Artery Research

Background: Huntington’s disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder leading to progressive death of neurons in various brain regions. In advanced stages of disease there is a classical triad of movement, behavioural, and cognitive disorders. Besides there are often symptoms suggestive...

Introduction: Aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) may measure vascular structure and function (distensibility) more precisely than blood pressure (BP). Few data exist on arterial distensibility in infancy; none on the effects of malaria in African children. Methods: Healthy women with singleton pregnancies...

There is some evidence that in MetS increase of arterial stiffness may be distributed over muscular and the elastic arteries not uniformly. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between the MS and arterial stiffness of both elastic and muscular arteries in middle aged individuals. Methods:...

Plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) is the key inhibitor of the fibrinolytic system, modulating cellular responses associated with vascular remodeling. Elevated plasma PAI-1 has been positively correlated to systolic- and diastolic blood pressure, measured in the brachial artery, and is increased...

Background: Population studies have indicated that both the presence of osteoporosis and serum levels of calcium are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Objective: To investigate the association between bone loss, calcium intake and levels of the reactive hyperemia index (RHI)...

Background: Paget’s disease of bone (PDB) is a common disorder characterised by increased, disorganised bone turnover in affected areas with overgrowth of immature woven bone. An increased cardiovascular risk has been reported in some studies of PDB, possibly related to arterial wall calcifications....

Both endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness are considered as independent predictors of cardiovascular mortality, but their interrelationship has been poorly explored. Therefore we evaluated the relationship between endothelial function and pulse wave velocity (PWV) in essential hypertensive...

Background: Masked hypertension (MH) independently predicts mortality but cannot be diagnosed from clinic blood pressure (BP). We sought to determine if MH could be identified from BP or pressure waveform analysis (PWA) at rest or during low intensity exercise. Methodology: Brachial and estimated central...

Purpose: Men with metabolic syndrome (MetS) have an increased prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED). Large artery stiffness is a marker of vascular wall changes associated with MetS. Aim of the study was to investigate associations between MetS, ED and changes in large artery properties. Methods:...

Background: whether or not the presence of intracranial aneurysms (IAs) is associated with alterations in systemic arteries is not known. Aim of the study was to evaluate morphology and distensibility of common carotid artery (CCA) in patients with IAs and in a control group of comparable age, gender...

Background: whether metabolic syndrome (MetS) has an independent impact on development of cardiovascular (CV) disease is uncertain. Aim: to evaluate indices of preclinical CV disease in subjects with MetS. Methods: we studied 160 subjects: 50 with MetS (ATP III criteria, age 49±12, BMI 36±7, 12 diabetics)...

Objectives: Women with Turner Syndrome (TS) have increased incidence of cardiovascular disease, thought to be related to a clustering of risk factors including insulin resistance, hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia. The aim of this study was to non-invasively determine and compare ventricular and...

Introduction: Assessing arterial and haemodynamic properties in response to a physiological perturbation might provide additional information on an individual’s “vascular health”. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of measuring changes in carotid stiffness and haemodynamics in response...

Objectives: Vascular dysfunction is common in type 2 diabetes and obesity. The functional role of hyperinsulinaemia on human blood vessels in obese individuals remains unclear. We hypothesised that in young women, change in vessel function in a hyperinsulinaemic milieu would be influenced more by adiposity...

Patients having different risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD), as well as those with metabolic syndrome, are known to have increased carotid artery (CA) intima-media complex thickness (IMT) index, comparing to healthy subjects. Recently, the significant correlation between IMT, changes in flow-mediated...

Introduction: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors. The specificity of each component of metabolic syndrome improves its management. Objective: Do patients with MetS have arterial modifications? Which MetS components are they most closely linked to? Materials and methods:...

Purpose: Erectile dysfunction (ED) may be an early manifestation of generalized vascular disease. Cigarette smoking is an important modifiable cardiovascular risk factor and pathophysiological mechanisms may include a stiff vascular tree. The association of smoking with ED and functional changes in smokers...

Introduction: The difference between systolic blood pressure (SBP) measured in clinic and during the daytime phase of ambulatory BP measurement (ABPM) (Δclinic-day ABPM SBP) has been used as a measure of white-coat effect. We hypothesised that this was mediated through increased aortic stiffness resulting...

For given levels of blood pressure (BP), people with ‘stiffer’ (less distensible) large arteries develop more cardiovascular (CVS) events, as is typical of diabetes. South Asians (SA) develop excess mortality from all CVS disease, African-Caribbeans (AfC) lower overall mortality despite more hypertension...

The objective was to study the changes in vascular function of HIV-1 (subtype C) infected black Africans over three years. In a longitudinal study (2005–2008) we compared the vascular function of 140 HIV+ (newly diagnosed) black Africans from the North-West province, South Africa. Seventy seven of the...

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is characterized by the development of renal cysts related to polycystin mutations in the tubular wall leading to renal failure. Moreover, patients with ADPKD also display early cardiovascular complications including hypertension and aneurysms before...

Background: Exercise influences pulse wave morphology, but the mechanisms are unknown. Methods: We measured radial arterial pulse wave contour (SphygmoCorR) in 1005 adults from a cohort follow-up examination in 2004/5 and compared individuals who, by self report, were sedentary (NPE, of less than one...

Objective: Accumulating evidence suggests that low birth weight is associated with increased risk of future cardiovascular risk and increased systolic blood pressure. However the relationship between birth weight and arterial stiffness is controversial. We examined this relationship in the ENIGMA study,...

Background: The Framingham Heart Study group has proposed an algorithm for calculating the 10-year risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and heart/vascular age. The predictors used are age, diabetes, smoking, systolic blood pressure, total and high density cholesterol. We investigated the association...

Objective: To determine whether the structural status of carotid arteries and abnormal flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) in the brachial artery identify young and middle-aged men with coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: A total of 78 men aged 28 to 50 (mean 43±5) years underwent carotid ultrasound...