2.5.5. Blood Samples: Collection and Assays
high-density lipoprotein, TG
CLOT
Each patient provided morning whole blood samples (20 mL) for the isolation of the serum and plasma after an overnight fast. Ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) was used for the plasma isolation. For the isolation of serum, whole blood was previously allowed to clot at room temperature for 20 min. Whole blood samples were centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 min at 4 °C. For all assays, freshly drawn blood samples were used.Serum glucose (Glu), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides (TG), and CRP were quantified with an automatic biochemical analyser using manufacturer’s reagents (Cobas 8000 modular analyser, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany).An automated chemiluminescence system (Cobase 801 analytical module, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany) was used to determine the concentrations of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)