Associations between chronotypes and psychological vulnerability factors of depression

Chronotypes have been associated with psychopathology. The eveningness chronotype has been consistently linked with depressed states or depressive disorder, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Prior studies have shown associations between chronotype and personality traits that are linked to depression (e.g. neuroticism), but other psychological vulnerability factors have not been previously investigated in relation to chronotypes. The aim of this study was to examine the association between chronotypes, depression and psychological risk factors of depression (namely, cognitive reactivity and worry), in a large cohort of depressed patients and healthy individuals. We used data from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (n = 1654), which includes 1227 clinically diagnosed individuals with a lifetime diagnosis of depression and 427 healthy controls. We assessed cognitive reactivity (Leiden Index of Depression Sensitivity-Revised) and trait worry (Penn State Worry Questionnaire). We controlled for sociodemographic factors as well as for insomnia and neuroticism. We found that the evening type is associated with higher cognitive reactivity scores, especially with increased rumination. Cognitive reactivity also mediated the relationship between chronotype and depression status, even when controlling for neuroticism and insomnia. Trait worry was not associated with chronotype. Our findings show that depressogenic cognitions are more prevalent in evening types and perhaps mediate the association between chronotype and depression. Further prospective research is needed to determine the timeline of the association. Nevertheless, results imply that targeting depressogenic cognitive processes, perhaps in combination with chronotherapeutic treatments, may be particularly useful in evening types.     

The individual and global impact of copy-number variants on complex human traits

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Associations between the prolactin receptor gene polymorphism and reproductive traits of boars

The prolactin receptor gene (PRLR), located on chromosome 16 in pigs, is a candidate gene for reproductive traits. The experiment was aimed to detect the DNA mutations in this gene and to find probable relations between the genotype and some reproductive traits in boars. The polymorphism in the PRLR gene was identified by PCR-RFLP method using specific primers and the restriction enzyme AluI. In total 229 boars of various breeds were genotyped. The frequency of allele A was estimated at 0.62 and allele B at 0.38. Genotype AA was found at a frequency of 0.45, AB at 0.35 and BB at 0.20. We found associations between PRLR genotype and ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, percentage of live sperm, and number of live sperm in the ejaculate (P < 0.01).     

Associations between APOE Genotypes and Disease Susceptibility,Joint Damage and Lipid Levels in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Objective

Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotypes are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and lipid levels. In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an association has been found with disease activity. We examined the associations between APOE genotypes and disease susceptibility and markers of disease severity in RA, including radiographic joint damage, inflammatory markers, lipid levels and cardiovascular markers.

Method

A Norwegian cohort of 945 RA patients and 988 controls were genotyped for two APOE polymorphisms. We examined longitudinal associations between APOE genotypes and C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) as well as hand radiographs (van der Heijde Sharp Score(SHS)) in 207 patients with 10 year longitudinal data. Lipid levels, cardiovascular markers and history of CVD were compared across genotypes in a cross sectional study of 136 patients. Longitudinal radiological data of cohorts from Lund and Leiden were available for replication. (N = 935, with 4799 radiographs).

Results

In the Norwegian cohort, associations between APOE genotypes and total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) were observed (ε2<ε3/ε3<ε4, p = 0.03 and p = 0.02, respectively). No association was present for acute phase reactant or CVD markers, but a longitudinal linear association between APOE genotypes and radiographic joint damage was observed (p = 0.007). No association between APOE genotypes and the severity of joint destruction was observed in the Lund and Leiden cohorts, and a meta- analysis combining all data was negative.

Conclusion

APOE genotypes are associated with lipid levels in patients with RA, and may contribute to dyslipidemia in some patients. APOE genotypes are not consistently associated with markers of inflammation or joint destruction in RA.     

Associations between symptoms of irritable colon and psychological and social conditions and lifestyle.

In a survey of risk factors for coronary heart disease 14 102 middle aged men and women answered a questionnaire on lifestyle, diet, and health, including symptoms of functional abdominal disorders. The overall prevalence of reports of one or both of the abdominal symptoms of "bloating and rumbling" or "cramping abdominal pain" was 28% in men and 35% in women. Only a weak negative association between age and prevalence of reported pain was found in both sexes. Women reported abdominal symptoms, especially cramping abdominal pain, significantly more commonly than men. In a multiple regression analysis abdominal symptoms were much more strongly associated with symptoms of mental stress such as depression, sleeping difficulties, problems of coping, and the use of analgesics than with lifestyle, dietary, and social variables together. The association was stronger in subjects reporting both symptoms. This strong and consistent association between functional abdominal disorders and psychological and social problems suggests that action other than prescribing drugs, diets, or radiography is required.     

