Yoshiki Tsuboi

Although previous studies reported that BP PRS is associated with CVD, it is less explored whether BP PRS and BP are jointly associated with CVD, especially among non-European populations. Therefore, we examined joint associations of BP control and BP polygenic risk score (PRS) with CVD mortality in a Japanese population. Data were obtained from the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Study, the multi-centered cohort study with 14 study areas throughout Japan. Of which, we analyzed ~35,000 Japanese individuals (Mean age: 55 years old, Men: 44%) with measured BP data (11,242 and 23,904 participants in subgroup #1 and #2). We developed PRS for systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in each subgroup. Participants were followed up from the baseline survey (2005-2014) to the end of 2020. Not elevated BP was defined as SBP ≤ 140 mmHg or DBP ≤ 90 mmHg regardless of antihypertensive medications. During the follow-up period, a total of 381 CVD deaths were observed. Compared with not elevated BP, HRs (95% CI) of CVD mortality were 1.98 (1.37-2.88) for elevated SBP and 2.41 (1.66-3.49) for elevated DBP. Compared to not elevated BP in the lowest PRS tertile, HRs (95% CI) of CVD mortality in the highest PRS tertile were 2.28 (1.17-4.43) for SBP and 3.08 (1.61-5.91) for DBP even though BP was not elevated. These associations in the subgroup #1 were replicated in the subgroup #2. Our findings highlighted the importance of BP PRS to detect a hidden CVD risk strata in addition to laboratory BP measurements.

BACKGROUND: Although utility of composite trait-specific polygenic risk score (multi-trait PRS) has been examined among European ancestries, few studies investigated among East Asians and incorporated modifiable risk factors. We examined the associations of multi-trait PRS for cardiometabolic factors with cardiovascular disease mortality by integrating nongenetic determinants. METHODS: A total of 14 086 Japanese participants (mean age, 55±9; 55.8% women) of the J-MICC (Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort) study were analyzed in this study. We calculated 6 PRSs for cardiometabolic traits (systolic blood pressure, body mass index, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and hemoglobin A1c). Based on these PRSs, we developed multi-trait PRS and considered as a primary exposure. Three nongenetic factors (smoking, alcohol drinking, and educational attainment) from the self-reported questionnaire were also examined. RESULTS: During a median 12.1-year follow-up period, a total of 472 all-cause and 79 cardiovascular disease mortality cases were documented. Compared with 0% to 90% of multi-trait PRSs, an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) among the top 10% of multi-trait PRSs was 1.32 (95% CI, 1.00-1.73) for all-cause death and 2.63 (95% CI, 1.48-4.67) for cardiovascular disease death. Incorporation of educational attainment with multi-trait PRSs showed null associations in those who went beyond high school (HR, 2.07 [95% CI, 0.44-9.66]) even in the top 10% of multi-trait PRS. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis combining both genetic and nongenetic determinants highlighted that lifestyle factors and educational attainment can slightly reduce an individual's composite genetic risk for cardiovascular disease death.

BACKGROUND: Although serum carotene may contribute to dementia prevention, there is a lack of longitudinal evidence for early cognitive decline before dementia symptoms. The aim of this study was to examine whether serum carotene levels were associated with annually evaluated cognitive trajectories among the Japanese general population. METHODS: Among 581 baseline participants, 199 individuals (83 males; mean age [min, max], 62.7 [39, 90] years) who underwent cognitive assessments more than twice after baseline were analyzed. "Attention" levels were assessed using one- and three-target Digit Cancellation Tests (D-CAT1 and D-CAT3). "General cognitive ability" was assessed by the short version of Mini-Mental State Examination (SMMSE). Serum carotenes (α-carotene, β-carotene and lycopene) were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. After the measurements, we calculated total carotene levels by summing up the levels of all measured carotene. Carotene levels were categorized into three groups for analysis (low: 0%-25%, middle: 25%-75%, and high: 75%-100%). A linear mixed model was used to estimate the slope of the D-CAT score trajectory and to compare it between three categories. RESULTS: Compared with the middle carotene group, decline of attention was faster in the D-CAT1 for low β-carotene (β = -3.48, p = 0.035), lycopene (β = -3.10, p = 0.062), and total carotene (β = -4.75, p = 0.003), but not for α-carotene (β = -2.60, p = 0.111). For the D-CAT3, decline of attention was faster in the group of low lycopene (β = -3.17, p = 0.002) and total carotene (β = -2.17, p = 0.037) compared with the middle carotene group, while no clear association for α-carotene (β = -0.67, p = 0.521) and β-carotene (β = -0.64, p = 0.639). There were no clear associations between serum carotene and the SMMSE score. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest low levels of serum lycopene are associated with a decline of attention in the setting of the general population.