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Biomedical subjects

Julie Schneider

Publications and source records attributed to Julie Schneider.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Sex and APOE ε4 allele differences in longitudinal white matter microstructure in multiple cohorts of aging and Alzheimer's disease.

INTRODUCTION: The effects of sex and apolipoprotein E (APOE)-Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk factors-on white matter microstructure are not well characterized. METHODS: Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging data from nine well-established longitudinal cohorts of aging were free water (FW)-corrected and harmonized. This dataset included 4741 participants (age = 73.06 ± 9.75) with 9671 imaging sessions over time. FW and FW-corrected fractional anisotropy (FAFWcorr) were used to assess differences in white matter microstructure by sex and APOE ε4 carrier status. RESULTS: Sex differences in FAFWcorr in projection tracts and APOE ε4 differences in FW limbic and occipital transcallosal tracts were most pronounced. DISCUSSION: There are prominent differences in white matter microstructure by sex and APOE ε4 carrier status. This work adds to our understanding of disparities in AD. Additional work to understand the etiology of these differences is warranted. HIGHLIGHTS: Sex and apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 carrier status relate to white matter microstructural integrity. Females generally have lower free water-corrected fractional anisotropy compared to males. APOE ε4 carriers tended to have higher free water than non-carriers.

Humans↗

X-chromosome-wide association study for Alzheimer's disease.

Due to methodological reasons, the X-chromosome has not been featured in the major genome-wide association studies on Alzheimer's Disease (AD). To address this and better characterize the genetic landscape of AD, we performed an in-depth X-Chromosome-Wide Association Study (XWAS) in 115,841 AD cases or AD proxy cases, including 52,214 clinically-diagnosed AD cases, and 613,671 controls. We considered three approaches to account for the different X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) states in females, i.e. random XCI, skewed XCI, and escape XCI. We did not detect any genome-wide significant signals (P ≤ 5 × 10-8) but identified seven X-chromosome-wide significant loci (P ≤ 1.6 × 10-6). The index variants were common for the Xp22.32, FRMPD4, DMD and Xq25 loci, and rare for the WNK3, PJA1, and DACH2 loci. Overall, this well-powered XWAS found no genetic risk factors for AD on the non-pseudoautosomal region of the X-chromosome, but it identified suggestive signals warranting further investigations.

Humans↗

Incidence of Alzheimer disease in a biracial urban community: relation to apolipoprotein E allele status.

CONTEXT: Few studies compare Alzheimer disease (AD) incidence among black and white subjects. OBJECTIVE: To estimate incidence and the effect of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) epsilon4 allele in these races. DESIGN: Population-based study of disease incidence using a random, stratified sample. SETTING: A geographically defined community of 3 adjacent neighborhoods in Chicago, Ill. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 6158 persons (78.7% overall; 80.5% of the black subjects and 74.6% of the white subjects) participated; 4.1 years later, persons initially free of AD were sampled for clinical evaluation for disease incidence (overall 842 persons [74.8%] participated; 67.6% of the black subjects and 81.9% of the white subjects). INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Incident, clinically diagnosed AD. RESULTS: The effect of the APOE epsilon4 allele on the risk of AD differed strongly for black and white subjects. Among white subjects, the presence of the APOE epsilon4 allele was associated with a 2.73-fold (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.40-5.32) increase in risk while among black subjects there was no increase in risk (odds ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 0.39-2.68). Black race was associated with a nonsignificantly increased risk of AD with an odds ratio of 1.84 (95% CI, 0.73-4.66) if APOE and its interaction with race are considered, and an odds ratio of 1.28 (95% CI, 0.54-2.98) if they are not. The incidence of AD was 1.45% (95% CI, 0.89%-2.01%) per year among persons 65 to 74 years old, 4.73% (95% CI, 3.83%-5.64%) among those 75 to 84 years old, and 9.11% (95% CI, 7.36%-10.9%) among those 85 years and older. CONCLUSION: Apolipoprotein E epsilon4 led to increased risk of AD among white subjects but not black subjects.

