scholarly journals Age, Sex, and Genetic and Environmental Effects on Unintentional Injuries in Young and Adult Twins

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 502-506
Author(s):  
Simo Salminen ◽  
Eero Vuoksimaa ◽  
Richard J. Rose ◽  
Jaakko Kaprio

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of genetic and environment influences and sex on injury involvement using two sets of Finnish twin data. The younger participants were 955 twins born between 1983 and 1987, aged 20 to 24 years. The older participants were 12,428 twins born between 1930 and 1957, aged 33 to 60 years. Within-twin correlations in monozygotic and dizygotic twins suggested that genetic effects play no role in injury involvement among young twins, but do have some effect at older ages. The results indicated that environmental factors have greater importance in injury involvement than genetic factors in the younger twin data set (FT12), whereas in a middle-aged (33–60 years) twin data set, genetic effects explained about quarter of the variance in injury involvement. Sex was a strong contributing factor, with males being generally more prone to injuries than females.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yisong Huang ◽  
Shaoyong Su ◽  
Harold Snieder ◽  
Frank Treiber ◽  
Gaston Kapuku ◽  
...  

AbstractIncreased arterial stiffness measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV) is an important parameter in the assessment of cardiovascular risk. Our previous longitudinal study has demonstrated that carotid-distal PWV showed reasonable stability throughout youth and young adulthood. This stability might be driven by genetic factors that are expressed consistently over time. We aimed to illustrate the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to the stability of carotid-distal PWV from youth to young adulthood. We also examined potential ethnic differences. For this purpose, carotid-distal PWV was measured twice in 497 European American (EA) and African American (AA) twins, with an average interval time of 3 years. Twin modelling on PWV showed that heritability decreased over time (62–35%), with the nonshared environmental influences becoming larger. There was no correlation between the nonshared environmental factors on PWV measured at visit 1 and visit 2, with the phenotypic tracking correlation (r = 0.32) completely explained by shared genetic factors over time. Novel genetic influences were identified accounting for a significant part of the variance (19%) at the second measurement occasion. There was no evidence for ethnic differences. In summary, novel genetic effects appear during development into young adulthood and account for a considerable part of the variation in PWV. Environmental influences become larger with age for PWV.


2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Taylor ◽  
Kerry L. Jang ◽  
Murray B. Stein ◽  
Gordon J. G. Asmundson

The leading contemporary cognitive-behavioral model of excessive health anxiety (HA) emphasizes the importance of environmental factors, such as learning experiences. The model has little to say about the role of genetic factors and, by ignoring these factors, seems to imply that they are unimportant. In contrast, results from the University of British Columbia Twin Study, using a sample of 88 monozygotic and 65 dizygotic twin pairs, indicated that various facets of HA, such as excessive disease fear, unrealistic beliefs that one has a serious disease, and HA-related interference in functioning, are moderately heritable. The present study extended the analyses of this data set by investigating the extent to which the various facets of HA are due to genetic or environmental factors that are common to all facets versus specific to each facet. Results indicated that all facets of HA are influenced by a common set of genes—there was very little evidence of facet-specific genetic influences. There was considerably stronger evidence for facet-specific environmental influences, where each facet is strongly influenced by environmental experiences that are specific to that facet. However, there was also evidence that particular environmental influences—especially those that shape disease conviction—also influence some of the other HA facets (fear and interference). The importance of environmental factors is consistent with the cognitive-behavioral model of HA, although the model needs to be refined to account for the role of genetic factors. Possibilities for refining the model are discussed, along with promising research directions to better understand the role of genes and the environment in HA.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ally R. Avery ◽  
Glen E. Duncan

AbstractApproximately 12% of U.S. adults have type 2 diabetes (T2D). Diagnosed T2D is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors including age and lifestyle. In adults 45 years and older, the Discordant Twin (DISCOTWIN) consortium of twin registries from Europe and Australia showed a moderate-to-high contribution of genetic factors of T2D with a pooled heritability of 72%. The purpose of this study was to investigate the contributions of genetic and environmental factors of T2D in twins 45 years and older in a U.S. twin cohort (Washington State Twin Registry, WSTR) and compare the estimates to the DISCOTWIN consortium. We also compared these estimates with twins under the age of 45. Data were obtained from 2692 monozygotic (MZ) and same-sex dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs over 45 and 4217 twin pairs under 45 who responded to the question ‘Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with (type 2) diabetes?’ Twin similarity was analyzed using both tetrachoric correlations and structural equation modeling. Overall, 9.4% of MZ and 14.7% of DZ twins over the age of 45 were discordant for T2D in the WSTR, compared to 5.1% of MZ and 8% of DZ twins in the DISCOTWIN consortium. Unlike the DISCOTWIN consortium in which heritability was 72%, heritability was only 52% in the WSTR. In twins under the age of 45, heritability did not contribute to the variance in T2D. In a U.S. sample of adult twins, environmental factors appear to be increasingly important in the development of T2D.


2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 479-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lise Dubois ◽  
Manon Girard ◽  
Alain Girard ◽  
Richard Tremblay ◽  
Michel Boivin ◽  
...  

