Publications

958 Publications visible to you, out of a total of 958

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Einleitung: Im Zuge der fortschreitenden Digitalisierung im Gesundheitswesen wird dem Thema der Interoperabilität zwischen allen medizinischen IT-Verfahren eine entscheidende Relevanz zugesprochen. Die Grundlage hierfür bieten gemeinsame Informationsmodelle, wie sie im Rahmen der Medizininformatik-Initiative[zum vollständigen Text gelangen Sie über die oben angegebene URL]

Authors: Alexander Helhorn, Kutaiba Saleh, Henner M. Kruse, Lo Phan-Vogtmann an , Eric Thomas, Andrew J. Heidel, André Scherag, Danny Ammon

Date Published: 2019

Publication Type: Misc

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BACKGROUND: The distinction between Burkitt's lymphoma and diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma is unclear. We used transcriptional and genomic profiling to define Burkitt's lymphoma more precisely and to distinguish subgroups in other types of mature aggressive B-cell lymphomas. METHODS: We performed gene-expression profiling using Affymetrix U133A GeneChips with RNA from 220 mature aggressive B-cell lymphomas, including a core group of 8 Burkitt's lymphomas that met all World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. A molecular signature for Burkitt's lymphoma was generated, and chromosomal abnormalities were detected with interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization and array-based comparative genomic hybridization. RESULTS: We used the molecular signature for Burkitt's lymphoma to identify 44 cases: 11 had the morphologic features of diffuse large-B-cell lymphomas, 4 were unclassifiable mature aggressive B-cell lymphomas, and 29 had a classic or atypical Burkitt's morphologic appearance. Also, five did not have a detectable IG-myc Burkitt's translocation, whereas the others contained an IG-myc fusion, mostly in simple karyotypes. Of the 176 lymphomas without the molecular signature for Burkitt's lymphoma, 155 were diffuse large-B-cell lymphomas. Of these 155 cases, 21 percent had a chromosomal breakpoint at the myc locus associated with complex chromosomal changes and an unfavorable clinical course. CONCLUSIONS: Our molecular definition of Burkitt's lymphoma clarifies and extends the spectrum of the WHO criteria for Burkitt's lymphoma. In mature aggressive B-cell lymphomas without a gene signature for Burkitt's lymphoma, chromosomal breakpoints at the myc locus were associated with an adverse clinical outcome.

Authors: M. Hummel, S. Bentink, H. Berger, W. Klapper, S. Wessendorf, T. F. Barth, H. W. Bernd, S. B. Cogliatti, J. Dierlamm, A. C. Feller, M. L. Hansmann, E. Haralambieva, L. Harder, D. Hasenclever, M. Kuhn, D. Lenze, P. Lichter, J. I. Martin-Subero, P. Moller, H. K. Muller-Hermelink, G. Ott, R. M. Parwaresch, C. Pott, A. Rosenwald, M. Rosolowski, C. Schwaenen, B. Sturzenhofecker, M. Szczepanowski, H. Trautmann, H. H. Wacker, R. Spang, M. Loeffler, L. Trumper, H. Stein, R. Siebert

Date Published: 8th Jun 2006

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: Burkitt lymphoma

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Anaemia therapy or perisurgical support of erythropoiesis often require both, EPO and iron medication. However, excessive iron medication can result in iron overload and it is challenging to control haemoglobin levels in a desired range. To support this task, we develop a biomathematical model to simulate EPO- and iron medication in humans. We combine our previously established model of human erythropoiesis including comprehensive pharmacokinetic models of EPO applications with a newly developed model of iron metabolism including iron supplementation. Equations were derived by translating known biological mechanisms into ordinary differential equations. Qualitative model behaviour is studied in detail considering a variety of interventions such as bleeding, iron malnutrition and medication. The model can explain time courses of erythrocytes, reticulocytes, haemoglobin, haematocrit, red blood cells, EPO, serum iron, ferritin, transferrin saturation, and transferrin under a variety of scenarios including EPO and iron application into healthy volunteers or chemotherapy patients. Unknown model parameters were determined by fitting the predictions of the model to time series data from literature. We demonstrate how the model can be used to make predictions of untested therapy options such as cytotoxic chemotherapy supported by iron and EPO. Following our ultimate goal of establishing a model of anaemia treatment in chronic kidney disease, we aim at translating our model to this pathological condition in the near future.

Authors: Sibylle Schirm, Markus Scholz

Date Published: 1st Dec 2020

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Anaemia is a common haematologic side effect of dose-dense multi-cycle cytotoxic polychemotherapy requiring erythrocyte transfusions or erythropoietin (EPO) administration. To simulate the effectiveness of different EPO application schedules, we performed both modelling of erythropoiesis under chemotherapy and pharmacokinetic and dynamic modelling of EPO applications in the framework of a single comprehensive biomathematical model. For this purpose, a cell kinetic model of bone marrow erythropoiesis was developed that is based on a set of differential compartment equations describing proliferation and maturation of erythropoietic cell stages. The system is regulated by several feedback loops comprising those mediated by EPO. We added a model of EPO absorption after injection at different sites and a pharmacokinetic model of EPO derivatives to account for the effects of external EPO applications. Chemotherapy is modelled by a transient depletion of bone marrow cell stages. Unknown model parameters were determined by fitting the predictions of the model to data sets of circulating erythrocytes, haemoglobin, haematocrit, percentage of reticulocytes or EPO serum concentrations derived from the literature or cooperating clinical study groups. Parameter fittings resulted in a good agreement of model and data. Depending on site of injection and derivative (Alfa, Beta, Delta, Darbepoetin), nine groups of EPO applications were distinguished differing in either absorption kinetics or pharmacokinetics. Finally, eight different chemotherapy protocols were modelled. The model was validated on the basis of scenarios not used for parameter fitting. Simulations were performed to analyze the impact of EPO applications on the risk of anaemia during chemotherapy. We conclude that we established a model of erythropoiesis under chemotherapy that explains a large set of time series data under EPO and chemotherapy applications. It allows predictions regarding yet untested EPO schedules. Prospective clinical studies are needed to validate model predictions and to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed schedules.

Authors: S. Schirm, C. Engel, M. Loeffler, M. Scholz

Date Published: 12th Jun 2013

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: anemia

Abstract (Expand)

Intensification of cytotoxic chemotherapy enhances the outcome of several malignancies but is limited by haematotoxicity. While neutropenia and anaemia can be treated with supportive growth factor applications, thrombocytopenia remains a dose-limiting side effect due to the lack of clinically approved pharmaceutical growth factors. Hence, it is necessary to assess the degree of thrombocytopenia of newly designed intensified regimens in the planning phase of a clinical trial. We present a simple ordinary differential equations model of thrombopoiesis under chemotherapy which maps the dynamics of stem cells, CFU-Mk, megakaryocytes and platelets in spleen and circulation. Major regulatory cytokine of thrombopoiesis is thrombopoietin (TPO) whose production and consumption is explicitly modelled. TPO acts by increasing the number of mitoses of CFU-Mk and increasing the mass and maturation of megakaryocytes. Chemotherapy is modelled by a drug-dose and cell-stage specific acute cell loss. Most of the cell kinetic parameters of the model were taken from literature. Parameters regarding TPO regulation and chemotherapy toxicity were estimated by fitting the predictions of the model to time series data of platelets received from large clinical data sets of patients under seven different chemotherapies. We obtained a good agreement between model and data for all scenarios. Parameter estimates were biologically plausible throughout. For validation, the model also explains data of TPO and platelet dynamics after thrombopheresis taken from literature. We used the model to make clinically relevant predictions. Regarding thrombocytopenia we estimated that the CHOP regimen for the treatment of high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma can be time-intensified to a cycle duration of 12 days while the time-intensified CHOEP regimen would result in severe cumulative toxicity. We conclude that our proposed model proved validity for both, different chemotherapeutic regimens and thrombopheresis as well. It is useful to assess the thrombocytopenic risk in the planning phase of a clinical trial.

Authors: M. Scholz, A. Gross, M. Loeffler

Date Published: 21st May 2010

Publication Type: Not specified

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Pneumonia is considered to be one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The outcome depends on both, proper antibiotic treatment and the effectivity of the immune response of the host. However, due to the complexity of the immunologic cascade initiated during infection, the latter cannot be predicted easily. We construct a biomathematical model of the murine immune response during infection with pneumococcus aiming at predicting the outcome of antibiotic treatment. The model consists of a number of non-linear ordinary differential equations describing dynamics of pneumococcal population, the inflammatory cytokine IL-6, neutrophils and macrophages fighting the infection and destruction of alveolar tissue due to pneumococcus. Equations were derived by translating known biological mechanisms and assuming certain response kinetics. Antibiotic therapy is modelled by a transient depletion of bacteria. Unknown model parameters were determined by fitting the predictions of the model to data sets derived from mice experiments of pneumococcal lung infection with and without antibiotic treatment. Time series of pneumococcal population, debris, neutrophils, activated epithelial cells, macrophages, monocytes and IL-6 serum concentrations were available for this purpose. The antibiotics Ampicillin and Moxifloxacin were considered. Parameter fittings resulted in a good agreement of model and data for all experimental scenarios. Identifiability of parameters is also estimated. The model can be used to predict the performance of alternative schedules of antibiotic treatment. We conclude that we established a biomathematical model of pneumococcal lung infection in mice allowing predictions regarding the outcome of different schedules of antibiotic treatment. We aim at translating the model to the human situation in the near future.

Authors: Sibylle Schirm, Peter Ahnert, Sandra Wienhold, Holger Mueller-Redetzky, Geraldine Nouailles-Kursar, Markus Loeffler, Martin Witzenrath, Markus Scholz

Date Published: 19th May 2016

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Birgit Brigl, S. Gerber, T. Wendt, Alfred Winter

Date Published: 2001

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND A study of Chinese women recently suggested that the minor allele of rs11655505 in the BRCA1 promoter (c.-2265C–\textgreaterT) increases promoter activity and has a protective effect onn breast cancer risk. METHODS We genotyped rs11655505 in 2912 female breast cancer cases and 2783 unaffected female controls from four Caucasian breast cancer studies. RESULTS No evidence for an association between rs11655505 and breast cancer risk was found. CONCLUSIONS Our study failed to confirm a role of rs11655505 in breast cancer risk. Larger studies are necessary to determine if there is a weak association between this SNP and breast cancer risk.

Authors: Paolo Verderio, Sara Pizzamiglio, Melissa C. Southey, Amanda B. Spurdle, John L. Hopper, Xiaoqing Chen, Jonathan Beesley, Rita K. Schmutzler, Christoph Engel, Barbara Burwinkel, Peter Bugert, Filomena Ficarazzi, Siranoush Manoukian, Monica Barile, Barbara Wappenschmidt, Georgia Chenevix-Trench, Paolo Radice, Paolo Peterlongo

Date Published: 22nd Apr 2010

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome

Abstract (Expand)

Recent large-scale studies have been successful in identifying common, low-penetrance variants associated with common cancers. One such variant in the caspase-8 (CASP8) gene, D302H (rs1045485), has been confirmed to be associated with breast cancer risk, although the functional effect of this polymorphism (if any) is not yet clear. In order to further map the CASP8 gene with respect to breast cancer susceptibility, we performed extensive haplotype analyses using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) chosen to tag all common variations in the gene (tSNP). We used a staged study design based on 3,200 breast cancer and 3,324 control subjects from the United Kingdom, Utah, and Germany. Using a haplotype-mining algorithm in the UK cohort, we identified a four-SNP haplotype that was significantly associated with breast cancer and that was superior to any other single or multi-locus combination (P=8.0 x 10(-5)), with a per allele odds ratio and 95% confidence interval of 1.30 (1.12-1.49). The result remained significant after adjustment for the multiple testing inherent in mining techniques (false discovery rate, q=0.044). As expected, this haplotype includes the D302H locus. Multicenter analyses on a subset of the tSNPs yielded consistent results. This risk haplotype is likely to carry one or more underlying breast cancer susceptibility alleles, making it an excellent candidate for resequencing in homozygous individuals. An understanding of the mode of action of these alleles will aid risk assessment and may lead to the identification of novel treatment targets in breast cancer.

Authors: Neil Duncan Shephard, Ryan Abo, Sushila Harkisandas Rigas, Bernd Frank, Wei-Yu Lin, Ian Wallace Brock, Adam Shippen, Sabapathy Prakash Balasubramanian, Malcolm Walter Ronald Reed, Claus Rainer Bartram, Alfons Meindl, Rita Katharina Schmutzler, Christoph Engel, Barbara Burwinkel, Lisa Anne Cannon-Albright, Kristina Allen-Brady, Nicola Jane Camp, Angela Cox

Date Published: 24th Mar 2009

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome

Abstract (Expand)

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is responsible for a public health burden with multi-systemic complications. Through trans-ancestry meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and independent replication (n = 1,046,070), we identified 264 associated loci (166 new). Of these, 147 were likely to be relevant for kidney function on the basis of associations with the alternative kidney function marker blood urea nitrogen (n = 416,178). Pathway and enrichment analyses, including mouse models with renal phenotypes, support the kidney as the main target organ. A genetic risk score for lower eGFR was associated with clinically diagnosed CKD in 452,264 independent individuals. Colocalization analyses of associations with eGFR among 783,978 European-ancestry individuals and gene expression across 46 human tissues, including tubulo-interstitial and glomerular kidney compartments, identified 17 genes differentially expressed in kidney. Fine-mapping highlighted missense driver variants in 11 genes and kidney-specific regulatory variants. These results provide a comprehensive priority list of molecular targets for translational research.

Authors: Matthias Wuttke, Yong Li, Man Li, Karsten B. Sieber, Mary F. Feitosa, Mathias Gorski, Adrienne Tin, Lihua Wang, Audrey Y. Chu, Anselm Hoppmann, Holger Kirsten, Ayush Giri, Jin-Fang Chai, Gardar Sveinbjornsson, Bamidele O. Tayo, Teresa Nutile, Christian Fuchsberger, Jonathan Marten, Massimiliano Cocca, Sahar Ghasemi, Yizhe Xu, Katrin Horn, Damia Noce, Peter J. van der Most, Sanaz Sedaghat, Zhi Yu, Masato Akiyama, Saima Afaq, Tarunveer S. Ahluwalia, Peter Almgren, Najaf Amin, Johan Ärnlöv, Stephan J. L. Bakker, Nisha Bansal, Daniela Baptista, Sven Bergmann, Mary L. Biggs, Ginevra Biino, Michael Boehnke, Eric Boerwinkle, Mathilde Boissel, Erwin P. Bottinger, Thibaud S. Boutin, Hermann Brenner, Marco Brumat, Ralph Burkhardt, Adam S. Butterworth, Eric Campana, Archie Campbell, Harry Campbell, Mickaël Canouil, Robert J. Carroll, Eulalia Catamo, John C. Chambers, Miao-Ling Chee, Miao-Li Chee, Xu Chen, Ching-Yu Cheng, Yurong Cheng, Kaare Christensen, Renata Cifkova, Marina Ciullo, Maria Pina Concas, James P. Cook, Josef Coresh, Tanguy Corre, Cinzia Felicita Sala, Daniele Cusi, John Danesh, E. Warwick Daw, Martin H. de Borst, Alessandro de Grandi, Renée de Mutsert, Aiko P. J. de Vries, Frauke Degenhardt, Graciela Delgado, Ayse Demirkan, Emanuele Di Angelantonio, Katalin Dittrich, Jasmin Divers, Rajkumar Dorajoo, Kai-Uwe Eckardt, Georg Ehret, Paul Elliott, Karlhans Endlich, Michele K. Evans, Janine F. Felix, Valencia Hui Xian Foo, Oscar H. Franco, Andre Franke, Barry I. Freedman, Sandra Freitag-Wolf, Yechiel Friedlander, Philippe Froguel, Ron T. Gansevoort, He Gao, Paolo Gasparini, J. Michael Gaziano, Vilmantas Giedraitis, Christian Gieger, Giorgia Girotto, Franco Giulianini, Martin Gögele, Scott D. Gordon, Daniel F. Gudbjartsson, Vilmundur Gudnason, Toomas Haller, Pavel Hamet, Tamara B. Harris, Catharina A. Hartman, Caroline Hayward, Jacklyn N. Hellwege, Chew-Kiat Heng, Andrew A. Hicks, Edith Hofer, Wei Huang, Nina Hutri-Kähönen, Shih-Jen Hwang, M. Arfan Ikram, Olafur S. Indridason, Erik Ingelsson, Marcus Ising, Vincent W. V. Jaddoe, Johanna Jakobsdottir, Jost B. Jonas, Peter K. Joshi, Navya Shilpa Josyula, Bettina Jung, Mika Kähönen, Yoichiro Kamatani, Candace M. Kammerer, Masahiro Kanai, Mika Kastarinen, Shona M. Kerr, Chiea-Chuen Khor, Wieland Kiess, Marcus E. Kleber, Wolfgang Koenig, Jaspal S. Kooner, Antje Körner, Peter Kovacs, Aldi T. Kraja, Alena Krajcoviechova, Holly Kramer, Bernhard K. Krämer, Florian Kronenberg, Michiaki Kubo, Brigitte Kühnel, Mikko Kuokkanen, Johanna Kuusisto, Martina La Bianca, Markku Laakso, Leslie A. Lange, Carl D. Langefeld, Jeannette Jen-Mai Lee, Benjamin Lehne, Terho Lehtimäki, Wolfgang Lieb, Su-Chi Lim, Lars Lind, Cecilia M. Lindgren, Jun Liu, Jianjun Liu, Markus Loeffler, Ruth J. F. Loos, Susanne Lucae, Mary Ann Lukas, Leo-Pekka Lyytikäinen, Reedik Mägi, Patrik K. E. Magnusson, Anubha Mahajan, Nicholas G. Martin, Jade Martins, Winfried März, Deborah Mascalzoni, Koichi Matsuda, Christa Meisinger, Thomas Meitinger, Olle Melander, Andres Metspalu, Evgenia K. Mikaelsdottir, Yuri Milaneschi, Kozeta Miliku, Pashupati P. Mishra, Karen L. Mohlke, Nina Mononen, Grant W. Montgomery, Dennis O. Mook-Kanamori, Josyf C. Mychaleckyj, Girish N. Nadkarni, Mike A. Nalls, Matthias Nauck, Kjell Nikus, Boting Ning, Ilja M. Nolte, Raymond Noordam, Jeffrey O’Connell, Michelle L. O’Donoghue, Isleifur Olafsson, Albertine J. Oldehinkel, Marju Orho-Melander, Willem H. Ouwehand, Sandosh Padmanabhan, Nicholette D. Palmer, Runolfur Palsson, Brenda W. J. H. Penninx, Thomas Perls, Markus Perola, Mario Pirastu, Nicola Pirastu, Giorgio Pistis, Anna I. Podgornaia, Ozren Polasek, Belen Ponte, David J. Porteous, Tanja Poulain, Peter P. Pramstaller, Michael H. Preuss, Bram P. Prins, Michael A. Province, Ton J. Rabelink, Laura M. Raffield, Olli T. Raitakari, Dermot F. Reilly, Rainer Rettig, Myriam Rheinberger, Kenneth M. Rice, Paul M. Ridker, Fernando Rivadeneira, Federica Rizzi, David J. Roberts, Antonietta Robino, Peter Rossing, Igor Rudan, Rico Rueedi, Daniela Ruggiero, Kathleen A. Ryan, Yasaman Saba, Charumathi Sabanayagam, Veikko Salomaa, Erika Salvi, Kai-Uwe Saum, Helena Schmidt, Reinhold Schmidt, Ben Schöttker, Christina-Alexandra Schulz, Nicole Schupf, Christian M. Shaffer, Yuan Shi, Albert V. Smith, Blair H. Smith, Nicole Soranzo, Cassandra N. Spracklen, Konstantin Strauch, Heather M. Stringham, Michael Stumvoll, Per O. Svensson, Silke Szymczak, E-Shyong Tai, Salman M. Tajuddin, Nicholas Y. Q. Tan, Kent D. Taylor, Andrej Teren, Yih-Chung Tham, Joachim Thiery, Chris H. L. Thio, Hauke Thomsen, Gudmar Thorleifsson, Daniela Toniolo, Anke Tönjes, Johanne Tremblay, Ioanna Tzoulaki, André G. Uitterlinden, Simona Vaccargiu, Rob M. van Dam, Pim van der Harst, Cornelia M. van Duijn, Digna R. Velez Edward, Niek Verweij, Suzanne Vogelezang, Uwe Völker, Peter Vollenweider, Gerard Waeber, Melanie Waldenberger, Lars Wallentin, Ya Xing Wang, Chaolong Wang, Dawn M. Waterworth, Wen Bin Wei, Harvey White, John B. Whitfield, Sarah H. Wild, James F. Wilson, Mary K. Wojczynski, Charlene Wong, Tien-Yin Wong, Liang Xu, Qiong Yang, Masayuki Yasuda, Laura M. Yerges-Armstrong, Weihua Zhang, Alan B. Zonderman, Jerome I. Rotter, Murielle Bochud, Bruce M. Psaty, Veronique Vitart, James G. Wilson, Abbas Dehghan, Afshin Parsa, Daniel I. Chasman, Kevin Ho, Andrew P. Morris, Olivier Devuyst, Shreeram Akilesh, Sarah A. Pendergrass, Xueling Sim, Carsten A. Böger, Yukinori Okada, Todd L. Edwards, Harold Snieder, Kari Stefansson, Adriana M. Hung, Iris M. Heid, Markus Scholz, Alexander Teumer, Anna Köttgen, Cristian Pattaro

Date Published: 1st Jun 2019

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

The relevance of many BRCA2 variants of uncertain significance (VUS) to breast cancer has not been determined due to limited genetic information from families carrying these alterations. Here, we classified six new variants as pathogenic or nonpathogenic by analysis of genetic information from families carrying 64 individual BRCA2 DNA binding domain (DBD) missense mutations using a multifactorial likelihood model of cancer causality. Next, we evaluated the use of a homology-directed DNA break repair (HDR) functional assay as a method for inferring the clinical relevance of VUS in the DBD of BRCA2 using 18 established nonpathogenic missense variants and all 13 established pathogenic missense mutations from the BRCA2 DBD. Compared with the known status of these variants based on the multifactorial likelihood model, the sensitivity of the HDR assay for pathogenic mutations was estimated at 100% [95% confidence interval (CI): 75.3%-100%] and specificity was estimated at 100% (95% CI: 81.5%-100%). A statistical classifier for predicting the probability of pathogenicity of BRCA2 DBD variants was developed using these functional results. When applied to 33 additional VUS, the classifier identified eight with 99% or more probability of nonpathogenicity and 18 with 99% or more probability of pathogenicity. Thus, in the absence of genetic evidence, a cell-based HDR assay can provide a probability of pathogenicity for all VUS in the BRCA2 DBD, suggesting that the assay can be used in combination with other information to determine the cancer relevance of BRCA2 VUS.

Authors: Lucia Guidugli, Vernon S. Pankratz, Namit Singh, James Thompson, Catherine A. Erding, Christoph Engel, Rita Schmutzler, Susan Domchek, Katherine Nathanson, Paolo Radice, Christian Singer, Patricia N. Tonin, Noralane M. Lindor, David E. Goldgar, Fergus J. Couch

Date Published: 2nd Jan 2013

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND: Haematotoxicity of conventional chemotherapies often results in delays of treatment or reduction of chemotherapy dose. To ameliorate these side-effects, patients are routinely treated with blood transfusions or haematopoietic growth factors such as erythropoietin (EPO) or granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). For the latter ones, pharmaceutical derivatives are available, which differ in absorption kinetics, pharmacokinetic and -dynamic properties. Due to the complex interaction of cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy and the stimulating effects of different growth factor derivatives, optimal treatment is a non-trivial task. In the past, we developed mathematical models of thrombopoiesis, granulopoiesis and erythropoiesis under chemotherapy and growth-factor applications which can be used to perform clinically relevant predictions regarding the feasibility of chemotherapy schedules and cytopenia prophylaxis with haematopoietic growth factors. However, interactions of lineages and growth-factors were ignored so far. RESULTS: To close this gap, we constructed a hybrid model of human granulopoiesis and erythropoiesis under conventional chemotherapy, G-CSF and EPO applications. This was achieved by combining our single lineage models of human erythropoiesis and granulopoiesis with a common stem cell model. G-CSF effects on erythropoiesis were also implemented. Pharmacodynamic models are based on ordinary differential equations describing proliferation and maturation of haematopoietic cells. The system is regulated by feedback loops partly mediated by endogenous and exogenous EPO and G-CSF. Chemotherapy is modelled by depletion of cells. Unknown model parameters were determined by fitting the model predictions to time series data of blood counts and cytokine profiles. Data were extracted from literature or received from cooperating clinical study groups. Our model explains dynamics of mature blood cells and cytokines after growth-factor applications in healthy volunteers. Moreover, we modelled 15 different chemotherapeutic drugs by estimating their bone marrow toxicity. Taking into account different growth-factor schedules, this adds up to 33 different chemotherapy regimens explained by the model. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that we established a comprehensive biomathematical model to explain the dynamics of granulopoiesis and erythropoiesis under combined chemotherapy, G-CSF, and EPO applications. We demonstrate how it can be used to make predictions regarding haematotoxicity of yet untested chemotherapy and growth-factor schedules.

Authors: S. Schirm, C. Engel, M. Loeffler, M. Scholz

Date Published: 26th May 2014

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: leukemia, anemia

Abstract (Expand)

Existing knowledge of genetic variants affecting risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) is largely based on genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis of common SNPs. Leveraging phased haplotypes from the 1000 Genomes Project, we report a GWAS meta-analysis of \sim185,000 CAD cases and controls, interrogating 6.7 million common (minor allele frequency (MAF) \textgreater 0.05) and 2.7 million low-frequency (0.005 \textless MAF \textless 0.05) variants. In addition to confirming most known CAD-associated loci, we identified ten new loci (eight additive and two recessive) that contain candidate causal genes newly implicating biological processes in vessel walls. We observed intralocus allelic heterogeneity but little evidence of low-frequency variants with larger effects and no evidence of synthetic association. Our analysis provides a comprehensive survey of the fine genetic architecture of CAD, showing that genetic susceptibility to this common disease is largely determined by common SNPs of small effect size.   Existing knowledge of genetic variants affecting risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) is largely based on genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis of common SNPs. Leveraging phased haplotypes from the 1000 Genomes Project, we report a GWAS meta-analysis of \sim185,000 CAD cases and controls, interrogating 6.7 million common (minor allele frequency (MAF) \textgreater 0.05) and 2.7 million low-frequency (0.005 \textless MAF \textless 0.05) variants. In addition to confirming most known CAD-associated loci, we identified ten new loci (eight additive and two recessive) that contain candidate causal genes newly implicating biological processes in vessel walls. We observed intralocus allelic heterogeneity but little evidence of low-frequency variants with larger effects and no evidence of synthetic association. Our analysis provides a comprehensive survey of the fine genetic architecture of CAD, showing that genetic susceptibility to this common disease is largely determined by common SNPs of small effect size.   Existing knowledge of genetic variants affecting risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) is largely based on genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis of common SNPs. Leveraging phased haplotypes from the 1000 Genomes Project, we report a GWAS meta-analysis of \sim185,000 CAD cases and controls, interrogating 6.7 million common (minor allele frequency (MAF) \textgreater 0.05) and 2.7 million low-frequency (0.005 \textless MAF \textless 0.05) variants. In addition to confirming most known CAD-associated loci, we identified ten new loci (eight additive and two recessive) that contain candidate causal genes newly implicating biological processes in vessel walls. We observed intralocus allelic heterogeneity but little evidence of low-frequency variants with larger effects and no evidence of synthetic association. Our analysis provides a comprehensive survey of the fine genetic architecture of CAD, showing that genetic susceptibility to this common disease is largely determined by common SNPs of small effect size.   Existing knowledge of genetic variants affecting risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) is largely based on genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis of common SNPs. Leveraging phased haplotypes from the 1000 Genomes Project, we report a GWAS meta-analysis of \sim185,000 CAD cases and controls, interrogating 6.7 million common (minor allele frequency (MAF) \textgreater 0.05) and 2.7 million low-frequency (0.005 \textless MAF \textless 0.05) variants. In addition to confirming most known CAD-associated loci, we identified ten new loci (eight additive and two recessive) that contain candidate causal genes newly implicating biological processes in vessel walls. We observed intralocus allelic heterogeneity but little evidence of low-frequency variants with larger effects and no evidence of synthetic association. Our analysis provides a comprehensive survey of the fine genetic architecture of CAD, showing that genetic susceptibility to this common disease is largely determined by common SNPs of small effect size. //  Existing knowledge of genetic variants affecting risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) is largely based on genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis of common SNPs. Leveraging phased haplotypes from the 1000 Genomes Project, we report a GWAS meta-analysis of \sim185,000 CAD cases and controls, interrogating 6.7 million common (minor allele frequency (MAF) \textgreater 0.05) and 2.7 million low-frequency (0.005 \textless MAF \textless 0.05) variants. In addition to confirming most known CAD-associated loci, we identified ten new loci (eight additive and two recessive) that contain candidate causal genes newly implicating biological processes in vessel walls. We observed intralocus allelic heterogeneity but little evidence of low-frequency variants with larger effects and no evidence of synthetic association. Our analysis provides a comprehensive survey of the fine genetic architecture of CAD, showing that genetic susceptibility to this common disease is largely determined by common SNPs of small effect size.

Author: CARDIoGRAMplusC4D Consortium

Date Published: 1st Oct 2015

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

We present a working approach for a clinical research database as part of an archival information system. The CDISC ODM standard is target for clinical study and research relevant routine data, thus decoupling the data ingest process from the access layer. The presented research database is comprehensive as it covers annotating, mapping and curation of poorly annotated source data. Besides a conventional relational database the medical data warehouse i2b2 serves as main frontend for end-users. The system we developed is suitable to support patient recruitment, cohort identification and quality assurance in daily routine.

Authors: Frank Meineke, Sebastian Stäubert, Matthias Löbe, Alfred Winter

Date Published: 2014

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

OBJECTIVE: Microsatellite instability (MSI) is detected in approximately 15% of all colorectal cancers (CRC) and virtually in all cases with Lynch syndrome. The MSI phenotype is caused by dysfunctional mismatch repair (MMR) and leads to accumulation of DNA replication errors. Sporadic MSI CRC often harbours BRAF(V600E); however, no consistent data exist regarding targeted treatment approaches in BRAF(wt) MSI CRC. DESIGN: Mutations and quantitative MSI were analysed by deep sequencing in 196 formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) specimens comprising Lynch and Lynch-like CRCs from the German Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer registry. Functional relevance of recurrent ERBB2/HER2 mutations was investigated in CRC cell lines using reversible and irreversible HER-targeting inhibitors, EGFR-directed antibody cetuximab, HER2-directed antibody trastuzumab and siRNA-mediated ERBB2/HER2 knockdown. RESULTS: Quantification of nucleotide loss in non-coding mononucleotide repeats distinguished microsatellite status with very high accuracy (area under curve=0.9998) and demonstrated progressive losses with deeper invasion of MMR-deficient colorectal neoplasms (p=0.008). Characterisation of BRAF(wt) MSI CRC revealed hot-spot mutations in well-known oncogenic drivers, including KRAS (38.7%), PIK3CA (36.5%), and ERBB2 (15.0%). L755S and V842I substitutions in ERBB2 were highly recurrent. Functional analyses in ERBB2-mutated MSI CRC cell lines revealed a differential response to HER-targeting compounds and superiority of irreversible pan-HER inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a high-throughput deep sequencing approach for concomitant MSI and mutational analyses in FFPE specimens. We provided novel insights into clinically relevant alterations in MSI CRC and a rationale for targeting ERBB2/HER2 mutations in Lynch and Lynch-like CRC.

Authors: M. Kloth, V. Ruesseler, C. Engel, K. Koenig, M. Peifer, E. Mariotti, H. Kuenstlinger, A. Florin, U. Rommerscheidt-Fuss, U. Koitzsch, C. Wodtke, F. Ueckeroth, S. Holzapfel, S. Aretz, P. Propping, M. Loeffler, S. Merkelbach-Bruse, M. Odenthal, N. Friedrichs, L. C. Heukamp, T. Zander, R. Buettner

Date Published: 24th May 2015

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: colorectal cancer

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND Sound data about the prevalence of acute renal failure (ARF) among patients with severe sepsis and septic shock are lacking. Further, it is not known whether ARF is an independent risk factorr for mortality in septic patients or merely an indicator of disease severity. METHODS A prospective cross-sectional one-day prevalence study was carried out in a representative sample of German ICUs, divided into five strata (\textless 200 beds; 201-400 beds; 401-600 beds; \textgreater 600 beds; university hospitals). 3877 patients were screened of whom 415 had severe sepsis and septic shock. RESULTS Fourteen patients (3.4%) had chronic dialysis-dependent RF and were excluded from analysis. Of the remaining 401 patients, 166 (41.4%) had ARF, as defined by a rise in creatinine above twice the upper limit of normal and/or a drop in urine output to \textless 0.5 ml/kg bodyweight. Median APACHE II score was 22 in patients with ARF and 16 in patients without ARF (p\textless 0.0001). Patients with severe sepsis/septic shock had an overall hospital mortality of 55.2%. Hospital mortality in patients with ARF was 67.3% and without ARF 42.8% (p\textless 0.0001). After adjustment for APACHE II score and age, ARF remained a significant independent risk factor for death [odds ratio (OR) 2.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.27-3.52]. Mortality in septic patients was not associated with pre-existing, non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease, whereas in dialysis-dependent patients with sepsis mortality increased to 86%. CONCLUSION In this representative survey in patients with severe sepsis/septic shock, prevalence of ARF is high with 41.4%. ARF represents a significant independent risk factor for mortality in these patients.

