A molecular marker closely lined to the male sterile Ms2 gene in common wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Women with a history of preeclampsia are at increased risk for future cardiovascular disease. Determination of cardiovascular biomarkers may be useful to understand the pathophysiological mechanism of cardiovascular disease development in these women.We performed an analysis in the Preeclampsia Risk EValuation in FEMales study, a retrospective cohort consisting of 339 women with a history of early preeclampsia and 332 women after normotensive pregnancy. Women attended a follow-up visit ten years after the index pregnancy. A subset of 8 different cardiovascular biomarkers was investigated, reflecting inflammatory, metabolic, thrombotic and endothelial function markers. Associations between PE and these novel biomarkers were analyzed by linear regression analysis and adjusted for traditional cardiovascular risk factors.Mean age of 671 women of the PREVFEM cohort was 39 years and women were on average 10 years post index pregnancy. Women post preeclampsia had significantly higher levels of SE-selectin (adjusted difference 4.55, 99\%CI 0.37; 8.74) and PAPPA (adjusted difference 19.08; 99\%CI 13.18; 24.99), whereas ApoB (adjusted difference -0.23 99\%CI -0.32; -0.14) was inversely associated with preeclampsia, compared to women with a previous normotensive pregnancy. Adiponectin, leptin, sICAM-1, sVCAM-1 and PAI-1 were not different between both groups.We demonstrated an independent association of preeclampsia with SE-selectin and PAPPA (markers of vascular dysfunction), which may contribute to future cardiovascular events in women post preeclampsia. However, ApoB (an apolipoprotein) was significantly lower and could point at a protective mechanism in our PE study women

Carotid artery vasoreactivity correlates with abdominal aortic vasoreactivity in young healthy individuals but not in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm

BACKGROUND: Sympathetic stimulation of central arteries, such as coronary and carotid arteries, cause vasodilation in healthy subjects, but vasoconstriction in those with increased cardiovascular risk. This study compared vasoreactivity to sympathetic stimulation between abdominal aorta and carotid artery in healthy young individuals (young group, n = 20), in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA group, n = 20) and in a healthy older group, age- and gender matched with AAA group (matched group, n = 18). METHOD: All subjects underwent cold pressor test, while performing concomitantly duplex ultrasound of abdominal aorta and carotid artery vasoreactivity. Observer-independent software was used to analyze and calculate magnitude and timing of maximum vasodilation or vasoconstriction. Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated to investigate vasoreactivity between arteries. RESULTS: Carotid artery reactivity [Interquartile range 25%, Interquartile range 75%] did not significantly differ between the young, matched and AAA group (3.5% [1.4, 4.7], 2.6% [2.0, 4.1] and 2.2% [-1.9, 3.7], respectively, p = 0.301). Abdominal aortic responsiveness demonstrated larger differences between young (4.9% [-0.2, 8.4]), matched (3.3% [-2.5, 4.4]) and individuals with AAA (0.5% [-3.9, 4.1], p = 0.059). Pooled analysis showed a significant correlation between carotid and abdominal aortic vasoreactivity (r = 0.444, p = 0.001). Subgroup analyses demonstrated significant correlation between both arteries in young (r = 0.636, p = 0.003), but not matched (r = −0.040, p = 0.866) or AAA group (r = 0.410, p = 0.129). CONCLUSIONS: Sympathetic stimulation induces powerful vasodilation of the carotid artery and abdominal aorta, which is significantly correlated in healthy individuals. No such correlation is present in abdominal aortic aneurysm patients. This suggests the aneurysm alters local abdominal aorta vasoreactivity, but not the carotid artery

Vascular health in patients in remission of Cushing's syndrome is comparable to that in BMI-matched controls.

CONTEXT: In active Cushing's syndrome (CS), patients suffer from endothelial dysfunction and premature atherosclerosis. However, it is uncertain to what extent vascular health recovers after long-term remission. This is highly relevant as this topic relates to future development of cardiovascular disease. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether micro- and macrovascular health is impaired after long-term remission of CS, in patients with no or adequately treated co-morbidities. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional case-control study in two tertiary referral centers. PATIENTS AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: 63 patients (remission of CS for ≥ 4 years) and 63 healthy, well-matched controls were compared. In group A (58 patients and 58 controls) serum biomarkers associated with endothelial dysfunction, intima media thickness, pulse wave velocity and pulse wave analysis were studied. In group B (14 patients and 14 controls) endothelium-dependent and-independent vasodilatation was studied in conduit arteries (flow mediated dilation of the brachial artery) and forearm skeletal muscle resistance arteries (vasodilator response to intra-arterial acetylcholine, sodium-nitroprusside and N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine using venous occlusion plethysmography). RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the outcome measures of vascular health of patients and controls in group A and B. CONCLUSION: Vascular health of patients in long-term remission of Cushing's syndrome seems to be comparable to that of healthy gender-, age and BMI matched controls, provided that the patients have no, or adequately controlled co-morbidities. Therefore, the effects of hypercortisolism per se on the vasculature may be reversible. This accentuates the need for stringent treatment of metabolic co-morbidities in these patients

