We sought to assess the impact of smoking status, cumulative pack-years, and time since cessation (the latter in former smokers only) on 3 important domains of cardiovascular disease: inflammation, ...vascular dynamics and function, and subclinical atherosclerosis.
The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) cohort enrolled 6814 adults without prior cardiovascular disease. Smoking variables were determined by self-report and confirmed with urinary cotinine. We examined cross-sectional associations between smoking parameters and (1) inflammatory biomarkers (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein hsCRP, interleukin-6, and fibrinogen); (2) vascular dynamics and function (brachial flow-mediated dilation and carotid distensibility by ultrasound, as well as aortic distensibility by MRI); and (3) subclinical atherosclerosis (coronary artery calcification, carotid intima-media thickness, and ankle-brachial index). We identified 3218 never smokers, 2607 former smokers, and 971 current smokers. Mean age was 62 years and 47% were male. There was no consistent association between smoking and vascular distensibility or flow-mediated dilation outcomes. However, compared with never smokers, the adjusted association between current smoking and measures of either inflammation or subclinical atherosclerosis was consistently stronger than for former smoking (eg, odds ratio for hsCRP>2 mg/L of 1.7 95% confidence interval, 1.5-2.1 versus 1.2 1.1-1.4, odds ratio for coronary artery calcification>0 of 1.8 1.5-2.1 versus 1.4 1.2-1.6, respectively). Similar associations were seen for interleukin-6, fibrinogen, carotid intima-media thickness, and ankle-brachial index. A monotonic association was also found between higher pack-year quartiles and increasing inflammatory markers. Furthermore, current smokers with hsCRP>2 mg/L were more likely to have increased carotid intima-media thickness, abnormal ankle-brachial index, and coronary artery calcification>75th percentile for age, sex, and race (relative to smokers with hsCRP<2 mg/L, interaction P<0.05 for all 3 outcomes). In contrast, time since quitting in former smokers was independently associated with lower inflammation and atherosclerosis (eg, odds ratio for hsCRP>2 mg/L of 0.91 0.88-0.95 and odds ratio for coronary artery calcification>0 of 0.94 0.90-0.97 for every 5-year cessation interval).
These findings expand our understanding of the harmful effects of smoking and help explain the cardiovascular benefits of smoking cessation.
Smoking-related microvascular loss causes end-organ damage in the kidneys, heart, and brain. Basic research suggests a similar process in the lungs, but no large studies have assessed pulmonary ...microvascular blood flow (PMBF) in early chronic lung disease.
To investigate whether PMBF is reduced in mild as well as more severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema.
PMBF was measured using gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) among smokers with COPD and control subjects age 50 to 79 years without clinical cardiovascular disease. COPD severity was defined by standard criteria. Emphysema on computed tomography (CT) was defined by the percentage of lung regions below -950 Hounsfield units (-950 HU) and by radiologists using a standard protocol. We adjusted for potential confounders, including smoking, oxygenation, and left ventricular cardiac output.
Among 144 participants, PMBF was reduced by 30% in mild COPD, by 29% in moderate COPD, and by 52% in severe COPD (all P < 0.01 vs. control subjects). PMBF was reduced with greater percentage emphysema-950HU and radiologist-defined emphysema, particularly panlobular and centrilobular emphysema (all P ≤ 0.01). Registration of MRI and CT images revealed that PMBF was reduced in mild COPD in both nonemphysematous and emphysematous lung regions. Associations for PMBF were independent of measures of small airways disease on CT and gas trapping largely because emphysema and small airways disease occurred in different smokers.
PMBF was reduced in mild COPD, including in regions of lung without frank emphysema, and may represent a distinct pathological process from small airways disease. PMBF may provide an imaging biomarker for therapeutic strategies targeting the pulmonary microvasculature.
Limited information is available regarding genetic contributions to valvular calcification, which is an important precursor of clinical valve disease.
We determined genomewide associations with the ...presence of aortic-valve calcification (among 6942 participants) and mitral annular calcification (among 3795 participants), as detected by computed tomographic (CT) scanning; the study population for this analysis included persons of white European ancestry from three cohorts participating in the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology consortium (discovery population). Findings were replicated in independent cohorts of persons with either CT-detected valvular calcification or clinical aortic stenosis.
