Artery Research

Background: In-vivo assessment of aortic characteristic impedance (Zao) and total arterial compliance (CT) has been hampered by the need for invasive methods to access simultaneous recordings of aortic pressure and flow, wall thickness, and cross-sectional area. In contrast, regional pulse wave velocity...

Purpose: To define and compare cardiovascular (CV) health scores (CHS) from adolescence (17 yrs) to emerging adulthood (24 yrs) using longitudinal data from a large British birth cohort. Methods: 3142 participants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) study attended clinical...

Background: Cerebral microvascular dysfunction may contribute to depression via disruption of brain structures involved in mood regulation, but evidence is scarce. The retina allows for direct visualisation of a microvascular bed that shares anatomical and physiological similarities with the cerebral...

Age-related increases in aortic stiffness, assessed by pulse wave velocity (PWV), predict cardiovascular (CV)-related mortality, but the upstream drivers are incompletely understood. Purpose: To determine if higher circulating levels of the gut microbiome-derived metabolite trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO)...

Background: The changes experienced by the arterial system due to ageing are still incompletely understood. The aim of this study is to analyze the 10-year longitudinal evolution of input impedance parameters and wave reflection indices in a middle-aged population, and how these effective changes compare...

Purpose: Ultrasonographic measurement of flow mediated dilatation (FMD) of brachial artery is the gold standard non-invasive technique to measure endothelial function. However, measurement of FMD is technically cumbersome, operator dependent and requires trained manpower, all of which limits its clinical...

Purpose: Investigating the biomechanical role of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in arteries requires knowledge of their structural distributions. Compared to histology, 3D microscopy offers non-destructive ex vivo imaging under realistic conditions [1]. Robust 3D segmentation of SMCs, however, is challenging....

Background: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is usually asymptomatic and has an extremely high mortality if rupture occurs. Therefore, early detection and intervention are important. However, AAA is most often detected as an accidental finding during clinical imaging for other purposes [1]. Considering...

Objective and Motivation: Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is known to be associated with vascular ageing, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) [1]. The European gold standard measurement of PWV requires an experienced operator to measure pulse waveforms at multiple sites, sometimes together with...

Background: Although generally assumed to be an adaptive response to increased blood pressure (BP), arterial stiffness is now recognized as an independent predictor of cardiovascular (CV) events [1]. Moreover it precedes hypertension in at least two mouse models [2,3]. Therefore, the present study aims...

Background: Arterial stiffness is a strong predictor of cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality [1]. Increased fasting plasma concentrations of highly reactive dicarbonyl compounds – methylglyoxal (MGO), 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG), and/or glyoxal (GO) – may cause arterial stiffening via for mation...

Background/Objectives: The baroreflex is a crucial mechanism acutely modulating vascular tone and heart rate response to maintain blood pressure (BP) in an optimal range. A decrease in baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) is associated with ageing, and pathological conditions such as hypertension and diabetes....

Background: Arterial stiffness index (β) is a clinically accepted vascular metric, calculated from arterial pressure and diameter obtained simultaneously from a single arterial site [1]. Hence, accurate measurement of β can only be performed on arteries where pressure can be recorded along with the diameter....

Objective: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) primary prevention guidelines recommend absolute CVD risk estimation to guide blood pressure and lipid therapy recommendations but are inconsistent despite relying on similar evidence. This study aimed to compare the populations recommended for treatment according...

Background: Wave reflections play a major role in changing the shape of the pressure waveform. Reflections measured at the aortic root (AR) are thought to be due to the tapering of the aorta [1] and multiple reflection sites, however, there is no consensus on the source of those reflected waves. This...

Background: Low-flow mediated constriction (LFMC) has emerged as a non-invasive tool for assessment of endothelial dysfunction [1]. There is insufficient data on association between change in artery diameter during occlusion with its possible stimulus; ‘low flow’ state. This study aims to evaluate the...

Background: Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is an established marker of arterial stiffness [1]. Local PWV estimates, however, are affected by confluence of incident and reflected waves, biasing the spatiotemporal propagation of the systolic foot (SF) in the distension waveform [2,3]. We, therefore, propose...

Background: Central aortic pressure (CAP) is important for the determination of the cardiovascular risk. Transfer function (TF)-based techniques allow for estimating CAP non-invasively from pressure waveforms acquired distally in the circulation. However, TF-based CAP might preserve the high frequencies...

Background: The time at which reflected waves arrive at central arteries has an important influence on ventricular afterload. Current methods of estimating reflection time (RT), including zero-crossover [1], inflection-point [2], and foot methods [3], use only a single point on the pressure waveforms,...

Background: Hemodynamic monitoring is an integral part of a cardiac catheterization procedure; however it is prone to many distortions, including damping and resonance [1]. Objectives: We sought to compare damping ratio, ascending aortic pressure waveform and invasive blood pressure between Manifold...

