Gene-gene Interaction Analyses for Atrial Fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a heritable disease that affects more than thirty million individuals worldwide. Extensive efforts have been devoted to the study of genetic determinants of AF. The objective of our study is to examine the effect of gene-gene interaction on AF susceptibility.

Thyroid Function Within the Reference Range and the Risk of Stroke: An Individual Participant Data Analysis.

Context: The currently applied reference ranges for thyroid function are under debate. Despite evidence that thyroid function within the reference range is related with several cardiovascular disorders, its association with the risk of stroke has not been evaluated previously.

Design And Setting: We identified studies through a systematic literature search and the Thyroid Studies Collaboration, a collaboration of prospective cohort studies.

Sex Hormones and Sleep in Men and Women From the General Population: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study.

Context And Objectives: Associations between sex hormones and sleep habits originate mainly from small and selected patient-based samples. We examined data from a population-based sample with various sleep characteristics and the major part of sex hormones measured by mass spectrometry.

Design, Setting, And Participants: We used data from 204 men and 213 women of the cross-sectional Study of Health in Pomerania-TREND.

Novel genetic loci underlying human intracranial volume identified through genome-wide association.

Intracranial volume reflects the maximally attained brain size during development, and remains stable with loss of tissue in late life. It is highly heritable, but the underlying genes remain largely undetermined. In a genome-wide association study of 32,438 adults, we discovered five previously unknown loci for intracranial volume and confirmed two known signals.

The relationship between the metabolic syndrome and arterial wall thickness: A mosaic still to be interpreted.

Background And Aims: We aimed to identify clusters of metabolic syndrome (MetS) components, risky for extremely high intima-media thickness.

Methods: We studied 41,513 volunteers (men and women) from eleven cohorts worldwide, participating in the MARE (Metabolic syndrome and Artery REsearch) Consortium.

Results: Specific clusters of MetS components - high triglycerides-high blood pressure-abdominal obesity (TBW), low HDL cholesterol-high blood pressure-abdominal obesity (HBW), high glucose-high blood pressure-abdominal obesity (GBW) - were accompanied by a 50-90% significantly greater likelihood of presenting extremely high intima-media thickness (via ultrasound of carotid artery, CCA IMT), after controlling for age, sex, smoking, non-HDL cholesterol, and presence of diabetes mellitus.

Metabolic Fingerprints of Circulating IGF-1 and the IGF-1/IGFBP-3 Ratio: A Multifluid Metabolomics Study.

Objective: IGF-1 is known for its various physiological and severe pathophysiological effects on human metabolism; however, underlying molecular mechanisms still remain unsolved. To reveal possible molecular mechanisms mediating these effects, for the first time, we associated serum IGF-1 levels with multifluid untargeted metabolomics data.

Methods: Plasma/urine samples of 995 nondiabetic participants of the Study of Health in Pomerania were characterized by mass spectrometry.

Genome-wide association study of caffeine metabolites provides new insights to caffeine metabolism and dietary caffeine-consumption behavior.

Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the world and presents with wide interindividual variation in metabolism. This variation may modify potential adverse or beneficial effects of caffeine on health. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of plasma caffeine, paraxanthine, theophylline, theobromine and paraxanthine/caffeine ratio among up to 9,876 individuals of European ancestry from six population-based studies.

The Influence of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus on Pulmonary Function and Exercise Capacity - Results from the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP).

Diabetes mellitus Type 1 (T1DM) is associated with metabolic and microvascular diseases as part of a multi-organ and multi-systemic disorder. The dense network of capillary vessels in the lungs may change during the course of the development of microangiopathy. The connective tissue as well as alveoli may be subjected to non-enzymatic glycosylation of proteins which may in turn affect pulmonary function.

Changes in Waist Circumference among German Adults over Time - Compiling Results of Seven Prospective Cohort Studies.

Aim: This study aims to quantify longitudinal changes in waist circumference (WC) among adults aged 45-64 years in Germany.

Methods: Data of 15,444 men and 17,207 women from one nationwide and six regional prospective German cohort studies were analyzed. The sex-specific mean change in WC per year of follow-up was assessed for each study separately.

Meta-analysis identifies common and rare variants influencing blood pressure and overlapping with metabolic trait loci.

Meta-analyses of association results for blood pressure using exome-centric single-variant and gene-based tests identified 31 new loci in a discovery stage among 146,562 individuals, with follow-up and meta-analysis in 180,726 additional individuals (total n = 327,288). These blood pressure-associated loci are enriched for known variants for cardiometabolic traits. Associations were also observed for the aggregation of rare and low-frequency missense variants in three genes, NPR1, DBH, and PTPMT1.

Molecular Epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus in the General Population in Northeast Germany: Results of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-TREND-0).

Population-based studies on Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization are scarce. We examined the prevalence, resistance, and molecular diversity of S. aureus in the general population in Northeast Germany.

