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Jacqueline M Vink

Publications and source records attributed to Jacqueline M Vink.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Genetic influences on exercise participation in 37,051 twin pairs from seven countries.

BACKGROUND: A sedentary lifestyle remains a major threat to health in contemporary societies. To get more insight in the relative contribution of genetic and environmental influences on individual differences in exercise participation, twin samples from seven countries participating in the GenomEUtwin project were used. METHODOLOGY: Self-reported data on leisure time exercise behavior from Australia, Denmark, Finland, Norway, The Netherlands, Sweden and United Kingdom were used to create a comparable index of exercise participation in each country (60 minutes weekly at a minimum intensity of four metabolic equivalents). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Modest geographical variation in exercise participation was revealed in 85,198 subjects, aged 19-40 years. Modeling of monozygotic and dizygotic twin resemblance showed that genetic effects play an important role in explaining individual differences in exercise participation in each country. Shared environmental effects played no role except for Norwegian males. Heritability of exercise participation in males and females was similar and ranged from 48% to 71% (excluding Norwegian males). CONCLUSIONS: Genetic variation is important in individual exercise behavior and may involve genes influencing the acute mood effects of exercise, high exercise ability, high weight loss ability, and personality. This collaborative study suggests that attempts to find genes influencing exercise participation can pool exercise data across multiple countries and different instruments.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Early onset cannabis use and progression to other drug use in a sample of Dutch twins.

One possible explanation of the commonly reported associations between early onset cannabis use and elevated risks of other illicit drug use is that early onset cannabis use increases access and availability to other drugs. It was this argument that in part motivated policy changes in the Netherlands that led to the de facto legalization of cannabis there. This study examines, using a co-twin control design, whether previously observed associations between early onset cannabis use and elevated lifetime rates of other illicit drug use would also be observed in a sample of 219 same sex Dutch twin pairs discordant for cannabis use before age 18. After adjustment for covariates, rates of lifetime party drug use (OR=7.4, 95% CI=2.3-23.4), hard drug use (OR=16.5, 95% CI=2.4-111.3), but not regular cannabis use (OR=1.3, 95% CI=0.3-5.1) were significantly elevated in individuals who reported early onset cannabis use, relative to their co-twin who had not used cannabis by age 18. The elevated odds of subsequent illicit drug use in early cannabis users relative to their non early using co-twins suggests that this association could not be explained by common familial risk factors, either genetic or environmental, for which our co-twin methodology provided rigorous control.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

The genetic architecture of neuroticism in 3301 Dutch adolescent twins as a function of age and sex: a study from the Dutch twin register.

The objective of this study was to estimate the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences to variation in adolescent neuroticism as a function of age and sex. Neuroticism was assessed using the Amsterdamse Biografische Vragenlijst (ABV): a self-report personality instrument similar in content to the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Genetic modeling procedures, including age as modifier, were fitted to the total sample of 3301 Dutch adolescent twins aged 12 to 17 years (mean age 15.5). Significant influences of additive genetic factors (.59, 95% confidence intervals [CI] .54-.63) and unshared environmental factors (.41, 95% CI .37-.45) were found. Our data did not support a role of shared environment. Results showed that different genes may influence variation in neuroticism between girls and boys. No interaction was found between the variance components and age. Results generally support prior findings in adults and young children that neuroticism is influenced principally by additive genetic and unique environmental factors. The magnitude of the genetic component appears higher in the present sample of adolescents than in most studies of adults. The present study suggests that, in adolescence, different genes are expressed in boys and girls.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Genome-wide linkage scan to identify Loci for age at first cigarette in Dutch sibling pairs.

The heritability of age at first cigarette was estimated in 5883 Dutch twins and siblings registered with the Netherlands Twin Register. Heritability was 60% for males and 39% for females. Shared environmental influences were found in females only (30%). Linkage analyses were performed on data of 422 DZ twins and siblings from 175 families, forming 368 sibling pairs. Genomic regions that may harbor susceptibility loci for age at first cigarette with LOD score greater than 2 were detected on chromosomes 5, 14 and 22. A simultaneous analysis of these three genomic regions showed that most of the variance was explained by the linkage effect on chromosome 5 (205 cM). This peak encloses the D1A dopamine receptor gene which is a functional candidate gene for smoking behavior.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Heritability of smoking initiation and nicotine dependence.

In contrast to other aspects of smoking behavior, little attention has been paid to the genetics of nicotine dependence. In this paper, three models (single liability dimension, independent liability dimension and combined model) have been applied to data on smoking initiation and nicotine dependence (n = 1572 Dutch twin pairs, mean age 30.5). A combined model best described the data. This model postulates a smoking initiation dimension and a nicotine dependence dimension, which are not independent. For both males and females, individual differences in smoking initiation were explained by genetic (44%), shared environmental (51%) and unique environmental (5%) influences. The nicotine dependence dimension was influenced only by genetic (75%) and unique environmental (25%) factors. The substantial impact of genetic factors on nicotine dependence emphasizes the need for further research to localize and identify specific genes and pathways involved in nicotine dependence.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

The Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence in a Dutch sample of daily smokers and ex-smokers.

