Implications of the Eighth Joint National Committee Guidelines for the Management of High Blood Pressure for Aging Adults: Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

The recent 2014 Evidence-Based Guideline for the Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults from the Eight Joint National Committee Panel may significantly affect the aging US population. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of black and white participants in Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities who participated in the fifth study visit (2011-2013). Sitting blood pressure was calculated from the average of 3 successive readings taken after a 5-minute rest.

Atrial Fibrillation and Risk of ST-Segment-Elevation Versus Non-ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.

Background: It has recently been reported that atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI). However, the mechanism underlying this association is currently unknown. Further study of the relationship of AF with the type of MI (ST-segment-elevation MI [STEMI] versus non-ST-segment-elevation MI [NSTEMI]) might shed light on the potential mechanisms.

Left ventricular hypertrophy and cardiovascular disease risk prediction and reclassification in blacks and whites: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Background: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a major independent predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) survival and is more prevalent in blacks than whites. In a large biracial population, we evaluated the ability of electrocardiography (ECG)-determined LVH (ECG-LVH) to reclassify CVD/coronary heart disease (CHD) events beyond traditional risk factors in blacks and whites.

Methods: The analysis included 14,489 participants (mean age 54 ± 5.

P-wave indices and atrial fibrillation: cross-cohort assessments from the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) and Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with increased morbidity. P-wave indices (PWIs) measure atrial electrical function and are associated with AF. Study of PWI has been limited to single-cohort investigations, and their contributions to risk enhancement are unknown.

Obesity related risk of sudden cardiac death in the atherosclerosis risk in communities study.

Objective: To examine the association of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist hip ratio (WHR) with sudden cardiac death (SCD) in community dwelling individuals.

Methods: Data from a multicentre, prospective, cohort study of 14 941 men and women (African American, and white), aged 45-64 years, participating in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study was analysed. Obesity measures were assessed at baseline (1987-1989).

Echocardiographic measures of cardiac structure and function are associated with risk of atrial fibrillation in blacks: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

Background: Several studies have examined the link between atrial fibrillation (AF) and various echocardiographic measures of cardiac structure and function in whites and other racial groups but not in blacks. Exploring AF risk factors in blacks is important given that the lower incidence of AF in this racial group despite higher risk factors, is not completely explained.

Methods: We examined the association of echocardiographic measures with AF incidence in 2283 blacks (64.

Association of sick sinus syndrome with incident cardiovascular disease and mortality: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study and Cardiovascular Health Study.

Background: Sick sinus syndrome (SSS) is a common indication for pacemaker implantation. Limited information exists on the association of sick sinus syndrome (SSS) with mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the general population.

Methods: We studied 19,893 men and women age 45 and older in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study and the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), two community-based cohorts, who were without a pacemaker or atrial fibrillation (AF) at baseline.

Socioeconomic status and the incidence of atrial fibrillation in whites and blacks: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

Background: No previous studies have examined the interplay among socioeconomic status, sex, and race with the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods And Results: We prospectively followed 14 352 persons (25% black, 75% white, 55% women, mean age 54 years) who were free of AF and participating in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Socioeconomic status was assessed at baseline (1987-1989) through educational level and total family income.

Atrial fibrillation and cognitive decline-the role of subclinical cerebral infarcts: the atherosclerosis risk in communities study.

Background And Purpose: The mechanism underlying the association of atrial fibrillation (AF) with cognitive decline in stroke-free individuals is unclear. We examined the association of incident AF with cognitive decline in stroke-free individuals, stratified by subclinical cerebral infarcts (SCIs) on brain MRI scans.

Methods: We analyzed data from 935 stroke-free participants (mean age±SD, 61.

Birth weight and the risk of atrial fibrillation in whites and African Americans: the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities (ARIC) study.

Background: Low birth weight (LBW) has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). A previous study, however, found higher risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) in individuals with higher birth weight (BW). To further understand this apparent paradox, we examined the relationship between AF and BW in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort.

Height and risk of sudden cardiac death: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities and Cardiovascular Health studies.

Purpose: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is an important cause of mortality in the adult population. Height has been associated with cardiac hypertrophy and an increased risk of arrhythmias but also with decreased risk of coronary heart disease, suggesting a complex association with SCD.

Methods: We examined the association of adult height with the risk of physician-adjudicated SCD in two large population-based cohorts: the Cardiovascular Health Study and the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study.

Novel association between plasma matrix metalloproteinase-9 and risk of incident atrial fibrillation in a case-cohort study: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study.

Background: Previous cross-sectional studies have suggested that biomarkers of extracellular matrix remodelling are associated with atrial fibrillation (AF), but no prospective data have yet been published. Hence, we examine whether plasma matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and their inhibitors are related to increased risk of incident AF.

Methods: We used a case-cohort design in the context of the prospective Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

Atrial fibrillation and the risk of sudden cardiac death: the atherosclerosis risk in communities study and cardiovascular health study.

