Atheroprotective Properties of Serum IGF-1 in the Carotid and Coronary Territories and Beneficial Role on the Physical Fitness of the Oldest Old.

Our aim was to investigate whether physiological levels of soluble insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) associate with coronary and carotid atherosclerotic burden and physical fitness in the oldest old by means of a cross-sectional study including 100 community-dwelling individuals with no previous cardiovascular events. Linear correlation was found between IGF-1 and intima-media thickness, number of carotid plaques, and walking speed. Individuals in the upper IGF-1 tertile had smaller right and left intima-media thickness compared with the intermediate and lower tertiles, along with reduced atherosclerotic plaques.

Low zinc levels is associated with increased inflammatory activity but not with atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis or endothelial dysfunction among the very elderly.

Background: Reduced zinc intake has been related to atherogenesis and arteriosclerosis. We verified this assumption in very old individuals, which are particularly prone to both zinc deficiency and structural and functional changes in the arterial wall.

Methods: Subjects (n = 201, 80-102 years) with uneventful cardiovascular history and who were not in use of anti-inflammatory treatments in the last 30-days were enrolled.

Enhanced parathyroid hormone levels are associated with left ventricle hypertrophy in very elderly men and women.

Serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) has been found to be associated with cardiovascular mortality in the elderly, but little is known about the mechanisms underlying this association. This study investigated the association between PTH and structural and functional changes of the heart and arterial wall in a cohort of very elderly individuals. Healthy individuals aged 80 years or more (n = 90) underwent evaluation of serum PTH, cardiac morphology and function by Doppler echocardiography, endothelium dependent and independent vasodilatation by brachial reactivity, carotid stiffness and intima-media thickness by ultrasound, and coronary calcification by computed tomography.

Low HDL cholesterol but not high LDL cholesterol is independently associated with subclinical coronary atherosclerosis in healthy octogenarians.

Aim Of The Study: Although low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) has been consistently demonstrated a predictor of atherosclerotic disease in a large spectrum of clinical settings, among individuals aged of 80 years or older this concept is uncertain. This study was evaluated in a carefully selected population if the association between LDL-C and coronary atherosclerotic burden remains significant in the very elderly.

Methods: Individuals aged of 80 years or older (n = 208) who spontaneously sought primary prevention care and have never manifested cardiovascular disease, malnutrition, neoplastic or consumptive disease were enrolled for a cross-sectional analysis.

Apoliprotein E genotype is associated with apoliprotein B plasma levels but not with coronary calcium score in very elderly individuals in primary care setting.

Background: Epidemiological surveys indicate the influence of polymorphisms of apolipoprotein (apo) E on plasma lipids and triglyceride-rich lipoprotein levels, with impact on atherosclerotic phenotypes.

Aim: We studied the association of classic genotypes of the apoE gene with clinical and biochemical risk factors for atherosclerosis in a segment of the very-old Brazilian individuals, with emphasis on the lipemic profile.

Methods: We performed cross-sectional analyses of clinical and laboratory assessments, including cardiac computed tomography, across ε2, ε3 and ε4 carriers of the apoE gene with a convenience sample of 208 participants eligible for prevention against cardiovascular events.

C-reactive protein is independently associated with coronary atherosclerosis burden among octogenarians.

Aim Of The Study: In contrast to the general population, individuals with primarily persistent elevation of inflammatory activity display a significant association between inflammatory biomarkers and atherosclerotic burden. In older individuals, immunosenescence upregulates the innate response and, by this way, may hypothetically favor the presence of this association. The aim of this study was to evaluate this hypothesis in healthy octogenarians.

Osteopontin in bone mineral density of very old Brazilians.

Recent evidence suggests that changes in plasma levels of osteopontin (OPN) may be a promising marker for early diagnosis of bone disorders. We hypothesized that a frequent OPN gene polymorphism may be useful for identifying very old individuals with alterations in plasma OPN levels and consequently at risk of abnormal bone density scores. Men and women (80 years or older) living in the Brazilian Federal District underwent assessments with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry for bone mineral density (BMD) of the femoral neck, femoral head and lumbosacral (L1 to S5) regions.

Effectiveness of myocardial contrast echocardiography quantitative analysis during adenosine stress versus visual analysis before percutaneous therapy in acute coronary pain: a coronary artery TIMI grading comparing study.

The study aim was to compare two different stress echocardiography interpretation techniques based on the correlation with thrombosis in myocardial infarction (TIMI ) flow grading from acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. Forty-one patients with suspected ACS were studied before diagnostic coronary angiography with myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) at rest and at stress. The correlation of visual interpretation of MCE and TIMI flow grade was significant.

Association of systemic inflammatory activity with coronary and carotid atherosclerosis in the very elderly.

Objective: To verify the existence of association between plasma levels of pro- or anti-inflammatory mediators and atherosclerotic burden at coronary and carotid arteries in individuals aged of 80 or more years old.

Methods: Healthy individuals aged between 80 and 102 years old (n = 178) underwent evaluation of plasma cytokines and acute phase proteins, intima-media thickness (IMT) and presence of plaques in carotid arteries by ultrasound and coronary artery calcification (CAC) by cardiac computed tomography.

Results: There was no association between CAC and carotid plaques (p = 0.

Relation between visceral fat and coronary artery disease evaluated by multidetector computed tomography.

Visceral abdominal fat has been associated to cardiovascular risk factors and coronary artery disease (CAD). Computed tomography (CT) coronary angiography is an emerging technology allowing detection of both obstructive and nonobstructive CAD adding information to clinical risk stratification. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between CAD and adiposity measurements assessed clinically and by CT.

Unilateral dysgenesis of the internal carotid artery: spectrum of imaging findings.

Objective: Dysgenesis of the internal carotid artery (ICA) is a broad term comprising hypoplasia, aplasia and agenesis of the vessel. It is a rare anomaly, often clinically silent, that can be confidently diagnosed by means of noninvasive imaging methods.

Methods: After a review of teaching files, 7 patients with unilateral carotid dysgenesis were found, 2 with agenesis of the ICA, 3 with carotid aplasia, and 2 with hypoplasia of the vessel.