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Objective: Surfactant protein D (SP-D) is a defense collectin with inflammation-modulating properties. SP-D deficiency inhibits atherosclerosis in vivo, and the circulatory SP-D levels have been previously associated with cardiovascular disease mortality. We hypothesized that plasma SP-D (pSP-D) and SP-D gene (SFTPD) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are risk factors for atherosclerosis., Methods: We evaluated individuals who were all 60 years old and participated in The Glostrup Population Study. Subclinical atherosclerosis was diagnosed based on the ultrasonographic measurement of intima-media thickness (IMT) and protruding plaques in the right carotid artery. Associations between cardiovascular traits and the levels of pSP-D (n = 687) or two coding SFTPD SNPs rs3088308 and rs721917 (n = 396) were investigated using multiple linear regressions and logistic regressions., Results: There was no significant association between pSP-D and the presence of plaques or IMT. The SFTPD SNP rs3088308 was nominally associated with the presence of plaques, and rs721917 was nominally associated with IMT. The directions of effects of associations were markedly dependent on current smoking status., Conclusions: The results do not support that pSP-D levels influence the development of subclinical atherosclerosis. However, the SFTPD SNP data support previous observations from animal studies that SP-D plays a role in the etiology of atherosclerotic disease development. The nominal significant effects are likely to be mediated by structural variant SP-D modulation of effects of tobacco smoking and are independent of pSP-D levels. The data warrant confirmation in larger cohorts., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: We tested the hypotheses that Prothrombin G20210A heterozygosity associate with increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), ischemic heart disease (IHD), and ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICVD) in the general population and re-tested risk of IHD and ICVD in two case-control studies., Methods: 9231 individuals from the Danish general population were followed for VTE (VTE=DVT+PE), deep venous thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), IHD, myocardial infarction (MI), ICVD, and ischemic stroke (IS) for a median of 24 years. Case-control studies included 2461 IHD cases and 867 ICVD cases., Results: In the general population, Prothrombin G20210A heterozygotes had1.3 (95% CI:0.6-2.9) fold risk for VTE, 0.6 (0.2-2.0) for DVT, 1.7(0.6-4.8) for PE, 1.5(1.1-2.1) for IHD, 1.7(1.1-2.7) for MI, 1.1(0.6-1.9) for ICVD, and 1.1(0.5-2.1) for IS compared to non-carriers. Double heterozygotes for Prothrombin G20210A and Factor V Leiden versus double non-carriers had a multifactorially adjusted hazard ratio for IHD of 6.0(2.0-19). In case-control studies, multifactorially adjusted odds ratios for Prothrombin G20210A heterozygotes versus non-carriers were 2.0(1.1-3.4) for IHD, 2.0(1.0-3.8) for MI, 1.4(0.7-3.1) for ICVD, and 2.1(0.8-5.4) for IS., Conclusion: Prothrombin G20210A heterozygosity alone and in combination with Factor V Leiden R506Q heterozygosity predicts 1.5 and 6.0 fold risk of IHD compared to non-carriers., (Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Zinc Finger Protein 202 (ZNF202) is a transcriptional repressor of genes affecting the vascular endothelium as well as lipid metabolism. A phenotype associated with genetic variation in ZNF202 is presently unknown. We tested the hypothesis that a common variant in ZNF202, A154V, predicts risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD), myocardial infarction (MI), and ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICVD)., Methods and Results: We conducted a prospective study of more than 9000 individuals from the general population with 24 years follow-up. In women, age-adjusted hazard ratios in heterozygotes and homozygotes versus non-carriers were 1.2 (95% CI: 1.0-1.5, P = 0.04) and 1.5 (1.1-2.1, P = 0.007) for IHD, 1.5 (1.1-2.1; P = 0.01) and 1.7 (1.1-2.8, P = 0.02) for MI, and 1.3 (1.0-1.8, P = 0.07) and 1.3 (0.8-2.1; P = 0.33) for ICVD. Adjustments for lipids and lipoproteins did not alter these hazard ratios substantially. Genotype did not predict risk in men. Finally, results for IHD were borderline significant (P = 0.06) in an independent case-control study including 933 patients and 8068 controls., Conclusion: This is the first study to suggest that ZNF202 could be a new candidate gene for IHD and MI in the general population.

The G188E, D9N, and N291S mutations in LPL increase TG, reduce HDL cholesterol, and increase risk of ischemic heart disease. The common S447X mutation may have opposite effects. We genotyped 8451 women and men from the Danish general population, and 854 women and men with ischemic heart disease. Participants carrying G188E, D9N, or N291S were excluded. Compared with non-carriers, female heterozygotes and homozygotes presented with a 0.11 and 0.18 mmol/l decrease in plasma TG (P=0.001 and P=0.37) and a 0.07 and 0.03 mmol/l increase in HDL cholesterol (P=0.001 and P=0.99). Male heterozygotes and homozygotes presented with a 0.20 and 0.41 mmol decrease in plasma TG (P<0.001 and P=0.06), which was twice that in women, and a 0.05 and 0.17 mmol/l increase in plasma HDL cholesterol (P=0.02 and P=0.04), respectively. In meta-analyses by gender, the S447X mutation was associated with a significant l7% reduction in risk of ischemic heart disease in men (OR=0.83; P=0.01), whereas risk was unaffected in women (OR=0.97; P=0.98). The S447X mutation is associated with anti-atherogenic effects on TG and HDL cholesterol in both genders, and with a moderate protective effect on risk of ischemic heart disease in men.