The extraordinary diversity of tropical herbivores may be linked to hostplant specialization driven in part by variation in pressure from natural enemies. We quantified levels of host-specificity and parasitoid attack for the specialist herbivore, Eois (Geometridae). The goals of this research were to examine: 1) whether Eois are specialized on ...

BACKGROUND: Habitual coffee consumption has been reported to lower blood pressure in the Japanese population. The NADH dehydrogenase subunit-2 237 leucine/methionine (ND2-237 Leu/Met) polymorphism is associated with longevity and modifies the effects of alcohol consumption on blood pressure in the Japanese population. The objective of this study was to determine ...

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hypertension is one of the most significant prognostic factors of immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN). We investigated the role of polymorphisms of hypertension-related genes in the clinical impact of IgAN. METHODS: A total of 238 IgAN and 300 healthy cohorts were studied. The polymorphisms of angiotensinogen (AGT M235T), the angiotensin ...

BACKGROUND: It is estimated that 5% of the hypertensive patients are resistant to conventional antihypertensive therapy. Polymorphisms in the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) gene have been associated with high blood pressure levels, but not with resistant hypertension. The aim of the present study was to investigate if the -786T>C ...

The study investigates a capacitive micro pressure sensor integrated with a ring oscillator circuit on a chip. The integrated capacitive pressure sensor is fabricated using the commercial CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) process and a post-process. The ring oscillator is employed to convert the capacitance of the pressure sensor into ...

ABSTRACT : Population stratification is one of the major causes of spurious associations in association studies. A unified association approach based on principal-component analysis can overcome the effect of population stratification, as well as make use of both family and unrelated samples combined to increase power (family-case-control, or FamCC). In ...

In this study, we fabricated a wireless micro FET (field effect transistor) pressure sensor based on the commercial CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) process and a post-process. The wireless micro pressure sensor is composed of a FET pressure sensor, an oscillator, an amplifier and an antenna. The oscillator is adopted ...

BACKGROUND: The beta1-adrenergic receptor (ADRB1) plays a pivotal role in mediating signal transduction of the sympathetic-adrenal system, which is involved in the regulation of cardiac output and peripheral resistance. Our goal was to determine whether the polymorphisms Arg389Gly (rs1801253) and Ser49Gly (rs1801252) of the ADRB1 gene were associated with essential ...

Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the rate-limiting enzyme in catecholamine biosynthesis. Does common genetic variation at human TH alter autonomic activity and predispose to cardiovascular disease? We undertook systematic polymorphism discovery at the TH locus, and then tested variants for contributions to sympathetic function and blood pressure. We resequenced 80 ethnically ...

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the renin-angiotensin system and serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms in relation to hemodynamic parameters and heart rate variability during a head-up tilt test (HUT) in patients with vasovagal syncope. METHODS: DNA was collected from 191 patients (mean age 44+/-18 years, 61 men, ...

Although thousands of in vitro selection and evolution experiments have been performed to seek different types of targets, most of them have only inspected the terminal evolutionary pool for patterns. In addition, to rapidly obtain the most favorable target, many experiments have been carried out under increasing selection pressure. However, ...

OBJECTIVE: The large Ca2+ and voltage-dependent potassium channel is important in regulating vascular tone in smooth muscle tissue. The rs11739136 KCNMB1 Glu65Lys polymorphism in the beta1 subunit of the Ca2+ and voltage-dependent potassium channel has, in some studies, been reported to associate with a protective effect on diastolic hypertension. The ...

We aimed to determine whether the common variation at the chromogranin A (CHGA) locus increases susceptibility to hypertension. CHGA regulates catecholamine storage and release. Previously we systematically identified genetic variants across CHGA. We carried out dense genotyping across the CHGA locus in >1,000 individuals with the most extreme blood pressures ...

INTRODUCTION: Thyroid function and genetic variation in the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis have been implicated in blood pressure regulation and susceptibility to hypertension. However studies conducted thus far were small with controversial results. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether serum thyroid parameters and polymorphisms in the type 2 deiodinase and the TSH receptor are ...

The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is a key hormone in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis that regulates many pathways including blood pressure homeostasis. Thus, GR gene variation may influence interindividual differences in blood pressure in human populations. We resequenced individual GR alleles for comprehensive discovery of GR variants and their chromosomal phase in ...

The P2X receptor gene family encodes a series of proteins that function as ATP-gated nonselective ion channels. P2X receptor channels are involved in transducing aldosterone-mediated signaling in the distal renal tubule and are potential candidate genes for blood pressure regulation. We performed a family based quantitative genetic association study in ...

