The detection of norm deviations is fundamental to clinical decision making and impacts our ability to diagnose and treat diseases effectively. Current normative modeling approaches rely on generic comparisons and quantify deviations in relation to the population average. However, generic models interpolate subtle nuances and risk the loss of critical information, thereby compromising effective personalization of health care strategies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Some studies have revealed various sleep patterns in adolescents and adults using multidimensional objective sleep parameters. However, it remains unknown whether these patterns are consistent from adolescence to young adulthood and how they relate to long-term obesity.
Methods: Seven-day accelerometry was conducted in German Infant Study on the influence of Nutrition Intervention PLUS environmental and genetic influences on allergy development (GINIplus) and Influence of Lifestyle factors on the development of the Immune System and Allergies in East and West Germany (LISA) birth cohorts during the 15-year and 20-year follow-ups, respectively.
Background: For characterizing health states, fat distribution is more informative than overall body size. We used population-based whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify distinct body composition subphenotypes and characterize associations with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
Methods: Bone marrow, visceral, subcutaneous, cardiac, renal, hepatic, skeletal muscle and pancreatic adipose tissue were measured by MRI in n = 299 individuals from the population-based KORA cohort.
Background: Little is known about the association between air pollution and self-perceived health (including both health-related quality of life [HRQoL] and self-rated health [SRH]). The aim of this study was therefore to explore whether long-term air pollution exposure is associated with worse self-perceived health, as measured by different tools.
Methods: We used a land-use regression model to determine the annual average levels of particulate matter with a diameter <10 μm (PM), coarse particles (PM), fine particles (PM), fine particle absorbances (PM), particle number concentration (PNC), ozone (O), nitrogen dioxide (NO), and nitrogen oxide (NO) for geocoded residential addresses (2014-2015).
In contemporary healthcare, effective risk stratification in the general population is vital amidst rising chronic disease rates and an ageing demographic. Deceleration Capacity of the heart rate (DC), derived from 24-hour Holter electrocardiograms, holds promise in risk stratification for cardiac patients. However, the potential of short-term electrocardiograms of five minutes duration for population screening has not been fully explored.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn
December 2024
Aim was to investigate to what extent cognitive functioning differs by three socioeconomic conditions: low income, being without employment, and living alone. A total of N = 158,144 participants of the population-based German National Cohort (NAKO) provided data on socioeconomic conditions and completed cognitive tests. Multivariable confounder-adjusted regression analyses indicated that cognitive functioning was lower in those with low income (b = -0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIron homoeostasis is tightly regulated, with hepcidin and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) playing significant roles. However, the genetic determinants of these traits and the biomedical consequences of iron homoeostasis variation are unclear. In a meta-analysis of 12 cohorts involving 91,675 participants, we found 43 genomic loci associated with either hepcidin or sTfR concentration, of which 15 previously unreported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Frailty, resilience and intrinsic capacity (IC) are concepts to evaluate older person`s health status, but no comparison of their associations with adverse health outcomes exists. We therefore aimed to assess which concept is most useful for determining long-term health of older adults.
Methods: Analyses were based on the KORA (Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg)-Age study (n = 940, 65-93 years).
Background: Sex differences exist in type 2 diabetes (T2D), and androgens have been implicated in the etiology of T2D in a sex-specific manner. We therefore aimed to investigate whether androgens play a role in explaining sex differences in glucose homeostasis and incidence of T2D.
Methods: We used observational data from the German population-based KORA F4 study (n = 1975, mean age: 54 years, 41% women) and its follow-up examination KORA FF4 (median follow-up 6.
Aims: A data-driven cluster analysis in a cohort of European individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) has previously identified four subgroups based on clinical characteristics. In the current study, we performed a comprehensive statistical assessment to (1) replicate the above-mentioned original clusters; (2) derive de novo T2D subphenotypes in the Kooperative Gesundheitsforschung in der Region Augsburg (KORA) cohort and (3) describe underlying genetic risk and diabetes complications.
Methods: We used data from n = 301 individuals with T2D from KORA FF4 study (Southern Germany).
First small sample studies indicate that disturbances of spinal morphology may impair craniospinal flow of cerebrospinal fluid and result in neurodegeneration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of cervical spinal canal width and scoliosis with grey matter, white matter, ventricular and white matter hyperintensity volumes of the brain in a large study sample. Four hundred participants underwent whole-body 3 T magnetic resonance imaging.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMolecular analytics increasingly utilize machine learning (ML) for predictive modeling based on data acquired through molecular profiling technologies. However, developing robust models that accurately capture physiological phenotypes is challenged by the dynamics inherent to biological systems, variability stemming from analytical procedures, and the resource-intensive nature of obtaining sufficiently representative datasets. Here, we propose and evaluate a new method: Contextual Out-of-Distribution Integration (CODI).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRising temperatures affect human behavior and risk-taking in several domains. However, it is not yet well understood just how ambient temperature shapes risk attitudes. Using data from the large population-based KORA-Fit study (Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg) of older people (N=2454), we identify a statistically significant, but very small, positive association between short-term ambient temperature changes and individuals' general willingness to take risks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLong-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) is associated with cardiometabolic disease; however, its role in subclinical stages of disease development is unclear. Thus, we aimed to explore this association in a cross-sectional analysis, with cardiometabolic phenotypes derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Phenotypes of the left (LV) and right cardiac ventricle, whole-body adipose tissue (AT), and organ-specific AT were obtained by MRI in 400 participants of the KORA cohort.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aims: Understanding molecular processes of the early phase of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease conditions is of utmost importance for early prediction and intervention measures.
Methods: We measured 92 cardiovascular-disease-related proteins (Olink, Cardiovascular III) in 2024 elderly participants of the population-based LIFE-Adult study. We analysed the impact of 27 covariables on these proteins including blood counts, cardiovascular risk factors and life-style-related parameters.
Background: Protein biomarkers may contribute to the identification of vulnerable subgroups for premature mortality. This study aimed to investigate the association of plasma proteins with all-cause and cause-specific mortality among individuals with and without baseline type 2 diabetes (T2D) and evaluate their impact on the prediction of all-cause mortality in two prospective Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg (KORA) studies.
Methods: The discovery cohort comprised 1545 participants (median follow-up 15.
Introduction/objectives: Changes in the stool metabolome have been poorly studied in the metabolic syndrome (MetS). Moreover, few studies have explored the relationship of stool metabolites with circulating metabolites. Here, we investigated the associations between stool and blood metabolites, the MetS and systemic inflammation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Evidence suggests that air pollution modifies the association between heat and mortality. However, most studies have been conducted in cities without rural data. This time-series study examined potential effect modification of particulate matter (PM) and ozone (O) on heat-related mortality using small-area data from five European countries, and explored the influence of area characteristics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF