Coronary Heart Disease In Chinese Research Articles

Association between the PON1 Q192R polymorphism and coronary heart disease in Chinese: A meta-analysis.

Background:The relation has not been reported consistently between the PON1 Q192R polymorphism and coronary heart disease (CHD). To clarify the discrepancy, we performed the present meta-analysis to evaluate the association between the PON1 gene Q192R polymorphism and CHD risk in Chinese population.Methods:We conducted a comprehensive search of the PubMed, EMBASE, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases for all available case–control studies. Two reviewers independently selected studies. Data were analyzed by STATA software package v 12.0.Results:Thirteen studies investigating the association between the PON1 Q192R polymorphism and risk of CHD were selected in this meta-analysis with 4353 cases and 4882 controls. The association between the PON1 Q192R polymorphism and CHD is statistically significant under the recessive genetic model (R/R vs Q/R + Q/Q, odds ratio [OR] = 1.111, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.017–1.214). We observed no statistical association between PON1 Q192R polymorphism and risk of CHD under allele model (R vs Q, OR = 1.087, 95% CI = 0.976–1.209), homozygous model (RR vs QQ, OR = 1.192, 95% CI = 0.949–1.496), and dominant genetic model (Q/R + R/R vs Q/Q, OR = 1.127, 95% CI = 0.938–1.354).Conclusion:This meta-analysis suggests that the PON1 Q192R polymorphism has a weak association with CHD risk in Chinese.

Serum Retinol-Binding Protein-4 Level is a High Risk Factor for Coronary Heart Disease in Chinese.

Recent evidence suggests that retinol-binding protein-4 (RBP4) is involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to evaluate whether serum RBP4 level is a high risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) in Chinese. Two hundered ten consecutive patients hospitalized at the Department of Cardiology between September 2012 and September 2014 were enrolled, including 148 males and 62 females, with an average age 63.89 ± 13.05 years. The patients were divided into the carotid artery plaque-free group (130 cases) and carotid atherosclerosis plaque group (80 cases), or into the no CHD group (160 cases) and CHD group (50 cases). Data of cardiovascular risk factors were collected from each patient and analyzed. Serum RBP4 level was determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The age, serum RBP4 level, smoking, and hypertension were independently associated with carotid artery plaque formation, while serum RBP4 level, hypertension, diabetes, and carotid artery plaque formation were independently associated with CHD. Elevated serum RBP4 level is one of the important risk factors for both carotid artery plaque formation and CHD in Chinese. Early detection and control of serum RBP level may help in the prevention, diagnosis, and therapy of CHD.

Association between genetic variations in TFR2 gene and coronary heart disease in Chinese

Studies indicated that body iron stores were associated with coronary heart disease (CHD). Type 2 transferrin receptor (TFR2) participates in cellular iron overload and is related to cardiovascular disease. No studies investigated the associations between variants in TFR2 gene and CHD risk. We sought to investigate this association in a Chinese Han population and performed a case-control study recruiting 1264 CHD patients and 1264 age and sex frequency matched controls. TaqMan single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) allelic discrimination was used to examine genotypes of the tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (tagSNPs) of TFR2. The plasma ferritin levels were measured by ELISA. We did not find significant associations between variants of TFR2 gene (including tagSNPs rs2075674 and rs7385804) and the risk of CHD. After adjustment for the conventional risk factors of CHD, such as smoking and age, the results did not materially alter. Interaction analyses indicated that there were no significant interactions between conventional risk factors of CHD and these two tagSNPs on CHD risk. Among different genotypes of these two tagSNPs, no significant differences in plasma ferritin levels were found. In summary, the variants of rs2075674 and rs7385804 in TFR2 gene were not associated with CHD risk in a Chinese Han population.