One SNP in the lipoprotein(a) (LPA) locus (rs10455872) reached genomewide significance for the presence of aortic-valve calcification (odds ratio per allele, 2.05; P=9.0×10(-10)), a finding that was replicated in additional white European, African-American, and Hispanic-American cohorts (P<0.05 for all comparisons). Genetically determined Lp(a) levels, as predicted by LPA genotype, were also associated with aortic-valve calcification, supporting a causal role for Lp(a). In prospective analyses, LPA genotype was associated with incident aortic stenosis (hazard ratio per allele, 1.68; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.32 to 2.15) and aortic-valve replacement (hazard ratio, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.05 to 2.27) in a large Swedish cohort; the association with incident aortic stenosis was also replicated in an independent Danish cohort. Two SNPs (rs17659543 and rs13415097) near the proinflammatory gene IL1F9 achieved genomewide significance for mitral annular calcification (P=1.5×10(-8) and P=1.8×10(-8), respectively), but the findings were not replicated consistently.
Genetic variation in the LPA locus, mediated by Lp(a) levels, is associated with aortic-valve calcification across multiple ethnic groups and with incident clinical aortic stenosis. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and others.).
Abstract
Aims
Whether isolated diastolic hypertension (IDH), as defined by the 2017 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) guideline, is associated with cardiovascular ...disease (CVD) has been disputed. We aimed to further study the associations of IDH with (i) subclinical CVD in the form of coronary artery calcium (CAC), (ii) incident systolic hypertension, and (iii) CVD events.
Methods and results
We used multivariable-adjusted logistic and Cox regression to test whether IDH by 2017 ACC/AHA criteria (i.e. systolic blood pressure <130 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure ≥80 mmHg) was associated with the above outcomes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). In a random-effects meta-analysis of the association between IDH and CVD events, we combined the MESA results with those from seven other previously published cohort studies. Among the 5104 MESA participants studied, 7.5% had IDH by the 2017 ACC/AHA criteria. There was no association between IDH and CAC e.g. adjusted prevalence odds ratio for CAC >0 of 0.88 (95% CI 0.66, 1.17). Similarly, while IDH was associated with incident systolic hypertension, there was no statistically significant associations with incident CVD hazard ratio 1.19 (95% CI 0.77, 1.84) or death hazard ratio 0.94 (95% CI 0.65, 1.36) over 13 years in MESA. In a stratified meta-analysis of eight cohort studies (10 037 843 participants), the 2017 IDH definition was also not consistently associated with CVD and the relative magnitude of any potential association was noted to be numerically small e.g. depending on inclusion criteria applied in the stratification, the adjusted hazard ratios ranged from 1.04 (95% CI 0.98, 1.10) to 1.09 (95% 1.03, 1.15).
Conclusion
The lack of consistent excess in CAC or CVD suggests that emphasis on healthy lifestyle rather than drug therapy is sufficient among the millions of middle-aged or older adults who now meet the 2017 ACC/AHA criteria for IDH, though they require follow-up for incident systolic hypertension. These findings may not extrapolate to adults younger than 40 years, motivating further study in this age group.
Graphical Abstract
In the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), isolated diastolic hypertension (IDH) by the 2014 ACC/AHA definition is associated with future development of systolic hypertension but is not significantly associated with coronary artery calcification (CAC) or cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. These MESA results were added to a meta-analysis of prior reports on the association between IDH by the 2017 ACC/AHA definition and CVD events, finding that no consistent association was found, particularly when studies were stratified by the quality of blood pressure measurement.
Background. Individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) live longer as a result of effective treatment, but long-term consequences of infection, treatment, and immunological ...dysfunction are poorly understood. Methods. We prospectively examined 1011 women (74% HIV-infected) in the Women's Interagency HIV Study and 811 men (65% HIV-infected) in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study who underwent repeated B-mode carotid artery ultrasound imaging in 2004–2013. Outcomes included changes in right common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT) and new focal carotid artery plaque formation (IMT >1.5 mm) over median 7 years. We assessed the association between HIV serostatus and progression of subclinical atherosclerosis, adjusting for demographic, behavioral, and cardiometabolic risk factors. Results. Unadjusted mean CCA-IMT increased (725 to 752 μm in women, 757 to 790 μm in men), but CCAIMT progression did not differ by HIV serostatus, either in combined or sex-specific analyses. Focal plaque prevalence increased from 8% to 15% in women and 25% to 34% in men over 7 years. HIV-infected individuals had 1.6-fold greater risk of new plaque formation compared with HIV-uninfected individuals (relative risk RR 1.61, 95% CI, 1.12–2.32), adjusting for cardiometabolic factors; the association was similar by sex. Increased plaque occurred even among persistently virologically suppressed HIV-infected individuals compared with uninfected individuals (RR 1.56, 95% CI, 1.07–2.27). HIV-infected individuals with baseline CD4+ ≥500 cells/μL had plaque risk not statistically different from uninfected individuals. Conclusions. HIV infection is associated with greater increases in focal plaque among women and men, potentially mediated by factors associated with immunodeficiency or HIV replication at levels below current limits of detection.
