Variation in CHI3LI in Relation to Type 2 Diabetes and Related Quantitative Traits

CHI3LI encoding the inflammatory glycoprotein YKL-40 is located on chromosome 1q32.1. YKL-40 is involved in inflammatory processes and patients with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) have elevated circulating YKL-40 levels which correlate with their level of insulin resistance. Interestingly, it has been reported that rs10399931 (-329 G/A) of CHI3LI contributes to the inter-individual plasma YKL-40 levels in patients with sarcoidosis, and that rs4950928 (-131 C/G) is a susceptibility polymorphism for asthma and a decline in lung function. We hypothesized that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or haplotypes thereof the CHI3LI locus might influence risk of T2D. The aim of the present study was to investigate the putative association between SNPs and haplotype blocks of CHI3LI and T2D and T2D related quantitative traits.Eleven SNPs of CHI3LI were genotyped in 6514 individuals from the Inter99 cohort and 2924 individuals from the outpatient clinic at Steno Diabetes Center. In cas-control studies a total of 2345 T2D patients and 5302 individuals with a normal glucose tolerance test were examined. We found no association between rs10399931 (OR, 0.98 (CI, 0.88-1.10), p = 0.76), rs4950928 (0.98 (0.87-1.10), p = 0.68) or any of the other SNPs with T2D. Similarly, we found no significant association between any of the 11 tgSNPs and T2D related quantitative traits, all p>0.14. None of the identified haplotype blocks of CHI3LI showed any association with T2D, all p>0.16.None of the examined SNPs or haplotype blocks of CHI3LI showed any association with T2D or T2D related quantitative traits. Estimates of insulin resistance and dysregulated glucose homeostasis in T2D do not seem to be accounted for by the examined variations of CHI3LI

ECLAIRE third periodic report

The ÉCLAIRE project (Effects of Climate Change on Air Pollution Impacts and Response Strategies for European Ecosystems) is a four year (2011-2015) project funded by the EU's Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7)

The association between vitamin D and C-reactive protein levels in patients with inflammatory and non-inflammatory diseases

OBJECTIVE: A direct, inverse correlation between 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH) vitamin D) levels and C-reactive protein (CRP), a sensitive biomarker for inflammation, was found in some, but not all, studies. These effects were seen in healthy subjects as well as in some inflammatory diseases. DESIGN AND METHODS: CRP and 25(OH) vitamin D data (2011-2013) from 923 in- and outpatients (males/females 340/583; median age: 76years (95% confidence interval (CI): 75-77) were analyzed. A standardized diagnosis according to the Dutch diagnosis coding standard for each patient was obtained. Each diagnosis was categorized as either inflammatory or non-inflammatory disease. Analysis of variance was performed with age, gender, inflammatory status (inflammatory disease/non-inflammatory disease), and season as corrective factors. RESULTS: The correlation between (log) ln-25(OH) vitamin D and ln-CRP was highly significant (p<0.001) with a regression coefficient of -0.879. In the inflammatory disease group, the R(2) value was 0.726 and in the non-inflammatory disease group it was 0.502. It was shown that increasing 25(OH) vitamin D levels are associated with decreasing CRP levels, with a stronger effect in the inflammatory disease group compared to the non-inflammatory disease group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows an inverse correlation between 25(OH) vitamin D and CRP in a large patient cohort but more importantly shows that this effect is more pronounced in patients with inflammatory diseases compared to patients with non-inflammatory diseases

The association between vitamin D and C-reactive protein levels in patients with inflammatory and non-inflammatory diseases

OBJECTIVE: A direct, inverse correlation between 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH) vitamin D) levels and C-reactive protein (CRP), a sensitive biomarker for inflammation, was found in some, but not all, studies. These effects were seen in healthy subjects as well as in some inflammatory diseases. DESIGN AND METHODS: CRP and 25(OH) vitamin D data (2011-2013) from 923 in- and outpatients (males/females 340/583; median age: 76years (95% confidence interval (CI): 75-77) were analyzed. A standardized diagnosis according to the Dutch diagnosis coding standard for each patient was obtained. Each diagnosis was categorized as either inflammatory or non-inflammatory disease. Analysis of variance was performed with age, gender, inflammatory status (inflammatory disease/non-inflammatory disease), and season as corrective factors. RESULTS: The correlation between (log) ln-25(OH) vitamin D and ln-CRP was highly significant (p<0.001) with a regression coefficient of -0.879. In the inflammatory disease group, the R(2) value was 0.726 and in the non-inflammatory disease group it was 0.502. It was shown that increasing 25(OH) vitamin D levels are associated with decreasing CRP levels, with a stronger effect in the inflammatory disease group compared to the non-inflammatory disease group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows an inverse correlation between 25(OH) vitamin D and CRP in a large patient cohort but more importantly shows that this effect is more pronounced in patients with inflammatory diseases compared to patients with non-inflammatory diseases

Measurement of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS): a comparison of Isotope-Dilution Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry (ID-LC-MS/MS) and seven currently available immunoassays

Dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) is an important marker of the adrenal gland. Its measurement is required in several adrenal diseases, such as adrenal tumours, adrenal insufficiency and congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Most clinical laboratories measure DHEAS using commercially available immunoassays. The aim of the present study was to investigate the accuracy of currently available DHEAS methods. Seven commercially available DHEAS assays were compared to Isotope-Dilution Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry (ID-LC-MS/MS) by measuring 75 serum samples (concentration range 0.06-20.6 μmol/L measured by ID-LC-MS/MS) with each method. Moreover, recovery and linearity experiments were performed. Data from our present study were compared to DHEAS data of the Dutch, German and British External Quality Assessment Schemes (EQAS's). Three methods agreed well with ID-LC-MS/MS (R between 0.93 and 0.99 and slopes ranging from 0.92 to 1.07) and showed good recoveries. Four methods showed standardization problems (slopes were 0.84, 1.14, 1.20 and 1.28). Linearity was good in all methods. Intra-assay coefficient of variation was 4.1% using ID-LC-MS/MS and below 5.5% in immunometric methods; one assay had an unacceptably high intra-assay coefficient of variation of 18%. Our data are in agreement with data obtained in three EQAS's. Some of the commercially available DHEAS methods show standardization problems and/or a high imprecision. These problems may potentially have clinically adverse consequences. We advise the manufacturers to improve their assays and laboratory specialists to scrutinize the DHEAS method they emplo