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45 The Impact of Loneliness on Amyloid Burden, Cerebrovascular Disease, Neurodegeneration, and Memory Performance in a Community-Based Sample of Older Adults
- Bayardo E Lacayo, Clarissa Morales, Aine Montgomery, Kiana Chan, Stephanie Cosentino, Adam M Brickman, Jennifer Manly, Nicole Schupf, Richard Mayeux, Patrick Lao
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- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 455-456
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Objective:
The current research framework recommends using biomarkers to further understand Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis, including other contributing factors like cerebrovascular disease. In longitudinal studies of people with neuropathological examination after death, baseline loneliness was associated with lower cognition, faster cognitive decline, and future AD risk, independent of AD pathology. Examination of memory impairment along with AD and cerebrovascular biomarkers, could aid risk reduction efforts earlier in the lifecourse and among populations with more exposure to loneliness. We hypothesized that loneliness is associated with amyloid, vascular, and neurodegeneration biomarkers; with worse memory; and that loneliness increases the susceptibility to biomarker-related memory impairment.
Participants and Methods:A subset of cognitively unimpaired older adults with available amyloid PET, vascular MRI (white matter hyperintensity volume, WMH), structural MRI (cortical thickness in AD signature regions), neuropsychological testing (memory factor score), dichotomized loneliness data (one item from CES-D), and relevant medical data were drawn from the community-based Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP; n=169; covariates included age=81±6 years; 63% women; 49/31/20% Non-Hispanic Black/Non-Hispanic White/Hispanic; education=13±4 years; 32% APOE-e4 carriers). General linear models in the overall sample and stratified by race and ethnicity tested the association between loneliness and AD and cerebrovascular biomarkers, loneliness and memory, and the interaction of loneliness and biomarkers on memory, adjusting for covariates.
Results:Loneliness was endorsed in 18% of participants, marginally associated with older age (2.1 [-0.2, 4.4], p=0.08), was more likely in those with untreated diabetes (13/0.1% lonely/not lonely, p=0.001), associated with lower cortical thickness (-0.05 [-0.09, -0.02], p=0.01), and associated with lower memory (0.3 [-0.6, -0.001], p=0.05). In Non-Hispanic White participants, loneliness was associated with greater WMH volume (0.5 [0.07, 0.82], p=0.03), while in Hispanic participants, loneliness was associated with lower cortical thickness (-0.16 [-0.24, -0.08], p=0.0006). In Non-Hispanic Black participants, loneliness was associated with lower memory (-13 [-26, -0.5], p=0.05), and the association between lower cortical thickness and lower memory was stronger in those that endorse loneliness (5 [0.2, 10], p=0.05). In Hispanic participants, loneliness was associated with higher memory (13 [4, 22], p=0.009), but the association between higher amyloid burden and lower memory was stronger in those that endorse loneliness (-12 [-20, -4], p=0.006); further, loneliness was marginally associated with lower memory (-0.7 [-1.4, 0.1], p=0.09), independently of WMH.
Conclusions:Associations between loneliness and biomarkers may relate to health seeking behavior, reported as treatment status for diabetes, for cerebrovascular burden and general neurodegeneration, but might be more complex for amyloid. The degree to which loneliness increased the susceptibility to amyloid and neurodegeneration-related, but not cerebrovascular-related, memory impairment, specifically, may suggest that domains beyond memory should be considered. Future work should be longitudinal to disentangle the effects of loneliness from related constructs like depression and anxiety, incorporate other AD biomarkers such as hyperphosphorylated tau, and incorporate biological mechanisms (e.g., stress, inflammation) into models of loneliness and AD pathogenesis. Older adults from all backgrounds may be more susceptible to loneliness, which was associated with lower memory; culturally-humble, social support-based interventions may reduce the risk of cognitive impairment.
Can You Teach Clinical Communication Virtually?
- Adam Montgomery, Faeez Ramjan, Alistair Cannon, Sae Kohara, Chloe Saunders, Deekshitha Umasankar, Lois Zac-Williams, Sophie Butler
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- Journal:
- BJPsych Open / Volume 9 / Issue S1 / July 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 07 July 2023, p. S9
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Aims
An extracurricular clinical communication course called PsychED Up, with a focus on Psychiatry, met with challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated social distancing requirements. The course is usually delivered face-to-face by a small team of doctors, medical students, actors and lived-experience practitioners, and consists of large-group teaching on a weekly topic, followed by small group simulations. A small-scale study was performed to evaluate whether conducting clinical communication teaching and simulation online was acceptable, effective and feasible.