鸡PRKAB2基因PCR-SSCP分析及其与屠宰性状和肉质性状的相关性

采用测序和单链构象多态(Single-strand conformation polymorphism, SSCP)的方法, 分析了PRKAB2 (Protein kinase, AMP-activated, beta 2 non-catalytic subunit)基因在5个优质肉鸡纯系和3个杂交配套系中的遗传分布、遗传变异及群体杂合性等群体遗传信息, 并分析了PRKAB2基因对屠宰性状及肉质性状的遗传效应。结果发现该基因的CDS区域非常保守, 仅在外显子1的406 bp处发生点突变, 由T→C。野生型A基因可显著提高活重、屠体重、腿肌重和腹脂重(P < 0.05), 同时也会提高肉的嫩度。     

Association of adiponectin promoter variants with traits and clusters of metabolic syndrome in Arabs: Family-based study

Plasma levels of adiponectin are decreased in type 2 diabetes, obesity and hypertension. Our aim was to use a family-based analysis to identify the genetic variants of the adiponectin (ADIPOQ) gene that are associated with obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and hypertension, among Arabs. We screened 328 Arabs in one large extended family for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of the ADIPOQ gene. Two common SNPs were detected: rs17300539 and rs266729. Evidences of association between traits related to the metabolic syndrome and the SNPs were studied by implementing quantitative genetic association analysis. Results showed that SNP rs266729 was significantly associated with body weight (p-value = 0.001), waist circumference (p-value = 0.037), BMI (p-value = 0.015) and percentage of total body fat (p-value = 0.003). Up to 4.1% of heritability of obesity traits was explained by the rs266729 locus. Further cross-sectional analysis showed that carriers of the G allele had significantly higher values of waist circumference, BMI and percentage of total body fat (p-values 0.014, 0.004 and 0.032, respectively). No association was detected between SNP rs266729 and other clusters of metabolic syndrome or their traits except for HOMA-IR and fasting plasma insulin levels, p-values 0.035 and 0.004, respectively. In contrast, both measured genotype and cross-sectional analysis failed to detect an association between the SNP rs17300539 with traits and clusters of metabolic syndrome. In conclusion, we showed family-based evidence of association of SNP rs266729 at ADIPOQ gene with traits defining obesity in Arab population. This is important for future prediction and prevention of obesity in population where obesity is in an increasing trend.     

Associations between 2 paternal casein haplotypes and milk yield traits of Swiss Fleckvieh cattle

Associations between casein haplotypes and milk yield traits of offspring from 5 Swiss Fleckvieh AI test bulls were investigated. The analysis was performed by using a daughter design, where each daughter inherited either paternal haplotype B-A1-A-A or B-A2-A-A for alleles of alpha s1-, beta-, alpha s2- and kappa-casein genes. The substitution effects of paternal CSN2 A1 versus A2 on protein yield deviations (YDs) were significant (P < 0.05), whereas their effects on milk and fat YDs were not. The paternal substitution effects of the CSN2 A1 versus the A2 allele on protein YDs within the 5 sires did not reach the significance level. This is due to the contrary allele substitution effect of a sire compared to the other 4 sires. The effects of maternal haplotypes on milk, protein and fat YDs were not significant. However, it is noteworthy that the effects of haplotypes with a low frequency in the population deviate largely from the most frequent haplotype B-A2-A-A. The effects of beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) genotypes were significant for protein YDs but not for milk and fat YDs. The association between the paternal CSN2 A1 and A2 alleles and milk protein YDs within sires but not milk and fat YDs indicate an interaction, which might be a consequence of CSN2 heterogeneity or a closely linked gene that is contributing to the estimated effects.     

Independent associations of TOMM40 and APOE variants with body mass index

The TOMM40‐APOE variants are known for their strong, antagonistic associations with Alzheimer's disease and body weight. While a stronger role of the APOE than TOMM40 variants in Alzheimer's disease was suggested, comparative contribution of the TOMM40‐APOE variants in the regulation of body weight remains elusive. We examined additive effects of rs2075650 and rs157580 TOMM40 variants and rs429358 and rs7412 APOE variants coding the ε2/ε3/ε4 polymorphism on body mass index (BMI) in age‐aggregated and age‐stratified cohort‐specific and cohort‐pooled analysis of 27,863 Caucasians aged 20–100 years from seven longitudinal studies. Minor alleles of rs2075650, rs429358, and rs7412 were individually associated with BMI (β = ?1.29, p = 3.97 × 10^?9; β = ?1.38, p = 2.78 × 10^?10; and β = 0.58, p = 3.04 × 10^?2, respectively). Conditional analysis with rs2075650 and rs429358 identified independent BMI‐lowering associations for minor alleles (β = ?0.63, p = 3.99 × 10^?2 and β = ?0.94, p = 2.17 × 10^?3, respectively). Polygenic mega‐analysis identified additive effects of the rs2075650 and rs429358 heterozygotes (β = ?1.68, p = 3.00 × 10^?9), and the strongest BMI‐lowering association for the rs2075650 heterozygous and rs429358 minor allele homozygous carriers (β = ?4.11, p = 2.78 × 10^?3). Conditional analysis with four polymorphisms identified independent BMI‐lowering (rs2075650, rs157580, and rs429358) and BMI‐increasing (rs7412) associations of heterozygous genotypes with BMI. Age‐stratified conditional analysis revealed well‐powered support for a differential and independent association of the rs429358 heterozygote with BMI in younger and older individuals, β = 0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) = ?1.18, 2.35, p = 5.18 × 10^?1 for 3,068 individuals aged ≤30 years and β = ?4.28, CI = ?5.65, ?2.92, p = 7.71 × 10^?10 for 6,052 individuals aged >80 years. TOMM40 and APOE variants are independently and additively associated with BMI. The APOE ε4‐coding rs429358 polymorphism is associated with BMI in older individuals but not in younger individuals.     

