Blood sample collection and analysis
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Plasma samples were drawn in the morning after an overnight fast and were immediately stored in cooling boxes at approximately 4°C before direct transfer to the Central Institute for Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics of Innsbruck University Hospital. Analyses were performed in a Cobas8000® (Roche). HDL- and LDL-cholesterol were measured using an enzymatic color essay, ASAT was analyzed using an enzyme spectrophotometry method and blood-glucose level was determined with a hexokinase method. Further parameters and measurement methods were published elsewhere [