THISEAS
(The Hellenic Study of Interactions between SNPs and Eating in Atherosclerosis Susceptibility)

Web site for the cohort:
Publication describing the cohort:

1. Theodoraki EV, Nikopensius T, Suhorutsenko J, Peppes V, Fili P, Kolovou G, Papamikos V, Richter D, Zakopoulos N, Krjutskov K, Metspalu A, Dedoussis GV. Fibrinogen beta variants confer protection against coronary artery disease in a Greek case-control study. BMC Med Genet. 2010 Feb 18;11:28. doi: 10.1186/1471-2350-11-28.

Description:
The THISEAS study participants were recruited from 3 hospitals found in the area of Athens. Cases were subjects with a first-ever MI before age of 70 years presenting with either ACS or stable CAD defined as >50% stenosis in at least one of the three main coronary vessels assessed by coronary angiography. ACS was defined as acute MI or unstable angina corresponding to class III of the Braunwald classification. ACS patients have also undergone coronary angiography examination that verified the presence of significant stenosis. Controls were subjects age matched without MI/CAD history with negative coronary angiography findings (<30% stenosis), or negative stress test, or subjects without symptoms of disease that were admitted at the same hospitals as cases and were free of any cardiovascular disease, cancer, or inflammatory diseases. Subjects with renal or hepatic disease were excluded from both study groups.

Types of tissue available:
Blood for biochemical measurements as well as DNA and RNA isolation

Publications describing the cohort:

1. Visvikis-Siest S, Siest G. The STANISLAS Cohort: a 10-year follow-up of supposed healthy families. Gene-environment interactions, reference values and evaluation of biomarkers in prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Clin Chem Lab Med. 2008; 46(6):733–47.
2. Siest G, Visvikis S, Herbeth B, Gueguen R, Vincent-Viry M, Sass C, Beaud B, Lecomte E, Steinmetz J, Locuty J, Chevrier P. Objectives, design and recruitment of a familial and longitudinal cohort for studying gene-environment interactions in the field of cardiovascular risk: the Stanislas cohort. Clin Chem Lab Med. 1998 Jan;36(1):35-42.

Description:
Community-based population recruited in 1993-1995 (baseline, T0): 1006 families, supposed healthy and free from any declared acute and/or chronic disease. Inclusion criteria – Parents and grandparents of French origin – Residence in the Lorraine region (north-east of France) – Nuclear families comprising two parents and at least two biological children over 6 years old. Exclusion criteria – Chronic or acute disorders – Previous personal history of cardiovascular diseases. Data collected during medical visits every 5-years.

Types of tissue available:

• • EDTA plasma samples stored at -80°C
  • Extracted DNA stored at -80°C
  • Buffy coat stored at -80°C – PAXGENE blood and mRNA stored at -80°C
  • EDTA isolated Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and corresponding mRNA stored at -80°C
  • Sodium heparinate isolated PBMCs extracts stored at -80°C

The Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS)

Publication describing the cohort:

1. Lind L, Fors N, Hall J, Marttala K, Stenborg A. A Comparison of Three Different Methods to Evaluate Endothelium- Dependent Vasodilation in the Elderly. The Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) Study. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2005; 25:2368-75.

Description:

Community-based population randomly selected from the general population in the town of Uppsala, Sweden between April 2001 and June 2004: letter invitation in a randomised order (from the register of community living) within 2 months of their 70th birthday. Of the 2,025 subjects invited, 1,016 participated giving a participation rate of 50.1%. The primary aim of the PIVUS Study was to investigate the predictive power of different measurements of endothelial function and arterial compliance in subjects aged 70 living in the community of Uppsala. As secondary aims, the study also included measurements of cardiac function and structure by ultrasound and MRI, evaluation of atherosclerosis by ultrasound and MRI, 7 day food intake recordings, detailed ECG analysis, cardiovascular autonomic function, body composition by DXA, DNA analysis and lung function, as well as a number of biochemical markers.

Types of tissue collected: Serum stored at -80°C – Plasma stored at -80°C – Extracted DNA stored at -80°C

The LifeLines Cohort Study and BIobank (LLs)

Publication describing the cohort:

1. Stolk RP, Rosmalen JG, Postma DS, de Boer RA, Navis G, Slaets JP, Ormel J, Wolffenbuttel BH.. Universal risk factors for multifactorial diseases LifeLines: a three-generation population-based study. Eur J Epidemiol. 2008;23(1):67-74.

