Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk Scores are Associated with Carotid Intima-Media Thickness.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk calculators estimate the 10-year incident risk of myocardial infarction (MI), coronary artery disease (CAD) death, or stroke; however, they lack comprehensiveness and accuracy. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is a surrogate marker that may improve risk estimation acumen. The objective of this study was to derive ASCVD risk scores from historical data and determine whether these risk scores are associated with the history of subclinical CAD and CIMT.

Haptoglobin genotype is a risk factor for coronary artery disease in prediabetes: A case-control study.

Objective: Coronary artery disease (CAD) prediction remains inconsistent with many unappreciated risk factors. Haptoglobin genotype determines the haptoglobin protein's effectiveness to bind free hemoglobin and prevent oxidative stress, a contributor to atherosclerosis. The haptoglobin 2-2 genotype increases the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) approximately five times compared to the 1-1 genotype in individuals with diabetes.

Myeloperoxidase: A Circulating Marker of Inflammation and Tooth Infection.

Background: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and tooth infection are common in primary care, and both significantly reduce quality of life. Our study aimed to examine signs of vascular inflammation associated with loss of tooth vitality before and after a single tooth extraction.

Methods: An observational cohort study was performed with adults who had a nonvital tooth and an indicated desire for tooth extraction.

The critical issue linking lipids and inflammation: Clinical utility of stopping oxidative stress.

The formation of an atheroma begins when lipoproteins become trapped in the intima. Entrapped lipoproteins become oxidized and activate the innate immune system. This immunity represents the primary association between lipids and inflammation.

Microvascular disease confers additional risk to COVID-19 infection.

The majority of fatalities thus far in the COVID-19 pandemic have been attributed to pneumonia. As expected, the fatality rate reported in China is higher in people with chronic pulmonary disease (6.3%) and those who have cancer (5.

Cardiovascular Prevention: Migrating From a Binary to a Ternary Classification.

Migrating from a binary approach to risk assessment to a ternary model of disease identification allows for individualized, optimal disease management. Redefining the disease/inflammatory approach has been proven to identify, stabilize, and regress atherosclerosis while adding understanding to the progression of vascular disease. Our previously published results show the beneficial effect of comprehensive, evidence-based management on subclinical atherosclerosis and vulnerable plaque.

Precision Healthcare of Type 2 Diabetic Patients Through Implementation of Haptoglobin Genotyping.

It is well-recognized that there is a need for medicine to migrate to a platform of delivering preventative care based on an individual's genetic make-up. The US National Research Council, the National Institute of Health and the American Heart Association all support the concept of utilizing genomic information to enhance the clinical management of patients. It is believed this type of precision healthcare will revolutionize health management.

High-risk periodontal pathogens contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

Periodontal disease (PD) is generated by microorganisms. These microbes can enter the general circulation causing a bacteraemia. The result can be adverse systemic effects, which could promote conditions such as cardiovascular disease.

Eight-year outcomes of a program for early prevention of cardiovascular events: a growth-curve analysis.

Background: Early identification of cardiovascular diseases allows us to prevent the progression of these diseases. The Bale/Doneen Method, a prevention and treatment program for heart attacks and ischemic strokes, has been adopted nationally in primary care and specialty clinics.

Objectives: The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the Bale/Doneen Method on lipoproteins and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) for cardiovascular disease prevention and reduction.

Carotid intima-media thickness testing as an asymptomatic cardiovascular disease identifier and method for making therapeutic decisions.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Although current therapies can reduce the risk for CVD, they are only given to patients who are considered to be at risk, and are therefore only beneficial if a patient's risk is accurately predicted before he or she sustains a cardiovascular (CV) event. Unfortunately, even relatively accurate risk factor analyses, such as the Reynolds Risk Score algorithm, fail to identify some patients who will sustain a CV event within 10 years.

Niacin-a critical component to the management of atherosclerosis: contemporary management of dyslipidemia to prevent, reduce, or reverse atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Niacin (nicotinic acid) is the most effective agent for raising high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and can improve the entire lipid panel in patients with dyslipidemia. Niacin-containing regimens are among the few treatments studied for dyslipidemia that have both elicited significant reductions in atherosclerotic progression (by angiography or imaging) and also significantly reduced (by approximately 90% vs control) the incidence of cardiovascular events in a single clinical trial. However, cutaneous flushing-an uncomfortable but typically transient adverse effect of niacin-often results in patient nonadherence with this potentially life-saving therapy.