The frequency of angiotensinogen polymorphisms M235T and AGT -217 is different by race; however, these polymorphisms are not associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia.

Abstract. This study sought to quantify the familial risk of preeclampsia (proteinuric hypertension) in Newfoundland and to identify characteristics in probands that predict increased familial risk. Reviewed were 5173 obstetric charts from 10 hospitals, representing 99% of deliveries on the island of Newfoundland for a 1-yr period from April 1996 to March 1997; pregnancy-induced hypertension was diagnosed according to strict criteria. Family obstetric histories were obtained from identified probands with preeclampsia, and sisters and mothers of probands were interviewed. In addition, the obstetric charts from sisters and mothers were reviewed to identify preeclampsia. The incidence of preeclampsia in the population was 5.6% (n ϭ 292), and in primiparous women it was 7.9%. Factors independently associated with increased risk of preeclampsia included primiparous delivery, multiple gestation, pregestational and gestational diabetes, maternal age of more than 35 yr, and region of the province. Of 330 sisters identified, 217 had 445 pregnancies, with 331 charts located for review. The incidence of preeclampsia (based on chart review) in 163 primiparous sisters was 20.2%. The relative risk of preeclampsia in primiparous sisters of probands with preeclampsia compared with primiparous women in the population was 2.6 (95% confidence interval, 1.8 to 3.6). Factors in probands independently associated with a higher risk of preeclampsia in sisters included at least 2ϩ proteinuria and region of the province. This population-based study, which used unbiased ascertainment and strict diagnostic criteria, demonstrated a significantly higher risk of preeclampsia in sisters of probands with preeclampsia, particularly when probands were defined by severity of preeclampsia and by geographic region.Preeclampsia is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in mothers and newborns. The pathophysiology of the systemic vasospasm, proteinuric hypertension, and multiple end-organ ischemia remains poorly understood. Modest progress in prediction, prophylaxis or treatment has occurred during the past 30 yr. Preeclampsia occurs at higher rates in sisters, daughters, and mothers of affected women (1-7), but genetic study of this disease remains an enormous challenge, requiring not only female gender and reproduction to manifest the phenotype, but consideration of fetal-maternal and fetal-paternal genotype interactions (8 -11). To date, the molecular determinants important in the inherited predisposition to preeclampsia remain unknown.The population of Newfoundland has arisen from Irish and English settlement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with little subsequent outmigration or immigration (12). A total of 90% of the island's current 550,000 residents are descended from approximately 20,000 original settlers. Until recent decades, isolation was enhanced by dependence on outport fisheries, lack of roads, and segregation by religion. This persistent genetic isolation produced a high coefficient of kinship (13,14), which, together ...

The metabohsm of ethylbenzene has been studied using isolated subcellular hepatic fractions to ascertain the relationship of enzyme induction to the decreased stereoselectivity of metabolism reported in intact animals. It was observed that both ethylbenzene and 1-phenylethanol were oxidized by microsomal enzymes and that phenobarbital treatment increased the rate of metabolism. Acetophenone, the oxidation product of 1-phenylethanol, was reduced by a soluble reductase which was not altered by phenobarbital treatment. Kinetic studies revealed that phenobarbital treatment produced only quantitative changes in the metabolism of ethylbenzene. No great differences in the metabolism of CRM+)-, (SM-)-, or (RS)-

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