Relationship of polymorphisms in the cholesteryl ester transport protein gene R451Q with coronary heart disease and diabetes in Uyghur and Han Chinese

To investigate the relationship of polymorphisms in the cholesteryl ester transport protein (CETP) gene with coronary heart disease (CHD) and diabetes in subjects of Uyghur and Han Chinese origin, 266 subjects with CHD including 154 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 136 healthy subjects (as a control group) were enrolled in this study. Polymerase chain reaction and an enzymatic assay based on the ligase detection reaction were used to detect R451Q polymorphisms in the CETP gene. The data were used for genotyping to determine the allele frequency distribution of the CETP gene R451Q polymorphism to investigate its effects on lipid and apolipoprotein levels. Genotype and allele frequencies of CETP R451QA did not show any significant differences among the CHD and healthy control groups. Moreover, no significant difference in the CETP R451QA genotype and allele frequency was detected among the subjects of Uyghur and Han origin. Blood levels of lipids and apolipoproteins likewise lacked an association with CETP R451QA genotype frequencies in the CHD/diabetes group. We conclude that the R451Q polymorphisms in the CETP gene had no effects on blood lipid levels and are not a risk factor for CHD in Han and Uyghur Chinese.

Higher carbohydrate antigen 125 levels are associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease in elderly chinese: a population-based case-control study.

BackgroundHigh carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA-125) level was reported to be associated with some cardiac dysfunctions, such as chronic heart failure, but the relationship between CA-125 level and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk remains unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the potential association in a Chinese older population.MethodsIn a population-based case-control study conducted in a Chinese older population, serum CA-125 levels were measured in 1177 diagnosed CHD patients and 3531 age and sex matched control subjects without CHD.ResultsSerum CA-125 level was significantly higher in CHD patients than controls (P < 0.001) with adjustment for age, gender, smoking, drinking, BMI, physical activity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, medication history and family history of CHD and myocardial infarction. CHD risk was doubled (OR: 2.10, 95%CI: 1.69-2.60) among subjects in the highest quartile compared to those in the lowest quartile of CA-125 level (P trend < 0.001). Furthermore, CA-125 levels were associated with CHD risks in subjects with age over 60 years (OR: 2.19, 95%CI: 1.75-2.73), current smokers (OR: 2.29, 95%CI: 1.50-3.49), current drinkers (OR: 2.35, 95%CI: 1.57-3.53) and subjects with hypertension (OR: 2.04, 95%CI: 1.71-2.43).ConclusionsElevated serum CA-125 level might be associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease in the Chinese older population. Further investigations are needed to identify the possible biological role of CA-125 in CHD development in the future.

Correlation ofhemochromatosisgene mutations and cardiovascular disease in hemodialysis patients

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVESCardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of death in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Hemochromatosis (HFE) gene mutations are reported to be associated with CVD. The present study aims to investigate the association of HFE gene polymorphism with CVD in HD patients.DESIGN AND SETTINGSCross-sectional case-control.METHODSC282Y/H63D mutations of HFE gene were evaluated in 560 HD patients and 480 healthy controls from 4 HD centers in North China. The results obtained from this evaluation process were correlated with biochemical parameters including iron status (serum iron, ferritin, and transferrin concentration), cardiovascular disease, and inflammation marker CRP, IL-6, TNF-α.RESULTSNo C282Y mutations were detected in HD patients or healthy controls in this study. The genotype of H63D heterozygous mutation was similar in HD patients with CVD, HD patients without CVD, and controls. H63D homozygous mutation was 7.4% (19/257), 3.1% (9/303), and 1.0% (5/480) for the 3 groups, respectively. Compound heterozygosity was not found in this study. The relative risk for CVD in HD patients with H63D homozygous mutation was 2.59 (95% CI: 1.15–5.84). H63D homozygous mutation had significantly higher serum ferritin concentrations compared with wild-type individuals. Moreover, HD patients had significantly higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers such as CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that H63D mutation instead of ferritin level was an independent risk factor of CVD for HD patients.CONCLUSIONSOur study demonstrates for the first time that there was an association between H63D homozygous mutations and CVD in HD patients. Elevated serum CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α levels were also related to CVD in HD patients.