MethodsTwelve students and ten faculty members participated in the online session, performing live clinical scenarios with simulated patients, over a two-hour period. Pre-and post-course questionnaires were designed with quantitative measures of confidence and qualitative questions about participants’ experience. Eight students completed both questionnaires. Questionnaire answers were analysed using a mixed-methods approach, with themes identified from the qualitative long answers, and statistical analysis of quantitative answers was also performed.
ResultsStudents found the session beneficial, with all indicating that they would sign up for a full online course. Based on answers to the quantitative questions, 50% of students felt more prepared for their clinical examinations. (p = 0.046). However, all participants noted a reduction in their ability to read non-verbal cues and body language. Returning students found they were less attentive during the session compared with the original face-to-face teaching (p = 0.05). Actors and faculty members found that the online course was feasible, acceptable and effective. However, most agreed that it was not preferable to teaching clinical communication skills face to face. Technological issues were minimal.
ConclusionThe majority of students and faculty found the session both beneficial and enjoyable, but felt face to face sessions would be more helpful in teaching clinical communication. Student attentiveness and awareness of non-verbal cues were highlighted as concerns. However, students generally responded positively to the online course, particularly the quality and diversity of peer feedback. Teaching clinical communication virtually has the potential to be successful, and has implications for future undergraduate medical teaching.
University students and staff able to maintain low daily contact numbers during various COVID-19 guideline periods
- Adam Trickey, Emily Nixon, Hannah Christensen, Adam Finn, Amy Thomas, Caroline Relton, Clara Montgomery, Gibran Hemani, Jane Metz, Josephine G. Walker, Katy Turner, Rachel Kwiatkowska, Sarah Sauchelli, Leon Danon, Ellen Brooks-Pollock
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- Journal:
- Epidemiology & Infection / Volume 149 / 2021
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 10 August 2021, e169
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UK universities re-opened in September 2020, amidst the coronavirus epidemic. During the first term, various national social distancing measures were introduced, including banning groups of >6 people and the second lockdown in November; however, outbreaks among university students occurred. We aimed to measure the University of Bristol staff and student contact patterns via an online, longitudinal survey capturing self-reported contacts on the previous day. We investigated the change in contacts associated with COVID-19 guidance periods: post-first lockdown (23/06/2020–03/07/2020), relaxed guidance period (04/07/2020–13/09/2020), ‘rule-of-six’ period (14/09/2020–04/11/2020) and the second lockdown (05/11/2020–25/11/2020). In total, 722 staff (4199 responses) and 738 students (1906 responses) were included in the study. For staff, daily contacts were higher in the relaxed guidance and ‘rule-of-six’ periods than the post-first lockdown and second lockdown. Mean student contacts dropped between the ‘rule-of-six’ and second lockdown periods. For both staff and students, the proportion meeting with groups larger than six dropped between the ‘rule-of-six’ period and the second lockdown period, although was higher for students than for staff. Our results suggest university staff and students responded to national guidance by altering their social contacts. Most contacts during the second lockdown were household contacts. The response in staff and students was similar, suggesting that students can adhere to social distancing guidance while at university. The number of contacts recorded for both staff and students were much lower than those recorded by previous surveys in the UK conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Counting ECGs in acute psychiatry – The patients' price for junior doctors' rotations
- Marianna Rogowska, Adam Montgomery, Luiz Dratcu
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- BJPsych Open / Volume 7 / Issue S1 / June 2021
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 18 June 2021, pp. S100-S101
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Aims
On 05/08/20, when a new cohort of doctors rotated onto an acute ward, (John Dickson Ward, Maudsley Hospital, London) a new handover tool on MS Teams was introduced, which replaced previously used MS Word document. The new handover tool can be accessed and edited by any of the users in the team. We hypothesised that the introduction of an interactive, live-updated tool would help improve physical health monitoring for patients, especially compliance with ECG taking. The aim of this project was to test this hypothesis.
