Publications by authors named "Michael Cheong Ngai"
Article Synopsis
- Rheumatoid arthritis shows links to abnormal bone metabolism and accelerated vascular aging, prompting a study on how osteocalcin (OCN)-expressing endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) contribute to these conditions.
- The study involved flow cytometry to analyze EPCs in 145 rheumatoid arthritis patients, evaluating their impact on arterial calcifications using non-contrast CT and contrast CT angiography.
- Results indicated that specific OCN-positive EPCs correlated with increased calcification in both the aorta and carotid arteries, while conventional early EPCs did not show significant associations, highlighting the potential role of osteogenic EPCs in vascular aging among rheumatoid arthritis patients.
Background Rheumatic diseases are related to both abnormal bone turnover and atherogenesis, but a mechanistic link was missing. Methods and Results We investigated the effect of cumulative rheumatic inflammation ( CRI ) on risk of coronary calcification in a retrospective cohort of 145 rheumatoid arthritis patients. A time-adjusted aggregate CRI score was derived by conglomerating all quarterly biomarker encounters of serum C-reactive protein over 60 months immediately preceding computed tomography coronary angiography.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOsteogenic circulating endothelial progenitor cells are linked to electrocardiographic conduction abnormalities in rheumatic patients.
Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol
September 2019
Background: Osteogenic circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) play a pathogenic role in cardiovascular system degeneration through promulgating vasculature calcification, but its role in conduction disorders as part of the cardiovascular degenerative continuum remained unknown.
Aim: To investigate the role of osteocalcin (OCN)-expressing circulating EPCs in cardiac conduction disorders in the unique clinical sample of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) susceptible to both abnormal bone metabolism and cardiac conduction disorders.
Methods: We performed flow cytometry studies in 134 consecutive asymptomatic patients with rheumatoid arthritis to derive osteogenic circulating OCN-positive (OCN+) CD34+KDR+ vs.