Publications by authors named "Omar Dzaye"
Background: Coronary artery calcium (CAC) is an excellent predictor of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk. Limited data exist on the age at which CAC transitions to nonzero among young adults. We aimed to assess the prevalence of CAC by the number of ASCVD risk factors and use this data to model the race- and sex-specific ages at which young adults transition to a CAC >0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: We investigated the associations of depression and anxiety with the presence of coronary artery plaque amongst a diverse cohort of adults without clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the Miami Heart Study at baseline. Depression was ascertained by the 8-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) with a score ≥10 indicating depression.
Background: Calcification of the ascending and/or descending thoracic aorta is easily measured via non-contrast cardiac computed tomography (CT), commonly performed for quantification of coronary artery calcium (CAC). We assessed whether thoracic aortic calcium (TAC) further improves long-term cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk stratification beyond CAC alone.
Methods: Cardiac CT was performed among 6,783 asymptomatic Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis participants at baseline.
Importance: Obesity, a chronic disease with escalating global prevalence, poses considerable health risks. Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), including liraglutide, semaglutide, and tirzepatide, have demonstrated efficacy for weight loss in clinical trials. The paradigm shift in the approach to obesity management drugs (OMDs) may offer an opportunity to examine online search activity and prescription trends.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Premature advanced subclinical coronary atherosclerosis among young adults is an under-recognized and unique disease phenotype that has not been well characterized.
Methods: We used data from 44,047 participants with no prior CVD history (59.8% male) from the Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) Consortium.
Background: Implementation of semaglutide weight loss therapy has been challenging due to drug supply and cost, underscoring a need to identify those who derive the greatest absolute benefit.
Objectives: Allocation of semaglutide was modeled according to coronary artery calcium (CAC) among individuals without diabetes or established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Methods: In this analysis, 3,129 participants in the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) without diabetes or clinical CVD met body mass index criteria for semaglutide and underwent CAC scoring on noncontrast cardiac computed tomography.
Background: There is increasing interest in predicting heart failure (HF), a major cause of morbidity and mortality with a significant financial burden. The role of coronary artery calcium (CAC), an accessible and inexpensive test, in predicting long-term HF mortality among asymptomatic adults remains unknown. We aimed to determine whether CAC burden is associated with HF-related mortality in the CAC Consortium.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study examines the relationship between polygenic scores for coronary heart disease (CHD) and coronary artery calcium (CAC) in adults aged 75 and older, suggesting that genetic factors may influence arterial aging beyond traditional risk factors.
- Researchers analyzed data from 1,865 participants, finding that higher polygenic CHD risk scores were associated with significantly lower odds of having no CAC and much higher odds of having high CAC levels.
- Each standard deviation increase in the polygenic risk score corresponded to a 78% increase in CAC scores, indicating a strong link between genetic predisposition and arterial health in older adults.
Purpose Of Review: To review the current evidence and highlight future strategies regarding consideration of coronary artery calcium (CAC) density in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk stratification.
Recent Findings: Expressed as the product of plaque area and a peak calcium density weighting factor, the Agatston method is the gold-standard for measuring CAC on noncontrast cardiac computed tomography. Over the last decade, observational data have suggested that calcium density is inversely associated with CVD events and confers additional prognostic information independent of traditional risk factors and Agatston CAC scores.
Colchicine has emerged as an effective agent for reducing ASCVD based on recent large cardiovascular outcome trials and exerts its benefit through targeting inflammation. In light of the robust body of data and FDA approval of low-dose colchicine for ASCVD prevention, this paper aimed to use the National Prescription Audit to quantify the volume and trends of colchicine prescriptions dispensed through U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Compared to normal high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol values, very high HDL cholesterol is associated with a higher incidence of mortality and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). As such, clinical risk stratification among persons with very high HDL cholesterol is challenging.
Objectives: Among persons with very high HDL cholesterol, the purpose was to determine the prevalence of coronary artery calcium (CAC) and compare the association between traditional risk factors vs CAC for all-cause mortality and ASCVD.
Background: The initiation of coronary artery calcium (CAC) is an important physiologic milestone associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. However, traditional risk factors (RF) do not perform well for predicting incident CAC among the 54 million older U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aims: Calcific aortic valve disease is associated with increased thrombin formation, platelet activation, decreased fibrinolysis, and subclinical brain infarcts. We examined the long-term association of aortic valve calcification (AVC) with newly diagnosed dementia and incident stroke in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).