MethodAuthors have reviewed electronic documentation of patients admitted to and discharged from John Dickson Ward between 01/04/2020 and 24/12/2020. Evidence of whether an ECG was performed, was offered but declined by the patient, or was not offered were noted in the final audit. Patients were divided into 3 groups: (1) Patients admitted and discharged from 01/04/20 – 05/08/2020; (2) Patients admitted and discharged from 05/08/2020 – 24/12/20, and (3) Patients admitted before the intervention date, but discharged after the date (i.e., the period when new junior doctors had rotated onto the ward). Fifty patient records were identified in Group 1, fifty in Group 2, and 18 in Group 3.
ResultSurprisingly, the percentage of patients who had a documented ECG did not improve after the intervention, with 37/50 (74%) of patients having an ECG in Group 1, and 37/50 (74%) of patients having an ECG in Group 2. However, an incidental finding was made that significantly fewer patients received ECGs during the changeover period (Group 3), with only 6/18 (33%) of patients receiving ECGs. The percentage of patients who were not offered ECGs also increased during the changeover period, with 2/50 (4%) in Group 1, and 3/18 (17%) in Group 3 not being offered.
ConclusionThis incidental finding highlights the challenges associated with the junior doctor changeover period. Much time is needed for doctors to adjust to their new surroundings and methods of working, and this may result in basic elements of patient care being overlooked. We surmise that other elements, such as ensuring all patients having regular blood tests and physical examinations, may also be of a lower standard during this period. There is scope for future audits to address this, and for future quality improvement projects to implement changes ensuring medical care remains at a high standard during junior doctor changeover periods.
Education in Twins and Their Parents Across Birth Cohorts Over 100 years: An Individual-Level Pooled Analysis of 42-Twin Cohorts
- Karri Silventoinen, Aline Jelenkovic, Antti Latvala, Reijo Sund, Yoshie Yokoyama, Vilhelmina Ullemar, Catarina Almqvist, Catherine A. Derom, Robert F. Vlietinck, Ruth J. F. Loos, Christian Kandler, Chika Honda, Fujio Inui, Yoshinori Iwatani, Mikio Watanabe, Esther Rebato, Maria A. Stazi, Corrado Fagnani, Sonia Brescianini, Yoon-Mi Hur, Hoe-Uk Jeong, Tessa L. Cutler, John L. Hopper, Andreas Busjahn, Kimberly J. Saudino, Fuling Ji, Feng Ning, Zengchang Pang, Richard J. Rose, Markku Koskenvuo, Kauko Heikkilä, Wendy Cozen, Amie E. Hwang, Thomas M. Mack, Sisira H. Siribaddana, Matthew Hotopf, Athula Sumathipala, Fruhling Rijsdijk, Joohon Sung, Jina Kim, Jooyeon Lee, Sooji Lee, Tracy L. Nelson, Keith E. Whitfield, Qihua Tan, Dongfeng Zhang, Clare H. Llewellyn, Abigail Fisher, S. Alexandra Burt, Kelly L. Klump, Ariel Knafo-Noam, David Mankuta, Lior Abramson, Sarah E. Medland, Nicholas G. Martin, Grant W. Montgomery, Patrik K. E. Magnusson, Nancy L. Pedersen, Anna K. Dahl Aslan, Robin P. Corley, Brooke M. Huibregtse, Sevgi Y. Öncel, Fazil Aliev, Robert F. Krueger, Matt McGue, Shandell Pahlen, Gonneke Willemsen, Meike Bartels, Catharina E. M. van Beijsterveldt, Judy L. Silberg, Lindon J. Eaves, Hermine H. Maes, Jennifer R. Harris, Ingunn Brandt, Thomas S. Nilsen, Finn Rasmussen, Per Tynelius, Laura A. Baker, Catherine Tuvblad, Juan R. Ordoñana, Juan F. Sánchez-Romera, Lucia Colodro-Conde, Margaret Gatz, David A. Butler, Paul Lichtenstein, Jack H. Goldberg, K. Paige Harden, Elliot M. Tucker-Drob, Glen E. Duncan, Dedra Buchwald, Adam D. Tarnoki, David L. Tarnoki, Carol E. Franz, William S. Kremen, Michael J. Lyons, José A. Maia, Duarte L. Freitas, Eric Turkheimer, Thorkild I. A. Sørensen, Dorret I. Boomsma, Jaakko Kaprio
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- Journal:
- Twin Research and Human Genetics / Volume 20 / Issue 5 / October 2017
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 04 October 2017, pp. 395-405
