Treatment patterns of patients with migraine eligible for anti-CGRP pathway monoclonal antibodies.

Introduction: Migraine is a debilitating neurological disorder, with a wide range of symptoms and disease burden, underscoring the heterogeneity of patients' disease characteristics and treatment needs. To characterize the profile of migraine patients in the US who may be eligible for preventive treatment with an anti-CGRP pathway mAb and to better understand treatment patterns and real-world use of acute and preventive medications for migraine, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult patients.

Methods: These patients were identified as having migraine using diagnosis codes or migraine-specific medication use (first = index) in the IQVIA PharMetrics® Plus database.

The Puerto Rican Infant Metagenomic and Epidemiologic Study of Respiratory Outcomes (PRIMERO): Design and Baseline Characteristics for a Birth Cohort Study of Early-life Viral Respiratory Illnesses and Airway Dysfunction in Puerto Rican Children.

Epidemiologic studies demonstrate an association between early-life respiratory illnesses (RIs) and the development of childhood asthma. However, it remains uncertain whether these children are predisposed to both conditions or if early-life RIs induce alterations in airway function, immune responses, or other human biology that contribute to the development of asthma. Puerto Rican children experience a disproportionate burden of early-life RIs and asthma, making them an important population for investigating this complex interplay.

Multi-omic approach associates blood methylome with bronchodilator drug response in pediatric asthma.

Background: Albuterol is the drug most widely used as asthma treatment among African Americans despite having a lower bronchodilator drug response (BDR) than other populations. Although BDR is affected by gene and environmental factors, the influence of DNA methylation is unknown.

Objective: This study aimed to identify epigenetic markers in whole blood associated with BDR, study their functional consequences by multi-omic integration, and assess their clinical applicability in admixed populations with a high asthma burden.

Epigenome-wide association study of lung function in Latino children and youth with asthma.

Introduction: DNA methylation studies have associated methylation levels at different CpG sites or genomic regions with lung function. Moreover, genetic ancestry has been associated with lung function in Latinos. However, no epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) of lung function has been performed in this population.

Long-term Clinical and Hemodynamic Outcomes of Edge-to-Edge Repair for Tricuspid Regurgitation.

Background: The edge-to-edge technique (Alfieri stitch) has been widely adopted in mitral valve but not tricuspid valve (TV) repair. We evaluated long-term clinical and hemodynamic outcomes of tricuspid edge-to-edge repair.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 237 patients (mean age, 58.

Integrative genomic analysis in African American children with asthma finds three novel loci associated with lung function.

Bronchodilator (BD) drugs are commonly prescribed for treatment and management of obstructive lung function present with diseases such as asthma. Administration of BD medication can partially or fully restore lung function as measured by pulmonary function tests. The genetics of baseline lung function measures taken before BD medication have been extensively studied, and the genetics of the BD response itself have received some attention.

On the cross-population generalizability of gene expression prediction models.

The genetic control of gene expression is a core component of human physiology. For the past several years, transcriptome-wide association studies have leveraged large datasets of linked genotype and RNA sequencing information to create a powerful gene-based test of association that has been used in dozens of studies. While numerous discoveries have been made, the populations in the training data are overwhelmingly of European descent, and little is known about the generalizability of these models to other populations.

Differential asthma odds following respiratory infection in children from three minority populations.

Rationale: Severe early-life respiratory illnesses, particularly those caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human rhinovirus (HRV), are strongly associated with the development of asthma in children. Puerto Rican children in particular have a strikingly high asthma burden. However, prior studies of the potential associations between early-life respiratory illnesses and asthma in Puerto Rican and other minority populations have been limited.

Lung Function in African American Children with Asthma Is Associated with Novel Regulatory Variants of the KIT Ligand and Gene-By-Air-Pollution Interaction.

Baseline lung function, quantified as forced expiratory volume in the first second of exhalation (FEV), is a standard diagnostic criterion used by clinicians to identify and classify lung diseases. Using whole-genome sequencing data from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine project, we identified a novel genetic association with FEV on chromosome 12 in 867 African American children with asthma ( = 1.26 × 10, β = 0.

Genome-Wide Analysis Reveals Mucociliary Remodeling of the Nasal Airway Epithelium Induced by Urban PM.

Air pollution particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM) exposure is associated with poor respiratory outcomes. Mechanisms underlying PM-induced lung pathobiology are poorly understood but likely involve cellular and molecular changes to the airway epithelium.

Expression of SMARCD1 interacts with age in association with asthma control on inhaled corticosteroid therapy.