Background: It is unknown whether atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in the general population. This association was examined in 2 population-based cohorts.

Methods: In the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, we analyzed data from 15 439 participants (baseline age, 45-64 years; 55.

Relation of serum phosphorus levels to the incidence of atrial fibrillation (from the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities [ARIC] study).

High serum phosphorus levels have been linked with vascular calcification and greater cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We assessed whether serum phosphorus was associated with the atrial fibrillation (AF) incidence in a large community-based cohort in the United States. Our analysis included 14,675 participants (25% black, 45% men) free of AF at baseline (1987 to 1989) and with measurements of fasting serum phosphorus from the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities (ARIC) study.

Serum and dietary magnesium and incidence of atrial fibrillation in whites and in African Americans--Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

Background: Low serum magnesium (Mg) has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including ventricular arrhythmias, but the association between serum or dietary Mg and atrial fibrillation (AF) has not been investigated.

Methods And Results: A total of 14,290 men and women (75% white; 53% female; mean age, 54 years) free of AF at baseline participating in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study in the United States, were studied. Incident AF cases through 2009 were ascertained from electrocardiograms, hospital discharge codes, and death certificates.

Blood lipid levels, lipid-lowering medications, and the incidence of atrial fibrillation: the atherosclerosis risk in communities study.

Background: Several cardiovascular risk factors have been associated with the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). Limited and inconsistent evidence exists on the association of blood lipid levels and lipid-lowering medication use with AF risk.

Methods And Results: We analyzed 13 969 participants (25% African American, 45% men) free of AF at baseline from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study.

Usefulness of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein to predict mortality in patients with atrial fibrillation (from the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities [ARIC] Study).

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a marker for the risk of cardiovascular and overall mortality. However, information about the association between hs-CRP and mortality in patients with atrial fibrillation is scarce. A total of 293 participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities study with a history of AF and hs-CRP levels available were studied.

Type 2 diabetes, glucose homeostasis and incident atrial fibrillation: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study.

Background: Type 2 diabetes has been inconsistently associated with the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) in previous studies that have frequently been beset by methodological challenges.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

Chronic kidney disease is associated with the incidence of atrial fibrillation: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

Background: Chronic kidney disease is associated with the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Chronic kidney disease may also increase the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), but existing studies have reported inconsistent results.

Methods And Results: We estimated cystatin C-based glomerular filtration rate (eGFR(cys)) and measured urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) in 10 328 men and women free of AF from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study in 1996 to 1998.

P wave indices, obesity, and the metabolic syndrome: the atherosclerosis risk in communities study.

Atrial fibrillation and obesity are increasing in prevalence and are interrelated epidemics. There has been limited assessment of how obesity and the metabolic syndrome impact P wave indices, established electrocardiographic predictors of atrial fibrillation. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis to determine the association of obesity and the components of the metabolic syndrome with P wave indices in the population-based Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

Absolute and attributable risks of atrial fibrillation in relation to optimal and borderline risk factors: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an important risk factor for stroke and overall mortality, but information about the preventable burden of AF is lacking. The aim of this study was to determine what proportion of the burden of AF in blacks and whites could theoretically be avoided by the maintenance of an optimal risk profile.

Methods And Results: This study included 14 598 middle-aged Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study cohort members.

Cardiac overexpression of insulin-like growth factor 1 attenuates chronic alcohol intake-induced myocardial contractile dysfunction but not hypertrophy: Roles of Akt, mTOR, GSK3beta, and PTEN.

Chronic alcohol intake leads to the development of alcoholic cardiomyopathy manifested by cardiac hypertrophy and contractile dysfunction. This study was designed to examine the effects of transgenic overexpression of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) on alcohol-induced cardiac contractile dysfunction. Wild-type FVB and cardiac-specific IGF-1 mice were placed on a 4% alcohol or control diet for 16weeks.

Placental insufficiency: programming of leptin secretion, blood pressure, and postnatal growth in two generations of Sprague-Dawley rats.

Regulatory process may be altered in response to the intrauterine environment, leading to the development of altered growth trajectory and disease later in life. Previously, our lab reported reduced leptin levels in pregnant hypertensive Sprague-Dawley rat dams with placental insufficiency. The purposes of this study were to investigate the relationship between leptin levels, growth and hypertension in two generations of offspring exposed to placental insufficiency.

Catalase alleviates cardiomyocyte dysfunction in diabetes: role of Akt, Forkhead transcriptional factor and silent information regulator 2.

Oxidative stress has been speculated to play an essential role in diabetic cardiomyopathy. This study was designed to examine the effect of the antioxidant catalase on diabetes-induced cardiomyocyte dysfunction and the cellular mechanisms involved. Adult wild-type (FVB) and transgenic mice with cardiac-specific overexpression of catalase were made diabetic by a single injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 220 mg/kg; i.