Publications by authors named "R L Blankstein"
Background And Aims: Skeletal muscle (SM) fat infiltration, or intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT), reflects muscle quality and is associated with inflammation, a key determinant in cardiometabolic disease. Coronary flow reserve (CFR), a marker of coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD), is independently associated with body mass index (BMI), inflammation and risk of heart failure, myocardial infarction, and death. The relationship between SM quality, CMD, and cardiovascular outcomes is not known.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOptimizing Medical Therapy Following Cardiac Imaging: Time to Lift Our Game?
JACC Cardiovasc Imaging
January 2025
Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) allows the assessment of the presence and severity of obstructive and nonobstructive atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. With software developments incorporating artificial intelligence-based automated image analysis along with improved spatial resolution of CT scanners, volumetric measurements of atherosclerotic plaque, detection of high-risk plaque features, and delineation of pericoronary adipose tissue density can now be readily and accurately evaluated for a given at-risk patient. Many of these expanded diagnostic measures have been shown to be prognostically useful for prediction of major adverse cardiac events.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study aimed to investigate myocardial inflammation in patients with desmoplakin (DSP) cardiomyopathy using FDG PET/CT imaging and assess circulating inflammation biomarkers.
- Ten DSP cardiomyopathy participants and four titin cardiomyopathy participants were recruited; no significant differences in key inflammation markers were found between the groups.
- The results showed some non-specific myocardial FDG uptake in both groups but no overall differences, suggesting similar inflammation profiles in DSP and titin cardiomyopathies.
Article 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.