Arterial measurements are commonly undertaken to assess acute and chronic adaptations to exercise. Despite the widespread adoption of scaling practices in cardiac research, the relevance of scaling for body size and/or composition has not been addressed for arterial measures. We therefore investigated the relationships between brachial artery diameter and body ...

Identification of asymptomatic patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) at increased risk for coronary artery disease (CAD) remains a challenge. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) has been proposed as a surrogate marker for CAD but only limited data are available. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the potential of CIMT ...

Rare (611C) and common (1062V) variants of the Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein 6 (LRP6) display reduced activation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling. The rare gene variant was associated with hypertension, metabolic abnormalities, and early coronary artery disease. We investigated whether the common 1062V LRP6 variant was related to carotid artery atherosclerosis (CAA) ...

Stiffening of the central elastic arteries is one of the earliest detectable manifestations of adverse change within the vessel wall. Although an association between carotid artery stiffness and adverse events has been demonstrated, little is known about the relationship between stiffness and atherosclerosis. Even less is known about the impact ...

BACKGROUND: African American and African Caribbeans have high cardiovascular morbidity/mortality. Increased arterial stiffness is a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, predicts higher cardiovascular risk, and causes isolated systolic hypertension. The objectives of the study were to compare arterial stiffness indices in African Americans and African Caribbeans and obtain reference values. METHODS/RESULTS: ...

AIM: As an approach to tissue characterization, we attempted to classify in vivo carotid plaque tissues in terms of arterial wall elasticity instead of echogenicity on B-mode scanning and investigated whether the effect of fluvastatin on carotid elasticity can be detected in hypercholesterolemic patients. METHODS: In 170 subjects, simultaneous measurements ...

OBJECTIVES: Increased arterial stiffness is associated with cardiovascular disease. Its applicability in individual patient management, however, is limited due to lack of reliable methods. We developed a method to measure arterial stiffness by means of local pulse wave velocity (PWV), using multiple M-mode ultrasound and the dicrotic notch (PWVdn) rather ...

BACKGROUND: Arterial stiffness is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) is the most recognized and established index of arterial stiffness. An emerging automatic measure of PWV primarily used in the Asian countries is brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV). METHOD: To systematically compare these two methodologies, we ...

Because T2DM increases the risk of coronary atherosclerosis and CAD and new noninvasive techniques to assess CVD risk have gained considerable popularity, it is important to know how these tools relate to each other. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the extent of coronary artery ...

INTRODUCTION: Cholesterol crystal embolism complicating arterial catheterization usually presents as a multiorgan disease with renal failure, abdominal problems, and skin manifestations. METHODS: We present a patient with hypertension and generalized arteriosclerosis who presented with muscle weakness, diffuse pain in the extremities, and renal failure 3 weeks after coronary catheterization and ...

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to compare the coronary artery calcium score (CACS) and computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) for the assessment of non-obstructive/obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in high-risk asymptomatic subjects. METHODS: Two hundred and thirteen consecutive asymptomatic subjects (113 male; mean age 53.6 +/- 12.4 years) ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence and pattern of arterial calcification in patients with asymptomatic systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) compared with control subjects. SLE patients are prone to adverse cardiovascular events; however, the underlying atherosclerotic process is unknown. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) measured arterial calcium score (CS) reflecting underlying atherosclerosis and ...

Renal artery stenosis (RAS) is a major comorbid condition in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Although the reported prevalence of significant RAS among patients undergoing coronary angiography varies from 6.2 to 28% in Western countries, little information is available on the prevalence and predictors of RAS in Middle Eastern ...

Several retrospective and nonrandomized studies have indicated that lowering atherogenic lipoprotein, in particular low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, may retard the hemodynamic progression of aortic stenosis (AS). This valvular disease shares pathogenic and pathoanatomic similarities with atherosclerosis, at least in their early developments. Two randomized placebo-controlled studies researching the effect of lowering ...

Low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) represent a major cardiovascular risk factor that is only modestly influenced by currently available drugs. Consequently, there has been interest in developing new therapeutic agents specifically targeting HDL-C to reduce risk in patients with coronary artery disease. One strategy involves the administration of ...

OBJECTIVE: Hypercholesterolemia is a risk factor for aortic stenosis (AS) and for coronary artery disease (CAD). Serum cholesterol concentrations are determined by intestinal cholesterol absorption and endogenous cholesterol synthesis. Vascular effects of differences in cholesterol metabolism in patients with AS are so far unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study ...

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is characterized by a high level of LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) and a high prevalence of atherosclerotic coronary heart disease; however, hypercholesterolemia is usually the only clinical finding in children with heterozygous FH in their first decade of life. We report a case of FH in an 11-year-old boy ...

