Publications

These publications are examples of research made possible with data from CanPath and its regional cohorts.

2024

Cohort profile: the CARTaGENE Cohort Nutrition Study (Quebec, Canada)

Authors: V. Ho, I. Csizmadi, B. A. Boucher, M. McInerney, C. Boileau, N. Noisel, Y. Payette, P. Awadalla, A. Koushik

The researchers aimed to address emerging nutritional epidemiological research questions, using data from the CARTaGENE cohort. Dietary information was collected making it a rich resource for the exploration of diet in the etiology of many health outcomes. They found that dietary intake and quality varied among participants but generally met recommended nutrient levels. Along with other findings, the Canadian Healthy Eating Index 2005 (C-HEI) scores were higher among never smokers, those with higher education, and those with more physical activity compared to current smokers, less than high school education, and those with lower physical activity.

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2024

Sex-Specific Associations of Aldosterone and Renin with Body Composition: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Authors: G. L. Hundemer, M. Agharazii, F. Madore, M.-E. Piché, C. Gagnon, A. Bussières, M. St-Jean, A. A. Leung, G. A. Kline, M. M. Sood, D. Burger, T. Ramsay, R. Goupil

The researchers investigated the associations of aldosterone and renin with body composition according to sex in a population-based cohort. Using data from 3,687 adults aged 40-69 years enrolled in the CARTaGENE study, they found that among males, higher aldosterone and renin levels were linked to increased waist to hip ratio, increased fat mass, and decreased lean and muscle mass, while aldosterone specifically was also associated with increased ectopic cardiac adiposity. In contrast, among females higher renin, but not aldosterone, was associated with increased waist circumference, increased waist-to-hip ratio, and increased cardiac adiposity. Higher renin and aldosterone were associated with increased fat mass but were not associated with lean body mass or muscle mass.

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2024

A statistical testing strategy accounting for random and nonrandom (skewed) X-chromosome inactivation identifies lung cancer susceptibility loci among smokers

Authors: Jantzen R, Camilleri-Broët S, Ezer N, Broët P

The research used 9,261 participants from the CARTaGENE cohort to identify susceptibility loci for lung cancer among current and past smokers. X chromosome-wide statistical analysis identified two SNPs in low-linkage disequilibrium located in the IL1RAPL1 (IL-1 R accessory protein-like) gene: rs12558491 and rs12835699. For both SNPs, the minor allele was associated with lower lung cancer risk.

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2024

Differences in antihypertensive medication prescription profiles between 2009 and 2021: a retrospective cohort study of CARTaGENE

Authors: Victoria Ivensky, Pitchou Zonga, Gabriel Dallaire, Louis-Charles Desbiens, Annie-Claire Nadeau-Fredette, Guy Rousseau, Rémi Goupil

Researchers examined the differences in antihypertensive medication prescription profiles in the province of Quebec between 2009 and 2021. Data from the CARTaGENE population–based cohort was used. The study found that application of hypertension guidelines for the choice of antihypertensive drugs remains suboptimal, underscoring the importance of educational initiatives.

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2023

Factors associated with change in moderate or severe symptoms of anxiety and depression in community-living adults and older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic

Authors: Helen-Maria Vasiliadis, Jessica Spagnolo, Mary Bartram, Marie-Josée Fleury, Jean-Philippe Gouin, Sébastien Grenier, Pasquale Roberge, Grace Shen-Tu, Jennifer E Vena, Catherine Lamoureux-Lamarche , JianLi Wang

Researchers explored changes in moderate or severe symptoms of anxiety or depression (MSSANXDEP) from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, and examined associated sociodemographic, economic, psychosocial, health behavior and lifestyle, and clinical factors. Data from 59,997 participants from the five established cohorts of the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath) were used. Analyses indicated that certain sociodemographic, economic, lifestyle, health behavior, psychosocial, and clinical factors were associated with remitted, incident, and persistent MSSANXDEP.

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2023

The influence of smoking and occupational risk factors on DNA methylation in the AHRR and F2RL3 genes

Authors: Laura Pelland-St-Pierre, Michael C Pham, Alice Quynh Huong Nguyen, Romain Pasquet, Sherryl A Taylor, Delphine Bosson-Rieutort, Anita Koushik, Vikki Ho

The researchers aimed to determine the association between smoking, occupational exposures, and AHRR and F2RL3 methylation, as AHRR and F2RL3 hypomethylation has been associated with lung cancer. A case-control study was implemented with CARTaGENE participants to outline the relationship between AHRR and F2RL3 methylation and lung cancer risk. It was found that in both the AHRR and F2RL3 genes, smoking was associated with lower levels of methylation. The data indicates that smoking and occupational exposures to some agents are associated with AHRR and F2RL3 hypomethylation.

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2023

Subclinical primary aldosteronism and cardiovascular health: a population-based cohort study

Authors: Gregory L Hundemer, Mohsen Agharazii, François Madore, Anand Vaidya, Jenifer M Brown, Alexander A Leung, Gregory A Kline, Eric Larose, Marie-Eve Piché, Andrew M Crean, Julie L V Shaw, Tim Ramsay, Bernhard Hametner, Siegfried Wassertheurer, Manish M Sood, Swapnil Hiremath, Marcel Ruzicka, Rémi Goupil

This study explores the impact of subclinical primary aldosteronism, a less recognized form of hypertension characterized by renin-independent aldosterone production, on cardiovascular health. With data from 1284 CARTaGENE participants, researchers found that a higher aldosterone-to-renin ratio, indicative of this condition, was associated with increased arterial stiffness, adverse cardiac remodeling, and higher odds of developing hypertension, independent of traditional blood pressure measures.

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2023

Factors associated with mental health service use during the pandemic: Initiation and barriers

Authors: Helen-Maria Vasiliadis, Jessica Spagnolo, Marie-Josée Fleury, Jean-Philippe Gouin, Pasquale Roberge, Mary Bartram, Sébastien Grenier, Grace Shen-Tu, Jennifer E. Vena, JianLi Wang

This study aimed to understand the factors associated with initiating new mental health service use (MHSU) during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as distinguishing between different reasons for not seeking mental health services. The research found that several factors influenced MHSU, such as age, living situation, income, and health professional status. The study suggests the need for awareness campaigns targeting older adults to explain the importance of seeking treatment and for sensitizing health professionals to facilitate access to mental health care for individuals at risk of social isolation and lower socioeconomic status.

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2023

Impact of successive office blood pressure measurements during a single visit on cardiovascular risk prediction: analysis of CARTaGENE

Authors: Louis-Charles Desbiens, Annie-Claire Nadeau-Fredette, François Madore, Mohsen Agharazii, Rémi Goupil

The researchers sought to assess the long-term impact of multiple office blood pressure (BP) readings and whether they improve cardiovascular risk prediction. Using data from CARTaGENE participants, they found that cardiovascular risk prediction is improved by successive office systolic BP values, especially when the first reading is discarded. These findings reinforce the necessity of using multiple office BP readings.

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2023

Provincial variation in colorectal cancer screening adherence in Canada; evidence from the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health

Authors: Maryam Darvishian, Amina Moustaqim-Barrette, Philip Awadalla, Parveen Bhatti, Philippe Broet, Kelly McDonald, Rachel A. Murphy, Kimberly Skead, Robin Urquhart, Jennifer Vena, Trevor J. B. Dummer

The researchers sought to assess regional variation in screening uptake, identify factors to non-adherence to screening, and estimate adherence to screening in those with differing risk profiles. Using national CanPath data, they found adherence suboptimal amongst Canadians and noticed variation by region.

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