Background: Global gene expression levels are known to be highly dependent upon gross demographic features including age, yet identification of age-related genomic indicators has yet to be comprehensively undertaken in a disease and treatment-specific context.

Methods: We used gene expression data from CD4+ lymphocytes in the Asthma BioRepository for Integrative Genomic Exploration (Asthma BRIDGE), an open-access collection of subjects participating in genetic studies of asthma with available gene expression data. Replication population participants were Puerto Rico islanders recruited as part of the ongoing Genes environments & Admixture in Latino Americans (GALA II), who provided nasal brushings for transcript sequencing.

Identification of CFTR variants in Latino patients with cystic fibrosis from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

Background: In cystic fibrosis (CF), the spectrum and frequency of CFTR variants differ by geography and race/ethnicity. CFTR variants in White patients are well-described compared with Latino patients. No studies of CFTR variants have been done in patients with CF in the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico.

Bacterial salivary microbiome associates with asthma among african american children and young adults.

Several studies have shown that the airways of asthma patients contain higher diversity of bacteria and are enriched in pathogenic species. However, sampling the airways in children is challenging. Here we aimed to identify differences in the salivary bacterial composition between African Americans children with and without asthma.

In utero tobacco smoke exposure, DNA methylation, and asthma in Latino children.

Background: Maternal smoking during pregnancy is a risk factor for chronic disease later in life and has been associated with variability of DNA methylation at specific cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) loci. We assessed the role of DNA methylation as a potential mediator of adverse effects of in utero tobacco smoke exposures on asthma outcomes in Latino children from the US mainland and Puerto Rico.

Methods: Relationships between self-reported exposure and DNA methylation at CpG loci previously reported to be associated with maternal smoking were assessed in a subsample consisting of 572 children aged 8-21 years (310 cases with asthma, 262 healthy controls), sampled from a larger asthma case-control study.

Ambient air pollution, asthma drug response, and telomere length in African American youth.

Background: Telomere length (TL) can serve as a potential biomarker for conditions associated with chronic oxidative stress and inflammation, such as asthma. Air pollution can induce oxidative stress. Understanding the relationship between TL, asthma, and air pollution is important for identifying risk factors contributing to unhealthy aging in children.

Racial/Ethnic-Specific Differences in the Effects of Inhaled Corticosteroid Use on Bronchodilator Response in Patients With Asthma.

American Thoracic Society guidelines recommend inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy, plus a short-acting bronchodilator, in patients with persistent asthma. However, few prior studies have examined the efficacy of this combination in children of all racial/ethnic groups. We evaluated the association between ICS use and bronchodilator response (BDR) in three pediatric populations with persistent asthma (656 African American, 916 Puerto Rican, and 398 Mexican American children).

Genome-wide association study of inhaled corticosteroid response in admixed children with asthma.

Background: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are the most widely prescribed and effective medication to control asthma symptoms and exacerbations. However, many children still have asthma exacerbations despite treatment, particularly in admixed populations, such as Puerto Ricans and African Americans. A few genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been performed in European and Asian populations, and they have demonstrated the importance of the genetic component in ICS response.

Acculturation is associated with asthma burden and pulmonary function in Latino youth: The GALA II study.

Background: Acculturation is an important predictor of asthma in Latino youth, specifically Mexican Americans. Less is known about acculturation and pulmonary function measures.

Objective: We sought to estimate the association of acculturation measures with asthma and pulmonary function in Latino youth and determine whether this association varies across Latino subgroups.

Epigenome-wide meta-analysis of DNA methylation and childhood asthma.

Background: Epigenetic mechanisms, including methylation, can contribute to childhood asthma. Identifying DNA methylation profiles in asthmatic patients can inform disease pathogenesis.

Objective: We sought to identify differential DNA methylation in newborns and children related to childhood asthma.

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.

An admixture mapping meta-analysis implicates genetic variation at 18q21 with asthma susceptibility in Latinos.

Background: Asthma is a common but complex disease with racial/ethnic differences in prevalence, morbidity, and response to therapies.

Objective: We sought to perform an analysis of genetic ancestry to identify new loci that contribute to asthma susceptibility.

Methods: We leveraged the mixed ancestry of 3902 Latinos and performed an admixture mapping meta-analysis for asthma susceptibility.

Genetic Determinants of Telomere Length in African American Youth.

Telomere length (TL) is associated with numerous disease states and is affected by genetic and environmental factors. However, TL has been mostly studied in adult populations of European or Asian ancestry. These studies have identified 34 TL-associated genetic variants recently used as genetic proxies for TL.