We explored the performance of the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) in a sample of 1378 daily smokers and 1058 ex-smokers who participated in a survey study of the Netherlands Twin Register. FTND scores were higher for smokers than for ex-smokers. Nicotine dependence level was not associated with age. FTND score was highly correlated with the maximum number of cigarettes smoked (even after excluding the item 'number of cigarettes per day' from FTND), but the FTND score showed a low correlation with age of first cigarette and total number of years smoked. In a subsample of smokers (n = 143) and ex-smokers (n = 181) the test-retest correlations for the FTND were high. In general, the performance of the FTND in ex-smokers was comparable with that in smokers. These findings suggest the FTND to be a valuable tool for studies of nicotine dependence in large epidemiological samples.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Twin and genetic effects on life events.

Twin studies that examine the effect of specific environmental risk factors on psychiatric disorders assume that there are no differences in prevalences of these risk factors between twins and singletons. Violation of this assumption signifies that the results from twin studies might not generalize to singletons. Another assumption, not only underlying twin studies but also epidemiological research, is that life-events are not influenced by familial factors. We tested differences in prevalences of experienced life events in a Dutch sample of 1086 monozygotic (MZ) twins, 2090 dizygotic (DZ) twins and 1307 of their siblings. Self reported data on life events (illness of self, illness of a significant other, spouse/romantic relationship, divorce/break-up of a relationship, death of a significant other, traffic accident, robbery, violent assault, sexual assault) were available from a survey-study. We further investigated whether familial resemblance was present for the exposure to these life events and, if so, whether this resemblance was due to genetic or common environmental factors. No differences were found in the prevalences of life events between MZ twins, DZ twins and their siblings. There was evidence for familial aggregation of all life events, except for traffic accidents in women. Results indicated genetic control on the presence of a spouse or involvement in a relationship. Familial resemblance of illness and death of a significant other was mainly due to common environment. For the other life events, it was not possible to distinguish between genetic and common environmental effects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Estimating non-response bias in family studies: application to mental health and lifestyle.

Non-response to mailed surveys reduces the effective sample size and may introduce bias. Non-response has been studied by (1) comparison to available data in population based registers, (2) directly contacting non-respondents by telephone or single-item reply cards, and (3) longitudinal repetition of the survey. The goal of this paper was to propose an additional method to study non-response bias: when the variable of interest has a familial component, data from respondents can be used as proxy for the data from their non-responding family members. This approach was used with data on smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, coffee- and tea-use, education, body mass index, religion, burnout, life events, personality and mental health in large number of siblings and DZ twins registered with the Netherlands Twin Register. In addition, for smoking behavior, we also used the second strategy by sending a reply card. Results show that scores of members from less cooperative families or incomplete twin pairs tended to be more unfavorable than the scores from highly cooperative families or complete twin pairs. For example, family members from less cooperative families cycled less often and scored higher on anxious depression and neuroticism. For smoking, both the results of the reply card and the results of the additional method suggested a higher percentage smokers among the non-respondents but this was only significant with reply card method. In general, differences between highly/less cooperative families and complete/incomplete DZ twins were small. Results suggest that, even for studies with moderate response rates, data collected on health, personality and lifestyle are relatively unbiased.

Bias↗
PubMed2004

QTLs for height: results of a full genome scan in Dutch sibling pairs.

Height is a highly heritable, complex trait. At present, the genes responsible for the variation in height have not yet been identified. This paper summarizes the results of previous linkage studies and presents results of an additional linkage analysis. Using data from the Netherlands Twin Register, a sib-pair-based linkage analysis for adult height was conducted. For 513 sib-pairs from 174 families complete genome scans and adult height were available. The strongest evidence for linkage was found for a region on chromosome 6, near markers D6S1053 and D6S1031 (LOD = 2.32). This replicated previous findings in other data sets. LOD scores ranging from 1.53 to 2.04 were found for regions on chromosomes 1, 5, 8, 10, and 18. The region on chromosome 18 (LOD = 1.83) also corresponded with the results of previous studies. Several chromosomal regions are now implied in the variance in height, but further study is needed to draw definite conclusions with regard to the significance of these regions for adult height.

Body Height↗
PubMed2003

The association of current smoking behavior with the smoking behavior of parents, siblings, friends and spouses.