BACKGROUND/AIMS: 118 elderly participants (65-90 years) were assessed for any relationship between folate, related genes and hypertension. METHODS: Six B-vitamin-related SNPs were genotyped in 80 normotensive and 38 hypertensive subjects. RESULTS: Of six polymorphisms (677C>T-MTHFR, 1298A>C-MTHFR, 80G>A-RFC, 2756A>G-MS, 66A>G- MSR, 19bpDHFR and 1561C>T-GCPII), only 677C>T-MTHFR was a significant risk for ...

BACKGROUND: Serum uric acid levels in humans are influenced by diet, cellular breakdown, and renal elimination, and correlate with blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, gout, and cardiovascular disease. Recent genome-wide association scans have found common genetic variants of SLC2A9 to be associated with increased serum urate level and gout. The ...

Blood pressure (BP) is a complex trait regulated by the interaction among multiple physiologic regulatory systems, likely involving numerous genes that lead to inconsistent findings in genetic studies. One possibility of failure to replicate some single-locus results is that the underlying genetics of hypertension is based on multiple genes with ...

Bioassays (at generation G2) with a newly collected field population (designated MN) of Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) from Multan, Pakistan, indicated resistance to spinosad, indoxacarb, deltamethrin, abamectin, and acetamiprid. At G2 the field-derived population was divided into two subpopulations, one was selected (G2 to G11) with spinosad (Spino-SEL), whereas ...

Although it is well-known that quantitative trait loci (QTLs) influence blood pressure (BP) in male Dahl salt-sensitive rats (DSS), few studies have been carried out to ascertain the BP effect of these QTLs in females. In the current work, we analyzed BP of seven selected congenic strains constructed in the ...

Recent studies have provided some clues with regard to the relationship existing between uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and blood pressure in animal experiments. In an attempt to determine the genetic polymorphisms that are associated with blood pressure in humans, we have analyzed genetic polymorphisms in UCP1 gene. In this study, ...

AIM: No definite factors predict blood pressure response to angiotensin-converting enzyme-inhibitors. The aim of this study was to test the association of gene polymorphisms of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system with essential hypertension and anthropometric variables, intermediate phenotypes and gene polymorphisms with blood pressure after fosinopril in a genetically homogeneous cohort. METHODS: ...

OBJECTIVE: G protein is one of the most important regulators of intracellular signaling pathways. C825T polymorphism of G protein b3 subunit is associated with increased intracellular signal transduction. The 825T allele has been found associated with a variety of cardiovascular risk factors, including hypertension. The aim of the present study ...

WNK1 gene variants have been associated with adult blood pressure. We aimed to investigate relationships between WNK1 variants and blood pressure, as well as blood pressure change with age, in a longitudinal childhood study. Associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms in WNK1 and blood pressure and the rate of blood pressure ...

The renin-angiotensin system and endothelial function have both been associated with hypertension. The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship of six previously characterized gene variants in the renin-angiotensin system and the NOS3 gene with blood pressure progression and incident hypertension. We analyzed data from 18 436 ...

Cardiovascular responses to stressors are regulated by sympathetic activity, increased in black Americans, and associated with future cardiovascular morbidity. Our aim was to determine whether two functional variants in genes regulating sympathetic activity, a deletion in the alpha2C-adrenergic receptor (ADRA2C del322-325) and a G-protein beta3-subunit variant (GNB3 G825T), affect cardiovascular ...

Migrations to the new world brought together individuals from Europe, Africa and the Americans. Inter-mating between these migrant and indigenous populations led to the subsequent formation of new admixed populations, such as African and Latino Americans. These unprecedented events brought together genomes that had evolved independently on different continents for ...

Motility is a critical function needed for nutrient acquisition, biofilm formation, and the avoidance of harmful chemicals and predators. Flagellar motility is one of the most pressure-sensitive cellular processes in mesophilic bacteria; therefore, it is ecologically relevant to determine how deep-sea microbes have adapted their motility systems for functionality at ...

BACKGROUND: Job strain and the Arg389Gly polymorphism in the adrenergic beta1-receptor gene have been linked to hypertension. We aimed to study whether there is an interaction between the Arg389Gly polymorphism and job strain and its components (job demand and decision latitude) in relation to blood pressure. METHODS: From the Malmö ...

CYP2C9, a drug-metabolizing enzyme, converts the angiotensin II receptor blocker losartan to its active form, which is responsible for its antihypertensive effect. We resequenced CYP2C9 in 724 Japanese individuals, including 39 hypertensive patients under treatment with losartan. Of two novel missense mutations identified, the Arg132Gln variant showed a fivefold lower ...

BACKGROUND: Intervention studies have indicated an interaction between the blood pressure response to a low-sodium or a low-fat and high-fruit and -vegetable diet and the angiotensinogen gene (AGT) polymorphisms G-6A and M235T. OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether this interaction is also present in a large free-living population. DESIGN: Urinary sodium, potassium ...