Authors: Michael Oppert, Christoph Engel, Frank-Martin Brunkhorst, Holger Bogatsch, Konrad Reinhart, Ulrich Frei, Kai-Uwe Eckardt, Markus Loeffler, Stefan John

Date Published: 15th Oct 2007

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: disease by infectious agent

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: H. Schunkert, K. Emser, Reinhold Haux, Alfred Winter, J. Kindler, R. Repges, H. G. Sieberth

Date Published: 1987

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

AIMS Adipose tissue-secreted proteins, i.e. adipocytokines, have been identified as potential mediators linking fat mass and adipose tissue dysfunction with impaired glucose homeostasis, alterationss in the inflammatory status, and risk of diabetes. The aim of this study was to determine whether seven circulating adipocytokines are associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or are altered by metabolic and weight changes during pregnancy itself. METHODS A panel of seven adipocytokines (i.e. adiponectin, adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein, chemerin, leptin, Pro-Enkephalin, progranulin, and Pro-Neurotensin) was quantified in serum in a cross-sectional cohort of 222 women with the following three groups matched for age and body mass index: (i) 74 pregnant women with GDM; (ii) 74 pregnant women without GDM; and (iii) 74 non-pregnant and healthy women. A stepwise statistical approach was used by performing pairwise comparisons, principal component analysis (PCA), and partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). RESULTS Five out of seven adipocytokines were dysregulated between pregnant and non-pregnant women, i.e. adiponectin, chemerin, leptin, Pro-Enkephalin, and progranulin. None of the adipocytokines significantly differed between GDM and non-GDM status during pregnancy. The same five adipocytokines clustered in a principal component representing pregnancy-induced effects. Fasting insulin was the most relevant parameter in the discrimination of GDM as compared to pregnant women without GDM, whereas chemerin and adiponectin were most relevant factors to discriminate pregnancy status. CONCLUSIONS Pregnancy status but not presence of GDM can be distinguished by the seven investigated adipocytokines in discrimination analyses.

Authors: Thomas Ebert, Claudia Gebhardt, Markus Scholz, Dorit Schleinitz, Matthias Blüher, Michael Stumvoll, Peter Kovacs, Mathias Fasshauer, Anke Tönjes

Date Published: 10th Apr 2020

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

In humans, mutations in ATGL lead to TG accumulation in LDs of most tissues and cells, including peripheral blood leukocytes. This pathologic condition is called Jordans' anomaly, in which functional consequences have not been investigated. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that ATGL plays a role in leukocyte LD metabolism and immune cell function. Similar to humans with loss-of-function mutations in ATGL, we found that global and myeloid-specific Atgl(-/-) mice exhibit Jordans' anomaly with increased abundance of intracellular TG-rich LDs in neutrophil granulocytes. In a model of inflammatory peritonitis, lipid accumulation was also observed in monocytes and macrophages but not in eosinophils or lymphocytes. Neutrophils from Atgl(-/-) mice showed enhanced immune responses in vitro, which were more prominent in cells from global compared with myeloid-specific Atgl(-/-) mice. Mechanistically, ATGL(-/-) as well as pharmacological inhibition of ATGL led to an impaired release of lipid mediators from neutrophils. These findings demonstrate that the release of lipid mediators is dependent on the liberation of precursor molecules from the TG-rich pool of LDs by ATGL. Our data provide mechanistic insights into Jordans' anomaly in neutrophils and suggest that ATGL is a potent regulator of immune cell function and inflammatory diseases.

Authors: S. Schlager, M. Goeritzer, K. Jandl, R. Frei, N. Vujic, D. Kolb, H. Strohmaier, J. Dorow, T. O. Eichmann, A. Rosenberger, A. Wolfler, A. Lass, E. E. Kershaw, U. Ceglarek, A. Dichlberger, A. Heinemann, D. Kratky

Date Published: 26th Jun 2015

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: R. Karim Md, B-Ph. Nguyen, L. Zimmermann, Toralf Kirsten, Matthias Löbe, Frank A. Meineke, H. Stenzhorn, O. Kohlbacker, S. Decker, O. Beyan

Date Published: 2018

Publication Type: InProceedings

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND: Completion of advance directives (ADs) and power of attorney (POA) documents may protect a person's autonomy in future health care situations when the individual lacks decisional capacity. As such situations become naturally much more common in old age, we specifically aimed at providing information on (i) the frequency of ADs/POA in oldest-old individuals and (ii) factors associated with having completed ADs/POA. METHODS: We analyzed data of oldest-old primary care patients (85+ years; including community-dwelling and institutionalized individuals) within the German AgeQualiDe study. Patients were initially recruited via their general practitioners (GPs). We calculated frequencies of ADs and POA for health care with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and used multivariable logistic regression analysis to evaluate the association between having ADs and POA and participants' socio-demographic, cognitive, functional, and health-related characteristics. RESULTS: Among 868 GP patients participating in AgeQualiDe (response = 90.9%), n = 161 had dementia and n = 3 were too exhausted/ill to answer the questions. Out of the remaining 704 (81.1%) dementia-free patients (mean age = 88.7 years; SD = 3.0), 69.0% (95%-CI = 65.6-72.4) stated to having ADs and 64.6% (95%-CI = 61.1-68.2) to having a POA for health care. Individual characteristics did not explain much of the variability of the presence/absence of ADs and POA (regression models: Nagelkerke's R(2) = 0.034/0.051). The most frequently stated reasons for not having ADs were that the older adults trust their relatives or physicians to make the right decisions for them when necessary (stated by 59.4% and 44.8% of those without ADs). Among the older adults with ADs, the majority had received assistance in its preparation (79.0%), most frequently from their children/grandchildren (38.3%). Children/grandchildren were also the most frequently stated group of designated persons (76.7%) for those with a POA for health care. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a high dissemination of ADs and POA for health care in the oldest-old in Germany. Some adults without ADs/POA perhaps would have completed advance care documents, if they had had received more information and support. When planning programs to offer advanced care planning to the oldest old, it might be helpful to respond to these specific needs, and also to be sensitive to attitudinal differences in this target group.

Authors: T. Luck, F. S. Rodriguez, B. Wiese, C. van der Leeden, K. Heser, H. Bickel, J. In der Schmitten, H. H. Koenig, S. Weyerer, S. Mamone, T. Mallon, M. Wagner, D. Weeg, A. Fuchs, C. Brettschneider, J. Werle, M. Scherer, W. Maier, S. G. Riedel-Heller

Date Published: 13th Apr 2017

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND: Few data exist on adverse drug reactions (ADR) in elderly people. In this group, pharmacotherapy represents a challenge with regard to comorbidities, drug interactions and compliance. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article is to highlight the characteristics of ADR in elderly patients. METHODS: In addition to a literature review we present the first data from the Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases (LIFE). Between 2011 and 2015 a total of 9537 subjects aged 40-79 years were randomly included in this population-based, age and sex standardized investigation in the inhabitants of Leipzig, Germany and special emphasis was placed on allergies including questions with regard to ADR. RESULTS: Of the 9537 subjects, data on allergies were available from 8979 subjects. Female gender, comorbidities and the use of multiple drugs were significantly associated with an increased risk of ADR. Women also reported ADR significantly more frequently than men. Of the subjects 22% reported suffering from some form of ADR as a result of medications, while in 2.3% this reaction had occurred within the previous 12 months. Less than 15% of LIFE patients with ADR were in possession of a document giving details of the ADR. DISCUSSION: The occurrence of ADR significantly contributes to morbidity in elderly patients. For prevention of ADR knowledge of patient-related factors, underlying diseases, drug characteristics and drug interactions are necessary.

Authors: R. Treudler, F. Walther, P. Ahnert, J. C. Simon

Date Published: 23rd Nov 2016

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Holger Kirsten, Elisabeth Petit-Teixeira, Helene Hantmann, J. Reichardt, Jana Burkhardt, Frank Emmrich, François Cornelis, Peter Ahnert

Date Published: 13th Aug 2009

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND: The Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF) funds a network of university medicines (NUM) to support COVID-19 and pandemic research at national level. The “COVID-19 Data Exchange Platform” (CODEX) as part of NUM establishes a harmonised infrastructure that supports research use of COVID-19 datasets. The broad consent (BC) of the Medical Informatics Initiative (MII) is agreed by all German federal states and forms the legal base for data processing. All 34 participating university hospitals (NUM sites) work upon a harmonised infrastructural as well as legal basis for their data protection-compliant collection and transfer of their research dataset to the central CODEX platform. Each NUM site ensures that the exchanged consent information conforms to the already-balloted HL7 FHIR consent profiles and the interoperability concept of the MII Task Force “Consent Implementation” (TFCI). The Independent Trusted Third-Party (TTP) of the University Medicine Greifswald supports data protection-compliant data processing and provides the consent management solutions gICS. METHODS: Based on a stakeholder dialogue a required set of FHIR-functionalities was identified and technically specified supported by official FHIR experts. Next, a “TTP-FHIR Gateway” for the HL7 FHIR-compliant exchange of consent information using gICS was implemented. A last step included external integration tests and the development of a pre-configured consent template for the BC for the NUM sites. RESULTS: A FHIR-compliant gICS-release and a corresponding consent template for the BC were provided to all NUM sites in June 2021. All FHIR functionalities comply with the already-balloted FHIR consent profiles of the HL7 Working Group Consent Management. The consent template simplifies the technical BC rollout and the corresponding implementation of the TFCI interoperability concept at the NUM sites. CONCLUSIONS: This article shows that a HL7 FHIR-compliant and interoperable nationwide exchange of consent information could be built using of the consent management software gICS and the provided TTP-FHIR Gateway. The initial functional scope of the solution covers the requirements identified in the NUM-CODEX setting. The semantic correctness of these functionalities was validated by project-partners from the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich. The production rollout of the solution package to all NUM sites has started successfully.

Authors: Martin Bialke, Lars Geidel, Christopher Hampf, Arne Blumentritt, Peter Penndorf, Ronny Schuldt, Frank-Michael Moser, Stefan Lang, Patrick Werner, Sebastian Stäubert, Hauke Hund, Fady Albashiti, Jürgen Gührer, Hans-Ulrich Prokosch, Thomas Bahls, Wolfgang Hoffmann

Date Published: 1st Dec 2022

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

NAD(P)H oxidase is a major endogenous source of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS may not only be involved in carcinogenesis but also in efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents like doxorubicin. By a comprehensive genotyping approach covering 48 genetic polymorphisms (single-nucleotide polymorphisms) in five subunits of phagocytic NAD(P)H oxidase, we asked whether they affect gene expression, enzymatic activity, and outcome of CHO(E)P chemotherapy. A highly consistent effect was observed for the CYBA 640A>G variant. In peripheral blood granulocytes of 125 healthy volunteers, the G allele of 640A>G was associated with lower NAD(P)H oxidase activity (P = 0.006). Moreover, the G allele was associated with lower mRNA and protein expression (both P = 0.02). Of clinical importance, the outcome of patients suffering from non-Hodgkin lymphoma and treated with CHO(E)P regimen was dependent on the CYBA 640A>G polymorphism. In an exploratory study (n = 401), carriers of 640GG had an event-free survival (EFS) risk ratio of 1.95 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.31-2.90; P = 0.001] compared with 640AA. In a confirmatory set (n = 477), the risk ratios were 1.53 (1.04-2.25, P = 0.03). The complete set of 878 patients showed a relative risk of 1.72 (1.30-2.26) and 1.59 (1.14-2.21) for EFS and overall survival, respectively. Further molecular-biological experiments showed lower expression and reduced stability of transcripts with the G allele in lymphoblastoid cell lines. Transfection of allele-specific plasmids into HEK293 cells elicited lower activity for the G allele in a luciferase reporter gene construct. Thus, CYBA 640A>G was shown to be a functional polymorphism with possible consequences for patients receiving CHO(E)P chemotherapy and might have further implications for other ROS-mediated modalities.

Authors: M. Hoffmann, M. A. Schirmer, M. V. Tzvetkov, M. Kreuz, M. Ziepert, L. Wojnowski, D. Kube, M. Pfreundschuh, L. Trumper, M. Loeffler, J. Brockmoller

Date Published: 15th Mar 2010

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Abstract (Expand)

We investigated 41 diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) diagnosed at one center harboring >/=50% of latently Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected neoplastic cells occurring in 34 patients aged >/=50 years and in 7 patients younger than 50 years in the absence of any known immunodeficiency for the expression patterns of EBV latent and immediate-early proteins, for the differentiation stage of the neoplastic cells, the presence of cytogenetic alterations and a possible co-infection with the human herpes virus (HHV)-8. Here, we show that EBV-positive DLBCLs rarely arise from naive and more frequently from post-germinal center B-cells that often contain crippling immunoglobulin gene mutations. Most of the lymphomas did not exhibit breaks in the BCL2, BCL6, and MYC genes and none of the cases investigated contained HHV-8 sequences. Patients aged <50 years performed better than older ones while in patients aged >/=50 years only the cellular composition had an impact on overall survival.

Authors: K. Johrens, R. U. Trappe, D. Lenze, M. Pfreundschuh, M. Ziepert, M. Hummel, I. Anagnostopoulos

Date Published: 29th Apr 2016

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Abstract (Expand)

The 'Fragebogen zum Essverhalten' (FEV) is the German version of the Three-factor-Eating-Questionnaire (TFEQ). This questionnaire covers three domains of eating behaviour ('cognitive restraint', 'disinhibition' and 'hunger') as well as common problems (e.g. craving for sweets). So far, there is a lack of normative data of the FEV especially for the middle-aged and older population. Aim of this study therefore was to provide age- and gender-specific norms of the FEV for the general population aged 40-79 years. We studied 3144 participants of the ongoing large community-based Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases (LIFE) Health Care Study. We provided age- (four age groups: 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70-79 years) and gender-specific percentile ranks and T-scores for the three domains of the FEV as well as age- and gender-specific frequencies of the common problems in eating behaviour. Females scored significantly higher than males in all three domains of the FEV (p < 0.001). Older individuals showed significantly higher mean scores than the younger ones in the domain of cognitive restraint, but lower mean scores in disinhibition and hunger (p < 0.001). 45.1% of the males and 69.9% of the females reported specific problems in eating. The main problem in both genders was craving for sweets (38.6%). Eating in response to stress was mostly reported in younger individuals. The present study offers current normative data for the FEV in the middle-aged and older general population that can be applied in clinical and non-clinical settings. Information on eating behaviour can be helpful in understanding body weight modulation, and thus, may help to improve interventive and preventive programmes for overweight, obesity, and eating disorders.

Authors: A. Loffler, T. Luck, F. S. Then, M. Luppa, C. Sikorski, P. Kovacs, A. Tonjes, Y. Bottcher, J. Breitfeld, A. Horstmann, M. Loffler, C. Engel, J. Thiery, M. Stumvoll, S. G. Riedel-Heller

Date Published: 19th Apr 2015

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: obesity, eating disorder

Abstract (Expand)

In the NORRE study (EHJCVI (2014) 15, 680 – 690) normal values determined by echocardiography were published in healthy subjects (n = 734) with mean age of 46+13 years (range: 20 – 78). Left ventricular (LV)-volumes showed good correlations to the participants' (pts') age. LV-volumes were decreased and LV ejection fraction (EF) was increased according to the increase of the pts' age. A significant correlation between age and LV-mass was only found in women. Left atrial (LA)-volumes did not significantly change with age. Parameters of diastolic function showed a strong age-dependency (decrease of E/A-ratio; increase of E/E'-ratio). In the present LIFE-Adult analysis echocardiographic parameters were compared to the NORRE data. In 773 pts (326 males and 447 females; median age: 51 years), standardised transthoracic echocardiography was performed according to the national and international recommendations. The following parameters were analysed: LV- and LA-volume analyses by M-Mode measurements and 2D-LV planimetry, maximum E-and A-velocity, E/A-ratio and E/E'-ratio. The cohort was divided in age related subcohorts between 20 – 40, 41 – 50 and 51 – 60 years. Mean LV-diameter was 54 ± 5 mm (males) and 49 ± 4 mm (females). There was no age-dependency in males, but a tendency of LV-diameter increase in females. Mean LA diameter was 39 ± 4 mm in males and 35 ± 4 mm in females. Mean LA-diameter-index was 20 ± 2 mm/m2 (males) and 20 ± 3 mm/m2 (females) showing Age-dependency of an increasing LA-diameter in males and females. LV mass-index was 100 ± 20 g/m2 (males) and 83 ± 19 g/m2 (females) showing a tendency of increasing LV mass-index with age in males and females. Subsequently, septal and posterior wall thickness slightly increases with age. No differences of LVEF with increase of the pts' age could be observed. E/A-ratio was decreased and E/E'-ratio was increased with increase of the pts' age. The analysis of the echocardiographic parameters of the LIFE-Adult trial showed differences of the age-dependency in comparison to the NORRE data.

Authors: S. Stöbe, A. Hagendorff, S. Zeynalova, S. Tautenhahn, K. Wirkner, G. Farese, D. Jurisch, D. Pfeiffer, M. Loeffler

Date Published: 18th Aug 2016

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Patients with schizophrenia and their siblings typically show subtle changes of brain structures, such as a reduction of hippocampal volume. Hippocampal volume is heritable, may explain a variety of cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia and is thus considered an intermediate phenotype for this mental illness. The aim of our analyses was to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) related to hippocampal volume without making prior assumptions about possible candidate genes. In this study, we combined genetics, imaging and neuropsychological data obtained from the Mind Clinical Imaging Consortium study of schizophrenia (n = 328). A total of 743,591 SNPs were tested for association with hippocampal volume in a genome-wide association study. Gene expression profiles of human hippocampal tissue were investigated for gene regions of significantly associated SNPs. None of the genetic markers reached genome-wide significance. However, six highly correlated SNPs (rs4808611, rs35686037, rs12982178, rs1042178, rs10406920, rs8170) on chromosome 19p13.11, located within or in close proximity to the genes NR2F6, USHBP1, and BABAM1, as well as four SNPs in three other genomic regions (chromosome 1, 2 and 10) had p-values between 6.75\times10(-6) and 8.3\times10(-7). Using existing data of a very recently published GWAS of hippocampal volume and additional data of a multicentre study in a large cohort of adolescents of European ancestry, we found supporting evidence for our results. Furthermore, allelic differences in rs4808611 and rs8170 were highly associated with differential mRNA expression in the cis-acting region. Associations with memory functioning indicate a possible functional importance of the identified risk variants. Our findings provide new insights into the genetic architecture of a brain structure closely linked to schizophrenia. In silico replication, mRNA expression and cognitive data provide additional support for the relevance of our findings. Identification of causal variants and their functional effects may unveil yet unknown players in the neurodevelopment and the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Authors: Johanna Hass, Esther Walton, Holger Kirsten, Jingyu Liu, Lutz Priebe, Christiane Wolf, Nazanin Karbalai, Randy Gollub, Tonya White, Veit Roessner, Kathrin U. Müller, Tomas Paus, Michael N. Smolka, Gunter Schumann, Markus Scholz, Sven Cichon, Vince D. Calhoun, Stefan Ehrlich

Date Published: 21st Jun 2013

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) manufacturers graphically present circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (cpRNFLT) together with normative limits to support clinicians in diagnosing ophthalmic diseases. The impact of age on cpRNFLT is typically implemented by linear models. cpRNFLT is strongly location-specific, whereas previously published norms are typically restricted to coarse sectors and based on small populations. Furthermore, OCT devices neglect impacts of lens or eye size on the diameter of the cpRNFLT scan circle so that the diameter substantially varies over different eyes. We investigate the impact of age and scan diameter reported by Spectralis spectral-domain OCT on cpRNFLT in 5646 subjects with healthy eyes. We provide cpRNFLT by age and diameter at 768 angular locations. Age/diameter were significantly related to cpRNFLT on 89%/92% of the circle, respectively (pointwise linear regression), and to shifts in cpRNFLT peak locations. For subjects from age 42.1 onward but not below, increasing age significantly decreased scan diameter (r=-0.28, p<0.001), which suggests that pathological cpRNFLT thinning over time may be underestimated in elderly compared to younger subjects, as scan diameter decrease correlated with cpRNFLT increase. Our detailed numerical results may help to generate various correction models to improve diagnosing and monitoring optic neuropathies.

Authors: M. Wang, T. Elze, D. Li, N. Baniasadi, K. Wirkner, T. Kirsten, J. Thiery, M. Loeffler, C. Engel, F. G. Rauscher

Date Published: 25th Dec 2017

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Fragestellung/Zielsetzung: Zentraler Baustein curricularer Entwicklung sind kompetenzorientierte Lernziele [ref:1], wie sie im NKLM dargestellt sind. Webbasierte Datenbanken machen Lernzielkataloge zugänglich und strukturiert nutzbar. Das Web-Portal LOOOP [ref:2] bietet[zum vollständigen Text gelangen Sie über die oben angegebene URL]

Authors: Ulrike Schemmann, Birgit Schneider, Lo An Phan-Vogtmann, Susanne Müller, Cord Spreckelsen

Date Published: 2020

Publication Type: Misc

Abstract (Expand)

Benchmarking is a major topic for monitoring, directing and elucidating the performance of hospital information systems (HIS). Current approaches neglect the outcome of the processes that are supported by the HIS and their contribution to the hospital’s strategic goals. We suggest to benchmark HIS based on clinical documentation processes and their outcome. A framework consisting of a general process model and outcome criteria for clinical documentation processes is introduced.

Authors: Franziska Jahn, Alfred Winter

Date Published: 2011

Publication Type: InProceedings

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND Tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption have been intensively studied in the general population to assess their effects on the risk of breast cancer (BC), but very few studies have examinedd these effects in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers. Given the high BC risk for mutation carriers and the importance of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in DNA repair, better evidence on the associations of these lifestyle factors with BC risk is essential. METHODS Using a large international pooled cohort of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, we conducted retrospective (5,707 BRCA1 mutation carriers; 3,525 BRCA2 mutation carriers) and prospective (2,276 BRCA1 mutation carriers; 1,610 BRCA2 mutation carriers) analyses of alcohol and tobacco consumption using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS For both BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, none of the smoking-related variables was associated with BC risk, except smoking for more than five years before a first full-term pregnancy (FFTP) when compared to parous women who never smoked. For BRCA1 mutation carriers, the HR from retrospective analysis (HRR) was 1.19 (95%CI:1.02,1.39) and the HR from prospective analysis (HRP) was 1.36 (95%CI:0.99,1.87). For BRCA2 mutation carriers, smoking for more than five years before a FFTP showed an association of a similar magnitude, but the confidence limits were wider (HRR=1.25,95%CI:1.01,1.55 and HRP=1.30,95%CI:0.83,2.01). For both carrier groups, alcohol consumption was not associated with BC risk. CONCLUSIONS The finding that smoking during the pre-reproductive years increases BC risk for mutation carriers warrants further investigation. IMPACT This is the largest prospective study of BRCA mutation carriers to assess these important risk factors.

Authors: Hongyan Li, Mary Beth Terry, Antonis C. Antoniou, Kelly-Anne Phillips, Karin Kast, Thea M. Mooij, Christoph Engel, Catherine Noguès, Dominique Stoppa-Lyonnet, Christine Lasset, Pascaline Berthet, Veronique Mari, Olivier Caron, Daniel Barrowdale, Debra Frost, Carole Brewer, D. Gareth Evans, Louise Izatt, Lucy Side, Lisa Walker, Marc Tischkowitz, Mark T. Rogers, Mary E. Porteous, Hanne E. J. Meijers-Heijboer, Johan Jp Gille, Marinus J. Blok, Nicoline Hoogerbrugge, Mary B. Daly, Irene L. Andrulis, Saundra S. Buys, Esther M. John, Sue-Anne McLachlan, Michael Friedlander, Yen Y. Tan, Ana Osorio, Trinidad Caldes, Anna Jakubowska, Jacques Simard, Christian F. Singer, Edith Olah, Marie Navratilova, Lenka Foretova, Anne-Marie Gerdes, Marie-José Roos-Blom, Brita Arver, Håkan Olsson, Rita K. Schmutzler, John L. Hopper, Roger L. Milne, Douglas F. Easton, Flora E. van Leeuwen, Matti A. Rookus, Nadine Andrieu, David E. Goldgar

Date Published: 5th Feb 2020

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND: Animal experiments and studies in alcohol dependent patients indicate that ghrelin signaling in the brain is causally involved in the regulation of alcohol reward and intake. Increasing ghrelin levels enhances alcohol craving and intake, blocking ghrelin receptors abolishes these effects. If ghrelin is also involved in non-dependent alcohol consumption in humans, though, remains unknown. The aim was therefore to investigate the relationship between ghrelin serum levels and alcohol consumption in a large population-based sample. METHODS: Total ghrelin was determined after an overnight fast in 1666 subjects participating in a population-based cross-sectional study ('LIFE') including 10,000 adults. 1521 subjects were included in this analysis. Alcohol consumption was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Multiple linear regression analyses and extreme group comparisons testing for statistical differences of alcohol consumption between the highest and lowest quartile according to ghrelin levels were performed. RESULTS: Alcohol consumption was positively associated with serum ghrelin; total sample: beta = 0.003, p = 0.002; men: beta = 0.005, p = 0.023; women: beta = 0.002, p = 0.007, adjusted for age, BMI and smoking status. Mean alcohol consumption in men/women belonging to the highest quartile of serum ghrelin levels (men: 21.5 (21.1) g/day; women: 7.5 (11.4) g/day) was considerably higher than in those belonging to the lowest quartile (men: 16.5 (19.3) g/day p < 0.002; women: 4.59 (10.7) g/day p = 0.0001). CONCLUSION: This is the first study showing that alcohol consumption is positively associated with serum ghrelin in a population-based sample. The study provides an initial indication that ghrelin is also involved in the regulation of alcohol consumption in non-dependent subjects.

Authors: D. A. Wittekind, J. Kratzsch, R. Mergl, C. Enzenbach, A. V. Witte, A. Villringer, M. Kluge

Date Published: 22nd Jul 2018

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: alcohol dependence

Abstract (Expand)

PTCL patients exhibit poor survival with existing treatments. We investigated the efficacy of CHOP combined with alemtuzumab in 116 PTCL patients age 61-80 in an open-label, randomized phase 3 trial. Alemtuzumab was given on day 1, to a total of 360 mg in 21 patients, or 120 mg in 37. Hematotoxicity was increased with A-CHOP resulting in more grade >/=3 infections (40% versus 21%) and 4 versus 1 death due to infections, respectively. CR/CRu rate was 60% for A-CHOP and 43% for CHOP, and OR rate was 72% and 66%, respectively. Three-year-EFS, PFS and OS were 27% [15%-39%], 28% [15%-40%], and 37% ([23%-50%] for A-CHOP, and 24% [12%-35%], 29% [17%-41%], and 56% [44%-69%] for CHOP, respectively, showing no significant differences. Multivariate analyses, adjusted for strata and sex confirmed these results (hazard ratio HREFS: 0.7 ([95% CI: 0.5-1.1]; p = 0.094), HRPFS: 0.8 ([95% CI: 0.5-1.2]; p = 0.271), HROS: 1.4 ([95% CI: 0.9-2.4]; p = 0.154). The IPI score was validated, and male sex (HREFS 2.5) and bulky disease (HREFS 2.2) were significant risk factors for EFS, PFS, and OS. Alemtuzumab added to CHOP increased response rates, but did not improve survival due to treatment-related toxicity.

Authors: G. G. Wulf, B. Altmann, M. Ziepert, F. D'Amore, G. Held, R. Greil, O. Tournilhac, T. Relander, A. Viardot, M. Wilhelm, C. Wilhelm, A. Pezzutto, J. M. Zijlstra, E. V. D. Neste, P. J. Lugtenburg, J. K. Doorduijn, M. V. Gelder, G. W. van Imhoff, F. Zettl, F. Braulke, M. Nickelsen, B. Glass, A. Rosenwald, P. Gaulard, M. Loeffler, M. Pfreundschuh, N. Schmitz, L. Trumper

Date Published: 10th May 2020

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: lymphoma, peripheral T-cell lymphoma

Abstract (Expand)

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is a common cause for respiratory failure and has a high mortality rate of 30-40% in most studies. The current standard for the diagnosis of ARDS was proposed by the Berlin Definition from 2012. This article proposes an algorithmic classification to distinguish between patients with ARDS and those with heart failure (HF). Currently, the available database is not sufficient in regards to the necessary data quality to evaluate this classification. Therefore an approach of simulating data for patients with ARDS and HF by using a computer model was implemented. The model and classification are evaluated using selected patient data, which is recorded with medical embedded systems in intensive care units, as an input for the simulation. The included scores provide a retrospective assessment of whether or not a patient has developed an ARDS.

Authors: Simon Fonck, Sebastian Fritsch, Stefan Kowalewski, Raimund Hensen, André Stollenwerk

Date Published: 2021

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

INTRODUCTION: The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a highly relevant entity in critical care with mortality rates of 40%. Despite extensive scientific efforts, outcome-relevant therapeutic measures are still insufficiently practised at the bedside. Thus, there is a clear need to adhere to early diagnosis and sufficient therapy in ARDS, assuring lower mortality and multiple organ failure. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: In this quality improvement strategy (QIS), a decision support system as a mobile application (ASIC app), which uses available clinical real-time data, is implemented to support physicians in timely diagnosis and improvement of adherence to established guidelines in the treatment of ARDS. ASIC is conducted on 31 intensive care units (ICUs) at 8 German university hospitals. It is designed as a multicentre stepped-wedge cluster randomised QIS. ICUs are combined into 12 clusters which are randomised in 12 steps. After preparation (18 months) and a control phase of 8 months for all clusters, the first cluster enters a roll-in phase (3 months) that is followed by the actual QIS phase. The remaining clusters follow in month wise steps. The coprimary key performance indicators (KPIs) consist of the ARDS diagnostic rate and guideline adherence regarding lung-protective ventilation. Secondary KPIs include the prevalence of organ dysfunction within 28 days after diagnosis or ICU discharge, the treatment duration on ICU and the hospital mortality. Furthermore, the user acceptance and usability of new technologies in medicine are examined. To show improvements in healthcare of patients with ARDS, differences in primary and secondary KPIs between control phase and QIS will be tested. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval was obtained from the independent Ethics Committee (EC) at the RWTH Aachen Faculty of Medicine (local EC reference number: EK 102/19) and the respective data protection officer in March 2019. The results of the ASIC QIS will be presented at conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: DRKS00014330.

