Distribution and burden of newly detected coronary artery calcium: Results from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Background: The transition from no coronary artery calcium (CAC) to detectable CAC is important, as even mild CAC is associated with increased cardiovascular events. We sought to characterize the anatomic distribution and burden of newly detectable CAC over 10-year follow-up.

Methods: We evaluated 3112 participants (mean age, 58 years; 64% female) with baseline CAC = 0 from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Obesity and metabolic phenotypes (metabolically healthy and unhealthy variants) are significantly associated with prevalence of elevated C-reactive protein and hepatic steatosis in a large healthy Brazilian population.

Background: Among the obese, the so-called metabolically healthy obese (MHO) phenotype is thought to confer a lower CVD risk as compared to obesity with typical associated metabolic changes. The present study aims to determine the relationship of different subtypes of obesity with inflammatory-cardiometabolic abnormalities.

Methods: We evaluated 5,519 healthy, Brazilian subjects (43 ± 10 years, 78% males), free of known cardiovascular disease.

All-cause mortality in asymptomatic persons with extensive Agatston scores above 1000.

Background: Risk assessment in the extensive calcified plaque phenotype has been limited by small sample size.

Objective: We studied all-cause mortality rates among asymptomatic patients with markedly elevated Agatston scores > 1000.

Methods: We studied a clinical cohort of 44,052 asymptomatic patients referred for coronary calcium scans.

Subclinical cardiovascular disease in plaque psoriasis: association or causal link?

Background: Psoriasis patients have a high prevalence of cardiovascular events and are thought to have a relative risk increase of 25% as compared to the general population. However, a causal relationship between psoriasis and cardiovascular disease has not been established. We sought to perform a systematic review of existing data regarding the presence of endothelial dysfunction and subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with plaque psoriasis.

Delayed heart rate recovery is strongly associated with early and late-stage prehypertension during exercise stress testing.

Background: Heart rate recovery (HRR) has been shown to predict cardiovascular disease mortality. HRR is delayed in hypertension, but its association with prehypertension (PHT) has not been well studied.

Methods: The study population consisted of 683 asymptomatic individuals (90% men, aged 47±7.