Translational research : the journal of laboratory and clinical medicine
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Recent studies have raised questions about the long-term health risks for individuals with mutations in the HFE gene, although previous studies may have been plagued by selection bias or lack of population-based comparison groups. We examined cardiovascular disease risk factors and iron and liver biomarkers, as well as morbidity and mortality associated with the C282Y and H63D variants of HFE in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, which is a population-based cohort of nearly 16,000 U. S. white and black men and women who were 45-64 years old at baseline. ⋯ Rates of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes were similar across HFE genotypes. These prospective, population-based data indicate higher serum iron indices and possible mild liver dysfunction or disease in some C282Y homozygotes, but they provide little evidence that HFE C282Y or H63D mutations are related to all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes. Reduced LDL in C282Y homozygotes may be because of effects of excess iron on cholesterol metabolism and lipoprotein formation in the liver.
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Experimental and clinical studies support the key role of interleukin 6 (IL-6), a potent proinflammatory cytokine, in the development of acute lung injury (ALI). Plasma IL-6 levels are influenced mainly by genetic determinants, and a -174G/C polymorphism of the gene has been recently associated with susceptibility to ALI. Here we aimed to validate the association of the IL6 gene with ALI in a case-control sample from Spain. ⋯ However, we found that a common haplotype from -1363 to +4835 from the transcription start site, and spanning the gene, conferred risk for susceptibility to ALI (odds ratio, 2.73; 95% confidence interval, 1.39-5.37; P = 0.003). Adjustment for relevant covariates did not modify this result. These data support the association of the IL6 gene with ALI susceptibility and illustrate the value of haplotype analysis as a robust approach for evaluating IL6 gene effects in association studies.