Authors: Gernot Marx, Johannes Bickenbach, Sebastian Johannes Fritsch, Julian Benedict Kunze, Oliver Maassen, Saskia Deffge, Jennifer Kistermann, Silke Haferkamp, Irina Lutz, Nora Kristiana Voellm, Volker Lowitsch, Richard Polzin, Konstantin Sharafutdinov, Hannah Mayer, Lars Kuepfer, Rolf Burghaus, Walter Schmitt, Joerg Lippert, Morris Riedel, Chadi Barakat, André Stollenwerk, Simon Fonck, Christian Putensen, Sven Zenker, Felix Erdfelder, Daniel Grigutsch, Rainer Kram, Susanne Beyer, Knut Kampe, Jan Erik Gewehr, Friederike Salman, Patrick Juers, Stefan Kluge, Daniel Tiller, Emilia Wisotzki, Sebastian Gross, Lorenz Homeister, Frank Bloos, André Scherag, Danny Ammon, Susanne Mueller, Julia Palm, Philipp Simon, Nora Jahn, Markus Loeffler, Thomas Wendt, Tobias Schuerholz, Petra Groeber, Andreas Schuppert

Date Published: 1st Apr 2021

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract

Not specified

Author: Alfred Winter

Date Published: 1987

Publication Type: InCollection

Abstract (Expand)

Germline BRCA1 mutations predispose to breast cancer. To identify genetic modifiers of this risk, we performed a genome-wide association study in 1,193 individuals with BRCA1 mutations who were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer under age 40 and 1,190 BRCA1 carriers without breast cancer diagnosis over age 35. We took forward 96 SNPs for replication in another 5,986 BRCA1 carriers (2,974 individuals with breast cancer and 3,012 unaffected individuals). Five SNPs on 19p13 were associated with breast cancer risk (P(trend) = 2.3 \times 10^-^9 to P(trend) = 3.9 \times 10^-^7), two of which showed independent associations (rs8170, hazard ratio (HR) = 1.26, 95% CI 1.17-1.35; rs2363956 HR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.80-0.89). Genotyping these SNPs in 6,800 population-based breast cancer cases and 6,613 controls identified a similar association with estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer (rs2363956 per-allele odds ratio (OR) = 0.83, 95% CI 0.75-0.92, P(trend) = 0.0003) and an association with estrogen receptor-positive disease in the opposite direction (OR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.01-1.14, P(trend) = 0.016). The five SNPs were also associated with triple-negative breast cancer in a separate study of 2,301 triple-negative cases and 3,949 controls (P(trend) = 1 \times 10^-^7) to P(trend) = 8 \times 10^-^5; rs2363956 per-allele OR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.74-0.87, P(trend) = 1.1 \times 10^-^7

Authors: Antonis C. Antoniou, Xianshu Wang, Zachary S. Fredericksen, Lesley McGuffog, Robert Tarrell, Olga M. Sinilnikova, Sue Healey, Jonathan Morrison, Christiana Kartsonaki, Timothy Lesnick, Maya Ghoussaini, Daniel Barrowdale, Susan Peock, Margaret Cook, Clare Oliver, Debra Frost, Diana Eccles, D. Gareth Evans, Ros Eeles, Louise Izatt, Carol Chu, Fiona Douglas, Joan Paterson, Dominique Stoppa-Lyonnet, Claude Houdayer, Sylvie Mazoyer, Sophie Giraud, Christine Lasset, Audrey Remenieras, Olivier Caron, Agnès Hardouin, Pascaline Berthet, Frans B. L. Hogervorst, Matti A. Rookus, Agnes Jager, Ans van den Ouweland, Nicoline Hoogerbrugge, Rob B. van der Luijt, Hanne Meijers-Heijboer, Encarna B. Gómez García, Peter Devilee, Maaike P. G. Vreeswijk, Jan Lubinski, Anna Jakubowska, Jacek Gronwald, Tomasz Huzarski, Tomasz Byrski, Bohdan Górski, Cezary Cybulski, Amanda B. Spurdle, Helene Holland, David E. Goldgar, Esther M. John, John L. Hopper, Melissa Southey, Saundra S. Buys, Mary B. Daly, Mary-Beth Terry, Rita K. Schmutzler, Barbara Wappenschmidt, Christoph Engel, Alfons Meindl, Sabine Preisler-Adams, Norbert Arnold, Dieter Niederacher, Christian Sutter, Susan M. Domchek, Katherine L. Nathanson, Timothy Rebbeck, Joanne L. Blum, Marion Piedmonte, Gustavo C. Rodriguez, Katie Wakeley, John F. Boggess, Jack Basil, Stephanie V. Blank, Eitan Friedman, Bella Kaufman, Yael Laitman, Roni Milgrom, Irene L. Andrulis, Gord Glendon, Hilmi Ozcelik, Tomas Kirchhoff, Joseph Vijai, Mia M. Gaudet, David Altshuler, Candace Guiducci, Niklas Loman, Katja Harbst, Johanna Rantala, Hans Ehrencrona, Anne-Marie Gerdes, Mads Thomassen, Lone Sunde, Paolo Peterlongo, Siranoush Manoukian, Bernardo Bonanni, Alessandra Viel, Paolo Radice, Trinidad Caldes, Miguel de La Hoya, Christian F. Singer, Anneliese Fink-Retter, Mark H. Greene, Phuong L. Mai, Jennifer T. Loud, Lucia Guidugli, Noralane M. Lindor, Thomas v. O. Hansen, Finn C. Nielsen, Ignacio Blanco, Conxi Lazaro, Judy Garber, Susan J. Ramus, Simon A. Gayther, Catherine Phelan, Stephen Narod, Csilla I. Szabo, Javier Benitez, Ana Osorio, Heli Nevanlinna, Tuomas Heikkinen, Maria A. Caligo, Mary S. Beattie, Ute Hamann, Andrew K. Godwin, Marco Montagna, Cinzia Casella, Susan L. Neuhausen, Beth Y. Karlan, Nadine Tung, Amanda E. Toland, Jeffrey Weitzel, Olofunmilayo Olopade, Jacques Simard, Penny Soucy, Wendy S. Rubinstein, Adalgeir Arason, Gad Rennert, Nicholas G. Martin, Grant W. Montgomery, Jenny Chang-Claude, Dieter Flesch-Janys, Hiltrud Brauch, Gianluca Severi, Laura Baglietto, Angela Cox, Simon S. Cross, Penelope Miron, Sue M. Gerty, William Tapper, Drakoulis Yannoukakos, George Fountzilas, Peter A. Fasching, Matthias W. Beckmann, Isabel Dos Santos Silva, Julian Peto, Diether Lambrechts, Robert Paridaens, Thomas Rüdiger, Asta Försti, Robert Winqvist, Katri Pylkäs, Robert B. Diasio, Adam M. Lee, Jeanette Eckel-Passow, Celine Vachon, Fiona Blows, Kristy Driver, Alison Dunning, Paul P. D. Pharoah, Kenneth Offit, V. Shane Pankratz, Hakon Hakonarson, Georgia Chenevix-Trench, Douglas F. Easton, Fergus J. Couch

Date Published: 1st Oct 2010

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome

Abstract (Expand)

Prognostic relevant pathways of leukocyte involvement in human myocardial ischemic-reperfusion injury are largely unknown. We enrolled 136 patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) after primary angioplasty within 12 h after onset of symptoms. Following reperfusion, whole blood was collected within a median time interval of 20 h (interquartile range: 15-25 h) for genome-wide gene expression analysis. Subsequent CMR scans were performed using a standard protocol to determine infarct size (IS), area at risk (AAR), myocardial salvage index (MSI) and the extent of late microvascular obstruction (lateMO). We found 398 genes associated with lateMO and two genes with IS. Neither AAR, nor MSI showed significant correlations with gene expression. Genes correlating with lateMO were strongly related to several canonical pathways, including positive regulation of T-cell activation (p = 3.44 x 10(-5)), and regulation of inflammatory response (p = 1.86 x 10(-3)). Network analysis of multiple gene expression alterations associated with larger lateMO identified the following functional consequences: facilitated utilisation and decreased concentration of free fatty acid, repressed cell differentiation, enhanced phagocyte movement, increased cell death, vascular disease and compensatory vasculogenesis. In conclusion, the extent of lateMO after acute, reperfused STEMI correlated with altered activation of multiple genes related to fatty acid utilisation, lymphocyte differentiation, phagocyte mobilisation, cell survival, and vascular dysfunction.

Authors: A. Teren, H. Kirsten, F. Beutner, M. Scholz, L. M. Holdt, D. Teupser, M. Gutberlet, J. Thiery, G. Schuler, I. Eitel

Date Published: 3rd Feb 2017

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: myocardial infarction

Abstract (Expand)

The chromosome 9p21 (Chr9p21) locus of coronary artery disease has been identified in the first surge of genome-wide association and is the strongest genetic factor of atherosclerosis known today. Chr9p21 encodes the long non-coding RNA (ncRNA) antisense non-coding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL). ANRIL expression is associated with the Chr9p21 genotype and correlated with atherosclerosis severity. Here, we report on the molecular mechanisms through which ANRIL regulates target-genes in trans, leading to increased cell proliferation, increased cell adhesion and decreased apoptosis, which are all essential mechanisms of atherogenesis. Importantly, trans-regulation was dependent on Alu motifs, which marked the promoters of ANRIL target genes and were mirrored in ANRIL RNA transcripts. ANRIL bound Polycomb group proteins that were highly enriched in the proximity of Alu motifs across the genome and were recruited to promoters of target genes upon ANRIL over-expression. The functional relevance of Alu motifs in ANRIL was confirmed by deletion and mutagenesis, reversing trans-regulation and atherogenic cell functions. ANRIL-regulated networks were confirmed in 2280 individuals with and without coronary artery disease and functionally validated in primary cells from patients carrying the Chr9p21 risk allele. Our study provides a molecular mechanism for pro-atherogenic effects of ANRIL at Chr9p21 and suggests a novel role for Alu elements in epigenetic gene regulation by long ncRNAs.

Authors: Lesca Miriam Holdt, Steve Hoffmann, Kristina Sass, David Langenberger, Markus Scholz, Knut Krohn, Knut Finstermeier, Anika Stahringer, Wolfgang Wilfert, Frank Beutner, Stephan Gielen, Gerhard Schuler, Gábor Gäbel, Hendrik Bergert, Ingo Bechmann, Peter F. Stadler, Joachim Thiery, Daniel Teupser

Date Published: 4th Jul 2013

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

The revised NIA-AA diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to AD make use of amyloid pathology and neurodegeneration biomarkers which increase the diagnostic confidence in the majority of patients. However, in daily praxis, cases with conflicting biomarker constellations occur. A MCI subject underwent neuropsychological testing supplemented by FDG and amyloid PET/MRI as well as CSF sampling. In this subject, the biomarkers of Abeta deposition were negative. [18F]FDG PET, however, showed an AD-typical hypometabolism. Further studies are required to determine frequency and relevance of cases with neurodegeneration-first biomarker constellations to improve our understanding on pathogenesis and diagnosis of AD.

Authors: S. Tiepolt, M. Patt, K. T. Hoffmann, M. L. Schroeter, O. Sabri, H. Barthel

Date Published: 25th Sep 2015

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: cognitive disorder, Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Alfred Winter, Reinhold Haux

Date Published: 1994

Publication Type: Misc

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND: Germinal center-derived B cell lymphomas are tumors of the lymphoid tissues representing one of the most heterogeneous malignancies. Here we characterize the variety of transcriptomic phenotypes of this disease based on 873 biopsy specimens collected in the German Cancer Aid MMML (Molecular Mechanisms in Malignant Lymphoma) consortium. They include diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), follicular lymphoma (FL), Burkitt's lymphoma, mixed FL/DLBCL lymphomas, primary mediastinal large B cell lymphoma, multiple myeloma, IRF4-rearranged large cell lymphoma, MYC-negative Burkitt-like lymphoma with chr. 11q aberration and mantle cell lymphoma. METHODS: We apply self-organizing map (SOM) machine learning to microarray-derived expression data to generate a holistic view on the transcriptome landscape of lymphomas, to describe the multidimensional nature of gene regulation and to pursue a modular view on co-expression. Expression data were complemented by pathological, genetic and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: We present a transcriptome map of B cell lymphomas that allows visual comparison between the SOM portraits of different lymphoma strata and individual cases. It decomposes into one dozen modules of co-expressed genes related to different functional categories, to genetic defects and to the pathogenesis of lymphomas. On a molecular level, this disease rather forms a continuum of expression states than clearly separated phenotypes. We introduced the concept of combinatorial pattern types (PATs) that stratifies the lymphomas into nine PAT groups and, on a coarser level, into five prominent cancer hallmark types with proliferation, inflammation and stroma signatures. Inflammation signatures in combination with healthy B cell and tonsil characteristics associate with better overall survival rates, while proliferation in combination with inflammation and plasma cell characteristics worsens it. A phenotypic similarity tree is presented that reveals possible progression paths along the transcriptional dimensions. Our analysis provided a novel look on the transition range between FL and DLBCL, on DLBCL with poor prognosis showing expression patterns resembling that of Burkitt's lymphoma and particularly on 'double-hit' MYC and BCL2 transformed lymphomas. CONCLUSIONS: The transcriptome map provides a tool that aggregates, refines and visualizes the data collected in the MMML study and interprets them in the light of previous knowledge to provide orientation and support in current and future studies on lymphomas and on other cancer entities.

Authors: H. Loeffler-Wirth, M. Kreuz, L. Hopp, A. Arakelyan, A. Haake, S. B. Cogliatti, A. C. Feller, M. L. Hansmann, D. Lenze, P. Moller, H. K. Muller-Hermelink, E. Fortenbacher, E. Willscher, G. Ott, A. Rosenwald, C. Pott, C. Schwaenen, H. Trautmann, S. Wessendorf, H. Stein, M. Szczepanowski, L. Trumper, M. Hummel, W. Klapper, R. Siebert, M. Loeffler, H. Binder

Date Published: 30th Apr 2019

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: B-cell lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, Burkitt lymphoma

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: U. Müller, Alfred Winter

Date Published: 2006

Publication Type: InProceedings

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: H. Fritz, H. Schunkert, Reinhold Haux, Alfred Winter, R. Repges, H. G. Sieberth

Date Published: 1990

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

A simulation of complex clinical processes is a challenging task and suitable methods need to be found which can capture the influence of relevant factors and their relationships. The Manchester triage system (MTS) is widely used in German emergency departments (ED), however the impact on patient waiting times remain difficult to predict. The purpose of this work is the assessment of MTS particularly with regard to the waiting times of different degrees of severity. The methodology of agent based simulation was found suitable for the ED domain and the agent based simulation tool SeSAm was chosen due to its intuitive user interface and easy adaption of the simulation models. Altogether four agent classes could be implemented based on the information derived from a process model. The model permits a dynamic simulation of the ED processes and a reliable assessment of patient waiting times. In addition, the implementation of a triage nurse allowed the simulation of the triage process and a direct comparison to the current state without a standardized triage procedure. Essential influencing factors (e.g. number of patients, manning level) were implemented and their effects on the ED processes and patient waiting times assessed. The simulation runs delivered correct results based on the underlying process model and the collected statistical data. The process flow and the waiting times of an ED could be mapped exactly. In all simulation runs the waiting times of high triage levels (MTS-levels 1 and 2) could be reduced. Especially patients of MTS-level 2 in the waiting area of the ED benefit significantly from the implementation of a standardized triage procedure and the associated permanent monitoring.

Authors: Michael Schaaf, Gert Funkat, Oksana Kasch, Christoph Josten, Alfred Winter

Date Published: 2014

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

UNLABELLED\backslashr\backslashnA recent genome-wide association study suggests that genetic variation within the vaspin gene might contribute to the variability in circulating serum visceral adipose tissue-derived serine protease inhibitor (vaspin) concentrations. Here, we analyzed the functional consequences of the rare variant rs61757459 predicting a premature stop codon and its impact on circulating serum vaspin concentrations. In order to identify genetic variation, we sequenced the vaspin gene in 48 nonrelated Caucasian subjects. Rs61757459 was subsequently genotyped in three metabolically well-characterized German cohorts (N = 4,019). We addressed the impact of rs61757459 on the crystal structure of vaspin and investigated its effects on vaspin expression in vivo as well as in vitro using various cell lines (Escherichia coli, HEK293). Along with previously reported common genetic variants, sequencing of vaspin revealed a rare variant (rs61757459; minor allele frequency: 1 %) which predicts a premature stop codon p.R211X. Heterozygous carriers of this mutation had lower circulating vaspin levels when compared with noncarriers. In silico structure analysis of the truncated vaspin, which was estimated to be 24.5 kDa, suggested misfolding and potential instability due to the absence of core structural domains. Indeed, the truncated protein was detected after recombinant expression in E. coli and in lysate, but not in supernatant of HEK293 cells. We conclude that rs61757459 is a functional mutation that results in a truncated protein whose instability likely results in reduced serum vaspin levels.\backslashr\backslashnKEY MESSAGE\backslashr\backslashnA rare variant (rs61757459) in vaspin coding for the stop codon p.R211X is related to lower circulating vaspin concentrations. Structure analysis suggests misfolding and instability due to the absence of core structural domains. The truncated protein is detectable after recombinant expression in E. coli and in lysate, but not in supernatant of HEK293 cells.

Authors: Jana Breitfeld, John T. Heiker, Yvonne Böttcher, Dorit Schleinitz, Anke Tönjes, Kerstin Weidle, Kerstin Krause, E. Bartholomeus Kuettner, Markus Scholz, Wieland Kiess, Norbert Sträter, Annette G. Beck-Sickinger, Michael Stumvoll, Antje Körner, Matthias Blüher, Peter Kovacs

Date Published: 1st Nov 2013

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that causes lung inflammation and meningoencephalitis in immunocompromised patients but is also able to asymptomatically infect immunocompetent individuals. C. neoformans is found ubiquitously especially in urban areas where it is spread by pigeons, and fungal exposure may predispose for asthma development already at an early age, as soon as confronted with pigeon droppings. In the study presented here, we investigated the presence of specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) against C. neoformans in sera from patients suffering from asthma in comparison to a healthy control cohort, accrued from the Leipzig Research Centre for Civilization Diseases (LIFE). For serological analysis we developed a flow cytometry (FACS) based assay specific for an acapsular strain of C. neoformans to comprehensively analyze different cryptococcal serotypes. Compared with the non-asthmatic cohort, asthmatics exhibited, as expected, an elevated level of total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE), whereas the IgG seroreactivity against C. neoformans was not significantly different among the two groups (P = .118). Nevertheless, there was a trend toward increased Cryptococcus-specific IgG antibodies in the serum of asthmatics. Additionally, in male asthmatics an increased IgG-mediated seroreactivity compared to female asthmatics was found. This points to a higher prevalence of subclinical C. neoformans infection in male asthmatics and may support the hypothesis of C. neoformans as a risk factor for the development of asthma in urban areas.

Authors: A. Grahnert, U. Muller, H. von Buttlar, R. Treudler, G. Alber

Date Published: 31st May 2015

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: asthma, allergic hypersensitivity disease

Abstract (Expand)

The COVID-19 pandemic shed light on the need for quick diagnosis tools in healthcare, leading to the development of several algorithmic models for disease detection. Though these models are relatively easy to build, their training requires a lot of data, storage, and resources, which may not be available for use by medical institutions or could be beyond the skillset of the people who most need these tools. This paper describes a data analysis and machine learning platform that takes advantage of high-performance computing infrastructure for medical diagnosis support applications. This platform is validated by re-training a previously published deep learning model (COVID-Net) on new data, where it is shown that the performance of the model is improved through large-scale hyperparameter optimisation that uncovered optimal training parameter combinations. The per-class accuracy of the model, especially for COVID-19 and pneumonia, is higher when using the tuned hyperparameters (healthy: 96.5%; pneumonia: 61.5%; COVID-19: 78.9%) as opposed to parameters chosen through traditional methods (healthy: 93.6%; pneumonia: 46.1%; COVID-19: 76.3%). Furthermore, training speed-up analysis shows a major decrease in training time as resources increase, from 207 min using 1 node to 54 min when distributed over 32 nodes, but highlights the presence of a cut-off point where the communication overhead begins to affect performance. The developed platform is intended to provide the medical field with a technical environment for developing novel portable artificial-intelligence-based tools for diagnosis support.

Authors: Chadi Barakat, Marcel Aach, Andreas Schuppert, Sigur\dhur Brynjólfsson, Sebastian Fritsch, Morris Riedel

Date Published: 2023

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND The G-protein-coupled receptor Class C Group 6 Member A (GPRC6A) is activated by multiple ligands and is important for the regulation of calcium homeostasis. Extracellular calcium is capablee to increase NLRP3 inflammasome activity of the innate immune system and deletion of this proinflammatory pathway mitigated pancreatitis severity in vivo. As such this pathway and the GPRC6A receptor is a reasonable candidate gene for pancreatitis. Here we investigated the prevalence of sequence variants in the GPRC6A locus in different pancreatitis aetiologies. METHODS We selected 6 tagging SNPs with the SNPinfo LD TAG SNP Selection tool and the functional relevant SNP rs6907580 for genotyping. Cohorts from Germany, further European countries and China with up to 1,124 patients and 1,999 controls were screened for single SNPs with melting curve analysis. RESULTS We identified an association of rs1606365(G) with alcoholic chronic pancreatitis in a German (odds ratio (OR) 0.76, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.65-0.89, p = 8 \times 10-5) and a Chinese cohort (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.64-0.96, p = 0.02). However, this association was not replicated in a combined cohort of European patients (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.99-1.41, p = 0.07). Finally, no association was found with acute and non-alcoholic chronic pancreatitis. CONCLUSIONS Our results support a potential role of calcium sensing receptors and inflammasome activation in alcoholic chronic pancreatitis development. As the functional consequence of the associated variant is unclear, further investigations might elucidate the relevant mechanisms.

Authors: Tom Kaune, Claudia Ruffert, Nico Hesselbarth, Marko Damm, Sebastian Krug, Julian Cardinal von Widdern, Emmanuelle Masson, Jian-Min Chen, Vinciane Rebours, Louis Buscail, Claude Férec, Robert Grützmann, Rene H. M. Te Morsche, Joost Ph Drenth, Giulia Martina Cavestro, Raffaella Alessia Zuppardo, Adrian Saftoiu, Ewa Malecka-Panas, Stanislaw Głuszek, Peter Bugert, Markus M. Lerch, Matthias Sendler, Frank Ulrich Weiss, Wen-Bin Zou, Shun-Jiang Deng, Zhuan Liao, Markus Scholz, Holger Kirsten, Peter Hegyi, Heiko Witt, Patrick Michl, Heidi Griesmann, Jonas Rosendahl

Date Published: 1st Aug 2020

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

The data produced by high-throughput bioanalytics is usually given as a feature matrix of dimension N x M (see Figure 1) where N is the number of features measured per sample and M is the number of samples referring, e.g., to different treatments, time points or individuals. As a convention, each row of the matrix will be termed profile of the respective feature. The columns on the other hand will be termed states referring to each of the conditions studied. In general, the number of features can range from several thousands to millions, depending on the experimental screening technique used. Typically, this number largely exceeds the number of states studied, i.e. N>>M. SOM machine learning aims at reducing the number of relevant features by grouping the input data into clusters of appropriate size, and thus to transform the matrix of input data into a matrix of so-called meta-data with a reduced number of meta-features, K<<N (Figure 1a and b). In other words, SOM aims at mapping the space of the high-dimensional input data onto meta-data space of reduced dimensionality.

Authors: Hans Binder, Henry Löffler-Wirth

Date Published: 2015

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

The systematic analysis of miRNA expression and its potential mRNA targets constitutes a basal objective in miRNA research in addition to miRNA gene detection and miRNA target prediction. In this chapter we address methodical issues of miRNA expression analysis using self-organizing maps (SOM), a neural network machine learning algorithm with strong visualization and second-level analysis capabilities widely used to categorize large-scale, high-dimensional data. We shortly review selected experimental and theoretical aspects of miRNA expression analysis. Then, the protocol of our SOM method is outlined with special emphasis on miRNA/mRNA coexpression. The method allows extracting differentially expressed RNA transcripts, their functional context, and also characterization of global properties of expression states and profiles. In addition to the separate study of miRNA and mRNA expression landscapes, we propose the combined analysis of both entities using a covariance SOM.

Authors: H. Wirth, M. V. Cakir, L. Hopp, H. Binder

Date Published: 26th Nov 2013

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Kais Tahar, Michael Schaaf, Franziska Jahn, Christian Kücherer, Barbara Paech, Heinrich Herre, Alfred Winter

Date Published: 2016

Publication Type: InProceedings

Abstract (Expand)

OBJECTIVE\backslashr\backslashnThe purpose of this study was to review the management of anesthesia for transapical transcatheter aortic valve implantation.\backslashr\backslashnDESIGN\backslashr\backslashnRetrospective review of collected data.\backslashr\backslashnSETTING\backslashr\backslashnUniversity-affiliated heart center.\backslashr\backslashnPARTICIPANTS\backslashr\backslashnOne hundred consecutive patients with severe aortic stenosis.\backslashr\backslashnINTERVENTIONS\backslashr\backslashnGeneral anesthesia followed by an established fast-track protocol.\backslashr\backslashnMATERIALS AND METHODS\backslashr\backslashnA total of 100 patients with significant AS received transapical transcatheter aortic valve implantation. The patients were treated following a fast-track protocol. The mean arterial pressure was maintained above 65 mmHg by volume and/or inotropes during the procedure. The mean arterial pressure was increased above 75 mmHg to avoid hemodynamic deterioration before starting rapid ventricular pacing for the balloon valvuloplasty and the valve implantation. Transesophageal echocardiography was used to assess valve size and for hemodynamic monitoring. Eighty-one patients were treated completely off pump. There was a significant decline in mean arterial pressure from pre- to postvalvuloplasty (74.7 +/- 9.1 mmHg v 63.6 +/- 11.3 mmHg, p \textless 0.001) and from pre- to postimplantation (76.5 +/- 12.6 mmHg v 67.2 +/- 12.7, p \textless 0.001). The first 10 patients in the study intentionally were placed on cardiopulmonary bypass, and 9 patients required cardiopulmonary bypass because of hemodynamic deterioration.\backslashr\backslashnCONCLUSION\backslashr\backslashnA well-designed anesthetic plan as well as an understanding of the surgical procedure and the hemodynamic effects of rapid ventricular pacing are required to ensure successful outcomes in this new surgical option for high-risk patients.

Authors: Jens Fassl, Thomas Walther, Heinrich Volker Groesdonk, Joerg Kempfert, Michael Andrew Borger, Markus Scholz, Chirojit Mukherjee, Axel Linke, Gerhard Schuler, Friedrich Wilhelm Mohr, Joerg Ender

Date Published: 1st Jun 2009

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

The close functional relationship between p53 and the breast cancer susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 has promoted the investigation of various polymorphisms in the p53 gene as possible risk modifiers in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. Specifically, two polymorphisms in p53, c.97-147ins16bp and p.Arg72Pro have been analysed as putative breast cancer susceptibility variants, and it has been recently reported that a p53 haplotype combining the absence of the 16-bp insertion and the presence of proline at codon 72 (No Ins-72Pro) was associated with an earlier age at the onset of the first primary tumour in BRCA2 mutation carriers in the Spanish population. In this study, we have evaluated this association in a series of 2932 BRCA1/2 mutation carriers from the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1 and BRCA2.

Authors: A. Osorio, M. Pollán, G. Pita, R. K. Schmutzler, B. Versmold, C. Engel, A. Meindl, N. Arnold, S. Preisler-Adams, D. Niederacher, W. Hofmann, D. Gadzicki, A. Jakubowska, U. Hamann, J. Lubinski, A. Toloczko-Grabarek, C. Cybulski, T. Debniak, G. Llort, D. Yannoukakos, O. Díez, B. Peissel, P. Peterlongo, P. Radice, T. Heikkinen, H. Nevanlinna, P. L. Mai, J. T. Loud, L. McGuffog, A. C. Antoniou, J. Benitez

Date Published: 1st Sep 2008

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome

Abstract (Expand)

We here describe the evolution of annotation guidelines for major clinical named entities, namely Diagnosis, Findings and Symptoms, on a corpus of approximately 1,000 German discharge letters. Due to their intrinsic opaqueness and complexity, clinical annotation tasks require continuous guideline tuning, beginning from the initial definition of crucial entities and the subsequent iterative evolution of guidelines based on empirical evidence. We describe rationales for adaptation, with focus on several metrical criteria and task-centered clinical constraints.

Authors: Christina Lohr, Luise Modersohn, Johannes Hellrich, Tobias Kolditz, Udo Hahn

Date Published: 1st Jun 2020

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

We here describe the evolution of annotation guidelines for major clinical named entities, namely Diagnosis, Findings and Symptoms, on a corpus of approximately 1,000 German discharge letters. Due to their intrinsic opaqueness and complexity, clinical annotation tasks require continuous guideline tuning, beginning from the initial definition of crucial entities and the subsequent iterative evolution of guidelines based on empirical evidence. We describe rationales for adaptation, with focus on several metrical criteria and task-centered clinical constraints.

Authors: C. Lohr, L. Modersohn, J. Hellrich, T. Kolditz, U. Hahn

Date Published: 16th Jun 2020

Publication Type: InProceedings

Abstract (Expand)

In this article, a new surgical model for evaluating telemanipulators used in middle ear surgery is presented. The purpose of this work was to develop an evaluation and training system which imitates a typical surgical task of middle ear surgery and which can easily be repeated in order to get significant result. The abstract task can be performed manually or by means of a microsurgical telemanipulator and guaranties stable experimental conditions between different subjects at any time. As a task the stapedotomy was chosen, due to the high demands in positioning and in applying forces to the delicate structures in the middle ear. The manual and telemanipulated performance of 15 ENT surgeons and 17 medical students was compared using this evaluation and training system. In this article, a new surgical model for evaluating telemanipulators used in middle ear surgery is presented. The purpose of this work was to develop an evaluation and training system which imitates a typical surgical task of middle ear surgery and which can easily be repeated in order to get significant result. The abstract task can be performed manually or by means of a microsurgical telemanipulator and guaranties stable experimental conditions between different subjects at any time. As a task the stapedotomy was chosen, due to the high demands in positioning and in applying forces to the delicate structures in the middle ear. The manual and telemanipulated performance of 15 ENT surgeons and 17 medical students was compared using this evaluation and training system.

Authors: Thomas Maier, Gero Strauss, Markus Scholz, Thomas Berger, Anne Kielhorn, Konrad Entsfellner, Christian Willim, Wolfgang Buscher, Andreas Dietz, Tim C. Lueth

Date Published: 1st Aug 2012

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract

Not specified

Author: Alfred Winter

Date Published: 2014

Publication Type: InCollection

Abstract (Expand)

A large set of IHC stained DLBCL specimens is provided together with segmentation masks for different cell populations generated by a reference method for automated image analysis, thus featuring considerable reuse potential. Provided image data comprise a) fluorescence microscopy images of 44 multiple immunohistostained DLBCL tumor subregions, captured at four channels corresponding to CD14, CD163, Pax5 and DAPI; b) cartoon-filtered versions of these images, generated by Rudin-Osher-Fatemi (ROF) denoising; c) an automatically generated mask of the evaluation subregion, based on information from the DAPI channel, and d) automatically generated segmentation masks for macrophages, B-cells and the total of cell nuclei, using information from CD14, CD163, Pax5 and DAPI channels, respectively.

Authors: Marcus Wagner, Sarah Reinke, René Hänsel, Wolfram Klapper, Ulf-Dietrich Braumann

Date Published: 12th Mar 2020

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Abstract (Expand)

Computer-based mobile information processing in hospitals is on the turning point of becoming a substantial and integral part of hospital information systems. Its necessity and potentials require a comprehensive systematic approach to support the needs of health care professionals and thus to contribute to high quality patient care and medical research. From the authors’ point of view, standardized digital documents could become an appropriate basis for distributed mobile information processing in hospitals. An architecture for the integrated co-operative use of conventional, stationary, and mobile information tools is a major research topic at Heidelberg university. The objective of this paper is to present a departmental prototype design to establish mobile information processing as an integral part of hospital information systems through the use of standardized digital documents

Authors: R. Werner, Reinhold Haux, F. Leiner, Alfred Winter

Date Published: 1995

Publication Type: InCollection

Abstract (Expand)

Background and Objective: Predicting individual mutation and cancer risks is essential to assist genetic counsellors in clinical decision making for patients with a hereditary cancer predisposition. Worldwide a variety of statistical models and empirical data for risk prediction have been developed and published for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC), and hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC / Lynch syndrome, LS). However, only few models have so far been implemented in convenient and easy-to-use computer applications. We therefore aimed to develop user-friendly applications of selected HBOC and LS risk prediction models, and to make them available through the "Leipzig Health Atlas" (LHA), a web-based multifunctional platform to share research data, novel ontologies, models and software tools with the medical and scientific community. LHA is a project funded within the BMBF initiative "i:DSem – Integrative data semantics in system medicine". Methods and Results: We selected a total of six statistical models and empirical datasets relevant for HBOC and LS: 1) the Manchester Scoring System, 2) the "Mutation Frequency Explorer" of the German Consortium for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (GC-HBOC), 3) an extended version of the Claus model, 4) MMRpredict, 5) PREMM1,2,6, and 6) PREMM5. The Manchester Scoring System allows calculation of BRCA1/2 mutation probabilities based on aggregated family history. The "Mutation Frequency Explorer" allows flexible assessment of mutation risks in BRCA1/2 and other genes for different sets of familial cancer histories based on a large dataset from the GC-HBOC. The extended Claus model (as implemented in the commercial predigree drawing software Cyrillic 2.1.3, which is no longer supported and no longer works on newer operating systems) predicts both mutation and breast cancer risks based on structured pedigree data. MMRpredict, PREMM 1,2,6, and PREMM 5 predict mutation risks in mismatch repair genes for patients from families suspected of having LS. All models were implemented using the statistical software "R" and the R-package "Shiny". "Shiny" allows the development of interactive applications by incorporating "R" with HTML and other web technologies. The Shiny apps are accessible on the website of the "Leipzig Health Atlas" (https://www.health-atlas.de) for registered researchers and genetic counselors. Conclusions: The risk prediction apps allow convenient calculation of mutation or cancer risks for an advice-seeking individual based on pedigree data or aggregated information on the familial cancer history. Target users should be specialized health professionals (physicians and genetic counselors) and scientists to ensure correct handling of the tools and careful interpretation of results.

Authors: Silke Zachariae, Sebastian Stäubert, C. Fischer, Markus Löffler, Christoph Engel

Date Published: 8th Mar 2019

Publication Type: InProceedings

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome, Lynch syndrome, colorectal cancer

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Ulrike Mueller, L. Issler, Gert Funkat, Alfred Winter

Date Published: 2009

Publication Type: InCollection

Abstract (Expand)

We devised annotation guidelines for the de-identification of German clinical documents and assembled a corpus of 1,106 discharge summaries and transfer letters with 44K annotated protected health information (PHI) items. After three iteration rounds, our annotation team finally reached an inter-annotator agreement of 0.96 on the instance level and 0.97 on the token level of annotation (averaged pair-wise F1 score). To establish a baseline for automatic de-identification on our corpus, we trained a recurrent neural network (RNN) and achieved F1 scores greater than 0.9 on most major PHI categories.