AIMS: To examine the association of current smoking behavior of adolescents and young adults with the smoking behavior of their parents, siblings, friends and spouses. DESIGN: Using survey data from a large twin-family sample, the association between the smoking behavior of participants and that of their family members, friends and spouses was investigated by calculating the relative risk. To disentangle sex and age differences, calculations were carried out separately for males and females and for three different age groups: 12-15, 16-20 and 21-40 years old. FINDINGS: The smoking behavior of the participants was significantly influenced by the smoking behavior of parents, siblings and friends, but all relative risks decreased with age. No differences in relative risk were found between having older or younger smoking siblings. Within each age group, the relative risk to smoke when having a smoking friend was comparable to the relative risk to smoke when having a smoking same-age and same-sex sibling. For the older participants, the relative risk to smoke was higher for monozygotic (MZ) twins with a smoking co-twin than for dizygotic (DZ) twins with a smoking co-twin. Most findings were sex-dependent: same-sex smoking family members influenced smoking behavior more than opposite-sex family members. The significant association of the smoking behavior of spouses decreased with age, which suggests that assortment for smoking is based on similarity at the time dating began. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the importance of both social and genetic influences on smoking behavior, with genetic influences increasing with the age of the participant.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Smoking status of parents, siblings and friends: predictors of regular smoking? Findings from a longitudinal twin-family study.

The relationship between regular smoking behavior and the smoking behavior of parents, siblings and friends was investigated using data from the Netherlands Twin Register. Cross-sectional analyses of data of 3906 twins showed significant associations between smoking behavior of the participant and smoking behavior of co-twin, additional brothers, parents of the same sex as the participant and friends. Those variables, together with age, explained 47% of the variance in smoking behavior. Longitudinal analyses of data from 2397 twins, who, in 1993, reported never to have smoked (regularly), showed that uptake of regular smoking two years later was predicted by having a smoking co-twin, smoking same-sex siblings, smoking mother and smoking friends. Males are, in contrast to females, at a later age still vulnerable to taking up regular smoking. The variables explained 21% of the variance. Sport participation, alcohol use, boredom susceptibility and neuroticism significantly added to the predictive value of this model. Including those additional factors increased the explained variance to 30%, and subsequently adding experimental smoking behavior further increased the explained variance to almost 50%. In summary, having smoking family members and friends, as well as lifestyle and personality factors are important predictors for the uptake of regular smoking. However, the experimental smoking behavior of the participant is equally important.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Gene finding strategies.

Both linkage and association methods have been used to localise and identify genes related to behaviour and other complex traits. The linkage approach (parametric or non-parametric) can be used for whole genome screens to localise genes of unknown function. The parametric linkage approach is very effective for locating single-gene disorders and is usually based on large family pedigrees. The non-parametric method is useful to detect quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for complex traits and was originally developed for sib pair analyses. Genetic association studies are most often used to test the association of alleles at a candidate gene with a disease or with levels of a quantitative trait. Allelic association between a trait and a marker can be studied in a case-control design, but because of possible problems due to population stratification, within-family designs have been proposed as the optimal test for association.

Alleles↗
PubMed2002

The impact of the embryo transfer catheter on the pregnancy rate in IVF.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to assess whether the type of embryo transfer set used for embryo transfer affects the ongoing pregnancy rate in IVF. METHODS: The TDT set was compared with the K-soft 5000 in a large, prospective, randomized study. Patients were randomized moments before transfer by drawing a consecutively numbered, sealed, opaque envelope indicating the catheter to be used. RESULTS: 2059 embryo transfers in 1296 patients were analysed. The ongoing pregnancy rate was significantly higher in the K-soft group. If the first transfer of a patient (n = 1296) within this study period was analysed, the ongoing pregnancy rates were 27.1 versus 20.5% (P = 0.006). If the analysis is limited to patients that underwent their very first transfer ever (n = 607), the ongoing pregnancy rates were 30.3 versus 20.0% (P = 0.003) in favour of the K-soft. CONCLUSION: We conclude from these data that the type of embryo transfer set used for embryo transfer does affect the ongoing pregnancy rate and that the impact of the variable transfer catheter on the ongoing pregnancy rate increases when the a priori chance of pregnancy increases.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Netherlands Twin Register: a focus on longitudinal research.

In 1986 we began The Netherlands Twin Register (NTR) by recruiting young twins and multiples a few weeks or months after birth. Currently we register around 50% of all newborn multiples in The Netherlands. Their parents receive a questionnaire at registration and afterwards when the children are 2, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 12 years of age. Teachers are asked to rate the behavior of the children at ages 7, 10 and 12 years. Adolescent and young-adult twins were recruited through City Councils in the early 1990s. These twins, their parents and siblings participate in longitudinal survey studies that include items about health, fertility, lifestyle, addiction, personality and psychopathology, religion, socioeconomic status, and educational attainment. The total number of twins and multiples registered with the NTR is currently over 60,000. Subgroups of twins and siblings take part in studies of cognitive development, brain function and neuropsychological indices of attention processes, and molecular genetic studies of classical and behavioral cardiovascular risk factors. DNA samples are currently collected in selected twin families for two large linkage studies, which aim to find QTLs for anxious depression and for nicotine addiction. Sisters who are mothers of DZ twins contribute DNA samples for a linkage study of DZ twinning. Large cohorts of phenotyped family members from the general population are very valuable for genetic epidemiological studies and permit selection of informative families for gene finding studies.

Adolescent↗