Novel risk factors for premature peripheral arterial occlusive disease in non-diabetic patients: a case-control study.

Background: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of genetic and environmental vascular risk factors in non diabetic patients with premature peripheral arterial disease, either peripheral arterial occlusive disease or thromboangiitis obliterans, the two main entities of peripheral arterial disease, and to established whether some of them are specifically associated with one or another of the premature peripheral arterial disease subgroups.

Methods And Results: This study included 113 non diabetic patients with premature peripheral arterial disease (diagnosis <45-year old) presenting either a peripheral arterial occlusive disease (N = 64) or a thromboangiitis obliterans (N = 49), and 241 controls matched for age and gender. Both patient groups demonstrated common traits including cigarette smoking, low physical activity, decreased levels of HDL-cholesterol, apolipoprotein A-I, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (active form of B6 vitamin) and zinc.

Comparison of clinical and ultrasonographic evaluations for peripheral synovitis in juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Objectives: The characteristics of synovitis in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) are important to evaluate, as they define several clinical categories. The metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints are frequently involved. Few studies have investigated peripheral joint evaluation using ultrasonography, a sensitive tool for detecting subclinical synovitis.

Ultrasonography for detecting enthesitis in juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Objective: Enthesitis is a major feature of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) but is difficult to diagnose clinically. Our objective was to compare the accuracy of ultrasonography with power Doppler (US-PD) versus clinical examination for diagnosing enthesitis in patients with JIA and healthy controls.

Methods: Twenty-six consecutive patients with JIA and 41 healthy volunteers underwent standardized clinical and US-PD examinations of 5 entheseal sites (proximal and distal quadricepital tendon insertions, Achilles tendon, and plantar fascia).

Common carotid intima-media thickness: does it matter how it is measured.

Aim: Intima media thickness (IMT) has proved to be a useful tool in predicting cardiovascular morbidity. However, methods are not well standardized, and several software packages softwares are available although they have never been compared with one other. Thus, the extrapolation of data from large studies might be questionable on routine practice.

Development of an experimental model of pre-thrombosis in rats based on Wessler's principle using a calibrated venous stasis.

We have developed a model of a pre-thrombotic state in rats based on venous stasis induced by partial ligature of the inferior vena cava. The degree of stenosis was calibrated by using variations in upstream venous pressure. Different degrees of stasis were tested in order to obtain a pre-thrombotic state.