Introduction: Microgravity in space is known to cause major alterations in the cardiovascular system. Left ventricular ejection time (LVET) can be measured by the time from the onset point of the pressure wave to the incisura of the dicrotic notch. The aim of this study was to simulate microgravity by...

Background: Dysfunctional cellular mechanosensing appears central to aneurysm formation [1]. We aimed to derive material parameters of aneurysm tissue from in vivo deformations, which may increase insight into the underlying structural integrity of the pathological tissue. Methods: Videos of tracking...

Background: Literature describes differences in Low flow mediated constriction (LFMC) of radial versus brachial artery [1,2]. We investigated whether differences in occlusion induced changes in luminal flow and shear rates could explain the observed radial vs brachial differences in LFMC responses. Methods:...

Background: Low-flow-Mediated Constriction (LFMC) is considered as a measure of resting endothelial function and is believed to occur in response to reduction in flow during supra-systolic occlusion [1]. However, supra-systolic occlusion may alter flow profile with differential effects on anterograde...

Objective: Pulse pressure amplification (PPA) is described as the amplification of pulse pressure from central arteries to the periphery [1] and individuals with a decreased PPA have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease [2]. Adverse changes in PPA are evident in diabetic populations [3]; however,...

Aim: To investigate PWV trajectories before and during the lockdown period among Withings Body Cardio bathroom scale users in France, in which a strict total lockdown was imposed, and Germany, in which partial social distancing measures were adopted. Methods: The study population is constituted by Withings...

Background: Resection of a brain arteriovenous malformation (bAVM) can impose several post-operative challenges including post- operative haemorrhage (POH) [1]. The mechanism of such complications remains controversial although deliberately inducing hypotension has proven successful for POH prevention...

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the association between isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) and central blood pressure (BP) in a nationally representative population. Methods: A total of 2029 adults without anti-hypertensive medicine, aged ≥19 years old participated in the 2013–2016 National Nutrition...

Background: The lower limit of cerebral autoregulation (LLA) refers to the mean blood pressure (BP) below which cerebral blood flow becomes pressure-dependent, resulting, among others, in an increased stroke risk. The LLA measured during cardiac surgery, correlates with the vascular measure Ambulatory...

Objective: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by noticeable neuropsychiatric symptoms and cognitive decline [1]. In addition, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a known etiological hallmark of AD pathogenesis [2]. Recent epidemiological evidence suggests an interplay between arterial stiffness (AS)...

Background: Higher cerebral blood flow (CBF) pulsatility was found to be associated with severer brain white matter lesions in the elderly [1]. It was hypothesized that the central/elastic arterial stiffness/compliance may directly affect CBF pulsatility. However, it is still unclear which carotid stiffness...

Purpose/Background/Objective: Cognitive decline is highly prevalent amongst end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and is accelerated upon initiation of hemodialysis (HD) [1]. ESRD increases aortic stiffness and blood flow pulsatility, which may damage small vessels of target organs like the brain [2]....

Introduction: Unraveling aortic cellular and extracellular microstructural and mechanical mechanisms triggered to maintain homeostasis in murine aortae during maturation and aging is fundamental to better understand remodeling in human arteriopathies [1]. Methods: This study, combining ex-vivo extension-inflation...

Objectives: Central pulse pressure (cPP) is responsible for vital organ hemodynamics, [1,2] and its monitoring is important for cardiovascular disease prevention. [3] Excess sodium intake and (micro)albuminuria, a manifestation of renal microvascular damage, are also known as strong predictors of cardiovascular...

Purpose/Background: We previously demonstrated in both longitudinal study and meta-analysis (pooled relative-risk RR, 2.45)[1,2] that all-cause and cardiovascular mortality is significantly higher in people with diabetes foot ulceration (DFU) than with those without a foot ulcer. In this prospective...

Background: Stiffening of the aorta has been associated with microvascular structural brain damage and cognitive dysfunction in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, probably due to the reduced wave reflection at the interface between carotid and aorta and transmission of excessive flow pulsatility...

Objectives: Identification of factors associated with premature vascular aging in patients with arterial hypertension (AH). Methods: The study included 61 patients (29 men, 32 women) with 1–2 grade AH without cardiovascular complications, aged 40 to 60 years, of which 28 (45.9%) had type 2 diabetes....

Pulse wave velocity (PWV) has been used to evaluate arterial stiffness of large arteries. Here, we examine the feasibility of radial-digital PWV (RD-PWV) as a measure of stiffness of smaller arteries, and its response to changes in local mean arterial pressure. In 29 healthy subjects, we used Complior...

Purpose/Background/Objectives: Tissue transglutaminase (TG2) is a highly expressed protein especially in endothelial cells. TG2 has several functions including transamidation activity which is important in several processes such as extracellular matrix remodeling [1]. TG2 activity takes place in aortic...

