Publications by authors named "Birgit Linkohr"

Purpose: Hypertension is the most frequent co-morbidity in active Cushing's syndrome (CS) and regarded as a major cardio-vascular risk factor. It is unknown whether blood pressure and related parameters, such as kidney function, recover in the long-term following remission of CS.

Methods: Blood pressure and related co-morbidities were analyzed in a cohort of 81 patients with CS (Cushing's disease: 52, ectopic CS: 8, adrenal CS: 21) from a single tertiary care center.

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Aims: Heart-rate variability (HRV) measures are surrogates of autonomic function at the level of the sinus node and have evolved as markers of cardiovascular mortality in patients after myocardial infarction (MI). Traditionally, HRV is assessed in time-domain and frequency domain. Advanced measures of autonomic function include deceleration capacity (DC) and periodic repolarization dynamics (PRD).

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Objective: Upper reference values for thyroid volume are 25 mL for men and 18 mL for women. Thyroid volume alters with age, body weight, body height, and iodine status, which is not considered in the current limits. The aim was to develop reference equations, considering age, body weight, and height to calculate individual reference values for thyroid volume.

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Objective: The aim of the study was to derive median age- and sex-specific respiratory rates in a population-based sample of adults and to identify disease and lifestyle factors associated with elevated respiratory rates.

Methods: In the population-based KORA FF4 study conducted in Augsburg, Germany, 5-minute 12-lead resting electrocardiograms (ECGpro-system, AMEDTEC) were recorded in 2,224 participants from 39 to 88 years. Respiratory rate was derived from these electrocardiograms.

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In contemporary healthcare, effective risk stratification in the general population is vital amidst rising chronic disease rates and an ageing demographic. Deceleration Capacity of the heart rate (DC), derived from 24-hour Holter electrocardiograms, holds promise in risk stratification for cardiac patients. However, the potential of short-term electrocardiograms of five minutes duration for population screening has not been fully explored.

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Molecular analytics increasingly utilize machine learning (ML) for predictive modeling based on data acquired through molecular profiling technologies. However, developing robust models that accurately capture physiological phenotypes is challenged by the dynamics inherent to biological systems, variability stemming from analytical procedures, and the resource-intensive nature of obtaining sufficiently representative datasets. Here, we propose and evaluate a new method: Contextual Out-of-Distribution Integration (CODI).

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Background: Loss to follow-up in long-term epidemiological studies is well-known and often substantial. Consequently, there is a risk of bias to the results. The motivation to take part in an epidemiological study can change over time, but the ways to minimize loss to follow-up are not well studied.

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Infrared spectroscopy is a powerful technique for probing the molecular profiles of complex biofluids, offering a promising avenue for high-throughput in vitro diagnostics. While several studies showcased its potential in detecting health conditions, a large-scale analysis of a naturally heterogeneous potential patient population has not been attempted. Using a population-based cohort, here we analyze 5,184 blood plasma samples from 3,169 individuals using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy.

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Background: The reduction of myocardial infarction (MI) and narrowing the gap between the populations with and without diabetes are important goals of diabetes care. We analyzed time trends for sex-specific incidence rates (IR) of first MI (both non-fatal MI and fatal MI) as well as separately for first non-fatal MI and fatal MI in the population with and without diabetes.

Methods: Using data from the KORA myocardial infarction registry (Augsburg, Germany), we estimated age-adjusted IR in people with and without diabetes, corresponding relative risks (RR), and time trends from 1985 to 2016 using Poisson regression.

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Objective: The presence and intensity of symptoms vary in patients with unilateral vestibular hypofunction. We aimed to determine which saccadic and vestibulo-ocular reflex parameters best predict the presence of symptoms in unilateral vestibular hypofunction in order to better understand vestibular compensation and its implications for rehabilitation therapy.

Methods: Video head impulse test data were analyzed from a subpopulation of 23 symptomatic and 10 currently symptom-free participants with unilateral vestibular hypofunction, embedded in the KORA (Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg) FF4 study, the second follow-up of the KORA S4 population-based health survey (2,279 participants).

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Background: The risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in individuals with an alerting reaction, assessed by hypertension in the first blood pressure (BP) reading but normal BP in further readings, remains unknown in the general population.

Methods And Results: In a sample of 11 146 adults (51.5% men and 48.

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Article Synopsis
  • * A new metadata schema assessed the public availability of chronic disease outcome metadata (CDOM) from German studies, revealing only 6 out of 16 had full public access.
  • * Challenges identified include lack of resources for researchers to comply with FAIR principles, emphasizing the need for better searchable platforms for CDOM to enhance accessibility.
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Aims: Myocardial infarction (MI) is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Most metabolomics studies investigating metabolites predicting MI are limited by the participant number and/or the demographic diversity. We sought to identify biomarkers of incident MI in the COnsortium of METabolomics Studies.

