Associations of circulating T-cell subsets with carotid artery stiffness: the multiethnic study of atherosclerosis.

Arterial stiffness measured by total pulse wave velocity (T-PWV) is associated with an increased risk of multiple age-related diseases. T-PWV can be described by structural (S-PWV) and load-dependent (LD-PWV) arterial stiffening. T-cells have been implicated in arterial remodeling, arterial stiffness, and hypertension in humans and animals; however, it is unknown whether T-cells are risk factors for T-PWV or its components.

Using an in-office passive leg raise to identify older adults with suboptimal blood pressure control.

Introduction: Passive leg raise (PLR) is a simple, dynamic maneuver that has been used to increase preload to the heart. We hypothesize that PLR may offer a new and efficient office-based tool for assessing blood pressure (BP) control in older adults.

Methods: One hundred and three veterans (≥60 years old) without known cardiovascular disease and varying degrees of blood pressure control were included in this cross-sectional cohort study.

Associations of circulating T-cell subsets in carotid artery stiffness: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Background: Arterial stiffness measured by total pulse wave velocity (T-PWV) is associated with increased risk of multiple age-related diseases. T-PWV can be described by structural (S-PWV) and load-dependent (LD-PWV) arterial stiffening. T-cells have been associated with arterial remodeling, blood pressure, and arterial stiffness in humans and animals; however, it is unknown whether T-cells are related to S-PWV or LD-PWV.

Carotid Artery Stiffness Mechanisms Are Associated With End Organ Damage and All-Cause Mortality: MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis).

Background Arterial stiffness can be separated into 2 main mechanisms: (1) load-dependent stiffening from higher blood pressure and (2) structural stiffening due to remodeling of the vessel wall. The relationship between stiffness mechanisms and end organ damage is unknown. Methods and Results MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) participants with carotid ultrasound were included in this study (n=6147).

Methods of arterial stiffness calculation and cardiovascular disease events: the multiethnic study of atherosclerosis.

Background: A wide variety of different formulae have been used to calculate local arterial stiffness with little external validation in relationship to cardiovascular events. We compared the associations of several arterial stiffness calculations in a large, multiethnic cohort.

Methods: The multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis (MESA) is a longitudinal study of 6814 adults without clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) at enrollment.

Biomechanics models predict increasing smooth muscle tone as a novel therapeutic target for central arterial dysfunction in hypertension.

Introduction: Vasodilation can paradoxically increase arterial stiffness in older, hypertensive adults. This study modeled increasing smooth muscle tone as a therapeutic strategy to improve central arterial dysfunction in hypertension using participant-specific simulations.

Methods: Participant-specific models of the carotid artery were parameterized from vascular ultrasound measures of nitroglycerin-induced vasodilation in 18 hypertensive veterans.

Transcranial Color-Coded Doppler Cerebral Hemodynamics Following Aerobic Exercise Training: Outcomes From a Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial.

Introduction: An active lifestyle with regular exercise is thought to decrease or delay the onset of Alzheimer dementia through increasing blood flow to the brain. We examined the mean flow velocity (MFV) and pulsatility index (PI) in the middle cerebral arteries of individuals randomized into two groups-a Usual Physical Activity (UPA) group and an Enhanced Physical Activity (EPA) exercise intervention group-to determine if exercise training is related to changes in cerebral blood flow.

Methods: We examined 23 participants, randomized into a UPA group (n=12) and an EPA group (n=11), with transcranial color-coded Doppler (TCCD) and cardiorespiratory fitness (VOpeak, mL/kg/min) testing at baseline and following a 26-week intervention.

Exercise increases arterial stiffness independent of blood pressure in older Veterans.

Background: Exercise-induced changes in arterial function could contribute to a hypertensive response to exercise (HRE) in older individuals. We performed the present analysis to define the acute arterial stiffness response to exercise in ambulatory older adults.

Methods: Thirty-nine Veterans (>60 years old), without known cardiovascular disease, participated in this study, including 19 Veterans who were hypertensive (70.

