Recent shifts in the genomic ancestry of Mexican Americans may alter the genetic architecture of biomedical traits.

People in the Americas represent a diverse continuum of populations with varying degrees of admixture among African, European, and Amerindigenous ancestries. In the United States, populations with non-European ancestry remain understudied, and thus little is known about the genetic architecture of phenotypic variation in these populations. Using genotype data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos, we find that Amerindigenous ancestry increased by an average of ~20% spanning 1940s-1990s in Mexican Americans.

A genome-wide association and admixture mapping study of bronchodilator drug response in African Americans with asthma.

Short-acting β-adrenergic receptor agonists (SABAs) are the most commonly prescribed asthma medications worldwide. Response to SABAs is measured as bronchodilator drug response (BDR), which varies among racial/ethnic groups in the United States. However, the genetic variation that contributes to BDR is largely undefined in African Americans with asthma.

Stress and Bronchodilator Response in Children with Asthma.

Rationale: Stress is associated with asthma morbidity in Puerto Ricans (PRs), who have reduced bronchodilator response (BDR).

Objectives: To examine whether stress and/or a gene regulating anxiety (ADCYAP1R1) is associated with BDR in PR and non-PR children with asthma.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of stress and BDR (percent change in FEV1 after BD) in 234 PRs ages 9-14 years with asthma.