Publications by authors named "Shelley Cole"
Article Synopsis
- Uranium, a toxic element found in U.S. drinking water, was studied to see if its levels in urine are linked to heart health in American Indian young adults.
- The study analyzed data from over 1,300 participants, measuring urinary uranium and assessing heart function through echocardiography over several years.
- Results showed higher urinary uranium levels were associated with negative changes in heart structure and function, indicating a possible risk for cardiovascular issues that merits further research.
Background: The association of overall cardiovascular health (CVH) with changes in DNA methylation (DNAm) has not been well characterized.
Methods: We calculated the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 (LE8) score to reflect CVH in five cohorts with diverse ancestry backgrounds. Epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) for LE8 score were conducted, followed by bioinformatic analyses.
Article Synopsis
- There is a shared relationship between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer, tied to common risk factors and biological pathways, which the study aims to explore across three diverse ethnic cohorts.
- The researchers employed a two-stage methodology involving epigenome-wide association studies and targeted analysis of differentially methylated positions (DMPs), unveiling significant epigenetic markers for CVD and cancer.
- The findings indicate interconnected biological pathways for CVD and cancer, suggesting potential for precision prevention strategies, including screening based on epigenetic signatures to identify at-risk patients in early diagnosis stages.
BACKGROUNDLeft ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and dyslipidemia are strong, independent predictors for cardiovascular disease, but their relationship is less well studied. A longitudinal lipidomic profiling of left ventricular mass (LVM) and LVH is still lacking.METHODSUsing liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), we repeatedly measured 1,542 lipids from 1,755 unique American Indians attending 2 exams (mean, 5 years apart).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a major health issue in the U.S., and improved prediction models could help in early detection and intervention.
- Researchers developed a deep learning autoencoder survival analysis model (AESurv) that analyzes DNA methylation and clinical data to predict CHD events more accurately.
- The AESurv model outperformed traditional survival analysis models in two studies, showing strong potential for improving early CHD prediction and aiding healthcare professionals in managing patient care.
Article Synopsis
- A study was conducted on heart failure (HF) risk factors among American Indian communities, revealing a lack of existing research in this area despite high diabetes and cardiovascular issues.
- The study analyzed data from 3,059 participants, identifying key predictors of HF over time, including age, smoking, kidney damage, and history of heart attacks, with strong predictive performance indicated.
- The findings highlight that diabetes control and kidney damage indicators are significant in determining HF risks, which could help improve risk prediction and management in these communities.
Background: American Indian populations have experienced marked disparities in respiratory disease burden. Extracellular vesicle-encapsulated microRNAs (EV-miRNAs) are a novel class of biomarkers that may improve recognition of lung damage in indigenous populations in the United States.
Research Question: Are plasma EV-miRNAs viable biomarkers of respiratory health in American Indian populations?
Study Design And Methods: The Strong Heart Study is a prospective cohort study that enrolled American Indian patients aged 45 to 74 years.
Article Synopsis
- Selenium is a crucial nutrient that can have negative health effects at both low and high levels, prompting research into how it affects DNA methylation and related diseases in a specific population (American Indians).
- In a study involving 1,357 participants, researchers measured urinary selenium levels and conducted DNA methylation analysis, identifying five key CpG sites significantly associated with these levels.
- The results showed only minor changes in DNA methylation linked to urinary selenium, indicating that its health impacts might involve mechanisms beyond just DNA methylation alterations.
Geographic and dietary differences of urinary uranium levels in the Strong Heart Family Study.
J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol
July 2024
Background: American Indian (AI) communities are affected by uranium exposure from abandoned mines and naturally contaminated drinking water. Few studies have evaluated geographical differences across AI communities and the role of dietary exposures.
Objective: We evaluated differences in urinary uranium levels by diet and geographical area among AI participants from the Northern Plains, the Southern Plains, and the Southwest enrolled in the Strong Heart Family Study (SHFS).
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates hybridization among baboons to enhance our understanding of primate evolution, focusing on olive and yellow baboon species at the Southwest National Primate Research Center.
- Researchers used full genome data from 881 baboons to analyze genetic ancestry and improve the quality of genetic markers, discovering historical admixture in some supposedly purebred specimens.
- The findings included the creation of updated genetic maps and a set of 1,747 ancestry informative markers, which show strong agreement in global ancestry estimation but revealed phase switch errors influenced by the methods used.
Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is highly prevalent in Central America, and genetic factors may contribute to CKD risk. To understand the influences of genetic admixture on CKD susceptibility, we conducted an admixture mapping screening of CKD traits and risk factors in US Hispanic and Latino individuals from Central America country of origin.
Methods: We analyzed 1023 participants of HCHS/SOL (Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos) who reported 4 grandparents originating from the same Central America country.
Background: A growing body of research indicates that associations of ceramides and sphingomyelins with mortality depend on the chain length of the fatty acid acylated to the backbone sphingoid base. We examined associations of 8 ceramide and sphingomyelin species with mortality among an American Indian population.
Methods And Results: The analysis comprised 2688 participants from the SHFS (Strong Heart Family Study).
Importance: Persistent symptoms and disability following SARS-CoV-2 infection, known as post-COVID-19 condition or "long COVID," are frequently reported and pose a substantial personal and societal burden.
