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Kremer TL, Chen J, Buhl A, Berhe O, Bilek E, Geiger-Primo L, Ma R, Moessnang C, Reichert M, Reinhard I, Schwarz K, Schweiger JI, Streit F, Witt SH, Zang Z, Zhang X, Noethen MM, Rietschel M, Ebner-Priemer UW, Schwarz E, Meyer-Lindenberg A, Braun U, Tost H. Multimodal Associations of FKBP5 Methylation with Emotion-Regulatory Brain Circuits. Biol Psychiatry 2024:S0006-3223(24)01141-7. [PMID: 38460581 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding the biological processes underlying individual differences in emotion regulation and stress responsivity is a key challenge for translational neuroscience. The gene FKBP5 is a core regulator in molecular stress signaling that is implicated in the development of psychiatric disorders. Yet it remains unclear how FKBP5 DNA methylation (DNAm) in peripheral blood relates to individual differences in measures of neural structure and function, and their relevance to daily-life stress responsivity. METHODS Here, we characterize multimodal correlates of FKBP5 DNAm by combining epigenetic data with neuroimaging and Ambulatory Assessment in a sample of 395 healthy individuals. RESULTS First, we show that FKBP5 demethylation as a psychiatric risk factor relates to an anxiety-associated reduction of gray matter volume in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), a brain area that is involved in emotion regulation and mental health risk and resilience. This effect of epigenetic upregulation of FKBP5 on neuronal structure is more pronounced where FKBP5 is epigenetically downregulated at baseline. Leveraging 208 functional MRI scans during a well-established emotion processing task we find that FKBP5 DNAm in peripheral blood is associated with functional difference of prefrontal-limbic circuits modulating affective responsivity to daily stressors, which we measured using ecological momentary assessment in daily life. CONCLUSIONS Overall, we demonstrate how FKBP5 contributes to interindividual differences in neural and real-life affect regulation via structural and functional changes in prefrontal-limbic brain circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas L Kremer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Junfang Chen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; Current address: Center for Intelligent Medicine Research, Greater Bay Area Institute of Precision Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Anais Buhl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Oksana Berhe
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Edda Bilek
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Lena Geiger-Primo
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Ren Ma
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Carolin Moessnang
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; Current address: Faculty for Applied Psychology, SRH University Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Markus Reichert
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; Mental mHealth Lab, Chair of Applied Psychology, Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany; Department of eHealth and Sports Analytics, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Iris Reinhard
- Department of Biostatistics, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Kristina Schwarz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; Current address: Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Janina I Schweiger
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Fabian Streit
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Stephanie H Witt
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Zhenxiang Zang
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; Current address: Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaolong Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Markus M Noethen
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany; Department of Genomics, Life & Brain Center, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marcella Rietschel
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Ulrich W Ebner-Priemer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; Mental mHealth Lab, Chair of Applied Psychology, Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Emanuel Schwarz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Urs Braun
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Heike Tost
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
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Großmann NL, Weihs A, Kühn L, Sauer S, Röh S, Wiechmann T, Rex-Haffner M, Völzke H, Völker U, Binder EB, Teumer A, Homuth G, Klinger-König J, Grabe HJ. Methylation Patterns of the FKBP5 Gene in Association with Childhood Maltreatment and Depressive Disorders. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1485. [PMID: 38338761 PMCID: PMC10855893 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Childhood maltreatment is an important risk factor for adult depression and has been associated with changes in the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, including cortisol secretion and methylation of the FKBP5 gene. Furthermore, associations between depression and HPA changes have been reported. This study investigated the associations of whole-blood FKBP5 mRNA levels, serum cortisol levels, childhood maltreatment, and depressive symptoms with the whole-blood methylation status (assessed via target bisulfite sequencing) of 105 CpGs at the FKBP5 locus using data from the general population-based Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) (N = 203). Both direct and interaction effects with the rs1360780 single-nucleotide polymorphism were investigated. Nominally significant associations of main effects on methylation of a single CpG site were observed at intron 3, intron 7, and the 3'-end of the gene. Additionally, methylation at two clusters at the 3'-end and intron 7 were nominally associated with childhood maltreatment × rs1360780 and depressive symptoms × rs1360780, respectively. The results add to the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying the emergence of depression and could aid the development of personalised depression therapy and drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora L Großmann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Antoine Weihs