AbstractGenetic and environmental contributions to body size from birth to 5 years in a population-based twin cohort were studied. Sex differences in gene–environment etiology were also explored. Analyses used data from the Quebec Newborn Twin Study (QNTS), a population-based birth cohort of 672 twin pairs. The final sample consisted of 177 complete twin pairs. Heritability of weight was moderate at birth while common environmental factors accounted for almost half of the variance. Influence of family environment disappeared by 5 months and genetic effects were high (approximately 90%) for both sexes at 5 months and 5 years. Adjustment of weight for height yielded similar results as for weight alone. Slight but significant sex-limitation of genetic effects was observed at 5 months. Overall, genetic factors accounted for 40% of birthweight variance, with intrauterine environment influences explaining almost half. However, genetic factors accounted for most of the variance in weight. These results do not imply a lack of environmental effects on body weight, but rather a lack of: (1) environmental effects that are independent from genetic liability, and/or (2) a lack of significant environmental variation in the population (e.g., uniform nutritional habits) that leaves genetic differences between children to generate most of the variance in weight.


1999 ◽  
Vol 81 (03) ◽  
pp. 382-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Pedersen ◽  
Nils Egberg ◽  
Ulf Faire ◽  
Yuling Hong

Summary Background. Coagulation factor VII has been demonstrated as a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Both genes and non-genetic factors are related to plasma levels of factor VII. However, the extent to which genetic effects influence variability in plasma factor VII levels is unknown. Further, increased levels of plasma factor VII are associated with serum triglycerides, yet the reason for this association is not fully understood. Methods and Results. Quantitative genetic analyses were applied to evaluate the relative importance of genetic and different environmental influences on plasma factor VII levels and to test the significance of genetic and environmental factors in common to factor VII and triglycerides in 215 pairs of middle-aged and elderly twins, of whom 104 were reared apart and 120 were women. Genetic influences were found to account for 57% of the individual differences in plasma factor VII levels, whereas shared-rearing and residual-familial environmental factors were not significant. Furthermore, a significant genetic correlation of 0.38 was found between factor VII and triglycerides, but the environmental correlation between these two measures was not significant. Genetic factors in common to factor VII and triglycerides explain about 7% of the total variance for factor VII. Conclusion. The present study suggests that there are substantial genetic influences on plasma factor VII levels. Furthermore, genetic effects explain the phenotypic association between factor VII and triglycerides.


2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 1087-1095 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Onley ◽  
Livia Veselka ◽  
Julie Aitken Schermer ◽  
Philip A. Vernon

The present study is the first behavioral genetic investigation of the Dark Triad traits of personality, consisting of Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy, and the variable of mental toughness, reflecting individual differences in the ability to cope when under pressure. The purpose of this investigation was to explore a potential explanation for the success of individuals exhibiting the Dark Triad traits in workplace and social settings. Participants were adult twins who completed the MACH-IV, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, and the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale assessing Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy, respectively, as well as the MT48, measuring mental toughness. Correlational analyses of the data revealed significant positive phenotypic associations between mental toughness and narcissism. Psychopathy and Machiavellianism, however, both showed some significant negative phenotypic correlations with mental toughness. Bivariate behavioral genetic analyses of the data were conducted to assess the extent to which these significant phenotypic correlations were attributable to common genetic and/or common environmental factors. Results indicate that correlations between narcissism and mental toughness were attributable primarily to common non-shared environmental factors, correlations between Machiavellianism and mental toughness were influenced by both common genetic and common non-shared environmental factors, and the correlations between psychopathy and mental toughness were attributable entirely to correlated genetic factors. Implications of these findings in the context of etiology and organizational adaptation are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina Pittner ◽  
Marinus H. van Ijzendoorn ◽  
Lenneke R. A. Alink ◽  
Renate S. M. Buisman ◽  
Laura H. C. G. C. Compier-de Block ◽  
...  

AbstractChild maltreatment has been associated with various cumulative risk factors. However, little is known about the extent to which genetic and environmental factors contribute to individual differences between parents in perpetrating child maltreatment. To estimate the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to perpetrating maltreatment we used a parent-based extended family design. Child-reported perpetrated maltreatment was available for 556 parents (283 women) from 63 families. To explore reporter effects (i.e., child perspective on maltreatment), child reports were compared to multi-informant reports. Based on polygenic model analyses, most of the variance related to the perpetration of physical abuse and emotional neglect was explained by common environmental factors (physical abuse: c2 = 59%, SE = 12%, p = .006; emotional neglect: c2 = 47%, SE = 8%, p < .001) whereas genetic factors did not significantly contribute to the model. For perpetrated emotional abuse, in contrast, genetic factors did significantly contribute to perpetrated emotional abuse (h2 = 33%, SE = 8%, p < .001), whereas common environment factors did not. Multi-informant reports led to similar estimates of genetic and common environmental effects on all measures except for emotional abuse, where a multi-informant approach yielded higher estimates of the common environmental effects. Overall, estimates of unique environment, including measurement error, were lower using multi-informant reports. In conclusion, our findings suggest that genetic pathways play a significant role in perpetrating emotional abuse, while physical abuse and emotional neglect are transmitted primarily through common environmental factors. These findings imply that interventions may need to target different mechanisms dependings on maltreatment type.


