Publications

The associations between the functional haplotype of hTERT gene and telomere length and the risk of atherosclerotic PAD suggested that mean leukocyte telomere length may independently serve as a potential predictor of PAD.

No abstract is provided for this article.

Metabolite associations with insulin resistance were studied in 7,098 young Finns (age 31 ± 3 years; 52% women) to elucidate underlying metabolic pathways. Insulin resistance was assessed by the homeostasis model (HOMA-IR) and circulating metabolites quantified by high-throughput nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in two population-based cohorts. Associations were analyzed using regression models adjusted for age, waist, and standard lipids. Branched-chain and aromatic amino acids, gluconeogenesis intermediates, ketone bodies, and fatty acid composition and saturation were associated with HOMA-IR (P < 0.0005 for 20 metabolite measures). Leu, Ile, Val, and Tyr displayed sex- and obesity-dependent interactions, with associations being significant for women only if they were abdominally obese. Origins of fasting metabolite levels were studied with dietary and physical activity data. Here, protein energy intake was associated with Val, Phe, Tyr, and Gln but not insulin resistance index. We further tested if 12 genetic variants regulating the metabolites also contributed to insulin resistance. The genetic determinants of metabolite levels were not associated with HOMA-IR, with the exception of a variant in GCKR associated with 12 metabolites, including amino acids (P < 0.0005). Nonetheless, metabolic signatures extending beyond obesity and lipid abnormalities reflected the degree of insulin resistance evidenced in young, normoglycemic adults with sex-specific fingerprints.

Highly stretchable and robust antennas are fabricated by injecting liquid metal into a microfluidic channel that consists of two types of silicone rubber with different stiffness. The resulting antennas exhibit high mechanical stability under strain, while retaining high stretchability; these antennas can be stretched by up to a tensile strain of 120 % with little degradation in radiation efficiency. Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as "Supporting Information". Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-edited or typeset. They are made available as submitted by the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.

Plant-based diets are recommended for coronary heart disease (CHD) prevention. However, all plant foods are not necessarily beneficial. In addition, prior studies have defined plant-based diets dichotomously as 'vegetarian' diets; it is not clear how gradual reductions in animal food intake affect cardiovascular health. Thus we aimed to evaluate how graded plant-based diet indices prospectively relate with CHD. We included 73,710 women in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS), 92,329 women in NHS2, and 43,247 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS), free of chronic diseases at baseline (1984 for NHS, 1991 for NHS2, and 1986 for HPFS). We created an overall plant-based diet index (PDI) from dietary data collected every 4 years using food frequency questionnaires, by assigning positive scores to plant foods and reverse scores to animal foods. We also created a healthful PDI (hPDI) where healthy plant foods (whole grains, fruits/vegetables, nuts/legumes, oils, tea/coffee) received positive scores, while less healthy plant foods (juices/sweetened beverages, refined grains, potato/fries, sweets) and animal foods received reverse scores. We created an unhealthful PDI (uPDI) by assigning positive scores to less healthy plant foods, and reverse scores to healthy plant foods and animal foods. The indices were cumulatively averaged over the follow-up till development of major outcomes (type 2 diabetes, stroke, and cancer). Over 4,774,135 person-years of follow-up, we documented 7880 cases of CHD. After pooling across the cohorts and adjusting for confounders, the overall plant-based diet was inversely associated with CHD (HR comparing extreme deciles: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.81–1.00; p trend=0.002). This inverse association was stronger for hPDI (HR comparing extreme deciles: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.66–0.82; p trend<0.001). On the other hand, uPDI was positively associated with CHD (HR comparing extreme deciles: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.24–1.53; p trend<0.001). The results were largely unchanged when we adjusted for additional variables, continuously updated the indices throughout follow-up, used baseline values of the indices, used the most recent index scores before CHD diagnosis, and when we stopped updating the indices when intermediate conditions such as hypertension developed (Fig 1). The inverse association of hPDI with CHD was consistently observed across strata defined by age, body mass index, CHD family history, and smoking status. Plant-based diets, especially when rich in healthier plant foods, are associated with substantially lower risk of developing CHD. These findings support current recommendations to increase intake of healthy plant foods, while reducing intake of less healthy plant foods and certain animal foods. Future research should explore the biological mechanisms involved in the potentially cardio-protective effects of healthful plant-based diets. Support or Funding Information This work was supported by research grants UM1 CA186107, UM1 CA176726, UM1 CA167552, R01 HL034594, and R01 HL35464 from the National Institutes of Health. a Adjusted for key confounders. Diet cumulatively averaged till development of stroke/cancer/diabetesb Additionally adjusted for ethnicity, marital status, recent physical exam, diet beverage intake, socio-economic statusc Adjusted for potential intermediates (updated hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes)d Diet cumulatively averaged through follow-upHT, Hypertension; HC, Hypercholesterolemia

The prevalence of cardiometabolic multimorbidity is increasing.

