rs7310409

A genome-wide association study of 83 plasma proteins relevant to cardiovascular disease in 3,394 European subjects identified 79 genome-wide significant loci (p<5e-8), with 55 replicating in independent cohorts (n=2,639). Using eQTL analysis and network methods, the authors proposed plausible causal mechanisms for 25 trans-acting loci including post-translational regulation of KITLG by MMP9 and several receptor-ligand pairs. Multiple loci showed evidence of causal association with coronary artery disease risk.

This PhD thesis by Paul Henderson comprises multiple studies on paediatric inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD) in Scotland, including epidemiological studies documenting a 76% rise in IBD incidence, genetic association studies identifying ICOSLG SNP rs8126734-A as overtransmitted in IBD/CD (p=0.0467, OR 1.85 for CD; p=0.0084), CRP gene variants rs1130864-A and rs1417938-A associated with PIBD susceptibility (OR 1.56-1.89 for CD), and functional characterization of NOD2 and autophagy pathways in Crohn's disease pathogenesis.

This PhD thesis encompasses multiple studies on pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): epidemiological analysis shows rising incidence in Scotland (4.45 to 7.82 per 100,000 per year); transmission disequilibrium testing identified rs8126734-A as overtransmitted in IBD and CD (OR 1.48, p=0.047; OR 1.85 for CD, p=0.008); genome-wide association meta-analysis confirmed strong signals in ICOSLG 3'UTR for CD susceptibility; CRP gene variants (rs1417938, rs1130864) showed significant overtransmission (p=0.006, p=0.015); and faecal calprotectin demonstrated superior diagnostic accuracy for PIBD detection (sensitivity 0.93, specificity 0.74).