Authors: T. Kolditz, C. Lohr, J. Hellrich, L. Modersohn, B. Betz, M. Kiehntopf, U. Hahn

Date Published: 21st Aug 2019

Publication Type: InProceedings

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Franziska Jahn, Michael Schaaf, Christian Kahmann, Kais Tahar, Christian Kücherer, Barbara Paech, Alfred Winter

Date Published: 2016

Publication Type: InProceedings

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Elske Ammenwerth, Verena Dornauer, Maryam Ghalandari, Franziska Jahn, Nicolette de Keizer

Date Published: 2019

Publication Type: InCollection

Abstract (Expand)

INTRODUCTION Individuals carrying pathogenic mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes have a high lifetime risk of breast cancer. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are involved in DNA double-strand break repair, DNAA alterations that can be caused by exposure to reactive oxygen species, a main source of which are mitochondria. Mitochondrial genome variations affect electron transport chain efficiency and reactive oxygen species production. Individuals with different mitochondrial haplogroups differ in their metabolism and sensitivity to oxidative stress. Variability in mitochondrial genetic background can alter reactive oxygen species production, leading to cancer risk. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that mitochondrial haplogroups modify breast cancer risk in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. METHODS We genotyped 22,214 (11,421 affected, 10,793 unaffected) mutation carriers belonging to the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 for 129 mitochondrial polymorphisms using the iCOGS array. Haplogroup inference and association detection were performed using a phylogenetic approach. ALTree was applied to explore the reference mitochondrial evolutionary tree and detect subclades enriched in affected or unaffected individuals. RESULTS We discovered that subclade T1a1 was depleted in affected BRCA2 mutation carriers compared with the rest of clade T (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.55; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.34 to 0.88; P = 0.01). Compared with the most frequent haplogroup in the general population (that is, H and T clades), the T1a1 haplogroup has a HR of 0.62 (95% CI, 0.40 to 0.95; P = 0.03). We also identified three potential susceptibility loci, including G13708A/rs28359178, which has demonstrated an inverse association with familial breast cancer risk. CONCLUSIONS This study illustrates how original approaches such as the phylogeny-based method we used can empower classical molecular epidemiological studies aimed at identifying association or risk modification effects.

Authors: Sophie Blein, Claire Bardel, Vincent Danjean, Lesley McGuffog, Sue Healey, Daniel Barrowdale, Andrew Lee, Joe Dennis, Karoline B. Kuchenbaecker, Penny Soucy, Mary Beth Terry, Wendy K. Chung, David E. Goldgar, Saundra S. Buys, Ramunas Janavicius, Laima Tihomirova, Nadine Tung, Cecilia M. Dorfling, Elizabeth J. van Rensburg, Susan L. Neuhausen, Yuan Chun Ding, Anne-Marie Gerdes, Bent Ejlertsen, Finn C. Nielsen, Thomas vO Hansen, Ana Osorio, Javier Benitez, Raquel Andrés Conejero, Ena Segota, Jeffrey N. Weitzel, Margo Thelander, Paolo Peterlongo, Paolo Radice, Valeria Pensotti, Riccardo Dolcetti, Bernardo Bonanni, Bernard Peissel, Daniela Zaffaroni, Giulietta Scuvera, Siranoush Manoukian, Liliana Varesco, Gabriele L. Capone, Laura Papi, Laura Ottini, Drakoulis Yannoukakos, Irene Konstantopoulou, Judy Garber, Ute Hamann, Alan Donaldson, Angela Brady, Carole Brewer, Claire Foo, D. Gareth Evans, Debra Frost, Diana Eccles, Fiona Douglas, Jackie Cook, Julian Adlard, Julian Barwell, Lisa Walker, Louise Izatt, Lucy E. Side, M. John Kennedy, Marc Tischkowitz, Mark T. Rogers, Mary E. Porteous, Patrick J. Morrison, Radka Platte, Ros Eeles, Rosemarie Davidson, Shirley Hodgson, Trevor Cole, Andrew K. Godwin, Claudine Isaacs, Kathleen Claes, Kim de Leeneer, Alfons Meindl, Andrea Gehrig, Barbara Wappenschmidt, Christian Sutter, Christoph Engel, Dieter Niederacher, Doris Steinemann, Hansjoerg Plendl, Karin Kast, Kerstin Rhiem, Nina Ditsch, Norbert Arnold, Raymonda Varon-Mateeva, Rita K. Schmutzler, Sabine Preisler-Adams, Nadja Bogdanova Markov, Shan Wang-Gohrke, Antoine de Pauw, Cédrick Lefol, Christine Lasset, Dominique Leroux, Etienne Rouleau, Francesca Damiola, Hélène Dreyfus, Laure Barjhoux, Lisa Golmard, Nancy Uhrhammer, Valérie Bonadona, Valérie Sornin, Yves-Jean Bignon, Jonathan Carter, Linda van Le, Marion Piedmonte, Paul A. DiSilvestro, Miguel de La Hoya, Trinidad Caldes, Heli Nevanlinna, Kristiina Aittomäki, Agnes Jager, Ans Mw van den Ouweland, Carolien M. Kets, Cora M. Aalfs, Flora E. van Leeuwen, Frans Bl Hogervorst, Hanne Ej Meijers-Heijboer, Jan C. Oosterwijk, Kees Ep van Roozendaal, Matti A. Rookus, Peter Devilee, Rob B. van der Luijt, Edith Olah, Orland Diez, Alex Teulé, Conxi Lazaro, Ignacio Blanco, Jesús Del Valle, Anna Jakubowska, Grzegorz Sukiennicki, Jacek Gronwald, Jan Lubinski, Katarzyna Durda, Katarzyna Jaworska-Bieniek, Bjarni A. Agnarsson, Christine Maugard, Alberto Amadori, Marco Montagna, Manuel R. Teixeira, Amanda B. Spurdle, William Foulkes, Curtis Olswold, Noralane M. Lindor, Vernon S. Pankratz, Csilla I. Szabo, Anne Lincoln, Lauren Jacobs, Marina Corines, Mark Robson, Joseph Vijai, Andreas Berger, Anneliese Fink-Retter, Christian F. Singer, Christine Rappaport, Daphne Geschwantler Kaulich, Georg Pfeiler, Muy-Kheng Tea, Mark H. Greene, Phuong L. Mai, Gad Rennert, Evgeny N. Imyanitov, Anna Marie Mulligan, Gord Glendon, Irene L. Andrulis, Sandrine Tchatchou, Amanda Ewart Toland, Inge Sokilde Pedersen, Mads Thomassen, Torben A. Kruse, Uffe Birk Jensen, Maria A. Caligo, Eitan Friedman, Jamal Zidan, Yael Laitman, Annika Lindblom, Beatrice Melin, Brita Arver, Niklas Loman, Richard Rosenquist, Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, Robert L. Nussbaum, Susan J. Ramus, Katherine L. Nathanson, Susan M. Domchek, Timothy R. Rebbeck, Banu K. Arun, Gillian Mitchell, Beth Y. Karlan, Jenny Lester, Sandra Orsulic, Dominique Stoppa-Lyonnet, Gilles Thomas, Jacques Simard, Fergus J. Couch, Kenneth Offit, Douglas F. Easton, Georgia Chenevix-Trench, Antonis C. Antoniou, Sylvie Mazoyer, Catherine M. Phelan, Olga M. Sinilnikova, David G. Cox

Date Published: 1st Dec 2015

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome

Abstract (Expand)

OBJECTIVE\backslashr\backslashnWe tested the hypothesis that expression of transcripts adjacent to the chromosome 9p21 (Chr9p21) locus of coronary artery disease was affected by the genotype at this locus and associated with atherosclerosis risk.\backslashr\backslashnMETHODS AND RESULTS\backslashr\backslashnWe replicated the locus for coronary artery disease (P=0.007; OR=1.28) and other manifestations of atherosclerosis such as carotid plaque (P=0.003; OR=1.31) in the Leipzig Heart Study, a cohort of 1134 patients with varying degree of angiographically assessed coronary artery disease. Expression analysis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (n=1098) revealed that transcripts EU741058 and NR_003529 of antisense noncoding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL) were significantly increased in carriers of the risk haplotype (P=2.1x10(-12) and P=1.6x10(-5), respectively). In contrast, transcript DQ485454 remained unaffected, suggesting differential expression of ANRIL transcripts at Chr9p21. Results were replicated in whole blood (n=769) and atherosclerotic plaque tissue (n=41). Moreover, expression of ANRIL transcripts was directly correlated with severity of atherosclerosis (EU741058 and NR_003529; P=0.02 and P=0.001, respectively). No consistent association of Chr9p21 or atherosclerosis was found with expression of other genes such as CDKN2A, CDKN2B, C9orf53, and MTAP.\backslashr\backslashnCONCLUSIONS\backslashr\backslashnOur data provide robust evidence for an association of ANRIL but not CDKN2A, CDKN2B, C9orf53, and MTAP, with atherosclerosis and Chr9p21 genotype in a large cohort.

Authors: Lesca Miriam Holdt, Frank Beutner, Markus Scholz, Stephan Gielen, Gábor Gäbel, Hendrik Bergert, Gerhard Schuler, Joachim Thiery, Daniel Teupser

Date Published: 1st Mar 2010

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

The role of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) in the pathogenesis of retinal vein occlusion has been discussed for several years. Conflicting results of the published studies are caused by small numbers of investigated patients and lack of control groups. We performed a meta-analysis of all case-control studies published up to July 2007 that investigated the prevalence of APS according to current diagnostic criteria for this syndrome.The results of meta-analysis show a significantly higher prevalence of APS in patients with retinal vein occlusion compared with controls. Patients with APS are treated with anticoagulants to reduce the risk of recurrence of thrombosis. Therefore, screening for APS seems to be indicated in all patients with retinal vein occlusion, and, in the case of a positive result, initiation of anticoagulation. For patients with retinal vein occlusion with APS, no data are currently available regarding the recurrence of thrombosis. To give a clear recommendation, a prospective randomized study is required to investigate the benefit of anticoagulation.

Authors: Matus Rehak, M. Müller, Markus Scholz, J. Wiercinska, D. Niederwieser, Peter Wiedemann

Date Published: 1st May 2009

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: G. Hergenröder, Alfred Winter

Date Published: 1995

Publication Type: InCollection

Abstract (Expand)

OBJECTIVES\backslashr\backslashnRecombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) is widely used as treatment for granulocytopaenia during cytotoxic chemotherapy; however, optimal scheduling of this pharmaceutical is unknown. Biomathematical models can help to pre-select optimal application schedules but precise pharmacokinetic properties of the pharmaceuticals are required at first. In this study, we have aimed to construct a pharmacokinetic model of G-CSF derivatives filgrastim and pegfilgrastim in mice.\backslashr\backslashnMETHODS\backslashr\backslashnHealthy CD-1 mice and those with cyclophosphamide-induced granulocytopaenia were studied after administration of filgrastim and pegfilgrastim in different dosing and timing schedules. Close meshed time series of granulocytes and G-CSF plasma concentrations were determined. An ordinary differential equations model of pharmacokinetics was constructed on the basis of known mechanisms of drug distribution and degradation.\backslashr\backslashnRESULTS\backslashr\backslashnPredictions of the model fit well with all experimental data for both filgrastim and pegfilgrastim. We obtained a unique parameter setting for all experimental scenarios. Differences in pharmacokinetics between filgrastim and pegfilgrastim can be explained by different estimates of model parameters rather than by different model mechanisms. Parameter estimates with respect to distribution and clearance of the drug derivatives are in agreement with qualitative experimental results.\backslashr\backslashnCONCLUSION\backslashr\backslashnDynamics of filgrastim and pegfilgrastim plasma levels can be explained by the same pharmacokinetic model but different model parameters. Beause of a strong clearance mechanism mediated by granulocytes, granulocytotic and granulocytopaenic conditions must be studied simultaneously to construct a reliable model. The pharmacokinetic model will be extended to a murine model of granulopoiesis under chemotherapy and G-CSF application.

Authors: Markus Scholz, Manuela Ackermann, Christoph Engel, Frank Emmrich, Markus Loeffler, Manja Kamprad

Date Published: 1st Dec 2009

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Machine learning (ML) models are developed on a learning dataset covering only a small part of the data of interest. If model predictions are accurate for the learning dataset but fail for unseen data then generalization error is considered high. This problem manifests itself within all major sub-fields of ML but is especially relevant in medical applications. Clinical data structures, patient cohorts, and clinical protocols may be highly biased among hospitals such that sampling of representative learning datasets to learn ML models remains a challenge. As ML models exhibit poor predictive performance over data ranges sparsely or not covered by the learning dataset, in this study, we propose a novel method to assess their generalization capability among different hospitals based on the convex hull (CH) overlap between multivariate datasets. To reduce dimensionality effects, we used a two-step approach. First, CH analysis was applied to find mean CH coverage between each of the two datasets, resulting in an upper bound of the prediction range. Second, 4 types of ML models were trained to classify the origin of a dataset (i.e., from which hospital) and to estimate differences in datasets with respect to underlying distributions. To demonstrate the applicability of our method, we used 4 critical-care patient datasets from different hospitals in Germany and USA. We estimated the similarity of these populations and investigated whether ML models developed on one dataset can be reliably applied to another one. We show that the strongest drop in performance was associated with the poor intersection of convex hulls in the corresponding hospitals’ datasets and with a high performance of ML methods for dataset discrimination. Hence, we suggest the application of our pipeline as a first tool to assess the transferability of trained models. We emphasize that datasets from different hospitals represent heterogeneous data sources, and the transfer from one database to another should be performed with utmost care to avoid implications during real-world applications of the developed models. Further research is needed to develop methods for the adaptation of ML models to new hospitals. In addition, more work should be aimed at the creation of gold-standard datasets that are large and diverse with data from varied application sites.

Authors: Konstantin Sharafutdinov, Jayesh S Bhat, Sebastian Johannes Fritsch, Kateryna Nikulina, Moein E Samadi, Richard Polzin, Hannah Mayer, Gernot Marx, Johannes Bickenbach, Andreas Schuppert

Date Published: 1st Oct 2022

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

The current availability of electronic health records represents an excellent research opportunity on multimorbidity, one of the most relevant public health problems nowadays. However, it also poses at also poses a methodological challenge due to the current lack of tools to access, harmonize and reuse research datasets. In FAIR4Health, a European Horizon 2020 project, a workflow to implement the FAIR (findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability) principles on health datasets was developed, as well as two tools aimed at facilitating the transformation of raw datasets into FAIR ones and the preservation of data privacy. As part of this project, we conducted a multicentric retrospective observational study to apply the aforementioned FAIR implementation workflow and tools to five European health datasets for research on multimorbidity. We applied a federated frequent pattern growth association algorithm to identify the most frequent combinations of chronic diseases and their association with mortality risk. We identified several multimorbidity patterns clinically plausible and consistent with the bibliography, some of which were strongly associated with mortality. Our results show the usefulness of the solution developed in FAIR4Health to overcome the difficulties in data management and highlight the importance of implementing a FAIR data policy to accelerate responsible health research.

Authors: Jonás Carmona-Pírez, Beatriz Poblador-Plou, Antonio Poncel-Falcó, Jessica Rochat, Celia Alvarez-Romero, Alicia Martínez-García, Carmen Angioletti, Marta Almada, Mert Gencturk, A. Anil Sinaci, Jara Eloisa Ternero-Vega, Christophe Gaudet-Blavignac, Christian Lovis, Rosa Liperoti, Elisio Costa, Carlos Luis Parra-Calderón, Aida Moreno-Juste, Antonio Gimeno-Miguel, Alexandra Prados-Torres

Date Published: 1st Feb 2022

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Many healthcare IT systems in Germany are unable to interoperate with other systems through standardised data formats. Therefore it is difficult to store and retrieve data and to establish a systematic collection of data with provenance across systems and even healthcare institutions. We outline the concept for a Transformation Pipeline that can act as a processor for proprietary medical data formats from multiple sources. Through a modular construction, the pipeline relies on different data extraction and data enrichment modules as well as on interfaces to external definitions for interoperability standards. The developed solution is extendable and reusable, enabling data transformation independent from current format definitions and entailing the opportunity of collaboration with other research groups.

Authors: Lo An Phan-Vogtmann, A. Helborn, Henner M. Kruse, E. Thomas, Andrew J. Heidel, K. Saleh, F. Rissner, M. Specht, A. Henkel, A. Scherag, D. Ammon

Date Published: 2019

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Many healthcare IT systems in Germany are unable to interoperate with other systems through standardised data formats. Therefore it is difficult to store and retrieve data and to establish a systematic collection of data with provenance across systems and even healthcare institutions. We outline the concept for a Transformation Pipeline that can act as a processor for proprietary medical data formats from multiple sources. Through a modular construction, the pipeline relies on different data extraction and data enrichment modules as well as on interfaces to external definitions for interoperability standards. The developed solution is extendable and reusable, enabling data transformation independent from current format definitions and entailing the opportunity of collaboration with other research groups.

Authors: Lo An Phan-Vogtmann, Alexander Helhorn, Henner M. Kruse, Eric Thomas, Andrew J. Heidel, Kutaiba Saleh, F. Rissner, Martin Specht, Andreas Henkel, André Scherag 

Date Published: 2019

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Abstract Background In recent years, data-driven medicine has gained increasing importance in terms of diagnosis, treatment, and research due to the exponential growth of health care data. However, data protection regulations prohibit data centralisation for analysis purposes because of potential privacy risks like the accidental disclosure of data to third parties. Therefore, alternative data usage policies, which comply with present privacy guidelines, are of particular interest. Objective We aim to enable analyses on sensitive patient data by simultaneously complying with local data protection regulations using an approach called the Personal Health Train (PHT), which is a paradigm that utilises distributed analytics (DA) methods. The main principle of the PHT is that the analytical task is brought to the data provider and the data instances remain in their original location. Methods In this work, we present our implementation of the PHT paradigm, which preserves the sovereignty and autonomy of the data providers and operates with a limited number of communication channels. We further conduct a DA use case on data stored in three different and distributed data providers. Results We show that our infrastructure enables the training of data models based on distributed data sources. Conclusion Our work presents the capabilities of DA infrastructures in the health care sector, which lower the regulatory obstacles of sharing patient data. We further demonstrate its ability to fuel medical science by making distributed data sets available for scientists or health care practitioners.

Authors: Sascha Welten, Yongli Mou, Laurenz Neumann, Mehrshad Jaberansary, Yeliz Yediel Ucer, Toralf Kirsten, Stefan Decker, Oya Beyan

Date Published: 1st Jun 2022

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Birgit Brigl, Gudrun Hübner-Bloder, Thomas Wendt, Reinhold Haux, Alfred Winter

Date Published: 2005

Publication Type: InCollection

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: B. Brigl, Alfred Winter

Date Published: 2007

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Carboxyl ester lipase is a digestive pancreatic enzyme encoded by the CEL gene. Mutations in CEL cause maturity-onset diabetes of the young as well as pancreatic exocrine dysfunction. Here we describe a hybrid allele (CEL-HYB) originating from a crossover between CEL and its neighboring pseudogene, CELP. In a discovery series of familial chronic pancreatitis cases, we observed CEL-HYB in 14.1% (10/71) of cases compared to 1.0% (5/478) of controls (odds ratio (OR) = 15.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 5.1-46.9; P = 1.3 \times 10(-6) by two-tailed Fisher’s exact test). In three replication studies of nonalcoholic chronic pancreatitis, we identified CEL-HYB in a total of 3.7% (42/1,122) cases and 0.7% (30/4,152) controls (OR = 5.2; 95% CI = 3.2-8.5; P = 1.2 \times 10(-11); formal meta-analysis). The allele was also enriched in alcoholic chronic pancreatitis. Expression of CEL-HYB in cellular models showed reduced lipolytic activity, impaired secretion, prominent intracellular accumulation and induced autophagy. These findings implicate a new pathway distinct from the protease-antiprotease system of pancreatic acinar cells in chronic pancreatitis.   Carboxyl ester lipase is a digestive pancreatic enzyme encoded by the CEL gene. Mutations in CEL cause maturity-onset diabetes of the young as well as pancreatic exocrine dysfunction. Here we describe a hybrid allele (CEL-HYB) originating from a crossover between CEL and its neighboring pseudogene, CELP. In a discovery series of familial chronic pancreatitis cases, we observed CEL-HYB in 14.1% (10/71) of cases compared to 1.0% (5/478) of controls (odds ratio (OR) = 15.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 5.1-46.9; P = 1.3 \times 10(-6) by two-tailed Fisher’s exact test). In three replication studies of nonalcoholic chronic pancreatitis, we identified CEL-HYB in a total of 3.7% (42/1,122) cases and 0.7% (30/4,152) controls (OR = 5.2; 95% CI = 3.2-8.5; P = 1.2 \times 10(-11); formal meta-analysis). The allele was also enriched in alcoholic chronic pancreatitis. Expression of CEL-HYB in cellular models showed reduced lipolytic activity, impaired secretion, prominent intracellular accumulation and induced autophagy. These findings implicate a new pathway distinct from the protease-antiprotease system of pancreatic acinar cells in chronic pancreatitis.   Carboxyl ester lipase is a digestive pancreatic enzyme encoded by the CEL gene. Mutations in CEL cause maturity-onset diabetes of the young as well as pancreatic exocrine dysfunction. Here we describe a hybrid allele (CEL-HYB) originating from a crossover between CEL and its neighboring pseudogene, CELP. In a discovery series of familial chronic pancreatitis cases, we observed CEL-HYB in 14.1% (10/71) of cases compared to 1.0% (5/478) of controls (odds ratio (OR) = 15.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 5.1-46.9; P = 1.3 \times 10(-6) by two-tailed Fisher’s exact test). In three replication studies of nonalcoholic chronic pancreatitis, we identified CEL-HYB in a total of 3.7% (42/1,122) cases and 0.7% (30/4,152) controls (OR = 5.2; 95% CI = 3.2-8.5; P = 1.2 \times 10(-11); formal meta-analysis). The allele was also enriched in alcoholic chronic pancreatitis. Expression of CEL-HYB in cellular models showed reduced lipolytic activity, impaired secretion, prominent intracellular accumulation and induced autophagy. These findings implicate a new pathway distinct from the protease-antiprotease system of pancreatic acinar cells in chronic pancreatitis.   Carboxyl ester lipase is a digestive pancreatic enzyme encoded by the CEL gene. Mutations in CEL cause maturity-onset diabetes of the young as well as pancreatic exocrine dysfunction. Here we describe a hybrid allele (CEL-HYB) originating from a crossover between CEL and its neighboring pseudogene, CELP. In a discovery series of familial chronic pancreatitis cases, we observed CEL-HYB in 14.1% (10/71) of cases compared to 1.0% (5/478) of controls (odds ratio (OR) = 15.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 5.1-46.9; P = 1.3 \times 10(-6) by two-tailed Fisher’s exact test). In three replication studies of nonalcoholic chronic pancreatitis, we identified CEL-HYB in a total of 3.7% (42/1,122) cases and 0.7% (30/4,152) controls (OR = 5.2; 95% CI = 3.2-8.5; P = 1.2 \times 10(-11); formal meta-analysis). The allele was also enriched in alcoholic chronic pancreatitis. Expression of CEL-HYB in cellular models showed reduced lipolytic activity, impaired secretion, prominent intracellular accumulation and induced autophagy. These findings implicate a new pathway distinct from the protease-antiprotease system of pancreatic acinar cells in chronic pancreatitis. //  Carboxyl ester lipase is a digestive pancreatic enzyme encoded by the CEL gene. Mutations in CEL cause maturity-onset diabetes of the young as well as pancreatic exocrine dysfunction. Here we describe a hybrid allele (CEL-HYB) originating from a crossover between CEL and its neighboring pseudogene, CELP. In a discovery series of familial chronic pancreatitis cases, we observed CEL-HYB in 14.1% (10/71) of cases compared to 1.0% (5/478) of controls (odds ratio (OR) = 15.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 5.1-46.9; P = 1.3 \times 10(-6) by two-tailed Fisher’s exact test). In three replication studies of nonalcoholic chronic pancreatitis, we identified CEL-HYB in a total of 3.7% (42/1,122) cases and 0.7% (30/4,152) controls (OR = 5.2; 95% CI = 3.2-8.5; P = 1.2 \times 10(-11); formal meta-analysis). The allele was also enriched in alcoholic chronic pancreatitis. Expression of CEL-HYB in cellular models showed reduced lipolytic activity, impaired secretion, prominent intracellular accumulation and induced autophagy. These findings implicate a new pathway distinct from the protease-antiprotease system of pancreatic acinar cells in chronic pancreatitis.

Authors: Karianne Fjeld, Frank Ulrich Weiss, Denise Lasher, Jonas Rosendahl, Jian-Min Chen, Bente B. Johansson, Holger Kirsten, Claudia Ruffert, Emmanuelle Masson, Solrun J. Steine, Peter Bugert, Miriam Cnop, Robert Grützmann, Julia Mayerle, Joachim Mössner, Monika Ringdal, Hans-Ulrich Schulz, Matthias Sendler, Peter Simon, Paweł Sztromwasser, Janniche Torsvik, Markus Scholz, Erling Tjora, Claude Férec, Heiko Witt, Markus M. Lerch, Pål R. Njølstad, Stefan Johansson, Anders Molven

Date Published: 1st May 2015

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

INTRODUCTION Fast-track treatment in cardiac surgery has become the global standard of care. We compared the efficacy and safety of a specialised post-anaesthetic care unit (PACU) to a conventionall intensive care unit (ICU) in achieving defined fast-track end-points in adult patients after elective cardiac surgery. METHODS In a prospective, single blinded, randomized study, 200 adult patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery (coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), valve surgery or combined CABG and valve surgery), were selected to receive their postoperative treatment either in the ICU (n = 100), or in the PACU (n = 100). Patients who, at the time of surgery, were in cardiogenic shock, required renal dialysis, or had an additive EuroSCORE of more than 10 were excluded from the study. The primary end points were: time to extubation (ET), and length of stay in the PACU or ICU (PACU/ICU LOS respectively). Secondary end points analysed were the incidences of: surgical re-exploration, development of haemothorax, new onset cardiac arrhythmia, low cardiac output syndrome, need for cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, stroke, acute renal failure, and death. RESULTS Median time to extubation was 90 [50; 140] min in the PACU vs. 478 [305; 643] min in the ICU group (P \textless 0.001). Median length of stay in PACU was 3.3 [2.7; 4.0] hours vs. 17.9 [10.3; 24.9] hours in the ICU (P \textless 0.001). Of the adverse events examined, only the incidence of new onset cardiac arrhythmia (25 in PACU vs. 41 in ICU, P = 0.02) was statistically different between groups. CONCLUSIONS Treatment in a specialised PACU rather than an ICU, after elective cardiac surgery leads to earlier extubation and quicker discharge to a step down unit, without compromising patient safety. TRIAL REGISTRATION ISRCTN71768341. Registered 11 March 2014.

Authors: Stefan Probst, Christof Cech, Dirk Haentschel, Markus Scholz, Joerg Ender

Date Published: 1st Aug 2014

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

OBJECTIVES: Persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) experience health-related quality of life (HRQoL) problems greatly differing across Europe, and the European Union (EU) faces deep inequalities in MS management from country to country. Through the establishment of a European MS Register (EUReMS), an effective action is proposed to improve the overall knowledge on MS and support effective intervention programmes at EU and national political level. EUReMS aims to achieve consensus on its mission and vision, to define existing data providers, to develop models driving future MS health policies and research, to develop an information technology (IT) infrastructure for a data set, to develop a European shared governance and to secure providers' data provision into EUReMS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: EUReMS is meant to build on a minimum set of core data from existing national and regional population-based MS registries and from PwMS' perspectives. EUReMS' main partner is the European MS Platform (EMSP) acting in collaboration with associated and collaborating European partners. RESULTS: EUReMS was launched in July 2011. A Consensus Statement on purposes, vision, mission and strategies was produced in December 2011, and a comprehensive survey on existing MS data collections in Europe has been performed, and the EUReMS data mask is currently being discussed. CONCLUSIONS: EUReMS will represent a tool to provide up to date, comparable and sustainable MS data through an effective and credible register, which will encourage extensive knowledge building of MS, more equitable policies and higher standards in MS treatment and services.

Authors: M. Pugliatti, D. Eskic, T. Mikolcic, D. Pitschnau-Michel, K. M. Myhr, J. Sastre-Garriga, S. Otero, L. Wieczynska, C. Torje, E. Holloway, O. Rienhoff, T. Friede, K. Buckow, D. Ellenberger, J. Hillert, A. Glaser, P. Flachenecker, J. Fuge, T. Schyns-Liharska, E. Kasilingam, A. Moretti, C. Thalheim

Date Published: 3rd Jan 2013

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: dementia, Alzheimer's disease

Abstract (Expand)

While interplay between BRCA1 and AURKA-RHAMM-TPX2-TUBG1 regulates mammary epithelial polarization, common genetic variation in HMMR (gene product RHAMM) may be associated with risk of breast cancer in BRCA1 mutation carriers. Following on these observations, we further assessed the link between the AURKA-HMMR-TPX2-TUBG1 functional module and risk of breast cancer in BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers. Forty-one single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped in 15,252 BRCA1 and 8,211 BRCA2 mutation carriers and subsequently analyzed using a retrospective likelihood approach. The association of HMMR rs299290 with breast cancer risk in BRCA1 mutation carriers was confirmed: per-allele hazard ratio (HR) = 1.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04-1.15, p = 1.9 x 10(-4) (false discovery rate (FDR)-adjusted p = 0.043). Variation in CSTF1, located next to AURKA, was also found to be associated with breast cancer risk in BRCA2 mutation carriers: rs2426618 per-allele HR = 1.10, 95% CI 1.03-1.16, p = 0.005 (FDR-adjusted p = 0.045). Assessment of pairwise interactions provided suggestions (FDR-adjusted pinteraction values \textgreater 0.05) for deviations from the multiplicative model for rs299290 and CSTF1 rs6064391, and rs299290 and TUBG1 rs11649877 in both BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers. Following these suggestions, the expression of HMMR and AURKA or TUBG1 in sporadic breast tumors was found to potentially interact, influencing patients’ survival. Together, the results of this study support the hypothesis of a causative link between altered function of AURKA-HMMR-TPX2-TUBG1 and breast carcinogenesis in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers.

Authors: Ignacio Blanco, Karoline Kuchenbaecker, Daniel Cuadras, Xianshu Wang, Daniel Barrowdale, Gorka Ruiz de Garibay, Pablo Librado, Alejandro Sánchez-Gracia, Julio Rozas, Núria Bonifaci, Lesley McGuffog, Vernon S. Pankratz, Abul Islam, Francesca Mateo, Antoni Berenguer, Anna Petit, Isabel Català, Joan Brunet, Lidia Feliubadaló, Eva Tornero, Javier Benítez, Ana Osorio, Teresa Ramón y Cajal, Heli Nevanlinna, Kristiina Aittomäki, Banu K. Arun, Amanda E. Toland, Beth Y. Karlan, Christine Walsh, Jenny Lester, Mark H. Greene, Phuong L. Mai, Robert L. Nussbaum, Irene L. Andrulis, Susan M. Domchek, Katherine L. Nathanson, Timothy R. Rebbeck, Rosa B. Barkardottir, Anna Jakubowska, Jan Lubinski, Katarzyna Durda, Katarzyna Jaworska-Bieniek, Kathleen Claes, Tom van Maerken, Orland Díez, Thomas V. Hansen, Lars Jønson, Anne-Marie Gerdes, Bent Ejlertsen, Miguel de La Hoya, Trinidad Caldés, Alison M. Dunning, Clare Oliver, Elena Fineberg, Margaret Cook, Susan Peock, Emma McCann, Alex Murray, Chris Jacobs, Gabriella Pichert, Fiona Lalloo, Carol Chu, Huw Dorkins, Joan Paterson, Kai-Ren Ong, Manuel R. Teixeira, Frans B. L. Hogervorst, Annemarie H. van der Hout, Caroline Seynaeve, Rob B. van der Luijt, Marjolijn J. L. Ligtenberg, Peter Devilee, Juul T. Wijnen, Matti A. Rookus, Hanne E. J. Meijers-Heijboer, Marinus J. Blok, Ans M. W. van den Ouweland, Cora M. Aalfs, Gustavo C. Rodriguez, Kelly-Anne A. Phillips, Marion Piedmonte, Stacy R. Nerenstone, Victoria L. Bae-Jump, David M. O’Malley, Elena S. Ratner, Rita K. Schmutzler, Barbara Wappenschmidt, Kerstin Rhiem, Christoph Engel, Alfons Meindl, Nina Ditsch, Norbert Arnold, Hansjoerg J. Plendl, Dieter Niederacher, Christian Sutter, Shan Wang-Gohrke, Doris Steinemann, Sabine Preisler-Adams, Karin Kast, Raymonda Varon-Mateeva, Andrea Gehrig, Anders Bojesen, Inge Sokilde Pedersen, Lone Sunde, Uffe Birk Jensen, Mads Thomassen, Torben A. Kruse, Lenka Foretova, Paolo Peterlongo, Loris Bernard, Bernard Peissel, Giulietta Scuvera, Siranoush Manoukian, Paolo Radice, Laura Ottini, Marco Montagna, Simona Agata, Christine Maugard, Jacques Simard, Penny Soucy, Andreas Berger, Anneliese Fink-Retter, Christian F. Singer, Christine Rappaport, Daphne Geschwantler-Kaulich, Muy-Kheng Tea, Georg Pfeiler, Esther M. John, Alex Miron, Susan L. Neuhausen, Mary Beth Terry, Wendy K. Chung, Mary B. Daly, David E. Goldgar, Ramunas Janavicius, Cecilia M. Dorfling, Elisabeth J. van Rensburg, Florentia Fostira, Irene Konstantopoulou, Judy Garber, Andrew K. Godwin, Edith Olah, Steven A. Narod, Gad Rennert, Shani Shimon Paluch, Yael Laitman, Eitan Friedman, Annelie Liljegren, Johanna Rantala, Marie Stenmark-Askmalm, Niklas Loman, Evgeny N. Imyanitov, Ute Hamann, Amanda B. Spurdle, Sue Healey, Jeffrey N. Weitzel, Josef Herzog, David Margileth, Chiara Gorrini, Manel Esteller, Antonio Gómez, Sergi Sayols, Enrique Vidal, Holger Heyn, Dominique Stoppa-Lyonnet, Melanie Léoné, Laure Barjhoux, Marion Fassy-Colcombet, Antoine de Pauw, Christine Lasset, Sandra Fert Ferrer, Laurent Castera, Pascaline Berthet, François Cornelis, Yves-Jean Bignon, Francesca Damiola, Sylvie Mazoyer, Olga M. Sinilnikova, Christopher A. Maxwell, Joseph Vijai, Mark Robson, Noah Kauff, Marina J. Corines, Danylko Villano, Julie Cunningham, Adam Lee, Noralane Lindor, Conxi Lázaro, Douglas F. Easton, Kenneth Offit, Georgia Chenevix-Trench, Fergus J. Couch, Antonis C. Antoniou, Miguel Angel Pujana

Date Published: 1st Apr 2015

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome

Abstract (Expand)

There is a critical need for standard approaches to assess, report and compare the technical performance of genome-scale differential gene expression experiments. Here we assess technical performance with a proposed standard 'dashboard' of metrics derived from analysis of external spike-in RNA control ratio mixtures. These control ratio mixtures with defined abundance ratios enable assessment of diagnostic performance of differentially expressed transcript lists, limit of detection of ratio (LODR) estimates and expression ratio variability and measurement bias. The performance metrics suite is applicable to analysis of a typical experiment, and here we also apply these metrics to evaluate technical performance among laboratories. An interlaboratory study using identical samples shared among 12 laboratories with three different measurement processes demonstrates generally consistent diagnostic power across 11 laboratories. Ratio measurement variability and bias are also comparable among laboratories for the same measurement process. We observe different biases for measurement processes using different mRNA-enrichment protocols.

