Quantification of epicardial adipose tissue by cardiac CT: Influence of acquisition parameters and contrast enhancement.

Purpose: While computed tomography (CT) is frequently used to quantify epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), the effect of different acquisition parameters on EAT volume has not been systematically reported. We assessed the influence of low-voltage acquisition and contrast enhancement on EAT quantification.

Method: Two independent cohorts (100 and 127 patients) referred for routine coronary CT were included.

Prediabetes is associated with microalbuminuria, reduced kidney function and chronic kidney disease in the general population: The KORA (Cooperative Health Research in the Augsburg Region) F4-Study.

Background And Aims: We investigated the associations of serum fasting (FG) and 2-h postload (2HG) glucose from an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting insulin and the homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) with urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).

Methods And Results: We performed cross-sectional analyses of 2713 subjects (1429 women; 52.7%) without known type 2 diabetes, aged 31-82 years, from the KORA (Cooperative Health Research in the Augsburg Region) F4-Study.

Sunitinib added to FOLFIRI versus FOLFIRI in patients with chemorefractory advanced adenocarcinoma of the stomach or lower esophagus: a randomized, placebo-controlled phase II AIO trial with serum biomarker program.

Background: As a multi-targeted anti-angiogenic receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitor sunitinib (SUN) has been established for renal cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. In advanced refractory esophagogastric cancer patients, monotherapy with SUN was associated with good tolerability but limited tumor response.

Methods: This double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, phase II clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of SUN as an adjunct to second and third-line FOLFIRI (NCT01020630).

Multiethnic meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in >100 000 subjects identifies 23 fibrinogen-associated Loci but no strong evidence of a causal association between circulating fibrinogen and cardiovascular disease.

Background: Estimates of the heritability of plasma fibrinogen concentration, an established predictor of cardiovascular disease, range from 34% to 50%. Genetic variants so far identified by genome-wide association studies explain only a small proportion (<2%) of its variation.

Methods And Results: We conducted a meta-analysis of 28 genome-wide association studies including >90 000 subjects of European ancestry, the first genome-wide association meta-analysis of fibrinogen levels in 7 studies in blacks totaling 8289 samples, and a genome-wide association study in Hispanics totaling 1366 samples.

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies from the CHARGE consortium identifies common variants associated with carotid intima media thickness and plaque.

Carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) and plaque determined by ultrasonography are established measures of subclinical atherosclerosis that each predicts future cardiovascular disease events. We conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association data in 31,211 participants of European ancestry from nine large studies in the setting of the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium. We then sought additional evidence to support our findings among 11,273 individuals using data from seven additional studies.

Association between degenerative aortic valve disease and long-term exposure to cardiovascular risk factors: results of the longitudinal population-based KORA/MONICA survey.

Aims: Degenerative aortic valve disease (DAVD), a common finding in the elderly, is associated with an increased risk of death due to cardiovascular causes. Taking advantage of its longitudinal design, this study evaluates the prevalence of DAVD and its temporal associations with long-term exposure to cardiovascular risk factors in the general population.

Methods And Results: We studied 953 subjects (aged 25-74 years) from a random sample of German residents.

The ethics of characterizing difference: guiding principles on using racial categories in human genetics.

We are a multidisciplinary group of Stanford faculty who propose ten principles to guide the use of racial and ethnic categories when characterizing group differences in research into human genetic variation.

Liver repopulation after hepatocellular transplantation: integration and interaction of transplanted hepatocytes in the host.

The mechanisms of donor hepatocyte integration into recipient liver are not fully understood. We investigated mechanisms of both the integration and interaction of transplanted hepatocytes with host liver cells as well as the repopulation of the host organ following intraportal transplantation. Mature hepatocytes were injected into the portal vein of dipeptidylpeptidase IV (DPPIV)-deficient rats pretreated with retrorsine and subjected to 30% partial hepatectomy to ensure selective donor growth.

Selective intraportal transplantation of DiI-marked isolated rat hepatocytes.

Transplantation of isolated hepatocytes is a promising alternative to orthotopic liver transplantation in experimental animal models with acute hepatic failure and hereditary enzyme defects. Conventional light microscopy identification of hepatocytes within recipient livers has been limited due to the inability to distinguish between donor and recipient liver cells. In this study, we labeled hepatocytes intracellularly with the fluorescent dye DiI-18 prior to selective intraportal or intrasplenic transplantation.