Evaluating the association between genetically proxied ACE inhibition and dementias

Introduction: Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) has been implicated in the metabolism of amyloid beta; however, the causal effect of ACE inhibition on risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia and other common dementias is largely unknown. Methods: We examined the causal association of genetically proxied ACE inhibition with four types of dementias using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach. Results: Genetically proxied ACE inhibition was associated with increased risk of AD dementia (odds ratio per one standard deviation reduction in serum ACE [95% confidence interval]; 1.07 [1.04–1.10], P = 5 × 10−07) and frontotemporal dementia (1.16 [1.04–1.29], P = 0.01) but not with Lewy body dementia or vascular dementia (P > 0.05). These findings were independently replicated and remained consistent in sensitivity analyses. Discussion: This comprehensive MR study provided genetic evidence for an association between ACE inhibition and the risk for AD and frontotemporal dementias. These results should encourage further studies of the neurocognitive effects of ACE inhibition. Highlights: This study evaluated genetically proxied angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition association with dementias. The results suggest an association between ACE inhibition and Alzheimer's disease. The results suggest an association between ACE inhibition and frontotemporal dementia. Those associations can be interpreted as potentially causal

AN OPTIMIZATION PROBLEM FOR A PRODUCTION SYSTEM WITH REAL OPTION APPROACH (Nonlinear Analysis and Convex Analysis)

Arhinia, or absence of the nose, is a rare malformation of unknown etiology that is often accompanied by ocular and reproductive defects. Sequencing of 40 people with arhinia revealed that 84% of probands harbor a missense mutation localized to a constrained region of SMCHD1 encompassing the ATPase domain. SMCHD1 mutations cause facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy type 2 (FSHD2) via a trans-acting loss-of-function epigenetic mechanism. We discovered shared mutations and comparable DNA hypomethylation patterning between these distinct disorders. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated alteration of smchd1 in zebrafish yielded arhinia-relevant phenotypes. Transcriptome and protein analyses in arhinia probands and controls showed no differences in SMCHD1 mRNA or protein abundance but revealed regulatory changes in genes and pathways associated with craniofacial patterning. Mutations in SMCHD1 thus contribute to distinct phenotypic spectra, from craniofacial malformation and reproductive disorders to muscular dystrophy, which we speculate to be consistent with oligogenic mechanisms resulting in pleiotropic outcomes