title: Association of AHSG gene polymorphisms and aortic stiffness in peritoneal dialysis patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fetuin-A is a negative acute-phase reactant and extraosseous calcification inhibitor. Decreased serum concentration of fetuin-A is independently related to all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in dialysis patients. Our aim is to investigate the association between the genetic polymorphism of alpha(2)-Heremans-Schmid-glycoprotein (AHSG) encoding fetuin-A and its serum concentration, vascular calcification, and aortic stiffness in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the AHSG gene were genotyped and evaluated for association with serum fetuin-A level, quantitative measures of vascular calcification and aortic stiffness represented by heart-to-femoral pulse wave velocity (hfPWV).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five SNPs in the AHSG gene were nominally associated with the serum fetuin-A level in our PD patients. In haplotype analyses, there were haplotypes positively (H1; AGCA, H2; CC) and inversely (H1; TTCG, H2; TT) related with the serum fetuin-A level. The serum fetuin-A level inversely and independently correlated with hfPWV. Moreover, the serum fetuin-A concentration was a determinant for the simple vascular calcification score (SVCS), which subsequently was associated with hfPWV.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study showed an association between AHSG polymorphism and its serum concentration, and also revealed an association of the serum fetuin-A level with SVCS and aortic stiffness in PD patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Yong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Young-Hwan
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Hajeong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ro
authors.forename: Hankyu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Wookyung
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Dong-Wan
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Chae
authors.forename: Kwon Wook
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Joo
authors.forename: Curie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Kook-Hwan
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Oh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010530:Peritoneal Dialysis; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D060749:alpha-2-HS-Glycoprotein
chemical_list: C556354:AHSG protein, human; D001798:Blood Proteins; D060749:alpha-2-HS-Glycoprotein