Oxidized Phospholipids and Calcific Aortic Valvular Disease.

Background: Oxidized phospholipids (OxPLs) are carried by apolipoprotein B-100-containing lipoproteins (OxPL-apoB) including lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]). Both OxPL-apoB and Lp(a) have been associated with calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD).

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the associations between OxPL-apoB, Lp(a) and the prevalence, incidence, and progression of CAVD.

The ankle-brachial index, gastrocnemius mitochondrial respirometry, and walking performance in people with and without peripheral artery disease.

Background: Mitochondrial abnormalities exist in lower-extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD), yet the association of the ankle-brachial index (ABI) with mitochondrial respiration in gastrocnemius muscle is unknown. The association of gastrocnemius mitochondrial respiration with 6-minute walk distance in PAD is unknown. This objective of this study was to describe associations of the ABI with mitochondrial respiratory function in gastrocnemius muscle biopsies and associations of gastrocnemius mitochondrial respirometry with 6-minute walk distance in people with and without PAD.

Nicotinamide riboside for peripheral artery disease: the NICE randomized clinical trial.

People with lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) have increased oxidative stress, impaired mitochondrial activity, and poor walking performance. NAD+ reduces oxidative stress and is an essential cofactor for mitochondrial respiration. Oral nicotinamide riboside (NR) increases bioavailability of NAD+ in humans.

Burden of Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke Across the US From 1990 to 2019.

Importance: Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in the US. Accurate and updated measures of stroke burden are needed to guide public health policies.

Objective: To present burden estimates of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in the US in 2019 and describe trends from 1990 to 2019 by age, sex, and geographic location.

Associations of Abdominal Muscle Density and Area and Incident Cardiovascular Disease, Coronary Heart Disease, and Stroke: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Background: Muscle density is inversely associated with all-cause mortality, but associations with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk are not well understood. This study evaluated the association between muscle density and muscle area and incident total CVD, coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke in diverse men and women.

Methods And Results: Adult participants (N=1869) in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis Ancillary Body Composition Study underwent computer tomography scans of the L2-L4 region of the abdomen.

Association between Statin use and Incident Peripheral Artery Disease According to Race, Age, and Presence of Depression in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Background: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is associated with high morbidity and mortality and has been commonly described as a coronary heart disease equivalent. Statin medications are recommended for primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) among other indications. Therefore, understanding the longitudinal relationship of incident PAD is necessary to inform future research on how to prevent the disease.

Aspirin and Cardiovascular Risk in Individuals With Elevated Lipoprotein(a): The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Background: Effective therapies for reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in people with elevated lipoprotein(a) are lacking, especially for primary prevention. Because of the potential association of lipoprotein(a) with thrombosis, we evaluated the relationship between aspirin use and CVD events in people with elevated lipoprotein(a).

Methods And Results: We used data from the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis), a prospective cohort study of individuals free of baseline cardiovascular disease.

Discordance of patient-reported outcome measures with objectively assessed walking decline in peripheral artery disease.

Objective: Among people with peripheral artery disease (PAD), perceived change in walking difficulty over time, compared with people without PAD, is unclear. Among people reporting no change in walking difficulty over time, differences in objectively measured change in walking performance between people with and without PAD are unknown.

Methods: A total of 1289 participants were included.

Disparities in Diagnosis, Treatment, and Outcomes of Peripheral Artery Disease: JACC Scientific Statement.

Disparities by sex, race, socioeconomic status, and geography exist in diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes for people with lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD). PAD prevalence is similar in men and women, but women have more atypical symptoms and undergo lower extremity revascularization at older ages compared to men. People who are Black have an approximately 2-fold higher prevalence of PAD, compared to people who are White and have more atypical symptoms, greater mobility loss, less optimal medical care, and higher amputation rates.

Nutritional Avocado Intervention Improves Physical Activity Measures in Hispanic/Latino Families: A Cluster RCT.

Introduction: Nutrition and physical activity are key components for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. There remains a paucity of trial data on the effect of specific nutritional interventions on physical activity and sedentary time. One question is how a common nutrient-dense food such as avocado may impact physical activity and sedentary time in Hispanic/Latino families, a group that reports the lowest levels of physical activity.

