Adiponectin is related with carotid artery intima-media thickness and brachial flow-mediated dilatation in young adults--the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study.
Adiponectin may be involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. We investigated the relation of adiponectin on early functional and structural markers of subclinical atherosclerosis in a large population-based cohort of young men and women.
We measured serum adiponectin using radioimmunoassay in 2,147 young adults (ages 24-39 years) participating in the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. The subjects had ultrasound data on carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), carotid artery elasticity (n = 2,139) and brachial flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) (n = 1,996). In univariate analysis, adiponectin was inversely associated with IMT (r = -0.16, P
Adult-type hypolactasia is not a predisposing factor for the early functional and structural changes of atherosclerosis: the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study.
Laboratory of Atherosclerosis Genetics, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Tampere University Hospital and the Medical School at the University of Tampere, 33014 Tampere, Finland. terho.lehtimaki@uta.fi
Individuals suffering from ATH (adult-type hypolactasia), defined by the LCT (gene encoding lactase-phlorizin hydrolase) C/C(-13910) genotype (rs4988235), use less milk and dairy products and may have higher plasma HDL (high-density lipoprotein) and lower triacylglycerol (triglyceride) concentrations than their counterparts without ATH. To investigate the effects of ATH status on the early markers of atherosclerosis, we examined its association with CIMT (carotid intima-media thickness), CAC (carotid artery compliance) and brachial artery FMD (flow-mediated dilation) in a young population-based cohort of otherwise healthy individuals. As part of the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study, we performed CIMT, CAC and FMD analyses, LCT C/T(-13910) genotyping and risk factor determination in 2109 young subjects 24-39 years of age (45% males) at the time of the examination. The consumption of both milk and dairy products was lowest and the consumption of alcohol highest in subjects with the C/C(-13910) genotype (P
There is substantial epidemiological data suggesting a J- or U-shaped association between alcohol consumption and coronary events. However, some studies in experimental animals suggest that alcohol may increase atherosclerosis. Therefore, our aim was to study whether alcohol consumption is associated with carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, in young, healthy adults.
Alcohol consumption, carotid IMT and conventional cardiovascular risk factors were investigated in 2074 subjects, aged 24-39 years.
In subjects consuming none, >0 to or=4 units of alcohol per day, the respective carotid IMT values were 0.57+/-0.004, 0.59+/-0.003, 0.59+/-0.006, and 0.60+/-0.012 mm (mean+/-S.E.M., P
Apolipoprotein A-I/C-III/A-IV SstI and apolipoprotein B XbaI polymorphisms and their association with carotid artery intima-media thickness in the Finnish population. The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study.
Laboratory of Atherosclerosis Genetics, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Medical School, Tampere University Hospital, The University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.
Apolipoprotein A-I/C-III/A-IV (apoA-I/C-III/A-IV) SstI and apolipoprotein B (apoB) XbaI polymorphisms have been shown to affect serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations in a sample of Finnish children. We studied whether these polymorphism are associated with carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT), a marker of pre-clinical atherosclerosis, measured in the same subjects during their adulthood. A random sub-sample of 214 individuals from the "Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns" study, for whom genotypes, cardiovascular risk factor data and carotid artery IMT measured in 2001 were available, were studied. Mean carotid IMT values increased according to the apoA-I/C-III/A-IV SstI genotype groups in the order of S1S1 (0.58+/-0.08 mm), S1S2 (0.61+/-0.08 mm), and S2S2 (0.70+/-0.16 mm, p=0.02, ANOVA). In multiple linear regression analysis after adjusting for age, sex and body mass index the mean IMT thickness among the S2 allele carriers was higher (p=0.02) compared to non-carriers. In logistic regression analysis the frequency of S2 allele carriers was higher among the high IMT group compared to the low IMT group (OR=4.02, CI: 1.68-9.61, p=0.002). No significant association between apoB XbaI polymorphism and carotid IMT was found. However, serum total and LDL cholesterol and apoB concentrations were significantly different among apoB genotype groups (p
Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, FIN-20520 Turku, Finland. iina.volanen@utu.fi
Children with persistent Chlamydia pneumoniae infection may be at increased risk for atherosclerosis. The impact of antimicrobial therapy for primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is unsolved.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether treatment with antimicrobial agents effective against C pneumoniae during childhood, regardless of indication, has a favorable influence on the arterial wall-thickness in children by the time they reach adolescence.
The association of macrolide, tetracycline, quinolone, and rifamycin use (number of exposure events) between ages 5 and 13 years with carotid and aortic intima-media thickness at age 13 years was investigated among 508 healthy children. Information about the use of medications was obtained from the Finnish prescription register. Arterial intima-media thickness was measured with a high-resolution ultrasound.
Mean aortic intima-media thickness showed a significant direct association with the number of antichlamydial antimicrobial exposure events also after controlling for established atherosclerotic risk factors. Elevated C-reactive protein level had an additional effect on aortic intima-media thickness in a multivariable model. Carotid intima-media thickness was not associated with the number of preceding antichlamydial treatments.
Recurrent antichlamydial treatments in childhood have no favorable influence on early vascular changes but are associated with increased intima-media thickness in the abdominal aorta. These findings suggest that the use of antimicrobial agents does not offer protection against the potential atherogenicity of repeated infectious insults.
Assessment of alcohol consumption by mailed questionnaire in epidemiological studies: evaluation of misclassification using a dietary history interview and biochemical markers.
Self-reported information on alcohol from questionnaires is generally assumed to introduce misclassification of consumption, mainly in the direction of underestimation. The aim of this study was to evaluate self-reported information on alcohol consumption from a mailed questionnaire by comparing to a dietary history interview and biochemical markers of alcohol intake.
