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Researchers, led by scientists from Johns Hopkins, have found fivepreviously unknown gene mutations believed to be associated withelevated blood platelet counts in African-Americans, findings theysay could someday lead to the development of new drugs to helpprevent coronary artery disease . The study is believed to be the first of its size to focus onplatelet genetics in African Americans, who have a higher risk of stroke than other racial groups. They also have relatively higherplatelet counts and average platelet volume, and worse outcomesthan whites after a heart attack . "Improving our understanding of the biology and genetics ofplatelets and how they function will aid us in developing bettertreatments and more individualized treatments to reduce risk of heart disease associated with platelets," says study leader Rehan Qayyum, M.D.,an assistant professor in the division of general internal medicineat the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Qayyum cautions that there are believed to be many more genesinvolved in platelet function that remain unknown. Platelets are cells produced in bone marrow, smaller than red orwhite blood cells, which foster blood clotting. While clotting iscritical to stop bleeding after injuries, it can also cause harm byallowing clumps of blood cells to clog blood vessels leading to theheart, brain and other organs, cutting off blood flow. Studies have shown that the greater the platelet volume or count inthe blood, and the larger platelets are, the greater the risk ofdangerous clot formation. Qayyum notes that the number of plateletsin a given amount of blood (platelet count) and the size of theseplatelets (measured as average platelet count) vary from person toperson in much the way that height, weight and eye color traitsdiffer. Thus, he said, the search for genes that control thisvariation is a potentially fruitful line of scientific inquiry. Qayyum and his colleagues, publishing in the online journal PLoS Genetics, report that they conducted a meta-analysis and genomewideassociation study, looking at genetic data from 16,000African-American participants from seven separate studies. Theycompared information from each study, tracking 2.5 million singlepossible changes in the human genetic code to see which genes stoodout across the entire group as significantly associated withincreased or decreased platelet counts. The researchers found five such alterations, involving the additionor deletion of a single piece of genetic code, across the studiedgenomes that had not been identified in other populations. Whenthey checked their findings against data from Caucasian andHispanic groups, they found three of the novel gene mutations inthose populations, too. Four of the previously unknown genemutations were later found in the genetic code of platelet cells,but one was not. That one, however, was found close to a gene thatis known to be essential in the formation of normal platelets. Theexact role played by each of these mutations still needs to bedetermined, Qayyum says. Qayyum says one goal of their research is to identify new targetsfor drugs that decrease platelet aggregation in the arteries andprevent clot formation. Blood thinners, including aspirin,clopidogrel and warfarin , are widely used antiplatelet medications. But some people can'ttolerate the side effects, which include bleeding, bruising andgastrointestinal upset. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Outdoor Citronella Candles Manufacturer , China Colored Taper Candles, and more. For more , please visit Handmade Scented Candles today!
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