Objectives: To assess the relationship between endogenous androgen levels and arterial stiffness in older men.
Design: A retrospective, cross-sectional study.
Setting: A London hospital-based, clinical research unit for the elderly.
Participants: Fifty-five men (mean age+/-standard deviation=71.1+/-8.0).
Intervention: Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), testosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) were measured in all subjects who had a stored serum sample drawn the same day as arterial stiffness measures were performed. Free testosterone index (FTI) was calculated ((total testosterone/SHBG) x 100 (%)). The measures of arterial stiffness used were pulse wave velocity (PWV) using the Complior system and systemic arterial compliance (SAC) using the area method.
Measurements: Relationship between arterial stiffness and serum androgens.
Results: : FTI showed a strong positive relationship with SAC (r=0.507, P<.001) and, correspondingly, an inverse relationship with carotid-femoral (C-F) and carotid-radial (C-R) PWV (r=-0.427 and -0.402, respectively, P
Conclusion: The known association between lower androgenicity and increased cardiovascular risk in men might be explained by altered vascular stiffness.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1532-5415.2003.51515.x | DOI Listing |
Sci Rep
January 2025
Department of Engineering Mechanics, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
Aneurysm rupture is a life-threatening event, yet its underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. This study investigated the fracture properties of the thoracic aneurysmatic aorta (TAA) using the symmetry-constraint Compact Tension (symconCT) test and compared results to native and enzymatic-treated porcine aortas' tests. With age, the aortic stiffness increased, and tissues ruptured at lower fracture energy [Formula: see text].
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimers Dement
December 2024
University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA.
Background: Stiffening of the large arteries is a hallmark feature of vascular aging and is associated with cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease pathology. Increased large artery stiffness leads to higher-than-normal pulse pressure in the cerebral circulation, damaging endothelial cells. It is known that short-term exposure to stiffer large arteries causes cerebral artery endothelial dysfunction and hypoperfusion in young mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimers Dement
December 2024
Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer's Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Background: In humans, larger artery stiffening is associated with increased tau phosphorylation and neurodegeneration. However, because arterial stiffness often co-occurs with other age-related conditions like hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diabetes, it is nearly impossible to distill the underlying mechanisms specifically linking arterial stiffening to abnormal brain function. We leveraged a surgical mouse model of larger artery stiffening and used it concurrently with a transgenic Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse model of tau pathology to investigate the impact of larger artery stiffening on cognition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimers Dement
December 2024
University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA.
Background: Elevated arterial pulse pressure (PP) is associated with cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease (AD). High PP damages the brain vasculature by causing endothelial cell dysfunction. Stiffer cerebral arteries have an impaired ability to dampen PP, which transmits the pulsatility further into the microvasculature, where it can damage brain tissue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimers Dement
December 2024
National Institute on Aging/National Institutes of Health (NIA/NIH), Baltimore, MD, USA.
Background: Early vascular aging (EVA), manifesting as increases in central arterial stiffness and BP, is associated with cognitive impairment in humans. EVA and cognitive impairment occurs in Dahl salt-sensitive (DSS) rats consuming a normal salt (NS) diet with an advancing age. Quercetin (QRC), a flavonoid with anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and senolytic properties, previously shown to reduce salt-sensitive hypertension in DSS.
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