Projects
Impact of the obesity-risk CREBRF p.Arg457Gln variant on energy expenditure, intake, and substrate utilization in Samoans
Multiple Principal Investigators: Stephen McGarvey (Contact PI), James Delany
Agency: NIH/NHLBI (R01HL140570)
There is a fundamental gap in our understanding of the reasons behind the high prevalence of obesity in Samoa, which is among the highest observed across the globe. In a genome-wide association study we recently identified a novel missense variant (p.Arg457Gln, minor allele frequency 0.259) in CREB3 Regulatory Factor (CREBRF) that is highly associated with BMI, with an effect size greater than any known common BMI risk variant. The overall goal of this research project is to gain insight into the metabolic differences responsible for the excess weight gain associated with the CREBRF variant.
Clinical Impact of a Community based Low-Sodium Salt Intervention to Reduce Blood Pressure at the Population Level in Rural Bangladesh: A Randomized Control Trial
Principal Investigator: Malabika Saker
Agency: Stanford King Center GHHMO Junior Faculty Grant
This cluster-randomized controlled trial will involve 309 households in rural Bangladesh previously identified and characterized by the BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University (BRAC JPGSPH). These households will be randomly assigned to three arms: (1) control, i.e., no intervention; (2) information only, i.e., community health workers will provide basic information on high blood pressure, the health consequences of excessive salt consumption, and feedback to the participant on the likely quantity of salt s/he consumes (estimated using a questionnaire); (3) free LSSS arm: the same information as in arm 2 will be provided, but participants will receive 6 months of free low-sodium salt along with education on the benefits of LSSS. One male and one female adult (age ≥ 18 years) in each household will be invited to participate, the exclusion criteria being households with members known to have high serum potassium levels, are taking medications known to elevate potassium levels (e.g., ACE inhibitors, ARBs, potassium-sparing diuretics), are already taking potassium supplements, or those who have known kidney disease or abnormal serum creatinine at baseline. The primary endpoint will be blood pressure at 6 months post-intervention.
Early life determinants of cardiometabolic health from birth to adolescence amongst HIV-exposed and unexposed South African children
Multiple Principal Investigators: Jennifer Pellowski (Contact PI), Angela Bengston, Heather Zar
Agency: NIH/NICHD (R01HD108048)
In this proposal, we leverage the Drakenstein Child Health Study, a well- characterized cohort of HIV-exposed but uninfected (HEU) and HIV-unexposed (HU) participants followed from birth, to investigate how HIV-exposure and early life infections affect inflammatory response changes to the metabolome from birth to early adolescence, and evaluate how these changes influence the development of adverse cardiometabolic outcomes in early adolescence.