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Objective: Restenosis is the main drawback of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Inherited factors may explain part of the risk of restenosis. Recently, the vitamin D receptor (VDR) has been shown to be involved not only in bone metabolism but also in modulating immune responses and cell proliferation. Since the inflammatory response is implicated in restenosis, VDR-gene variants could therefore contribute to the risk of restenosis. Methods/results: Systematic genotyping for 15 haplotype tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the VDR gene was performed with the high throughput TaqMan allelic discrimination assays in the Genetic Determinants of Restenosis (GENDER) population. A haplotype-based survival analysis revealed an association of haplotypes in blocks 2, 3 and 4 of the VDR-gene with the risk of clinical restenosis (p-values 0.01, 0.04 and 0.02 respectively). After adjustment for clinical risk factors for restenosis, the individual effect of the block 2 AA haplotype (p = 0.011) persisted. Conclusions: The present study indicates that VDR plays a role in restenosis after PCI. Therefore, VDR genotype may be used as risk marker for restenosis and may contribute to individual patient screening prior to PCI in clinical practice.

Background— The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27 kip1 is a key regulator of smooth muscle cell and leukocyte proliferation in vascular disease, including in-stent restenosis. We therefore hypothesized that common genetic variations or single nucleotide polymorphisms in p27 kip1 may serve as a useful tool in risk stratification for in-stent restenosis. Methods and Results— Three single nucleotide polymorphisms concerning the p27 kip1 gene (−838C>A, rs36228499; −79C>T, rs34330; +326G>T, rs2066827) were determined in a cohort of 715 patients undergoing coronary angioplasty and stent placement. We discovered that the p27 kip1 -838C>A single nucleotide polymorphism is associated with clinical in-stent restenosis; the −838AA genotype decreases the risk of target vessel revascularization (hazard ratio, 0.28; 95% confidence interval, 0.10 to 0.77). This finding was replicated in another cohort study of 2309 patients (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% confidence interval, 0.40 to 0.93). No association was detected between this end point and the p27 kip1 -79C>T and +326G>T single nucleotide polymorphisms. We subsequently studied the functional importance of the −838C>A single nucleotide polymorphism and detected a 20-fold increased basal p27 kip1 transcriptional activity of the −838A allele containing promoter. Conclusions— Patients with the p27 kip1 -838AA genotype have a decreased risk of in-stent restenosis corresponding with enhanced promoter activity of the −838A allele of this cell-cycle inhibitor, which may explain decreased smooth muscle cell proliferation.

The platelet receptor P2Y12 (gene symbol P2RY12) is involved in several processes that contribute to restenosis after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Therefore, common variation in the P2Y12 gene may serve as a useful marker for risk stratification. We studied whether common variation in the platelet receptor P2Y12 gene affects the risk of restenosis after PCI. Comprehensive coverage of common variation in the P2Y12 gene was obtained by genotyping five haplotype-tagging SNPs (ht-SNPs) in 2,062 PCI-treated patients who received a stent and participated in the GENetic DEterminants of Restenosis (GENDER) Study. Haplotypes were inferred and their association with target vessel revascularization (TVR) was studied. Seven P2Y12 haplotypes were identified with an allelic frequency above 5% (designated here H1 to H7) of which two (H5 and H7) were associated with a higher risk of TVR (hazard ratios [HR]=1.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.0–2.0; and HR=1.6, 95% CI=1.2–2.0, respectively) than the reference P2Y12 haplotype (H1), which contains the common alleles of all five P2Y12 ht-SNPs. Our study shows that common variation in the P2Y12 gene predicts restenosis in PCI-treated patients. Hum Mutat 29(3), 375-380, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Proinflammatory cytokines, like interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), are implicated in the development of atherosclerosis. The role of anti-inflammatory cytokines, like IL-10, is largely unknown. We investigated the association of four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of the IL-10 gene (4259AG, -1082GA, -592CA, and -2849GA), with coronary and cerebrovascular disease in participants of the PROspective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk (PROSPER) trial. All associations were assessed with Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for sex, age, pravastatin use, and country. Haplotype analysis of the four SNPs showed a significant association between haplotype 4 (containing the -592A variant allele) and risk of coronary events (P = 0.019). Moreover, analysis of separate SNPs found a significant association between -2849AA carriers with incident stroke (HR (95%CI) 1.50 (1.04-2.17), P value = 0.02). Our study suggests that not only proinflammatory processes contribute to atherosclerosis, but that also anti-inflammatory cytokines may play an important role.