Plasma ferritin levels, genetic variations in HFE gene, and coronary heart disease in Chinese: A case–control study

BackgroundThe association between body iron stores and coronary heart disease (CHD) was inconsistent. We sought to explore this association in Chinese Han population and further examine the association of the variations in hemochromatosis (HFE) gene and CHD risk. MethodsWe conducted a case–control study including 1334 CHD patients and 1334 age- and sex-frequency matched controls. The plasma ferritin levels were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Genotypes of the tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (tagSNPs) were determined by TaqMan SNP allelic discrimination. ResultsThe plasma ferritin levels in CHD cases (197.9μg/L [2.7–932.9μg/L]) were higher than those in controls (179.9μg/L [21.1–878.2μg/L]; P=0.028). The odds ratios (ORs) across the tertiles of plasma ferritin levels were 1.0 (reference), 0.93 (0.76–1.13), and 1.23 (1.02–1.48; P for trend=0.028). Adjustment for the traditional risk factors attenuated the associations to null (P for trend=0.22). Compared with the TT genotype of tagSNP rs9366637, subjects with C allele had higher risk of CHD (OR=1.35 for TC and 1.76 for CC; P=0.001 and <0.001 respectively). After adjustment for the conventional risk factors the results remained unchanged. We did not find significantly different plasma ferritin levels among different genotypes of rs9366637 (P=0.52). ConclusionsThe plasma ferritin levels were not significantly associated with CHD risk. However, the SNP rs9366637 in HFE gene was associated with higher CHD risk in Chinese Han population. The underlie mechanism remained to be elucidated in further studies.

Association of haptoglobin 1/2 polymorphism with coronary heart disease in Chinese

To assess the association of haptoglobin (HP)1/2 polymorphism with coronary heart disease (CHD) in Chinese Hans. One hundred and eighty-nine CHD patients and 242 healthy controls confirmed with angiography were recruited. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method was utilized to genotype the HP1 and HP2 alleles and genotype frequencies in cases and controls were compared. The frequency of HP2-2 genotype was significantly higher in CHDs than in controls (0.54 vs.0.35, P = 0.000). The HP2-2 genotype significantly increased the risk for CHD in univariable analysis (OR = 2.166, 95%CI: 1.467-3.196). Multifactor Logistic regression analysis indicated that HP2-2 genotype is an independent risk factor to CHD (P = 0.002; OR = 2.101, 95%CI: 1.311-3.367). Similarly, the HP2 allele frequency in the CHD group was significantly higher than that in the control subjects (0.74 vs.0.61, P = 0.000). The HP2-2 genotype is associated with CHD in Chinese. HP2-2 genotype may be an independent risk factor to CHD, and HP2 allele may be a genetic susceptibility factor to CHD in Chinese.

Meta-analysis of LPL PvuII polymorphism with hyperlipoidemia and coronary heart disease in the Chinese population.

Multiple studies reported the association of LPL PvuⅡpolymorphism (rs285) with hyperlipoidemia and coronary heart disease in the Chinese population; however, the sample sizes of these studies were small (119-647) and the results were not consistent. A Meta-analysis was undertaken to evaluate the role of LPL PvuⅡpolymorphism in hyperlipoidemia and coronary heart disease in Chinese. A total of 11 case-control studies were collected. Among them, 6 studies on hyperlipoidemia contained 943 cases and 1,093 controls, and 5 studies on coronary heart disease contained 821 cases and 727 controls. No significant publication bias was found and significant heterogeneity between these studies was observed. The results of Meta-analysis indicated that the allele P+ increased the risk of hyperlipoidemia (OR=1.36, 95%CI 1.07~1.73, P=0.011), and no evidence of association (P=0.755) was found for coronary heart disease. Our study suggested that the LPL PvuⅡpolymorphism was significantly associated with hyperlipoidemia but not with coronary heart disease in the Chinese population.

