Genetic factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis but the genes that determine susceptibility to poor bone health are defined incompletely. Previous work has shown that a polymorphism that affects an Spl binding site in the COLIA1 gene is associated with reduced bone mineral density (BMD) and an increased risk of osteoporotic fracture in several populations. Data from cros

African trypanosomes induce a generalized state of immunosuppression in their mammalian hosts. One characteristic of this is a suppression of lymphocyte responses to mitogen, which is mediated by suppressor macrophages. We investigated the involvement of nitric oxide in this phenomenon. Both peritoneal and splenic cell cultures from infected mice released nitrite and this was inhibitable by NG-mon

BACKGROUND: Polymorphisms in the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene are associated with fracture risk, and a potential mechanism is through vitamin K transport.OBJECTIVE: We investigated the relation between dietary vitamin K(1) intake, APOE polymorphisms, and markers of bone health.DESIGN: We measured bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine (LS) and femoral neck (FN) in a cohort of Scottish wome

INTRODUCTION: The TGFB1 gene which encodes transforming growth factor beta 1, is a strong candidate for susceptibility to osteoporosis and several studies have reported associations between bone mineral density (BMD), osteoporotic fractures and polymorphisms of TGFB1, although these studies have yielded conflicting results.METHODS: We investigated associations between TGFB1 polymorphisms and BMD a

UNLABELLED: The VDR is a candidate gene for osteoporosis. Here we studied five common polymorphisms of VDR in relation to calcium intake and vitamin D status in a population-based cohort of 3100 British women, but found no significant association with bone mass, bone loss, or fracture.INTRODUCTION: Population studies of vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms have produced conflicting results. We p

UNLABELLED: Here we show that a common polymorphism causing a valine to methionine amino acid substitution at codon 418 (V418M) in the CLCN7 gene is associated with femoral neck BMD in women. Our study adds to accumulating evidence that shows that common allelic variants in monogenic bone disease genes often contribute to BMD regulation in normal subjects.INTRODUCTION: The CLCN7 gene is a strong c

Bone mineral density (BMD) is a complex trait with a strong genetic component and an important predictor of osteoporotic fracture risk. Here we report the use of a cross-species strategy to identify genes that regulate BMD, proceeding from quantitative trait mapping in mice to association mapping of the syntenic region in the human genome. We identified a quantitative trait locus (QTL) on the mous

Bone mineral density is a complex trait regulated by an interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Recent studies have identified a functional polymorphism affecting codon 677 of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene that is associated with reduced bone mineral density (BMD) in Japanese and Danish postmenopausal women and increased risk of fracture in elderly Danish wome

UNLABELLED: To clarify the role of the TNFRSF11B gene encoding osteoprotegerin (OPG), in Paget's disease of bone (PDB) we studied TNFRSF11B polymorphisms in an association study of 690 UK subjects and in a worldwide familial study of 66 kindreds. We found that the G1181 allele of TNFRSF11B, encoding lysine at codon 3 of the OPG protein, predisposes to both sporadic and familial PDB.INTRODUCTION: P

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The Pro12Ala polymorphism of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)gamma has been consistently associated with Type 2 diabetes. The rare Ala12 variant is estimated to reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 20 percent. This variant is in linkage disequilibrium with another common variant, T1431. Both have opposing associations with body weight. We therefore exa

The TCIRG1 gene encodes a component of the osteoclast vacuolar proton pump and previous work has shown that inactivating mutations of the TCIRG1 cause autosomal recessive osteopetrosis. In order to determine whether allelic variation in TCIRG1 contributes to the regulation of bone mineral density (BMD) in normal individuals, we studied the relationship between polymorphisms of TCIRG1 and BMD in a

-Reduced arterial compliance precedes changes in blood pressure, which may be mediated through alterations in vessel wall matrix composition. We investigated the effect of the collagen type I-alpha1 gene (COL1A1) +2046G>T polymorphism on arterial compliance in healthy individuals. We recruited 489 subjects (251 men and 238 women; mean age, 22.6+/-1.6 years). COL1A1 genotypes were determined using

Previous studies have identified an association between osteoporotic fracture and a polymorphism affecting a Sp1 binding site in the first intron of the collagen type I alpha 1 gene (COL1A1). It is currently unclear, however, whether this association is direct or the result of linkage disequilibrium with other polymorphisms situated nearby. In this study we analyzed the relationship between four w

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is a common disorder with a strong genetic component. One way in which the genetic component could be expressed is through polymorphism of COLIA1, the gene for collagen type Ialpha1, a bone-matrix protein.METHODS: We determined the COLIA1 genotypes SS, Ss, and ss in a population-based sample of 1778 postmenopausal women using a polymerase-chain-reaction-based assay. We the

Genetic factors play an important role in determining bone mass and several genes probably act as regulators of this process. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a candidate gene for regulation of bone density, since it has stimulatory effects on cells of the osteoclast lineage and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of bone loss associated with estrogen deficiency. Here we studied the relationship betwee

Candidate gene studies are one of the most widely used approaches in the dissection of the genetic basis of disease. High-throughput methods for genotyping single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are necessary to perform large-scale association studies. We describe the use of the TaqMan or 5' nuclease allelic discrimination assay for genotyping polymorphisms of the collagen I alpha 1 (COLIA1) and v

Objective The aim of the study was to describe pregnant women's expectations of being able to access their electronic health records from antenatal care. Methods Nine pregnant women passing 25 full gestational weeks were interviewed individually. Collected data were analysed with an inductive approach using content analysis. The study was performed in antenatal care units in southern Sweden. Resul

Information on late onset liver complications after childhood cancer is scarce. To ensure an appropriate follow-up of childhood cancer survivors and reducing late liver complications, the need for comprehensive and accurate information is presented. We evaluate the risk of liver diseases in a large childhood cancer survivor cohort. We included all 1-year survivors of childhood cancer treated in th

SUMMARY: Fall prevention is a key strategy for reducing osteoporotic fractures. We investigated the association between vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms and reported falls in postmenopausal women. Bsm1 polymorphisms were associated with falls, balance and muscle power measurements. These results may explain some of the excess fracture risk associated with VDR in some studies.INTRODUCTION: Fa