@article{DanquahDobruckyFranketal.2015,
  author    = {Danquah, Ina and Dobrucky, C. Lydia and Frank, Laura K. and Henze, Andrea and Amoako, Yaw A. and Bedu-Addo, George and Raila, Jens and Schulze, Matthias Bernd and Mockenhaupt, Frank P. and Schweigert, Florian J.},
  title     = {Vitamin A: potential misclassification of vitamin A status among patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension in urban Ghana},
  series = {The American journal of clinical nutrition : a publication of the American Society for Nutrition, Inc.},
  volume    = {102},
  journal   = {The American journal of clinical nutrition : a publication of the American Society for Nutrition, Inc.},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {American Society for Nutrition, Inc.},
  address   = {Bethesda},
  issn      = {0002-9165},
  doi       = {10.3945/ajcn.114.101345},
  pages     = {207 -- 214},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {Background: Sub-Saharan Africa is facing a double burden of malnutrition: vitamin A deficiency (VAD) prevails, whereas the nutrition-related chronic conditions type 2 diabetes (T2D) and hypertension are emerging. Serum retinol a VAD marker increases in kidney disease and decreases in inflammation, which can partly be attributed to alterations in the vitamin A transport proteins retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) and prealbumin. Kidney dysfunction and inflammation commonly accompany T2D and hypertension. Objective: Among urban Ghanaians, we investigated the associations of T2D and hypertension with serum retinol as well as the importance of kidney function and inflammation in this regard. Design: A hospital-based, case-control study in individuals for risk factors of T2D, hypertension, or both was conducted in Kumasi, Ghana (328 controls, 197 with T2D, 354 with hypertension, and 340 with T2D plus hypertension). In 1219 blood samples, serum retinol, RBP4, and prealbumin were measured. Urinary albumin and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) defined kidney function. C-reactive protein (CRP) >5 mg/L indicated inflammation. We identified associations of T2D and hypertension with retinol by linear regression and calculated the contribution of RBP4, prealbumin, urinary albumin, eGFR, and CRP to these associations as the percentages of the explained variance of retinol. Results: VAD (retinol <1.05 mu mol/L) was present in 10\% of this predominantly female, middle-aged, overweight, and deprived population. Hypertension, but not T2D, was positively associated with retinol (beta: 0.12; 95\% CI: 0.08, 0,17), adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic factors, anthropometric measurements, and lifestyle. In addition to RBP4 (72\%) and prealbumin (22\%), the effect of increased retinol on individuals with hypertension was mainly attributed to impaired kidney function (eGFR: 30\%; urinary albumin: 5\%) but not to inflammation. Conclusions: In patients with hypertension, VAD might be underestimated because of increased serum retinol in the context of kidney dysfunction. Thus, the interpretation of serum retinol in sub-Saharan Africa should account for hypertension status.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{HuberLeziusReibisetal.2015,
  author    = {Huber, Matthias and Lezius, Susanne and Reibis, Rona Katharina and Treszl, Andras and Kujawinska, Dorota and Jakob, Stefanie and Wegscheider, Karl and V{\"o}ller, Heinz and Kreutz, Reinhold},
  title     = {A Single Nucleotide Polymorphism near the CYP17A1 Gene Is Associated with Left Ventricular Mass in Hypertensive Patients under Pharmacotherapy},
  series = {International journal of molecular sciences},
  volume    = {16},
  journal   = {International journal of molecular sciences},
  number    = {8},
  publisher = {MDPI},
  address   = {Basel},
  issn      = {1422-0067},
  doi       = {10.3390/ijms160817456},
  pages     = {17456 -- 17468},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {Cytochrome P450 17A1 (CYP17A1) catalyses the formation and metabolism of steroid hormones. They are involved in blood pressure (BP) regulation and in the pathogenesis of left ventricular hypertrophy. Therefore, altered function of CYP17A1 due to genetic variants may influence BP and left ventricular mass. Notably, genome wide association studies supported the role of this enzyme in BP control. Against this background, we investigated associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in or nearby the CYP17A1 gene with BP and left ventricular mass in patients with arterial hypertension and associated cardiovascular organ damage treated according to guidelines. Patients (n = 1007, mean age 58.0 +/- 9.8 years, 83\% men) with arterial hypertension and cardiac left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 40\% were enrolled in the study. Cardiac parameters of left ventricular mass, geometry and function were determined by echocardiography. The cohort comprised patients with coronary heart disease (n = 823; 81.7\%) and myocardial infarction (n = 545; 54.1\%) with a mean LVEF of 59.9\% +/- 9.3\%. The mean left ventricular mass index (LVMI) was 52.1 +/- 21.2 g/m(2.7) and 485 (48.2\%) patients had left ventricular hypertrophy. There was no significant association of any investigated SNP (rs619824, rs743572, rs1004467, rs11191548, rs17115100) with mean 24 h systolic or diastolic BP. However, carriers of the rs11191548 C allele demonstrated a 7\% increase in LVMI (95\% CI: 1\%-12\%, p = 0.017) compared to non-carriers. The CYP17A1 polymorphism rs11191548 demonstrated a significant association with LVMI in patients with arterial hypertension and preserved LVEF. Thus, CYP17A1 may contribute to cardiac hypertrophy in this clinical condition.},
  language  = {en}
}