Authors: S. A. Munro, S. P. Lund, P. S. Pine, H. Binder, D. A. Clevert, A. Conesa, J. Dopazo, M. Fasold, S. Hochreiter, H. Hong, N. Jafari, D. P. Kreil, P. P. Labaj, S. Li, Y. Liao, S. M. Lin, J. Meehan, C. E. Mason, J. Santoyo-Lopez, R. A. Setterquist, L. Shi, W. Shi, G. K. Smyth, N. Stralis-Pavese, Z. Su, W. Tong, C. Wang, J. Wang, J. Xu, Z. Ye, Y. Yang, Y. Yu, M. Salit

Date Published: 25th Sep 2014

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

This paper presents formal approaches for assessing the integration of information system components. They were developed to support decisions in the strategic management of information systems. The fulfillment of integration requirements, the dependency of information system components on each other, and the heterogeneity of the integration infrastructure are the major assessment criteria.The meta-model 3LGM2A is the (semi-)formal base for methods introduced here. The fulfillment of integration requirements is checked by matching sets of application components that have specific requirements (requirements domains) with sets of application components that exchange data or call operations related to the requirements (communication domains). Requirements categories support the handling of the numerous specific requirements.For assessing the complexity of an information system or its subsystems the figures degree of informational dependence, degree of functional dependence, and degree of heterogeneity are defined.

Authors: Thomas Wendt, Birgit Brigl, Alfred Winter

Date Published: 2005

Publication Type: InCollection

Abstract (Expand)

Health care and information technology in health care is advancing at tremendous speed. We analysed whether the prognoses by Haux et al. - first presented in 2000 and published in 2002 [1] - have been fulfilled in 2013 and which might be the reasons for match or mismatch. Twenty international experts in biomedical and health informatics met in May 2013 in a workshop to discuss match or mismatch of each of the 71 prognoses. After this meeting a web-based survey among workshop participants took place. Thirty-three prognoses were assessed matching; they reflect e.g. that there is good progress in storing patient data electronically in health care institutions. Twenty-three prognoses were assessed mismatching; they reflect e.g. that telemedicine and home monitoring as well as electronic exchange of patient data between institutions is not established as widespread as expected. Fifteen prognoses were assessed neither matching nor mismatching. ICT tools have considerably influenced health care in the last decade, but in many cases not as far as it was expected by Haux et al. in 2002. In most cases this is not a matter of the availability of technical solutions but of organizational and ethical issues. We need innovative and modern information system architectures which support multiple use of data for patient care as well as for research and reporting and which are able to integrate data from home monitoring into a patient centered health record. Since innovative technology is available the efficient and wide-spread use in health care has to be enabled by systematic information management.

Authors: Petra Knaup-Gregori, Elske Ammenwerth, C. Dujat, A. Grant, A. Hasman, A. Hein, A. Hochlehnert, C. Kulikowski, J. Mantas, V. Maojo, M. Marschollek, L. Moura, M. Plischke, R. Rohrig, Jürgen Stausberg, K. Takabayashi, F. Uckert, Alfred Winter, Klaus-Hendrik Wolf, Reinhold Haux

Date Published: 1st Jul 2014

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Breast cancer risk is influenced by rare coding variants in susceptibility genes, such as BRCA1, and many common, mostly non-coding variants. However, much of the genetic contribution to breast cancer risk remains unknown. Here we report the results of a genome-wide association study of breast cancer in 122,977 cases and 105,974 controls of European ancestry and 14,068 cases and 13,104 controls of East Asian ancestry. We identified 65 new loci that are associated with overall breast cancer risk at P \textless 5 \times 10-8. The majority of credible risk single-nucleotide polymorphisms in these loci fall in distal regulatory elements, and by integrating in silico data to predict target genes in breast cells at each locus, we demonstrate a strong overlap between candidate target genes and somatic driver genes in breast tumours. We also find that heritability of breast cancer due to all single-nucleotide polymorphisms in regulatory features was 2-5-fold enriched relative to the genome-wide average, with strong enrichment for particular transcription factor binding sites. These results provide further insight into genetic susceptibility to breast cancer and will improve the use of genetic risk scores for individualized screening and prevention.

Authors: Kyriaki Michailidou, Sara Lindström, Joe Dennis, Jonathan Beesley, Shirley Hui, Siddhartha Kar, Audrey Lemaçon, Penny Soucy, Dylan Glubb, Asha Rostamianfar, Manjeet K. Bolla, Qin Wang, Jonathan Tyrer, Ed Dicks, Andrew Lee, Zhaoming Wang, Jamie Allen, Renske Keeman, Ursula Eilber, Juliet D. French, Xiao Qing Chen, Laura Fachal, Karen McCue, Amy E. McCart Reed, Maya Ghoussaini, Jason S. Carroll, Xia Jiang, Hilary Finucane, Marcia Adams, Muriel A. Adank, Habibul Ahsan, Kristiina Aittomäki, Hoda Anton-Culver, Natalia N. Antonenkova, Volker Arndt, Kristan J. Aronson, Banu Arun, Paul L. Auer, François Bacot, Myrto Barrdahl, Caroline Baynes, Matthias W. Beckmann, Sabine Behrens, Javier Benitez, Marina Bermisheva, Leslie Bernstein, Carl Blomqvist, Natalia V. Bogdanova, Stig E. Bojesen, Bernardo Bonanni, Anne-Lise Børresen-Dale, Judith S. Brand, Hiltrud Brauch, Paul Brennan, Hermann Brenner, Louise Brinton, Per Broberg, Ian W. Brock, Annegien Broeks, Angela Brooks-Wilson, Sara Y. Brucker, Thomas Brüning, Barbara Burwinkel, Katja Butterbach, Qiuyin Cai, Hui Cai, Trinidad Caldés, Federico Canzian, Angel Carracedo, Brian D. Carter, Jose E. Castelao, Tsun L. Chan, Ting-Yuan David Cheng, Kee Seng Chia, Ji-Yeob Choi, Hans Christiansen, Christine L. Clarke, Margriet Collée, Don M. Conroy, Emilie Cordina-Duverger, Sten Cornelissen, David G. Cox, Angela Cox, Simon S. Cross, Julie M. Cunningham, Kamila Czene, Mary B. Daly, Peter Devilee, Kimberly F. Doheny, Thilo Dörk, Isabel Dos-Santos-Silva, Martine Dumont, Lorraine Durcan, Miriam Dwek, Diana M. Eccles, Arif B. Ekici, A. Heather Eliassen, Carolina Ellberg, Mingajeva Elvira, Christoph Engel, Mikael Eriksson, Peter A. Fasching, Jonine Figueroa, Dieter Flesch-Janys, Olivia Fletcher, Henrik Flyger, Lin Fritschi, Valerie Gaborieau, Marike Gabrielson, Manuela Gago-Dominguez, Yu-Tang Gao, Susan M. Gapstur, José A. García-Sáenz, Mia M. Gaudet, Vassilios Georgoulias, Graham G. Giles, Gord Glendon, Mark S. Goldberg, David E. Goldgar, Anna González-Neira, Grethe I. Grenaker Alnæs, Mervi Grip, Jacek Gronwald, Anne Grundy, Pascal Guénel, Lothar Haeberle, Eric Hahnen, Christopher A. Haiman, Niclas Håkansson, Ute Hamann, Nathalie Hamel, Susan Hankinson, Patricia Harrington, Steven N. Hart, Jaana M. Hartikainen, Mikael Hartman, Alexander Hein, Jane Heyworth, Belynda Hicks, Peter Hillemanns, Dona N. Ho, Antoinette Hollestelle, Maartje J. Hooning, Robert N. Hoover, John L. Hopper, Ming-Feng Hou, Chia-Ni Hsiung, Guanmengqian Huang, Keith Humphreys, Junko Ishiguro, Hidemi Ito, Motoki Iwasaki, Hiroji Iwata, Anna Jakubowska, Wolfgang Janni, Esther M. John, Nichola Johnson, Kristine Jones, Michael Jones, Arja Jukkola-Vuorinen, Rudolf Kaaks, Maria Kabisch, Katarzyna Kaczmarek, Daehee Kang, Yoshio Kasuga, Michael J. Kerin, Sofia Khan, Elza Khusnutdinova, Johanna I. Kiiski, Sung-Won Kim, Julia A. Knight, Veli-Matti Kosma, Vessela N. Kristensen, Ute Krüger, Ava Kwong, Diether Lambrechts, Loic Le Marchand, Eunjung Lee, Min Hyuk Lee, Jong Won Lee, Chuen Neng Lee, Flavio Lejbkowicz, Jingmei Li, Jenna Lilyquist, Annika Lindblom, Jolanta Lissowska, Wing-Yee Lo, Sibylle Loibl, Jirong Long, Artitaya Lophatananon, Jan Lubinski, Craig Luccarini, Michael P. Lux, Edmond S. K. Ma, Robert J. MacInnis, Tom Maishman, Enes Makalic, Kathleen E. Malone, Ivana Maleva Kostovska, Arto Mannermaa, Siranoush Manoukian, JoAnn E. Manson, Sara Margolin, Shivaani Mariapun, Maria Elena Martinez, Keitaro Matsuo, Dimitrios Mavroudis, James McKay, Catriona McLean, Hanne Meijers-Heijboer, Alfons Meindl, Primitiva Menéndez, Usha Menon, Jeffery Meyer, Hui Miao, Nicola Miller, Nur Aishah Mohd Taib, Kenneth Muir, Anna Marie Mulligan, Claire Mulot, Susan L. Neuhausen, Heli Nevanlinna, Patrick Neven, Sune F. Nielsen, Dong-Young Noh, Børge G. Nordestgaard, Aaron Norman, Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, Janet E. Olson, Håkan Olsson, Curtis Olswold, Nick Orr, V. Shane Pankratz, Sue K. Park, Tjoung-Won Park-Simon, Rachel Lloyd, Jose I. A. Perez, Paolo Peterlongo, Julian Peto, Kelly-Anne Phillips, Mila Pinchev, Dijana Plaseska-Karanfilska, Ross Prentice, Nadege Presneau, Darya Prokofyeva, Elizabeth Pugh, Katri Pylkäs, Brigitte Rack, Paolo Radice, Nazneen Rahman, Gadi Rennert, Hedy S. Rennert, Valerie Rhenius, Atocha Romero, Jane Romm, Kathryn J. Ruddy, Thomas Rüdiger, Anja Rudolph, Matthias Ruebner, Emiel J. T. Rutgers, Emmanouil Saloustros, Dale P. Sandler, Suleeporn Sangrajrang, Elinor J. Sawyer, Daniel F. Schmidt, Rita K. Schmutzler, Andreas Schneeweiss, Minouk J. Schoemaker, Fredrick Schumacher, Peter Schürmann, Rodney J. Scott, Christopher Scott, Sheila Seal, Caroline Seynaeve, Mitul Shah, Priyanka Sharma, Chen-Yang Shen, Grace Sheng, Mark E. Sherman, Martha J. Shrubsole, Xiao-Ou Shu, Ann Smeets, Christof Sohn, Melissa C. Southey, John J. Spinelli, Christa Stegmaier, Sarah Stewart-Brown, Jennifer Stone, Daniel O. Stram, Harald Surowy, Anthony Swerdlow, Rulla Tamimi, Jack A. Taylor, Maria Tengström, Soo H. Teo, Mary Beth Terry, Daniel C. Tessier, Somchai Thanasitthichai, Kathrin Thöne, Rob A. E. M. Tollenaar, Ian Tomlinson, Ling Tong, Diana Torres, Thérèse Truong, Chiu-Chen Tseng, Shoichiro Tsugane, Hans-Ulrich Ulmer, Giske Ursin, Michael Untch, Celine Vachon, Christi J. van Asperen, David van den Berg, Ans M. W. van den Ouweland, Lizet van der Kolk, Rob B. van der Luijt, Daniel Vincent, Jason Vollenweider, Quinten Waisfisz, Shan Wang-Gohrke, Clarice R. Weinberg, Camilla Wendt, Alice S. Whittemore, Hans Wildiers, Walter Willett, Robert Winqvist, Alicja Wolk, Anna H. Wu, Lucy Xia, Taiki Yamaji, Xiaohong R. Yang, Cheng Har Yip, Keun-Young Yoo, Jyh-Cherng Yu, Wei Zheng, Ying Zheng, Bin Zhu, Argyrios Ziogas, Elad Ziv, Sunil R. Lakhani, Antonis C. Antoniou, Arnaud Droit, Irene L. Andrulis, Christopher I. Amos, Fergus J. Couch, Paul D. P. Pharoah, Jenny Chang-Claude, Per Hall, David J. Hunter, Roger L. Milne, Montserrat García-Closas, Marjanka K. Schmidt, Stephen J. Chanock, Alison M. Dunning, Stacey L. Edwards, Gary D. Bader, Georgia Chenevix-Trench, Jacques Simard, Peter Kraft, Douglas F. Easton

Date Published: 1st Nov 2017

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome

Abstract (Expand)

AIMS Inverse relationships have been described between the largely genetically determined levels of serum/plasma lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], type 2 diabetes (T2D) and fasting insulin. Here, we aimed too evaluate the nature of these relationships with respect to causality. METHODS We tested whether we could replicate the recent negative findings on causality between Lp(a) and T2D by employing the Mendelian randomization (MR) approach using cross-sectional data from three independent cohorts, Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II; n = 2012), LIFE-Adult (n = 3281) and LIFE-Heart (n = 2816). Next, we explored another frequently discussed hypothesis in this context: Increasing insulin levels during the course of T2D disease development inhibits hepatic Lp(a) synthesis and thereby might explain the inverse Lp(a)-T2D association. We used two fasting insulin-associated variants, rs780094 and rs10195252, as instrumental variables in MR analysis of n = 4937 individuals from BASE-II and LIFE-Adult. We further investigated causality of the association between fasting insulin and Lp(a) by combined MR analysis of 12 additional SNPs in LIFE-Adult. RESULTS While an Lp(a)-T2D association was observed in the combined analysis (meta-effect of OR [95% CI] = 0.91 [0.87-0.96] per quintile, p = 1.3x10(-4)), we found no evidence of causality in the Lp(a)-T2D association (p = 0.29, fixed effect model) when using the variant rs10455872 as the instrumental variable in the MR analyses. Likewise, no evidence of a causal effect of insulin on Lp(a) levels was found. CONCLUSIONS While these results await confirmation in larger cohorts, the nature of the inverse Lp(a)-T2D association remains to be elucidated.

Authors: Nikolaus Buchmann, Markus Scholz, Christina M. Lill, Ralph Burkhardt, Rahel Eckardt, Kristina Norman, Markus Loeffler, Lars Bertram, Joachim Thiery, Elisabeth Steinhagen-Thiessen, Ilja Demuth

Date Published: 1st Nov 2017

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Importance Germline mutations in established moderately or highly penetrant risk genes for breast cancer (BC) and/or ovarian cancer (OC), including BRCA1 and BRCA2, explain fewer than half of alll familial BC and/or OC cases. Based on the genotyping of 2 loss-of-function (LoF) variants c.5101C\textgreaterT (p.GIn1701Ter [rs147021911]) and c.5791C\textgreaterT (p.Arg1931Ter [rs144567652]), the FANCM gene has been suggested as a novel BC predisposition gene, while the analysis of the entire coding region of the FANCM gene in familial index cases and geographically matched controls is pending. Objectives To assess the mutational spectrum within the FANCM gene, and to determine a potential association of LoF germline mutations within the FANCM gene with BC and/or OC risk. Design, Setting, and Participants For the purpose of identification and characterization of novel BC and/or OC predisposition genes, a total of 2047 well-characterized familial BC index cases, 628 OC cases, and 2187 geographically matched controls were screened for LoF mutations within the FANCM gene by next-generation sequencing. All patients previously tested negative for pathogenic BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. All data collection occurred between June 1, 2013, and April 30, 2016. Data analysis was performed from May 1, 2016, to July 1, 2016. Main Outcomes and Measures FANCM LoF mutation frequencies in patients with BC and/or OC were compared with the FANCM LoF mutation frequencies in geographically matched controls by univariate logistic regression. Positive associations were stratified by age at onset and cancer family history. Results In this case-control study, 2047 well-characterized familial female BC index cases, 628 OC cases, and 2187 geographically matched controls were screened for truncating FANCM alterations. Heterozygous LoF mutations within the FANCM gene were significantly associated with familial BC risk, with an overall odds ratio (OR) of 2.05 (95% CI, 0.94-4.54; P = .049) and a mutation frequency of 1.03% in index cases. In familial patients whose BC onset was before age 51 years, an elevated OR of 2.44 (95% CI, 1.08-5.59; P = .02) was observed. A more pronounced association was identified for patients with a triple-negative BC tumor phenotype (OR, 3.75; 95% CI, 1.00-12.85; P = .02). No significant association was detected for unselected OC cases (OR, 1.74; 95% CI, 0.57-5.08; P = .27). Conclusions and Relevance Based on the significant associations of heterozygous LoF mutations with early-onset or triple-negative BC, FANCM should be included in diagnostic gene panel testing for individual risk assessment. Larger studies are required to determine age-dependent disease risks for BC and to assess a potential role of FANCM mutations in OC pathogenesis.

Authors: Guido Neidhardt, Jan Hauke, Juliane Ramser, Eva Groß, Andrea Gehrig, Clemens R. Müller, Anne-Karin Kahlert, Karl Hackmann, Ellen Honisch, Dieter Niederacher, Stefanie Heilmann-Heimbach, André Franke, Wolfgang Lieb, Holger Thiele, Janine Altmüller, Peter Nürnberg, Kristina Klaschik, Corinna Ernst, Nina Ditsch, Frank Jessen, Alfredo Ramirez, Barbara Wappenschmidt, Christoph Engel, Kerstin Rhiem, Alfons Meindl, Rita K. Schmutzler, Eric Hahnen

Date Published: 1st Sep 2017

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND: The level of mental demands in the workplace is rising. The present study investigated whether and how mental demands at work are associated with cognitive functioning in the general population. METHODS: The analysis is based on data of the Health Study of the Leipzig Research Centre for Civilization Disease (LIFE). 2,725 participants aged 40-80 years underwent cognitive testing (Trail-Making Test, Verbal Fluency Test) and provided information on their occupational situation. Participants over the age of 65 years additionally completed the Mini-Mental State Examination. Mental demands at work were rated by a standardized classification system (O*NET). The association between mental demands and cognitive functioning was analyzed using Generalized Linear Modeling (GENLIN) adjusted for age, gender, self-regulation, working hour status, education, and health-related factors. RESULTS: Univariate as well as multivariate analyses demonstrated significant and highly consistent effects of higher mental demands on better performance in cognitive testing. The results also indicated that the effects are independent of education and intelligence. Moreover, analyses of retired individuals implied a significant association between high mental demands at work of the job they once held and a better cognitive functioning in old age. CONCLUSIONS: In sum, our findings suggest a significant association between high mental demands at work and better cognitive functioning. In this sense, higher levels of mental demands - as brought about by technological changes in the working environment - may also have beneficial effects for the society as they could increase cognitive capacity levels and might even delay cognitive decline in old age.

Authors: F. S. Then, T. Luck, M. Luppa, K. Arelin, M. L. Schroeter, C. Engel, M. Loffler, J. Thiery, A. Villringer, S. G. Riedel-Heller

Date Published: 11th Jun 2014

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

Dyslexia is a severe disorder in the acquisition of reading and writing. Several studies investigated the role of genetics for reading, writing and spelling ability in the general population. However, many of the identified SNPs were not analysed in case-control cohorts. Here, we investigated SNPs previously linked to reading or spelling ability in the general population in a German case-control cohort. Furthermore, we characterised these SNPs for functional relevance with in silico methods and meta-analysed them with previous studies. A total of 16 SNPs within five genes were included. The total number of risk alleles was higher in cases than in controls. Three SNPs were nominally associated with dyslexia: rs7765678 within DCDC2, and rs2038137 and rs6935076 within KIAA0319. The relevance of rs2038137 and rs6935076 was further supported by the meta-analysis. Functional profiling included analysis of tissue-specific expression, annotations for regulatory elements and effects on gene expression levels (eQTLs). Thereby, we found molecular mechanistical implications for 13 of all 16 included SNPs. SNPs associated in our cohort showed stronger gene-specific eQTL effects than non-associated SNPs. In summary, our results validate SNPs previously linked to reading and spelling in the general population in dyslexics and provide insights into their putative molecular pathomechanisms.

Authors: Bent Müller, Arndt Wilcke, Ivonne Czepezauer, Peter Ahnert, Johannes Boltze, Holger Kirsten

Date Published: 1st Sep 2016

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Importance Observational studies have shown associations of birth weight with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and glycemic traits, but it remains unclear whether these associations represent causal associations.. Objective To test the association of birth weight with T2D and glycemic traits using a mendelian randomization analysis. Design, Setting, and Participants This mendelian randomization study used a genetic risk score for birth weight that was constructed with 7 genome-wide significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms. The associations of this score with birth weight and T2D were tested in a mendelian randomization analysis using study-level data. The association of birth weight with T2D was tested using both study-level data (7 single-nucleotide polymorphisms were used as an instrumental variable) and summary-level data from the consortia (43 single-nucleotide polymorphisms were used as an instrumental variable). Data from 180 056 participants from 49 studies were included. Main Outcomes and Measures Type 2 diabetes and glycemic traits. Results This mendelian randomization analysis included 49 studies with 41 155 patients with T2D and 80 008 control participants from study-level data and 34 840 patients with T2D and 114 981 control participants from summary-level data. Study-level data showed that a 1-SD decrease in birth weight due to the genetic risk score was associated with higher risk of T2D among all participants (odds ratio [OR], 2.10; 95% CI, 1.69-2.61; P = 4.03 \times 10-5), among European participants (OR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.42-2.71; P = .04), and among East Asian participants (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.18-1.62; P = .04). Similar results were observed from summary-level analyses. In addition, each 1-SD lower birth weight was associated with 0.189 SD higher fasting glucose concentration (\textgreekb = 0.189; SE = 0.060; P = .002), but not with fasting insulin, 2-hour glucose, or hemoglobin A1c concentration. Conclusions and Relevance In this study, a genetic predisposition to lower birth weight was associated with increased risk of T2D and higher fasting glucose concentration, suggesting genetic effects on retarded fetal growth and increased diabetes risk that either are independent of each other or operate through alterations of integrated biological mechanisms.

Authors: Tao Huang, Tiange Wang, Yan Zheng, Christina Ellervik, Xiang Li, Meng Gao, Zhe Fang, Jin-Fang Chai, Tarun Veer S. Ahluwalia, Yujie Wang, Trudy Voortman, Raymond Noordam, Alexis Frazier-Wood, Markus Scholz, Emily Sonestedt, Masato Akiyama, Rajkumar Dorajoo, Ang Zhou, Tuomas O. Kilpeläinen, Marcus E. Kleber, Sarah R. Crozier, Keith M. Godfrey, Rozenn Lemaitre, Janine F. Felix, Yuan Shi, Preeti Gupta, Chiea-Chuen Khor, Terho Lehtimäki, Carol A. Wang, Carla M. T. Tiesler, Elisabeth Thiering, Marie Standl, Peter Rzehak, Eirini Marouli, Meian He, Cécile Lecoeur, Dolores Corella, Chao-Qiang Lai, Luis A. Moreno, Niina Pitkänen, Colin A. Boreham, Tao Zhang, Seang Mei Saw, Paul M. Ridker, Mariaelisa Graff, Frank J. A. van Rooij, Andre G. Uitterlinden, Albert Hofman, Diana van Heemst, Frits R. Rosendaal, Renée de Mutsert, Ralph Burkhardt, Christina-Alexandra Schulz, Ulrika Ericson, Yoichiro Kamatani, Jian-Min Yuan, Chris Power, Torben Hansen, Thorkild I. A. Sørensen, Anne Tjønneland, Kim Overvad, Graciela Delgado, Cyrus Cooper, Luc Djousse, Fernando Rivadeneira, Karen Jameson, Wanting Zhao, Jianjun Liu, Nanette R. Lee, Olli Raitakari, Mika Kähönen, Jorma Viikari, Veit Grote, Jean-Paul Langhendries, Berthold Koletzko, Joaquin Escribano, Elvira Verduci, George Dedoussis, Caizheng Yu, Yih Chung Tham, Blanche Lim, Sing Hui Lim, Philippe Froguel, Beverley Balkau, Nadia R. Fink, Rebecca K. Vinding, Astrid Sevelsted, Hans Bisgaard, Oscar Coltell, Jean Dallongeville, Frédéric Gottrand, Katja Pahkala, Harri Niinikoski, Elina Hyppönen, Oluf Pedersen, Winfried März, Hazel Inskip, Vincent W. V. Jaddoe, Elaine Dennison, Tien Yin Wong, Charumathi Sabanayagam, E-Shyong Tai, Karen L. Mohlke, David A. Mackey, Dariusz Gruszfeld, Panagiotis Deloukas, Katherine L. Tucker, Frédéric Fumeron, Klaus Bønnelykke, Peter Rossing, Ramon Estruch, Jose M. Ordovas, Donna K. Arnett, Aline Meirhaeghe, Philippe Amouyel, Ching-Yu Cheng, Xueling Sim, Yik Ying Teo, Rob M. van Dam, Woon-Puay Koh, Marju Orho-Melander, Markus Loeffler, Michiaki Kubo, Joachim Thiery, Dennis O. Mook-Kanamori, Dariush Mozaffarian, Bruce M. Psaty, Oscar H. Franco, Tangchun Wu, Kari E. North, George Davey Smith, Jorge E. Chavarro, Daniel I. Chasman, Lu Qi

Date Published: 4th Sep 2019

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

PURPOSE Cis-acting regulatory SNPs resulting in differential allelic expression (DAE) may, in part, explain the underlying phenotypic variation associated with many complex diseases. To investigatee whether common variants associated with DAE were involved in breast cancer susceptibility among BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, a list of 175 genes was developed based of their involvement in cancer-related pathways. METHODS Using data from a genome-wide map of SNPs associated with allelic expression, we assessed the association of ~320 SNPs located in the vicinity of these genes with breast and ovarian cancer risks in 15,252 BRCA1 and 8211 BRCA2 mutation carriers ascertained from 54 studies participating in the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2. RESULTS We identified a region on 11q22.3 that is significantly associated with breast cancer risk in BRCA1 mutation carriers (most significant SNP rs228595 p = 7 \times 10-6). This association was absent in BRCA2 carriers (p = 0.57). The 11q22.3 region notably encompasses genes such as ACAT1, NPAT, and ATM. Expression quantitative trait loci associations were observed in both normal breast and tumors across this region, namely for ACAT1, ATM, and other genes. In silico analysis revealed some overlap between top risk-associated SNPs and relevant biological features in mammary cell data, which suggests potential functional significance. CONCLUSION We identified 11q22.3 as a new modifier locus in BRCA1 carriers. Replication in larger studies using estrogen receptor (ER)-negative or triple-negative (i.e., ER-, progesterone receptor-, and HER2-negative) cases could therefore be helpful to confirm the association of this locus with breast cancer risk.

Authors: Yosr Hamdi, Penny Soucy, Karoline B. Kuchenbaeker, Tomi Pastinen, Arnaud Droit, Audrey Lemaçon, Julian Adlard, Kristiina Aittomäki, Irene L. Andrulis, Adalgeir Arason, Norbert Arnold, Banu K. Arun, Jacopo Azzollini, Anita Bane, Laure Barjhoux, Daniel Barrowdale, Javier Benitez, Pascaline Berthet, Marinus J. Blok, Kristie Bobolis, Valérie Bonadona, Bernardo Bonanni, Angela R. Bradbury, Carole Brewer, Bruno Buecher, Saundra S. Buys, Maria A. Caligo, Jocelyne Chiquette, Wendy K. Chung, Kathleen B. M. Claes, Mary B. Daly, Francesca Damiola, Rosemarie Davidson, Miguel de La Hoya, Kim de Leeneer, Orland Diez, Yuan Chun Ding, Riccardo Dolcetti, Susan M. Domchek, Cecilia M. Dorfling, Diana Eccles, Ros Eeles, Zakaria Einbeigi, Bent Ejlertsen, Christoph Engel, D. Gareth Evans, Lidia Feliubadalo, Lenka Foretova, Florentia Fostira, William D. Foulkes, George Fountzilas, Eitan Friedman, Debra Frost, Pamela Ganschow, Patricia A. Ganz, Judy Garber, Simon A. Gayther, Anne-Marie Gerdes, Gord Glendon, Andrew K. Godwin, David E. Goldgar, Mark H. Greene, Jacek Gronwald, Eric Hahnen, Ute Hamann, Thomas v. O. Hansen, Steven Hart, John L. Hays, Frans B. L. Hogervorst, Peter J. Hulick, Evgeny N. Imyanitov, Claudine Isaacs, Louise Izatt, Anna Jakubowska, Paul James, Ramunas Janavicius, Uffe Birk Jensen, Esther M. John, Vijai Joseph, Walter Just, Katarzyna Kaczmarek, Beth Y. Karlan, Carolien M. Kets, Judy Kirk, Mieke Kriege, Yael Laitman, Maïté Laurent, Conxi Lazaro, Goska Leslie, Jenny Lester, Fabienne Lesueur, Annelie Liljegren, Niklas Loman, Jennifer T. Loud, Siranoush Manoukian, Milena Mariani, Sylvie Mazoyer, Lesley McGuffog, Hanne E. J. Meijers-Heijboer, Alfons Meindl, Austin Miller, Marco Montagna, Anna Marie Mulligan, Katherine L. Nathanson, Susan L. Neuhausen, Heli Nevanlinna, Robert L. Nussbaum, Edith Olah, Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, Kai-Ren Ong, Jan C. Oosterwijk, Ana Osorio, Laura Papi, Sue Kyung Park, Inge Sokilde Pedersen, Bernard Peissel, Pedro Perez Segura, Paolo Peterlongo, Catherine M. Phelan, Paolo Radice, Johanna Rantala, Christine Rappaport-Fuerhauser, Gad Rennert, Andrea Richardson, Mark Robson, Gustavo C. Rodriguez, Matti A. Rookus, Rita Katharina Schmutzler, Nicolas Sevenet, Payal D. Shah, Christian F. Singer, Thomas P. Slavin, Katie Snape, Johanna Sokolowska, Ida Marie Heeholm Sønderstrup, Melissa Southey, Amanda B. Spurdle, Zsofia Stadler, Dominique Stoppa-Lyonnet, Grzegorz Sukiennicki, Christian Sutter, Yen Tan, Muy-Kheng Tea, Manuel R. Teixeira, Alex Teulé, Soo-Hwang Teo, Mary Beth Terry, Mads Thomassen, Laima Tihomirova, Marc Tischkowitz, Silvia Tognazzo, Amanda Ewart Toland, Nadine Tung, Ans M. W. van den Ouweland, Rob B. van der Luijt, Klaartje van Engelen, Elizabeth J. van Rensburg, Raymonda Varon-Mateeva, Barbara Wappenschmidt, Juul T. Wijnen, Timothy Rebbeck, Georgia Chenevix-Trench, Kenneth Offit, Fergus J. Couch, Silje Nord, Douglas F. Easton, Antonis C. Antoniou, Jacques Simard

Date Published: 2017

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND Genetic variation at chromosome 9p21 is a recognized risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). However, its effect on disease progression and subsequent events is unclear, raising questionss about its value for stratification of residual risk. METHODS A variant at chromosome 9p21 (rs1333049) was tested for association with subsequent events during follow-up in 103,357 Europeans with established CHD at baseline from the GENIUS-CHD Consortium (73.1% male, mean age 62.9 years). The primary outcome, subsequent CHD death or myocardial infarction (CHD death/MI), occurred in 13,040 of the 93,115 participants with available outcome data. Effect estimates were compared to case/control risk obtained from CARDIoGRAMPlusC4D including 47,222 CHD cases and 122,264 controls free of CHD. RESULTS Meta-analyses revealed no significant association between chromosome 9p21 and the primary outcome of CHD death/MI among those with established CHD at baseline (GENIUS-CHD OR 1.02; 95% CI 0.99-1.05). This contrasted with a strong association in CARDIoGRAMPlusC4D OR 1.20; 95% CI 1.18-1.22; p for interaction Conclusions: In contrast to studies comparing individuals with CHD to disease free controls, we found no clear association between genetic variation at chromosome 9p21 and risk of subsequent acute CHD events when all individuals had CHD at baseline. However, the association with subsequent revascularization may support the postulated mechanism of chromosome 9p21 for promoting atheroma development.

