From: 

Jon Entine
Miami University

(513) 527-4385  FAX: 527-4386
http://www.jonentine.com


***

http://www.publichealth.pitt.edu/news/pr/Ness-racialdisparities.html

*Racial Disparities Noted in Immune System Genes*
/University of Pittsburgh study focuses on genes regulating the
inflammatory response/

*Pittsburgh, December 1, 2004* � Specific variants in genes that encode
proteins regulating inflammation may hold a key to explaining a host of
disease processes known to cause increased risk of illness and death
among African Americans, according to a study from the University of
Pittsburgh�s Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH). The study,
�Differential Distribution of Allelic Variants in Cytokine Genes Among
African Americans and White Americans,� appears in the Dec. 1 issue of
the American Journal of Epidemiology.

�We found that African Americans were significantly more likely to carry
genetic variants known to stimulate the inflammatory response,� said
*Roberta B. Ness, M.D., M.P.H.*, professor and chair of the department
of epidemiology at GSPH and the study�s primary author. �At the same
time, genotypes known to dampen the release of anti-inflammatory
proteins were more common among African Americans. This is kind of a
double whammy.�

Researchers examined the race-specific distribution of allelic variants
in cytokine genes known to promote inflammation. Chromosomes and genes
occur in alternative forms, and these alternative genetic forms are
called alleles. Cytokines are proteins that are secreted by immune
system cells that regulate the body�s immune response to injury and
illness.

Inflammation is believed to be a fundamental component of heart attack,
stroke, diabetes and kidney disease, all of which strike African
Americans in higher proportions than whites. Other disorders associated
with the inflammatory response include premature labor, transplant
rejection and autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis and
scleroderma � again, all more common among African Americans.

Specifically, scientists compared genetic data on 179 African-American
and 396 white women who sought prenatal care and delivered
uncomplicated, single, first births at Magee-Womens Hospital of the
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center between 1997 and 2001. Blood
samples were analyzed for a multitude of functionally relevant allelic
variants in cytokine-regulating genes. Among these were several genes
regulating the immune system proteins interleukin-1, interleukin-1
alpha, interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-6, interleukin-10, interleukin-18
and tumor necrosis factor-alpha.

�In the past, people looked at one or two variants,� said Dr. Ness. �We
looked at a whole host, and saw trends that perhaps point to some
evolutionary-mediated change in the human genome that has had an impact
on inflammation.�

Other factors also play an important role in the well-documented health
disparities between African Americans and whites, stressed Dr. Ness.
�Socioeconomic status, access to health care, racism, community-based
issues and health behaviors are critical components of racial
disparities in health,� she said. Among study participants, black women
were younger, heavier, less likely to smoke and of lower socioeconomic
status.

A copy of the study is available at
http://aje.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/full/160/11/1033.

In addition to Dr. Ness, other study authors are *Catherine L. Haggerty,
Ph.D.*; *Gail Harger, M.S.*; and *Robert Ferrell, Ph.D.*, all of GSPH.
The study was funded by grants from the National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases and the National Institute of Child Health and
Development, both at the National Institutes of Health; and from the
federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a program of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Founded in 1948 and fully accredited by the Council on Education for
Public Health, GSPH is world-renowned for contributions that have
influenced public health practices and medical care for millions of
people. One of the top-ranked schools of public health in the United
States, GSPH is the only fully accredited school of public health in the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with alumni who are among the leaders in
their fields of public health. A member of the Association of Schools of
Public Health, GSPH currently ranks third among schools of public health
in NIH funding received. The only school of public health in the nation
with a chair in minority health, GSPH is a leader in research related to
women's health, HIV/AIDS and human genetics, among others. For more
information about GSPH, visit the GSPH Web site at
http://www.publichealth.pitt.edu.