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by NADPH-oxidase (NOX) participate in vascular tone control, but their effects in the arteries of respiratory muscles is poorly understood. Possible targets of vasoregulatory ROS influence are NO-pathway in the endothelium and Rho-kinase pathway in smooth muscle...

Environment: It has been described that muscular arteries behaviour is different from aorta, and regional parameters like IMT, atherosclerotic plaques burden, PWV-c and endothelial function are related with age and risk factors and are powerful prognostic markers but it is not the case of local parameters...

Objectives: Cannabinoid receptors CB1R and CB2R are expressed in the vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and may contribute to vascular remodeling process (O’Sullivan, 2015). This study aimed to investigate the implication of CB1R and CB2R in the regulation of matrix metalloproteases MMP2 and MMP9,...

Background/Objectives: Myeloid cells are crucial for the development of vascular inflammation. Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 8 (LRP8) or Apolipoprotein E receptor 2 (ApoER2), is expressed by macrophages, endothelial cells and platelets and has been implicated in the development of...

Background and Objectives: Von Willebrand factor (VWF) is a plasma glycoprotein involved in primary hemostasis but recent data suggest additional roles beyond hemostasis in angiogenesis and potentially in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation. Our aim was to investigate how VWF can modulate...

Objectives: Non-invasive methodologies for assessing arteriosclerosis, including carotid intimal-medial thickness (cIMT) for assessing subclinical atherosclerosis and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) for measuring arterial stiffness, are well established and validated in adults [1, 2]. However,...

Objectives: To determine how orthostatic changes in body position alter BP and estimation of pulse wave velocity (PWV) and Augmentation Index (AIx), when changing from supine to the sitting position [1]. Also, to analyze the effect of a short physical exercise and of physical training status on PWV/AIx...

Background: Preeclampsia is a common pregnancy disease characterized by hypertension and kidney failure. Recent studies have shown that even in the case of successful delivery, preeclampsia could induce long-term effects in the offspring. Nevertheless, the effects of preeclampsia on the cardiovascular...

Purpose/Background/Objectives: TASK-1 (TWIK-related acid-sensitive potassium) channels conduct background K+ currents in smooth muscle cells of pulmonary arteries suppressing vasocontraction. However, the vasomotor role of TASK-1 channels in systemic arteries as well as their regulation by the endothelium...

Objectives: Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) approximates aortic stiffness and is a predictor of cardiovascular events. Despite the literature highlighting the clinical relevance of cfPWV, there is minimal integration of this parameter in clinical assessments. An underlying reason may stem...

Background: Large artery stiffening, as indexed by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), may vary substantially among individuals. The present study aimed to characterize the arterial mechanical properties of the macro- and microvasculature in subjects with early or healthy vascular aging (EVA,...

Background: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are involved into several pathophysiologic processes in vascular diseases, including progressive loss of elasticity of vessel wall (arterial stiffness). Circulating soluble receptor for AGEs (sRAGE) act as a decoy and counterbalanced the harmful properties...

Purpose: Arterial stiffness is a well-established marker for cardiovascular health assessment. Current methods rely on expensive imaging systems and specialised operators to perform local stiffness evaluation from the common carotid artery (CCA) and cannot be used for ambulatory monitoring in chronic...

Background: The clinical significance of pressure-dependent intra-beat changes in local pulse-wave velocity (C) has recently come to light [1]. While reported methods require arterial pressure and diameter measurements from a single site to assess intra-beat changes in C, we present an image-free fast...

Introduction: Malignancies and cardiovascular disease are the two leading causes of mortality worldwide [1]. While there is extensive literature describing the cardiotoxic effects of chemotherapy on left ventricular systolic function [2,3], there is only little evidence regarding chemotherapy effects...

Objectives: Affective temperaments (depressive, anxious, irritable, hyperthymic, cyclothymic) are regarded as the biologically stable core of personality, and accumulating data implies their relationship with cardiovascular diseases. There are currently limited data on the association of affective temperaments...

Background: GIQuant (Motilent, London) is an algorithm for analysing cine-MRI, using the displacement fields generated by registration of indivisdual ciné frames. It produces a summary of how much movement occurs (“motility”) for anatomical locations within a reference image [1]. Although it is used...

Objective: The goal of this study was to characterize the changes in the palm’s blood distribution in response to a decrease in blood pressure due to gravity-induced changes, using thermal imaging. Methods: Thermal hands images were taken from ten healthy volunteers, without any known vascular pathologies,...

Aim: To validate a photoacoustic imaging (PAI) system, for the identification of intraplaque hemorrhage, comparing it with MRI and histology (gold standard). Methods: 25 patients with carotid stenosis >70% and clinical indication to tromboendoarterectomy were recruited. Angio-MRI for intraplaque...