Authors: Riyaz S. Patel, Amand F. Schmidt, Vinicius Tragante, Raymond O. McCubrey, Michael V. Holmes, Laurence J. Howe, Kenan Direk, Axel Åkerblom, Karin Leander, Salim S. Virani, Karol A. Kaminski, Jochen D. Muehlschlegel, Marie-Pierre Dubé, Hooman Allayee, Peter Almgren, Maris Alver, Ekaterina V. Baranova, Hassan Behlouli, Bram Boeckx, Peter S. Braund, Lutz P. Breitling, Graciela Delgado, Nubia E. Duarte, Line Dufresne, Niclas Eriksson, Luisa Foco, Crystel M. Gijsberts, Yan Gong, Jaana Hartiala, Mahyar Heydarpour, Jaroslav A. Hubacek, Marcus Kleber, Daniel Kofink, Pekka Kuukasjärvi, Vei-Vei Lee, Andreas Leiherer, Petra A. Lenzini, Daniel Levin, Leo-Pekka Lyytikäinen, Nicola Martinelli, Ute Mons, Christopher P. Nelson, Kjell Nikus, Anna P. Pilbrow, Rafal Ploski, Yan V. Sun, Michael W. T. Tanck, W. H. Wilson Tang, Stella Trompet, Sander W. van der Laan, Jessica van Setten, Ragnar O. Vilmundarson, Chiara Viviani Anselmi, Efthymia Vlachopoulou, Eric Boerwinkle, Carlo Briguori, John F. Carlquist, Kathryn F. Carruthers, Gavino Casu, John Deanfield, Panos Deloukas, Frank Dudbridge, Natalie Fitzpatrick, Bruna Gigante, Stefan James, Marja-Liisa Lokki, Paulo A. Lotufo, Nicola Marziliano, Ify R. Mordi, Joseph B. Muhlestein, Christopher Newton-Cheh, Jan Pitha, Christoph H. Saely, Ayman Samman-Tahhan, Pratik B. Sandesara, Andrej Teren, Adam Timmis, Frans van de Werf, Els Wauters, Arthur A. M. Wilde, Ian Ford, David J. Stott, Ale Algra, Maria G. Andreassi, Diego Ardissino, Benoit J. Arsenault, Christie M. Ballantyne, Thomas O. Bergmeijer, Connie R. Bezzina, Simon C. Body, Peter Bogaty, Gert J. de Borst, Hermann Brenner, Ralph Burkhardt, Clara Carpeggiani, Gianluigi Condorelli, Rhonda M. Cooper-DeHoff, Sharon Cresci, Ulf de Faire, Robert N. Doughty, Heinz Drexel, James C. Engert, Keith A. A. Fox, Domenico Girelli, Emil Hagström, Stanley L. Hazen, Claes Held, Harry Hemingway, Imo E. Hoefer, G. Kees Hovingh, Julie A. Johnson, Pim A. de Jong, J. Wouter Jukema, Marcin P. Kaczor, Mika Kähönen, Jiri Kettner, Marek Kiliszek, Olaf H. Klungel, Bo Lagerqvist, Diether Lambrechts, Jari O. Laurikka, Terho Lehtimäki, Daniel Lindholm, B. K. Mahmoodi, Anke H. Maitland-van der Zee, Ruth McPherson, Olle Melander, Andres Metspalu, Witold Pepinski, Oliviero Olivieri, Grzegorz Opolski, Colin N. Palmer, Gerard Pasterkamp, Carl J. Pepine, Alexandre C. Pereira, Louise Pilote, Arshed A. Quyyumi, A. Mark Richards, Marek Sanak, Markus Scholz, Agneta Siegbahn, Juha Sinisalo, J. Gustav Smith, John A. Spertus, Alexandre F. R. Stewart, Wojciech Szczeklik, Anna Szpakowicz, Jurriën M. ten Berg, George Thanassoulis, Joachim Thiery, Yolanda van der Graaf, Frank L. J. Visseren, Johannes Waltenberger, Pim van der Harst, Jean-Claude Tardif, Naveed Sattar, Chim C. Lang, Guillaume Paré, James M. Brophy, Jeffrey L. Anderson, Winfried März, Lars Wallentin, Vicky A. Cameron, Benjamin D. Horne, Nilesh J. Samani, Aroon D. Hingorani, Folkert W. Asselbergs

Date Published: 1st Apr 2019

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Dysregulation of apoptosis plays an important role in carcinogenesis. Therefore, apoptosis-associated genes like the death receptor 4 (DR4, TRAIL-R1) are interesting candidates for modifying the penetrance of breast and ovarian cancer in carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. The DR-4 haplotype 626C-683C [626C \textgreater G, Thr209Arg (rs4871857) and 683A \textgreater C, Glu228Ala (rs17088993)] has recently been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. To evaluate whether DR4 626C \textgreater G or DR4 683A \textgreater C modifies the risk of breast or ovarian cancer in carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, we undertook a national multicenter study including data of 840 carriers of breast cancer gene (BRCA) mutations. DNA samples were collected from 12 German research centers between 1996 and 2005 and were genotyped by the Taqman allelic discrimination assay. The association between genotypes and incidence of breast or ovarian cancer data was evaluated using a Cox proportional hazards regression model. We found evidence for a significant association of DR4 683A \textgreater C with a higher risk for ovarian cancer in carriers of BRCA1 mutations [n = 557, hazard ratio 1.78 (1.24-2.55), p = 0.009]. Our results thus indicate that the DR4 683A \textgreater C variant modifies the risk of ovarian cancer in carriers of BRCA1 mutations.

Authors: Michelle G. Dick, Beatrix Versmold, Christoph Engel, Alfons Meindl, Norbert Arnold, Raymonda Varon-Mateeva, Christian Sutter, Dieter Niederacher, Helmut Deissler, Sabine Preisler-Adams, Karin Kast, Dieter Schäfer, Dorothea Gadzicki, Wolfram Heinritz, Barbara Wappenschmidt, Rita K. Schmutzler

Date Published: 15th Mar 2012

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome

Abstract (Expand)

Background: Studies examining the role of factor V Leiden among patients at higher risk of atherothrombotic events, such as those with established coronary heart disease (CHD) are lacking. Given that coagulation is involved in the thrombus formation stage upon atherosclerotic plaque rupture, we hypothesized that factor V Leiden may be a stronger risk factor for atherothrombotic events in patients with established CHD. Methods: We performed an individual-level meta-analysis including 25 prospective studies (18 cohorts, 3 case-cohorts, 4 randomized trials) from the GENIUS-CHD consortium involving patients with established CHD at baseline. Participating studies genotyped factor V Leiden status and shared risk estimates for the outcomes of interest using a centrally developed statistical code with harmonized definitions across studies. Cox-regression models were used to obtain age and sex adjusted estimates. The obtained estimates were pooled using fixed-effect meta-analysis. The primary outcome was composite of myocardial infarction and CHD death. Secondary outcomes included any stroke, ischemic stroke, coronary revascularization, cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality. Results: The studies included 69,681 individuals of whom 3,190 (4.6%) were either heterozygous or homozygous (n=47) carriers of factor V Leiden. Median follow-up per study ranged from 1.0 to 10.6 years. A total of 20 studies with 61,147 participants and 6,849 events contributed to analyses of the primary outcome. Factor V Leiden was not associated with the combined outcome of myocardial infarction and CHD death (hazard ratio, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.92 - 1.16; I2 = 28%; P-heterogeneity = 0.12). Subgroup analysis according to baseline characteristics or strata of traditional cardiovascular risk factors did not show relevant differences. Similarly, risk estimates for the secondary outcomes including stroke, coronary revascularization, cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality were close to identity. Conclusions: Factor V Leiden was not associated with increased risk of subsequent atherothrombotic events and mortality in high-risk participants with established and treated CHD. Routine assessment of factor V Leiden status is unlikely to improve atherothrombotic events risk stratification in this population.

Authors: Bakhtawar K. Mahmoodi, Vinicius Tragante, Marcus E. Kleber, Michael V. Holmes, Amand F. Schmidt, Raymond O. McCubrey, Laurence J. Howe, Kenan Direk, Hooman Allayee, Ekaterina V. Baranova, Peter S. Braund, Graciela E. Delgado, Niclas Eriksson, Crystel M. Gijsberts, Yan Gong, Jaana Hartiala, Mahyar Heydarpour, Gerard Pasterkamp, Salma Kotti, Pekka Kuukasjärvi, Petra A. Lenzini, Daniel Levin, Leo-Pekka Lyytikäinen, Jochen D. Muehlschlegel, Christopher P. Nelson, Kjell Nikus, Anna P. Pilbrow, W. H. Wilson Tang, Sander W. van der Laan, Jessica van Setten, Ragnar O. Vilmundarson, John Deanfield, Panos Deloukas, Frank Dudbridge, Stefan James, Ify R. Mordi, Andrej Teren, Thomas O. Bergmeijer, Simon C. Body, Michiel Bots, Ralph Burkhardt, Rhonda M. Cooper-DeHoff, Sharon Cresci, Nicolas Danchin, Robert N. Doughty, Diederick E. Grobbee, Emil Hagström, Stanley L. Hazen, Claes Held, Imo E. Hoefer, G. Kees Hovingh, Julie A. Johnson, Marcin P. Kaczor, Mika Kähönen, Olaf H. Klungel, Jari O. Laurikka, Terho Lehtimäki, Anke H. Maitland-van der Zee, Ruth McPherson, Colin N. Palmer, Adriaan O. Kraaijeveld, Carl J. Pepine, Marek Sanak, Naveed Sattar, Markus Scholz, Tabassome Simon, John A. Spertus, Alexandre F. R. Stewart, Wojciech Szczeklik, Joachim Thiery, Frank L. J. Visseren, Johannes Waltenberger, A. Mark Richards, Chim C. Lang, Vicky A. Cameron, Axel Åkerblom, Guillaume Pare, Winfried März, Nilesh J. Samani, Aroon D. Hingorani, Jurriën M. ten Berg, Lars Wallentin, Folkert W. Asselbergs, Riyaz Patel

Date Published: 11th Aug 2020

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Pathogenic sequence variants (PSV) in BRCA1 or BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) are associated with increased risk and severity of prostate cancer (PCa). We evaluated whether PSVs in BRCA1/2 were associated with risk of overall PCa or high grade (Gleason 8+) PCa using an international sample of 65 BRCA1 and 171 BRCA2 male PSV carriers with PCa, and 3,388 BRCA1 and 2,880 BRCA2 male PSV carriers without PCa. PSVs in the 3’ region of BRCA2 (c.7914+) were significantly associated with elevated risk of PCa compared with reference bin c.1001-c.7913 (HR=1.78, 95%CI: 1.25-2.52, p=0.001), as well as elevated risk of Gleason 8+ PCa (HR=3.11, 95%CI: 1.63-5.95, p=0.001). c.756-c.1000 was also associated with elevated PCa risk (HR=2.83, 95%CI: 1.71-4.68, p=0.00004) and elevated risk of Gleason 8+ PCa (HR=4.95, 95%CI: 2.12-11.54, p=0.0002). No genotype-phenotype associations were detected for PSVs in BRCA1. These results demonstrate that specific BRCA2 PSVs may be associated with elevated risk of developing aggressive PCa.

Authors: Vivek L. Patel, Evan L. Busch, Tara M. Friebel, Angel Cronin, Goska Leslie, Lesley McGuffog, Julian Adlard, Simona Agata, Bjarni A. Agnarsson, Munaza Ahmed, Kristiina Aittomäki, Elisa Alducci, Irene L. Andrulis, Adalgeir Arason, Norbert Arnold, Grazia Artioli, Brita Arver, Bernd Auber, Jacopo Azzollini, Judith Balmaña, Rosa B. Barkardottir, Daniel R. Barnes, Alicia Barroso, Daniel Barrowdale, Muriel Belotti, Javier Benitez, Brigitte Bertelsen, Marinus J. Blok, Istvan Bodrogi, Valérie Bonadona, Bernardo Bonanni, Davide Bondavalli, Susanne E. Boonen, Julika Borde, Ake Borg, Angela R. Bradbury, Angela Brady, Carole Brewer, Joan Brunet, Bruno Buecher, Saundra S. Buys, Santiago Cabezas-Camarero, Trinidad Caldés, Almuth Caliebe, Maria A. Caligo, Mariarosaria Calvello, Ian G. Campbell, Ileana Carnevali, Estela Carrasco, Tsun L. Chan, Annie T. W. Chu, Wendy K. Chung, Kathleen B. M. Claes, Gemo Study Collaborators, Embrace Collaborators, Jackie Cook, Laura Cortesi, Fergus J. Couch, Mary B. Daly, Giuseppe Damante, Esther Darder, Rosemarie Davidson, Miguel de La Hoya, Lara Della Puppa, Joe Dennis, Orland Díez, Yuan Chun Ding, Nina Ditsch, Susan M. Domchek, Alan Donaldson, Bernd Dworniczak, Douglas F. Easton, Diana M. Eccles, Rosalind A. Eeles, Hans Ehrencrona, Bent Ejlertsen, Christoph Engel, D. Gareth Evans, Laurence Faivre, Ulrike Faust, Lídia Feliubadaló, Lenka Foretova, Florentia Fostira, George Fountzilas, Debra Frost, Vanesa García-Barberán, Pilar Garre, Marion Gauthier-Villars, Lajos Géczi, Andrea Gehrig, Anne-Marie Gerdes, Paul Gesta, Giuseppe Giannini, Gord Glendon, Andrew K. Godwin, David E. Goldgar, Mark H. Greene, Angelica M. Gutierrez-Barrera, Eric Hahnen, Ute Hamann, Jan Hauke, Natalie Herold, Frans B. L. Hogervorst, Ellen Honisch, John L. Hopper, Peter J. Hulick, Kconfab Investigators, Hebon Investigators, Louise Izatt, Agnes Jager, Paul James, Ramunas Janavicius, Uffe Birk Jensen, Thomas Dyrso Jensen, Oskar Th Johannsson, Esther M. John, Vijai Joseph, Eunyoung Kang, Karin Kast, Johanna I. Kiiski, Sung-Won Kim, Zisun Kim, Kwang-Pil Ko, Irene Konstantopoulou, Gero Kramer, Lotte Krogh, Torben A. Kruse, Ava Kwong, Mirjam Larsen, Christine Lasset, Charlotte Lautrup, Conxi Lázaro, Jihyoun Lee, Jong Won Lee, Min Hyuk Lee, Johannes Lemke, Fabienne Lesueur, Annelie Liljegren, Annika Lindblom, Patricia Llovet, Adria Lopez-Fernández, Irene Lopez-Perolio, Victor Lorca, Jennifer T. Loud, Edmond S. K. Ma, Phuong L. Mai, Siranoush Manoukian, Veronique Mari, Lynn Martin, Laura Matricardi, Noura Mebirouk, Veronica Medici, Hanne E. J. Meijers-Heijboer, Alfons Meindl, Arjen R. Mensenkamp, Clare Miller, Denise Molina Gomes, Marco Montagna, Thea M. Mooij, Lidia Moserle, Emmanuelle Mouret-Fourme, Anna Marie Mulligan, Katherine L. Nathanson, Marie Navratilova, Heli Nevanlinna, Dieter Niederacher, Finn C. Cilius Nielsen, Liene Nikitina-Zake, Kenneth Offit, Edith Olah, Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, Kai-Ren Ong, Ana Osorio, Claus-Eric Ott, Domenico Palli, Sue K. Park, Michael T. Parsons, Inge Sokilde Pedersen, Bernard Peissel, Ana Peixoto, Pedro Pérez-Segura, Paolo Peterlongo, Annabeth Høgh Petersen, Mary E. Porteous, Miguel Angel Pujana, Paolo Radice, Juliane Ramser, Johanna Rantala, Muhammad U. Rashid, Kerstin Rhiem, Piera Rizzolo, Mark E. Robson, Matti A. Rookus, Caroline Maria Rossing, Kathryn J. Ruddy, Catarina Santos, Claire Saule, Rosa Scarpitta, Rita K. Schmutzler, Hélène Schuster, Leigha Senter, Caroline M. Seynaeve, Payal D. Shah, Priyanka Sharma, Vivian Y. Shin, Valentina Silvestri, Jacques Simard, Christian F. Singer, Anne-Bine Skytte, Katie Snape, Angela R. Solano, Penny Soucy, Melissa C. Southey, Amanda B. Spurdle, Linda Steele, Doris Steinemann, Dominique Stoppa-Lyonnet, Agostina Stradella, Lone Sunde, Christian Sutter, Yen Y. Tan, Manuel R. Teixeira, Soo Hwang Teo, Mads Thomassen, Maria Grazia Tibiletti, Marc Tischkowitz, Silvia Tognazzo, Amanda E. Toland, Stefania Tommasi, Diana Torres, Angela Toss, Alison H. Trainer, Nadine Tung, Christi J. van Asperen, Frederieke H. van der Baan, Lizet E. van der Kolk, Rob B. van der Luijt, Liselotte P. van Hest, Liliana Varesco, Raymonda Varon-Mateeva, Alessandra Viel, Jeroen Vierstraete, Roberta Villa, Anna von Wachenfeldt, Philipp Wagner, Shan Wang-Gohrke, Barbara Wappenschmidt, Jeffrey N. Weitzel, Greet Wieme, Siddhartha Yadav, Drakoulis Yannoukakos, Sook-Yee Yoon, Cristina Zanzottera, Kristin K. Zorn, Anthony V. D’Amico, Matthew L. Freedman, Mark M. Pomerantz, Georgia Chenevix-Trench, Antonis C. Antoniou, Susan L. Neuhausen, Laura Ottini, Henriette Roed Nielsen, Timothy R. Rebbeck

Date Published: 13th Nov 2019

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome

Abstract (Expand)

Background: Hippocampal volume, assessed via high-resolution MRI, is associated with memory and visuospatial performance in humans (Squire, 2004) and specifically prone to develop atrophy with age (Apostolova,2015). This process has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (Apostolova,2015) and a decline of cognitive functions (Bruno,2016). However, due to differences in study-design and characteristics certain heterogeneity in results remains, in particular considering subfieldspecific effects (deFlores,2015). Therefore, we aim to determine the association of volumes of the whole hippocampus and its subfields on cognition in a large population-based cohort. Methods: Subjects: 1956 healthy participants from the Leipzig Research-Center-for-Civilization-Disease, aged 19-82years with MRI and neuropsychological tests (mean-age=57.61,±15.08SD). Exclusion: stroke, major-brain-pathologies, central-nervous-medication. Independent Variables: Volume of hippocampus and its subfields (CornuAmmonis1, 2-3, 4-DentateGyrus,(Pre-)subiculum). Dependent Variables: Verbal word-list learning, verbal-fluency, TrailMakingTask-(TMT)-A&B. Covariates: sex, age, years-of-education, total grey-mattervolume Image Analysis on high-resolution T1-images assessed at 3T. Hippocampal volumes were estimated using automatic segmentation analysis implemented in FreeSurfer (www.freesurfer.net). Statistical Analysis: Independent and dependent variables were first entered into Pearson Correlations. Variables with a correlation coefficient of r>0.1 were entered into multiple linear-regressions and adjusted for potential confounding(forward inclusion-model). Results: According to bivariate correlations, better performance in verbal-learning, verbal-fluency and TMT-A&B correlated moderately with larger whole-hippocampal volume and the volumes of all subfields(all |r|>0.102, all p0.046, all p0.5). Conclusions: Using a large cross-sectional cohort of healthy adults we found that volumes of the whole-hippocampus and subfields covering the CA4/dentate-gyrus region were weakly, yet specifically associated with verbal-learning and spatial processing-speed. Our preliminary results are in line with previous studies presuming a differential involvement of the hippocampus in tasks of verbal-learning and spatial processing (Oosterman,2010). Upcoming analyses implementing parcellation along the anteriorposterior- axis and random-effect-models might help to further disentangle these effects.

Authors: S. Huhn, R. Zhang, Frauke Beyer, L. Lampe, T. Luck, S. G. Riedel-Heller, M. L. Schroeter, Markus Löffler, M. Stumvoll, A. Villringer, A. V. Witte

Date Published: 1st Jul 2017

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: cognitive disorder, dementia

Abstract (Expand)

BRCA1-associated breast cancer frequently presents with estrogen-receptor (ERalpha) and progesterone-receptor (PR) negativity, grade 3, and early onset. In contrast, in BRCA1-deficient mice, ERalpha is highly expressed in early tumorigenesis. In a retrospective cohort study on 587 breast cancer patients with deleterious BRCA1 mutations, the correlation of ER, PR status, grading, age of onset, and tumor size was investigated. ERalpha and PR expression decreased from 62% in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to 20% and 16% in pT3, respectively (p value for ER 0.025 and PR 0.035, Fisher’s exact test). The percentage of grade 1/2 tumors decreased from 44% in DCIS to 17% in pT3 (p value 0.074). Moreover, ER/PR positivity increased with increasing age. Our data suggest that early stage BRCA1-associated breast cancers are more frequently ERalpha and PR positive and low grade than advanced stages.

Authors: M. Graeser, K. Bosse, M. Brosig, C. Engel, R. K. Schmutzler

Date Published: 1st May 2009

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome

Abstract (Expand)

Our aim was to analyse (i) the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the JUN and FOS core promoters in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), knee-osteoarthritis (OA), and normal controls (NC); (ii) their functional influence on JUN/FOS transcription levels; and (iii) their associations with the occurrence of RA or knee-OA. JUN and FOS promoter SNPs were identified in an initial screening population using the Non-Isotopic RNase Cleavage Assay (NIRCA); their functional influence was analysed using reporter gene assays. Genotyping was done in RA (n = 298), knee-OA (n = 277), and NC (n = 484) samples. For replication, significant associations were validated in a Finnish cohort (OA: n = 72, NC: n = 548). Initially, two SNPs were detected in the JUN promoter and two additional SNPs in the FOS promoter in perfect linkage disequilibrium (LD). JUN promoter SNP rs4647009 caused significant downregulation of reporter gene expression, whereas reporter gene expression was significantly upregulated in the presence of the FOS promoter SNPs. The homozygous genotype of FOS promoter SNPs showed an association with the susceptibility for knee-OA (odds ratio (OR) 2.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2^-3.7, p = 0.0086). This association was successfully replicated in the Finnish Health 2000 study cohort (allelic OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.2^-2.5, p = 0.006). FOS Promoter variants may represent relevant susceptibility markers for knee-OA.

Authors: René Huber, Holger Kirsten, Annu Näkki, Dirk Pohlers, Hansjörg Thude, Thorsten Eidner, Matthias Heinig, Korbinian Brand, Peter Ahnert, Raimund W. Kinne

Date Published: 1st Mar 2019

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Motivated by linkage data and the hypothesis that angiogenesis plays a functional role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Jacq and colleagues present a family-based, multi-stage, candidate gene association study in French and European Caucasians in a paper on the association of the ITGAV rs3738919-C variant allele with RA (C-containing genotypes: odds ratio 1.94, confidence interval 1.3 to 2.9, P = 0.002). Support comes from a recent genome-wide study, which on its own would have missed identifying the association. Further research into the associating variant will require detailed haplotype analysis, verification in further studies, and research involving intermediate phenotypes or direct functional experiments. This new RA risk factor supports the role of angiogenesis in the disease. Motivated by linkage data and the hypothesis that angiogenesis plays a functional role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Jacq and colleagues present a family-based, multi-stage, candidate gene association study in French and European Caucasians in a paper on the association of the ITGAV rs3738919-C variant allele with RA (C-containing genotypes: odds ratio 1.94, confidence interval 1.3 to 2.9, P = 0.002). Support comes from a recent genome-wide study, which on its own would have missed identifying the association. Further research into the associating variant will require detailed haplotype analysis, verification in further studies, and research involving intermediate phenotypes or direct functional experiments. This new RA risk factor supports the role of angiogenesis in the disease. Motivated by linkage data and the hypothesis that angiogenesis plays a functional role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Jacq and colleagues present a family-based, multi-stage, candidate gene association study in French and European Caucasians in a paper on the association of the ITGAV rs3738919-C variant allele with RA (C-containing genotypes: odds ratio 1.94, confidence interval 1.3 to 2.9, P = 0.002). Support comes from a recent genome-wide study, which on its own would have missed identifying the association. Further research into the associating variant will require detailed haplotype analysis, verification in further studies, and research involving intermediate phenotypes or direct functional experiments. This new RA risk factor supports the role of angiogenesis in the disease.

Authors: Peter Ahnert, Holger Kirsten

Date Published: 2007

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Irisin has been suggested as a novel myokine with beneficial effects in rodents. However, previous data in humans showed conflicting results regarding its association with metabolicc phenotypes and regulation of secretion. Furthermore, although an association of rs726344 in FNDC5 (fibronectin type III domain containing 5) coding for irisin with insulin sensitivity was reported, the effects of genetic variation at this locus on irisin serum levels have not been investigated, so far. Therefore, we investigated circulating irisin and the associations with rs726344 in a cohort of \textgreater1000 subjects. SUBJECTS/METHODS Irisin serum concentrations were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Associations with metabolic parameters including renal function, glucose and lipid metabolism, inflammation, as well as adipokine profiles, were assessed in regression models. Dynamic changes of serum irisin were investigated during oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in a subset of the cohort (n=136). rs726344 was genotyped in all subjects and analyzed for associations with serum irisin and traits of the metabolic syndrome. RESULTS Irisin was negatively associated with fat mass, fasting glucose and dyslipidemia but not with other adipokines. Moreover, irisin decreased during an OGTT in a subcohort comprising subjects with normal glucose tolerance, impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. rs726344 was not associated with serum irisin levels or with other anthropometric and biochemical parameters. CONCLUSIONS Circulating irisin levels are associated with a beneficial metabolic profile but not with other adipokines and not with rs726344 in our cohort. Our data suggest a potential favorable role of irisin in the regulation of metabolism.

Authors: T. Ebert, S. Kralisch, U. Wurst, M. Scholz, M. Stumvoll, P. Kovacs, M. Fasshauer, A. Tönjes

Date Published: 1st Feb 2016

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

INTRODUCTION\backslashr\backslashnThe gene MICA encodes the protein major histocompatibility complex class I polypeptide-related sequence A. It is expressed in synovium of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and its implication in autoimmunity is discussed. We analyzed the association of genetic variants of MICA with susceptibility to RA.\backslashr\backslashnMETHODS\backslashr\backslashnInitially, 300 French Caucasian individuals belonging to 100 RA trio families were studied. An additional 100 independent RA trio families and a German Caucasian case-control cohort (90/182 individuals) were available for replication. As MICA is situated in proximity to known risk alleles of the HLA-DRB1 locus, our analysis accounted for linkage disequilibrium either by analyzing the subgroup consisting of parents not carrying HLA-DRB1 risk alleles with transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) or by implementing a regression model including all available data. Analysis included a microsatellite polymorphism (GCT)n and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs3763288 and rs1051794.\backslashr\backslashnRESULTS\backslashr\backslashnIn contrast to the other investigated polymorphisms, the non-synonymously coding SNP MICA-250 (rs1051794, Lys196Glu) was strongly associated in the first family cohort (TDT: P = 0.014; regression model: odds ratio [OR] 0.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.25 to 0.82, P = 0.007). Although the replication family sample showed only a trend, combined family data remained consistent with the hypothesis of MICA-250 association independent from shared epitope (SE) alleles (TDT: P = 0.027; regression model: OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.38 to 0.83, P = 0.003). We also replicated the protective association of MICA-250A within a German Caucasian cohort (OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.1 to 0.7, P = 0.005; regression model: OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.96, P = 0.032). We showed complete linkage disequilibrium of MICA-250 (D’ = 1, r2= 1) with the functional MICA variant rs1051792 (D’ = 1, r2= 1). As rs1051792 confers differential allelic affinity of MICA to the receptor NKG2D, this provides a possible functional explanation for the observed association.\backslashr\backslashnCONCLUSIONS\backslashr\backslashnWe present evidence for linkage and association of MICA-250 (rs1051794) with RA independent of known HLA-DRB1 risk alleles, suggesting MICA as an RA susceptibility gene. However, more studies within other populations are necessary to prove the general relevance of this polymorphism for RA.

Authors: Holger Kirsten, Elisabeth Petit-Teixeira, Markus Scholz, Dirk Hasenclever, Helene Hantmann, Dirk Heider, Ulf Wagner, Ulrich Sack, Vitor Hugo Teixeira, Bernard Prum, Jana Burkhardt, Céline Pierlot, Frank Emmrich, François Cornelis, Peter Ahnert

Date Published: 2009

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

AIM: To identify gene variants responsible for anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity. PATIENTS & METHODS: Polymorphisms of the NADPH oxidase subunits and of the anthracycline transporters ABCC1, ABCC2 and SLC28A3 were genotyped in elderly patients (61-80 years) treated for aggressive CD20(+) B-cell lymphomas with CHOP-14 with or without rituximab and followed up for 3 years. RESULTS: The accumulation of RAC2 subunit genotypes TA/AA among cases was statistically significant upon adjustment for gender, age and doxorubicin dose in a multivariate logistic regression analysis (OR: 2.3, p = 0.028; univariate: OR: 1.8, p = 0.077). RAC2 and CYBA genotypes were significantly associated with anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity in a meta-analysis of this and a similar previous study. CONCLUSION: Our results support the theory that NADPH oxidase is involved in anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity. Original submitted 9 July 2014; Revision submitted 19 December 2014.

Authors: A. Reichwagen, M. Ziepert, M. Kreuz, U. Godtel-Armbrust, T. Rixecker, V. Poeschel, M. Reza Toliat, P. Nurnberg, M. Tzvetkov, S. Deng, L. Trumper, G. Hasenfuss, M. Pfreundschuh, L. Wojnowski

Date Published: 1st Apr 2015

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: B-cell lymphoma

Abstract (Expand)

OBJECTIVE The provariant of the Pro12Ala polymorphism in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)gamma has been identified as a risk allele for type 2 diabetes. The purpose of the present studyy was to reveal a significant association with pre-diabetic phenotypes in nondiabetic individuals based on a systematic meta-analysis of all available published evidence. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We performed a classical meta-analysis of data from approximately 32,000 nondiabetic subjects in 57 studies to assess the effect of the Pro12Ala polymorphism on pre-diabetic traits. RESULTS In the global comparison, there were no differences in BMI, glucose, insulin, or homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance between the Pro/Pro and X/Ala genotype. However, in the Caucasian subgroup, the X/Ala genotype was associated with significantly increased BMI. In the obese subgroup (BMI \textgreater30 kg/m(2)), fasting glucose (P = 0.041) and insulin resistance (by homeostasis model analysis) (P = 0.020) were significantly greater in the Pro/Pro group. In subjects with the homozygous Ala/Ala genotype, fasting insulin was significantly lower compared with the Pro/Pro genotype (P = 0.040, N(Ala/Ala) = 154). CONCLUSIONS Across all studies, the Pro12Ala polymorphism had no significant effect on diabetes-related traits. Only in selected subgroups, such as Caucasians and obese subjects, did we see an association of the Ala allele with greater BMI and greater insulin sensitivity. This demonstrates the importance for appropriate stratification of analyses by environmental or other genetic factors. Meta-analysis of Ala/Ala homozygotes more clearly demonstrated the association with greater insulin sensitivity of carriers of the Ala allele.

Authors: Anke Tönjes, Markus Scholz, Markus Loeffler, Michael Stumvoll

Date Published: 25th Oct 2006

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

A combined OMICS screening approach of human plasma and serum was used to characterize protein and metabolome signatures displaying association to severity of Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). 240 serum and BD P100 EDTA plasma samples from patients diagnosed with CAP, collected during the day of enrolment to the hospital, were analyzed by a metabolomic and proteomic approach, respectively. Disease severity of CAP patients was stratified using the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. Quantitative proteome and metabolome data, derived by LC-MS/MS, were associated to SOFA and specific parameters of SOFA using linear regression models adjusted for age, BMI, sex, smoking and technical variables. Both proteome and metabolome profiling revealed remarkable strong changes in plasma and serum composition in relation to severity of CAP. Proteins and metabolites displaying SOFA associated levels are involved in immune response, particularly in processes of lipid metabolism. Proteins, which show an association to SOFA score, are involved in acute phase response, coagulation, complement activation and inflammation. Many of these metabolites and proteins displayed not only associations to SOFA, but also to parameters of SOFA score, which likely reflect the strong influence of lung-, liver-, kidney- and heart-dysfunction on the metabolome and proteome patterns. SIGNIFICANCE: Community-acquired pneumonia is the most frequent infection disease with high morbidity and mortality. So far, only few studies focused on the identification of proteins or metabolites associated to severity of CAP, often based on smaller sample sets. A screening for new diagnostic markers requires extensive sample collections in combination with high quality clinical data. To characterize the proteomic and metabolomics pattern associated to severity of CAP we performed a combined metabolomics and proteomic approach of serum and plasma sample from a multi-center clinical study focused on patients with CAP, requiring hospitalization. The results of this association study of omics data to the SOFA score enable not only an interpretation of changes in molecular patterns with severity of CAP but also an assignment of altered molecules to dysfunctions of respiratory, renal, coagulation, cardiovascular systems as well as liver.