For 76 male twin pairs of the Finnish Twin Cohort Study aged 40-70 years information on self-reported alcohol consumption was collected through mailed questionnaire and dietary history interview. Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), Gamma-glutamyltransferase (Gamma-GT) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) were determined from blood samples.
Mean levels of CDT, gamma-GT and MCV showed a rise with increased self-reported alcohol consumption already at low levels of reported consumption ( or = 30 g/day) there was no such correlation. The questionnaire had sensitivity of 28-43% and specificity of 89% for identification of high consumers of alcohol using the biochemical markers as reference and sensitivity 41% and specificity 94% using the dietary history interview as reference. Sensitivity was improved when information on binge drinking (82%) or possible drinking problems (73%) was considered.
Comparison to dietary history interview as well as to biochemical markers indicate that self-reported information on alcohol consumption from a mailed questionnaire may be used to distinguish between groups with different levels of alcohol consumption. The suggested misclassification of high consumers implies that only strong associations between high alcohol intake and disease are likely to be detected in studies based on questionnaire data.
Association of high sensitive C-reactive protein with apolipoprotein E polymorphism in children and young adults: the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study.
A relation between apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotypes and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) has been observed in some studies with elderly subjects and different patient groups. We studied whether serum hsCRP levels are linked with common APOE (epsilon 2, epsilon 3, epsilon 4) polymorphism already in children and young adults.
The study cohort included 1221 subjects participating in the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study at age 3-18 years at baseline in 1980. These subjects were reexamined at the 21-year follow-up at age 24-39 years in 2001. APOE phenotypes were examined in 1986, serum hsCRP was measured from fresh samples in 2001 and baseline hsCRP (in 1980) was measured from frozen samples in 2005.
Serum hsCRP was significantly associated with APOE phenotypes in children and young adults using multivariate analysis adjusted for age, body mass index, smoking, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Male epsilon 4 carriers had significantly lower hsCRP levels both in childhood (p=0.003) and in adulthood (p=0.013). hsCRP increased in both phenotype classes (epsilon 4+ and epsilon 4-) during the 21-year follow-up. Female epsilon 4 carriers had lower hsCRP levels in childhood (p=0.032) but not in adulthood (p=0.995). An interaction effect between time and APOE phenotype (p=0.045) in relation to hsCRP was observed in females during the 21-year follow-up.
Common APOE polymorphism affects the level of circulating hsCRP already in children and young adults. Male APOE epsilon 4 carriers have consistently lower hsCRP levels. In females, APOE epsilon 4 carriers had lower hsCRP levels in childhood but not in adulthood.
We examined whether metabolic syndrome (MetS) predicts increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) levels in young adults, whether spontaneous recovery from MetS has a favorable effect on liver enzyme activities, and whether these enzymes contribute to the atherogenicity of MetS (assessed by carotid intima-media thickness (IMT)).
The study included 1,553 subjects (base-line age 31.5 ± 5.0 years). ALT and GGT were measured in 2007. MetS was diagnosed by the new Joint Interim Societies definition.
ALT and GGT levels were higher in subjects with MetS compared to those without in 2007. The association was independent of alcohol intake and BMI. In multivariable models adjusted for base-line age, LDL cholesterol, CRP, alcohol intake, and adiponectin, MetS in 2001 predicted increased ALT (ß ± SEM = 0.320 ± 0.062, P
Laboratory of Atherosclerosis Genetics, Centre for Laboratory Medicine, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere University Medical School, Finland. Auni.Collings@psghp.fi
Connexin37 (cx37) C1019T polymorphism has been shown to associate with coronary artery disease in different populations. We investigated whether this polymorphism associates with carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT), carotid artery compliance (CAC) and brachial artery flow mediated dilatation (FMD) - i.e., early ultrasound markers of subclinical atherosclerosis - in a clinically healthy population of young Finnish adults.
1440 individuals from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study were genotyped and studied using cardiovascular risk factor and ultrasound data obtained in 2001. In linear regression models, no significant association between the cx37 polymorphism and carotid IMT, CAC or brachial artery FMD (ANOVA, p=0.159, 0.151 and 0.547), respectively, was found in the whole population or in women and men separately.
The connexin37 C1019T polymorphism is not related with markers of subclinical atherosclerosis in young adults.
Associations between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin d and periodontal pocketing and gingival bleeding: results of a study in a non-smoking population in Finland.
Apart from the effects of vitamin D on bone metabolism, it is also known for its immunomodulatory properties. However, so far, it is not clear whether serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] exerts any beneficial effect on the periodontium. The aim of the present study is to investigate whether the serum level of 25(OH)D is related to periodontal condition, measured by means of pocketing and gingival bleeding.
This cross-sectional study is based on a non-smoking subpopulation without diabetes of the Finnish Health 2000 Survey (N = 1,262). Periodontal condition was measured as the number of teeth with deep (=4 mm) periodontal pockets and the number of bleeding sextants per individual. Serum 25(OH)D level was determined by means of a standard laboratory measurement. Prevalence rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using Poisson regression models.
There were practically no associations between serum 25(OH)D level and teeth with deep (=4 mm) periodontal pockets or bleeding sextants. A somewhat lower proportion of teeth with deep periodontal pockets was found in higher serum 25(OH)D quintiles among individuals with a good oral hygiene level.
Serum 25(OH)D did not seem to be related to periodontal condition, measured as periodontal pocketing and gingival bleeding in this low-risk, low-25(OH)D status population.