Background: Ultrasonographic imaging to record changes in peripheral arterial diameter associated with Flow mediated dilatation or Low flow mediated constriction is routinely used to assess various facets of vascular endothelial function. Imaging poses many challenges including requirement of costly...

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in ultrasound-based velocities and accelerations of the carotid atheromatous plaque between asymptomatic patients with moderate and severe stenosis, based on the assumption that plaque motion features are sensitive to cardiovascular health...

Background: Low longitudinal strain of the ascending aorta (AAo) by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) predicts dilation and aortic events in Marfan syndrome (MFS) [1], possibly reflecting aortic stiffness [2]. Speckle-tracking is established for cardiac deformation, but proximal aorta applications are...

Rationale and Aim: This study is aimed at identifying possible patterns of vascular wall disarray and remodeling in radial arteries of patients with fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD), by means of ultrahigh frequency ultrasound (UHFUS). Methods: UHFUS scans of the radial arteries and of 30 FMD patients and...

Background: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is becoming the preferred treatment option to repair the proximal descending aorta after rupture following blunt traumatic injury. However, hemodynamic and mechanic implications of this intervention are poorly understood. Exploiting the possibilities...

Background: In the early stages of atrial remodeling, increased aortic stiffness might indicate atrial fibrosis. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between left atrial (LA) mechanical function, assessed by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography and aortic stiffness...

Background: Epidemiological and animal studies suggest the potential of dietary nitrate (NO 3−) to inhibit atherogenesis. Spironolactone may improve arterial stiffness. We tested if 6 months’ intervention with dietary nitrate and spironolactone could affect carotid subclinical atherosclerosis and stiffness...

Purpose: To compare augmentation index (AIx) between one Moderate-intensity continuous physical exercise (MICPE) and one High-intensity interval physical exercise (HIIPE) session in normal/high normal blood pressure (BP) (120–140 for systolic and 80–90 mmHg for diastolic). Additionally, to compare two...

Background: Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) is used in secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) because of its antithrombotic effects. We investigated whether ASA has additional therapeutic value by preventing the progression of inflammation and cardiovascular remodelling in mice with stable atherosclerosis...

Background: Many genetic mutations affect aortic structure and function in mice, but little is known about the influence of background strain. We compared the biomechanical, structural, and gene expression responses of C57BL/6J and 129SvEv aortas to angiotensin II (AngII)-induced hypertension. Methods:...

Purpose: The adaptation process of the cardiovascular system to exercise and muscular strength in young athletes is unclear. Therefore, we investigated the influence of changes in muscular strength and weekly training load within one year on arterial stiffness in young male soccer players. Methods:...

Purpose/Background/Objective: According to reservoir-wave approach (RWA) arterial pressure is the sum of a reservoir pressure (RP) accounting for dynamic storage and release of blood from arteries, and an excess pressure (XSP) analogous to flow. RP is the minimal left ventricular work required to generate...

Purpose: Studies support beneficial effects of isoflavones, but antidiabetic effects of these agents remains unconfirmed [1,2]. This pilot study investigates isoflavones and Inonotus obliquus (chaga) extract effects on diabetes. Methods: Diabetes was induced (streptozotocin 65 mg/kg, nicotinamide 110...

Purpose/Background: Sarcopenia (decrease of muscle mass and function) has been linked with atherosclerosis [1]. The EWGSOP2 updated consensus, uses low muscle strength as the primary indicator of sarcopenia [2]. It is acknowledged that strength is better than mass for predicting adverse outcomes [2]....

Background and Aims: Active vitamin D [1,25(OH)2D3] deficiency is a potential modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular (CVD) and renal disease in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and stage 3/4 chronic kidney disease (CKD). Exact mechanisms are unclear. Arterial stiffness is an independent predictor...

Purpose/Background/Objectives: Cardiovascular risk is increased in patients with autoimmune rheumatic disorders [1]. Endothelial and platelet MVs (EMVs, PMVs) are small vesicles (0.1–1 μm) released from plasma membrane and represent novel markers of endothelial dysfunction and thrombosis. Their levels...

Purpose/Background/Objective: We have previously shown that restoration of kidney function through kidney transplantation (KTx) is associated with improved aortic stiffness. In this study, we aim to examine whether this change in aortic stiffness translates into improvement of radial artery systolic-diastolic...

Introduction: Anti-cancer treatment can lead to increased cardiovascular morbidity among lymphoma survivors [1]. This may be the result of direct effect of treatment on heart function, or indirect acceleration of atherosclerosis. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake is a sensitive and robust marker for...

Background and Objectives: The cushioning effect of large, healthy arteries reduces pulsatile afterload to the heart, reduces pulsatility in the microvasculature of target organs, and promotes coronary/cerebral perfusion [1]. With age, large arteries become stiffer, which increases both pulse wave velocity...