Summary Background The standard surgery for early-stage endometrial cancer is total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, which is associated with substantial morbidity. ...Total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy is less invasive and is assumed to be associated with lower morbidity, particularly in obese women. This study investigated the complication rate of TLH versus TAH in women with early-stage endometrial cancer. Methods This randomised trial was done in 21 hospitals in the Netherlands, and 26 gynaecologists with proven sufficient skills in TLH participated. 283 patients with stage I endometrioid adenocarcinoma or complex atypical hyperplasia were randomly allocated (2:1) to the intervention group (TLH, n=187) or control group (TAH, n=96). Randomisation by sequential number generation was done centrally in alternate blocks of six and three participants, with stratification by trial centre. After assignment, the study coordinators, patients, gynaecologists, and members of the panel were not masked to intervention. The primary outcome was major complication rate, assessed by an independent panel. Data were analysed by a modified intention-to-treat analysis, since two patients in both groups were excluded from the main analysis. This trial is registered with the Dutch trial registry , number NTR821. Findings The proportion of major complications was 14·6% (27 of 185) in the TLH group versus 14·9% (14 of 94) in the TAH group, with a difference of −0·3% (95% CI −9·1 to 8·5; p=0·95). The proportion of patients with an intraoperative major complication (nine of 279 3·2%) was lower than the proportion with a postoperative major complication (32 of 279 11·5%) and did not differ between TLH (five of 185 2·7%) and TAH (four of 94 4·3%; p=0·49). The proportion of patients with a minor complication was 13·0% (24 of 185) in the TLH group and 11·7% (11 of 94) in the TAH group (p=0·76). Conversion to laparotomy occurred in 10·8% (20 of 185) of the laparoscopic procedures. TLH was associated with significantly less blood loss (p<0·0001), less use of pain medication (p<0·0001), a shorter hospital stay (p<0·0001), and a faster recovery (p=0·002), but the procedure took longer than TAH (p<0·0001). Interpretation Our results showed no evidence of a benefit for TLH over TAH in terms of major complications, but TLH (done by skilled surgeons) was beneficial in terms of a shorter hospital stay, less pain, and quicker resumption of daily activities. Funding The Dutch Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw), programme efficacy.
Lp(a) (lipoproteina) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and plasma levels are primarily determined by variation at the
locus. We performed a genome-wide association study in ...the UK Biobank to determine whether additional loci influence Lp(a) levels. Approach and Results: We included 293 274 White British individuals in the discovery analysis. Approximately 93 095 623 variants were tested for association with natural log-transformed Lp(a) levels using linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, genotype batch, and 20 principal components of genetic ancestry. After quality control, 131 independent variants were associated at genome-wide significance
≤5×10
). In addition to validating previous associations at
,
, and
, we identified a novel variant at the
locus, encoding β2GPI (beta2-glycoprotein I). The
variant rs8178824 was associated with increased Lp(a) levels (β 95% CI ln nmol/L, 0.064 0.047-0.081;
=2.8×10
) and demonstrated a stronger effect after adjustment for variation at the
locus (β 95% CI ln nmol/L, 0.089 0.076-0.10;
=3.8×10
). This association was replicated in a meta-analysis of 5465 European-ancestry individuals from the Framingham Offspring Study and Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (β 95% CI ln mg/dL, 0.16 0.044-0.28;
=0.0071).
In a large-scale genome-wide association study of Lp(a) levels, we identified
as a novel locus for Lp(a) in individuals of European ancestry. Additional studies are needed to determine the precise role of β2GPI in influencing Lp(a) levels as well as its potential as a therapeutic target.
Despite improvements in population health, marked racial and ethnic disparities in longevity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality persist. This study aimed to describe risks for all-cause and ...CVD mortality by race and ethnicity, before and after accounting for socioeconomic status (SES) and other factors, in the MESA study (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis).