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Whether monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins differ from each other in a variety of phenotypes is important for genetic twin modeling and for inferences made from twin studies in general. We analyzed whether there were differences in individual, maternal and paternal education between MZ and DZ twins in a large pooled dataset. Information was gathered on individual education for 218,362 adult twins from 27 twin cohorts (53% females; 39% MZ twins), and on maternal and paternal education for 147,315 and 143,056 twins respectively, from 28 twin cohorts (52% females; 38% MZ twins). Together, we had information on individual or parental education from 42 twin cohorts representing 19 countries. The original education classifications were transformed to education years and analyzed using linear regression models. Overall, MZ males had 0.26 (95% CI [0.21, 0.31]) years and MZ females 0.17 (95% CI [0.12, 0.21]) years longer education than DZ twins. The zygosity difference became smaller in more recent birth cohorts for both males and females. Parental education was somewhat longer for fathers of DZ twins in cohorts born in 1990–1999 (0.16 years, 95% CI [0.08, 0.25]) and 2000 or later (0.11 years, 95% CI [0.00, 0.22]), compared with fathers of MZ twins. The results show that the years of both individual and parental education are largely similar in MZ and DZ twins. We suggest that the socio-economic differences between MZ and DZ twins are so small that inferences based upon genetic modeling of twin data are not affected.
Twin's Birth-Order Differences in Height and Body Mass Index From Birth to Old Age: A Pooled Study of 26 Twin Cohorts Participating in the CODATwins Project
- Yoshie Yokoyama, Aline Jelenkovic, Reijo Sund, Joohon Sung, John L. Hopper, Syuichi Ooki, Kauko Heikkilä, Sari Aaltonen, Adam D. Tarnoki, David L. Tarnoki, Gonneke Willemsen, Meike Bartels, Toos C. E. M. van Beijsterveldt, Kimberly J. Saudino, Tessa L. Cutler, Tracy L. Nelson, Keith E. Whitfield, Jane Wardle, Clare H. Llewellyn, Abigail Fisher, Mingguang He, Xiaohu Ding, Morten Bjerregaard-Andersen, Henning Beck-Nielsen, Morten Sodemann, Yun-Mi Song, Sarah Yang, Kayoung Lee, Hoe-Uk Jeong, Ariel Knafo-Noam, David Mankuta, Lior Abramson, S. Alexandra Burt, Kelly L. Klump, Juan R. Ordoñana, Juan F. Sánchez-Romera, Lucia Colodro-Conde, Jennifer R. Harris, Ingunn Brandt, Thomas Sevenius Nilsen, Jeffrey M. Craig, Richard Saffery, Fuling Ji, Feng Ning, Zengchang Pang, Lise Dubois, Michel Boivin, Mara Brendgen, Ginette Dionne, Frank Vitaro, Nicholas G. Martin, Sarah E. Medland, Grant W. Montgomery, Patrik K. E. Magnusson, Nancy L. Pedersen, Anna K. Dahl Aslan, Per Tynelius, Claire M. A. Haworth, Robert Plomin, Esther Rebato, Richard J. Rose, Jack H. Goldberg, Finn Rasmussen, Yoon-Mi Hur, Thorkild I. A. Sørensen, Dorret I. Boomsma, Jaakko Kaprio, Karri Silventoinen
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- Journal:
- Twin Research and Human Genetics / Volume 19 / Issue 2 / April 2016
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 09 March 2016, pp. 112-124
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We analyzed birth order differences in means and variances of height and body mass index (BMI) in monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins from infancy to old age. The data were derived from the international CODATwins database. The total number of height and BMI measures from 0.5 to 79.5 years of age was 397,466. As expected, first-born twins had greater birth weight than second-born twins. With respect to height, first-born twins were slightly taller than second-born twins in childhood. After adjusting the results for birth weight, the birth order differences decreased and were no longer statistically significant. First-born twins had greater BMI than the second-born twins over childhood and adolescence. After adjusting the results for birth weight, birth order was still associated with BMI until 12 years of age. No interaction effect between birth order and zygosity was found. Only limited evidence was found that birth order influenced variances of height or BMI. The results were similar among boys and girls and also in MZ and DZ twins. Overall, the differences in height and BMI between first- and second-born twins were modest even in early childhood, while adjustment for birth weight reduced the birth order differences but did not remove them for BMI.
