Publications by authors named "James A Perry"

The Amish of Lancaster County, PA has been the focus of genetic studies for many years due to its demographic history and unique genetic makeup that includes a historical bottleneck event and subsequent genetic drift, resulting in a marked decrease in genetic diversity and increased frequency of some variants that have substantially shaped the health of the community. To characterize the coding variation in the Amish genome, we sequenced the exomes of 7221 adult community members, and in this report, we contrast genetic diversity between the Amish and Europeans from the UK Biobank. Exome sequences of 7221 Amish contained only 14% as many variants as the same number of UKB participants.

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Obesity is a major public health crisis associated with high mortality rates. Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) investigating body mass index (BMI) have largely relied on imputed data from European individuals. This study leveraged whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data from 88,873 participants from the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) Program, of which 51% were of non-European population groups.

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Background: Stroke incidence is decreasing in older ages but increasing in young adults. These divergent trends are at least partially attributable not only to diverging trends in stroke risk factors but may also be due to differences in the impact of stroke risk factors at different ages. To address this latter possibility, we used Mendelian randomization to assess differences in the association of stroke risk factors between early-onset ischemic stroke ([EOS]; onset 18-59 years) and late-onset ischemic stroke ([LOS]; onset ≥60 years).

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A clinical trial in dogs with spontaneous osteosarcoma was performed to assess a recombinant Listeria expressing a chimeric human HER2 (ADXS31-164) as an adjunctive vaccine strategy to prevent metastatic disease and determine immunological correlates of clinical outcome. A total of 118 dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma were recruited into a 1-arm, multicenter, prospective trial of standard of care (SOC) therapy followed by ADXS31-164. ADXS31-164 was well tolerated, with mostly transient, low-grade side effects.

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Article Synopsis
  • Antiplatelet therapy, particularly with P2Y receptor inhibitors alongside aspirin, is essential for treating coronary artery disease, and different medication options can help tailor patient care.
  • A study investigated the effects of a specific genetic mutation (G143E in CES1) on the effectiveness of clopidogrel and ticagrelor in inhibiting platelet aggregation in patients.
  • Results showed that the G143E mutation significantly affected platelet response to clopidogrel, but not to ticagrelor, indicating ticagrelor may provide more consistent treatment for patients with clopidogrel response-altering genetics.
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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a disorder of gut-brain interaction, is often comorbid with somatic pain and psychological disorders. Dysregulated signaling of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor, tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB), has been implicated in somatic-psychological symptoms in individuals with IBS. We investigated the association of 10 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the regulatory 3' untranslated region of neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase-2 (NTRK2) kinase domain-deficient truncated isoform (TrkB.

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Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) density plays an important role in anti-tumor immunity and is associated with patient outcome in various human and canine malignancies. As a first assessment of the immune landscape of the tumor microenvironment in canine renal cell carcinoma (RCC), we retrospectively analyzed clinical data and quantified CD3, FoxP3, and granzyme B immunostaining in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor samples from 16 dogs diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma treated with ureteronephrectomy. Cell density was low for all markers evaluated.

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  • * A comprehensive analysis of genome-wide association studies on pain traits from the UK Biobank identified 99 significant genetic risk loci, with many being novel and categorized based on their association with different pain types.
  • * The research mapped 664 genes to these loci, revealing that about 15% show different expression levels in pain sufferers versus healthy individuals, with key findings indicating links to neurological and inflammatory pathways affected by other health traits.
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  • Obesity poses a significant public health challenge and is linked to high mortality rates, with prior studies focusing mostly on European populations.
  • This research utilized whole-genome sequencing data from a diverse group of 88,873 individuals, finding 18 new signals associated with body mass index (BMI) and highlighting a novel SNP prevalent among people of African descent.
  • The study emphasizes the importance of diverse genetic data in identifying new obesity-related variants, moving us closer to personalized medical interventions for this crisis.
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Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by remodeling and narrowing of the pulmonary vasculature which results in elevations of pulmonary arterial pressures. Here, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using the UK Biobank, analyzing the genomes of 493 individuals diagnosed with primary pulmonary hypertension, based on ICD-10 coding, compared to 24,650 age, sex, and ancestry-matched controls in a 1:50 case-control design. Genetic variants were analyzed by Plink's firth logistic regression and assessed for association with primary pulmonary hypertension.

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Background: Autozygosity, the proportion of the genome that is homozygous by descent, has been associated with variation in multiple health-related traits impacting evolutionary fitness. Autozygosity (FROH) is typically measured from runs of homozygosity (ROHs) that arise when identical-by-descent (IBD) haplotypes are inherited from each parent. Population isolates with a small set of common founders have elevated autozygosity relative to outbred populations.

