High-sensitivity C-reactive protein and other inflammatory markers in predicting cardiovascular risk in Hong Kong Chinese

Poster PresentationINTRODUCTION: Inflammation is increasingly recognised as a key player in atherosclerosis, and C-reactive protein measured using high-sensitivity assay (hsCRP) is the most promising inflammatory marker in predicting the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In this prospective cohort study, we examined the predictive value of hsCRP for CVD in Hong Kong Chinese and determined if other biomarkers would enhance the predictive value of hsCRP. METHODS: Subjects were recruited from the Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factors Prevalence Study …published_or_final_versionThe 16th Medical Research Conference, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 22 January 2011. In Hong Kong Medical Journal, 2011, v. 17 suppl. 1, p. 66, abstract no. 11

Circulating pigment epithelium-derived factor levels and the risk of hypertension in a community-based study

Oral Session 2 – Translational & Clinical Research (I)published_or_final_versionThe 16th Medical Resarch Conference (MRC), The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China, 22 January 2011. In Hong Kong Medical Journal, 2011, v. 17, suppl. 1, p. 15, abstract no. 1

Predictors common to cardiovascular and cancer outcomes in a population-based 13-year prospective study in Hong Kong

Oral PresentationINTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and cancer are the two leading causes of death in Hong Kong. Obesity is becoming increasingly prevalent in the local population and has been reported to be associated with CVD and some forms of cancer in the western world. In this study, we attempted to identify the aetiological factors linking obesity to both CVD and cancer among Hong Kong Chinese. METHODS: Subjects were recruited from the Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factor Prevalence Study (CRISPS) …published_or_final_versionThe 16th Medical Research Conference, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 22 January 2011. In Hong Kong Medical Journal, 2011, v. 17 suppl. 1, p. 56, abstract no. 9

Serum adiponectin in relation to other obesity-related biomarkers in predicting type 2 diabetes: a 5-year prospective study

Oral PresentationAIMS: To identify obesity-related serum biomarkers associated with the development of type 2 diabetes in a Chinese population and to examine if these biomarkers added values to conventional risk factors in diabetes prediction. METHODS: We studied 1315 non-diabetic subjects from the prospective Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factor Prevalence Study (CRISPS). Serum biomarkers including adiponectin, tumour necrosis …published_or_final_versionThe 17th Medical Research Conference, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 14 January 2012. In Hong Kong Medical Journal, 2012, v. 18 suppl. 1, p. 57, abstract no. 8

Association of the KCNJ11 genetic variant (rs5219) with progression of glycaemia in a 12-year prospective study

Poster PresentationOBJECTIVE: The potassium inwardly rectifying channel, subfamily J, member 11 (KCNJ11) genetic variant, rs5219, has been found to be associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in various populations. This project aimed to examine whether this genetic variant could predict the progression of glycaemia in a 12-year prospective study in Southern Chinese. METHODS: We conducted a 12-year prospective study in the population-based …published_or_final_versionThe 16th Medical Research Conference, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 22 January 2011. In Hong Kong Medical Journal, 2011, v. 17 suppl. 1, p. 20, abstract no. 2

Implication of the type 2 diabetes susceptibility loci identified in genome-wide association studies: long-term follow-up studies in Southern Chinese

Poster PresentationOBJECTIVE: Genome-wide association (GWA) studies have led to the identification of novel susceptibility loci which showed promising associations with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). This project aimed to establish the role of these novel T2DM-susceptibility loci in Southern Chinese. METHODS: Seventeen T2DM-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were examined …published_or_final_versionThe 17th Medical Research Conference, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 14 January 2012. In Hong Kong Medical Journal, 2012, v. 18 suppl. 1, p. 19, abstract no. 1

Serum adiponectin levels are predictive of carotid intima-medial thickness in a 5-year community-based prospective study

Poster PresentationINTRODUCTION: Hypoadiponectinaemia has been shown to predict the development of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and myocardial infarction in prospective studies. We have previously reported that hypoadiponectinaemia is associated with impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation both in healthy controls and diabetic subjects. In this community-based prospective cohort study, we examined the predictive value of serum adiponectin levels on carotid intima-medial thickness, a marker of …published_or_final_versionThe 17th Medical Research Conference, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 14 January 2012. In Hong Kong Medical Journal, 2012, v. 18 suppl. 1, p. 32, abstract no. 4

PLASMA LEVEL OF FIBROBLAST GROWTH FACTOR 21 IS INDEPENDENTLY RELATED TO BLOOD PRESSURE

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Haemoglobin A1c is superior to fasting glucose in predicting the incidence of diabetes over 8 years among Chinese

Baseline haemoglobin A1c had a higher standardized hazard ratio, and more optimal sensitivity and specificity than fasting glucose in predicting the 8-year incidence of diabetes among 530 non-diabetic Chinese from the population-based Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factor Prevalence Study. © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Circulating plasma pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) levels are associated with insulin resistance in women with estrogen deficiency

Poster Presentation: abstract no. 1780-PPigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is implicated in murine insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunctions. Women have lower serum PEDF levels and 17β-estradiol inhibits the transcription of PEDF in human ovarian epithelial cells. To investigate whether estradiol regulates PEDF in vivo, we studied the changes in PEDF levels in 21 pre-menopausal women (age = 49.6 ± 3.5 years) following bilateral oophorectomy for benign gynaecological conditions. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), percentage body fat, and plasma PEDF (ng/ml) and estradiol (pmol/l) levels were measured before and after oophorectomy. The changes (Δ) in PEDF, estradiol, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and quantitative insulin-sensitivity check index (QUICKI) were analyzed with repeated measure ANOVA. The mean duration between pre- and post-operative assessment was 4.0±0.7 months. BMI was marginally reduced in the post-operative period (25.2 ± 4.0 kg/m2 pre-op vs. 24.8 ± 4.3 kg/m2 post-op; p = 0.048). There were no significant changes in WC or percentage body fat The marked post-operative reduction in plasma estradiol levels (225 [109-418] pmol/l pre-op vs. 32 [19-50] pmol/l post-op; p < 0.001) was associated with increases in plasma PEDF levels (7.7 ± 1.6 ng/ml pre-op vs. 8.8 ± 1.5 ng/ml post-op; p = 0.001). An inverse relationship was found between Δestradiol and ΔPEDF (r = -0.497; p = 0.022). Insulin resistance increased post-operatively, as indicated by HOMA-IR (1.06 [0.73-1.93] pre-op vs. 1.63 [1.06-2.26] post-op; p = 0.002) and QUICKI (0.38 ± 0.04 pre-op vs. 0.36 ± 0.03 post-op; p = 0.006). ΔHOMA-IR and ΔQUICKI became insignificant (p = 0.101 and 0.141 respectively) after adjusting for ΔPEDF. In conclusion, the reduction in plasma estradiol levels following oophorectomy was significantly associated with increases in plasma PEDF levels and insulin resistance. Our data suggest that estradiol is a physiological regulator of PEDF expression in humans and that an increase in circulating PEDF contributes to the increase in insulin resistance in these women with estrogen deficiency following bilateral oophorectomy