Impact of a cis-associated gene expression SNP on chromosome 20q11.22 on bipolar disorder susceptibility, hippocampal structure and cognitive performance
- Ming Li, Xiong-jian Luo, Mikael Landén, Sarah E. Bergen, Christina M. Hultman, Xiao Li, Wen Zhang, Yong-Gang Yao, Chen Zhang, Jiewei Liu, Manuel Mattheisen, Sven Cichon, Thomas W. Mühleisen, Franziska A. Degenhardt, Markus M. Nöthen, Thomas G. Schulze, Maria Grigoroiu-Serbanescu, Hao Li, Chris K. Fuller, Chunhui Chen, Qi Dong, Chuansheng Chen, Stéphane Jamain, Marion Leboyer, Frank Bellivier, Bruno Etain, Jean-Pierre Kahn, Chantal Henry, Martin Preisig, Zoltán Kutalik, Enrique Castelao, Adam Wright, Philip B. Mitchell, Janice M. Fullerton, Peter R. Schofield, Grant W. Montgomery, Sarah E. Medland, Scott D. Gordon, Nicholas G. Martin, MooDS Consortium, The Swedish Bipolar Study Group, Marcella Rietschel, Chunyu Liu, Joel E. Kleinman, Thomas M. Hyde, Daniel R. Weinberger, Bing Su
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- Journal:
- The British Journal of Psychiatry / Volume 208 / Issue 2 / February 2016
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 02 January 2018, pp. 128-137
- Print publication:
- February 2016
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Background
Bipolar disorder is a highly heritable polygenic disorder. Recent enrichment analyses suggest that there may be true risk variants for bipolar disorder in the expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) in the brain.
AimsWe sought to assess the impact of eQTL variants on bipolar disorder risk by combining data from both bipolar disorder genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and brain eQTL.
MethodTo detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that influence expression levels of genes associated with bipolar disorder, we jointly analysed data from a bipolar disorder GWAS (7481 cases and 9250 controls) and a genome-wide brain (cortical) eQTL (193 healthy controls) using a Bayesian statistical method, with independent follow-up replications. The identified risk SNP was then further tested for association with hippocampal volume (n = 5775) and cognitive performance (n = 342) among healthy individuals.
ResultsIntegrative analysis revealed a significant association between a brain eQTL rs6088662 on chromosome 20q11.22 and bipolar disorder (log Bayes factor = 5.48; bipolar disorder P = 5.85×10–5). Follow-up studies across multiple independent samples confirmed the association of the risk SNP (rs6088662) with gene expression and bipolar disorder susceptibility (P = 3.54×10–8). Further exploratory analysis revealed that rs6088662 is also associated with hippocampal volume and cognitive performance in healthy individuals.
ConclusionsOur findings suggest that 20q11.22 is likely a risk region for bipolar disorder; they also highlight the informative value of integrating functional annotation of genetic variants for gene expression in advancing our understanding of the biological basis underlying complex disorders, such as bipolar disorder.
