Genetic data related to sodium-regulating hormone may help explain hypertension risk
Abstract P298
2010-10-15
(Press-News.org) New research points to the existence of a gene on chromosome 5 that influences how much aldosterone is produced — which may be excessive in African-descended populations.
"Aldosterone was very important to their early ancestors living in the arid climate of Africa," said J. Howard Pratt, study co-author. "Dietary intake of sodium in today's world is much higher, and there may not be the need for the amount of aldosterone produced, leading to a level of sodium balance that places individuals at risk for hypertension."
Among people of African descent, plasma concentrations of the sodium-regulating hormone, aldosterone, are under genetic influences and are associated with higher diastolic blood pressure readings, new research shows.
Aldosterone is produced by the adrenal gland. It regulates a region in the kidney called the distal nephron, which is critically important for controlling sodium balance and blood pressure.
The study examined genetic data from families on the Caribbean island of Tobago. Researchers determined that the population has about 94 percent African ancestry.
After adjusting for the effects of age, gender and body mass index on plasma aldosterone concentration and blood pressure, genes account for 34 percent of the variation in aldosterone concentration among individuals, and about 25 percent of the variation in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, according to Candace M. Kammerer, study co-author.
INFORMATION:
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2010-10-15
Researchers have developed a method for curbing the growth of crystals that form cystine kidney stones. Their findings, which appear in the latest issue of the journal Science, may offer a pathway to a new method for the prevention of kidney stones.
The study was conducted by researchers at New York University's Department of Chemistry and its Molecular Design Institute, NYU School of Medicine, and the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Kidney stones comprised of L-cystine affect at least 20,000 individuals in the United States. This number is substantially smaller than ...
2010-10-15
Kidney disease patients are healthier and live longer if they've beefed up their muscles, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The results suggest that patients may benefit from pumping iron or taking medications to boost their lean body mass.
Kidney disease patients who are on dialysis live longer if they have a high body mass index (BMI); however, BMI measurements do not differentiate lean from fat mass. Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh MD, PhD (Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA ...
2010-10-15
A new study by pediatric researchers has added to the evidence that genes have a strong influence on childhood obesity.
The study team searched across the whole genomes of thousands of obese children for copy number variations (CNVs)--deletions or duplications of DNA sequences. Although the CNVs they found are rare within the population, their data suggest that those individuals harboring such variants are at a very high risk of becoming obese.
"Our study is the first large-scale, unbiased genome-wide scan of CNVs in common pediatric obesity," said study leader Struan ...
2010-10-15
A new study uncovers multiple genetic variations associated with common childhood obesity. The research, published by Cell Press on October 14th in the American Journal of Human Genetics, is likely to guide future studies aimed at characterizing the affected genes and unraveling the complex biology that underlies childhood obesity.
Obesity, which has increased significantly in recent years in Western societies, is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The majority of obese children become obese adults and adolescent obesity is associated ...
2010-10-15
UCLA scientists have discovered that exposing fetal neurons to higher than normal levels of a common immune protein leads to abnormal brain development in mice.
Published Oct. 14 in the online Journal of Neuroimmunology, the finding may provide new insights into factors contributing to human neurological disorders like schizophrenia and autism.
The researchers studied a protein called major histocompatibility complex, or MHC. The protein plays a dual role in the body: It helps the immune system to identify infected cells, and it enables neurons to make the right ...
2010-10-15
Researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School have gained insight into how different types of age-related hearing loss may occur in humans. The discovery could eventually help physicians develop drugs to combat progressive hearing loss. Their paper is published on October 14 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.
James Ervasti, Ph.D., and colleague Ben Perrin, Ph.D., studied how two very closely related genes contribute to hearing function in mice. Mutations in the same genes are associated with deafness in humans. The duo discovered two key cellular processes ...
2010-10-15
1. One-Size-Fits-All Blood Pressure Recommendations Won't Suit All Dialysis Patients
Age, Race, and Diabetes Status Affect Blood Pressure's Link to Premature Death
Previous research indicates that mild to moderate hypertension may not increase dialysis patients' risk of dying prematurely. These findings contrast with those found in the general population and are generalized to diverse groups of patients with kidney disease. To see if age, race, and the presence or absence of diabetes affects the relationship between blood pressure and risk of premature death among dialysis ...
2010-10-15
Dramatic flares and bursts of energy - activity previously thought reserved for only the strongest magnetized pulsars - has been observed emanating from a weakly magnetised, slowly rotating pulsar. The international team of astrophysicists who made the discovery believe that the source of the pulsar's power may be hidden deep within its surface.
Pulsars, or neutron stars, are the collapsed remains of massive stars. Although they are on average only about 30km in diameter, they have hugely powerful surface magnetic fields, billions of times that of our Sun.
The most ...
2010-10-15
Rivers and streams supply the lifeblood of ecosystems across the globe, providing water for drinking and irrigation for humans as well as a wide array of life forms in rivers and streams from single-celled organisms all the way up to the fish humans eat. But humans and nature itself are making it tough on rivers to continue in their central role to support fish species, according to new research by a team of scientists including one from Arizona State University.
Globally, rivers and streams are being drained due to human use and climate change. These and other human ...
2010-10-15
Although most people assume that tests are a way to evaluate learning, a wealth of research has shown that testing can actually improve learning, according to two researchers from Kent State University. Dr. Katherine Rawson, associate professor in Kent State's Department of Psychology, and former Kent State graduate student Mary Pyc publish their research findings in the Oct. 15, 2010, issue of the journal Science.
"Taking practice tests – particularly ones that involve attempting to recall something from memory – can drastically increase the likelihood that you'll be ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Genetic data related to sodium-regulating hormone may help explain hypertension risk
Abstract P298
