Influenza-like illness in acute myocardial infarction patients during the winter wave of the influenza A H1N1 pandemic in London: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate recent respiratory and influenza-like illnesses (ILIs) in acute myocardial infarction patients compared with patients hospitalised for acute non-vascular surgical conditions during the second wave of the 2009 influenza A H1N1 pandemic. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Coronary care unit, acute cardiology and acute surgical admission wards in a major teaching hospital in London, UK. PARTICIPANTS: 134 participants (70 cases and 64 controls) aged ≥40 years hospitalised for acute myocardial infarction and acute surgical conditions between 21 September 2009 and 28 February 2010, frequency-matched for gender, 5-year age-band and admission week. PRIMARY EXPOSURE: ILI (defined as feeling feverish with either a cough or sore throat) within the last month. SECONDARY EXPOSURES: Acute respiratory illness within the last month not meeting ILI criteria; nasopharyngeal and throat swab positive for influenza virus. RESULTS: 29 of 134 (21.6%) participants reported respiratory illness within the last month, of whom 13 (9.7%) had illnesses meeting ILI criteria. The most frequently reported category for timing of respiratory symptom onset was 8-14 days before admission (31% of illnesses). Cases were more likely than controls to report ILI-adjusted OR 3.17 (95% CI 0.61 to 16.47)-as well as other key respiratory symptoms, and were less likely to have received influenza vaccination-adjusted OR 0.46 (95% CI 0.19 to 1.12)-although the differences were not statistically significant. No swabs were positive for influenza virus. CONCLUSIONS: Point estimates suggested that recent ILI was more common in patients hospitalised with acute myocardial infarction than with acute surgical conditions during the second wave of the influenza A H1N1 pandemic, and influenza vaccination was associated with cardioprotection, although the findings were not statistically significant. The study was underpowered, partly because the age groups typically affected by acute myocardial infarction had low rates of infection with the pandemic influenza strain compared with seasonal influenza

Fault rupture modification by blocky inclusions

Subterranean fault rupture has been responsible for many recorded instances of building damage during past earthquakes. Differential displacement in the ground can cause shearing in overlying structures and can leave buildings in an unsupported condition. As the demand for land use increases, it may be necessary to adopt strategies to protect certain key structures from fault-related damage. This paper presents the results of an investigation of one potential mitigation scheme, that of providing rigid inclusions in the soil beneath the structure. Theoretically, the blocks should split the fault so that the fault expression at the surface is not a single surface scarp but a more gradual profile, with the effect of reducing the risk of the building being damaged either by rupture emergence along the length of the foundation or by excessive rotation. Modelling of a simple footing above a uniform sand is performed using both discrete element modelling and centrifuge model testing. While the numerical model demonstrates that blocks may be beneficial, the centrifuge tests were unable to demonstrate any splitting of the main rupture plane. However, the block mass was sufficient to increase local stresses and guide the fault. Based on this, it is concluded that while blocks may be capable of deflecting faults the method is too unreliable to be recommended without further supporting research

A meta-analysis of gene expression signatures of blood pressure and hypertension

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have uncovered numerous genetic variants (SNPs) that are associated with blood pressure (BP). Genetic variants may lead to BP changes by acting on intermediate molecular phenotypes such as coded protein sequence or gene expression, which in turn affect BP variability. Therefore, characterizing genes whose expression is associated with BP may reveal cellular processes involved in BP regulation and uncover how transcripts mediate genetic and environmental effects on BP variability. A meta-analysis of results from six studies of global gene expression profiles of BP and hypertension in whole blood was performed in 7017 individuals who were not receiving antihypertensive drug treatment. We identified 34 genes that were differentially expressed in relation to BP (Bonferroni-corrected p<0.05). Among these genes, FOS and PTGS2 have been previously reported to be involved in BP-related processes; the others are novel. The top BP signature genes in aggregate explain 5%-9% of inter-individual variance in BP. Of note, rs3184504 in SH2B3, which was also reported in GWAS to be associated with BP, was found to be a trans regulator of the expression of 6 of the transcripts we found to be associated with BP (FOS, MYADM, PP1R15A, TAGAP, S100A10, and FGBP2). Gene set enrichment analysis suggested that the BP-related global gene expression changes include genes involved in inflammatory response and apoptosis pathways. Our study provides new insights into molecular mechanisms underlying BP regulation, and suggests novel transcriptomic markers for the treatment and prevention of hypertension

Novel Blood Pressure Locus and Gene Discovery Using Genome-Wide Association Study and Expression Data Sets From Blood and the Kidney.