Authors: Manuela Gesell Salazar, Sophie Neugebauer, Tim Kacprowski, Stephan Michalik, Peter Ahnert, Petra Creutz, Maciej Rosolowski, Markus Löffler, Michael Bauer, Norbert Suttorp, Michael Kiehntopf, Uwe Völker

Date Published: 1st Mar 2020

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Jana Burkhardt, Holger Kirsten, Heidrun Holland, Wolfgang Krupp, Carolin Ligges, Elfi Quente, Johannes Boltze, Peter Ahnert, Arndt Wilcke

Date Published: 2012

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

OBJECTIVE: To test for a possible effect of the apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 (APOE epsilon4) allele on memory performance and executive functioning (EF) in cognitively intact elderly. METHOD: The authors studied 202 randomly selected and cognitively intact older adults (65+ years) of the Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases Health Care Study. Intact global cognitive functioning was defined using a Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) score >/= 28. Performance in memory was assessed with the CERAD Word List and Constructional Praxis Recall, performance in EF with the Trail Making Test Part B (TMT-B). Multivariable linear regressions were used to evaluate the association between cognitive performance and APOE status, controlled for covariates. RESULTS: Among the cognitively intact older adults, 21.3% (n = 43) were carriers of the APOE epsilon4 allele. Carriers did not differ significantly from noncarriers in terms of age, gender, intelligence level, or performance in memory but showed a significantly lower TMT-B performance as a measure of EF (TMT-B M time/SD = 105.6/36.2 vs. 91.9/32.7 s; Mann-Whitney U = 4,313.000; p = .009). The association between lower TMT-B performance and APOE epsilon4 genotype remained significant in multivariable linear regression analysis. Similar findings were found for the subsample of those 78 elderly, who reached a perfect MMSE-score of 30. CONCLUSIONS: A lower EF performance in cognitively intact older APOE epsilon4 allele carriers might be related to an early Alzheimer's dementia (AD) prodrome. In this case, a stronger focus on first subtle changes in EF may help to improve early AD detection in those being at genetic risk.

Authors: T. Luck, F. S. Then, M. Luppa, M. L. Schroeter, K. Arelin, R. Burkhardt, J. Thiery, M. Loffler, A. Villringer, S. G. Riedel-Heller

Date Published: 4th Nov 2014

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

Familial breast carcinomas that are attributable to BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations have characteristic morphologic and immunhistochemical features. BRCA1-associated carcinomas are poorly differentiated infiltrating ductal carcinomas frequently exhibiting morphologic features of typical or atypical medullary carcinomas such as prominent lymphocytic infiltrate and pushing margins. We report on a patient carrying the deleterious BRCA1 germline mutation R1699W, who presented with a malignant phyllodes tumor of the breast. The re-investigation of archival material by a reference pathologist of the German Consortium for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (GCHBOC) revealed BRCA-associated pronounced pushing margins. In a total of 618 unrelated index patients who are registered in the GCHBOC database, no other phyllodes tumor has been described, while 10 carriers of the R1699W mutant have been identified. We conclude that the histopathologic appearance of the phyllodes tumor indicates an association with the BRCA1 mutation R1699W although it is a rare event in BRCA-positive families.

Authors: Kerstin Rhiem, Uta Flucke, Christoph Engel, Barbara Wappenschmidt, Axel Reinecke-Lüthge, Reinhard Büttner, Rita Katharina Schmutzler

Date Published: 1st Jul 2007

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND The genes caspase-8 (CASP8) and caspase-10 (CASP10) functionally cooperate and play a key role in the initiation of apoptosis. Suppression of apoptosis is one of the major mechanisms underlyingg the origin and progression of cancer. Previous case-control studies have indicated that the polymorphisms CASP8 D302H and CASP10 V410I are associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer in the general population. METHODS To evaluate whether the CASP8 D302H (CASP10 V410I) polymorphisms modify breast or ovarian cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, we analyzed 7,353 (7,227) subjects of white European origin provided by 19 (18) study groups that participate in the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 (CIMBA). A weighted cohort approach was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS The minor allele of CASP8 D302H was significantly associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer (per-allele HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.76-0.97; P(trend) = 0.011) and ovarian cancer (per-allele HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.53-0.89; P(trend) = 0.004) for BRCA1 but not for BRCA2 mutation carriers. The CASP10 V410I polymorphism was not associated with breast or ovarian cancer risk for BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers. CONCLUSIONS CASP8 D302H decreases breast and ovarian cancer risk for BRCA1 mutation carriers but not for BRCA2 mutation carriers. IMPACT The combined application of these and other recently identified genetic risk modifiers could in the future allow better individual risk calculation and could aid in the individualized counseling and decision making with respect to preventive options in BRCA1 mutation carriers.

Authors: Christoph Engel, Beatrix Versmold, Barbara Wappenschmidt, Jacques Simard, Douglas F. Easton, Susan Peock, Margaret Cook, Clare Oliver, Debra Frost, Rebecca Mayes, D. Gareth Evans, Rosalind Eeles, Joan Paterson, Carole Brewer, Lesley McGuffog, Antonis C. Antoniou, Dominique Stoppa-Lyonnet, Olga M. Sinilnikova, Laure Barjhoux, Marc Frenay, Cécile Michel, Dominique Leroux, Helene Dreyfus, Christine Toulas, Laurence Gladieff, Nancy Uhrhammer, Yves-Jean Bignon, Alfons Meindl, Norbert Arnold, Raymonda Varon-Mateeva, Dieter Niederacher, Sabine Preisler-Adams, Karin Kast, Helmut Deissler, Christian Sutter, Dorothea Gadzicki, Georgia Chenevix-Trench, Amanda B. Spurdle, Xiaoqing Chen, Jonathan Beesley, Håkan Olsson, Ulf Kristoffersson, Hans Ehrencrona, Annelie Liljegren, Rob B. van der Luijt, Theo A. van Os, Flora E. van Leeuwen, Susan M. Domchek, Timothy R. Rebbeck, Katherine L. Nathanson, Ana Osorio, Teresa Ramón y Cajal, Irene Konstantopoulou, Javier Benítez, Eitan Friedman, Bella Kaufman, Yael Laitman, Phuong L. Mai, Mark H. Greene, Heli Nevanlinna, Kristiina Aittomäki, Csilla I. Szabo, Trinidad Caldes, Fergus J. Couch, Irene L. Andrulis, Andrew K. Godwin, Ute Hamann, Rita K. Schmutzler

Date Published: 8th Nov 2010

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome

Abstract (Expand)

OBJECTIVE\backslashr\backslashnRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory joint disease with features of an autoimmune disease with female predominance. Candidate genes located on the X-chromosome were selected for a family trio-based association study.\backslashr\backslashnMETHODS\backslashr\backslashnA total of 1452 individuals belonging to 3 different sample sets were genotyped for 16 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in 7 genes. The first 2 sets consisted of 100 family trios, each of French Caucasian origin, and the third of 284 additional family trios of European Caucasian origin. Subgroups were analyzed according to sex of patient and presence of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) autoantibodies.\backslashr\backslashnRESULTS\backslashr\backslashnFour SNP were associated with RA in the first sample set and were genotyped in the second set. In combined analysis of sets 1 and 2, evidence remained for association of 3 SNP in the genes UBA1, TIMP1, and IL9R. These were again genotyped in the third sample set. Two SNP were associated with RA in the joint analysis of all samples: rs6520278 (TIMP1) was associated with RA in general (p = 0.035) and rs3093457 (IL9R) with anti-CCP-positive RA patients (p = 0.037) and male RA patients (p = 0.010). A comparison of the results with data from whole-genome association studies further supports an association of RA with TIMPL The sex-specific association of rs3093457 (IL9R) was supported by the observation that men homozygous for rs3093457-CC are at a significantly higher risk to develop RA than women (risk ratio male/female = 2.98; p = 0.048).\backslashr\backslashnCONCLUSION\backslashr\backslashnWe provide evidence for an association of at least 2 X-chromosomal genes with RA: TIMP1 (rs6520278) and IL9R (rs3093457).

Authors: Jana Burkhardt, Elisabeth Petit-Teixeira, Vitor Hugo Teixeira, Holger Kirsten, Sophie Garnier, Sandra Ruehle, Christian Oeser, Grit Wolfram, Markus Scholz, Paola Migliorini, Alejandro Balsa, Renè Westhovens, Pilar Barrera, Helena Alves, Dora Pascual-Salcedo, Stefano Bombardieri, Jan Dequeker, Timothy R. Radstake, Piet van Riel, Leo van de Putte, Thomas Bardin, Bernard Prum, Ulrike Buchegger-Podbielski, Frank Emmrich, Inga Melchers, François Cornelis, Peter Ahnert

Date Published: 8th Oct 2009

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

IMPORTANCE Limited information about the relationship between specific mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) and cancer risk exists. OBJECTIVE To identify mutation-specific cancer risks for carriersers of BRCA1/2. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Observational study of women who were ascertained between 1937 and 2011 (median, 1999) and found to carry disease-associated BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. The international sample comprised 19,581 carriers of BRCA1 mutations and 11,900 carriers of BRCA2 mutations from 55 centers in 33 countries on 6 continents. We estimated hazard ratios for breast and ovarian cancer based on mutation type, function, and nucleotide position. We also estimated RHR, the ratio of breast vs ovarian cancer hazard ratios. A value of RHR greater than 1 indicated elevated breast cancer risk; a value of RHR less than 1 indicated elevated ovarian cancer risk. EXPOSURES Mutations of BRCA1 or BRCA2. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Breast and ovarian cancer risks. RESULTS Among BRCA1 mutation carriers, 9052 women (46%) were diagnosed with breast cancer, 2317 (12%) with ovarian cancer, 1041 (5%) with breast and ovarian cancer, and 7171 (37%) without cancer. Among BRCA2 mutation carriers, 6180 women (52%) were diagnosed with breast cancer, 682 (6%) with ovarian cancer, 272 (2%) with breast and ovarian cancer, and 4766 (40%) without cancer. In BRCA1, we identified 3 breast cancer cluster regions (BCCRs) located at c.179 to c.505 (BCCR1; RHR = 1.46; 95% CI, 1.22-1.74; P = 2 \times 10(-6)), c.4328 to c.4945 (BCCR2; RHR = 1.34; 95% CI, 1.01-1.78; P = .04), and c. 5261 to c.5563 (BCCR2’, RHR = 1.38; 95% CI, 1.22-1.55; P = 6 \times 10(-9)). We also identified an ovarian cancer cluster region (OCCR) from c.1380 to c.4062 (approximately exon 11) with RHR = 0.62 (95% CI, 0.56-0.70; P = 9 \times 10(-17)). In BRCA2, we observed multiple BCCRs spanning c.1 to c.596 (BCCR1; RHR = 1.71; 95% CI, 1.06-2.78; P = .03), c.772 to c.1806 (BCCR1’; RHR = 1.63; 95% CI, 1.10-2.40; P = .01), and c.7394 to c.8904 (BCCR2; RHR = 2.31; 95% CI, 1.69-3.16; P = .00002). We also identified 3 OCCRs: the first (OCCR1) spanned c.3249 to c.5681 that was adjacent to c.5946delT (6174delT; RHR = 0.51; 95% CI, 0.44-0.60; P = 6 \times 10(-17)). The second OCCR spanned c.6645 to c.7471 (OCCR2; RHR = 0.57; 95% CI, 0.41-0.80; P = .001). Mutations conferring nonsense-mediated decay were associated with differential breast or ovarian cancer risks and an earlier age of breast cancer diagnosis for both BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Breast and ovarian cancer risks varied by type and location of BRCA1/2 mutations. With appropriate validation, these data may have implications for risk assessment and cancer prevention decision making for carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.

Authors: Timothy R. Rebbeck, Nandita Mitra, Fei Wan, Olga M. Sinilnikova, Sue Healey, Lesley McGuffog, Sylvie Mazoyer, Georgia Chenevix-Trench, Douglas F. Easton, Antonis C. Antoniou, Katherine L. Nathanson, Yael Laitman, Anya Kushnir, Shani Paluch-Shimon, Raanan Berger, Jamal Zidan, Eitan Friedman, Hans Ehrencrona, Marie Stenmark-Askmalm, Zakaria Einbeigi, Niklas Loman, Katja Harbst, Johanna Rantala, Beatrice Melin, Dezheng Huo, Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, Joyce Seldon, Patricia A. Ganz, Robert L. Nussbaum, Salina B. Chan, Kunle Odunsi, Simon A. Gayther, Susan M. Domchek, Banu K. Arun, Karen H. Lu, Gillian Mitchell, Beth Y. Karlan, Christine Walsh, Jenny Lester, Andrew K. Godwin, Harsh Pathak, Eric Ross, Mary B. Daly, Alice S. Whittemore, Esther M. John, Alexander Miron, Mary Beth Terry, Wendy K. Chung, David E. Goldgar, Saundra S. Buys, Ramunas Janavicius, Laima Tihomirova, Nadine Tung, Cecilia M. Dorfling, Elizabeth J. van Rensburg, Linda Steele, Susan L. Neuhausen, Yuan Chun Ding, Bent Ejlertsen, Anne-Marie Gerdes, Thomas v. O. Hansen, Teresa Ramón y Cajal, Ana Osorio, Javier Benitez, Javier Godino, Maria-Isabel Tejada, Mercedes Duran, Jeffrey N. Weitzel, Kristie A. Bobolis, Sharon R. Sand, Annette Fontaine, Antonella Savarese, Barbara Pasini, Bernard Peissel, Bernardo Bonanni, Daniela Zaffaroni, Francesca Vignolo-Lutati, Giulietta Scuvera, Giuseppe Giannini, Loris Bernard, Maurizio Genuardi, Paolo Radice, Riccardo Dolcetti, Siranoush Manoukian, Valeria Pensotti, Viviana Gismondi, Drakoulis Yannoukakos, Florentia Fostira, Judy Garber, Diana Torres, Muhammad Usman Rashid, Ute Hamann, Susan Peock, Debra Frost, Radka Platte, D. Gareth Evans, Rosalind Eeles, Rosemarie Davidson, Diana Eccles, Trevor Cole, Jackie Cook, Carole Brewer, Shirley Hodgson, Patrick J. Morrison, Lisa Walker, Mary E. Porteous, M. John Kennedy, Louise Izatt, Julian Adlard, Alan Donaldson, Steve Ellis, Priyanka Sharma, Rita Katharina Schmutzler, Barbara Wappenschmidt, Alexandra Becker, Kerstin Rhiem, Eric Hahnen, Christoph Engel, Alfons Meindl, Stefanie Engert, Nina Ditsch, Norbert Arnold, Hans Jörg Plendl, Christoph Mundhenke, Dieter Niederacher, Markus Fleisch, Christian Sutter, C. R. Bartram, Nicola Dikow, Shan Wang-Gohrke, Dorothea Gadzicki, Doris Steinemann, Karin Kast, Marit Beer, Raymonda Varon-Mateeva, Andrea Gehrig, Bernhard H. Weber, Dominique Stoppa-Lyonnet, Claude Houdayer, Muriel Belotti, Marion Gauthier-Villars, Francesca Damiola, Nadia Boutry-Kryza, Christine Lasset, Hagay Sobol, Jean-Philippe Peyrat, Danièle Muller, Jean-Pierre Fricker, Marie-Agnès Collonge-Rame, Isabelle Mortemousque, Catherine Nogues, Etienne Rouleau, Claudine Isaacs, Anne de Paepe, Bruce Poppe, Kathleen Claes, Kim de Leeneer, Marion Piedmonte, Gustavo Rodriguez, Katie Wakely, John Boggess, Stephanie V. Blank, Jack Basil, Masoud Azodi, Kelly-Anne Phillips, Trinidad Caldes, Miguel de La Hoya, Atocha Romero, Heli Nevanlinna, Kristiina Aittomäki, Annemarie H. van der Hout, Frans B. L. Hogervorst, Senno Verhoef, J. Margriet Collée, Caroline Seynaeve, Jan C. Oosterwijk, Johannes J. P. Gille, Juul T. Wijnen, Encarna B. Gómez Garcia, Carolien M. Kets, Margreet G. E. M. Ausems, Cora M. Aalfs, Peter Devilee, Arjen R. Mensenkamp, Ava Kwong, Edith Olah, Janos Papp, Orland Diez, Conxi Lazaro, Esther Darder, Ignacio Blanco, Mónica Salinas, Anna Jakubowska, Jan Lubinski, Jacek Gronwald, Katarzyna Jaworska-Bieniek, Katarzyna Durda, Grzegorz Sukiennicki, Tomasz Huzarski, Tomasz Byrski, Cezary Cybulski, Aleksandra Toloczko-Grabarek, Elżbieta Złowocka-Perłowska, Janusz Menkiszak, Adalgeir Arason, Rosa B. Barkardottir, Jacques Simard, Rachel Laframboise, Marco Montagna, Simona Agata, Elisa Alducci, Ana Peixoto, Manuel R. Teixeira, Amanda B. Spurdle, Min Hyuk Lee, Sue K. Park, Sung-Won Kim, Tara M. Friebel, Fergus J. Couch, Noralane M. Lindor, Vernon S. Pankratz, Lucia Guidugli, Xianshu Wang, Marc Tischkowitz, Lenka Foretova, Joseph Vijai, Kenneth Offit, Mark Robson, Rohini Rau-Murthy, Noah Kauff, Anneliese Fink-Retter, Christian F. Singer, Christine Rappaport, Daphne Gschwantler-Kaulich, Georg Pfeiler, Muy-Kheng Tea, Andreas Berger, Mark H. Greene, Phuong L. Mai, Evgeny N. Imyanitov, Amanda Ewart Toland, Leigha Senter, Anders Bojesen, Inge Sokilde Pedersen, Anne-Bine Skytte, Lone Sunde, Mads Thomassen, Sanne Traasdahl Moeller, Torben A. Kruse, Uffe Birk Jensen, Maria Adelaide Caligo, Paolo Aretini, Soo-Hwang Teo, Christina G. Selkirk, Peter J. Hulick, Irene Andrulis

Date Published: 7th Apr 2015

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome

Abstract (Expand)

Multiple genetic approaches have identified microRNAs as key effectors in psychiatric disorders as they post-transcriptionally regulate expression of thousands of target genes. However, their role in specific psychiatric diseases remains poorly understood. In addition, epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation, which affect the expression of both microRNAs and coding genes, are critical for our understanding of molecular mechanisms in schizophrenia. Using clinical, imaging, genetic, and epigenetic data of 103 patients with schizophrenia and 111 healthy controls of the Mind Clinical Imaging Consortium (MCIC) study of schizophrenia, we conducted gene set enrichment analysis to identify markers for schizophrenia-associated intermediate phenotypes. Genes were ranked based on the correlation between DNA methylation patterns and each phenotype, and then searched for enrichment in 221 predicted microRNA target gene sets. We found the predicted hsa-miR-219a-5p target gene set to be significantly enriched for genes (EPHA4, PKNOX1, ESR1, among others) whose methylation status is correlated with hippocampal volume independent of disease status. Our results were strengthened by significant associations between hsa-miR-219a-5p target gene methylation patterns and hippocampus-related neuropsychological variables. IPA pathway analysis of the respective predicted hsa-miR-219a-5p target genes revealed associated network functions in behavior and developmental disorders. Altered methylation patterns of predicted hsa-miR-219a-5p target genes are associated with a structural aberration of the brain that has been proposed as a possible biomarker for schizophrenia. The (dys)regulation of microRNA target genes by epigenetic mechanisms may confer additional risk for developing psychiatric symptoms. Further study is needed to understand possible interactions between microRNAs and epigenetic changes and their impact on risk for brain-based disorders such as schizophrenia.   Multiple genetic approaches have identified microRNAs as key effectors in psychiatric disorders as they post-transcriptionally regulate expression of thousands of target genes. However, their role in specific psychiatric diseases remains poorly understood. In addition, epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation, which affect the expression of both microRNAs and coding genes, are critical for our understanding of molecular mechanisms in schizophrenia. Using clinical, imaging, genetic, and epigenetic data of 103 patients with schizophrenia and 111 healthy controls of the Mind Clinical Imaging Consortium (MCIC) study of schizophrenia, we conducted gene set enrichment analysis to identify markers for schizophrenia-associated intermediate phenotypes. Genes were ranked based on the correlation between DNA methylation patterns and each phenotype, and then searched for enrichment in 221 predicted microRNA target gene sets. We found the predicted hsa-miR-219a-5p target gene set to be significantly enriched for genes (EPHA4, PKNOX1, ESR1, among others) whose methylation status is correlated with hippocampal volume independent of disease status. Our results were strengthened by significant associations between hsa-miR-219a-5p target gene methylation patterns and hippocampus-related neuropsychological variables. IPA pathway analysis of the respective predicted hsa-miR-219a-5p target genes revealed associated network functions in behavior and developmental disorders. Altered methylation patterns of predicted hsa-miR-219a-5p target genes are associated with a structural aberration of the brain that has been proposed as a possible biomarker for schizophrenia. The (dys)regulation of microRNA target genes by epigenetic mechanisms may confer additional risk for developing psychiatric symptoms. Further study is needed to understand possible interactions between microRNAs and epigenetic changes and their impact on risk for brain-based disorders such as schizophrenia.   Multiple genetic approaches have identified microRNAs as key effectors in psychiatric disorders as they post-transcriptionally regulate expression of thousands of target genes. However, their role in specific psychiatric diseases remains poorly understood. In addition, epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation, which affect the expression of both microRNAs and coding genes, are critical for our understanding of molecular mechanisms in schizophrenia. Using clinical, imaging, genetic, and epigenetic data of 103 patients with schizophrenia and 111 healthy controls of the Mind Clinical Imaging Consortium (MCIC) study of schizophrenia, we conducted gene set enrichment analysis to identify markers for schizophrenia-associated intermediate phenotypes. Genes were ranked based on the correlation between DNA methylation patterns and each phenotype, and then searched for enrichment in 221 predicted microRNA target gene sets. We found the predicted hsa-miR-219a-5p target gene set to be significantly enriched for genes (EPHA4, PKNOX1, ESR1, among others) whose methylation status is correlated with hippocampal volume independent of disease status. Our results were strengthened by significant associations between hsa-miR-219a-5p target gene methylation patterns and hippocampus-related neuropsychological variables. IPA pathway analysis of the respective predicted hsa-miR-219a-5p target genes revealed associated network functions in behavior and developmental disorders. Altered methylation patterns of predicted hsa-miR-219a-5p target genes are associated with a structural aberration of the brain that has been proposed as a possible biomarker for schizophrenia. The (dys)regulation of microRNA target genes by epigenetic mechanisms may confer additional risk for developing psychiatric symptoms. Further study is needed to understand possible interactions between microRNAs and epigenetic changes and their impact on risk for brain-based disorders such as schizophrenia. //  Multiple genetic approaches have identified microRNAs as key effectors in psychiatric disorders as they post-transcriptionally regulate expression of thousands of target genes. However, their role in specific psychiatric diseases remains poorly understood. In addition, epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation, which affect the expression of both microRNAs and coding genes, are critical for our understanding of molecular mechanisms in schizophrenia. Using clinical, imaging, genetic, and epigenetic data of 103 patients with schizophrenia and 111 healthy controls of the Mind Clinical Imaging Consortium (MCIC) study of schizophrenia, we conducted gene set enrichment analysis to identify markers for schizophrenia-associated intermediate phenotypes. Genes were ranked based on the correlation between DNA methylation patterns and each phenotype, and then searched for enrichment in 221 predicted microRNA target gene sets. We found the predicted hsa-miR-219a-5p target gene set to be significantly enriched for genes (EPHA4, PKNOX1, ESR1, among others) whose methylation status is correlated with hippocampal volume independent of disease status. Our results were strengthened by significant associations between hsa-miR-219a-5p target gene methylation patterns and hippocampus-related neuropsychological variables. IPA pathway analysis of the respective predicted hsa-miR-219a-5p target genes revealed associated network functions in behavior and developmental disorders. Altered methylation patterns of predicted hsa-miR-219a-5p target genes are associated with a structural aberration of the brain that has been proposed as a possible biomarker for schizophrenia. The (dys)regulation of microRNA target genes by epigenetic mechanisms may confer additional risk for developing psychiatric symptoms. Further study is needed to understand possible interactions between microRNAs and epigenetic changes and their impact on risk for brain-based disorders such as schizophrenia.

Authors: Johanna Hass, Esther Walton, Carrie Wright, Andreas Beyer, Markus Scholz, Jessica Turner, Jingyu Liu, Michael N. Smolka, Veit Roessner, Scott R. Sponheim, Randy L. Gollub, Vince D. Calhoun, Stefan Ehrlich

Date Published: 1st Jun 2015

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

INTRODUCTION More than 70 common alleles are known to be involved in breast cancer (BC) susceptibility, and several exhibit significant heterogeneity in their associations with different BC subtypes.. Although there are differences in the association patterns between BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers and the general population for several loci, no study has comprehensively evaluated the associations of all known BC susceptibility alleles with risk of BC subtypes in BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers. METHODS We used data from 15,252 BRCA1 and 8,211 BRCA2 carriers to analyze the associations between approximately 200,000 genetic variants on the iCOGS array and risk of BC subtypes defined by estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and triple-negative- (TN) status; morphologic subtypes; histological grade; and nodal involvement. RESULTS The estimated BC hazard ratios (HRs) for the 74 known BC alleles in BRCA1 carriers exhibited moderate correlations with the corresponding odds ratios from the general population. However, their associations with ER-positive BC in BRCA1 carriers were more consistent with the ER-positive associations in the general population (intraclass correlation (ICC) = 0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.45 to 0.74), and the same was true when considering ER-negative associations in both groups (ICC = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.42 to 0.72). Similarly, there was strong correlation between the ER-positive associations for BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers (ICC = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.52 to 0.78), whereas ER-positive associations in any one of the groups were generally inconsistent with ER-negative associations in any of the others. After stratifying by ER status in mutation carriers, additional significant associations were observed. Several previously unreported variants exhibited associations at P \textless10(-6) in the analyses by PR status, HER2 status, TN phenotype, morphologic subtypes, histological grade and nodal involvement. CONCLUSIONS Differences in associations of common BC susceptibility alleles between BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers and the general population are explained to a large extent by differences in the prevalence of ER-positive and ER-negative tumors. Estimates of the risks associated with these variants based on population-based studies are likely to be applicable to mutation carriers after taking ER status into account, which has implications for risk prediction.

Authors: Karoline B. Kuchenbaecker, Susan L. Neuhausen, Mark Robson, Daniel Barrowdale, Lesley McGuffog, Anna Marie Mulligan, Irene L. Andrulis, Amanda B. Spurdle, Marjanka K. Schmidt, Rita K. Schmutzler, Christoph Engel, Barbara Wappenschmidt, Heli Nevanlinna, Mads Thomassen, Melissa Southey, Paolo Radice, Susan J. Ramus, Susan M. Domchek, Katherine L. Nathanson, Andrew Lee, Sue Healey, Robert L. Nussbaum, Timothy R. Rebbeck, Banu K. Arun, Paul James, Beth Y. Karlan, Jenny Lester, Ilana Cass, Mary Beth Terry, Mary B. Daly, David E. Goldgar, Saundra S. Buys, Ramunas Janavicius, Laima Tihomirova, Nadine Tung, Cecilia M. Dorfling, Elizabeth J. van Rensburg, Linda Steele, Thomas v O Hansen, Bent Ejlertsen, Anne-Marie Gerdes, Finn C. Nielsen, Joe Dennis, Julie Cunningham, Steven Hart, Susan Slager, Ana Osorio, Javier Benitez, Mercedes Duran, Jeffrey N. Weitzel, Isaac Tafur, Mary Hander, Paolo Peterlongo, Siranoush Manoukian, Bernard Peissel, Gaia Roversi, Giulietta Scuvera, Bernardo Bonanni, Paolo Mariani, Sara Volorio, Riccardo Dolcetti, Liliana Varesco, Laura Papi, Maria Grazia Tibiletti, Giuseppe Giannini, Florentia Fostira, Irene Konstantopoulou, Judy Garber, Ute Hamann, Alan Donaldson, Carole Brewer, Claire Foo, D. Gareth Evans, Debra Frost, Diana Eccles, Fiona Douglas, Angela Brady, Jackie Cook, Marc Tischkowitz, Julian Adlard, Julian Barwell, Kai-Ren Ong, Lisa Walker, Louise Izatt, Lucy E. Side, M. John Kennedy, Mark T. Rogers, Mary E. Porteous, Patrick J. Morrison, Radka Platte, Ros Eeles, Rosemarie Davidson, Shirley Hodgson, Steve Ellis, Andrew K. Godwin, Kerstin Rhiem, Alfons Meindl, Nina Ditsch, Norbert Arnold, Hansjoerg Plendl, Dieter Niederacher, Christian Sutter, Doris Steinemann, Nadja Bogdanova-Markov, Karin Kast, Raymonda Varon-Mateeva, Shan Wang-Gohrke, Andrea Gehrig, Birgid Markiefka, Bruno Buecher, Cédrick Lefol, Dominique Stoppa-Lyonnet, Etienne Rouleau, Fabienne Prieur, Francesca Damiola, Laure Barjhoux, Laurence Faivre, Michel Longy, Nicolas Sevenet, Olga M. Sinilnikova, Sylvie Mazoyer, Valérie Bonadona, Virginie Caux-Moncoutier, Claudine Isaacs, Tom van Maerken, Kathleen Claes, Marion Piedmonte, Lesley Andrews, John Hays, Gustavo C. Rodriguez, Trinidad Caldes, Miguel de La Hoya, Sofia Khan, Frans B. L. Hogervorst, Cora M. Aalfs, J. L. de Lange, Hanne E. J. Meijers-Heijboer, Annemarie H. van der Hout, Juul T. Wijnen, K. E. P. van Roozendaal, Arjen R. Mensenkamp, Ans M. W. van den Ouweland, Carolien H. M. van Deurzen, Rob B. van der Luijt, Edith Olah, Orland Diez, Conxi Lazaro, Ignacio Blanco, Alex Teulé, Mireia Menendez, Anna Jakubowska, Jan Lubinski, Cezary Cybulski, Jacek Gronwald, Katarzyna Jaworska-Bieniek, Katarzyna Durda, Adalgeir Arason, Christine Maugard, Penny Soucy, Marco Montagna, Simona Agata, Manuel R. Teixeira, Curtis Olswold, Noralane Lindor, Vernon S. Pankratz, Emily Hallberg, Xianshu Wang, Csilla I. Szabo, Joseph Vijai, Lauren Jacobs, Marina Corines, Anne Lincoln, Andreas Berger, Anneliese Fink-Retter, Christian F. Singer, Christine Rappaport, Daphne Gschwantler Kaulich, Georg Pfeiler, Muy-Kheng Tea, Catherine M. Phelan, Phuong L. Mai, Mark H. Greene, Gad Rennert, Evgeny N. Imyanitov, Gord Glendon, Amanda Ewart Toland, Anders Bojesen, Inge Sokilde Pedersen, Uffe Birk Jensen, Maria A. Caligo, Eitan Friedman, Raanan Berger, Yael Laitman, Johanna Rantala, Brita Arver, Niklas Loman, Ake Borg, Hans Ehrencrona, Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, Jacques Simard, Douglas F. Easton, Georgia Chenevix-Trench, Kenneth Offit, Fergus J. Couch, Antonis C. Antoniou

Date Published: 1st Dec 2014

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome

Abstract (Expand)

OBJECTIVE: There is evidence that sexual hormone concentrations and anthropometric factors influence the human voice. The goal of this study was to investigate to what extent body mass index (BMI), body height, body weight, breast-to-abdomen-ratio, testosterone, estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone are associated with the sound pressure level and the fundamental frequency of the speaking voice in a cross-sectional approach among adults in the general population. METHODS: Speaking voice profiles with four different intensity levels, hormone concentrations, and anthropometric parameters were assessed for 2,381 individuals aged 40-79 years, who were randomly sampled from the population of a large city in Germany. Multivariate analysis was performed, adjusting for age and stratified by sex. RESULTS: Taller body height was associated with lower frequencies. Higher body weight was associated with lower frequencies and higher sound pressure levels. The ratio of chest to abdominal circumference was associated with the sound pressure levels in males and females: participants with larger breast-to-abdomen-ratio were found to have higher sound pressure levels. Among the sexual hormones, higher concentrations of DHEA-S were associated with lower fundamental frequencies of the voice while using the normal speaking voice. In addition, bioavailable testosterone was associated with the sound pressure level of the normal speaking voice in men and the softest speaking voice in women. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that BMI, body height, body weight, breast-to-abdomen-ratio, bioavailable testosterone, and DHEA-S are associated with the speaking voice in adults. No associations between testosterone and the frequency of the speaking voice were found.

