The Impact of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Gene on Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia in Alzheimer’s Disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (14) ◽  
pp. 1269-1275
Author(s):  
Sun-Wung Hsieh ◽  
Ming-Wei Liu ◽  
Ling-Chun Huang ◽  
Meng-Ni Wu ◽  
Yuan-Han Yang

Background: The Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) gene has drawn attention for its possible role in regulating the degradation of β-amyloid (Aβ), yet its role in affecting the cognitive and psychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer`s Disease (AD) patients has yet to be elucidated. Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether the ACE gene acts as a risk factor of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) in the AD population. Method: The genotyping of ACE and Apolipoprotein E gene with allele ε4(APOEε4) was determined among 360s clinically diagnosed AD patients. Symptoms and severity of BPSD were evaluated annually via Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Results: At the base measurement of the first year of patient recruitment, there were no significant contributory risk factors to NPI score. In the two-year follow-up, ACE insertion polymorphism showed a significant risk (adjusted odds ratio=1.65, 95% CI=1.1- 2.5, p=0.019) of progression of NPI total score. Conclusion: ACE gene is involved in aggravating BPSD among AD patients.

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Elifcan Aladag ◽  
Zahit Tas ◽  
Bilgesu Safak Ozdemir ◽  
Tayfun Hilmi Akbaba ◽  
Meltem Gulsun Akpınar ◽  
...  

Introduction. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), that is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread rapidly worldwide since December 2019. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has a great affinity for the angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) receptor, which is an essential element of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). This study is aimed at assessing the impact of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion (I)/deletion (D) polymorphisms, on the susceptibility and clinical outcomes of the COVID-19 immunoinflammatory syndrome. Patients and Methods. A total of 112 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between 1 and 15 May 2020 were enrolled in the study. ACE gene allele frequencies were compared to the previously reported Turkish population comprised of 300 people. Results. The most common genotype in the patients and control group was DI with 53% and II with 42%, respectively. The difference in the presence of the D allele between the patient and control groups was statistically significant (67% vs. 42%, respectively, p < 0.0001 ). Severe pneumonia was observed more in patients with DI allele (31%) than DD (8%) and II (0%) ( p = 0.021 ). The mortality rate, time to defervescence, and the hospitalization duration were not different between the genotype groups. Conclusion. Genotype DI of ACE I/D polymorphism is associated with the infectious rate particularly severe pneumonia in this study conducted in the Turkish population. Therefore, ACE D/I polymorphism could affect the clinical course of COVID-19.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 244-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mamoru Hashimoto ◽  
Yusuke Yatabe ◽  
Tomohisa Ishikawa ◽  
Ryuji Fukuhara ◽  
Keiichiro Kaneda ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are common in the clinical manifestation of dementia. Although most patients with dementia exhibit some BPSD during the course of the illness, the association of BPSD with the stage of dementia remains unclear. It was the aim of this study to evaluate the impact of severity of dementia on the expression of BPSD in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: Ninety-seven patients with DLB and 393 patients with AD were recruited from 8 dementia clinics across Japan. BPSD were assessed by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). A relationship between BPSD and dementia stage classified by the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) in each type of dementia was assessed. Results: No significant difference was seen in NPI total score across CDR staging in the DLB group. On the other hand, the NPI total score significantly increased with dementia stage in the AD group. Conclusion: The relationship of dementia stage with the expression of BPSD was different according to the type of dementia. BPSD and dementia stage were correlated in AD subjects, in whom psychiatric symptoms increase as the disease progresses, but not in DLB subjects.


Author(s):  
A.Z. Dautova ◽  
E.A. Khazhieva ◽  
V.G. Shamratova ◽  
L.Z. Sadykova