Zygosity Differences in Height and Body Mass Index of Twins From Infancy to Old Age: A Study of the CODATwins Project
- Aline Jelenkovic, Yoshie Yokoyama, Reijo Sund, Chika Honda, Leonie H Bogl, Sari Aaltonen, Fuling Ji, Feng Ning, Zengchang Pang, Juan R. Ordoñana, Juan F. Sánchez-Romera, Lucia Colodro-Conde, S. Alexandra Burt, Kelly L. Klump, Sarah E. Medland, Grant W. Montgomery, Christian Kandler, Tom A. McAdams, Thalia C. Eley, Alice M. Gregory, Kimberly J. Saudino, Lise Dubois, Michel Boivin, Adam D. Tarnoki, David L. Tarnoki, Claire M. A. Haworth, Robert Plomin, Sevgi Y. Öncel, Fazil Aliev, Maria A. Stazi, Corrado Fagnani, Cristina D’Ippolito, Jeffrey M. Craig, Richard Saffery, Sisira H. Siribaddana, Matthew Hotopf, Athula Sumathipala, Fruhling Rijsdijk, Timothy Spector, Massimo Mangino, Genevieve Lachance, Margaret Gatz, David A. Butler, Gombojav Bayasgalan, Danshiitsoodol Narandalai, Duarte L Freitas, José Antonio Maia, K. Paige Harden, Elliot M. Tucker-Drob, Bia Kim, Youngsook Chong, Changhee Hong, Hyun Jung Shin, Kaare Christensen, Axel Skytthe, Kirsten O. Kyvik, Catherine A. Derom, Robert F. Vlietinck, Ruth J. F. Loos, Wendy Cozen, Amie E. Hwang, Thomas M. Mack, Mingguang He, Xiaohu Ding, Billy Chang, Judy L. Silberg, Lindon J. Eaves, Hermine H. Maes, Tessa L. Cutler, John L. Hopper, Kelly Aujard, Patrik K. E. Magnusson, Nancy L. Pedersen, Anna K. Dahl Aslan, Yun-Mi Song, Sarah Yang, Kayoung Lee, Laura A. Baker, Catherine Tuvblad, Morten Bjerregaard-Andersen, Henning Beck-Nielsen, Morten Sodemann, Kauko Heikkilä, Qihua Tan, Dongfeng Zhang, Gary E. Swan, Ruth Krasnow, Kerry L. Jang, Ariel Knafo-Noam, David Mankuta, Lior Abramson, Paul Lichtenstein, Robert F. Krueger, Matt McGue, Shandell Pahlen, Per Tynelius, Glen E. Duncan, Dedra Buchwald, Robin P. Corley, Brooke M. Huibregtse, Tracy L. Nelson, Keith E. Whitfield, Carol E. Franz, William S. Kremen, Michael J. Lyons, Syuichi Ooki, Ingunn Brandt, Thomas Sevenius Nilsen, Fujio Inui, Mikio Watanabe, Meike Bartels, Toos C. E. M. van Beijsterveldt, Jane Wardle, Clare H. Llewellyn, Abigail Fisher, Esther Rebato, Nicholas G. Martin, Yoshinori Iwatani, Kazuo Hayakawa, Joohon Sung, Jennifer R. Harris, Gonneke Willemsen, Andreas Busjahn, Jack H. Goldberg, Finn Rasmussen, Yoon-Mi Hur, Dorret I. Boomsma, Thorkild I. A. Sørensen, Jaakko Kaprio, Karri Silventoinen
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- Twin Research and Human Genetics / Volume 18 / Issue 5 / October 2015
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 04 September 2015, pp. 557-570
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A trend toward greater body size in dizygotic (DZ) than in monozygotic (MZ) twins has been suggested by some but not all studies, and this difference may also vary by age. We analyzed zygosity differences in mean values and variances of height and body mass index (BMI) among male and female twins from infancy to old age. Data were derived from an international database of 54 twin cohorts participating in the COllaborative project of Development of Anthropometrical measures in Twins (CODATwins), and included 842,951 height and BMI measurements from twins aged 1 to 102 years. The results showed that DZ twins were consistently taller than MZ twins, with differences of up to 2.0 cm in childhood and adolescence and up to 0.9 cm in adulthood. Similarly, a greater mean BMI of up to 0.3 kg/m2 in childhood and adolescence and up to 0.2 kg/m2 in adulthood was observed in DZ twins, although the pattern was less consistent. DZ twins presented up to 1.7% greater height and 1.9% greater BMI than MZ twins; these percentage differences were largest in middle and late childhood and decreased with age in both sexes. The variance of height was similar in MZ and DZ twins at most ages. In contrast, the variance of BMI was significantly higher in DZ than in MZ twins, particularly in childhood. In conclusion, DZ twins were generally taller and had greater BMI than MZ twins, but the differences decreased with age in both sexes.