CTSS promoter -25G/A: not a risk factor for CHD in Chinese

Objective — Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease characterized by extensive remodelling of the extracellular matrix architecture of the arterial wall. Recent data suggested the participation of lysosomal cysteine proteases such as cathepsin S (CTSS) in atherogenesis. The G/A polymorphism at nucleotide -25 was reported to be located in the promoter of the CTSS gene. The aim of this study was to observe the association between CTSS -25G/A polymorphism and the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in a Chinese population sample.Methods — The polymerase chain reaction and restriction digestion methods were performed to screen the CTSS gene -25G/A polymorphism in a Chinese population sample with (n=659) or without CHD (n=352).Traditional risk factors for CHD were obtained simultaneously.Results — The frequencies of the G and A allele in the total population was 0.630 and 0.370, respectively.The frequencies of -25G/A polymorphism in the CTSS gene (G: 0.626 vs. 0.633, P>0.05; A: 0.374 vs. 0.367, P>0.05) and the genotype distribution (G: 83.4 vs. 85.3, P>0.05; A: 58.0 vs. 58.5, P>0.05) were similar between CHD patients and control subjects. Moreover, CTSS genotype was not associated with severity of coronary stenosis (P>0.05) in CHD patients.Conclusion — The CTSS -25G/A polymorphism was not related with CHD in our Chinese population sample.

Association of LT-α Ala252Gly gene polymorphism and the genetic predisposition of coronary heart disease in Chinese

About the role of lymphotoxin alpha (LTA) gene in coronary heart disease, controversy reports exists. So the purpose of the present study was to investigate the possible involvement of LTA in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and MI in Chinese. In a cross-sectional design, we studied 57 coronary heart disease patients with family history of coronary heart disease and in another control group of 62 healthy subjects (mean age 56 years; range 32-78 years). Body mass index, the levels of blood pressure, the plasma levels of lipoproteins, cholesterol, and triglycerides were measured, smoking data were self-reported, and LTA genotypes were determined. LTA Ala252Gly gene polymorphism had two alleles (LTA1 and LTA2) and three kinds of genotype: homozygote LTA G/G, LTA A/A, and heterozygote LTA A/G. No population significant differences were detected in LTA genotypes and allele frequencies between coronary heart disease patients or healthy controls (chi(2) = 1.479, P = 0.477 > 0.05). LTA Ala252Gly gene polymorphism was not associated with the genetic predisposition of coronary heart disease.

Elevated Heat Shock Protein 60 Levels Are Associated With Higher Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Chinese

Although heat shock protein 60 (Hsp60) is implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, its role in coronary heart disease (CHD) is uncertain. This study explored the influence of circulating Hsp60 on CHD in a large case-control study, as well as the impact of acute myocardial infarction on Hsp60 levels in a prospective study. Plasma Hsp60 and anti-Hsp60 antibody levels were determined by immunoassay. In the case-control study (1003 patients with CHD, 1003 matched control subjects), Hsp60 levels were higher in patients with CHD and were related to CHD (OR comparing extreme quartiles=4.14, P<0.0001). This association remained after adjustment for traditional risk factors (P for trend <0.0001). Individuals having high levels of Hsp60 (greater than the median of 160.24 ng/mL) and anti-Hsp60 antibody (greater than the median of 38.42 U/mL) were at a greater risk of CHD than those with low levels (OR 2.30, P<0.0001). Stronger additive effects (OR 14.04, P<0.0001) were apparent at higher Hsp60 and anti-Hsp60 antibody levels (>1000 ng/mL and greater than the median of 38.42 U/mL, respectively). The simultaneous presence of high Hsp60 and anti-Hsp60 antibody levels, current smoking, hypertension, and diabetes were cumulatively associated with CHD. Individuals who had any 4 or more of these 5 factors had an OR of 38.61 for CHD (P<0.0001) compared with individuals who had none of these factors. For the prospective study, blood was drawn from 20 patients immediately after admission for acute myocardial infarction and 2, 3, and 7 days thereafter. Hsp60 levels were significantly higher on the day of and the day after arrival than 7 days after an acute myocardial infarction (P=0.011 and P=0.026, respectively). Elevated Hsp60 levels are associated with an increased risk for CHD, and Hsp60 and anti-Hsp60 antibody levels combine to increase this risk. In addition, acute myocardial infarction induces Hsp60 release.