The aim of the paper was to study the association of polymorphic variants of rs4646994 (I/D) of the angiotensin converting enzyme gene (ACE) and rs5810761 (+9/-9) of the bradykinin B2 receptor gene (BDKRB2) with erythrocyte adrenoreactivity (ARE) in athletes and untrained young men. Materials and Methods. The study involved 61 young men (aged 21–23) with different levels of motor activity (MA). ARE was evaluated according to the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) change under adrenaline in vitro at final concentrations 10-5, 10-6, 10-7, 10-9, 10-11, 10-13 g/ml of venous blood. According to the effect observed and ESR shifts under adrenaline, we distinguished 3 ARE types: antiaggregative (AnAg), areactive (Ar) and aggregative (Ar). Results. The results of comparative and correlation analyses demonstrated that young athletes with +9/-9 (BDKRB2) genotype were characterized by a higher aggregative resistance of erythrocytes to the effects of both physiological (<10-9 g/ml) (physiological adrenaline concentration, PAC) and stressful doses (>10-9 g/ml) of adrenaline (stress adrenaline concentration, SAC), as well as by predominance of AnAg and Ar ARE types. In athletes, among the representatives of different genotypes of АСЕ gene I/D polymorphism, the erythrocyte response to adrenaline did not have any statistically significant differences. In physically inactive students, namely individuals with the D/D genotype, maximal ESR deviation under PAC was less than in those with I/D genotype. Conclusion. Athletes with *-9 allele (+9/-9 genotype) in their genotype can be considered more stress-resistant, which is provided by optimal adaptive and compensatory body mechanisms. Apparently, resistance of cells to the adrenaline contributes much to the work of these mechanisms. As for the ACE gene polymorphism, its effect on the suspension characteristics of erythrocytes is less pronounced not only in physically inactive young men, but in athletes as well. Keywords: erythrocyte adrenoreactivity (ARE), stress tolerance, β2 bradykinin receptor gene (BDKRB2), angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene, motor activity. Цель работы – изучить ассоциацию полиморфных вариантов rs4646994 (I/D) гена ангиотензинпревращающего фермента (АСЕ) и rs5810761 (+9/-9) гена рецептора брадикинина 2 типа (BDKRB2) с адренореактивностью эритроцитов (АРЭ) у спортсменов и юношей, ведущих физически малоактивный образ жизни. Материалы и методы. В исследовании принял участие 61 юноша с разным уровнем двигательной активности (ДА) в возрасте 21–23 лет. Оценку АРЭ проводили по изменению скорости оседания эритроцитов (СОЭ) под действием адреналина in vitro в конечных концентрациях 10-5, 10-6, 10-7, 10-8, 10-9, 10-11, 10-13 г/мл венозной крови. По характеру наблюдаемого эффекта в соответствии с направленностью сдвигов СОЭ в присутствии адреналина мы выделили 3 типа АРЭ: антиагрегационный (АнАг), ареактивный (Ар) и агрегационный (Аг). Результаты. По результатам сравнительного и корреляционного анализа установлено, что юноши-спортсмены с генотипом +9/-9 (BDKRB2) характеризуются более высокой агрегативной устойчивостью эритроцитов к воздействию как физиологических (10-9 г/мл и ниже), так и повышенных (стрессовых) доз (выше 10-8 г/мл крови) адреналина, а также преобладанием АнАг- и Ар-типов АРЭ. У представителей разных генотипов полиморфизма I/D гена АСЕ реакция эритроцитов на адреналин не имела статистически значимых различий в группе спортсменов, тогда как в группе малоактивных студентов у лиц с генотипом D/D максимальное отклонение СОЭ при ФКА было меньше, чем при генотипе I/D. Выводы. Спортсменов, имеющих в своём генотипе аллель *-9 (+9/-9 генотип), можно считать более стрессоустойчивыми, что обеспечивается оптимальными адаптивно-компенсаторными механизмами организма, существенная роль в обеспечении которых, по-видимому, принадлежит устойчивости клеток к действию адреналина. Что касается полиморфизма гена АСЕ, то его влияние на суспензионные характеристики эритроцитов выражено слабее не только у физически малоактивных юношей, но и у спортсменов. Ключевые слова: адренореактивность эритроцитов (АРЭ), стрессоустойчивость, ген рецептора брадикинина β2 (BDKRB2), ген ангиотензинпревращающего фермента (АСЕ), двигательная активность.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 8226
Author(s):  
John Tsu-An Hsu ◽  
Chih-Feng Tien ◽  
Guann-Yi Yu ◽  
Santai Shen ◽  
Yi-Hsuan Lee ◽  
...  