Parasitology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 128 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. WAHYUNI ◽  
J. J. HOUWING-DUISTERMAAT ◽  
SYAFRUDDIN ◽  
T. SUPALI ◽  
M. YAZDANBAKHSH ◽  
...  

A statistical method that analyses correlation structures in families to delineate the contribution of genetic, household and environmental factors on clustering of infection, has been applied to data collected in an area endemic for brugian filariasis in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Infection was assessed both by microfilaraemia and by anti-filarial IgG4. The results confirmed earlier findings that genetic factors play an important role in clustering of infection. When clustering of infection was analysed in children (<10 years of age) and adults (>20 years of age) separately, it was found that the genetic factors influence clustering of infection in children more profoundly than environmental or household effects. In contrast, genetic factors could not fully explain the clustering of infection seen in adults, which seemed to be mainly determined by household and environmental effects. The data have implications for genotyping studies in brugian filariasis; they indicate that it may be important to concentrate on the younger age groups where individual environmental effects have not yet overruled the genetic influences on gain/loss of infection.


2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
E. GEMIN ◽  
J.C. SOUZA ◽  
L.O.C. SILVA ◽  
C.H.M. MALHADO ◽  
P.B. FERRAZ FILHO

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a influência dos efeitos de meio e da idade da vaca sobre os ganhos de peso do nascimento ao desmame (GPD), período pós-desmame (GPS) e sobre o número de dias para se obter 160 kg (D160). O rebanho avaliado continha 1.747 animais, sendo os dados analisados pelo método dos quadrados mínimos utilizando-se um modelo estatístico contendo os efeitos fixos de mês, ano e sexo do bezerro, o efeito aleatório de touros na fazenda, e como covariável a idade da vaca ao parto. As médias ajustadas para ganho de peso pré e pós-desmame, e para dias para a obtenção 160 kg foram 0,604 ± 0,01 kg; 0,399 ± 0,01 kg; em 285 ± 5,3 dias, respectivamente. Os machos foram superiores às fêmeas relativo ao GPD = 6,0%; D160 = 5,8 %, GPS = 20,1%. Quanto ao mês, as maiores médias de ganho de peso no pré-desmame recaiu nos animais nascidos no mês de agosto. Com relação aos dias para se obter 160 kg, os melhores resultados foram dos animais nascidos nos meses julho a setembro. A idade da vaca influenciou as caracteristicas ganho de peso pré-desmame e no D160. Environmental effects and age of dam on pre- and post-weaning daily gain, and on number of days to gain 160 kg from birth to weaning on guzerath breed cattle Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of environmental factors and age of dam on pre- (GPD) and post-weaning (GPS) daily gain, and on the were number of days to gain 160 kg (D160) from birth to weaning. The data set contained 1,747 animals, and were analyzed by the least squares method. The statistical model included the fixed effects of month and year of birth, and sex of the calf and age of the dam at calving. Sire nested within farm and the error were random effects. The pre- and post-weaning average daily gains, and days to gain 160 kg least squares means were 0.604 ± 0.01 kg, 0.399 ± 0.01 kg, and 285.0 ± 5.3 days, respectively. The males were 6.0, 21.1 and 5.8% superior to the females for GPD, GPS and D160, respectively. The highest pre-weaning gain was for the animals born August. Regarding D160, the best results were for the animals born from July to September. Age of the cow showed a significant quadratic effect on the traits. The best cows were the 94-month-old ones. First calving cows produced the lightest calves. The results showed the importance of the environmental effects on the traits studied, evidencing the need for them to be corrected.


1991 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.G. Martin ◽  
U. Kehren ◽  
D. Battistutta ◽  
J.D. Mathews

AbstractIn 1980-82, a mailed questionnaire was completed by 3,810 pairs of adult twins enrolled on the Australian NH&MRC Twin Register. Twins were asked whether they had had their tonsils out and, if so, at what age. The sample was divided into four birth cohorts of approximately equal size, and only childhood tonsillectomy (to the age of 18) was considered. The prevalence of tonsillectomy differed markedly between cohorts, being highest in those born in the 1940s and early 1950s. Within each cohort, the prevalence was very similar in MZ and DZ twins, yet concordance was much higher in MZ twins, indicating the importance of genetic factors in predisposition to tonsillectomy. However, the proportions of variance in liability due to genetic and shared environmental factors differed markedly between cohorts. In the 1950s, when tonsillectomy was fashionable, shared environment accounted for 60% of variance and genetic factors for only 29%. However, by the early 1960s, when tonsillectomy was going out of fashion, heritability was up to 0.82 and shared environment accounted for only 10% of variance. Our results illustrate, once again, that heritability is not a constant, but depends on the precise characteristics of the population and the time at which it is studied.


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