BNP and obesity in acute decompensated heart failure with preserved vs. reduced ejection fraction: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Surveillance Study.

Background: Levels of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), a prognostic marker in patients with heart failure (HF), are lower among HF patients with obesity or preserved Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF). We examined the distribution and prognostic value of BNP across BMI categories in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) patients with preserved vs. reduced LVEF.

Multiple imputation of cognitive performance as a repeatedly measured outcome.

Longitudinal studies of cognitive performance are sensitive to dropout, as participants experiencing cognitive deficits are less likely to attend study visits, which may bias estimated associations between exposures of interest and cognitive decline. Multiple imputation is a powerful tool for handling missing data, however its use for missing cognitive outcome measures in longitudinal analyses remains limited. We use multiple imputation by chained equations (MICE) to impute cognitive performance scores of participants who did not attend the 2011-2013 exam of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Heart failure risk across the spectrum of ankle-brachial index: the ARIC study (Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities).

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the relationship between ankle brachial index (ABI) and the risk for heart failure (HF).

Background: The ABI is a simple, noninvasive measure associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and death; however, the relationship between ABI and risk for HF is less well characterized.

Methods: Between 1987 and 1989 in the ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities) study, an oscillometric device was used to measure blood pressure in a single upper and randomly chosen lower extremity to determine the ABI.