Serum reactivity to citrullinated protein/peptide antigens and left ventricular structure and function in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Background: Antibodies to citrullinated protein antigens have been linked to altered left ventricular (LV) structure and function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Serum reactivity to several citrullinated protein/peptide antigens has been identified in RA, which are detectable years before RA onset and in individuals who may never develop RA. Among community-living individuals without heart failure (HF) at baseline in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), we investigated associations between serum reactivity to citrullinated protein/peptide antigens, LV mass, LV ejection fraction (LVEF), and incident HF.

Home-Based Walking Exercise and Supervised Treadmill Exercise in Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease: An Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis.

Importance: Few people with lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) participate in supervised treadmill exercise covered by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In people with PAD, the benefits of home-based walking exercise, relative to supervised exercise, remain unclear.

Objective: To study whether home-based walking exercise improves 6-minute walk (6MW) more than supervised treadmill exercise in people with PAD (defined as Ankle Brachial Index ≤0.

Lipoprotein(a) and the pooled cohort equations for ASCVD risk prediction: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Background And Aims: Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) but is not included in the Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE). We aimed to assess how well the PCE predict 10-year event rates in individuals with elevated Lp(a), and whether the addition of Lp(a) improves risk prediction.

Methods: We compared observed versus PCE-predicted 10-year ASCVD event rates, stratified by Lp(a) level and ASCVD risk category using Poisson regression, and evaluated the association between Lp(a) > 50 mg/dL and ASCVD risk using Cox proportional hazards models in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Lipoprotein(a) and coronary artery calcium in comparison with other lipid biomarkers: The multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis.

Background: Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring is often used for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk stratification in individuals with elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)].

Objective: To evaluate associations between Lp(a) and baseline CAC (volume/density) and CAC progression compared to other lipid biomarkers.

Methods: We utilized data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), a cohort study of individuals without clinical ASCVD, excluding statin users.

Coronary Artery Calcium Density and Cardiovascular Events by Volume Level: The MESA.

Background: The Agatston coronary artery calcium (CAC) score provides robust cardiovascular disease risk prediction but upweights plaque area by a density factor. Density, however, has been shown to be inversely associated with events. Using CAC volume and density separately improves risk prediction, but it is unclear how to apply this method clinically.

Medical therapies, comorbid conditions, and functional performance in people with peripheral artery disease enrolled in clinical trials between 2004 and 2021.

This study describes changes over time in baseline comorbidities, leg symptoms, functional impairment, and medications of people with lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) randomized into clinical trials designed to improve walking performance.

Cigarette smoking and mitochondrial dysfunction in peripheral artery disease.

Background: This study evaluated the association of smoking with mitochondrial function in gastrocnemius muscle of people with peripheral artery disease (PAD).

Methods: Participants were enrolled from Chicago, Illinois and consented to gastrocnemius biopsy. Mitochondrial oxidative capacity was measured in muscle with respirometry.

Biomarkers of Vitamin D Metabolism and Hip and Vertebral Fracture Risk: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Studies on associations between biomarkers of vitamin D metabolism and fracture risk have focused predominantly on White or elderly populations and may not be generalizable to relatively healthy multiethnic populations. We tested associations of total 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D), the ratio of 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D to 25-hydroxyvitamin D (vitamin D metabolite ratio, VDMR), parathyroid hormone (PTH), and fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) concentrations measured in serum with risk of hip and vertebral fractures in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and D and 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Coronary calcium density in relation to coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease in adults with diabetes or metabolic syndrome: the Multi-ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Background: Coronary artery calcium (CAC) density is inversely associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. We examined this relation in those with diabetes mellitus (DM) or metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Methods: We studied 3,818 participants with non-zero CAC scores from the Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and classified them as DM, MetS (without DM) or neither DM/MetS.

Effect of Telmisartan on Walking Performance in Patients With Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease: The TELEX Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Patients with lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) have reduced lower extremity perfusion, impaired lower extremity skeletal muscle function, and poor walking performance. Telmisartan (an angiotensin receptor blocker) has properties that reverse these abnormalities.

Objective: To determine whether telmisartan improves 6-minute walk distance, compared with placebo, in patients with lower extremity PAD at 6-month follow-up.

Cholesterol mass efflux capacity and coronary artery calcium: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

We assessed the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-mediated cholesterol mass efflux capacity (CMEC) with coronary artery calcium (CAC) score and CAC density. CMEC was measured in 1626 Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) participants in samples obtained between 2000 and 2002 as part of two nested case-control studies, one with cases of incident cardiovascular disease and the other with cases of carotid plaque progression by ultrasound. Cardiac CT examinations for the presence of CAC were performed at baseline and at two additional examinations.