Associations Between Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms on Chromosome 9p21 and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Chinese Han Population

We aimed to determine whether the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on chromosome 9p21 were associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) in a Chinese Han population. We determined the genotypes of rs2383206 and rs2383207 on chromosome 9p21 in 1360 CHD patients and 1360 age- and sex-frequency-matched controls from an unrelated Chinese Han population. GG genotypes in rs2383207 occurred more frequently in CHD patients compared to controls, and the odds ratio (OR) was 1.52 (95% CI 1.13 to 2.04), after adjusting for conventional risk factors. In stratified analysis, the risk associated with the GG genotype of the two SNPs was stronger in subjects who were males, less than 60 years old, overweight, and smokers. The SNP rs2383207 had significant interactions with gender and smoking (P=0.018 and 0.037, respectively). The risk allele G of rs2383207 plus family history of CHD had a cumulative association with CHD (P for trend, 1.0x10(-6)); the OR for CHD was 4.59 (95% CI 2.52 to 8.37) for those with all the risk factors as compared with subjects without any of the factors. The SNP rs2383207 on chromosome 9p21 is significantly associated with CHD in Chinese. This SNP combined with family history has a cumulative association with CHD.

Joint Effects of Antibody to Heat Shock Protein 60, Hypertension, and Diabetes on Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Chinese

Several studies have suggested an association between antibody to human heat shock protein 60 (anti-Hsp60) and coronary atherosclerosis, but the results have been inconsistent. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between anti-Hsp60 and coronary heart disease (CHD) and to determine whether anti-Hsp60, hypertension, and diabetes have joint effects on CHD risk. We measured the concentrations of anti-Hsp60 in 1003 CHD patients and 1003 age- and sex-matched control subjects without CHD events. Concentrations of anti-Hsp60 were significantly higher in CHD patients than in controls. Increasing concentrations of anti-Hsp60 were significantly associated with higher risk of CHD (P for trend <0.0001) and with increasing severity of CHD as assessed by number of diseased vessels detected with angiography [odds ratio (OR) 3.67, 95% CI 1.56-8.64, P = 0.003] after multivariate adjustment for traditional CHD risk factors. There were strong joint effects of high concentrations of anti-Hsp60 and hypertension (OR 5.17, 95% CI 3.95-6.75, P < 0.0001) and diabetes (OR 6.49, 95% CI 4.52-9.33, P < 0.0001) on CHD risk; simultaneous occurrence of high anti-Hsp60 concentrations, hypertension, and diabetes conferred a dramatically higher risk of CHD (OR 20.99, 95% CI 12.50-35.24, P < 0.0001) in multivariate analyses. Anti-Hsp60 is independently associated with CHD risk, and a combination of high anti-Hsp60, hypertension, and diabetes is particularly detrimental for CHD risk.

Association between DNA variant sites in the apolipoprotein A5 gene and coronary heart disease in Chinese

The recently discovered apolipoprotein A5 ( APOA5) gene has been shown to be important in determining plasma triglyceride levels, a major cardiovascular disease risk factor. We searched for possible associations of the APOA5 gene polymorphisms S19W and −1131T>C with coronary heart disease (CHD) in a Chinese population. A total of 483 Chinese CHD patients and 502 control non-CHD subjects were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism for these 2 single nucleotide polymorphisms. We found that the minor allele 19W was observed only in CHD patients and not in controls, with allelic frequencies of 0.047 and 0.000, respectively ( P < .000001), and the minor allele −1131C was significantly higher in CHD patients than in controls (0.391 vs 0.299, P < .0001). These results suggest that both the S19W and −1131T>C variations in the APOA5 gene are associated with the CHD and appear to be 2 genetic risk factors for CHD susceptibility in Chinese. Moreover, we found that triglyceride levels were significantly higher in −1131C carriers than in −1131T subjects of the control group and that high-density–lipoprotein cholesterol was decreased in −1131C carriers among CHD patients.