Angiopoietin-2, its soluble receptor Tie-2, and metabolic syndrome components in a population-based sample.

Objective: Since angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) levels strongly correlate with cardiovascular mortality and subclinical cardiovascular disease, it was hypothesized that levels of Ang-2 and its soluble receptor (sTie-2) were associated with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and individual MetS components.

Methods: Within the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania, two sets of analyses were performed. First, Ang-2 and sTie-2 were related to the prevalence of MetS and its components cross-sectionally (n = 3,205).

Clinical correlates of sex hormones in women: The study of health in Pomerania.

Background: Despite associations of sex hormones in women with increased cardiometabolic risk and mortality, the clinical correlates of altered sex hormone concentrations in women are less clearly understood. We investigated a broad range of clinical correlates of sex hormones in women from a large population-based sample.

Methods: Data from 2560 women from two cohorts of the Study of Health in Pomerania were used.

Geriatric nutritional risk index correlates with length of hospital stay and inflammatory markers in older inpatients.

Background & Aims: Malnutrition is a prevalent condition in older inpatients and has been shown to increase morbidity and direct medical costs. A number of established tools to assess malnutrition are available but malnourished patients rarely receive adequate nutritional assessment and treatment. The medical and economic consequences of malnutrition in hospitalized patients are therefore often underestimated.

Association of Serum Thyrotropin with Anthropometric Markers of Obesity in the General Population.

Background: Except from associations study with body weight, there are few longitudinal data regarding the association between thyroid function and anthropometric measurements such as waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, or waist-to height ratio.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association of thyrotropin (TSH) at baseline with changes in different anthropometric markers between baseline and follow-up in the general population.

Method: Data were used from four population-based longitudinal cohort studies and one population-based cross-sectional study.

Novel multiple sclerosis susceptibility loci implicated in epigenetic regulation.

We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on multiple sclerosis (MS) susceptibility in German cohorts with 4888 cases and 10,395 controls. In addition to associations within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region, 15 non-MHC loci reached genome-wide significance. Four of these loci are novel MS susceptibility loci.

Platelet-Related Variants Identified by Exomechip Meta-analysis in 157,293 Individuals.

Platelet production, maintenance, and clearance are tightly controlled processes indicative of platelets' important roles in hemostasis and thrombosis. Platelets are common targets for primary and secondary prevention of several conditions. They are monitored clinically by complete blood counts, specifically with measurements of platelet count (PLT) and mean platelet volume (MPV).

GWAS analysis of handgrip and lower body strength in older adults in the CHARGE consortium.

Decline in muscle strength with aging is an important predictor of health trajectory in the elderly. Several factors, including genetics, are proposed contributors to variability in muscle strength. To identify genetic contributors to muscle strength, a meta-analysis of genomewide association studies of handgrip was conducted.

Sex- and age-specific associations between major depressive disorder and metabolic syndrome in two general population samples in Germany.

Background And Aims: Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been associated with the Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). As previous data strongly suggested sex and age effects on this association, this study aimed to analyse the association between MDD and MetS in two general population samples under explicit consideration of sex and age.

Methods: This study analysed cross-sectional data based on two independent general population samples: SHIP-0 (n = 4083; 20-81 years; 49.

Regional Variability of Lifestyle Factors and Hypertension with Prediabetes and Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: The Population-Based KORA-F4 and SHIP-TREND Studies in Germany.

Objective: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) shows regional differences in Germany. The purpose of the project was to compare the prevalence of prediabetes and undiagnosed T2D in two regions in Germany, the Northeast and the South, and to evaluate their associations with regional variations in lifestyle factors and hypertension.

Methods: Data from the KORA-F4 study (South Germany, 2006-2008) and the SHIP-TREND study (Northeast Germany, 2008-2012) were used.

Associations of androgens with health care utilization and costs in women-Perspectives of a population-based cohort study.

Objective: Despite associations between total testosterone (TT) concentrations and increased cardiometabolic risk, the impact of serum androgens on health care utilization and costs among women is unknown.

Methods: We used data from 1521 women in the population-based cohort Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) to investigate the associations of serum TT (measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and free testosterone (free T) with health care utilization and costs at baseline and five-year follow-up (N=1210), implementing multivariable-adjusted econometric models.

Results: Cross-sectional analyses showed no association of TT, SHBG, or free T with hospitalization or total health costs (outpatient as well as inpatient costs).

Circulating Irisin Concentrations Are Associated with a Favourable Lipid Profile in the General Population.

Background/aims: Irisin is a myokine, which is mainly inversely associated with the risk for non-communicable diseases. Irisin improves cellular energy metabolism by uncoupling the mitochondrial respiratory chain resulting in increased energy expenditure using lipids. To date potential associations between irisin concentration and lipid profile are poorly understood.