Bio Page

Patricia A. Cassano

Associate Professor
209 Savage Hall
DNS
 
Phone: (607) 255-7551
Fax: (607) 255-2691
Email: pac6@cornell.edu
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Curriculum Vitae

Biographical Statement:

Dr. Cassano's research investigates the relation between nutritional status and chronic disease to provide information about disease causation that will ultimately contribute to improving the health of populations. Her research program has two areas of emphasis. Ongoing projects investigate the role of nutrients with antioxidant properties in the etiology of respiratory diseases. Various studies have been conducted to understand whether higher levels of antioxidants mitigate the detrimental effects of oxidant exposures such as cigarette smoke. Past work found a positive association of dietary antioxidants including vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium with pulmonary outcomes in cross-sectional studies. Current work is aimed at understanding whether changing the intake of nutrients with antioxidant function will change the risk of pulmonary disease, and whether the effects of nutrition are mediated by changes in gene expression. Dr. Cassano's research group also investigates the role of variation in the network of folate-related genes in cardiovascular disease. In an on-going cohort study, the Normative Aging Study, we are investigating the relation of genetic variation in 52 folate-related genes to cardiovascular risk and exploring the role of nutrients, including folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.

Current Professional Activities:
Cornell University Graduate Field Membership: Nutrition; Epidemiology

Courses Taught:
NS 452 Molecular Epidemiology and Dietary Markers of Chronic Disease (not offered current AY)
NS 6520 Epidemiology Foundations
NS 6660 Special Topics in Nutrition: Nutritional Epidemiology Reading Group

Education:
  • Ph.D. 1987 - University of Washington, Epidemiology
  • M.P.H. 1980 - Columbia University, Epidemiology

    • Current Research Activities:
    The current research program includes studies to investigate the role of nutrition in lung health, as follows: 1. a large, randomized trial of nutrition interventions (supplemental vitamin E [400 mg daily] and/or selenium [200 ug daily]) in relation to pulmonary function decline (3000 men) and in relation to risk of COPD and/or asthma (~35,000 men); 2. a short-term, small-scale nutrition intervention trial to investigate the relation of antioxidant supplements (vitamins C and E and selenium) to plasma and lung fluid antioxidant status and oxidative stress, and to lung epithelial cell gene expression of genes involved in oxidant response and antioxidant function; 3. a collaboration with the Women's Health Study to explore the relation of supplemental vitamin E, in a randomized trial, to risk of COPD and asthma; 4. a cohort study of selenoprotein gene variants in relation to lung outcomes; 5. a collaboration with the Healthy Aging and Body Composition study, prospective cohort study, to investigate the relation of serum vitamin D to lung outcomes, including rate of decline in pulmonary function and risk of COPD; 6. a small study of the relation of serum vitamin D to gene expression in lung epithelial cells. The second line of research includes the following current studies to investigate the role of genetic variation in folate metabolism in relation to cardiovascular health, as follows: 1. a meta-analysis of genetic variants in folate-related genes in relation to cardiovascular health; 2. a collaboration with the Normative Aging Study, a prospective cohort study, to investigate the role of genetic variation in the folate metabolic network (including coding, intronic, and regulatory region single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs]) in relation to both homocysteine and CVD risk; 3. several candidate gene studies (publications in progress), which explore the role of sets of SNPs in folate genes in relation to CVD risk.

    Related Websites:
    Related publications via PubMed

    Selected Publications:
    Cirillo D, Agrawal Y and PA Cassano (2002). Lipids and pulmonary function in NHANES III. American J Epidemiology, 155: 842-8.

    Lim U and PA Cassano (2002). Folate, homocysteine and blood pressure in NHANES III. American J Epidemiology, 156:1105-1113.

    Rubin, R N, Navon L and PA Cassano (2004). Relationship of Serum Antioxidants to Asthma Prevalence in Youth. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 169: 393-398.