BACKGROUND: Since variations on the renin angiotensin (RA) system tend to exert effects on blood pressure, we investigated the association of the common ACE and AT1R polymorphisms with response to a multivariate pharmacotherapy. METHODS: This prospective study involved 169 hypertensive, community-dwelling older women. Genotypes were obtained by length analysis or ...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) associates with excess cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality. Hypertension, a highly prevalent entity in RA, has been associated with the endothelin-1 (ET-1) gene locus (EDN1) in some groups, such as Afro-Caribbean, the obese, and in low-renin states, but not in the general population as a whole. High ...

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) predominantly acts as an anti-inflammatory factor. Polymorphisms in the IL-10 gene promoter determine quantitative cytokine production. Doppler echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) are superior to conventional echocardiography to evaluate diastolic dysfunction. The IL-10 gene promoter polymorphism at position (-1082) was studied for its association with conventional and ...

The purpose of our work was to analyze the case of the strong mutational GC-pressure influence on the ratio between nonsynonymous (DN) and synonymous (DS) distances (DN/DS ratio). We have used as the material the genes coding for ICP0 from five completely sequenced genomes of simplexviruses. DN/DS ratio, total GC-content ...

Chromogranin A (CHGA) triggers catecholamine secretory granule biogenesis, and its catestatin fragment inhibits catecholamine release. We approached catestatin heritability using twin pairs, coupled with genome-wide linkage, in a series of twin and sibling pairs from 2 continents. Hypertensive patients had elevated CHGA coupled with reduction in catestatin, suggesting diminished conversion ...

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a recognized risk factor for cardiovascular disorders. Thus, an association between endothelin-1 (EDN1) and OSA can be assumed. We investigated a cohort of 364 consecutive patients (age 57 +/- 10 years) with mild to severe OSA for the EDN1 variant Lys198Asn (G/T) and endothelin plasma ...

BACKGROUND: Prostasin, a serine protease, is suggested to be a novel mechanism regulating the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) expressed in the distal nephron. This study aimed to evaluate whether the human prostasin gene is a novel candidate gene underlying blood pressure (BP) elevation. METHODS: In a sample of healthy African-American ...

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) has been implicated as causative in phenotypic modulation (PM) of cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) in their transition to the dedifferentiated phenotype. We evaluated the contribution of the three major LPA receptors, LPA1 and LPA2 GPCR and PPARgamma, on PM of VSMC. Expression of differentiated VSMC-specific ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: A common variant of the IGF-I gene has been shown to be associated with cardiovascular disease in adulthood. The objective of this study was to examine whether this variant of the IGF-I gene is associated with blood pressure and left heart dimensions in early childhood. RESEARCH DESIGN ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Recent study supports the hypothesis that the abnormalities of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) that alter the intrinsic contractile state of the cell can directly cause abnormal vascular tone and disorders of blood pressure regulation, including hypertension. This study aimed to explore the individual and interactive effects ...

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that several specific environmental factors and candidate genes influence the human variation in blood pressure. The aim of this study was to investigate variables associated with blood pressure; with a particular emphasis on the differences in insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of the human angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), the ...

The angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion/deletion polymorphism has been identified as a potential genetic risk factor for essential hypertension. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the association of the insertion/deletion polymorphism of the ACE gene with essential hypertension in adult Asian Indians. Three hundred fifty (184 ...

Vertebrate hearts depend on highly specialized cardiomyocytes that form the cardiac conduction system (CCS) to coordinate chamber contraction and drive blood efficiently and unidirectionally throughout the organism. Defects in this specialized wiring system can lead to syncope and sudden cardiac death. Thus, a greater understanding of cardiac conduction development may ...

Almost all life histories are phenotypically plastic: that is, life-history traits such as timing of breeding, family size or the investment in individual offspring vary with some aspect of the environment, such as temperature or food availability. One approach to understanding this phenotypic plasticity from an evolutionary point of view ...

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) gene have been related to endothelium-dependent vasodilation in either conduit or resistance arteries with divergent results. In the Prospective Study of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors study, 959 participants aged 70 (51% men) were evaluated with brachial artery ultrasound ...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the plasma concentration of irbesartan, a specific angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) antagonist, and the blood pressure response in relation to AT1R gene polymorphisms. METHODS: Plasma irbesartan was analyzed in 42 patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension and left ...

OBJECTIVE: Although genetic mapping of quantitative trait loci for blood pressure to large chromosome segments is readily achievable, their final identification confronts formidable hurdles. Restriction of the genes lodging in one quantitative trait locus interval to experimental limitation can facilitate their positional cloning. We previously delineated several quantitative trait loci ...

Catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) degrades catecholamines and estrogens, both of which are of known importance for cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity and hypertension. The gene coding for COMT contains a val158-met polymorphism that exerts a considerable influence on enzymatic activity. We hypothesized that this polymorphism might influence risk factors for ...