Increasing evidence suggests that elderly people with dementia are vulnerable to the development of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the major form of dementia, β-amyloid (Aβ) levels in the blood are increased; however, the impact of elevated Aβ levels on the progression of COVID-19 remains largely unknown. Here, our findings demonstrate that Aβ1-42, but not Aβ1-40, bound to various viral proteins with a preferentially high affinity for the spike protein S1 subunit (S1) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the viral receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). These bindings were mainly through the C-terminal residues of Aβ1-42. Furthermore, Aβ1-42 strengthened the binding of the S1 of SARS-CoV-2 to ACE2 and increased the viral entry and production of IL-6 in a SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus infection model. Intriguingly, data from a surrogate mouse model with intravenous inoculation of Aβ1-42 show that the clearance of Aβ1-42 in the blood was dampened in the presence of the extracellular domain of the spike protein trimers of SARS-CoV-2, whose effects can be prevented by a novel anti-Aβ antibody. In conclusion, these findings suggest that the binding of Aβ1-42 to the S1 of SARS-CoV-2 and ACE2 may have a negative impact on the course and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and examine whether reducing the level of Aβ1-42 in the blood is beneficial to the fight against COVID-19 and AD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 825-833
Author(s):  
Arianna Manini ◽  
Michela Brambilla ◽  
Laura Maggiore ◽  
Simone Pomati ◽  
Leonardo Pantoni

Abstract Background During Covid-19 pandemic, the Italian government adopted restrictive limitations and declared a national lockdown on March 9, which lasted until May 4 and produced dramatic consequences on people’s lives. The aim of our study was to assess the impact of prolonged lockdown on behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Methods Between April 30 and June 8, 2020, we interviewed with a telephone-based questionnaire the caregivers of the community-dwelling patients with dementia who had their follow-up visit scheduled from March 9 to May 15 and canceled due to lockdown. Among the information collected, patients’ BPSDs were assessed by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Non-parametric tests to compare differences between NPI scores over time and logistic regression models to explore the impact of different factors on BPSD worsening were performed. Results A total of 109 visits were canceled and 94/109 caregivers completed the interview. Apathy, irritability, agitation and aggression, and depression were the most common neuropsychiatric symptoms experienced by patients both at baseline and during Covid-19 pandemic. Changes in total NPI and caregiver distress scores between baseline and during lockdown, although statistically significant, were overall modest. The logistic regression model failed to determine predictors of BPSD worsening during lockdown. Conclusion This is one of the first studies to investigate the presence of BPSD during SARS-CoV-2 outbreak and related nationwide lockdown, showing only slight, likely not clinically relevant, differences in BPSD burden, concerning mostly agitation and aggression, anxiety, apathy and indifference, and irritability.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Ce Dai ◽  
Zhuo-Yu An ◽  
Zi-Yang Wang ◽  
Zi-Zhen Wang ◽  
Yi-Ren Wang

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) share a target receptor with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The use of ACEIs/ARBs may cause angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor upregulation, facilitating the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells. There is concern that the use of ACEIs/ARBs could increase the risks of severe COVID-19 and mortality. The impact of discontinuing these drugs in patients with COVID-19 remains uncertain. We aimed to assess the association between the use of ACEIs/ARBs and the risks of mortality and severe disease in patients with COVID-19. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and MedRxiv.org from December 1, 2019, to June 20, 2020. We also identified additional citations by manually searching the reference lists of eligible articles. Forty-two observational studies including 63,893 participants were included. We found that the use of ACEIs/ARBs was not significantly associated with a reduction in the relative risk of all-cause mortality [odds ratio (OR) = 0.87, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.75–1.00; I2 = 57%, p = 0.05]. We found no significant reduction in the risk of severe disease in the ACEI subgroup (OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.88–1.02, I2 = 50%, p = 0.18), the ARB subgroup (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 0.94–1.13, I2 = 62%, p = 0.48), or the ACEI/ARB subgroup (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.65–1.08, I2 = 67%, p = 0.16). Moreover, seven studies showed no significant difference in the duration of hospitalization between the two groups (mean difference = 0.33, 95% CI = −1.75 to 2.40, p = 0.76). In conclusion, the use of ACEIs/ARBs appears to not have a significant effect on mortality, disease severity, or duration of hospitalization in COVID-19 patients. On the basis of the findings of this meta-analysis, there is no support for the cessation of treatment with ACEIs or ARBs in patients with COVID-19.


