Publications by authors named "Mariza De Andrade"

Article Synopsis
  • Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) occurs when genetically identical blood cells expand, often influenced by genetic mutations linked to blood cancers; however, many cases happen without known driver mutations.
  • Researchers analyzed 51,399 genomes to study a specific type of CH (CH-LPMneg) without detectable leukemia-related mutations, developing a new method (GEM rate) to estimate mutation burden without paired samples.
  • Through their study, they identified seven genes linked to CH-LPMneg and found that alterations in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) behavior may drive this mutation burden, while a broader analysis revealed relationships between GEM and the expression of 404 genes.
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  • Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have successfully identified genes linked to telomere length, but previous research hadn't validated these findings until now.
  • In a large analysis involving over 211,000 people, the study discovered five new signals linked to telomere length and highlighted the importance of blood/immune cells in this area.
  • The researchers confirmed that the genes KBTBD6 and POP5 truly affect telomere length by demonstrating that manipulating these genes can lengthen telomeres and that their regulation is crucial for understanding telomere biology.
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Background: rearrangements (+) define a distinct molecular subset of lung adenocarcinomas. + tumors are known to occur more in never-smokers, but the frequency and outcome of positivity by sex and smoking intensity are not clearly documented.

Patients And Methods: This patient cohort study included all never- (<100 cigarettes lifetime) and light- (100 cigarettes-20 pack-years) smokers, and a sample of heavy-smokers.

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  • Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a major cause of diarrhea in hospitals across North America and Europe, leading to significant health risks.
  • Previous risk factors don't fully explain why some people get CDI while others don't, suggesting a genetic component to susceptibility.
  • A study involving nearly 20,000 participants found that variations in the DRB locus of the MHC (HLA) II region may increase the likelihood of developing CDI, indicating that genetic factors could influence how the body responds to this infection.
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  • - The study investigates how exonic variants (genetic changes within coding regions) are linked to traits (phenotypes) but can show variable effects (penetrance) among different individuals.
  • - Researchers found that mRNA splicing influenced by genetic factors affects the harmfulness of these exonic variants, showing a depletion of pathogenic alleles in highly expressed exons.
  • - By analyzing data from large genomic studies, the authors suggest that certain genetic variants might help mitigate the impact of rare harmful variants, particularly in relation to autism risk.
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Objective: Diverticular disease (DD) is one of the most prevalent conditions encountered by gastroenterologists, affecting ~50% of Americans before the age of 60. Our aim was to identify genetic risk variants and clinical phenotypes associated with DD, leveraging multiple electronic health record (EHR) data sources of 91,166 multi-ancestry participants with a Natural Language Processing (NLP) technique.

Materials And Methods: We developed a NLP-enriched phenotyping algorithm that incorporated colonoscopy or abdominal imaging reports to identify patients with diverticulosis and diverticulitis from multicenter EHRs.

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  • A study analyzed over 43,000 blood genomes and discovered 7,131 recurrent non-missense somatic mutations (RNMSMs) that frequently occur in at least 50 individuals, challenging the idea that such mutations are rare and insignificant.
  • RNMSMs were found to increase with age, averaging 27 mutations in individuals around 50 years old, and were linked to inherited genetic variations affecting immune functions.
  • The presence of specific RNMSMs was associated with blood cell traits similar to the effects of inherited genetic mutations, suggesting that these somatic mutations have significant implications for human health.
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Mutations in a diverse set of driver genes increase the fitness of haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), leading to clonal haematopoiesis. These lesions are precursors for blood cancers, but the basis of their fitness advantage remains largely unknown, partly owing to a paucity of large cohorts in which the clonal expansion rate has been assessed by longitudinal sampling. Here, to circumvent this limitation, we developed a method to infer the expansion rate from data from a single time point.

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Background: Risk for venous thromboembolism has a strong genetic component. Whole genome sequencing from the TOPMed program (Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine) allowed us to look for new associations, particularly rare variants missed by standard genome-wide association studies.

Methods: The 3793 cases and 7834 controls (11.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Exonic variants are strongly associated with traits, but their harmful effects can vary between individuals, a phenomenon called variable penetrance.
  • - The study suggests that the way mRNA is spliced—controlled by genetic factors—can influence the pathogenic impact of these exonic variants.
  • - Analysis of data shows that common genetic variants affecting splicing may help mitigate the negative effects of rare pathogenic variants, particularly in the context of conditions like autism.
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  • This study looked at how body size and shape traits, like height and BMI, can be linked to genetics and health problems related to the heart and metabolism.! -
  • Scientists analyzed DNA from over 22,000 people to find genetic connections to these traits and discovered some specific genes that might affect height and BMI.! -
  • They found important results related to height but faced difficulties in identifying the effects of rare genetic variants, which are harder to study but still important for understanding genetics.!
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  • Tobacco and alcohol use contribute significantly to global mortality rates, with heritability playing a key role in these behaviors.
  • This study utilized genetic data from a diverse population of 3.4 million individuals, including 21% non-European ancestry, to identify genetic variants linked to tobacco and alcohol use.
  • Findings showed that while increased genetic diversity improved the identification of genomic loci, polygenic risk scores were less effective across different ancestries, underscoring the need for larger and more diverse genetic datasets for better predictive outcomes.
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Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a life-threatening vascular event with environmental and genetic determinants. Recent VTE genome-wide association studies (GWAS) meta-analyses involved nearly 30 000 VTE cases and identified up to 40 genetic loci associated with VTE risk, including loci not previously suspected to play a role in hemostasis. The aim of our research was to expand discovery of new genetic loci associated with VTE by using cross-ancestry genomic resources.

