Developing Strategic Marketing Plan

This publication is first in a series targeted for Coordinators and Managers within Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach Programs concerned with developing continuous quality improvement approaches. This early publication focuses on understanding strategies for market position, strategic planning and provides a tool for conducting an organizational self-assessment along with a stakeholder analysi

The lipoprotein lipase gene in combined hyperlipidemia: evidence of a protective allele depletion

BACKGROUND: Lipoprotein Lipase (LPL), a key enzyme in lipid metabolism, catalyzes the hydrolysis of triglycerides (TG) from TG-rich lipoproteins, and serves a bridging function that enhances the cellular uptake of lipoproteins. Abnormalities in LPL function are associated with pathophysiological conditions, including familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCH). Whereas two LPL susceptibility alleles were found to co-segregate in a few FCH kindred, a role for common, protective alleles remains unexplored. The LPL Ser447Stop (S447X) allele is associated with anti-atherogenic lipid profiles and a modest reduction in risk for coronary disease. We hypothesize that significant depletion of the 447X allele exists in combined hyperlipidemia cases versus controls. A case-control design was employed. The polymorphism was assessed by restriction assay in 212 cases and 161 controls. Genotypic, allelic, and phenotypic associations were examined. RESULTS: We found evidence of significant allelic (447X(control): 0.130 vs. 447X(case): 0.031, χ(2 )= 29.085; 1df; p < 0.001) and genotypic association (SS: 0.745 vs. 0.939, and SX+XX: 0.255 vs. 0.061) in controls and cases, respectively (χ(2 )= 26.09; 1df; p < 0.001). In cases, depletion of the 447X allele is associated with a significant elevation in very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C, p = 0.045). Consonant with previous studies of this polymorphism, regression models predict that carriers of the 447X allele displayed significantly lower TG, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and TG/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest a role for the S447X polymorphism in combined hyperlipidemia and demonstrate the importance of evaluating both susceptibility and protective genetic risk factors

Three patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia: Genomic sequencing and kindred analysis.

BackgroundHomozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) is an inherited recessive condition associated with extremely high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in affected individuals. It is usually caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous functional mutations in the LDL receptor (LDLR). A number of mutations causing FH have been reported in literature and such genetic heterogeneity presents great challenges for disease diagnosis.ObjectiveWe aim to determine the likely genetic defects responsible for three cases of pediatric HoFH in two kindreds.MethodsWe applied whole exome sequencing (WES) on the two probands to determine the likely functional variants among candidate FH genes. We additionally applied 10x Genomics (10xG) Linked-Reads whole genome sequencing (WGS) on one of the kindreds to identify potentially deleterious structural variants (SVs) underlying HoFH. A PCR-based screening assay was also established to detect the LDLR structural variant in a cohort of 641 patients with elevated LDL.ResultsIn the Caucasian kindred, the FH homozygosity can be attributed to two compound heterozygous&nbsp;LDLR damaging variants, an exon 12 p.G592E missense mutation and a novel 3kb exon 1 deletion. By analyzing the 10xG phased data, we ascertained that this deletion allele was most likely to have originated from a Russian ancestor. In the Mexican kindred, the strikingly elevated LDL cholesterol level can be attributed to a homozygous frameshift LDLR variant p.E113fs.ConclusionsWhile the application of WES can provide a cost-effective way of identifying the genetic causes of FH, it often lacks sensitivity for detecting structural variants. Our finding of the LDLR exon 1 deletion highlights the broader utility of Linked-Read WGS in detecting SVs in the clinical setting, especially when HoFH patients remain undiagnosed after WES

Angiographically silent atherosclerosis detected by intravascular ultrasound in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia and familial combined hyperlipidemia: Correlation with high density lipoproteins

AbstractObjectives. This study sought to evaluate the extent of atherosclerosis in coronary and iliac arteries in patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia or familial combined hyperlipidemia, using intravascular ultraound imaging.Background. Intravascular ultrasound imaging provides cross-sectional tomographic views of the vessel wall and allows quantitative assessment of atherosclerosis.Methods. Forty-eight nonsmoking, asymptomatic patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia or familial combined hyperlipidemia underwent intravascular ultrasound imaging of the left anterior descending coronary, left main coronary and common iliac arteries. Angiography showed only minimal or no narrowing in these vessels. Intravascular ultrasound images obtained during catheter pullback underwent morphometric analysis. Plaque burden was expressed as the mean and maximal intimal index (ratio of plaque area and area within the internal elastic lamina) and as the percent of vessel surface covered by plaque.Results. Intravascular ultrasound detected plaque more frequently than angiography in the left anterior descending (80% vs. 29%, respectively), left main (44% vs. 16%) and iliac arteries (33% vs. 27%). Plaque burden was higher in the left anterior descending (mean intimal index [±SD] 0.25 ± 0.16) than in the left main (0.11 ± 0.16, p < 0.001) and iliac arteries (0.02 ± 0.04, p < 0.001). Angiography detected lumen narrowing only in coronary arteries with a maximal intimal index ⪰0.42 (left anterior descending artery) and ⪰0.43 (left main artery). The area within the internal elastic lamina increased with plaque area in the left anterior descending (r = 0.82, p < 0.001) and left main arteries (r = 0.53, p < 0.001). By stepwise multiple regression analysis, the strongest predictor for plaque burden in the left anterior descending artery was the level of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and total/HDL cholesterol ratio for the left main artery.Conclusions. In patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia and familial combined hyperlipidemia, extensive coronary plaque is present despite minimal or no angiographic changes. Compensatory vessel enlargement and diffuse involvement with eccentric plaque may account for the lack of angiographic changes. Levels of HDL cholesterol and total/HDL cholesterol ratio are far more powerful predictors of coronary plaque burden than are low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in these patients with early, asymptomatic disease