Description:
Population-Based Healthy Subjects. LifeLines offer a national infrastructural resource, which contributes samples to a increasing number of various research projects. The LifeLines cohort study and Biobank, aims to determine common risk factors in multifactorial diseases. It includes detailed measurements of environmental factors, endophenotypes and genotypes of participants. LifeLines is a large observational study which consists of a three-generation cohort in the northern part of the Netherlands. Furthermore, it contains genetic data on the whole-genome that helps to analyse more advantageously the links between genetic predispositions and common complex diseases. Since Dec 2006, over 167,729 participants 0-93 years old have been included to the LifeLines cohort study. Out of 15,000 participants, whose genome wide genotyping has been performed, 4000 subjects will be included to this study. The outcomes and determinants of LifeLines are measured on face-to-face interview between participant and LifeLines trained assistant or physician. Participants are asked to fill a number of extended questionnaires, which include medical history with information about baseline factors, socioeconomic status, psychological status, environmental factors food frequency questionnaires, social and neuropsychiatric batteries, their medical history including diseases, using specific medication, family status. After that, vast number of different physiological quantitative traits is measured by using standardised protocols, and blood samples are taken to analyse biochemical indicators of different physiological domains.

Types of tissue collected: Blood, Plasma, Serum; Morning and 24h Urine; Feces, Scalp hair

The Framingham Heart Study (FHS)

Web site for the cohort:

Home

Publication describing the cohort:

1. Dawber TR, Meadors GF, Moore FE, Jr. Epidemiological approaches to heart disease: the Framingham Study. Am J Public Health Nations Health 1951;41:279-81.
2. Feinleib M, Kannel WB, Garrison RJ, McNamara PM, Castelli WP. The Framingham Offspring Study. Design and preliminary data. Prev Med 1975;4:518-25. Splansky GL, Corey D, Yang Q, et al. The Third Generation Cohort of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Framingham Heart Study: design, recruitment, and initial examination. Am J Epidemiol 2007;165:1328-35.

Description : The Framingham Heart Study (FHS) is an ongoing, longitudinal, community-based, observational cohort study that was initiated in 1948 to prospectively investigate the risk factors for cardiovascular disease. It comprises three generations of participants: the Original cohort followed since 1948; their Offspring and spouses of the children, followed since 1971; and third generation composed of the children and their spouses from the largest Offspring families, enrolled in 2000 (Gen 3). The Original cohort enrolled 5,209 men and women who comprised two-thirds of the adult population then residing in Framingham, MA and survivors continue to receive biennial examinations. The Offspring cohort of 5,124 participants (including 3,514 biological offspring), have been examined approximately once every 4 years. Gen 3 included 4,095 individuals that have been examined on 2 occasions (between 2002-2005 and 2008-2011). The town of Framingham was primarily composed of individuals of European ancestry at the beginning of the study in 1948. However, racial and ethnic shifts in the Framingham population through time prompted FHS investigators to initiate a study composed of a multi-ethnic sample of individuals of Hispanic, Black and Asian descent. In 1994 the Omni1 Cohort was recruited, including 506 minority residents of Framingham town between the ages of 40-74 years. Another unrelated minority sample of 330 individuals (mean age 45±7years), known as the Omni2 Cohort, was recruited and tested in parallel with Gen 3. Blood samples have been obtained from all study participants at each visit, aliquoted and stored at -80 degrees C. All participants have consented to the use of their samples for research. The VEGF Consortium will use samples and data on at least 3020 subjects from across all 3 generations of FHS participants who have serum VEGF levels measured as well as expression and methylation data and have been assessed longitudinally for CVD risk factors and outcome events. Details of these “-omics” are available at the FHS SABRe CVD website http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/gap/cgi-bin/study.cgi?study_id=phs000363.v10. Briefly at the 8th Offspring examination and the 1st Gen 3 examination, 2608 individuals from the Offspring sample and 4000 persons from the Gen 3 sample had (i) whole blood RNA assayed with the Affymetrix Exon 1.0ST, (ii) DNA methylation using the Illumina Infinium 450K probe and (iii) PAXgene microRNA assayed using the TaqMan qRT-PCR. We estimate that at least 3020 of these individuals will have genetic data (GWAS, exome chip, some with whole exome and whole genome sequencing), will be free of prevalent CVD and will be available for incident CVD analyses.

Types of tissues available : – Serum – Plasma – DNA – RNA