Objective: To determine time to recovery following SARS-CoV-2 infection and identify factors associated with recovery by 90 days.
Design, Setting, And Participants: For this prospective cohort study, standardized ascertainment of SARS-CoV-2 infection was conducted starting in April 1, 2020, across 14 ongoing National Institutes of Health-funded cohorts that have enrolled and followed participants since 1971.
Background: Although COVID-19 infection has been associated with a number of clinical and environmental risk factors, host genetic variation has also been associated with the incidence and morbidity of infection. The CRP gene codes for a critical component of the innate immune system and CRP variants have been reported associated with infectious disease and vaccination outcomes. We investigated possible associations between COVID-19 outcome and a limited number of candidate gene variants including rs1205.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe marmoset is a fundamental nonhuman primate model for the study of aging, neurobiology, and many other topics. Genetic management of captive marmoset colonies is complicated by frequent chimerism in the blood and other tissues, a lack of tools to enable cost-effective, genome-wide interrogation of variation, and historic mergers and migrations of animals between colonies. We implemented genotype-by-sequencing (GBS) of hair follicle derived DNA (a minimally chimeric DNA source) of 82 marmosets housed at the Southwest National Primate Research Center (SNPRC).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe generalized estimating equations method (GEE) is commonly applied to analyze data obtained from family studies. GEE is well known for its robustness on misspecification of correlation structure. However, the unbalanced distribution of family sizes and complicated genetic relatedness structure within each family may challenge GEE performance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in American Indian people. In 2022, the American Heart Association developed the Life's Essential 8 goals to promote cardiovascular health (CVH) for Americans, composed of diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep, body mass index, blood lipids, blood pressure, and blood glucose. We examined whether achievement of Life's Essential 8 goals was associated with incident CVD among SHFS (Strong Heart Family Study) participants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Although many studies on the association between dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease (CVD) exist in older adults, data on the association among adolescents and young adults living with disproportionate burden of cardiometabolic disorders are scarce.
Methods And Results: The SHFS (Strong Heart Family Study) is a multicenter, family-based, prospective cohort study of CVD in an American Indian populations, including 12 communities in central Arizona, southwestern Oklahoma, and the Dakotas. We evaluated SHFS participants, who were 15 to 39 years old at the baseline examination in 2001 to 2003 (n=1440).
Article Synopsis
- - The research addresses the challenge of analyzing omics data, which is complex due to its high dimensions and correlated features, by enhancing the ISIS algorithm with different elastic-net variants for better feature selection in omics studies.
- - Using DNA methylation data from a large study on American Indians, the authors found that ISIS-AEnet provided superior predictive accuracy and identified significant epigenomic markers related to body mass index (BMI) compared to traditional methods.
- - The extended ISIS R package also includes options for logistic and Cox regression, enabling it to handle various research scenarios, while maintaining efficient feature selection and supporting biological discoveries.
This study investigates correlates of anti-S1 antibody response following COVID-19 vaccination in a U.S. population-based meta-cohort of adults participating in longstanding NIH-funded cohort studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Chronic lead exposure is associated with both subclinical and clinical cardiovascular disease. We evaluated whether declines in blood lead were associated with changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in adult American Indian participants from the SHFS (Strong Heart Family Study).
Methods And Results: Lead in whole blood was measured in 285 SHFS participants in 1997 to 1999 and 2006 to 2009.
Article Synopsis
- Chronic kidney disease significantly impacts global health, particularly among individuals of African ancestry and those in the Americas, who are often excluded from genetic studies.
- A comprehensive meta-analysis involving over 145,000 individuals from these groups led to the discovery of 41 significant genetic loci associated with kidney function, two of which hadn't been previously identified across any ancestry group.
- The study emphasizes the importance of diverse populations in genetic research for better understanding kidney disease and suggests that multi-ancestry polygenic scores can improve predictive capabilities and clinical applications.
Background: Identifying lipidomic markers of diet quality is needed to inform the development of biomarkers of diet, and to understand the mechanisms driving the diet- coronary heart disease (CHD) association.
Objectives: This study aimed to identify lipidomic markers of diet quality and examine whether these lipids are associated with incident CHD.
Methods: Using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, we measured 1542 lipid species from 1694 American Indian adults (aged 18-75 years, 62% female) in the Strong Heart Family Study.
Article Synopsis
- The common marmoset is a key nonhuman primate for studying human diseases, but earlier genetic studies faced issues with incomplete genome assemblies using short-read technology.
- Researchers created a high-quality 2.898 Gb marmoset genome using long-read sequencing, finding significant genetic diversity and identifying millions of genetic variants.
- This new genomic resource will enhance genetic analyses, aid in understanding natural variations related to human diseases, and support the development of genetically engineered marmoset models for research.
Article Synopsis
- Inorganic arsenic exposure may heighten the risk of cardiovascular disease and overall mortality by contributing to accelerated aging, which can be gauged through specific DNA methylation measures.
- The study, conducted with American Indian adults, assessed three epigenetic aging measures (PhenoAge, GrimAge, DunedinPACE) to see how they mediated the effects of arsenic on cardiovascular health outcomes.
- Findings revealed that higher urinary arsenic levels correlated with older biological ages in GrimAge and faster aging in DunedinPACE, indicating a significant link between arsenic exposure, accelerated aging, and increased cardiovascular risks.