TY - JOUR A1 - Alicke, Marie A1 - Boakye-Appiah, Justice K. A1 - Abdul-Jalil, Inusah A1 - Henze, Andrea A1 - van der Giet, Markus A1 - Schulze, Matthias Bernd A1 - Schweigert, Florian J. A1 - Mockenhaupt, Frank P. A1 - Bedu-Addo, George A1 - Danquah, Ina T1 - eAdolescent health in rural Ghana: A crosssectional study on the co-occurrence of infectious diseases, malnutrition and cardiometabolic risk factors JF - PLoS one N2 - In sub-Saharan Africa, infectious diseases and malnutrition constitute the main health problems in children, while adolescents and adults are increasingly facing cardio-metabolic conditions. Among adolescents as the largest population group in this region, we investigated the co-occurrence of infectious diseases, malnutrition and cardio-metabolic risk factors (CRFs), and evaluated demographic, socio-economic and medical risk factors for these entities. In a cross-sectional study among 188 adolescents in rural Ghana, malarial infection, common infectious diseases and Body Mass Index were assessed. We measured ferritin, C-reactive protein, retinol, fasting glucose and blood pressure. Socio-demographic data were documented. We analyzed the proportions (95% confidence interval, CI) and the cooccurrence of infectious diseases (malaria, other common diseases), malnutrition (underweight, stunting, iron deficiency, vitamin A deficiency [VAD]), and CRFs (overweight, obesity, impaired fasting glucose, hypertension). In logistic regression, odds ratios (OR) and 95% CIs were calculated for the associations with socio-demographic factors. In this Ghanaian population (age range, 14.4-15.5 years; males, 50%), the proportions were for infectious diseases 45% (95% CI: 38-52%), for malnutrition 50% (43-57%) and for CRFs 16% (11- 21%). Infectious diseases and malnutrition frequently co-existed (28%; 21-34%). Specifically, VAD increased the odds of non-malarial infectious diseases 3-fold (95% CI: 1.03, 10.19). Overlap of CRFs with infectious diseases (6%; 2-9%) or with malnutrition (7%; 3-11%) was also present. Male gender and low socio-economic status increased the odds of infectious diseases and malnutrition, respectively. Malarial infection, chronic malnutrition and VAD remain the predominant health problems among these Ghanaian adolescents. Investigating the relationships with evolving CRFs is warranted. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0180436 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 12 SP - 4463 EP - 4477 PB - PLoS CY - San Fransisco ER - TY - GEN A1 - Prüfer, Nicole A1 - Kleuser, Burkhard A1 - van der Giet, Markus T1 - The role of serum amyloid A and sphingosine-1-phosphate on high-density lipoprotein functionality N2 - The high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is one of the most important endogenous cardiovascular protective markers. HDL is an attractive target in the search for new pharmaceutical therapies and in the prevention of cardiovascular events. Some of HDL’s anti-atherogenic properties are related to the signaling molecule sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), which plays an important role in vascular homeostasis. However, for different patient populations it seems more complicated. Significant changes in HDL’s protective potency are reduced under pathologic conditions and HDL might even serve as a proatherogenic particle. Under uremic conditions especially there is a change in the compounds associated with HDL. S1P is reduced and acute phase proteins such as serum amyloid A (SAA) are found to be elevated in HDL. The conversion of HDL in inflammation changes the functional properties of HDL. High amounts of SAA are associated with the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. SAA has potent pro-atherogenic properties, which may have impact on HDL’s biological functions, including cholesterol efflux capacity, antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. This review focuses on two molecules that affect the functionality of HDL. The balance between functional and dysfunctional HDL is disturbed after the loss of the protective sphingolipid molecule S1P and the accumulation of the acute-phase protein SAA. This review also summarizes the biological activities of lipid-free and lipid-bound SAA and its impact on HDL function. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 340 KW - atherosclerosis KW - high-density lipoprotein (HDL) KW - inflammation KW - serum amyloid A (SAA) KW - sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-398648 ER -