Toxins ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 742
Author(s):  
Bogusz Trojanowicz ◽  
Christof Ulrich ◽  
Matthias Girndt

Apelin peptides (APLN) serve as second substrates for angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and, in contrast to angiotensin II (AngII), exert blood-pressure lowering and vasodilatation effects through binding to G-coupled APLN receptor (APLNR). ACE2-mediated cleavage of the APLN may reduce its vasodilatory effects, but decreased ACE2 may potentiate the hypotensive properties of APLN. The role of APLN in uremia is unclear. We investigated the correlations between serum-APLN, leucocytic APLNR, and ACE2 in 32 healthy controls (NP), 66 HD, and 24 CKD3–5 patients, and the impact of APLN peptides on monocytic behavior and ACE2 expression under uremic conditions in vitro. We observed that serum APLN and leucocytic APLNR or SLCO2B1 were significantly elevated in uremic patients and correlated with decreased ACE2 on uremic leucocytes. APLN-treated THP-1 monocytes revealed significantly increased APLNR and ACE2, and reduced TNFa, IL-6, and MCSF. Uremic toxins induced a dramatic increase of miR-421 followed by significant reduction of ACE2 transcripts, partially counteracted with APLN-13 and -36. APLN-36 triggered the most potent transmigration and reduction of endothelial adhesion. These results suggest that although APLN peptides may partly protect against the decay of monocytic ACE2 transcripts, uremic milieu is the most dominant modulator of local ACE2, and likely to contribute to the progression of atherosclerosis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherry-Ann Brown ◽  
Svetlana Zaharova ◽  
Peter Mason ◽  
Jonathan Thompson ◽  
Bicky Thapa ◽  
...  

Overlapping commonalities between coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) and cardio-oncology regarding cardiovascular toxicities (CVT), pathophysiology, and pharmacology are special topics emerging during the pandemic. In this perspective, we consider an array of CVT common to both COVID-19 and cardio-oncology, including cardiomyopathy, ischemia, conduction abnormalities, myopericarditis, and right ventricular (RV) failure. We also emphasize the higher risk of severe COVID-19 illness in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) or its risk factors or cancer. We explore commonalities in the underlying pathophysiology observed in COVID-19 and cardio-oncology, including inflammation, cytokine release, the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system, coagulopathy, microthrombosis, and endothelial dysfunction. In addition, we examine common pharmacologic management strategies that have been elucidated for CVT from COVID-19 and various cancer therapies. The use of corticosteroids, as well as antibodies and inhibitors of various molecules mediating inflammation and cytokine release syndrome, are discussed. The impact of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) is also addressed, since these drugs are used in cardio-oncology and have received considerable attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, since the culprit virus enters human cells via the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. There are therefore several areas of overlap, similarity, and interaction in the toxicity, pathophysiology, and pharmacology profiles in COVID-19 and cardio-oncology syndromes. Learning more about either will likely provide some level of insight into both. We discuss each of these topics in this viewpoint, as well as what we foresee as evolving future directions to consider in cardio-oncology during the pandemic and beyond. Finally, we highlight commonalities in health disparities in COVID-19 and cardio-oncology and encourage continued development and implementation of innovative solutions to improve equity in health and healing.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S594-S594
Author(s):  
Amanda N Leggett ◽  
Laura N Gitlin

Abstract Approximately 15 million Americans serve as family caregivers for a person with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of age-related dementia and this care can take a physical and emotional toll. Understudied is the process of how families actually provide care in response to care challenges, and how to find respite and resilience amidst care challenges. This symposium considers how caregivers handle daily challenges related to dementia including activities of daily living, behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, general health and medical comorbidities. In addition to characterizing care partner’s distinct styles of management (Leggett et al.) and knowledge and capacity to manage health care (Sadak et al.), the papers also provide perspective on positive aspects of care management such as the impact of respite on positive mood (Wylie et al.), the moderating role of relationship quality on responses to behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (Chunga et al.) and finally how caregivers’ problem-related, self-growth, and help-related behaviors compose their resilience to care challenges (Zhou et al.). To conclude, our discussant Dr. Laura Gitlin will offer insight on cross-cutting implications across studies and offer perspective on how research, intervention science, and clinical practice may better account for caregiver management styles to promote growth and resilience in caregivers and their care partners with dementia.


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