Methods: AVC was measured using non-contrast cardiac CT at Visit 1.
Background: Aortic valve calcification (AVC), Lp(a) [lipoprotein(a)], and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) are associated with severe aortic stenosis (AS). We aimed to determine which of these risk factors were most strongly associated with the risk of incident severe AS.
Methods: A total of 6792 participants from the MESA study (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) had computed tomography-quantified AVC, Lp(a), and LDL-C values at MESA visit 1 (2000-2002).
Background: Coronary artery calcium testing using noncontrast cardiac computed tomography is a guideline-indicated test to help refine eligibility for aspirin in primary prevention. However, access to cardiac computed tomography remains limited, with carotid ultrasound used much more often internationally. We sought to update the role of aspirin allocation in primary prevention as a function of subclinical carotid atherosclerosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is an atherogenic and prothrombotic lipoprotein associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). We assessed the association between regular aspirin use and ASCVD mortality among individuals versus elevated Lp(a) in a nationally representative US cohort.
Methods: Eligible participants were aged 40-70 years without clinical ASCVD, reported on aspirin use, and had Lp(a) measurements from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988-1994), the only cycle of this nationally representative US cohort to measure Lp(a).
Tumor-associated microglia and blood-derived macrophages (TAMs) play a central role in modulating the immune suppressive microenvironment in glioma. Here, we show that GPNMB is predominantly expressed by TAMs in human glioblastoma multiforme and the murine RCAS-PDGFb high grade glioma model. Loss of GPNMB in the in vivo tumor microenvironment results in significantly smaller tumor volumes and generates a pro-inflammatory innate and adaptive immune cell microenvironment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aims: Coronary artery calcium (CAC) is validated for risk prediction among middle-aged adults, but there is limited research exploring implications of CAC among older adults. We used data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study to evaluate the association of CAC with domains of healthy and unhealthy aging in adults aged ≥75 years.
Methods: We included 2,290 participants aged ≥75 years free of known coronary heart disease who underwent CAC scoring at study visit 7.
Background & Aims: The treatment options for systemically progressed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have significantly expanded in recent years. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the potential of Google searches as a reflection of prescription rates for HCC drugs in the United States (US).
Methods: We conducted an in-depth analysis of US prescription data obtained from the IQVIA National Prescription Audit (NPA) and corresponding Google Trends data from January 2017 to December 2022.
MR perfusion imaging is important in the clinical evaluation of primary brain tumors, particularly in differentiating between true progression and treatment-induced change. The utility of velocity-selective ASL (VSASL) compared to the more commonly utilized DSC perfusion technique was assessed in routine clinical surveillance MR exams of 28 patients with high-grade gliomas at 1.5T.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Although a coronary artery calcium (CAC) of ≥1,000 is a subclinical atherosclerosis threshold to consider combination lipid-lowering therapy, differentiating very high from high atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk in this patient population is not well-defined.
Objectives: Among persons with a CAC of ≥1,000, the authors sought to identify risk factors equating with very high-risk ASCVD mortality rates.
Methods: The authors studied 2,246 asymptomatic patients with a CAC of ≥1,000 from the CAC Consortium without a prior ASCVD event.
Advancements and Future Outlook of PET/CT-Guided Interventions.
Tech Vasc Interv Radiol
September 2023
Advancements in minimally invasive technology, coupled with imaging breakthroughs, have empowered the field of interventional radiology to achieve unparalleled precision in image-guided diagnosis and treatment while simultaneously reducing periprocedural morbidity. Molecular imaging, which provides valuable physiological and metabolic information alongside anatomical localization, can expand the capabilities of image-guided interventions. Among various molecular imaging techniques, positron emission tomography (PET) stands out for its superior spatial resolution and ability to acquire quantitative data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The development of thoracic aortic calcium (TAC) temporally precedes coronary artery calcium more often in women versus men. Whether TAC density and area confer sex-specific differences in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk is unknown.
Methods: We studied 5317 primary prevention patients who underwent coronary artery calcium scoring on noncontrast cardiac gated computed tomography with TAC >0.