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The coexistence of several chronic diseases is very common in older adults, making it crucial to understand multimorbidity (MM) patterns and associated mortality. We aimed to determine the prevalence of MM and common chronic disease combinations, as well as their impact on mortality in men and women aged 65 years and older using the population-based KORA-Age study, based in South of Germany. The chronic disease status of the participants was determined in 2008/9, and mortality status was followed up until 2016.

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Management of radiological incidental findings (IF) is of rising importance; however, psychosocial implications of IF reporting remain unclear. We compared long-term psychosocial effects between individuals who underwent whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with and without reported IF, and individuals who did not undergo imaging. We used a longitudinal population-based cohort from Western Europe.

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Results from a population-based study suggest sex-specific patterns of self-reported child maltreatment, more frequently reported in former West than East Germany. Aim of the current study was to examine these patterns in two regional samples of the former East- (SHIP, 2008 - 2012) and West German (KORA, 2013 - 2014) population. Child maltreatment was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Screener (CTS).

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Introduction: Lead exposure remains of continuing concern due to its known and suspected impacts on human health and has been designated as a priority substance for investigation in human biomonitoring studies by the EU. The aims of this study were to measure blood lead levels (BLL) in a population based cohort of middle-aged individuals without major current exposures to lead, and to compare these to historical blood lead levels obtained thirty years earlier.

Methods: The population-based KORA study from 1984 to 2001 included inhabitants of the Augsburg Region, Germany.

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Aims/hypothesis: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing worldwide, and previous studies have suggested that it is higher in individuals who are seropositive for herpesviruses. This study examines the prospective association of herpesviruses with (pre)diabetes to evaluate their potential role in diabetes aetiology.

Methods: Two follow-up examinations of the German population-based KORA cohort (F4 and FF4) were used to identify participants with normal glucose tolerance at baseline, thus being at risk for (pre)diabetes (n = 1257).

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The Framingham Risk Score to predict 30-year risk (FRS30y) of cardiovascular disease (CVD) constitutes an important tool for long-term risk prediction. However, due to its complex statistical properties and the paucity of large population-based cohorts with appropriate data, validation of the FRS30y is lacking. A population-based cohort from Southern Germany (N = 3110, 1516 (48.

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Background: While risk factors for age-related diseases may increase multimorbidity (MM), early life deprivation may also accelerate the development of chronic diseases and MM.

Methods: This study explores the prevalence and pattern of MM in 65-71 year-old individuals born before, during, and after World War II in Southern Germany based on two large cross-sectional KORA (Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg) -Age studies in 2008/9 and 2016. MM was defined as having at least two chronic diseases, and birth periods were classified into five phases: pre-war, early war, late war, famine, and after the famine period.

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Objective: To estimate age-related macular degeneration (AMD) incidence/progression across a wide age range.

Methods And Analysis: AMD at baseline and follow-up (colour fundus imaging, Three Continent AMD Consortium Severity Scale, 3CACSS, clinical classification, CC) was assessed for 1513 individuals aged 35-95 years at baseline from three jointly designed population-based cohorts in Germany: Kooperative Gesundheitsforschung in der Region Augsburg (KORA-Fit, KORA-FF4) and Altersbezogene Untersuchungen zur Gesundheit der Universität Regensburg (AugUR) with 18-year, 14-year or 3-year follow-up, respectively. Baseline assessment included lifestyle, metabolic and genetic markers.

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Chronic low-grade inflammation has been proposed as a linking mechanism between obesity and the development of inflammation-related conditions such as insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease. Despite major advances in the last 2 decades, the complex relationship between inflammation and obesity remains poorly understood. Therefore, we aimed to identify novel inflammation-related proteins associated with adiposity.

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Objectives: We explored the male-female health-survival paradox in the context of health expectancy (HE) at age 65 and thereafter, using three different morbidity measures and different severity cut-offs with and without adjustments for the share of nursing home residents.

Methods: HE at ages 65, 70, 75, 80, and 85 was estimated with the Sullivan method, linking morbidity prevalence from the KORA (Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg)-Age study to 2016 Bavarian mortality data. Morbidity measures comprised deficit accumulation (Frailty Index, FI, cut-offs 0.

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Objectives: Management of incidental findings (IF) remains controversial but highly relevant. Our aim was to assess the frequency, management and psychosocial consequences of IF reporting in a population-based cohort study undergoing whole-body MR imaging.

Methods: The study was nested in a prospective cohort from a longitudinal, population-based cohort (KORA-FF4) in southern Germany.

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