APOL1 polymorphisms are not influencing acute coronary syndrome risk in Czech males.

Background: The highest mortality and morbidity worldwide is associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), which has in background both environmental and genetic risk factors. Apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) variability influences the risk of ASCVD in Africans, but little is known about the APOL1 and ASCVD in other ethnic groups.

Methods: To investigate the role of APOL1 and ASCVD, we have genotyped four (rs13056427, rs136147, rs10854688 and rs9610473) APOL1 polymorphisms in a group of 1541 male patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and 1338 male controls.

T2DM/CKD genetic risk scores and the progression of diabetic kidney disease in T2DM subjects.

This study aimed at understanding the predictive potential of genetic risk scores (GRS) for diabetic kidney disease (DKD) progression in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and Major Cardiovascular Events (MCVE) and All-Cause Mortality (ACM) as secondary outcomes. We evaluated 30 T2DM and CKD GWAS-derived single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and their association with clinical outcomes in a central European cohort (n = 400 patients). Our univariate Cox analysis revealed significant associations of age, duration of diabetes, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol and eGFR with progression of DKD (all P < 0.

Intravascular Imaging in the Diagnosis and Management of Patients With Suspected Intracoronary Pathologies: A CJC White Paper.

Intravascular imaging has become an integral part of the diagnostic and management strategies for intracoronary pathologies. In this White Paper we summarize current evidence and its implications on the use of intravascular imaging in interventional cardiology practice. The areas addressed are planning and optimization of percutaneous coronary intervention, management of stent failure, and evaluation of ambiguous coronary lesions and myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary disease.

Increased prevalence of the COVID-19 associated Neanderthal mutations in the Central European Roma population.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and subsequent COVID-19 has spread world-wide and become pandemic with about 7 million deaths reported so far. Interethnic variability of the disease has been described, but a significant part of the differences remain unexplained and may be attributable to genetic factors.

Aim: To analyse genetic factors potentially influencing COVID-19 susceptibility and severity in European Roma minority.

Case Report: Neurological adverse events in subject with myasthenia gravis after PCSK9 inhibitor administration.

Background: Myasthenia gravis is a rare chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disorder mainly caused by autoantibodies to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Cholesterol is an essential molecule that affects the distribution and proper functioning of this receptor. Several reports have described the potential worsening of myasthenia gravis in patients treated with statins.

A tagging polymorphism in fat mass and obesity-associated () gene is associated with sepsis status in children.

Introduction: Sepsis is one of the most common causes of death in patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). The development of sepsis is significantly influenced by genetic predisposition. In this study, we highlight a potential association between a variant of the fat mass and obesity-associated () gene and risk of sepsis in children and adolescents.

Monitoring of plasma circulating donor DNA reflects cardiac graft injury: Report of two cases.

The current standard for graft rejection surveillance is endomyocardial biopsy (EMB), an invasive procedure with rare but potentially serious complications. Detection of circulating donor-derived cell-free DNA (ddcfDNA) is an option for noninvasive monitoring of graft injury and rejection. A 63-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman were monitored by EMB for allograft rejection.

Possible effect of OAS1 and TMPRSS6 but not DPP4 and ZNF335 polymorphisms on COVID-19 severity in the Czech population.

Objectives: The acute respiratory syndrome, known as COVID-19, is characterised by high morbidity and increased mortality. Genetic factors may partially explain the differences in susceptibility to and severity of COVID-19.

Methods: We have analysed common functional polymorphisms within the OAS1 (rs4767027), TMPRSS6 (rs855791), DPP4 (rs3788979), and ZNF335 (rs3848719) genes in SARS-CoV-2 positive subjects (n = 521, different disease severity) and in population controls (n = 2,559 subjects, COVID-19 status unknown).

Cholesterol associated genetic risk score and acute coronary syndrome in Czech males.

Background: Despite a general decline in mean levels across populations, LDL-cholesterol levels remain a major risk factor for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The APOB, LDL-R, CILP, and SORT-1 genes have been shown to contain variants that have significant effects on plasma cholesterol levels.

Methods And Results: We examined polymorphisms within these genes in 1191 controls and 929 patients with ACS.

Long-Term LDL-Apheresis Treatment and Dynamics of Circulating miRNAs in Patients with Severe Familial Hypercholesterolemia.

Lipoprotein apheresis (LA) is a therapeutic option for patients with severe hypercholesterolemia who have persistently elevated LDL-C levels despite attempts at drug therapy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), important posttranscriptional gene regulators, are involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Our study aimed to monitor the dynamics of twenty preselected circulating miRNAs in patients under long-term apheresis treatment.

Role of genetics in the development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy.

Background: The association between genetic polymorphisms and early cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) development is relatively unexplored. Identification of genes involved in the CAV process may offer new insights into pathophysiology and lead to a wider range of therapeutic options.

