title: Distribution and determinants of plasma homocysteine levels in rural Chinese twins across the lifespan.
abstract: Plasma homocysteine (Hcy) is a modifiable, independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and is affected by both environmental and genetic factors. This study aimed to describe the gender- and age-specific distribution of Hcy concentration for 1117 subjects aged 10-66 years, a subset of a community-based rural Chinese twin cohort. In addition, we examined environmental and genetic contributions to variances in Hcy concentration by gender and age groups. We found that the distribution pattern for Hcy varied by both age and gender. Males had higher Hcy than females across all ages. Elevated Hcy was found in 43% of male adults and 13% of female adults. Moreover, nearly one fifth of children had elevated Hcy. Genetic factors could explain 52%, 36% and 69% of the variation in Hcy concentration among children, male adults and female adults, respectively. The MTHFR C677T variant was significantly associated with Hcy concentrations. Smokers with the TT genotype had the highest Hcy levels. Overall, our results indicate that elevated Hcy is prevalent in the children and adults in this rural Chinese population. The early identification of elevated Hcy will offer a window of opportunity for the primary prevention of CVD and metabolic syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Center on the Early Life Origins of Disease, Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, E4132 Baltimore, MD 21205-2179, USA. yji7@jhu.edu.
authors.forename: Yuelong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Anzen Hospital, Beijing Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China. sherrykxy@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Xiangyi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Center on the Early Life Origins of Disease, Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, E4132 Baltimore, MD 21205-2179, USA. gwang24@jhu.edu.
authors.forename: Guoying
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Center on the Early Life Origins of Disease, Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, E4132 Baltimore, MD 21205-2179, USA. xhong3@jhu.edu.
authors.forename: Xiumei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China. ffhouguangzhou@163.com.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Center on the Early Life Origins of Disease, Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, E4132 Baltimore, MD 21205-2179, USA. zchen31@jhu.edu.
authors.forename: Zhu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Mary Ann & J. Milburn Smith Child Health Research Program, Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, Chicago, IL 60614, USA. TBartell@luriechildrens.org.
authors.forename: Tami
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bartell
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China. ffhouguangzhou@163.com.
authors.forename: Xiping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: School of Health Administration, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China. tanggenfu@163.com.
authors.forename: Genfu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: National Clinical Research Center for Kidney Disease, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China. ffhouguangzhou@163.com.
authors.forename: Fanfan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China. huoyong@263.net.cn.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huo
authors.affiliation: Center on the Early Life Origins of Disease, Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, E4132 Baltimore, MD 21205-2179, USA. xwang82@jhu.edu.
authors.forename: Xiaobin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: National Clinical Research Center for Kidney Disease, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China. binyanwang126@126.com.
authors.forename: Binyan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D002648:Child; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008136:Longevity; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2) / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine; C573423:MTHFR protein, human; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2)