Associations between quantitative traits and enzyme loci in the F2 population of a maize hybrid

Summary Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify associations between eight enzyme marker loci and 11 quantitative traits of maize (Zea mays L.). The material analyzed included inbred lines Wf9 and Pa405, single-cross hybrid Wf9 X Pa405, and the F2 generation of the selfed single-cross hybrid. Each enzyme locus assayed was associated with at least one quantitative trait, and all quantitative traits were associated with genotypes at particular enzyme loci. Significant associations also were found between the level of heterozygosity per individual and nine of 11 quantitative traits. The total contribution to heterosis, for seed yield per plant, of genes linked with the eight enzyme loci, was 27% of the F2 mean and 18% of the difference in mean between the F1 hybrid and the inbred parents. Genes linked with Glu1 accounted for nearly one third of the total dominance effect detected by the eight enzyme loci. The chromosome segments marked by loci with significant effects on seed yield were markedly overdominant. The large heterotic effects of chromosome segments marked by particular loci suggest that enzyme loci could be used to help transfer genes responsible for heterosis to inbred lines. We conclude that analyses of additional inbred lines, F1 hybrids, and F2 populations in more environments will halp identify specific associations between enzyme loci, or chromosome segments which they mark, and important agronomic traits.Cooperative investigations of the USDA, ARS and Dept. of Plant Sciences, South Dakota State Univ. (SDSU), Brookings, Journal Series No. 2039; and the Institute of Animal Resource Ecology, Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1W5, Canada     

Associations between climate stress and coral reef diversity in the western Indian Ocean

Climatic–oceanographic stress and coral reef diversity were mapped in the western Indian Ocean (WIO) in order to determine if there were associations between high diversity coral reefs and regions with low‐to‐moderate climate stress. A multivariate stress model developed to estimate environmental exposure to stress, an empirical index of the coral community's susceptibility to stress, and field data on numbers of fish and corals taxa from 197 WIO sites were overlain to evaluate these associations. Exposure to stress was modeled from satellite data based on nine geophysical–biological oceanographic characteristics known to influence coral bleaching (i.e. temperature, light, and current variables). The environmental stress model and the coral community's susceptibility index were moderately correlated (r=?0.51) with southern and eastern parts of the WIO identified as areas with low environmental stress and coral communities with greater dominance of bleaching stress‐sensitive taxa. Numbers of coral and fish taxa were positive and moderately correlated (r=0.47) but high diversity regions for fish were in the north and west while diversity was highest for corals in central regions from Tanzania to northwestern Madagascar. Combining three and four of these variables into composite maps identified a region from southern Kenya to northern Mozambique across to northern–eastern Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands and the Mozambique–South Africa border as areas where low‐moderate environmental exposure overlaps with moderate‐high taxonomic diversity. In these areas management efforts aimed at maintaining high‐diversity and intact ecosystems are considered least likely to be undermined by climate disturbances in the near term. Reducing additional human disturbances, such as fishing and pollution, in these areas is expected to improve the chances for their persistence. These reefs are considered a high priority for increased local, national, and international management efforts aimed at establishing coral reef refugia for climate change impacts.     

Age-related relationships between muscle fat content and metabolic traits in growing rabbits

This study was aimed at ascribing muscle fat accretion in growing rabbits to changes in several extra-muscular and intra-muscular metabolic pathways. At 10 wk or 20 wk of age (n = 8 per group), tissue lipid content and metabolic indicators of nutrient anabolic or catabolic pathways were simultaneously assessed in the liver, perirenal fat, the heart and the Longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle, together with plasma concentrations in energy-yielding metabolites. Lipid content significantly increased with age (P < or = 0.01) in the glycolytic LL muscle (+67%) and the oxidative heart (+30%). In the former muscle, it was statistically correlated (r2 = 0.68; P < 0.01) to the changes in the orientation of muscle metabolism towards an enhanced lipogenic capacity and a depressed capacity for fatty acid transport and nutrient oxidation, and to indications of lower availability in plasma glucose and triglycerides. In the heart, age-related fat accretion was positively associated (r2 = 0.48, P < 0.01) to intrinsic metabolic changes towards an enhanced lipogenic capacity, together with a lower availability in plasma glucose. Variables representative of cardiac catabolic capacity tended to be negatively correlated to fat content in the heart (r2 = 0.15, P = 0.07). In growing rabbits, muscle fat content variation was proven to result from a reciprocal balance between catabolic and anabolic fatty acid fluxes, rather than to be assigned to one specific energy metabolic pathway.