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Recent genome wide association studies have identified 89 common genetic variants robustly associated with ischemic stroke and primarily located in non-coding regions. To evaluate the contribution of coding variants, which are mostly rare, we performed an exome array analysis on 106,101 SNPs for 9721 ischemic stroke cases from the SiGN Consortium, and 12,345 subjects with no history of stroke from the Health Retirement Study and SiGN consortium. We identified 15 coding variants significantly associated with all ischemic stroke at array-wide threshold (i.

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Metformin is the first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes (T2D) in youth but with limited sustained glycemic response. To identify common variants associated with metformin response, we used a genome-wide approach in 506 youth from the Treatment Options for Type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth (TODAY) study and examined the relationship between T2D partitioned polygenic scores (pPS), glycemic traits, and metformin response in these youth. Several variants met a suggestive threshold ( < 1 × 10), though none including published adult variants reached genome-wide significance.

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Genome-wide significant loci for metformin response in type 2 diabetes reported elsewhere have not been replicated in the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). To assess pharmacogenetic interactions in prediabetes, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in the DPP. Cox proportional hazards models tested associations with diabetes incidence in the metformin (MET; n = 876) and placebo (PBO; n = 887) arms.

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  • The study investigates genetic variants linked to early-onset ischemic stroke (EOS) in individuals aged 18-59, contrasting with previous research focused on late-onset stroke (LOS).
  • Researchers conducted a meta-analysis involving 16,730 EOS cases and 599,237 controls to identify significant genetic associations and compared results between EOS and LOS.
  • Findings include two genetic variants associated with blood subgroups that show a stronger connection to EOS than LOS, indicating that genetic factors promoting blood clotting are particularly influential in early-onset cases.
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Objectives: To utilize the UK Biobank to identify genetic variants associated with the ICD10 (International Classification of Diseases10)-based diagnosis of cerebrovascular disease (CeVD).

Background: Cerebrovascular disease occurs because of a complex interplay between vascular, environmental, and genetic factors. It is the second leading cause of disability worldwide.

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  • - The study analyzed genetic factors affecting fasting glucose (FG) and fasting insulin (FI) using high-coverage whole genome sequencing from over 23,000 non-diabetic individuals across five different racial and ethnic groups.
  • - Researchers identified eight significant genetic variants linked to FG or FI in known gene regions, while also suggesting associations with additional regions related to metabolic processes.
  • - The project compiled functional annotation resources to help understand the implications of these genetic variations and laid the groundwork for future research on glycemic traits.
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To identify previously unrecognized genetic variants and clinical variables associated with the ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases 10)-based diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the UK Biobank cohort. : Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common genetic cardiovascular disorder with more than 2000 known mutations in one of eight genes encoding sarcomeric proteins. However, there is considerable variation in disease manifestation, suggesting the role of additional unrecognized contributors, genetic and otherwise.

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  • - This study investigates the genetic basis of telomere length (TL) across a diverse group of 109,122 individuals from various ancestries, marking the first such analysis that includes non-European populations.
  • - Researchers identified 59 significant genetic variants linked to TL, with 20 novel associations; these findings suggest that the genetic factors influencing TL are consistent across different populations.
  • - The analysis further revealed connections between telomere length and increased cancer risk, highlighting the potential implications of telomere genetics in age-related diseases.
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COVID-19 has caused a global pandemic with considerable impact. Studies have examined the influence of socioeconomic status and air pollution on COVID-19 risk but in low detail. This study seeks to further elucidate the nuances of socioeconomic status, as defined by the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), air pollution, and their relationship.

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  • Increased levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and fibrinogen are major risks for cardiovascular disease, and a specific genetic variant (p.Asn352Ser) in an Amish population is linked to lower levels of both.
  • This genetic variant leads to a significant reduction in LDL-C (by 13.9 mg/dL) and fibrinogen (by 29 mg/dL), correlating with a lower risk of coronary artery disease as shown in a large analysis involving nearly 545,000 subjects.
  • The study indicates that modifying protein galactosylation might be a promising strategy for preventing cardiovascular issues, as evidenced by reduced LDL-C and fibrinogen levels noted in experiments with genetically altered mice.
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Several large-scale Illumina whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and whole-exome sequencing (WES) projects have emerged recently that have provided exceptional opportunities to discover mobile element insertions (MEIs) and study the impact of these MEIs on human genomes. However, these projects also have presented major challenges with respect to the scalability and computational costs associated with performing MEI discovery on tens or even hundreds of thousands of samples. To meet these challenges, we have developed a more efficient and scalable version of our mobile element locator tool (MELT) called CloudMELT.

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Background: Limited information currently exists regarding the clinical progression and outcomes of cats that undergo choledochal stenting as a treatment for extrahepatic biliary obstruction (EHBO).

Hypothesis/objectives: Describe clinical characteristics, indications for choledochal stent placement, procedure, and outcomes in a cohort of cats undergoing choledochal stenting and evaluate risk factors associated with survival as well as recurrence of EHBO in affected cats.

Animals: Twenty-three client-owned cats undergoing choledochal stent placement.

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