Elevated blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and has a substantial genetic contribution. Genetic variation influencing blood pressure has the potential to identify new pharmacological targets for the treatment of hypertension. To discover additional novel blood pressure loci, we used 1000 Genomes Project-based imputation in 150 134 European ancestry individuals and sought significant evidence for independent replication in a further 228 245 individuals. We report 6 new signals of association in or near HSPB7, TNXB, LRP12, LOC283335, SEPT9, and AKT2, and provide new replication evidence for a further 2 signals in EBF2 and NFKBIA Combining large whole-blood gene expression resources totaling 12 607 individuals, we investigated all novel and previously reported signals and identified 48 genes with evidence for involvement in blood pressure regulation that are significant in multiple resources. Three novel kidney-specific signals were also detected. These robustly implicated genes may provide new leads for therapeutic innovation

A whole-blood transcriptome meta-analysis identifies gene expression signatures of cigarette smoking

Cigarette smoking is a leading modifiable cause of death worldwide. We hypothesized that cigarette smoking induces extensive transcriptomic changes that lead to target-organ damage and smoking-related diseases. We performed a metaanalysis of transcriptome-wide gene expression using whole blood-derived RNA from 10,233 participants of European ancestry in six cohorts (including 1421 current and 3955 former smokers) to identify associations between smoking and altered gene expression levels. At a false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.1, we identified 1270 differentially expressed genes in current vs. never smokers, and 39 genes in former vs. never smokers. Expression levels of 12 genes remained elevated up to 30 years after smoking cessation, suggesting that the molecular consequence of smoking may persist for decades. Gene ontology analysis revealed enrichment of smoking-related genes for activation of platelets and lymphocytes, immune response, and apoptosis. Many of the top smoking-related differentially expressed genes, including LRRN3 and GPR15, have DNA methylation loci in promoter regions that were recently reported to be hypomethylated among smokers. By linking differential gene expression with smoking-related disease phenotypes, we demonstrated that stroke and pulmonary function show enrichment for smoking-related gene expression signatures. Mediation analysis revealed the expression of several genes (e.g. ALAS2) to be putative mediators of the associations between smoking and inflammatory biomarkers (IL6 and C-re

Sensory Communication

Contains table of contents for Section 2, an introduction and reports on fifteen research projects.National Institutes of Health Grant RO1 DC00117National Institutes of Health Grant RO1 DC02032National Institutes of Health Contract P01-DC00361National Institutes of Health Contract N01-DC22402National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Grant 2 R01 DC00126National Institutes of Health Grant 2 R01 DC00270National Institutes of Health Contract N01 DC-5-2107National Institutes of Health Grant 2 R01 DC00100U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research/Naval Air Warfare Center Contract N61339-94-C-0087U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research/Naval Air Warfare Center Contract N61339-95-K-0014U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research/Naval Air Warfare Center Grant N00014-93-1-1399U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research/Naval Air Warfare Center Grant N00014-94-1-1079U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Subcontract 40167U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-92-J-1814National Institutes of Health Grant R01-NS33778U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-88-K-0604National Aeronautics and Space Administration Grant NCC 2-771U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research Grant F49620-94-1-0236U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research Agreement with Brandeis Universit

Expression quantitative trait locus mapping of extracellular microRNAs in human plasma

MicroRNAs, crucial in regulating protein-coding gene expression, are implicated in various diseases. We performed a genome-wide association study of plasma miRNAs (ex-miRNAs) in 3,743 Framingham Heart Study (FHS) participants and identified 1,027 cis-ex-miRNA-eQTLs (cis-exQTLs) for 37 ex-miRNAs, with 55% replication in an independent study. Colocalization analyses suggested potential genetic coregulation of ex-miRNAs with whole blood mRNAs. Mendelian randomization indicated 29 ex-miRNAs potentially influencing 35 traits. Notably, the chromosome 14q23 and 14q32 miRNA clusters emerged as the top signal, contributing over 50% of the significant cis-exQTL results, and were associated with a diverse range of traits including platelet count. Correlations of 10 ex-miRNAs (such as miR-376c-3p) in 14q32 with platelet count and volume were confirmed in FHS participants. These findings shed light on the genetic basis of ex-miRNA expression and their involvement in complex traits.</p

A comparative analysis of OpenET for evaluating evapotranspiration in California almond orchards

The almond industry in California faces water management challenges that are being exacerbated by droughts, climate change, and groundwater sustainability legislation. The Tree-crop Remote sensing of Evapotranspiration eXperiment (T-REX) aims to explore opportunities to improve precision irrigation management for woody perennial cropping systems. Almond orchards in the California Central Valley were equipped with eddy covariance flux measurements to evaluate satellite remote sensing-based evapotranspiration (RSET) models. OpenET provides high-resolution (30-m spatial and daily temporal) RSET data, synthesizing decades of research for practical water management. This study provides an evaluation of OpenET performance at six almond sites covering a large range in soils, age, and variety. It also compares OpenET ensemble evapotranspiration (ET) data with applied irrigation and precipitation records over an additional 148 almond orchards located in the Central Valley of California. Results show OpenET models, including the ensemble ET value, produced reasonable and actionable ET values, with overall coefficient of determination (R2) and mean absolute error values of 0.73- and 0.95-mm d−1 at the daily time step, respectively. However, given the temporal sampling of Landsat (8-day revisit) and the interpolation methods used, the assessed ET models had difficulty in capturing short-term variability in almond ET; for example, the rapid decline in measured ET observed as a response to lack of irrigation preceding and during almond harvest. The study also drew attention to the spatial complexity in scenarios where irrigated orchards are surrounded by hot/dry areas, causing discrepancies between measured and modeled ET values. In comparison with irrigation records, OpenET ensemble ET was capable of quantifying water input (applied irrigation + precipitation) in almond orchards to within 13 % when evaluating monthly data. Initial results presented here reinforce the idea that RSET models, such as in OpenET, are powerful tools, yet their application requires nuanced understanding and careful consideration of local conditions