Carriers of three polymorphisms of cholesteryl ester transfer protein gene are at increased risk to coronary heart disease in a Chinese population

Background The cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) is a key participant in the reverse transport of cholesterol from the peripheral tissue to the liver and the polymorphism in the CETP gene may therefore alter the susceptibility to coronary heart disease (CHD). The aim of the present study was to screen the CETP gene for new single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and to determine whether SNPs at important cholesterol metabolism gene loci might exert effects on the risk to CHD in Chinese. Methods Genomic DNA samples were collected from 203 Chinese patients with CHD and 209 age- and gender-matched controls. The coding region, adjacent intronic sequences and promoter region (totally 5501 bp) of the CETP gene were screened based on a combination of polymerase chain reaction, denaturing high performance liquid chromatography and DNA sequencing. The association of individual single nucleotide polymorphisms with CHD was assessed by univariate, multivariate analysis and haplotype analysis. Results Fifteen SNPs were identified in the CETP gene including 12 novel ones, of which, 3 were in promoter region, 1 in exon 10, and other 9 in introns. The frequencies of −644C, +13054T, 296Q, and 442G alleles were considerably higher, while the frequency of +9907A allele lower, in CHD patients than those in controls ( p=0.016, p=0.043, p=0.006, p=0.006, and p=0.029, respectively). The results of individual polymorphism analyses were confirmed by haplotype analysis for the combination of these 5 SNPs. The −644A/C, L296Q, and D442G polymorphisms were found to be associated with CHD in this Chinese population by multivariate analysis ( p=0.009, p=0.024, and p=0.007, respectively). The adjusted odds ratio for the development of CHD for the −644C allele carriers was 1.63 compared with −644AA genotype (95% CI 1.05–2.78; p<0.01), 1.71 for the 296Q allele carriers relative to 296LL genotype (95% CI 1.10–2.89; p<0.05), and 1.31 for the 442G allele carriers relative to 442DD genotype (95% CI 1.02–2.56; p<0.01), respectively. Conclusions There is a significant relation between the polymorphisms in the CETP gene and the development of CHD, and individuals homozygous or heterozygous for the −644C, 296Q, and 442G alleles of the CETP gene are at increased risk to develop CHD in this Chinese population.

Apolipoprotein A5 gene polymorphism –1131T→C: association with plasma lipids and type 2 diabetes mellitus with coronary heart disease in Chinese

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with significant abnormalities of lipoprotein metabolism and coronary heart disease (CHD). The most commonly recognized lipid abnormality in type 2 DM is hypertriglyceridemia, which is known to be an independent risk factor for CHD in diabetics. The -1131T-->C polymorphism found in the newly identified apolipoprotein A5 ( APOA5 ) gene has been found to be associated with elevated plasma triglyceride (TG) concentrations in different racial groups. In this study, DNA samples from 155 control subjects, 172 type 2 diabetics and 113 type 2 DM patients with CHD were analyzed to examine the influence of APOA5 1131T-->C polymorphism on plasma lipids and the susceptibility to CHD in type 2 diabetics. The frequency of the APOA5 -1131C allele in the DM+CHD group was significantly higher than that of control subjects (37.2% vs. 27.7%, p=0.021). The distribution of the APOA5 -1131T-->C genotypes (TT, TC and CC) was 36.3%, 53.1% and 10.6% in type 2 DM patients with CHD, and 53.6%, 37.4% and 9.0% in controls, respectively (p=0.018). The frequencies of alleles and genotypes in type 2 diabetics were not significant compared to controls. In controls, plasma TG concentrations in subjects with the TT genotype were significantly lower than in those with TC/CC (0.92, 1.28 and 1.35 mmol/L for TT, TC and CC, respectively; p = 0.003 by ANOVA). These data suggest that the APOA5 -1131T-->C polymorphism might play a role in elevated plasma TG levels in type 2 diabetic patients in the Chinese population.

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the lipoprotein lipase gene associated with coronary heart disease in Chinese