Authors: L. Jost, M. Fuchs, M. Loeffler, J. Thiery, J. Kratzsch, T. Berger, C. Engel

Date Published: 26th Jul 2017

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Holger Kirsten, Arndt Wilcke, Carolin Ligges, Johannes Boltze, Peter Ahnert

Date Published: 2012

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Standard stereotaxic reference systems play a key role in human brain studies. Stereotaxic coordinate systems have also been developed for experimental animals including non-human primates, dogs, and rodents. However, they are lacking for other species being relevant in experimental neuroscience including sheep. Here, we present a spatial, unbiased ovine brain template with tissue probability maps (TPM) that offer a detailed stereotaxic reference frame for anatomical features and localization of brain areas, thereby enabling inter-individual and cross-study comparability. Three-dimensional data sets from healthy adult Merino sheep (Ovis orientalis aries, 12 ewes and 26 neutered rams) were acquired on a 1.5 T Philips MRI using a T1w sequence. Data were averaged by linear and non-linear registration algorithms. Moreover, animals were subjected to detailed brain volume analysis including examinations with respect to body weight (BW), age, and sex. The created T1w brain template provides an appropriate population-averaged ovine brain anatomy in a spatial standard coordinate system. Additionally, TPM for gray (GM) and white (WM) matter as well as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) classification enabled automatic prior-based tissue segmentation using statistical parametric mapping (SPM). Overall, a positive correlation of GM volume and BW explained about 15% of the variance of GM while a positive correlation between WM and age was found. Absolute tissue volume differences were not detected, indeed ewes showed significantly more GM per bodyweight as compared to neutered rams. The created framework including spatial brain template and TPM represent a useful tool for unbiased automatic image preprocessing and morphological characterization in sheep. Therefore, the reported results may serve as a starting point for further experimental and/or translational research aiming at in vivo analysis in this species.   Standard stereotaxic reference systems play a key role in human brain studies. Stereotaxic coordinate systems have also been developed for experimental animals including non-human primates, dogs, and rodents. However, they are lacking for other species being relevant in experimental neuroscience including sheep. Here, we present a spatial, unbiased ovine brain template with tissue probability maps (TPM) that offer a detailed stereotaxic reference frame for anatomical features and localization of brain areas, thereby enabling inter-individual and cross-study comparability. Three-dimensional data sets from healthy adult Merino sheep (Ovis orientalis aries, 12 ewes and 26 neutered rams) were acquired on a 1.5 T Philips MRI using a T1w sequence. Data were averaged by linear and non-linear registration algorithms. Moreover, animals were subjected to detailed brain volume analysis including examinations with respect to body weight (BW), age, and sex. The created T1w brain template provides an appropriate population-averaged ovine brain anatomy in a spatial standard coordinate system. Additionally, TPM for gray (GM) and white (WM) matter as well as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) classification enabled automatic prior-based tissue segmentation using statistical parametric mapping (SPM). Overall, a positive correlation of GM volume and BW explained about 15% of the variance of GM while a positive correlation between WM and age was found. Absolute tissue volume differences were not detected, indeed ewes showed significantly more GM per bodyweight as compared to neutered rams. The created framework including spatial brain template and TPM represent a useful tool for unbiased automatic image preprocessing and morphological characterization in sheep. Therefore, the reported results may serve as a starting point for further experimental and/or translational research aiming at in vivo analysis in this species.   Standard stereotaxic reference systems play a key role in human brain studies. Stereotaxic coordinate systems have also been developed for experimental animals including non-human primates, dogs, and rodents. However, they are lacking for other species being relevant in experimental neuroscience including sheep. Here, we present a spatial, unbiased ovine brain template with tissue probability maps (TPM) that offer a detailed stereotaxic reference frame for anatomical features and localization of brain areas, thereby enabling inter-individual and cross-study comparability. Three-dimensional data sets from healthy adult Merino sheep (Ovis orientalis aries, 12 ewes and 26 neutered rams) were acquired on a 1.5 T Philips MRI using a T1w sequence. Data were averaged by linear and non-linear registration algorithms. Moreover, animals were subjected to detailed brain volume analysis including examinations with respect to body weight (BW), age, and sex. The created T1w brain template provides an appropriate population-averaged ovine brain anatomy in a spatial standard coordinate system. Additionally, TPM for gray (GM) and white (WM) matter as well as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) classification enabled automatic prior-based tissue segmentation using statistical parametric mapping (SPM). Overall, a positive correlation of GM volume and BW explained about 15% of the variance of GM while a positive correlation between WM and age was found. Absolute tissue volume differences were not detected, indeed ewes showed significantly more GM per bodyweight as compared to neutered rams. The created framework including spatial brain template and TPM represent a useful tool for unbiased automatic image preprocessing and morphological characterization in sheep. Therefore, the reported results may serve as a starting point for further experimental and/or translational research aiming at in vivo analysis in this species. //  Standard stereotaxic reference systems play a key role in human brain studies. Stereotaxic coordinate systems have also been developed for experimental animals including non-human primates, dogs, and rodents. However, they are lacking for other species being relevant in experimental neuroscience including sheep. Here, we present a spatial, unbiased ovine brain template with tissue probability maps (TPM) that offer a detailed stereotaxic reference frame for anatomical features and localization of brain areas, thereby enabling inter-individual and cross-study comparability. Three-dimensional data sets from healthy adult Merino sheep (Ovis orientalis aries, 12 ewes and 26 neutered rams) were acquired on a 1.5 T Philips MRI using a T1w sequence. Data were averaged by linear and non-linear registration algorithms. Moreover, animals were subjected to detailed brain volume analysis including examinations with respect to body weight (BW), age, and sex. The created T1w brain template provides an appropriate population-averaged ovine brain anatomy in a spatial standard coordinate system. Additionally, TPM for gray (GM) and white (WM) matter as well as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) classification enabled automatic prior-based tissue segmentation using statistical parametric mapping (SPM). Overall, a positive correlation of GM volume and BW explained about 15% of the variance of GM while a positive correlation between WM and age was found. Absolute tissue volume differences were not detected, indeed ewes showed significantly more GM per bodyweight as compared to neutered rams. The created framework including spatial brain template and TPM represent a useful tool for unbiased automatic image preprocessing and morphological characterization in sheep. Therefore, the reported results may serve as a starting point for further experimental and/or translational research aiming at in vivo analysis in this species.

Authors: Björn Nitzsche, Stephen Frey, Louis D. Collins, Johannes Seeger, Donald Lobsien, Antje Dreyer, Holger Kirsten, Michael H. Stoffel, Vladimir S. Fonov, Johannes Boltze

Date Published: 4th Jun 2015

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Despite progress in identifying the cellular composition of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HSPC) niches, little is known about the molecular requirements of HSPC support. To address this issue, we used a panel of six recognized HSPC-supportive stromal lines and less-supportive counterparts originating from embryonic and adult hematopoietic sites. Through comprehensive transcriptomic meta-analyses, we identified 481 mRNAs and 17 microRNAs organized in a modular network implicated in paracrine signaling. Further inclusion of 18 additional cell strains demonstrated that this mRNA subset was predictive of HSPC support. Our gene set contains most known HSPC regulators as well as a number of unexpected ones, such as Pax9 and Ccdc80, as validated by functional studies in zebrafish embryos. In sum, our approach has identified the core molecular network required for HSPC support. These cues, along with a searchable web resource, will inform ongoing efforts to instruct HSPC ex vivo amplification and formation from pluripotent precursors.

Authors: P. Charbord, C. Pouget, H. Binder, F. Dumont, G. Stik, P. Levy, F. Allain, C. Marchal, J. Richter, B. Uzan, F. Pflumio, F. Letourneur, H. Wirth, E. Dzierzak, D. Traver, T. Jaffredo, C. Durand

Date Published: 4th Sep 2014

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Alfred Winter, Reinhold Haux

Date Published: 1994

Publication Type: Misc

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Alfred Winter, Reinhold Haux

Date Published: 1995

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: R. Treudler, S. Zeynalova, F. Walther, C. Engel, J. C. Simon

Date Published: 2nd Aug 2017

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: atopic dermatitis

Abstract (Expand)

Background Dyslexia is a specific learning disorder affecting reading and spelling abilities. Its prevalence is ~5% in German-speaking individuals. Although the etiology of dyslexia largely remains too be determined, comprehensive evidence supports deficient phonological processing as a major contributing factor. An important prerequisite for phonological processing is auditory discrimination and, thus, essential for acquiring reading and spelling skills. The event-related potential Mismatch Response (MMR) is an indicator for auditory discrimination capabilities with dyslexics showing an altered late component of MMR in response to auditory input. Methods In this study, we comprehensively analyzed associations of dyslexia-specific late MMRs with genetic variants previously reported to be associated with dyslexia-related phenotypes in multiple studies comprising 25 independent single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within 10 genes. Results First, we demonstrated validity of these SNPs for dyslexia in our sample by showing that additional inclusion of a polygenic risk score improved prediction of impaired writing compared with a model that used MMR alone. Secondly, a multifactorial regression analysis was conducted to uncover the subset of the 25 SNPs that is associated with the dyslexia-specific late component of MMR. In total, four independent SNPs within DYX1C1 and ATP2C2 were found to be associated with MMR stronger than expected from multiple testing. To explore potential pathomechanisms, we annotated these variants with functional data including tissue-specific expression analysis and eQTLs. Conclusion Our findings corroborate the late component of MMR as a potential endophenotype for dyslexia and support tripartite relationships between dyslexia-related SNPs, the late component of MMR and dyslexia.

Authors: Bent Müller, Gesa Schaadt, Johannes Boltze, Frank Emmrich, Michael A. Skeide, Nicole E. Neef, Indra Kraft, Jens Brauer, Angela D. Friederici, Holger Kirsten, Arndt Wilcke

Date Published: 1st Nov 2017

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

The breast cancer risk variants identified in genome-wide association studies explain only a small fraction of the familial relative risk, and the genes responsible for these associations remain largely unknown. To identify novel risk loci and likely causal genes, we performed a transcriptome-wide association study evaluating associations of genetically predicted gene expression with breast cancer risk in 122,977 cases and 105,974 controls of European ancestry. We used data from the Genotype-Tissue Expression Project to establish genetic models to predict gene expression in breast tissue and evaluated model performance using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Of the 8,597 genes evaluated, significant associations were identified for 48 at a Bonferroni-corrected threshold of P \textless 5.82 \times 10-6, including 14 genes at loci not yet reported for breast cancer. We silenced 13 genes and showed an effect for 11 on cell proliferation and/or colony-forming efficiency. Our study provides new insights into breast cancer genetics and biology.

Authors: Lang Wu, Wei Shi, Jirong Long, Xingyi Guo, Kyriaki Michailidou, Jonathan Beesley, Manjeet K. Bolla, Xiao-Ou Shu, Yingchang Lu, Qiuyin Cai, Fares Al-Ejeh, Esdy Rozali, Qin Wang, Joe Dennis, Bingshan Li, Chenjie Zeng, Helian Feng, Alexander Gusev, Richard T. Barfield, Irene L. Andrulis, Hoda Anton-Culver, Volker Arndt, Kristan J. Aronson, Paul L. Auer, Myrto Barrdahl, Caroline Baynes, Matthias W. Beckmann, Javier Benitez, Marina Bermisheva, Carl Blomqvist, Natalia V. Bogdanova, Stig E. Bojesen, Hiltrud Brauch, Hermann Brenner, Louise Brinton, Per Broberg, Sara Y. Brucker, Barbara Burwinkel, Trinidad Caldés, Federico Canzian, Brian D. Carter, J. Esteban Castelao, Jenny Chang-Claude, Xiaoqing Chen, Ting-Yuan David Cheng, Hans Christiansen, Christine L. Clarke, Margriet Collée, Sten Cornelissen, Fergus J. Couch, David Cox, Angela Cox, Simon S. Cross, Julie M. Cunningham, Kamila Czene, Mary B. Daly, Peter Devilee, Kimberly F. Doheny, Thilo Dörk, Isabel Dos-Santos-Silva, Martine Dumont, Miriam Dwek, Diana M. Eccles, Ursula Eilber, A. Heather Eliassen, Christoph Engel, Mikael Eriksson, Laura Fachal, Peter A. Fasching, Jonine Figueroa, Dieter Flesch-Janys, Olivia Fletcher, Henrik Flyger, Lin Fritschi, Marike Gabrielson, Manuela Gago-Dominguez, Susan M. Gapstur, Montserrat García-Closas, Mia M. Gaudet, Maya Ghoussaini, Graham G. Giles, Mark S. Goldberg, David E. Goldgar, Anna González-Neira, Pascal Guénel, Eric Hahnen, Christopher A. Haiman, Niclas Håkansson, Per Hall, Emily Hallberg, Ute Hamann, Patricia Harrington, Alexander Hein, Belynda Hicks, Peter Hillemanns, Antoinette Hollestelle, Robert N. Hoover, John L. Hopper, Guanmengqian Huang, Keith Humphreys, David J. Hunter, Anna Jakubowska, Wolfgang Janni, Esther M. John, Nichola Johnson, Kristine Jones, Michael E. Jones, Audrey Jung, Rudolf Kaaks, Michael J. Kerin, Elza Khusnutdinova, Veli-Matti Kosma, Vessela N. Kristensen, Diether Lambrechts, Loic Le Marchand, Jingmei Li, Sara Lindström, Jolanta Lissowska, Wing-Yee Lo, Sibylle Loibl, Jan Lubinski, Craig Luccarini, Michael P. Lux, Robert J. MacInnis, Tom Maishman, Ivana Maleva Kostovska, Arto Mannermaa, JoAnn E. Manson, Sara Margolin, Dimitrios Mavroudis, Hanne Meijers-Heijboer, Alfons Meindl, Usha Menon, Jeffery Meyer, Anna Marie Mulligan, Susan L. Neuhausen, Heli Nevanlinna, Patrick Neven, Sune F. Nielsen, Børge G. Nordestgaard, Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, Janet E. Olson, Håkan Olsson, Paolo Peterlongo, Julian Peto, Dijana Plaseska-Karanfilska, Ross Prentice, Nadege Presneau, Katri Pylkäs, Brigitte Rack, Paolo Radice, Nazneen Rahman, Gad Rennert, Hedy S. Rennert, Valerie Rhenius, Atocha Romero, Jane Romm, Anja Rudolph, Emmanouil Saloustros, Dale P. Sandler, Elinor J. Sawyer, Marjanka K. Schmidt, Rita K. Schmutzler, Andreas Schneeweiss, Rodney J. Scott, Christopher G. Scott, Sheila Seal, Mitul Shah, Martha J. Shrubsole, Ann Smeets, Melissa C. Southey, John J. Spinelli, Jennifer Stone, Harald Surowy, Anthony J. Swerdlow, Rulla M. Tamimi, William Tapper, Jack A. Taylor, Mary Beth Terry, Daniel C. Tessier, Abigail Thomas, Kathrin Thöne, Rob A. E. M. Tollenaar, Diana Torres, Thérèse Truong, Michael Untch, Celine Vachon, David van den Berg, Daniel Vincent, Quinten Waisfisz, Clarice R. Weinberg, Camilla Wendt, Alice S. Whittemore, Hans Wildiers, Walter C. Willett, Robert Winqvist, Alicja Wolk, Lucy Xia, Xiaohong R. Yang, Argyrios Ziogas, Elad Ziv, Alison M. Dunning, Paul D. P. Pharoah, Jacques Simard, Roger L. Milne, Stacey L. Edwards, Peter Kraft, Douglas F. Easton, Georgia Chenevix-Trench, Wei Zheng

Date Published: 1st Jul 2018

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome

Abstract (Expand)

Genetic splice variants have become of central interest in recent years, as they play an important role in different cancers. Little is known about splice variants in melanoma. Here, we analyzed a genome-wide transcriptomic dataset of benign melanocytic nevi and primary melanomas (n = 80) for the expression of specific splice variants. Using kallisto, a map for differentially expressed splice variants in melanoma vs. benign melanocytic nevi was generated. Among the top genes with differentially expressed splice variants were Ras-related in brain 6B (RAB6B), a member of the RAS family of GTPases, Macrophage Scavenger Receptor 1 (MSR1), Collagen Type XI Alpha 2 Chain (COLL11A2), and LY6/PLAUR Domain Containing 1 (LYPD1). The Gene Ontology terms of differentially expressed splice variants showed no enrichment for functional gene sets of melanoma vs. nevus lesions, but between type 1 (pigmentation type) and type 2 (immune response type) melanocytic lesions. A number of genes such as Checkpoint Kinase 1 (CHEK1) showed an association of mutational patterns and occurrence of splice variants in melanoma. Moreover, mutations in genes of the splicing machinery were common in both benign nevi and melanomas, suggesting a common mechanism starting early in melanoma development. Mutations in some of these genes of the splicing machinery, such as Serine and Arginine Rich Splicing Factor A3 and B3 (SF3A3, SF3B3), were significantly enriched in melanomas as compared to benign nevi. Taken together, a map of splice variants in melanoma is presented that shows a multitude of differentially expressed splice genes between benign nevi and primary melanomas. The underlying mechanisms may involve mutations in genes of the splicing machinery.

Authors: S. Hakobyan, H. Loeffler-Wirth, A. Arakelyan, H. Binder, M. Kunz

Date Published: 2nd Jul 2021

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is characterized by profound destruction of cortical language areas. Anatomical studies suggest an involvement of cholinergic basal forebrain (BF) in PPA syndromes, particularly in the area of the nucleus subputaminalis (NSP). Here we aimed to determine the pattern of atrophy and structural covariance as a proxy of structural connectivity of BF nuclei in PPA variants. We studied 62 prospectively recruited cases with the clinical diagnosis of PPA and 31 healthy older control participants from the cohort study of the German consortium for frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). We determined cortical and BF atrophy based on high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Patterns of structural covariance of BF with cortical regions were determined using voxel-based partial least square analysis. We found significant atrophy of total BF and BF subregions in PPA patients compared with controls [F(1, 82) = 20.2, p < .001]. Atrophy was most pronounced in the NSP and the posterior BF, and most severe in the semantic variant and the nonfluent variant of PPA. Structural covariance analysis in healthy controls revealed associations of the BF nuclei, particularly the NSP, with left hemispheric predominant prefrontal, lateral temporal, and parietal cortical areas, including Broca's speech area (p < .001, permutation test). In contrast, the PPA patients showed preserved structural covariance of the BF nuclei mostly with right but not with left hemispheric cortical areas (p < .001, permutation test). Our findings agree with the neuroanatomically proposed involvement of the cholinergic BF, particularly the NSP, in PPA syndromes. We found a shift from a structural covariance of the BF with left hemispheric cortical areas in healthy aging towards right hemispheric cortical areas in PPA, possibly reflecting a consequence of the profound and early destruction of cortical language areas in PPA.

Authors: S. Teipel, T. Raiser, L. Riedl, I. Riederer, M. L. Schroeter, S. Bisenius, A. Schneider, J. Kornhuber, K. Fliessbach, A. Spottke, M. J. Grothe, J. Prudlo, J. Kassubek, A. Ludolph, B. Landwehrmeyer, S. Straub, M. Otto, A. Danek

Date Published: 11th Aug 2016

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: aphasia

Abstract (Expand)

Neonatal chronic lung disease (nCLD) affects a significant number of neonates receiving mechanical ventilation with oxygen-rich gas (MV-O2). Regardless, the primary molecular driver of the disease remains elusive. We discover significant enrichment for SNPs in the PDGF-R\textgreeka gene in preterms with nCLD and directly test the effect of PDGF-R\textgreeka haploinsufficiency on the development of nCLD using a preclinical mouse model of MV-O2 In the context of MV-O2, attenuated PDGF signaling independently contributes to defective septation and endothelial cell apoptosis stemming from a PDGF-R\textgreeka-dependent reduction in lung VEGF-A. TGF-\textgreekb contributes to the PDGF-R\textgreeka-dependent decrease in myofibroblast function. Remarkably, endotracheal treatment with exogenous PDGF-A rescues both the lung defects in haploinsufficient mice undergoing MV-O2 Overall, our results establish attenuated PDGF signaling as an important driver of nCLD pathology with provision of PDGF-A as a protective strategy for newborns undergoing MV-O2.

Authors: Prajakta Oak, Tina Pritzke, Isabella Thiel, Markus Koschlig, Daphne S. Mous, Anita Windhorst, Noopur Jain, Oliver Eickelberg, Kai Foerster, Andreas Schulze, Wolfgang Goepel, Tobias Reicherzer, Harald Ehrhardt, Robbert J. Rottier, Peter Ahnert, Ludwig Gortner, Tushar J. Desai, Anne Hilgendorff

Date Published: 9th Oct 2017

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Objective: The attitudes about the usage of artificial intelligence in healthcare are controversial. Unlike the perception of healthcare professionals, the attitudes of patients and their companions have been of less interest so far. In this study, we aimed to investigate the perception of artificial intelligence in healthcare among this highly relevant group along with the influence of digital affinity and sociodemographic factors. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using a paper-based questionnaire with patients and their companions at a German tertiary referral hospital from December 2019 to February 2020. The questionnaire consisted of three sections examining (a) the respondents’ technical affinity, (b) their perception of different aspects of artificial intelligence in healthcare and (c) sociodemographic characteristics. Results: From a total of 452 participants, more than 90% already read or heard about artificial intelligence, but only 24% reported good or expert knowledge. Asked on their general perception, 53.18% of the respondents rated the use of artificial intelligence in medicine as positive or very positive, but only 4.77% negative or very negative. The respondents denied concerns about artificial intelligence, but strongly agreed that artificial intelligence must be controlled by a physician. Older patients, women, persons with lower education and technical affinity were more cautious on the healthcare-related artificial intelligence usage. Conclusions: German patients and their companions are open towards the usage of artificial intelligence in healthcare. Although showing only a mediocre knowledge about artificial intelligence, a majority rated artificial intelligence in healthcare as positive. Particularly, patients insist that a physician supervises the artificial intelligence and keeps ultimate responsibility for diagnosis and therapy.

Authors: Sebastian J Fritsch, Andrea Blankenheim, Alina Wahl, Petra Hetfeld, Oliver Maassen, Saskia Deffge, Julian Kunze, Rolf Rossaint, Morris Riedel, Gernot Marx, Johannes Bickenbach

Date Published: 2022

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: M. Löffler, Alfred Winter

Date Published: 2

Publication Type: Misc

Abstract (Expand)

To control the heterogeneity inherent to hospital information systems the information management needs appropriate hospital information systems modeling methods or techniques. This paper shows that, for several reasons, available modeling approaches are not able to answer relevant questions of information management. To overcome this major deficiency we offer an UML-based ontology for describing hospital information systems architectures. This ontology views at three layers: the domain layer, the logical tool layer, and the physical tool layer, and defines the relevant components. The relations between these components, especially between components of different layers make the answering of our information management questions possible.

Authors: Alfred Winter, Birgit Brigl, Thomas Wendt

Date Published: 2001

Publication Type: InCollection

Abstract (Expand)

The AURKA oncogene is associated with abnormal chromosome segregation and aneuploidy and predisposition to cancer. Amplification of AURKA has been detected at higher frequency in tumors from BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers than in sporadic breast tumors, suggesting that overexpression of AURKA and inactivation of BRCA1 and BRCA2 cooperate during tumor development and progression. The F31I polymorphism in AURKA has been associated with breast cancer risk in the homozygous state in prior studies. We evaluated whether the AURKA F31I polymorphism modifies breast cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers from the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2. Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 was established to provide sufficient statistical power through increased numbers of mutation carriers to identify polymorphisms that act as modifiers of cancer risk and can refine breast cancer risk estimates in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers. A total of 4,935 BRCA1 and 2,241 BRCA2 mutation carriers and 11 individuals carrying both BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations was genotyped for F31I. Overall, homozygosity for the 31I allele was not significantly associated with breast cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers combined [hazard ratio (HR), 0.91; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.77-1.06]. Similarly, no significant association was seen in BRCA1 (HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.75-1.08) or BRCA2 carriers (HR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.67-1.29) or when assessing the modifying effects of either bilateral prophylactic oophorectomy or menopausal status of BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers. In summary, the F31I polymorphism in AURKA is not associated with a modified risk of breast cancer in BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers.

Authors: Fergus J. Couch, Olga Sinilnikova, Robert A. Vierkant, V. Shane Pankratz, Zachary S. Fredericksen, Dominique Stoppa-Lyonnet, Isabelle Coupier, David Hughes, Agnès Hardouin, Pascaline Berthet, Susan Peock, Margaret Cook, Caroline Baynes, Shirley Hodgson, Patrick J. Morrison, Mary E. Porteous, Anna Jakubowska, Jan Lubinski, Jacek Gronwald, Amanda B. Spurdle, Rita Schmutzler, Beatrix Versmold, Christoph Engel, Alfons Meindl, Christian Sutter, Jurgen Horst, Dieter Schaefer, Kenneth Offit, Tomas Kirchhoff, Irene L. Andrulis, Eduard Ilyushik, Gordon Glendon, Peter Devilee, Maaike P. G. Vreeswijk, Hans F. A. Vasen, Ake Borg, Katja Backenhorn, Jeffery P. Struewing, Mark H. Greene, Susan L. Neuhausen, Timothy R. Rebbeck, Katherine Nathanson, Susan Domchek, Theresa Wagner, Judy E. Garber, Csilla Szabo, Michal Zikan, Lenka Foretova, Janet E. Olson, Thomas A. Sellers, Noralane Lindor, Heli Nevanlinna, Johanna Tommiska, Kristiina Aittomaki, Ute Hamann, Muhammad U. Rashid, Diana Torres, Jacques Simard, Francine Durocher, Frederic Guenard, Henry T. Lynch, Claudine Isaacs, Jeffrey Weitzel, Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, Steven Narod, Mary B. Daly, Andrew K. Godwin, Gail Tomlinson, Douglas F. Easton, Georgia Chenevix-Trench, Antonis C. Antoniou

Date Published: 1st Jul 2007

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Paul Schmücker, Ulrike Schemman, Alfred Winter, Oliver Bott, Petra Knaup-Gregori, Stefan Kropf, Heinrich Lautenbacher, An Lo Phan-Vogtmann, André Scherag, Cord Spreckelsen

Date Published: 2019

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Gerhard Haufe, Alfred Winter, Bettina Hentschel, Peter Groh, Reinhard Franke

Date Published: 2002

Publication Type: InCollection

Abstract (Expand)

INTRODUCTION: Autoinflammatory and autoimmune disorders are characterized by aberrant changes in innate and adaptive immunity that may lead from an initial inflammatory state to an organ specific damage. These disorders possess heterogeneity in terms of affected organs and clinical phenotypes. However, despite the differences in etiology and phenotypic variations, they share genetic associations, treatment responses and clinical manifestations. The mechanisms involved in their initiation and development remain poorly understood, however the existence of some clear similarities between autoimmune and autoinflammatory disorders indicates variable degrees of interaction between immune-related mechanisms. METHODS: Our study aims at contributing to a holistic, pathway-centered view on the inflammatory condition of autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases. We have evaluated similarities and specificities of pathway activity changes in twelve autoimmune and autoinflammatory disorders by performing meta-analysis of publicly available gene expression datasets generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, using a bioinformatics pipeline that integrates Self Organizing Maps and Pathway Signal Flow algorithms along with KEGG pathway topologies. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The results reveal that clinically divergent disease groups share common pathway perturbation profiles. We identified pathways, similarly perturbed in all the studied diseases, such as PI3K-Akt, Toll-like receptor, and NF-kappa B signaling, that serve as integrators of signals guiding immune cell polarization, migration, growth, survival and differentiation. Further, two clusters of diseases were identified based on specifically dysregulated pathways: one gathering mostly autoimmune and the other mainly autoinflammatory diseases. Cluster separation was driven not only by apparent involvement of pathways implicated in adaptive immunity in one case, and inflammation in the other, but also by processes not explicitly related to immune response, but rather representing various events related to the formation of specific pathophysiological environment. Thus, our data suggest that while all of the studied diseases are affected by activation of common inflammatory processes, disease-specific variations in their relative balance are also identified.

Authors: A. Arakelyan, L. Nersisyan, D. Poghosyan, L. Khondkaryan, A. Hakobyan, H. Loffler-Wirth, E. Melanitou, H. Binder

Date Published: 4th Nov 2017

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

A novel method for the automated detection of the outer choroid boundary within spectral-domain optical coherence tomography image data, based on an image model within the space of functions of bounded variation and the application of quadratic measure filters, is presented. The same method is used for the segmentation of retinal layer boundaries and proves to be suitable even for data generated without special imaging modes and moderate line averaging. Based on the segmentations, an automated determination of the central fovea region and choroidal thickness measurements for this and two adjacent 1-mm regions are provided. The quality of the method is assessed by comparison with manual delineations performed by five trained graders. The study is based on data from 50 children of the ages 8 to 13 that were obtained in the framework of the LIFE Child study at Leipzig University.

Authors: M. Wagner, P. Scheibe, M. Francke, B. Zimmerling, K. Frey, M. Vogel, S. Luckhaus, P. Wiedemann, W. Kiess, F. G. Rauscher

Date Published: 1st Feb 2017

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

We describe a Rudin-Osher-Fatemi (ROF) filter based segmentation approach for whole tissue samples, combining floating intensity thresholding and rule-based feature detection. Method is validated against manual counts and compared with two commercial software kits (Tissue Studio 64, Definiens AG, and Halo, Indica Labs) and a straightforward machine-learning approach in a set of 50 test images. Further, the novel method and both commercial packages are applied to a set of 44 whole tissue sections. Outputs are compared with gene expression data available for the same tissue samples. Finally, the ROF based method is applied to 44 expert-specified tumor subregions for testing selection and subsampling strategies. Our method is deterministic, fully automated, externally repeatable, independent on training data and -- in difference to most commercial software kits -- completely documented. Among all tested methods, the novel approach is best correlated with manual count (0.9297). Automated detection of evaluation subregions proved to be fully reliable. Subsampling within tumor subregions is possible with results almost identical to full sampling. Comparison with gene expression data obtained for the same tissue samples reveals only moderate to low correlation levels, thus indicating that image morphometry constitutes an independent source of information about antibody-polarized macrophage occurence and distribution.

Authors: Marcus Wagner, René Hänsel, Sarah Reinke, Julia Richter, Michael Altenbuchinger, Ulf-Dietrich Braumann, Rainer Spang, Markus Löffler, Wolfram Klapper

Date Published: No date defined

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Abstract (Expand)

INTRODUCTION\backslashr\backslashnDetermination of ankle-brachial-index (ABI) by manual Doppler is well established to screen for lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD) and to predict cardiovascular risk. A new generation of digital-controlled devices promises automated ABI determination. The aim of this study was to determine comparability of automated photoplethysmography (PPG)-derived ABI calculation with the Doppler-ABI algorithm commonly used in cohort studies.\backslashr\backslashnMETHODS\backslashr\backslashnAutomated PPG-based ABI measurements [Vascular Explorer (VE) and Vicorder (VI)] were recorded from 112 limbs of healthy subjects and 22 limbs of patients with confirmed LEAD. Validity was evaluated on the basis of receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis of clinical status and concordance with Doppler-ABI. Differences between cuff inflation [inf]- and deflation [def]-based method were studied in VE.\backslashr\backslashnRESULTS\backslashr\backslashnPPG-based ABI values were higher compared to Doppler-ABI (VI +0.06, VEinf +0.15, VEdef +0.09, p \textless 0.001, respectively). The difference was pronounced in pathological (\textless0.9), borderline (0.9-0.99) and low normal (1.0-1.09) ABI, but less in ABI \geq1.1. However, ROC analysis revealed excellent diagnostic value for LEAD (sensitivity/specificity) and comparable area under the curve at method-adapted ABI thresholds for all methods: Doppler (95/90 %, 0.95), VI (75/96 %, 0.91), VEinf (85/89 %, 0.93) and VEdef (80/98 %, 0.94).\backslashr\backslashnCONCLUSIONS\backslashr\backslashnDigital-controlled PPG-based ABI determination is a useful diagnostic application for LEAD. However, the systematic higher ABI in PPG-based measurement compared to Doppler and remarkable differences between the deflationary and inflationary method are critical for the interpretation of borderline and low normal ABI values where precise reading is essential to detect mild LEAD and subclinical disease and to predict cardiovascular risk. INTRODUCTION Determination of ankle-brachial-index (ABI) by manual Doppler is well established to screen for lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD) and to predict cardiovascular risk. A new generation of digital-controlled devices promises automated ABI determination. The aim of this study was to determine comparability of automated photoplethysmography (PPG)-derived ABI calculation with the Doppler-ABI algorithm commonly used in cohort studies. METHODS Automated PPG-based ABI measurements [Vascular Explorer (VE) and Vicorder (VI)] were recorded from 112 limbs of healthy subjects and 22 limbs of patients with confirmed LEAD. Validity was evaluated on the basis of receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis of clinical status and concordance with Doppler-ABI. Differences between cuff inflation [inf]- and deflation [def]-based method were studied in VE. RESULTS PPG-based ABI values were higher compared to Doppler-ABI (VI +0.06, VEinf +0.15, VEdef +0.09, p \textless 0.001, respectively). The difference was pronounced in pathological (\textless0.9), borderline (0.9-0.99) and low normal (1.0-1.09) ABI, but less in ABI \geq1.1. However, ROC analysis revealed excellent diagnostic value for LEAD (sensitivity/specificity) and comparable area under the curve at method-adapted ABI thresholds for all methods: Doppler (95/90 %, 0.95), VI (75/96 %, 0.91), VEinf (85/89 %, 0.93) and VEdef (80/98 %, 0.94). CONCLUSIONS Digital-controlled PPG-based ABI determination is a useful diagnostic application for LEAD. However, the systematic higher ABI in PPG-based measurement compared to Doppler and remarkable differences between the deflationary and inflationary method are critical for the interpretation of borderline and low normal ABI values where precise reading is essential to detect mild LEAD and subclinical disease and to predict cardiovascular risk.

Authors: Frank Beutner, Andrej Teren, Stephan Gielen, Gerhard Schuler, Kerstin Wirkner, Daniel Tiller, Markus Loeffler, Markus Scholz

Date Published: 1st Nov 2012

Publication Type: Journal article

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