Methods: This prospective study of 109 patients investigated 44 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the susceptibility loci potentially related to coronary artery disease, carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT), and in nitric oxide synthase gene.

CD14 Polymorphism Is Not Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Central European Population.

A 2021 in silico study highlighted an association between the CD14 polymorphism rs2569190 and increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of our study was to confirm this finding. We analysed the CD14 polymorphism (C→T; rs2569190) in 516 individuals who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, with differing disease severity (164 asymptomatic, 245 symptomatic, and 107 hospitalized).

Posttransplant Complications and Genetic Loci Involved in Telomere Maintenance in Heart Transplant Patients.

Reaching critically short telomeres induces cellular senescence and ultimately cell death. Cellular senescence contributes to the loss of tissue function. We aimed to determine the association between variants within genes involved in telomere length maintenance, posttransplant events, and aortic telomere length in heart transplant patients.

Genetic risk score is associated with T2DM and diabetes complications risks.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a prototypical complex disease with polygenic architecture playing an important role in determining susceptibility to develop the disease (and its complications) in subjects exposed to modifiable lifestyle factors. A current challenge is to quantify the degree of the individual's genetic risk using genetic risk scores (GRS) capturing the results of genome-wide association studies while incorporating possible ethnicity- or population-specific differences.

Methods: This study included three groups of T2DM (T2DM-I, N = 1,032; T2DM-II, N = 353; and T2DM-III, N = 399) patients and 2,481 diabetes-free subjects.

Educational gradients in all-cause mortality in two cohorts in the Czech Republic during the early stage of the postcommunist transition.

Objectives: We investigated whether social gradient in all-cause mortality in the Czech Republic changed during the postcommunist transition by comparing two cohorts, recruited before and after the political changes in 1989.

Methods: Participants (aged 25-64 years) in two population surveys (n=2530 in 1985, n=2294 in 1992) were followed up for mortality for 15 years (291 and 281 deaths, respectively). Education was classified into attainment categories and years of schooling (both continuous and in tertiles).

The Relationship between Epigenetic Age and Myocardial Infarction/Acute Coronary Syndrome in a Population-Based Nested Case-Control Study.

We investigated the relationship between 'epigenetic age' (EA) derived from DNA methylation (DNAm) and myocardial infarction (MI)/acute coronary syndrome (ACS). A random population sample was examined in 2003/2005 ( = 9360, 45-69, the HAPIEE project) and followed up for 15 years. From this cohort, incident MI/ACS (cases, = 129) and age- and sex-stratified controls ( = 177) were selected for a nested case-control study.

Longitudinal trajectories of blood lipid levels in an ageing population sample of Russian Western-Siberian urban population.

This study investigated 12-year blood lipid trajectories and whether these trajectories are modified by smoking and lipid lowering treatment in older Russians. To do so, we analysed data on 9,218 Russian West-Siberian Caucasians aged 45-69 years at baseline participating in the international HAPIEE cohort study. Mixed-effect multilevel models were used to estimate individual level lipid trajectories across the baseline and two follow-up examinations (16,445 separate measurements over 12 years).

Statins and Inflammation.

Purpose Of Review: Chronic inflammation has been recognized as one of the most important pathophysiological mechanisms' initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. Statins belong to most successful therapeutic agents in the prevention and treatment of atherothrombotic vascular disease. Their non-lipid related effects including suppression of inflammation have been repeatedly proven in both experimental and clinical settings.

Multiplex Protein Biomarker Profiling in Patients with Familial Hypercholesterolemia.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by mutations in the , , , and genes and is characterized by high plasma levels of total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Our study aimed to analyze the influences of two different therapies on a wide spectrum of plasma protein biomarkers of cardiovascular diseases. Plasma from FH patients under hypolipidemic therapy ( = 18; men = 8, age 55.

Alpha-1 Antitrypsin and Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Liver Cirrhosis: MZ or MS Genotype Carriage Decreases the Risk.

Heterozygotes for Z or S alleles of alpha-1-antrypsin (AAT) have low serum AAT levels. Our aim was to compare the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with liver cirrhosis carrying the MM, MZ and MS genotypes. The study groups consisted of 1119 patients with liver cirrhosis of various aetiologies, and 3240 healthy individuals served as population controls.

Individual DNA Methylation Pattern Shifts in Nanoparticles-Exposed Workers Analyzed in Four Consecutive Years.

A DNA methylation pattern represents an original plan of the function settings of individual cells and tissues. The basic strategies of its development and changes during the human lifetime are known, but the details related to its modification over the years on an individual basis have not yet been studied. Moreover, current evidence shows that environmental exposure could generate changes in DNA methylation settings and, subsequently, the function of genes.