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Site Rostock/Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Luise Kühn
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Susann Sauer
- Department Genes and Environment, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Simone Röh
- Department Genes and Environment, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Tobias Wiechmann
- Department Genes and Environment, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Monika Rex-Haffner
- Department Genes and Environment, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Henry Völzke
- Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Greifswald, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Uwe Völker
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Greifswald, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
- Interfaculty Institute of Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Elisabeth B Binder
- Department Genes and Environment, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Alexander Teumer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Greifswald, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Georg Homuth
- Interfaculty Institute of Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Johanna Klinger-König
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Hans J Grabe
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Site Rostock/Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
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3
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Rancelis T, Domarkiene I, Ambrozaityte L, Utkus A. Implementing Core Genes and an Omnigenic Model for Behaviour Traits Prediction in Genomics. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1630. [PMID: 37628681 PMCID: PMC10454355 DOI: 10.3390/genes14081630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
A high number of genome variants are associated with complex traits, mainly due to genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Using polygenic risk scores (PRSs) is a widely accepted method for calculating an individual's complex trait prognosis using such data. Unlike monogenic traits, the practical implementation of complex traits by applying this method still falls behind. Calculating PRSs from all GWAS data has limited practical usability in behaviour traits due to statistical noise and the small effect size from a high number of genome variants involved. From a behaviour traits perspective, complex traits are explored using the concept of core genes from an omnigenic model, aiming to employ a simplified calculation version. Simplification may reduce the accuracy compared to a complete PRS encompassing all trait-associated variants. Integrating genome data with datasets from various disciplines, such as IT and psychology, could lead to better complex trait prediction. This review elucidates the significance of clear biological pathways in understanding behaviour traits. Specifically, it highlights the essential role of genes related to hormones, enzymes, and neurotransmitters as robust core genes in shaping these traits. Significant variations in core genes are prominently observed in behaviour traits such as stress response, impulsivity, and substance use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tautvydas Rancelis
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Santariskiu Str. 2, LT-08661 Vilnius, Lithuania; (I.D.); (L.A.); (A.U.)
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Rubens M, Bruenig D, Adams JAM, Suresh SM, Sathyanarayanan A, Haslam D, Shenk CE, Mathews B, Mehta D. Childhood maltreatment and DNA methylation: A systematic review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 147:105079. [PMID: 36764637 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Child maltreatment (CM) encompasses sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and exposure to domestic and family violence. Epigenetic research investigating CM has focused on differential DNA methylation (DNAm) in genes associated with the stress response, but there has been limited evaluation of the specific effects of subtypes of CM. This systematic review of literature investigating DNAm associated with CM in non-clinical populations aimed to summarise the approaches currently used in research, how the type of maltreatment and age of exposure were encoded via methylation, and which genes have consistently been associated with CM. A total of fifty-four papers were eligible for review, including forty-one candidate gene studies, eight epigenome-wide association studies, and five studies with a mixed design. The ways in which the various forms of CM were conceptualised and measured varied between papers. Future studies would benefit from assessments that employ conceptually robust definitions of CM, and that capture important contextual information such as age of exposure and subtype of CM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mackenzie Rubens
- Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia; School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia
| | - Dagmar Bruenig
- Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia; School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia
| | - Jessica A M Adams
- Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia; School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia
| | - Shruthi M Suresh
- Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia; School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia
| | - Anita Sathyanarayanan
- Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia; School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia
| | - Divna Haslam
- Australian Centre for Health Law Research, School of Law, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia; Parenting and Family Support Centre, University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Chad E Shenk
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, USA; Department of Pediatrics, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, USA
| | - Ben Mathews
- Australian Centre for Health Law Research, School of Law, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia; Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, USA
| | - Divya Mehta
- Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia; School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia.