Coronary heart disease is a complex disease reflecting the interaction of multiple genes with the environment (e.g. diet, life style). Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) plays an important role in lipid metabolism and the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis. Recent associations between single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the LPL gene and heart disease have been reported, but little is known in Chinese. The LPL gene spans >26 kb, with an mRNA of 3549 bp. In the present study, we screened 5155 bp (565 bp of 5′ flanking region, nine exons and donor- and acceptor-splice sites, and some intronic bases) in 160 Chinese patients with confirmed coronary heart disease and 150 age- and gender-matched controls. Thirteen of the sixteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms that we found have not been previously reported. In males, significant ( P<0.05) differences between the coronary heart disease patients and controls were found for five single-nucleotide polymorphisms: −421G>A (5′ flanking region); +13,577C>A (intron 2); +16,052G>A, R192Q (exon 5); +16,173C>G and +16,177T>C (intron 5). In females, significant differences between the patients with coronary heart disease and controls were found for only the −421G>A and +16,052G>A (R192Q) mutations. Among the coronary heart disease males, significant ( P<0.05) associations were found between the low-HDL high-triglyceride (LHDL/HTG) phenotype and the non-LHDL/HTG trait for the 5′ flanking-421G, the intron 2+13,577C, and the exon 5+16,052G mutations, with odds–ratios (ORs)[confidence intervals] of 3.90[1.12–13.66], 3.38[1.22–9.40], and 3.22[1.04–10.01], respectively; no corresponding associations were found in females. There were 69, 51, 57 and 41 unphased haplotype patterns in male coronary heart disease, male control, female coronary heart disease and female control groups, respectively; the computer program PM-Plus found the heterogeneity model by far the best fit ( P<0.0001 in males, >0.01 in females). These data show that some single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the LPL gene among Chinese are associated with abnormal lipid and lipoprotein profiles and predisposition to coronary heart disease, a genetically heterogeneous complex disease, and that they are gender-specific.

Risk factors and incident coronary heart disease in Chinese, Malay and Asian Indian males: the Singapore Cardiovascular Cohort Study.

This prospective study in Singapore investigated the relationships of established coronary risk factors with incident coronary heart disease (CHD) for Chinese, Malay, and Asian Indian males. A cohort (consisting of 2879 males without diagnosed CHD) derived from three previous cross-sectional surveys. Individual baseline data were linked to registry databases to obtain the first event of CHD. Hazard ratios (HR) or relative risks for risk factors were calculated using Cox's proportional hazards model with adjustment for age and ethnic group and adjustment for age, ethnic group and all other risk factors (overall adjusted). There were 24,986 person-years of follow-up. The overall adjusted HR with 95% CI are presented here. Asian Indians were at greatest risk of CHD, compared to Chinese (3.0; 2.0-4.8) and Malays (3.4; 1.9-3.3). Individuals with hypertension (2.4; 1.6-2.7) or diabetes (1.7; 1.1-2.7) showed a higher risk of CHD. High low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (1.5; 1.0-2.1), high fasting triglyceride (1.5; 0.9-2.6) and low high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (1.3; 0.9-2.0) showed a lesser but still increased risk. Alcohol intake was protective with non-drinkers having an increased risk of CHD (1.8; 1.0-3.3). Obesity (body mass index > or =30) showed an increased risk (1.8; 0.6-5.4). An increased risk of CHD was found in cigarette smokers of > or =20 pack years (1.5; 0.9-2.5) but not with lesser amounts. The increased susceptibility of Asian Indian males to CHD has been confirmed in a longitudinal study. All of the examined established risk factors for CHD were found to play important but varying roles in the ethnic groups in Singapore.

Fibrinogen, angina and coronary heart disease in a Chinese population

Although fibrinogen is an established risk factor of coronary heart disease (CHD), whether fibrinogen is associated with CHD in Chinese is not clear. This population-based cross-sectional study aimed to analyse this relationship in Hong Kong Chinese. Fibrinogen was measured by the Clauss method in 1348 men and 1385 women aged 25–74 years. Severity of CHD was defined as most serious if the subjects had medically diagnosed CHD, as less serious if they had angina only, and as normal if they had neither. The prevalence of angina and CHD was respectively 2.4% and 2.2% in men and 3.2% and 2.7% in women. In men the age-adjusted mean fibrinogen concentration was 2.47 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.43–2.51) g/l in the normal group, 2.65 (95% CI 2.45–2.85) g/l in the angina group, and 2.78 (95% CI 2.56–3.00) g/l in the CHD cases ( P<0.01); in women it was respectively 2.61 (95% CI 2.59–2.63), 2.66 (95% CI 2.50–2.82), 2.90 (95% CI 2.72–3.08) g/l ( P<0.01). The differences were significant after adjustment of other significant risk factors. We conclude that fibrinogen should be considered as a risk factor in Chinese.