Analysis of 17,576 Potentially Functional SNPs in Three Case–Control Studies of Myocardial Infarction

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a common complex disease with a genetic component. While several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been reported to be associated with risk of MI, they do not fully explain the observed genetic component of MI. We have been investigating the association between MI and SNPs that are located in genes and have the potential to affect gene function or expression. We have previously published studies that tested about 12,000 SNPs for association with risk of MI, early-onset MI, or coronary stenosis. In the current study we tested 17,576 SNPs that could affect gene function or expression. In order to use genotyping resources efficiently, we staged the testing of these SNPs in three case–control studies of MI. In the first study (762 cases, 857 controls) we tested 17,576 SNPs and found 1,949 SNPs that were associated with MI (P<0.05). We tested these 1,949 SNPs in a second study (579 cases and 1159 controls) and found that 24 SNPs were associated with MI (1-sided P<0.05) and had the same risk alleles in the first and second study. Finally, we tested these 24 SNPs in a third study (475 cases and 619 controls) and found that 5 SNPs in 4 genes (ENO1, FXN (2 SNPs), HLA-DPB2, and LPA) were associated with MI in the third study (1-sided P<0.05), and had the same risk alleles in all three studies. The false discovery rate for this group of 5 SNPs was 0.23. Thus, we have identified 5 SNPs that merit further examination for their potential association with MI. One of these SNPs (in LPA), has been previously shown to be associated with risk of cardiovascular disease in other studies

Synaptopathies: Dysfunction of Synaptic Function Confirmed rare copy number variants implicate novel genes in schizophrenia

Abstract Understanding how cognitive processes including learning, memory, decision making and ideation are encoded by the genome is a key question in biology. Identification of sets of genes underlying human mental disorders is a path towards this objective. Schizophrenia is a common disease with cognitive symptoms, high heritability and complex genetics. We have identified genes involved with schizophrenia by measuring differences in DNA copy number across the entire genome in 91 schizophrenia cases and 92 controls in the Scottish population. Our data reproduce rare and common variants observed in public domain data from &gt;3000 schizophrenia cases, confirming known disease loci as well as identifying novel loci. We found copy number variants in PDE10A (phosphodiesterase 10A), CYFIP1 [cytoplasmic FMR1 (Fragile X mental retardation 1)-interacting protein 1], K + channel genes KCNE1 and KCNE2, the Down&apos;s syndrome critical region 1 gene RCAN1 (regulator of calcineurin 1), cell-recognition protein CHL1 (cell adhesion molecule with homology with L1CAM), the transcription factor SP4 (specificity protein 4) and histone deacetylase HDAC9, among others (see http://www.genes2cognition.org/SCZ-CNV). Integrating the function of these many genes into a coherent model of schizophrenia and cognition is a major unanswered challenge

Left versus right subcallosal cingulate deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant depression

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subcallosal cingulate has emerged as a promising therapy for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). To date, all studies have employed bilateral stimulation; however, the physiology of affect and pathophysiology of depression are known to be asymmetric across hemispheres. Unilateral stimulation may provide efficacy while decreasing risk. Five patients were exposed to unilateral open-label DBS to the subcallosal cingulate for 12 weeks each to the left and then right hemispheres in a double-blind, crossover fashion. After 12 weeks of stimulation to each hemisphere, bilateral stimulation was initiated, and patients were followed for 12 additional weeks. Additionally, nine months of long-term follow up data were collected. Left, but not right, unilateral stimulation was associated with significant decrease in depression scores; with bilateral stimulation, all patients improved and one patient remitted. No serious adverse events were associated with surgery or acute or chronic stimulation. This small study suggests that unilateral DBS to the subcallosal cingulate may be an effective treatment for TRD. All patients improved with bilateral stimulation, though antidepressant effects following 12 weeks were modest. These findings contrast somewhat with prior open-label trials, though duration of bilateral stimulation was shorter in this trial. The current study continues to confirm safety of implantation and use of DBS to the subcallosal cingulate for patients with TRD and highlights the importance of personalization of therapy, for example by hemisphere, in future trials

Clustered Coding Variants in the Glutamate Receptor Complexes of Individuals with Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder

Current models of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder implicate multiple genes, however their biological relationships remain elusive. To test the genetic role of glutamate receptors and their interacting scaffold proteins, the exons of ten glutamatergic ‘hub’ genes in 1304 individuals were re-sequenced in case and control samples. No significant difference in the overall number of non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) was observed between cases and controls. However, cluster analysis of nsSNPs identified two exons encoding the cysteine-rich domain and first transmembrane helix of GRM1 as a risk locus with five mutations highly enriched within these domains. A new splice variant lacking the transmembrane GPCR domain of GRM1 was discovered in the human brain and the GRM1 mutation cluster could perturb the regulation of this variant. The predicted effect on individuals harbouring multiple mutations distributed in their ten hub genes was also examined. Diseased individuals possessed an increased load of deleteriousness from multiple concurrent rare and common coding variants. Together, these data suggest a disease model in which the interplay of compound genetic coding variants, distributed among glutamate receptors and their interacting proteins, contribute to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and bipolar disorders