The CODATwins Project: The Cohort Description of Collaborative Project of Development of Anthropometrical Measures in Twins to Study Macro-Environmental Variation in Genetic and Environmental Effects on Anthropometric Traits
- Karri Silventoinen, Aline Jelenkovic, Reijo Sund, Chika Honda, Sari Aaltonen, Yoshie Yokoyama, Adam D. Tarnoki, David L. Tarnoki, Feng Ning, Fuling Ji, Zengchang Pang, Juan R. Ordoñana, Juan F. Sánchez-Romera, Lucia Colodro-Conde, S. Alexandra Burt, Kelly L. Klump, Sarah E. Medland, Grant W. Montgomery, Christian Kandler, Tom A. McAdams, Thalia C. Eley, Alice M. Gregory, Kimberly J. Saudino, Lise Dubois, Michel Boivin, Claire M. A. Haworth, Robert Plomin, Sevgi Y. Öncel, Fazil Aliev, Maria A. Stazi, Corrado Fagnani, Cristina D’Ippolito, Jeffrey M. Craig, Richard Saffery, Sisira H. Siribaddana, Matthew Hotopf, Athula Sumathipala, Timothy Spector, Massimo Mangino, Genevieve Lachance, Margaret Gatz, David A. Butler, Gombojav Bayasgalan, Danshiitsoodol Narandalai, Duarte L. Freitas, José Antonio Maia, K. Paige Harden, Elliot M. Tucker-Drob, Kaare Christensen, Axel Skytthe, Kirsten O. Kyvik, Changhee Hong, Youngsook Chong, Catherine A. Derom, Robert F. Vlietinck, Ruth J. F. Loos, Wendy Cozen, Amie E. Hwang, Thomas M. Mack, Mingguang He, Xiaohu Ding, Billy Chang, Judy L. Silberg, Lindon J. Eaves, Hermine H. Maes, Tessa L. Cutler, John L. Hopper, Kelly Aujard, Patrik K. E. Magnusson, Nancy L. Pedersen, Anna K. Dahl Aslan, Yun-Mi Song, Sarah Yang, Kayoung Lee, Laura A. Baker, Catherine Tuvblad, Morten Bjerregaard-Andersen, Henning Beck-Nielsen, Morten Sodemann, Kauko Heikkilä, Qihua Tan, Dongfeng Zhang, Gary E. Swan, Ruth Krasnow, Kerry L. Jang, Ariel Knafo-Noam, David Mankuta, Lior Abramson, Paul Lichtenstein, Robert F. Krueger, Matt McGue, Shandell Pahlen, Per Tynelius, Glen E. Duncan, Dedra Buchwald, Robin P. Corley, Brooke M. Huibregtse, Tracy L. Nelson, Keith E. Whitfield, Carol E. Franz, William S. Kremen, Michael J. Lyons, Syuichi Ooki, Ingunn Brandt, Thomas Sevenius Nilsen, Fujio Inui, Mikio Watanabe, Meike Bartels, Toos C. E. M. van Beijsterveldt, Jane Wardle, Clare H. Llewellyn, Abigail Fisher, Esther Rebato, Nicholas G. Martin, Yoshinori Iwatani, Kazuo Hayakawa, Finn Rasmussen, Joohon Sung, Jennifer R. Harris, Gonneke Willemsen, Andreas Busjahn, Jack H. Goldberg, Dorret I. Boomsma, Yoon-Mi Hur, Thorkild I. A. Sørensen, Jaakko Kaprio
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- Twin Research and Human Genetics / Volume 18 / Issue 4 / August 2015
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 27 May 2015, pp. 348-360
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For over 100 years, the genetics of human anthropometric traits has attracted scientific interest. In particular, height and body mass index (BMI, calculated as kg/m2) have been under intensive genetic research. However, it is still largely unknown whether and how heritability estimates vary between human populations. Opportunities to address this question have increased recently because of the establishment of many new twin cohorts and the increasing accumulation of data in established twin cohorts. We started a new research project to analyze systematically (1) the variation of heritability estimates of height, BMI and their trajectories over the life course between birth cohorts, ethnicities and countries, and (2) to study the effects of birth-related factors, education and smoking on these anthropometric traits and whether these effects vary between twin cohorts. We identified 67 twin projects, including both monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins, using various sources. We asked for individual level data on height and weight including repeated measurements, birth related traits, background variables, education and smoking. By the end of 2014, 48 projects participated. Together, we have 893,458 height and weight measures (52% females) from 434,723 twin individuals, including 201,192 complete twin pairs (40% monozygotic, 40% same-sex dizygotic and 20% opposite-sex dizygotic) representing 22 countries. This project demonstrates that large-scale international twin studies are feasible and can promote the use of existing data for novel research purposes.