Background Delirium is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality rates in elderly hospitalised patients, and a growing problem due to increase in life expectancy. Implementation of standardised non-pharmacological delirium prevention strategies is challenging and adherence remains low. Pharmacological delirium prevention with haloperidol, currently the drug of choice for delirium, seems promising. However, the generalisability of randomised controlled trial results is questionable since studies have only been performed in selected postoperative hip-surgery and intensive care unit patient populations. We therefore present the design of the multicenter, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial on early pharmacological intervention to prevent delirium: haloperidol prophylaxis in older emergency department patients (The HARPOON study). Methods/Design In six Dutch hospitals, at-risk patients aged 70 years or older acutely admitted through the emergency department for general medicine and surgical specialties are randomised (n = 390) for treatment with prophylactic haloperidol 1 mg or placebo twice daily for a maximum of seven consecutive days. Primary outcome measure is the incidence of in-hospital delirium within seven days of start of the study intervention, diagnosed with the Confusion Assessment Method, and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition criteria for delirium. Secondary outcome measures include delirium severity and duration assessed with the Delirium Rating Scale Revised 98; number of delirium-free days; adverse events; hospital length-of-stay; all-cause mortality; new institutionalisation; (Instrumental) Activities of Daily Living assessed with the Katz Index of ADL, and Lawton IADL scale; cognitive function assessed with the Six-item Cognitive Impairment Test, and the Dutch short form Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly. Patients will be contacted by telephone three and six months post-discharge to collect data on cognitive- and physical function, home residency, all-cause hospital admissions, and all-cause mortality. Discussion The HARPOON study will provide relevant information on the efficacy and safety of prophylactic haloperidol treatment for in-hospital delirium and its effects on relevant clinical outcomes in elderly at-risk medical and surgical patients. Trial registration EudraCT Number: 201100476215; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01530308; Dutch Clinical Trial Registry: NTR3207

Late-acquired stent malapposition (LASM) is a common finding after sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) implantation and may be the cause for late stent thrombosis. Inflammation may play a pivotal role in LASM just as it plays in stent restenosis. We have therefore investigated seven polymorphisms involved in inflammatory processes, related in previous reports to restenosis, on the risk of LASM in SES patients. Patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction who underwent SES implantation and had intravascular ultrasonography (IVUS) data available for both immediate post-intervention and 9-month follow-up were included in the present study. In total, 104 patients from the MISSION! Intervention Study were genotyped for the caspase-1 5352 G/A, eotaxin 1382 A/G, CD14 260 A/G, colony stimulating factor 2 1943 C/T, IL10 −1117 C/T, IL10 4251 C/T, and the tumor necrosis factor alpha 1211 C/T polymorphisms. LASM occurred in 26/104 (25%) of patients. We found a significantly higher risk for LASM in patients carrying the caspase-1 (CASP1) 5352 A allele (RR = 2.32; 95% CI 1.22–4.42). In addition, mean neointimal growth was significantly lower in patients carrying this LASM risk allele (1.6 vs. 4.1%, p = 0.014). The other six polymorphisms related to inflammation were not significantly related to the risk of LASM. In conclusion, carriers of the 5352 A allele in the caspase-1 gene are at increased risk of developing LASM after SES implantation. If this is confirmed in larger studies, then screening for this polymorphism in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions could eventually help cardiologists to better select between commercially available stents.

Objective Restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains an issue even in the drug-eluting stent era. Genetic polymorphisms may provide insight in the pathogenesis of restenosis and may help in the stratification of patients at risk for restenosis. The aim of this study was to examine whether polymorphisms at the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) locus, that are associated with impaired innate immune system and with an increased risk of cardiovascular events, were associated with clinical and/or angiographic restenosis after PCI.Methods The GENetic Determinants of Restenosis (GENDER) project was a prospective, multicenter study that enrolled 3146 consecutive patients after successful PCI. Frequencies of the TLR4 896A/G (Asp299Gly; rs4986790) and 1196C/T (Thr399Ile; rs4986791) polymorphisms and haplotypes were assessed. Patients were followed up for 1 year and in a subgroup of 406 patients angiographic follow-up was obtained.Results We included a total of 2682 patients that underwent successful PCI. There was no association between genotypes and the risk of target vessel revascularization at 1-year or late luminal loss at 6-months angiographic follow-up (P = 0.53 and 0.44, respectively). Absence of association with target lesion revascularization and late luminal loss was replicated in the GEnetic risk factors for In-Stent Hyperplasia study Amsterdam (GEISHA) cohort study of 674 patients and in a subgroup of 550 patients with angiographic follow-up available (P = 0.26, and 0.86, respectively). Moreover, in both the studies, no significant differences between haplotypes A/C and G/T were observed for target vessel revascularization at late luminal loss.Conclusion Although inflammation has been implicated in the pathophysiology of restenosis, the 896A/G and 1196C/T polymorphisms or haplotypes based on these polymorphisms at the TLR4 locus are not associated with an increased risk of target vessel revascularization or angiographic restenosis after PCI. These polymorphisms are not useful for pre-PCI identification of patients at risk for restenosis. Pharmacogenetics and Genomics 20: 544-552 (C) 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Research into the pathologic mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases has revealed that CREB binding protein (CBP) plays an important role in cognitive dysfunction. Loss of one copy of this gene leads to a syndrome with severe cognitive dysfunction. We investigated the association between four common variants in the CBP gene and cognitive function in 5804 participants of the PROspective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk (PROSPER). Baseline associations between genetic variation and cognitive function were assessed with linear regression. Longitudinal associations were assessed with linear mixed models. All analyses were adjusted for sex, age, education, country, version of test, and pravastatin use. The intron 4CT and intron 3AC polymorphisms in the CBP gene were associated with better cognitive performance at baseline and during follow-up. Furthermore, the haplotype with the variant alleles of these two polymorphisms also showed a protective effect on cognitive function in all cognitive domains (all p < 0.03). Genetic variation in the CBP gene is associated with better cognitive performance in an elderly population. Future research is necessary to investigate the effect of these polymorphisms on the expression of CBP levels and how these polymorphisms affect the gene expression mediated by CBP.

