title: Diagonal earlobe crease are associated with shorter telomere in male Japanese patients with metabolic syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Diagonal earlobe crease (ELC) have been proposed as a marker of generalized atherosclerosis, so in the present study it was investigated whether individuals with ELC have a shortened telomere, which correlates with an accelerated cell turnover and premature aging, leading to atherosclerosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean terminal restriction fragment (TRF) was determined by Southern blot hybridization in the peripheral blood cells of 34 male Japanese patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) who were under 70 years of age with (n=17) and without (n=17) bilateral ELC, and assessed the relationship of ELC to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (AVD). The results showed that the TRF was shorter in the MetS patients with ELC in comparison to age- and risk-factor-matched MetS patients without ELC (7.6+/-1.1 kbp vs 8.6+/-1.2 kbp; P<0.05). ELC were present in 13 patients in the AVD group (n=18), but only 4 patients in the non-AVD group (n=16) had ELC (72.2% and 25% respectively; P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that ELC is a useful dermatological indicator of an accelerated aging process, as suggested by excessive telomere loss, and might be a useful indirect marker of high-risk patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Beppu, Japan. yhiguchi@beppu.kyushu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Higuchi
authors.forename: Toyoki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Jing-Zhi
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oyama
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugano
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Makino
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019588:Aging, Premature / Q000235:genetics; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D015415:Biomarkers; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D004431:Ear, External / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012307:Risk Factors; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers