Serum Uric Acid Levels as an Indicator for Metabolically Unhealthy Obesity in Children and Adolescents.

Background: Metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) refers to those individuals who do not show cardiometabolic abnormalities. Our aim was to identify potential clinical and metabolic indicators that may help to distinguish between metabolically healthy and unhealthy individuals amongst overweight and obese children and adolescents.

Methods: The study involved 246 overweight/obese and 212 normal-weight individuals enrolled in the LIFE Child study, aged between 6 and 18 years.

Speaking Voice in Children and Adolescents: Normative Data and Associations with BMI, Tanner Stage, and Singing Activity.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to establish normative data concerning the speaking voice of children and adolescents for clinical diagnostics.

Study Design: Population-based mixed cross-sectional and longitudinal childhood cohort study.

Methods: Normative data measuring the speaking voice profile of 1352 male and 1274 female participants aged 6 to 17 years were collected.

Evaluation of hair cortisol and cortisone change during pregnancy and the association with self-reported depression, somatization, and stress symptoms.

Hair cortisol levels are used to measure long-term stress, while its inactive metabolite cortisone is often not assessed. We measured hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) and hair cortisone concentrations (HCNC) via liquid chromatography quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometry (LC-MS) in 62 pregnant women who participated in the LIFE CHILD STUDY in their 2nd and 3rd trimester between 12/2011 and 11/2014. Sociodemographic factors, pregnancy-related factors, and hair characteristics were assessed.

New pediatric percentiles of liver enzyme serum levels (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, γ-glutamyltransferase): Effects of age, sex, body mass index, and pubertal stage.

Unlabelled: The present study aims to clarify the effects of sex, age, body mass index (BMI), and puberty on transaminase serum levels in children and adolescents and to provide new age- and sex-related percentiles for alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT). Venous blood and anthropometric data were collected from 4,126 cases. Excluded were cases of participants with potential hepatotoxic medication, with evidence of potential illness at the time of blood sampling and non-normal BMI (BMI <10th or >90th).

Large-scale genome-wide analysis identifies genetic variants associated with cardiac structure and function.

Background: Understanding the genetic architecture of cardiac structure and function may help to prevent and treat heart disease. This investigation sought to identify common genetic variations associated with inter-individual variability in cardiac structure and function.

Methods: A GWAS meta-analysis of echocardiographic traits was performed, including 46,533 individuals from 30 studies (EchoGen consortium).

Longitudinal association of short-term, metronome-paced heart rate variability and echocardiographically assessed cardiac structure at a 4-year follow-up: results from the prospective, population-based CARLA cohort.

Aims: To assess the value of cardiac structure/function in predicting heart rate variability (HRV) and the possibly predictive value of HRV on cardiac parameters.

Methods And Results: Baseline and 4-year follow-up data from the population-based CARLA cohort were used (790 men, 646 women, aged 45-83 years at baseline and 50-87 years at follow-up). Echocardiographic and HRV recordings were performed at baseline and at follow-up.

The LIFE Child study: a population-based perinatal and pediatric cohort in Germany.

The LIFE Child study is a large population-based longitudinal childhood cohort study conducted in the city of Leipzig, Germany. As a part of LIFE, a research project conducted at the Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases, it aims to monitor healthy child development from birth to adulthood and to understand the development of lifestyle diseases such as obesity. The study consists of three interrelated cohorts; the birth cohort, the health cohort, and the obesity cohort.

Prognostic relevance of the interaction between short-term, metronome-paced heart rate variability, and inflammation: results from the population-based CARLA cohort study.

Aims: To determine the interaction between HRV and inflammation and their association with cardiovascular/all-cause mortality in the general population.

Methods And Results: Subjects of the CARLA study (n = 1671; 778 women, 893 men, 45-83 years of age) were observed for an average follow-up period of 8.8 years (226 deaths, 70 cardiovascular deaths).

Intra-aortic balloon pump counterpulsation (IABP) for myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock.

Background: Intra-aortic balloon pump counterpulsation (IABP) is currently the most commonly used mechanical assist device for patients with cardiogenic shock due to acute myocardial infarction. Although there has been only limited evidence from randomised controlled trials, the previous guidelines of the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) and the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) strongly recommended the use of the IABP in patients with infarction-related cardiogenic shock on the basis of pathophysiological considerations, non-randomised trials and registry data. The recent guidelines downgraded the recommendation based on a meta-analysis which could only include non-randomised trials showing conflicting results.

Identification of novel genetic Loci associated with thyroid peroxidase antibodies and clinical thyroid disease.

Autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) are common, affecting 2-5% of the general population. Individuals with positive thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAbs) have an increased risk of autoimmune hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's thyroiditis), as well as autoimmune hyperthyroidism (Graves' disease). As the possible causative genes of TPOAbs and AITD remain largely unknown, we performed GWAS meta-analyses in 18,297 individuals for TPOAb-positivity (1769 TPOAb-positives and 16,528 TPOAb-negatives) and in 12,353 individuals for TPOAb serum levels, with replication in 8,990 individuals.

The trend-renewal process: a useful model for medical recurrence data.

Time-to-event data analysis has a long tradition in applied statistics. Many models have been developed for data where each subject or observation unit experiences at most one event during its life. In contrast, in some applications, the subjects may experience more than one event.