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  • Common genetic variants account for less variation in complex traits like tobacco use than previously thought, leading to discussions about "missing heritability."
  • A study of over 26,000 individuals of European descent and nearly 12,000 of African descent found that rare genetic variants contribute significantly to the heritability of smoking behaviors.
  • The research revealed that rare variants could explain up to 74% of the heritability estimates for smoking traits, which are much higher than those based on common variants alone.
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To identify new susceptibility loci to lung cancer among diverse populations, we performed cross-ancestry genome-wide association studies in European, East Asian and African populations and discovered five loci that have not been previously reported. We replicated 26 signals and identified 10 new lead associations from previously reported loci. Rare-variant associations tended to be specific to populations, but even common-variant associations influencing smoking behavior, such as those with CHRNA5 and CYP2A6, showed population specificity.

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Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) aggregate the effects of genetic variants across the genome and are used to predict risk of complex diseases, such as obesity. Current PRSs only include common variants (minor allele frequency (MAF) ≥1%), whereas the contribution of rare variants in PRSs to predict disease remains unknown. Here, we examine whether augmenting the standard common variant PRS (PRS) with a rare variant PRS (PRS) improves prediction of obesity.

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Article Synopsis
  • - This study investigates the genetic basis of telomere length (TL) across a diverse group of 109,122 individuals from various ancestries, marking the first such analysis that includes non-European populations.
  • - Researchers identified 59 significant genetic variants linked to TL, with 20 novel associations; these findings suggest that the genetic factors influencing TL are consistent across different populations.
  • - The analysis further revealed connections between telomere length and increased cancer risk, highlighting the potential implications of telomere genetics in age-related diseases.
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Article Synopsis
  • - Human genetic studies show that shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is linked to a higher risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), while the relationship between LTL and various cancers is less clear.
  • - Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP), which involves the growth of blood cells with certain mutations, increases the risk for both blood cancers and CAD, with telomerase reverse transcriptase being a key genetic factor in CHIP.
  • - Research from the TOPMed program and UK Biobank reveals that longer genetically predicted LTL increases the likelihood of developing CHIP, which then leads to a decrease in measured LTL, providing insights into how these factors might contribute to CAD prevention.
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  • Analyses show that common SNPs account for about one-third to two-thirds of the heritability of human traits and diseases, but much of the remaining heritability is still unexplained.
  • A study of over 25,000 individuals found heritability estimations of 0.68 for height and 0.30 for body mass index (BMI), highlighting differences across traits.
  • Rare genetic variants, especially those in low linkage disequilibrium, contribute significantly to heritability, suggesting they could be key players in understanding complex traits and diseases.
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Background: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects >200 million people worldwide and is associated with high mortality and morbidity. We sought to identify genomic variants associated with PAD overall and in the contexts of diabetes and smoking status.

Methods: We identified genetic variants associated with PAD and then meta-analyzed with published summary statistics from the Million Veterans Program and UK Biobank to replicate their findings.

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Background: Lp(a) (lipoprotein [a]) levels are higher in individuals of African ancestry (AA) than in individuals of European ancestry (EA). We examined associations of genetically predicted Lp(a) levels with (1) atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease subtypes: coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral artery disease, and abdominal aortic aneurysm and (2) nonatherosclerotic cardiovascular disease phenotypes, stratified by ancestry.

Methods: We performed (1) Mendelian randomization analyses for previously reported cardiovascular associations and (2) Mendelian randomization-phenome-wide association analyses for novel associations.

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  • The study examined the effectiveness of routine pre-emptive COVID-19 screening in cancer patients before treatment, comparing outcomes between those screened routinely and those diagnosed based on symptoms or exposure.
  • A total of 5,452 patients underwent routine screening, with only 44 diagnosed with COVID-19, leading to similar hospitalization and mortality rates as those diagnosed based on clinical suspicion.
  • The findings suggest that routine screening for asymptomatic cancer patients doesn't significantly improve outcomes, indicating its limited value in this context.
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