Calcification of the splenic, iliac, and breast arteries and risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.

Background And Aims: CVD risks associated with coronary artery calcification (CAC) and aortic calcification (AC) are well known, but less is known about other calcified arteries. We aimed to assess the associations of arterial calcification in the breast, splenic, and internal and external iliac arteries with CVD risk factors and mortality.

Methods: We conducted a case-cohort study nested in a cohort of 5196 individuals who self-referred or were referred by a health care provider for whole body computed tomography (CT), including a random subcohort (n = 395) and total and CVD mortality cases (n = 298 and n = 90), who died during a median follow-up of 9.

Association of High Ankle Brachial Index With Incident Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality in a High-Risk Population.

Objective: The objective of this present study is to determine whether high ankle brachial index (ABI) as compared with ABIs within reference limits is associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and all-cause mortality in a high-risk population and whether this association is the same for patients with and without diabetes mellitus or prevalent CVD.

Approach And Results: Seven thousand five hundred and thirty-eight patients with ABI>0.9 and either prevalent CVD or a high risk for CVD were selected from the Second Manifestations of Arterial Disease (SMART) study.

Breast arterial calcifications: a systematic review and meta-analysis of their determinants and their association with cardiovascular events.

Objective: Breast arterial calcifications (BAC), regularly observed at mammography, are medial calcifications and as such an expression of arteriosclerosis. Our objective was to evaluate and summarize the available evidence on the associations of BAC with cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular risk.

Methods: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis were conducted.

The influence of informant characteristics on the reliability of family history interviews.

Family history interviews are widely used in psychiatric research, as well as in genetic and twin studies, and provide a way to collect family history information quickly and economically. To obtain a valid assessment of family history, it is important to investigate which family member will be able to provide accurate information. Previous research shows that the validity of family history reporting can be influenced by characteristics of the informant, such as age, gender and personal history of psychiatric disorder.