Pearls and Pitfalls of Carotid Artery Imaging: Ultrasound, Computed Tomography Angiography, and MR Imaging.

Stroke represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide with carotid atherosclerosis responsible for a large proportion of ischemic strokes. Given the high burden of the disease , early diagnosis and optimal secondary prevention are essential elements in clinical practice. For a long time, the degree of stenosis had been considered the parameter to judge the severity of carotid atherosclerosis.

Higher Leukocyte Count Is Associated with Lower Presence of Carotid Lipid-Rich Necrotic Core: A Sub-Study in the Plaque at RISK (PARISK) Study.

Background: Increasing evidence suggests that inflammation inside the vessel wall has a prominent role in atherosclerosis. In carotid atherosclerosis in particular, vulnerable plaque characteristics are strongly linked to an increased stroke risk. An association between leukocytes and plaque characteristics has not been investigated before and could help with gaining knowledge on the role of inflammation in plaque vulnerability, which could contribute to a new target for intervention.

Evaluation of a Dedicated Radiofrequency Carotid PET/MRI Coil.

Carotid radiofrequency coils inside a PET/MRI system can result in PET quantification errors. We compared the performance of a dedicated PET/MRI carotid coil against a coil for MRI-only use. An 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) phantom was scanned without and with an MRI-only coil and with the PET/MRI coil.

Magnetic resonance imaging contrast-enhancement with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles amplifies macrophage foam cell apoptosis in human and murine atherosclerosis.

Aims: (Ultra) Small superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, (U)SPIO, are widely used as magnetic resonance imaging contrast media and assumed to be safe for clinical applications in cardiovascular disease. As safety tests largely relied on normolipidaemic models, not fully representative of the clinical setting, we investigated the impact of (U)SPIOs on disease-relevant endpoints in hyperlipidaemic models of atherosclerosis.

Methods And Results: RAW264.

Intrahepatic lipid content is independently associated with soluble E-selectin levels: The Maastricht study.

Background: Evidence is accumulating that liver sinusoidal endothelial cells are involved in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Previous studies have suggested that the endothelial biomarker soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin) is to an important extent liver-derived.

Aims: To study the relationship of intrahepatic lipid (IHL) content with sE-selectin at the population level.

Dolichoarteriopathies of the extracranial internal carotid artery: The Plaque At RISK study.

Background And Purpose: Dolichoarteriopathies of the extracranial part of the internal carotid artery (ICA) are associated with cerebrovascular events, yet information on their prevalence and risk factors remains limited. The aim of the present study therefore was to study the prevalence and risk factors of dolichoarteriopathies in a sample of patients with cerebrovascular symptoms from the Plaque At RISK (PARISK) study.

Methods: In a random sample of 100 patients from the PARISK study, multidetector computed tomography angiography (MDCTA) was performed as part of clinical workup.

Mitochondrial Function and Diabetes: Consequences for Skeletal and Cardiac Muscle Metabolism.

Significance: An early hallmark in the development of type 2 diabetes is the resistance to the effect of insulin in skeletal muscle and in the heart. Since mitochondrial function was found to be diminished in patients with type 2 diabetes, it was suggested that this defect might be involved in the etiology of insulin resistance. Although several hypotheses were suggested, yet unclear is the mechanistic link between these two phenomena.

Plaque components in symptomatic moderately stenosed carotid arteries related to cerebral infarcts: the plaque at RISK study.

Background And Purpose: Carotid plaque composition is a major determinant of cerebrovascular events. In the present analysis, we evaluated the relationship between intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) and a thin/ruptured fibrous cap (TRFC) in moderately stenosed carotid arteries and cerebral infarcts on MRI in the ipsilateral hemisphere.

Methods: A total of 101 patients with a symptomatic 30% to 69% carotid artery stenosis underwent MRI of the carotid arteries and the brain, within a median time of 45 days from onset of symptoms.

Intraplaque hemorrhage, fibrous cap status, and microembolic signals in symptomatic patients with mild to moderate carotid artery stenosis: the Plaque at RISK study.

Background And Purpose: In patients with mild to moderate symptomatic carotid artery stenosis, intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) and a thin/ruptured fibrous cap (FC) as evaluated with MRI, and the presence of microembolic signals (MESs) as detected with transcranial Doppler, are associated with an increased risk of a (recurrent) stroke. The objective of the present study is to determine whether the prevalence of MES differs in patients with and without IPH and thin/ruptured FC, and patients with only a thin/ruptured FC without IPH.

