Approved Research

Modifiable pathways in sex-specific arterial stiffness: Mendelian randomization analysis

Lay summary

Vascular aging, which is a process that starts early in life and continues throughout normal aging to the changes that occur related to atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, has been identified as a cardiovascular risk factor, joining the ranks of high "bad" cholesterol and low "good" cholesterol, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, obesity, and hypertension. In fact, vascular aging is the result of arterial stiffness. Earlier research has shown that arterial stiffness is influenced by both genetic and environment factors. The aim of this research is 1) to evaluate the causal relevance of a range of factors for risk of sex-specific arterial stiffness. 2) to identify the gene changes of the risky environmental factors. 3) to explore the possible mechanisms of sex-specific differences in arterial stiffness.

Project duration: this project will take approximately 2 years to complete

Public health impact: Arterial stiffening (not atherosclerosis) and its related cardiovascular disease have emerged as a public health threat. However, it brings insufficient attention in public even researchers. Our research assesses different life risk factors and investigate appraisal of potential targets for pharmaceutical intervention about arterial stiffening. Therefore, it can be useful for medicine development and disease prevention.

Scope extension:

1. What risk factors, including environmental factors and genetic factors, will affect arterial stiffness?

2. which single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) will affect the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and related traits such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, and fatty liver, which may be the environmental risk factors for arterial stiffness?

3. What are the possible mechanisms of sex-specific differences in arterial stiffness?

Aims:

1.to conduct Mendelian randomisation analysis, using genetic variants as instrumental variables, to evaluate the causal relevance of a range of factors for risk of sex-specific arterial stiffness.

2.to identify the SNPs of the risky environmental factors and use them as genetic instruments.

3.to explore the possible mechanisms of sex-specific differences in arterial stiffness

New scope:

Whether some other environmental factors such as air pollution, outdoor light exposure, noise and greenspace will affect arterial stiffness?

Aims

1.To evaluate the causal relevance of some other environmental factors such as air pollution, outdoor light exposure, noise, greenspace for the risk of sex-specific arterial stiffness.