Publications by authors named "Jana Nano"
Background: Using a data-driven approach, six clusters with different risk profiles and burden of complications were recently identified in middle-aged people before the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We aimed to investigate whether these clusters could be generalised to older people and if subclinical inflammation was related to their cardiometabolic risk profiles.
Methods: We assigned 843 participants of the KORA F4 study aged 61-82 years without T2D to the six previously defined phenotype-based clusters.
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.
Article Synopsis
- Randomized studies suggest that (ultra-)hypofractionation is just as effective as a traditional 5-week radiation schedule for treating postoperative breast cancer, but there's limited data on its long-term impact on secondary cancers.
- A study involving 20 breast cancer patients examined different radiation schedules and found that (ultra-)hypofractionation significantly reduced the risk of secondary malignancies like lung cancer, contralateral breast cancer, and soft tissue sarcoma.
- The results indicated that using (ultra-)hypofractionation could lower the risk of developing secondary malignancies more than conventional scheduling, with varying effects based on the radiation technique (3D-CRT vs. VMAT).
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the lymphatic drainage to contralateral internal mammary nodes (cIMN) in breast cancer patients and highlights its neglect in current adjuvant radiotherapy practices.* -
- It analyzes the incidental radiation dose to cIMN in 120 advanced treatment plans, noting that higher doses are observed when including internal mammary node irradiation (IMNI) and during free breathing compared to deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH).* -
- The findings indicate that cIMN receives low radiation doses in existing randomized trials and treatment methods, prompting the need for further research on the effects of targeting cIMN in high-risk breast cancer patients.*
Article Synopsis
- Understanding how kidney function ages is crucial for identifying those at risk for chronic kidney disease.
- This study analyzed data from four German cohorts over 25 years, focusing on estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) from blood tests to provide age-specific reference values.
- Findings indicate that eGFR declines linearly with age, and the study offers tools for clinicians to evaluate eGFR based on patients' age and health profiles.
Research has indicated that sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) is associated with glucose homeostasis and may play a role in the etiology of type 2 diabetes (T2D). While it is unclear whether SHBG may mediate sex differences in glucose control and subsequently, incidence of T2D. We used observational data from the German population-based KORA F4 study (n = 1937, mean age: 54 years, 41% women) and its follow-up examination KORA FF4 (median follow-up 6.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- A significant percentage (25-50%) of patients receiving radiotherapy experience anxiety and psychological distress, impacting their quality of life and treatment outcomes, highlighting the need for better patient-centered care.
- A survey conducted with 100 radiotherapy patients revealed that while 78% wanted to be actively involved in their treatment, only 27% had previously practiced relaxation exercises, indicating a gap in current patient engagement.
- The majority (56.4%) of participants showed interest in learning relaxation techniques to manage stress during treatment, emphasizing the importance of developing targeted relaxation programs for radiotherapy patients.
Article Synopsis
- The study focuses on the importance of identifying internal mammary lymph node (IMN) metastases in breast cancer patients to optimize treatment strategies like regional lymph node irradiation.
- Researchers analyzed a total of 297 patients with breast cancer who showed evidence of IMN and/or axillary metastases, assessing tumor contact with internal mammary perforating vessels (IMPV) using advanced MRI techniques.
- Results indicated a strong correlation between major IMPV contact and the presence of gross IMN involvement, with the predictive accuracy of major IMPV contact surpassing traditional clinical models, suggesting it could be a key risk factor in determining treatment plans.
Article Synopsis
- Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a complex disease influenced by various genetic factors and molecular mechanisms that vary by cell type and ancestry.
- In a large study involving over 2.5 million individuals, researchers identified 1,289 significant genetic associations linked to T2D, including 145 new loci not previously reported.
- The study categorized T2D signals into eight distinct clusters based on their connections to cardiometabolic traits and showed that these genetic profiles are linked to vascular complications, emphasizing the role of obesity-related processes across different ancestry groups.
Background: Sex hormones and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) may play a role in fatty liver development. We sought to examine the association of various endogenous sex hormones, including testosterone (T), and SHBG with liver fat using complementary observational and Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses.
Methods: The observational analysis included a total of 2,239 participants (mean age 60 years; 35% postmenopausal women) from the population-based KORA study (average follow-up time: 6.
Background: Due to the asymptomatic nature of the early stages, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is usually diagnosed at late stages and lacks targeted therapy, highlighting the need for new biomarkers to better understand its pathophysiology and to be used for early diagnosis and therapeutic targets. Given the close relationship between CKD and cardiovascular disease (CVD), we investigated the associations of 233 CVD- and inflammation-related plasma proteins with kidney function decline and aimed to assess whether the observed associations are causal.