OBJECTIVE: Aims were to examine associations (1) between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the presence and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) and obesity, (2) between CAD and NAFLD with aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and gamma glutamiltransferase (GGT) levels. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the study group ...

We determined whether higher levels of physical activity in daily life are associated with better brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) among individuals with lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Participants were 111 men and women with PAD (ankle-brachial index (ABI) <or= 0.95) who completed baseline testing in the Study to ...

AIM: A new antibody reacted with an epitope in Lp(a) that has undergone oxidation treatment, but is not present in native Lp(a), was developed. Thus, we determined serum oxidized Lp(a) concentration in healthy volunteers, and coronary artery disease (CAD), diabetes mellitus (DM), and hypertensive patients. METHODS: We measured serum levels ...

BACKGROUND: In patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), the presence of atherosclerotic lesions in other vascular beds is associated with a markedly worse prognosis. AIM: To determine the prevalence and predictors of extracranial supra-aortic artery atherosclerotic disease (SAD) in patients with suspected CAD. METHODS: Supra-aortic artery angiography was performed in ...

In addition to many traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) development, enhanced oxidative stress and inflammation are serious conditions that may also be classified as novel risk factors. The objective of the present study was to ascertain the correlation of antioxidants (superoxide dismutase, catalase and vitamin E) with ...

BACKGROUND: The diagonal ear-lobe crease (ELC) is reported to be a marker of cardiovascular disease. Very few reports have assessed the relationship of ELC with atherosclerosis. This relationship is investigated here using a Japanese population. METHODS AND RESULTS: A prospective cross-sectional study included 212 consecutive patients. Bilateral ear lobes were ...

Patients with end-stage renal disease have a very high prevalence and extent of arterial calcification. A number of studies suggest that similar pathophysiologic mechanisms are responsible for development and progression of calcification of atherosclerotic plaque and bone formation. Fetuin-A is a potent calcification inhibitor and is expressed in bone, with ...

The aim of the study was to test 1) whether chronic and stable coronary artery disease (CAD) could downregulate epicardial fat adrenomedullin synthesis and secretion, and decrease intracoronary plasma adrenomedullin levels, and 2) whether intracoronary plasma adrenomedullin levels could be related to epicardial adipose tissue adrenomedullin gene and protein expression ...

The relation between cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) levels and atherosclerosis is controversial. We examined whether the serum CETP levels were associated with subclinical atherosclerosis, independent of its most common gene variant, in a sample of Japanese men. A population-based cross-sectional study of 250 Japanese men aged 40 to 49 ...

Whether arterial stiffness correlates with mild-to-moderate CKD and albuminuria in the community is unclear. We studied the association between arterial stiffness and mild-to-moderate CKD and albuminuria in the Framingham Heart Study. CKD was present in 6.7% (181 of 2682) of participants and microalbuminuria was present in 8.2% (479 of 5818). ...

BACKGROUND: Interleukin (IL)-beta plays a central role in inflammation and atherosclerosis, but levels of IL-1beta, its natural antagonist, IL-1Ra, and their balance in human atherosclerotic lesions, are unknown. Knowledge of protein levels in atherosclerosis and the influence of a functional IL-1Ra polymorphism would increase the understanding of atherosclerosis pathogenesis. METHODS ...

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) have been suggested to play an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease; however, their levels in resistance arteries and their role as useful markers for endothelial dysfunction are not well known. In this paper we studied the levels of HSP90, HSP70, HSP60, HSP27, and ...

BACKGROUND: Several studies have shown that increased carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) confers risk of future coronary artery disease (CAD) and stroke. The present study aimed at investigating whether CIMT is a predictor of CAD in South African black patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: This was a prospective study of 53 patients, ...

Atherosclerosis represents a systemic disease that affects all major vascular territories. Despite advances in medical therapies to prevent atherosclerosis and better manage patients with established peripheral arterial disease (PAD), the incidence of PAD continues to increase, and associated morbidity remains high, especially as the population ages. Over the past decade, ...

PURPOSE: The common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT) is usually measured using B-mode ultrasound images. A different approach for CCA-IMT detection is based on radio frequency (RF) multiple M-line analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study explores the relationship between B-mode and RF measurement of CCA-IMT, as well as the ...

BACKGROUND: Cytochrome P450 (CYP) is expressed in the human endothelium and metabolizes arachidonic acid into vasoactive epoxyeicosatrienoic and 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids. CYP enzymes have been linked to hypertension and generation of reactive oxygen species. Thus, we investigated the impact of several CYP polymorphisms on coronary endothelial function in patients with coronary ...