MESA recruited 6814 US adults, 45 to 84 years of age, free of clinical CVD at baseline, including Black, White, Hispanic, and Chinese individuals (2000-2002). Using Cox proportional hazards modeling with time-updated covariates, we evaluated the association of self-reported race and ethnicity with all-cause and adjudicated CVD mortality, with progressive adjustments for age and sex, SES (neighborhood SES, income, education, and health insurance), lifestyle and psychosocial risk factors, clinical risk factors, and immigration history.
During a median of 15.8 years of follow-up, 22.8% of participants (n=1552) died, of which 5.3% (n=364) died of CVD. After adjusting for age and sex, Black participants had a 34% higher mortality hazard (hazard ratio HR, 1.34 95% CI, 1.19-1.51), Chinese participants had a 21% lower mortality hazard (HR, 0.79 95% CI, 0.66-0.95), and there was no mortality difference in Hispanic participants (HR, 0.99 95% CI, 0.86-1.14) compared with White participants. After adjusting for SES, the mortality HR for Black participants compared with White participants was reduced (HR, 1.16 95% CI, 1.01-1.34) but still statistically significant. With adjustment for SES, the mortality hazards for Chinese and Hispanic participants also decreased in comparison with White participants. After further adjustment for additional risk factors and immigration history, Hispanic participants (HR, 0.77 95% CI, 0.63-0.94) had a lower mortality risk than White participants, and hazard ratios for Black participants (HR, 1.08 95% CI, 0.92-1.26) and Chinese participants (HR, 0.81 95% CI, 0.60-1.08) were not significantly different from those of White participants. Similar trends were seen for CVD mortality, although the age- and sex-adjusted HR for CVD mortality for Black participants compared with White participants was greater than all-cause mortality (HR, 1.72 95% CI, 1.34-2.21 compared with HR, 1.34 95% CI, 1.19-1.51).
These results highlight persistent racial and ethnic differences in overall and CVD mortality, largely attributable to social determinants of health, and support the need to identify and act on systemic factors that shape differences in health across racial and ethnic groups.
Given the central role of skeletal muscles in glucose homeostasis, deposition of adipose depots beneath the fascia of muscles (versus subcutaneous adipose tissue SAT) may precede insulin resistance ...and type 2 diabetes (T2D) incidence. This study was aimed to investigate the associations between computed tomography (CT)-derived biomarkers for adipose tissue and T2D incidence in normoglycemic adults. This study was a population-based multiethnic retrospective cohort of 1,744 participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) with normoglycemia (baseline fasting plasma glucose FPG less than 100 mg/dL) from 6 United States of America communities. Participants were followed from April 2010 and January 2012 to December 2017, for a median of 7 years. The intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) and SAT areas were measured in baseline chest CT exams and were corrected by height squared (SAT and IMAT indices) using a predefined measurement protocol. T2D incidence, as the main outcome, was based on follow-up FPG, review of hospital records, or self-reported physician diagnoses. In this study, we observed an association between IMAT at baseline and T2D incidence over the follow-up. This study suggests the potential role of intermuscular adipose depots in the pathophysiology of T2D.
We aimed to examine associations of lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) concentrations with coronary heart disease (CHD) and determine whether current Lp(a) clinical laboratory cut points identify risk of disease ...incidence in 4 races/ethnicities of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).
A subcohort of 1323 black, 1677 white, 548 Chinese American, and 1044 Hispanic MESA participants were followed up during a mean 8.5-year period in which 235 incident CHD events were recorded. Lp(a) mass concentrations were measured using a turbidimetric immunoassay. Cox regression analysis determined associations of Lp(a) with CHD risk with adjustments for lipid and nonlipid variables. Lp(a) concentrations were continuously associated with risk of CHD incidence in black (hazard ratio HR, 1.49; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.09-2.04 and white participants (HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.02-1.45). Examining Lp(a) risk by the 50 mg/dL cut point revealed higher risks of incident CHD in all races except Chinese Americans: blacks (HR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.03-2.76), whites (HR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.15-2.88); Hispanics (HR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.17-4.78). The lower Lp(a) cut point of 30 mg/dL identified higher risk of CHD in black participants alone (HR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.08-3.21).
Our findings suggest that the 30 mg/dL cutoff for Lp(a) is not appropriate in white and Hispanic individuals, and the higher 50 mg/dL cutoff should be considered. In contrast, the 30 mg/dL cutoff remains suitable in black individuals. Further research is necessary to develop the most clinically useful Lp(a) cutoff values in individual races/ethnicities.
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