Impairment of endothelial function is present in the early menopausal years, whereas carotid IMT is not affected. Severity of hot flushes is the main determinant of endothelial dysfunction in early menopausal women. The studied ER polymorphisms do not offer important information on vascular health in early menopause.

Exfoliation syndrome (XFS) is the commonest recognizable cause of open angle glaucoma world-wide. To better understand the etiology of XFS, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 1,484 patients and 1,188 controls from Japan, and followed up the most significant findings on a further 6,901 patients and 20,727 controls from 17 countries across 6 continents. We discovered a significant association between a new locus (CACNA1A rs4926244) and increased susceptibility to XFS (Odds ratio [OR] = 1.16, P = 3.36 × 10−11). Although overwhelming association at the LOXL1 locus was confirmed, the key SNP marker (LOXL1 rs4886776) demonstrated allelic reversal depending on ethnic grouping (In Japanese: ORA-allele= 9.87, P = 2.13 × 10−217; In non-Japanese: ORA-allele= 0.49, P = 2.35 × 10−31). Our findings represent the first genetic locus outside of LOXL1 which surpasses genome-wide significance for XFS, and provides insight into the biology and pathogenesis of the disease.

MicroRNAs have shown different expression patterns in immune diseases. The present study explores the association of miRNA‐146a variant rs2910164 and of two IRAK1 (target of miR‐146a) polymorphisms rs3027898 and rs1059703 with psoriasic arthritis (PsA). Twenty‐nine PsA and 66 controls were enrolled in the study. To study if the statistical significant differences between patients with PsA and controls are independent to psoriasis, we expanded the study in 49 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Strong statistical significant difference was observed in IRAK1 rs3027898 polymorphism distribution between patients with PsA and controls (P = 0.003), as between patients with AS and controls (P < 0.001). Marginally significant difference was observed in distribution of IRAK1 rs1059703 genotypes between patients with PsA and controls (P = 0.058), but no difference was observed in miRNA‐146a rs2910164 distribution (P = 0.394). This is the first study that addresses IRAK1 rs3027898 polymorphism association with PsA susceptibility, but further studies could help to understand the extent of the proposed association.

No abstract

Background:We examined the possible association of adiponectin gene polymorphisms with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and their influence on serum adiponectin and insulin resistance indexes in Greek women with PCOS. Methods: We genotyped samples from 100 women with PCOS characterized with respect to body mass index (BMI), glucose and insulin concentrations during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), lipid profile, and serum adiponectin concentrations and from 140 healthy controls for the 45T>G and 276G>T polymorphisms in the adiponectin gene. Results: The distributions of genotypes and alleles of both polymorphisms were no different in women with PCOS and controls, indicating that the individual polymorphisms are not associated with increased risk for PCOS. However, the two polymorphisms were found to be associated with insulin resistance indexes among women with PCOS and to influence adiponectin production. In particular, carriers of the TG genotype at position ؉45 had greater hyperinsulinemia, as estimated by the area under the curve for insulin (AUC insulin ) during the OGTT, than those with the TT genotype