Notes on Contributors
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- By John Dennis Anderson, William Blazek, Linda Costanzo Cahir, Sharon Kehl Califano, Donna Campbell, Helena Chance, Melanie Dawson, Linda De Roche, Anne-Marie Evans, Susan Goodman, Jennifer Haytock, Adam Jabbur, Katherine Joslin, Pamela Knights, Heidi M. Kunz, Jessica Schubert McCarthy, Bonnie Shannon McMullen, Cecilia Macheski, Maureen E. Montgomery, Elsa Nettels, Julie Olin-Ammentorp, Emily J. Orlando, Robin Peel, Melissa M. Pennell, Laura Rattray, Judith P. Saunders, Sharon Shaloo, Gail D. Sinclair, Carol J. Singley, Margaret Toth, Gary Totten, Linda Wagner-Martin
- Edited by Laura Rattray, University of Hull
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- Edith Wharton in Context
- Published online:
- 05 November 2012
- Print publication:
- 08 October 2012, pp ix-xvi
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Rogues' Gallery of Contributing Authors
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- By Ramon Abola, Rishimani Adsumelli, Syed Azim, Tazeen Beg, Helene Benveniste, Louis Chun, Ramtin Cohanim, Dominick Coleman, Joseph Conrad, Tommy Corrado, Jason Daras, Michelle DiGuglielmo, Vedan Djesevic, Andrew Drollinger, Kathleen Dubrow, Brian Durkin, Ralph Epstein, Christopher J. Gallagher, Xiaojun Guo, Sofie Hussain, Ron Jasiewicz, Anna Kogan, Ursula Landman, Rany Makaryus, Daryn Moller, Tate Montgomery, Matthew Neal, Khoa Nguyen, Marco Palmieri, Shaji Poovathor, Eric Posner, Deborah Richman, Andrew Rozbruch, Misako Sakamaki, Joy Schabel, Bharathi Scott, Peggy Seidman, Shiena Sharma, Vishal Sharma, Ellen Steinberg, Neera Tewari, Jane Yi, Jonida Zeqo, Peter Chung, John Denny, Steven H. Ginsberg, Jeremy Grayson, Jonathan Kraidin, Stephen Lemke, Tejal Patel, Salvatore Zisa, Charles Cowles, Marc Rozner, Shawn Banks, Deborah Brauer, Lebron Cooper, V. Samepathi David, Steve Gayer, Steven Gil, Eric A. Harris, Murlikrishna Kannan, Michael C. Lewis, David A. Lindley, Carlos M. Mijares, Sana Nini, Shafeena Nurani, Sujatha Pentakota, Edgar Pierre, Amy Klash Pulido, Michael Rossi, Miguel Santos, Nancy Setzer-Saade, Adam Sewell, Omair H. Toor, Ashish Udeshi, Patricia Wawroski, Lauren C. Berkow, Dan Berkowitz, Ramola Bhambhani, Kerry K. Blaha, Veronica Busso, Adam J. Carinci, Paul J. Christo, R. Blaine Easley, Ralph J. Fuchs, Samuel M. Galvagno, Nishant Gandhi, Andrew Goins, Robert S. Greenberg, Sayeh Hamzehzadeh, Theresa L. Hartsell, Eugenie Heitmiller, Jeremy M. Huff, Brijen L. Joshi, Sapna Kudchadkar, Jennifer K. Lee, Ira Lehrer, Peter Lin, Justin Lockman, Christine L. Mai, Christina Miller, Nanhi Mitter, Gillian Newman, Daniel Nyhan, Lale Odekon, Rabi Panigrahi, Melissa Pant, Alexander Papangelou, Mark Rossberg, Adam Schiavi, Steven J. Schwartz, Deborah A. Schwengel, Brandon M. Togioka, Tina Tran, Emmett Whitaker, Bradford D. Winters, Christopher Wu, Elena J. Holak, Paul S. Pagel
- Edited by Christopher J. Gallagher, State University of New York, Stony Brook, Michael C. Lewis, University of Miami School of Medicine, Deborah A. Schwengel
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- Book:
- Core Clinical Competencies in Anesthesiology
- Published online:
- 06 July 2010
- Print publication:
- 12 April 2010, pp xi-xii
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- Chapter
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