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The natural history and treatment landscape of primary brain tumours are complicated by the varied tumour behaviour of primary or secondary gliomas (high-grade transformation of low-grade lesions), as well as the dilemmas with identification of radiation necrosis, tumour progression, and pseudoprogression on MRI. Radiomics and radiogenomics promise to offer precise diagnosis, predict prognosis, and assess tumour response to modern chemotherapy/immunotherapy and radiation therapy. This is achieved by a triumvirate of morphological, textural, and functional signatures, derived from a high-throughput extraction of quantitative voxel-level MR image metrics. However, the lack of standardisation of acquisition parameters and inconsistent methodology between working groups have made validations unreliable, hence multi-centre studies involving heterogenous study populations are warranted. We elucidate novel radiomic and radiogenomic workflow concepts and state-of-the-art descriptors in sub-visual MR image processing, with relevant literature on applications of such machine learning techniques in glioma management.

Angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) is an endogenous inhibitor of lipoprotein lipase that modulates lipid levels, coronary atherosclerosis risk, and nutrient partitioning. We hypothesize that loss of ANGPTL4 function might improve glucose homeostasis and decrease risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We investigate protein-altering variants in ANGPTL4 among 58,124 participants in the DiscovEHR human genetics study, with follow-up studies in 82,766 T2D cases and 498,761 controls. Carriers of p.E40K, a variant that abolishes ANGPTL4 ability to inhibit lipoprotein lipase, have lower odds of T2D (odds ratio 0.89, 95% confidence interval 0.85–0.92, p = 6.3 × 10−10), lower fasting glucose, and greater insulin sensitivity. Predicted loss-of-function variants are associated with lower odds of T2D among 32,015 cases and 84,006 controls (odds ratio 0.71, 95% confidence interval 0.49–0.99, p = 0.041). Functional studies in Angptl4-deficient mice confirm improved insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis. In conclusion, genetic inactivation of ANGPTL4 is associated with improved glucose homeostasis and reduced risk of T2D., Genetic variation in ANGPTL4 is associated with lipid traits. Here, the authors find that predicted loss-of-function variants in ANGPTL4 are associated with glucose homeostasis and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and that Angptl4−/− mice on a high-fat diet show improved insulin sensitivity.

Maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is a monogenic form of diabetes attributed to a highly penetrant variant in one of several genes, including GCK. GCK-MODY rarely requires pharmacotherapy, however, the clinical management of pregnant mothers depends on whether the fetus inherited the GCK variant. The classic GCK-MODY phenotype is young (diagnosed before 25 years), lean (BMI < 25 mg/kg2), with stable, mild hyperglycemia (Hba1c 5.8-7.6%). We hypothesized that strict application of these guidelines has led to under-reporting of GCK-MODY (prevalence 1.1 per 1000). In a cohort of 92,412 individuals from the DiscovEHR study, we identified 252 heterozygous carriers of 88 rare GCK variants (minor allele frequency < 0.02%). None had an existing diagnosis of monogenic diabetes. The median BMI of GCK carriers was 35 mg/kg2, compared to 31 mg/kg2 for nondiabetic noncarriers and 38 mg/kg2 for noncarriers with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Excluding variants with no evidence of hyperglycemia in 50% of the carriers resulted in 70 variants in 213 individuals. GCK-MODY variant carriers had mean HbA1c, fasting blood glucose (FBG), and random glucose measurements that were greater than nondiabetic non-carriers but less than those with T2D. Kaplan-Meier analysis adjusted for left-truncation bias showed that the age at which 50% of GCK-MODY subjects diagnosed with impaired fasting glucose and diabetes is 35 and 55 years, respectively, compared to 60 and 65 years in non-carriers with T2D (p< 2e-16). Within-individual variability of lifetime FBG measurements of GCK-MODY carriers was less than noncarriers with T2D (GCK-MODY, 7.9 ± 2.0 mg/dL; T2D, 17.6 ± 0.03 mg/dl, p Disclosure U.L. Mirshahi: None. J.M. Goehringer: None. Y. Hu: None. A.H. Wardeh: None. J. Williams: None. C.B. Manney: None. J.C. Staples: Employee; Self; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. J.B. Leader: None. A.R. Shuldiner: Employee; Self; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. Stock/Shareholder; Self; Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc. T.I. Pollin: Other Relationship; Self; Regeneron Genetics Center. D.J. Carey: None.

Background Alzheimer’s disease (AD) represents the most common form of dementia in elder populations with approximately 30 million cases worldwide. Genome wide genotyping and sequencing studies have identified many genetic variants associated with late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD). While most of these variants are associated with increased risk of developing LOAD, only limited number of reports focused on variants that are protective against the disease. Methods Here we applied a novel approach to uncover protective alleles against AD by analyzing genetic and phenotypic data in Mount Sinai Biobank and Electronic Medical Record (EMR) databases. Results We discovered a likely loss-of-function small deletion variant in the caspase 7 (CASP7) gene associated with significantly reduced incidence of LOAD in carriers of the high-risk APOE ε4 allele. Further investigation of four independent cohorts of European ancestry revealed the protective effect of the CASP7 variant against AD is most significant in homozygous APOE ε4 allele carriers. Meta analysis of multiple datasets shows overall odds ratio = 0.45 (p = 0.004). Analysis of RNA sequencing derived gene expression data indicated the variant correlates with reduced caspase 7 expression in multiple brain tissues we examined. Conclusions Taken together, these results are consistent with the notion that caspase 7 plays a key role in microglial activation driving neuro-degeneration during AD pathogenesis, and may explain the underlying genetic mechanisms that anti-inflammatory interventions in AD show greater benefit in APOE ε4 carriers than non-carriers. Our findings inform potential novel therapeutic opportunities for AD and warrant further investigations. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-2725-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Unleashing the power of precision medicine Precision medicine promises the ability to identify risks and treat patients on the basis of pathogenic genetic variation. Two studies combined exome sequencing results for over 50,000 people with their electronic health records. Dewey et al. found that ∼3.5% of individuals in their cohort had clinically actionable genetic variants. Many of these variants affected blood lipid levels that could influence cardiovascular health. Abul-Husn et al. extended these findings to investigate the genetics and treatment of familial hypercholesterolemia, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, within their patient pool. Genetic screening helped identify at-risk patients who could benefit from increased treatment. Science , this issue p. 10.1126/science.aaf6814 , p. 10.1126/science.aaf7000