0000000000224002
AUTHOR
Sandra Wilde
Multiple biomarkers and atrial fibrillation in the general population.
BACKGROUND: Different biological pathways have been related to atrial fibrillation (AF). Novel biomarkers capturing inflammation, oxidative stress, and neurohumoral activation have not been investigated comprehensively in AF. METHODS AND RESULTS: In the population-based Gutenberg Health Study (n = 5000), mean age 56 ± 11 years, 51% males, we measured ten biomarkers representing inflammation (C-reactive protein, fibrinogen), cardiac and vascular function (midregional pro adrenomedullin [MR-proADM], midregional pro atrial natriuretic peptide [MR-proANP], N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide [Nt-proBNP], sensitive troponin I ultra [TnI ultra], copeptin, and C-terminal pro endothelin-1), a…
Association of MR-proadrenomedullin with cardiovascular risk factors and subclinical cardiovascular disease.
Abstract Aims and background Midregional proadrenomedullin (MR-proADM) is a protein, which exerts various effects on the cardiovascular system. Recent studies underscored its prognostic implications in patients with acute dyspnea and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, we aimed to determine the distribution of MR-proADM in the general population and to reveal potential associations of MR-proADM with cardiovascular risk factors and measures of subclinical cardiovascular disease. Methods and results MR-proADM plasma concentrations were determined in individuals of the population-based cohort of the Gutenberg Health Study ( N = 5000) using a commercially available fluoroimmunoassay. Individua…
Distribution and categorization of left ventricular measurements in the general population: results from the population-based Gutenberg Heart Study.
Background— Echocardiography, the dominant imaging modality for quantification of left ventricular metrics, has undergone continuing development in the past few decades. However, given the lack of population-based data, current guidelines are still based on restricted and small data sets analyzed with methods including expert opinion. This work presents empirically derived reference values from a large-scale, epidemiologic study conducted with state-of-the-art imaging technology and methods. Methods and Results— The distribution of echocardiographic measurements of the left ventricle was analyzed in a population-based sample of 5000 mid-Europeans from the Gutenberg Heart Study in Germany. …
Sex differences in early carotid atherosclerosis (from the community-based Gutenberg-Heart Study).
The objectives of this study were to describe gender differences in intima-media thickness (IMT) in a community-based population study and to define normal IMT values for healthy men and women. In total, 4,814 participants (aged 35 to 74 years; 2,433 men, 2,381 women) from the Gutenberg-Heart Study (GHS) were included. IMT was measured at both common carotid arteries using an edge detection system. Median IMT was 0.62 mm (25th percentile 0.55, 75th percentile 0.70) in women and 0.65 mm (25th percentile 0.57, 75th percentile 0.75) in men and was significantly associated with age (p0.0001). On multivariate analysis, advanced age, smoking, and arterial hypertension were positively associated w…
Direct evidence for positive selection of skin, hair, and eye pigmentation in Europeans during the last 5,000 y
Significance Eye, hair, and skin pigmentation are highly variable in humans, particularly in western Eurasian populations. This diversity may be explained by population history, the relaxation of selection pressures, or positive selection. To investigate whether positive natural selection is responsible for depigmentation within Europe, we estimated the strength of selection acting on three genes known to have significant effects on human pigmentation. In a direct approach, these estimates were made using ancient DNA from prehistoric Europeans and computer simulations. This allowed us to determine selection coefficients for a precisely bounded period in the deep past. Our results indicate t…
New loci associated with kidney function and chronic kidney disease
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant public health problem, and recent genetic studies have identified common CKD susceptibility variants. The CKDGen consortium performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association data in 67,093 individuals of European ancestry from 20 predominantly population-based studies in order to identify new susceptibility loci for reduced renal function as estimated by serum creatinine (eGFRcrea), serum cystatin c (eGFRcys) and CKD (eGFRcrea 60 ml/min/1.73 m 2; n = 5,807 individuals with CKD (cases)). Follow-up of the 23 new genome-wide-significant loci (P 5 × 10 8) in 22,982 replication samples identified 13 new loci affecting renal function and CKD (in or…
Depression in Atrial Fibrillation in the General Population
BACKGROUND: Initial evidence suggests that depressive symptoms are more frequent in patients with atrial fibrillation. Data from the general population are limited. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 10,000 individuals (mean age 56±11 years, 49.4% women) of the population-based Gutenberg Health Study we assessed depression by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and a history of depression in relation to manifest atrial fibrillation (n = 309 cases). The median (25th/75th percentile) PHQ-9 score of depressive symptoms was 4 (2/6) in atrial fibrillation individuals versus 3 (2/6) individuals without atrial fibrillation, P(X2-Test) = 0.32. Multivariable regression analyses of the severity of depressi…
Ancestry and demography and descendants of Iron Age nomads of the Eurasian Steppe
During the 1st millennium before the Common Era (BCE), nomadic tribes associated with the Iron Age Scythian culture spread over the Eurasian Steppe, covering a territory of more than 3,500 km in breadth. To understand the demographic processes behind the spread of the Scythian culture, we analysed genomic data from eight individuals and a mitochondrial dataset of 96 individuals originating in eastern and western parts of the Eurasian Steppe. Genomic inference reveals that Scythians in the east and the west of the steppe zone can best be described as a mixture of Yamnaya-related ancestry and an East Asian component. Demographic modelling suggests independent origins for eastern and western g…