Association of statin therapy with progression of carotid arterial stiffness: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Arterial stiffness progresses with age and is a predictor of adverse cardiovascular disease events. Studies examining associations of statin therapy with arterial stiffness have yielded mixed results. Associations between the duration and intensity of statin therapy and arterial stiffness have not been studied in a prospective multiethnic cohort.

Carotid Artery Stiffness Mechanisms in Hypertension and Their Association with Echolucency and Texture Features: The Multi-ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Arterial stiffness, echolucency and texture features are altered with hypertension and associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. The relationship between these markers and structural and load-dependent artery wall changes in hypertension are poorly understood. The Multi-ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) is a longitudinal study of 6814 adults from six communities across the United States designed to study subclinical cardiovascular disease.

Effects of nitroglycerin-induced vasodilation on elastic and muscular artery stiffness in older Veterans.

Vascular smooth muscle tone may play an important role in the physiology of increased arterial stiffness that occurs with aging. This study evaluated the impact of smooth muscle tone on arterial stiffness in older individuals following nitroglycerin-induced vasodilation in elastic and muscular arteries. Forty older Veterans (≥60 years old) without known cardiovascular disease were included in this study.

Optimal lifestyle behaviors and 10-year progression of arterial stiffness: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Majority of previous studies showed no association between a single health behavior and arterial stiffness, but the benefit of simultaneously having multiple healthy behaviors (optimal lifestyle) on the progression of arterial stiffness is unknown. Among 2810 individuals (age 60.0 ± 9.

Carotid Artery Stiffness Mechanisms Associated With Cardiovascular Disease Events and Incident Hypertension: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Background: Elastic arteries stiffen via 2 main mechanisms: (1) load-dependent stiffening from higher blood pressure and (2) structural stiffening due to changes in the vessel wall. It is unknown how these different mechanisms contribute to incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) events.

Methods: The MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) is a longitudinal study of 6814 men and women without CVD at enrollment, from 6 communities in the United States.

Non-invasive estimation of pulmonary hemodynamics from 2D-PC MRI with an arterial mechanics method.

Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) is a challenging cardiopulmonary disease diagnosed when the mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) is greater than 20 mmHg. Unfortunately, mPAP can only be measured through invasive right heart catheterization (RHC) motivating the development of novel non-invasive estimates. Pulmonary hypertension patients (n = 7) and control subjects (n = 8) had 2D phase contrast (PC) MRI of the main pulmonary artery during rest and moderate exercise.

Carotid Artery Stiffening With Aging: Structural Versus Load-Dependent Mechanisms in MESA (the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis).

Elastic arteries stiffen via 2 main mechanisms: (1) load-dependent stiffening from higher blood pressure and (2) structural stiffening due to changes in the vessel wall. Differentiating these closely coupled mechanisms is important to understanding vascular aging. MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) participants with B-mode carotid ultrasound and brachial blood pressure at exam 1 and exam 5 (year 10) were included in this study (n=2604).

Smooth muscle tone alters arterial stiffness: the importance of the extracellular matrix to vascular smooth muscle stiffness ratio.

Background: Recent studies show that vascular smooth muscle (VSM) is more important to elastic artery mechanics than previously believed. It remains unclear whether increased VSM tone increases or decreases arterial stiffness.

Methods And Results: We developed a novel arterial mechanics model based on pressure-diameter relationships that incorporates the contributions of extracellular matrix (ECM) and VSM to arterial stiffness measures.

Harnessing Mobile Health Technology for Secondary Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Older Adults: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of morbidity and mortality, is critical to improving health outcomes and quality of life in our aging population. As mobile health (mHealth) technology gains universal leverage and popularity, it is becoming more user-friendly for older adults and an adjunct to manage CVD risk and improve overall cardiovascular health. With the rapid advances in mHealth technology and increasing technological engagement of older adults, a comprehensive understanding of the current literature and knowledge of gaps and barriers surrounding the impact of mHealth on secondary CVD prevention is essential.

Persistent Asthma Is Associated With Increased Risk for Incident Atrial Fibrillation in the MESA.