Background The object of this study was to identify temperament patterns in the Finnish population, and to determine the relationship between these profiles and life habits, socioeconomic status, and health. Methods/Principal Findings A cluster analysis of the Temperament and Character Inventory subscales was performed on 3,761 individuals from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 and replicated on 2,097 individuals from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study. Clusters were formed using the k-means method and their relationship with 115 variables from the areas of life habits, socioeconomic status and health was examined. Results Four clusters were identified for both genders. Individuals from Cluster I are characterized by high persistence, low extravagance and disorderliness. They have healthy life habits, and lowest scores in most of the measures for psychiatric disorders. Cluster II individuals are characterized by low harm avoidance and high novelty seeking. They report the best physical capacity and highest level of income, but also high rate of divorce, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Individuals from Cluster III are not characterized by any extreme characteristic. Individuals from Cluster IV are characterized by high levels of harm avoidance, low levels of exploratory excitability and attachment, and score the lowest in most measures of health and well-being. Conclusions This study shows that the temperament subscales do not distribute randomly but have an endogenous structure, and that these patterns have strong associations to health, life events, and well-being.

Background— Circulating very-long-chain saturated fatty acids (VLCSFAs) may play an active role in the origin of cardiometabolic diseases. Methods and Results— We measured 3 VLCSFAs (C20:0, C22:0, and C24:0) in plasma and erythrocytes using gas-liquid chromatography among 794 incident coronary heart disease (CHD) cases who were prospectively identified and confirmed among women in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS; 1990–2006) and among men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS; 1994–2008). A total of 1233 CHD-free controls were randomly selected and matched to cases in these 2 cohorts. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Plasma VLCSFAs were correlated with favorable profiles of blood lipids, C-reactive protein, and adiponectin in the NHS and HPFS and with fasting insulin and C-peptide levels in a nationally representative US comparison population. After multivariate adjustment for lifestyle factors, body mass index, diet, and long-chain n-3 and trans fatty acids, total VLCSFAs in plasma were associated with a 52% decreased risk of CHD (pooled hazard ratio, 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.32–0.72, comparing extreme quintiles; P trend &lt;0.0001). For VLCSFAs in erythrocytes, a nonsignificant inverse trend with CHD risk was observed (pooled hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.41–1.06, comparing extreme quintiles; P trend =0.16). Conclusions— In US men and women, plasma VLCSFAs were independently associated with favorable profiles of blood lipids and other cardiovascular disease risk markers and a lower risk of CHD. Erythrocyte VLCSFAs were associated with nonsignificant trends of lower CHD risk. Future studies are warranted to elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms.

Abstract Background: Hyperuricemia has been positively associated with hypertension, but whether this association is independent of adiposity and other cardiovascular risk factors remains a matter of debate. Methods: We conducted a community-based prospective cohort study comprising 7220 participants (mean age 37 years; 73.8% men) in the Qingdao Port Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in China, who were free from hypertension at study entry in 1999–2000. During 4-year follow-up, 1370 men (19.0%) and 208 women (11.0%) had developed hypertension. Results: After adjustment for age, body mass index, and other covariates, the relative risks (RRs) of developing hypertension comparing the highest and lowest uric acid quartiles were 1.55 (95% CI 1.10–2.19; P for trend &amp;lt;0.001) for men and 1.91 (1.12–3.25; P for trend &amp;lt;0.001) for women. After additional adjustment for abdominal obesity, the RRs comparing the participants in the highest and lowest quartiles of uric acid were 1.39 (1.16–1.68; P for trend 0.003) for men and 1.85 (1.06–3.24; P for trend 0.006) for women. In joint analysis, compared with those in the lowest uric acid quartile and without abdominal obesity, participants who were in the highest quartile and also had abdominal obesity had a 3.0- and 3.4-fold greater risk of incident hypertension (1.56–3.97 for men and 2.10–3.81 for women, respectively). Conclusions: These data suggest a positive association between plasma uric acid and incidence of hypertension during short-term follow-up in a Chinese population. The association between hyperuricemia and hypertension was partly mediated by abdominal obesity.