of lower body strength did not yield significant results. A common genetic variant in a chromosomal region that regulates myotube differentiation and muscle repair may contribute to variability in grip strength in the elderly. Further studies are needed to uncover the mechanisms that link this genetic variant with muscle strength

Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 328 diseases and injuries for 195 countries, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

As mortality rates decline, life expectancy increases, and populations age, non-fatal outcomes of diseases and injuries are becoming a larger component of the global burden of disease. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) provides a comprehensive assessment of prevalence, incidence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) for 328 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2016

Development of electromagnetic shielding materials from the conductive blends of polystyrene polyaniline-clay nanocomposite

Electromagnetic interference shielding composite materials were developed from the conductive blends of nanostructured polyaniline-clay composite (PANICN) and Polystyrene (PS) by a one step host matrix assisted emulsion polymerization of anilinium salt of 3-pentadecyl phenol-4-sulphonic acid (3-PDPSA) in clay. 3-PDPSA was derived from cashew nut shell liquid, a low cost renewable resource based product. These blends were characterized using Uv-visible and FT-IR spectroscopy, XRD, electrical conductivity, thermal property, dielectric property and electromagnetic shielding efficiency. The interactions between the primary particles and host matrix were elucidated from the studies made through spectroscopy and rheology. The key finding of the research is that this low cost PANICNPS blend with superior electrical conductivity (7.6 x 10(-1) S/m), excellent thermal stability and EMI SE of 10-20 dB at 8 GHz makes them as a promising candidate for application in EMI shielding and antistatic discharge matrix for the encapsulation of micro electronic devices. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

GWAS of longevity in CHARGE consortium confirms APOE and FOXO3 candidacy

Background. The genetic contribution to longevity in humans has been estimated to range from 15% to 25%. Only two genes, APOE and FOXO3, have shown association with longevity in multiple independent studies. Methods. We conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies including 6,036 longevity cases, age90 years, and 3,757 controls that died between ages 55 and 80 years. We additionally attempted to replicate earlier identified single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) associations with longevity. Results. In our meta-analysis, we found suggestive evidence for the association of SNPs near CADM2 (odds ratio [OR] = 0.81; p value = 9.66 × 10-7) and GRIK2 (odds ratio = 1.24; p value = 5.09 × 10-8) with longevity. When attempting to replicate findings earlier identified in genome-wide association studies, only the APOE locus consistently replicated. In an additional look-up of the candidate gene FOXO3, we found that an earlier identified variant shows a highly significant association with longevity when including published data with our meta-analysis (odds ratio = 1.17; p value = 1.85×10-10). Conclusions. We did not identify new genome-wide significant associations with longevity and did not replicate earlier findings except for APOE and FOXO3. Our inability to find new associations with survival to ages90 years because longevity represents multiple complex traits with heterogeneous genetic underpinnings, or alternatively, that longevity may be regulated by rare variants that are not captured by standard genome-wide genotyping and imputation of common variants