Aged↗

Dietary fats and the risk of incident Alzheimer disease.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have investigated the effects of dietary fats on the development of Alzheimer disease. We examined the associations between intake of specific types of fat and incident Alzheimer disease in a biracial community study. METHODS: We performed clinical evaluations on a stratified random sample of 815 community residents aged 65 years and older who were unaffected by Alzheimer disease at baseline and who completed a food-frequency questionnaire a mean of 2.3 years before clinical evaluation. RESULTS: After a mean follow-up of 3.9 years, 131 persons developed Alzheimer disease. Intakes of saturated fat and trans-unsaturated fat were positively associated with risk of Alzheimer disease, whereas intakes of omega-6 polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat were inversely associated. Persons in the upper fifth of saturated-fat intake had 2.2 times the risk of incident Alzheimer disease compared with persons in the lowest fifth in a multivariable model adjusted for age, sex, race, education, and apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele status (95% confidence interval, 1.1-4.7). Risk also increased with consumption of trans-unsaturated fats, beginning with the second fifth of intake (relative risk, 2.4 compared with the lowest fifth; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-5.3). We observed linear inverse associations between Alzheimer disease and vegetable fat (P =.002), and, after further adjustment for other types of fat, marginally significant associations with intake of omega-6 polyunsaturated fat (P =.10 for trend) and monounsaturated fat (P =.10 for trend). Intakes of total fat, animal fat, and dietary cholesterol were not associated with Alzheimer disease. CONCLUSION: High intake of unsaturated, unhydrogenated fats may be protective against Alzheimer disease, whereas intake of saturated or trans-unsaturated (hydrogenated) fats may increase risk.

Aged↗

Consumption of fish and n-3 fatty acids and risk of incident Alzheimer disease.

BACKGROUND: Dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids improve brain functioning in animal studies, but there is limited study of whether this type of fat protects against Alzheimer disease. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether fish consumption and intake of different types of n-3 fatty acids protect against Alzheimer disease. DESIGN: Prospective study conducted from 1993 through 2000, of a stratified random sample from a geographically defined community. Participants were followed up for an average of 3.9 years for the development of Alzheimer disease. PATIENTS: A total of 815 residents, aged 65 to 94 years, who were initially unaffected by Alzheimer disease and completed a dietary questionnaire on average 2.3 years before clinical evaluation of incident disease. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incident Alzheimer disease diagnosed in a structured neurologic examination by means of standardized criteria. RESULTS: A total of 131 sample participants developed Alzheimer disease. Participants who consumed fish once per week or more had 60% less risk of Alzheimer disease compared with those who rarely or never ate fish (relative risk, 0.4; 95% confidence interval, 0.2-0.9) in a model adjusted for age and other risk factors. Total intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids was associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer disease, as was intake of docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3). Eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) was not associated with Alzheimer disease. The associations remained unchanged with additional adjustment for intakes of other dietary fats and of vitamin E and for cardiovascular conditions. CONCLUSION: Dietary intake of n-3 fatty acids and weekly consumption of fish may reduce the risk of incident Alzheimer disease.

Aged↗

How many SNPs does a genome-wide haplotype map require?

We derive and compare several estimates of the number of SNPs that would be required to form the basis of a complete haplotype survey of the human genome. Our estimates make use of reports published by Stephens et al. [1], Patil et al. [2] and Daly et al. [3]. The estimated number of SNPs required for a genome-wide haplotype survey ranges from 180K (based on a European sample of 16 chromosomes) to 600K (based on an ethnically diverse sample of 164 chromosomes). We discuss the implications of using cohorts of different size and ethnic composition and the usefulness of public SNP databases for this effort. Finally, we estimate the experimental effort and cost required to complete a genome-wide haplotype survey.

Algorithms↗