Background: Asthma and atrial fibrillation (AF) share an underlying inflammatory pathophysiology. We hypothesized that persistent asthmatics are at higher risk for developing AF and that this association would be attenuated by adjustment for baseline markers of systemic inflammation.

Methods: The MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) is a prospective longitudinal study of adults free of cardiovascular disease at baseline.

Longitudinal Effects of Cigarette Smoking and Smoking Cessation on Aortic Wave Reflections, Pulse Wave Velocity, and Carotid Artery Distensibility.

Background We evaluated the effects of smoking and smoking cessation on aortic wave reflections (augmentation index), aortic pulse wave velocity, and carotid artery distensibility and stiffness (distensibility coefficient, Young's elastic modulus). Methods and Results Current smokers underwent carotid, radial, and femoral artery tonometry and carotid ultrasound at baseline and 3 years after a quit attempt. Baseline associations of smoking heaviness markers (exhaled carbon monoxide and cigarettes smoked/d) and effects of smoking cessation at year 3 on changes in arterial measures were assessed using multivariable linear regression models.

Effects of Simvastatin on Augmentation Index Are Transient: Outcomes From a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background Statins improve endothelial function, but their effects on arterial stiffness and aortic blood pressure in middle-aged adults are uncertain. Methods and Results This was a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of middle-aged (40-72 years old) adults who were randomly assigned to receive simvastatin 40 mg (n=44) or placebo (n=44) daily for 18 months to evaluate impact on dementia-related biomarkers (primary end points) and measures of vascular health (secondary end points). This analysis focuses on the predetermined secondary end points of changes in central aortic blood pressure, aortic augmentation index, and brachial artery flow-mediated dilation.

Carotid artery displacement and cardiovascular disease risk in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Novel technology permits quantification of common carotid artery (CCA) displacement, which is traditionally ignored. We evaluated associations with CCA displacement and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and events in a large, multi-ethnic cohort. Right CCA longitudinal displacement (LD), transverse displacement (TD), and grayscale median (GSM) were evaluated using ultrasound speckle-tracking and texture analysis software in 2050 participants.

Carotid Artery Echolucency, Texture Features, and Incident Cardiovascular Disease Events: The MESA Study.

Background We hypothesized that measures of common carotid artery echolucency and grayscale texture features were associated with cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) risk factors and could predict CVD events. Methods and Results Using a case-cohort design, we measured common carotid artery ultrasound images from 1788 participants in Exam 1 of the MESA study (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) to derive 4 grayscale features: grayscale median, entropy, gray level difference statistic-contrast, and spatial gray level dependence matrices-angular second moment. CVD risk factor associations were determined by linear regression.

Ultrasound carotid plaque features, cardiovascular disease risk factors and events: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Background And Aims: It is not known if ultrasound carotid plaque features are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors or if they predict future CVD events.

Methods: We measured total carotid plaque area (TPA) and grayscale plaque features (grayscale median, black areas, and discrete white areas) by B-mode carotid ultrasound among 2205 participants who participated in the first (baseline) visit of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Multivariable linear regression was used to examine relationships between ultrasound plaque features and CVD risk factors at baseline.

Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on Markers of Vascular Function: A Systematic Review and Individual Participant Meta-Analysis.

Background: Low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events, but the effect of vitamin D supplementation on markers of vascular function associated with major adverse cardiovascular events is unclear.

Methods And Results: We conducted a systematic review and individual participant meta-analysis to examine the effect of vitamin D supplementation on flow-mediated dilatation of the brachial artery, pulse wave velocity, augmentation index, central blood pressure, microvascular function, and reactive hyperemia index. MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and http://www.

Carotid artery ultrasound texture, cardiovascular risk factors, and subclinical arterial disease: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Objective: This pilot study determined if the ultrasound texture feature "contrast" was associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and subclinical arterial disease.

Methods: We evaluated ultrasound images of the right common carotid artery (CCA) from a convenience sample of 151 participants and examined relationships between contrast, CVD risk factors, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and coronary artery calcium (CAC). Grey level difference statistics algorithms were used to evaluate the texture feature "contrast" from carotid ultrasound images.