TY  - JOUR
A1  - Danquah, Ina
A1  - Dobrucky, C. Lydia
A1  - Frank, Laura K.
A1  - Henze, Andrea
A1  - Amoako, Yaw A.
A1  - Bedu-Addo, George
A1  - Raila, Jens
A1  - Schulze, Matthias Bernd
A1  - Mockenhaupt, Frank P.
A1  - Schweigert, Florian J.
T1  - Vitamin A: potential misclassification of vitamin A status among patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension in urban Ghana
JF  - The American journal of clinical nutrition : a publication of the American Society for Nutrition, Inc.
N2  - 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.
KW  - hypertension
KW  - inflammation
KW  - kidney dysfunction
KW  - type 2 diabetes
KW  - vitamin A deficiency
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.114.101345
SN  - 0002-9165
SN  - 1938-3207
VL  - 102
IS  - 1
SP  - 207
EP  - 214
PB  - American Society for Nutrition, Inc.
CY  - Bethesda
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Fruscalzo, Arrigo
A1  - Londero, Ambrogio P.
A1  - Driul, Lorenza
A1  - Henze, Andrea
A1  - Tonutti, Laura
A1  - Ceraudo, Maria
A1  - Zanotti, Giuseppe
A1  - Berni, Rodolfo
A1  - Schweigert, Florian J.
A1  - Raila, Jens
T1  - First trimester concentrations of the TTR-RBP4-retinol complex components as early markers of insulin-treated gestational diabetes mellitus
JF  - Clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine : journal of the Forum of the European Societies of Clinical Chemistry - the European Branch of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
N2  - Background: The objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between first trimester maternal serum levels of the TTR-RBP4-ROH complex components and the later insurgence of an altered glucose metabolism during pregnancy.
 Methods: Retrospective case control study including 96 patients between the 12th and 14th week of gestation, 32 that developed gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), respectively, 21 non-insulin-treated (dGDM) and 11 insulin-treated (iGDM), 20 large for gestational age fetuses (LGA) without GDM and 44 patients with normal outcome as control. Serum concentrations of RBP4 and TTR were assessed by ELISA; serum concentration of ROH by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (rpHPLC). The molecular heterogeneity of TTR and RBP4 was analyzed after immunoprecipitation by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS).
 Results: iGDM patients were characterized by reduced TTR, RBP4 and ROH compared to controls (respectively, iGDM vs. controls, mean +/- SD: TTR 3.96 +/- 0.89 mu mol/L vs. 4.68 +/- 1.21 mu mol/L, RBP4 1.13 +/- 0.25 mu mol/L vs. 1.33 +/- 0.38 mu mol/L and ROH 1.33 +/- 0.17 mu mol/L vs. 1.62 +/- 0.29 mu mol/L, p < 0.05). TTR containing Gly10 in place of Cys10 was lower in the iGDM group (p < 0.05) compared to controls. In the final logistic regression model ROH significantly predicted the diagnosis of iGDM (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.87-0.98, p < 0.05).
 Conclusions: First trimester maternal serum ROH, RBP4 and TTR represent potential biomarkers associated with the development of iGDM.
KW  - first trimester
KW  - gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)
KW  - insulin
KW  - large for gestational age fetus (LGA)
KW  - protein microheterogeneity
KW  - retinol (ROH)
KW  - serum retinol binding protein (RBP4)
KW  - transthyretin (TTR)
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2014-0929
SN  - 1434-6621
SN  - 1437-4331
VL  - 53
IS  - 10
SP  - 1643
EP  - 1651
PB  - De Gruyter
CY  - Berlin
ER  -