Methods: We included 1140 participants, aged 55-74 years at baseline, from the Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg (KORA) cohort study, with a median follow-up time of 13.
Aims/hypothesis: This study aimed to elucidate the aetiological role of plasma proteins in glucose metabolism and type 2 diabetes development.
Methods: We measured 233 proteins at baseline in 1653 participants from the Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg (KORA) S4 cohort study (median follow-up time: 13.5 years).
Background: Polygenic scores (PGSs) combining genetic variants found to be associated with creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) have been applied in various study populations with different age ranges. This has shown that PGS explain less eGFR variance in the elderly. Our aim was to understand how differences in eGFR variance and the percentage explained by PGS varies between population of general adults and elderly.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFType 2 diabetes (T2D) is a heterogeneous disease that develops through diverse pathophysiological processes. To characterise the genetic contribution to these processes across ancestry groups, we aggregate genome-wide association study (GWAS) data from 2,535,601 individuals (39.7% non-European ancestry), including 428,452 T2D cases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThyroid hormones play a key role in differentiation and metabolism and are known regulators of gene expression through both genomic and epigenetic processes including DNA methylation. The aim of this study was to examine associations between thyroid hormones and DNA methylation. We carried out a fixed-effect meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) of blood DNA methylation sites from 8 cohorts from the ThyroidOmics Consortium, incorporating up to 7073 participants of both European and African ancestry, implementing a discovery and replication stage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The role of endogenous androgens in kidney function and disease has not been extensively explored in men and women.
Research Design And Methods: We analyzed data from the observational KORA F4 study and its follow-up examination KORA FF4 (median follow-up time 6.5 years) including 1293 men and 650 peri- and postmenopausal women, not using exogenous sex hormones.
Background: We aimed to evaluate the relationship of fatty liver, estimated by the fatty liver index (FLI), with kidney function and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in a German cohort study, given the lack of prospective evidence in Europeans.
Methods: We included 2920 participants (51.6% women, mean age 56.
Background: Prior studies have reported inconsistent results or less well-explored associations between sex hormones and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Here, we aimed to investigate the associations of NAFLD with sex steroids and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) in the population-based study and conduct a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of all published observational studies.
Methods: Analyses included 755 men and 1109 women with available data on sex steroids, SHBG, and ultrasound-based NAFLD from the Rotterdam Study.
Validity of fatty liver disease indices in the presence of alcohol consumption.
Scand J Gastroenterol
November 2022
Background & Aims: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcohol-related liver disease frequently coexist. While several blood-based indices exist for the detection of NAFLD, few studies have examined how alcohol use possibly impacts their diagnostic performance. We analysed the effects of alcohol use on the performance of indices for detecting fatty liver disease (FLD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe assembled an ancestrally diverse collection of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in 180,834 affected individuals and 1,159,055 controls (48.9% non-European descent) through the Diabetes Meta-Analysis of Trans-Ethnic association studies (DIAMANTE) Consortium. Multi-ancestry GWAS meta-analysis identified 237 loci attaining stringent genome-wide significance (P < 5 × 10), which were delineated to 338 distinct association signals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The rates of obesity, its associated diseases, and allergies are raising at alarming rates in most countries. House dust mites (HDM) are highly allergenic and exposure often associates with an urban sedentary indoor lifestyle, also resulting in obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiological association and physiological impact of lung inflammation on obesity and glucose homeostasis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObservational studies suggest that early onset of menopause is associated with increased risk of hypertension. Whether this association is causal or due to residual confounding and/or reverse causation remains undetermined. We aimed to evaluate the observational and causal association between age at natural menopause (ANM) and blood pressure traits in Caucasian women.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNovel biomarkers of inflammation, kidney function and chronic kidney disease in the general population.
Nephrol Dial Transplant
September 2022
Background: Inflammatory processes have been implicated in the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We investigated the association of a large panel of inflammatory biomarkers reflecting aspects of immunity with kidney function and CKD incidence.
Methods: We used data from two independent population-based studies, KORA F4 (discovery, n = 1110, mean age 70.
Objective: It is still controversial if increased hepatic fat independently contributes to cardiovascular risk. We aimed to assess the association between hepatic fat quantified by MRI and various subclinical vascular disease parameters.
Design: We included two cross-sectional investigations embedded in two independent population-based studies (Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP): n=1341; Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg (KORA): n=386).
Background: Studies on the relationship between renal function and the human plasma proteome have identified several potential biomarkers. However, investigations have been conducted largely in European populations, and causality of the associations between plasma proteins and kidney function has never been addressed.
Methods: A cross-sectional study of 993 plasma proteins among 2882 participants in four studies of European and admixed ancestries (KORA, INTERVAL, HUNT, QMDiab) identified transethnic associations between eGFR/CKD and proteomic biomarkers.