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Biomedical subjects

Paul G Horan

Publications and source records attributed to Paul G Horan.

3 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Lack of MEF2A Delta7aa mutation in Irish families with early onset ischaemic heart disease, a family based study.

BACKGROUND: Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) is a complex disease due to the combination of environmental and genetic factors. Mutations in the MEF2A gene have recently been reported in patients with IHD. In particular, a 21 base pair deletion (Delta7aa) in the MEF2A gene was identified in a family with an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance of IHD. We investigated this region of the MEF2A gene using an Irish family-based study, where affected individuals had early-onset IHD. METHODS: A total of 1494 individuals from 580 families were included (800 discordant sib-pairs and 64 parent-child trios). The Delta7aa region of the MEF2A gene was investigated based on amplicon size. RESULTS: The Delta7aa mutation was not detected in any individual. Variation in the number of CAG (glutamate) and CCG (proline) residues was detected in a nearby region. However, this was not found to be associated with IHD. CONCLUSION: The Delta7aa mutation was not detected in any individual within the study population and is unlikely to play a significant role in the development of IHD in Ireland. Using family-based tests of association the number of tri-nucleotide repeats in a nearby region of the MEF2A gene was not associated with IHD in our study group.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2006

Progressively increasing operative risk among patients referred for coronary artery bypass surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Advances in surgical, anaesthetic and percutaneous interventional techniques may have led to higher risk patients being referred for coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). The purpose of this study was to compare the predicted mortality risk (EuroSCORE) of a contemporary cohort of patients referred for isolated elective CABG (2002) with that of a cohort referred five years previously (1997) and to examine temporal trends in patient demographics. METHODS: Records (n=2873) of weekly cardiac surgical referral meetings were examined and the age, sex, type of operation and surgical decision for every patient referred from 1997 to 2002 inclusive were recorded. Furthermore samples of patients referred in 1997 (n=111) and in 2002 (n=110) were chosen, and a complete EuroSCORE was calculated for each patient and compared between groups. RESULTS: In both 1997 and 2002 the median EuroSCORE among patients not accepted for surgery was significantly higher than those accepted (1997; 3 vs 2, p < 0.001. 2002; 5 vs. 2, p < 0.001). The median EuroSCORE of patients referred in 2002 was significantly higher than those referred in 1997 (3 vs. 2; p < 0.001). There was a progressive increase in median patient age throughout the study period and this accounted for the observed temporal increase in EuroSCORE. CONCLUSIONS: Predicted mortality risk among patients referred for coronary artery bypass surgery is increasing, mainly due to patient age at referral.

Age Distribution↗