    McKeever TM, SA Lewis, HA Smit, P Burney, JR Britton, PA Cassano (2004). Serum nutrient markers and skin prick testing using data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 114(6): 1398-402.

    Zhang D, Wells, MT, Turnbull BW, Sparrow D and PA Cassano (2005). Hierarchical Graphical Models: An Application to Pulmonary Function and Cholesterol Levels in the Normative Aging Study. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 2005, 100(471):719-27.

    McKeever TM, SA Lewis, HA Smit, P Burney, JR Britton, PA Cassano (2005). The association of acetaminophen, aspirin, and ibuprofen with respiratory disease and lung function. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 2005, 171(9): 966-71 .

    Lim U, Peng K, Shane B, Stover PJ, Litonjua AA, Weiss ST, Gaziano JM, Strawderman RL F Raiszadeh, J Selhub, K Tucker and PA Cassano (2005). Polymorphisms in cytoplasmic serinehydroxymethyltransferase and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase affect the risk of cardiovascular disease in Men. Journal of Nutrition, 135:1989-94.

    Ochs-Balcom HM, BJB Grant, P Muti, CT Sempos, JL Freudenheim, RW Browne, M Trevisan, L Iacoviello, PA Cassano, and HJ Schünemann (2005). Oxidative Stress and Pulmonary Function in the General Population. American Journal of Epidemiology, Dec 15;162(12):1137-45.

    HM Ochs-Balcom, BJB Grant, P Muti, CT Sempos, JL Freudenheim, RW Browne, M Trevisan, PA Cassano, L Iacoviello, HJ Schnemann (2006). Pulmonary function and abdominal adiposity in the general population. Chest. Apr;129(4):853-62

    Ochs-Balcom HM, BJB Grant, P Muti, CT Sempos, JL Freudenheim, RW Browne, McCann SE, M Trevisan, PA Cassano, L Iacoviello, and HJ Schünemann (2006). Antioxidants, oxidative stress, and pulmonary function in individuals diagnosed with asthma or COPD. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 60 (8):991-999.

    Duval, S; G Vazquez; WL Baker and DR Jacobs Jr. for the CODA Study Group [PA Cassano is a participating study PI for the Normative Aging Study] (2007). The Collaborative Study of Obesity and Diabetes in Adults (CODA) project: Meta-analysis design and description of participating studies. Obesity Reviews, 8: 263-276.

    Duval, S; G Vazquez; WL Baker and DR Jacobs Jr. for the CODA Study Group [PA Cassano is a participating study PI for the Normative Aging Study] (2007). The Collaborative Study of Obesity and Diabetes in Adults (CODA) project: Meta-analysis design and description of participating studies. Obesity Reviews, 8: 263-276.

    McKeever TM, SA Lewis, PA Cassano, M Ocké, P Burney, J Britton, HA Smit (2008).  The relation between dietary individual fatty acids, FEV1 and respiratory disease in Dutch adults. Thorax 63(3):208-14. [Epub 2007 Sep 27].

    Bentley A, Emrani P, and PA Cassano. Genetic Variation and Gene Expression in Antioxidant-Related Enzymes and Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review. (2008). Thorax;63(11):956-61. [Epub 2008 Jun 19].

    Baccarelli A, PA Cassano, A Litonjua, SK Park, H Suh, D Sparrow, P Vokonas, J Schwartz. Cardiac Autonomic Dysfunction: Effects from Particulate Air Pollution and Protection by Dietary Methyl Nutrients and Metabolic Polymorphisms. (2008) Circulation, 117(14):1802-9. [Epub 2008 Mar 31.]

    McKeever TM, SA Lewis, HA Smit, P Burney, PA Cassano, JR Britton (2008).  A multivariate analysis of serum nutrient levels and lung function. Respir Res. Sep 29;9(1):67.







     

    Administrative Responsibilities:
    Director of Graduate Studies, Minor Field of Epidemiology

    The information on this bio page is taken from the CHE Annual Report.