PAI-1 expression is regulated by a 4G/5G promoter polymorphism. The 4G allele is associated with greater circadian variation of PAI-1 levels. We hypothesized that the 24 h variation of cardiac risk is more pronounced among persons with the 4G4G genotype than among ones with 4G5G and 5G5G genotypes. We assessed the time of onset of symptoms in 623 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) enrolled in the MISSION! Study between February 1, 2004, and October 29, 2006. All of the patients were genotyped for the PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism. We quantified the amplitude of the 24 h variation of AMI with a generalized linear model with Poisson distribution. A morning peak, between 06:00-11:59 h (n = 197; 32% of all cases), in the onset of symptoms of AMI was observed. The group composed of patients with the 4G4G genotype did not have a more pronounced morning peak than the groups composed of other genotypes; the 24 h variation was 38% (95% confidence interval 12-70%) in the group of 4G4G patients and 34% (14-58%) and 56% (20-100%) in the 4G5G and 5G5G groups of patients, respectively. Our findings show that 24 h variation of cardiac risk is not more pronounced among the 4G4G genotype of PAI-1.

Since activation of the haemostatic system is an important feature of the wound healing response triggered by arterial injury, variations in genes involved in thrombus formation may play a role in restenosis after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Therefore, our aim was to examine the relationship between polymorphisms that are known to play a role in the haemostatic system and the risk of clinical restenosis in the GENetic DEterminants of Restenosis (GENDER) study, a multicenter prospective study design that enrolled 3,104 consecutive patients after successful PCI. Target vessel revascularization (TVR) was the primary endpoint. All patients were genotyped for six polymorphisms in the Factor II, Factor V, Factor VII and PAI-1 genes. The PAI-1 4G variant was associated with an increased risk of TVR. When compared to 5G/5G homozygotes, heterozygous patients were at higher risk for TVR (HR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.05-2.03), whereas patients with the 4G/4G genotype had an even further increased risk (HR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.19-2.41). In contrast, the factor V 506Gln (factor V Leiden) amino acid substitution was associated with a decreased risk of TVR (HR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.19-0.86). Our findings indicate that polymorphisms in the factorV and PAI-1 genes may play a role in the process of restenosis.

SummarySince activation of the haemostatic system is an important feature of the wound healing response triggered by arterial injury, variations in genes involved in thrombus formation may play a role in restenosis after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Therefore, our aim was to examine the relationship between polymorphisms that are known to play a role in the haemostatic system and the risk of clinical restenosis in the GENetic DEterminants of Restenosis (GENDER) study,a multicenter prospective study design that enrolled 3,104 consecutive patients after successful PCI. Target vessel revascularization (TVR) was the primary endpoint. All patients were genotyped for six polymorphisms in the Factor II, Factor V, Factor VII and PAI-1 genes. The PAI-1 4G variant was associated with an increased risk ofTVR. When compared to 5G/5G homozygotes, heterozygous patients were at higher risk for TVR (HR: 1.46, 95%CI: 1.05–2.03), whereas patients with the 4G/4G genotype had an even further increased risk (HR: 1.69, 95%CI: 1.19–2.41). In contrast, the factor V 506Gln (factor V Leiden) amino acid substitution was associated with a decreased risk of TVR (HR: 0.41, 95%CI: 0.19–0.86). Our findings indicate that polymorphisms in the factorV and PAI-1 genes may play a role in the process of restenosis.

Genetic factors appear to be important in the process of restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), as well as in inflammation, a pivotal factor in restenosis. An important mediator in the inflammatory response is interleukin (IL)-10. Our aim was to study whether genetic variants in IL-10 predispose to the risk of restenosis. The GENetic DEterminants of Restenosis (GENDER) study included 3104 patients treated with successful PCI. Target vessel revascularization (TVR) was chosen as primary end point. Genotyping of the -2849G/ A, -1082G/ A, -592C/A and +4259A/G polymorphisms of the IL-10 gene was performed by MassArray platform. After adjusting for clinical variables, three polymorphisms significantly increased the risk of restenosis (-2849AA: relative risk (RR), 1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.2-2.5; -1082AA: RR, 1.4, 95% CI, 1.1-1.8 and +4259GG: RR, 2.0, 95% CI, 1.4-2.8). To further exclude possible involvement of neighboring genes due to LD in the IL-10 locus, additional polymorphisms were genotyped. The results reveal that association of the IL-10 gene with restenosis is independent of flanking genes. Our findings demonstrate that IL-10 is associated with restenosis and therefore support the hypothesis that anti-inflammatory genes also may be involved in developing restenosis. Furthermore, they may provide a new targeting gene for drug-eluting stents.