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5
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Schrott R, Song A, Ladd-Acosta C. Epigenetics as a Biomarker for Early-Life Environmental Exposure. Curr Environ Health Rep 2022; 9:604-624. [PMID: 35907133 DOI: 10.1007/s40572-022-00373-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW There is interest in evaluating the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) which emphasizes the role of prenatal and early-life environments on non-communicable health outcomes throughout the life course. The ability to rigorously assess and identify early-life risk factors for later health outcomes, including those with childhood onset, in large population samples is often limited due to measurement challenges such as impractical costs associated with prospective studies with a long follow-up duration, short half-lives for some environmental toxicants, and lack of biomarkers that capture inter-individual differences in biologic response to external environments. RECENT FINDINGS Epigenomic patterns, and DNA methylation in particular, have emerged as a potential objective biomarker to address some of these study design and exposure measurement challenges. In this article, we summarize the literature to date on epigenetic changes associated with specific prenatal and early-life exposure domains as well as exposure mixtures in human observational studies and their biomarker potential. Additionally, we highlight evidence for other types of epigenetic patterns to serve as exposure biomarkers. Evidence strongly supports epigenomic biomarkers of exposure that are detectable across the lifespan and across a range of exposure domains. Current and future areas of research in this field seek to expand these lines of evidence to other environmental exposures, to determine their specificity, and to develop predictive algorithms and methylation scores that can be used to evaluate early-life risk factors for health outcomes across the life span.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose Schrott
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ashley Song
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Christine Ladd-Acosta
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
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Genetic association of FKBP5 with trait resilience in Korean male patients with alcohol use disorder. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18454. [PMID: 34531492 PMCID: PMC8445975 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98032-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The FKBP5 gene is known to have an important role in alcohol use disorder (AUD) in response to stress and has been reported to affect stress responses by interacting with childhood trauma. This study investigated the effects of the FKBP5 polymorphism rs1360780 and childhood trauma on trait resilience in male patients with AUD. In addition, allele-specific associations between FKBP5 DNA methylation and resilience were examined. In total, 297 men with AUD were assessed for alcohol use severity, childhood trauma, resilience, and impulsivity. Genotyping for FKBP5 rs1360780 and DNA methylation were analyzed. The effects of the rs1360780 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and clinical variables on resilience were tested using linear regression analysis. Possible associations between FKBP5 DNA methylation and resilience were tested with partial correlation analysis. The rs1360780 risk allele, a low education level, and high impulsivity were associated with diminished resilience, whereas no significant main or interaction effect of childhood trauma with the SNP rs1360780 genotype on resilience was shown. No significant association between FKBP5 DNA methylation and resilience was found. The present study demonstrated the involvement of the rs1360780 risk allele in trait resilience in men with AUD, suggesting that the genetic vulnerability of FKBP5 may influence resilience related to AUD.
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Mourtzi N, Sertedaki A, Charmandari E. Glucocorticoid Signaling and Epigenetic Alterations in Stress-Related Disorders. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:5964. [PMID: 34073101 PMCID: PMC8198182 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22115964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress is defined as a state of threatened or perceived as threatened homeostasis. The well-tuned coordination of the stress response system is necessary for an organism to respond to external or internal stressors and re-establish homeostasis. Glucocorticoid hormones are the main effectors of stress response and aberrant glucocorticoid signaling has been associated with an increased risk for psychiatric and mood disorders, including schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Emerging evidence suggests that life-stress experiences can alter the epigenetic landscape and impact the function of genes involved in the regulation of stress response. More importantly, epigenetic changes induced by stressors persist over time, leading to increased susceptibility for a number of stress-related disorders. In this review, we discuss the role of glucocorticoids in the regulation of stress response, the mechanism through which stressful experiences can become biologically embedded through epigenetic alterations, and we underline potential associations between epigenetic changes and the development of stress-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niki Mourtzi
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, First Department of Pediatrics, “Aghia Sophia” Children’s Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, 11527 Athens, Greece; (N.M.); (A.S.)
| | - Amalia Sertedaki
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, First Department of Pediatrics, “Aghia Sophia” Children’s Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, 11527 Athens, Greece; (N.M.); (A.S.)
| | - Evangelia Charmandari
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, First Department of Pediatrics, “Aghia Sophia” Children’s Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, 11527 Athens, Greece; (N.M.); (A.S.)
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Center of Clinical, Experimental Surgery and Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
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