The aim of this study was to evaluate any possible association of homocysteine with arterial stiffness indices in patients with essential arterial hypertension (AH), isolated office hypertension (IOH) and normotensive controls. The final cohort comprised 231 normotensives (NTs, 119 males), 480 patients with IOH (196 males) and 1188 patients with ...

A reduction in arterial compliance in patients with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus has been previously reported. It is caused by the effect that systemic inflammation has on the cardiovascular system. Multiple sclerosis (MS), an immune-mediated disease that exclusively affects the central nervous system (CNS), ...

This was a case control study designed to evaluate carotid intima-medial thickness (IMT) by high-resolution ultrasound in hypertensive and normotensive individuals. High-resolution carotid ultrasound was done in 203 hypertensive patients (cases) and 101 normotensive individuals (control). Scanning of bilateral common carotid artery (CCA) was performed in anteroposterior projections. To obtain ...

In coronary artery disease (CAD), concomitant peripheral arterial disease (PAD) entails increased systemic inflammatory profile and more severe coronary atherosclerosis. We investigated the relationship between the inflammatory status in the affected limb and CAD severity. In 46 CAD+PAD and 31 CAD-alone patients, the inflammatory status of the leg circulation was ...

Arterial stiffness and excessive pressure pulsatility have emerged as important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Arterial stiffness increases with age and in the presence of traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes and lipid disorders. Pathologic stiffening of large arteries with advancing age and risk factor exposure predominantly ...

OBJECTIVES: Vascular abnormalities such as endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness have been described in patients with beta-thalassemia major (beta-TM). Increased concentrations of oxidised low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (oxLDL) have been observed in those patients, but possible associations between oxLDL and arterial function in beta-TM have not been defined. METHODS: Twenty-six patients ...

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) and apolipoprotein B (apoB) and the severity of coronary artery stenosis. METHODS: This case-control study was carried out on 106 patients who underwent angiography and 100 healthy controls. ApoA-I and apoB as well as ...

Carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) measurements are now recognized as a surrogate measure of atherosclerosis. The measurement is performed on high-resolution ultrasound images of the carotid artery at the level of the carotid bifurcation. Increased IMT values indicate a higher likelihood of having had a stroke or myocardial infarction. In ...

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the relationship among carotid atherosclerosis, vascular risk factors, and antioxidant plasma concentrations, and those that have reported conflicting results. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis, as defined by carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), and inflammatory markers, plasma lipids ...

Arterial stiffness has been shown to be a potent and independent predictor of cardiovascular risk. In this review, we outline methods for the measurement of arterial stiffness, describe the physiological mechanisms that underpin the utility of arterial stiffness as an integrative marker of cardiovascular disease, and detail the evidence examining ...

This study investigated the correlation of sPLA2 (secretory phospholipase A2) activity with the atheromatosis extent in subjects with coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing coronary angiography. We analyzed 123 patients, including 35 subjects with angiographically normal coronary arteries (controls), 31 with mild/moderate atheromatosis (stenosis of 30-70% of the luminal diameter in ...

BACKGROUND: According to the AHA/ACC guideline 2002, patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) with minor or no clinical risk for perioperative cardiovascular events require no preoperative coronary assessment if they have functional capacity greater than 4 METS. Further coronary assessment is not often performed, even after the operation, because of ...

BACKGROUND: Recent findings have suggested that subjects with non-coronary atherosclerosis may show elevated prevalence of atherogenic dyslipidemia, including higher triglyceride levels, reduced HDL-cholesterol concentrations and increased levels of small, dense low-density lipoproteins (LDL). These three lipid abnormalities constitute the so-called "atherogenic-lipoprotein-phenotype" (ALP) but its predictive role in these patients still ...

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between erectile dysfunction (ED), coronary artery disease (CAD), and T(-786)C and intron 4 a/b endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) polymorphisms in 419 patients with suspected or known CAD referred for coronary angiography. The patients had a high prevalence of risk ...

Subclinical hypothyroidism (SHT) is a disease for which exact therapeutic approaches have not yet been established. Previous studies have suggested an association between SHT and coronary heart disease. Whether this association is related to SHT-induced changes in serum lipid levels or to endothelial dysfunction is unclear. The aim of this ...

OBJECTIVE: The current study was conducted to investigate whether greater arterial stiffening is already present in normolipidemic relatives of patients with familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL), as compared with healthy controls, and to establish the factors that are associated with arterial stiffness in comparison with markers of atherosclerosis. METHODS: Seventy-seven FCHL ...

The common carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is considered as a marker of cardiovascular disease, while the value of the common femoral IMT is not well defined. The aim of the present study was to investigate the value of common femoral IMT alone or in combination with the common carotid IMT ...