Methods: In this multicenter, diagnostic cohort study, patients with recent transient ischemic attack or minor stroke in the carotid territory and an ipsilateral mild to moderate carotid artery plaque were included.

Combined 18F-FDG PET-CT and DCE-MRI to assess inflammation and microvascularization in atherosclerotic plaques.

Background And Purpose: Hallmarks of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques are inflammation that can be assessed with 18fluorine-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography, and increased neovascularization that can be evaluated by dynamic contrast-enhanced-MRI. It remains unclear whether these parameters are correlated or represent independent imaging parameters. This study determines whether there is a correlation between inflammation and neovascularization in atherosclerotic carotid plaques.

Geometrical models for cardiac MRI in rodents: comparison of quantification of left ventricular volumes and function by various geometrical models with a full-volume MRI data set in rodents.

MRI has been proven to be an accurate method for noninvasive assessment of cardiac function. One of the current limitations of cardiac MRI is that it is time consuming. Therefore, various geometrical models are used, which can reduce scan and postprocessing time.

Carotid plaques in transient ischemic attack and stroke patients: one-year follow-up study by magnetic resonance imaging.

Objective: To investigate the natural course of carotid plaque progression in transient ischemic attack/stroke patients by using serial multisequence magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Materials And Methods: Forty transient ischemic attack/stroke patients with ipsilateral <70% carotid stenosis underwent MRI of the plaque ipsilateral to the symptomatic side at baseline and after 1 year. The MRI protocol consisted of T1-weighted turbo field-echo, time-of-flight, T2-weighted turbo spin-echo (TSE), and pre- and postgadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced T1-weighted TSE images.

Molecular MRI of early thrombus formation using a bimodal alpha2-antiplasmin-based contrast agent.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate whether early thrombus formation can be visualized with in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by the use of a novel bimodal alpha(2)-antiplasmin-based contrast agent (CA).

Background: Thrombus formation plays a central role in several vascular diseases. During the early phases of thrombus formation, activated factor XIII (FXIIIa) covalently cross-links alpha(2)-antiplasmin to fibrin, indicating the potential of alpha(2)-antiplasmin-based CAs in the detection of early thrombus formation.

Lower intrinsic ADP-stimulated mitochondrial respiration underlies in vivo mitochondrial dysfunction in muscle of male type 2 diabetic patients.

Objective: A lower in vivo mitochondrial function has been reported in both type 2 diabetic patients and first-degree relatives of type 2 diabetic patients. The nature of this reduction is unknown. Here, we tested the hypothesis that a lower intrinsic mitochondrial respiratory capacity may underlie lower in vivo mitochondrial function observed in diabetic patients.

Development and validation of novel imaging technologies to assist translational studies in atherosclerosis.

In the past decade, significant progress has been made to visualize atherosclerotic disease. Until recently, imaging technologies mainly focused on lumen and vessel wall visualization. Current advances and knowledge on the molecular mechanisms of initiation and progression of atherosclerosis has emphasized the need for imaging technologies and probes that can image function and biology rather than anatomy.

Intramyocellular lipid content in human skeletal muscle.

Fat can be stored not only in adipose tissue but also in other tissues such as skeletal muscle. Fat droplets accumulated in skeletal muscle [intramyocellular lipids (IMCLs)] can be quantified by different methods, all with advantages and drawbacks. Here, we briefly review IMCL quantification methods that use biopsy specimens (biochemical quantification, electron microscopy, and histochemistry) and non-invasive alternatives (magnetic resonance spectroscopy, magnetic resonance imaging, and computed tomography).

Intramyocellular lipid content and molecular adaptations in response to a 1-week high-fat diet.

Objective: To investigate molecular adaptations that accompany the elevation of intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) content on a high-fat (HF) diet for 1 week.

Research Methods And Procedures: Ten subjects consumed a normal-fat (NF) diet for 1 week, followed by an HF diet for another week. After both dietary periods, we determined the IMCL content by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the vastus lateralis muscle and quantified changes in gene expression, protein content, and activity in biopsy samples.