Muscle insulin resistance develops when plasma free fatty acids (FFAs) are acutely increased to supraphysiological levels (approximately 1,500-4,000 micromol/l). However, plasma FFA levels >1,000 micromol/l are rarely observed in humans under usual living conditions, and it is unknown whether insulin action may be impaired during a sustained but physiological FFA increase to levels seen in obes...

BACKGROUND The prognostic value of coronary artery calcium (CAC) or carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) among asymptomatic adults with a family history (FH) of premature coronary heart disease is unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis enrolled 6814 adults without known atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Hard ASCVD events were ascertained over a median...

Essential hypertension has a familial predisposition, but the phenotype of elevated blood pressure has delayed penetrance. Because the kidney is a crucial determinant of blood pressure homeostasis, we studied early glomerular alterations in still-normotensive young subjects at genetic risk of hypertension. Thirty-nine normotensive adults (mean age 29 to 31 years), stratified by genetic risk (pa...

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic disease presented by high levels of serum low density lipoprotein (LDL), xanthomas and early coronary artery disease (CAD). The diagnosis of Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) is based on a family history of elevated cholesterol, persistent high LDL levels despite maximum medical treatment and the development of xanthomas and early at...

Fumarate hydratases (FHs) are essential metabolic enzymes grouped into two classes. Here, we present the crystal structure of a class I FH, the cytosolic FH from Leishmania major, which reveals a previously undiscovered protein fold that coordinates a catalytically essential [4Fe-4S] cluster. Our 2.05 Å resolution data further reveal a dimeric architecture for this FH that resembles a heart, wi...

BACKGROUND Patients with depression show abnormalities in the neural circuitry supporting working memory. These abnormalities apparently persist into clinical remission, raising the possibility that they might be trait markers indicating vulnerability to depression. METHODS We studied 17 young people who had a depressed parent but no personal history of depressive illness (FH) and 15 healthy ...

Immune evasion by Lyme spirochetes is a multifactorial process involving numerous mechanisms. The OspE protein family undergoes antigenic variation during infection and binds factor H (fH) and possibly FHL-1/reconectin. In Borrelia burgdorferi B31MI, the OspE family consists of three paralogs: BBL39 (ErpA), BBP38, and BBN38 (ErpP). BBL39 and BBP38 are identical and therefore are referred to her...

BACKGROUND The goal of the study was to test the validity of additive versus synergistic versus underadditive versions of brain reserve theory within the context of HIV/AIDS. In addition, it tested the convergent validity of 2 operational definitions of premorbid reserve: verbal IQ (VIQ) and a family history (FH) of substance abuse or dependence. METHODS Seventy HIV-1 seronegative and 115 HIV...

Background and aim Family history (FH) and genetic risk scores (GRSs) are increasingly used for risk stratification for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. However, they were mostly considered alternatively rather than jointly. The aim of this study was to assess the potential of individual and joint risk stratification for CRC by FH and GRS. Patients and methods A GRS was built based on the n...

BACKGROUND Family history (FH) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, especially coronary artery disease (CAD). The impact on risk of stroke is less clear. This study investigated young and middle-aged ischemic stroke patients' knowledge on FH of stroke, CAD, and peripheral artery disease (PAD) with a special regard to sex differences. METHODS From September 2010 to February 2014, all i...