Non-invasive measurements of atherosclerosis in adult cystinosis patients

Item does not contain fulltextBACKGROUND: Cystinosis is characterized by intralysosomal cystine accumulation, causing end stage renal disease around 10 years of age if not treated with cysteamine. Cystine accumulation in blood vessels might increase atheroma formation or arterial stiffness and therefore increase the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aimed to investigate the risk for CVD by non-invasive measures of atherosclerosis (NIMA) and to evaluate the effect of cysteamine treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirteen Dutch adult cystinosis patients were included. White blood cell (WBC) cystine levels, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and concommitant medications were obtained from medical records. NIMA included carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT, n = 13), pulse wave velocity (PWV, n = 8) and pulse wave analysis (PWA, n = 6). Results : GFR ranged between 4-95 mL/min/1.73 m(2). All but one patient were treated with cysteamine, mean WBC cystine values ranged between 0.34-1.64 nmol cystine/mg protein, 8 patients had mean WBC cystine levels <1 nmol cystine/mg protein. When compared to healthy subjects, cIMT and PWV levels were above normal values in 1 patient for each measure. PWA measurements showed high augmentation index in three patients who did not receive lipid-lowering medication. When corrected for renal function, cIMT and PWV levels were within the normal range. CONCLUSION: Young adult cystinosis patients treated with cysteamine have no additional risk for CVD when compared to patients with chronic kidney disease of other causes

The role of groups as local context in large Enterprise Social Networks: A Case Study of Yammer at Deloitte Australia

Enterprise Social Networking, the application of popular social networking techniques to the workplaces of organisations, is an increasingly common phenomenon. But its nature, benefits and proliferation are not yet fully understood. In this study we investigate ESN communication at the micro-level. We focus on the role of the group feature in structuring and providing context for communication in large ESNs. Our case study is Yammer at Deloitte. In contrast to previous studies we carry out an analysis of communication at the thread (conversation) level, rather than at the level of single messages. This allows us to provide a more contextual understanding of the group aspects of communication. We find that information sharing underpins the majority of communication threads, which speaks to the usefulness of ESN, in particular in the context of knowledge-intensive work. We further uncover differences between network-wide and group-centred communication and derive a framework of four group archetypes, based on different group communication patterns. Our findings are useful for decision-makers in providing a better understanding of the role of groups in providing local contexts for users in large ESNs

Carotid artery vasoreactivity correlates with abdominal aortic vasoreactivity in young healthy individuals but not in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Background: Sympathetic stimulation of central arteries, such as coronary and carotid arteries, cause vasodilation in healthy subjects, but vasoconstriction in those with increased cardiovascular risk. This study compared vasoreactivity to sympathetic stimulation between abdominal aorta and carotid artery in healthy young individuals (young group, n = 20), in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA group, n = 20) and in a healthy older group, age- and gender matched with AAA group (matched group, n = 18). Method: All subjects underwent cold pressor test, while performing concomitantly duplex ultrasound of abdominal aorta and carotid artery vasoreactivity. Observer-independent software was used to analyze and calculate magnitude and timing of maximum vasodilation or vasoconstriction. Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated to investigate vasoreactivity between arteries. Results: Carotid artery reactivity [Interquartile range 25%, Interquartile range 75%] did not significantly differ between the young, matched and AAA group (3.5% [1.4, 4.7], 2.6% [2.0, 4.1] and 2.2% [-1.9, 3.7], respectively, p = 0.301). Abdominal aortic responsiveness demonstrated larger differences between young (4.9% [-0.2, 8.4]), matched (3.3% [-2.5, 4.4]) and individuals with AAA (0.5% [-3.9, 4.1], p = 0.059). Pooled analysis showed a significant correlation between carotid and abdominal aortic vasoreactivity (r = 0.444, p = 0.001). Subgroup analyses demonstrated significant correlation between both arteries in young (r = 0.636, p = 0.003), but not matched (r = −0.040, p = 0.866) or AAA group (r = 0.410, p = 0.129). Conclusions: Sympathetic stimulation induces powerful vasodilation of the carotid artery and abdominal aorta, which is significantly correlated in healthy individuals. No such correlation is present in abdominal aortic aneurysm patients. This suggests the aneurysm alters local abdominal aorta vasoreactivity, but not the carotid artery

Performance and usability of pre-operative prediction models for 30-day peri-operative mortality risk: a systematic review

Estimating pre-operative mortality risk may inform clinical decision-making for peri-operative care. However, pre-operative mortality risk prediction models are rarely implemented in routine clinical practice. High predictive accuracy and clinical usability are essential for acceptance and clinical implementation. In this systematic review, we identified and appraised prediction models for 30-day postoperative mortality in non-cardiac surgical cohorts. PubMed and Embase were searched up to December 2022 for studies investigating pre-operative prediction models for 30-day mortality. We assessed predictive performance in terms of discrimination and calibration. Risk of bias was evaluated using a tool to assess the risk of bias and applicability of prediction model studies. To further inform potential adoption, we also assessed clinical usability for selected models. In all, 15 studies evaluating 10 prediction models were included. Discrimination ranged from a c-statistic of 0.82 (MySurgeryRisk) to 0.96 (extreme gradient boosting machine learning model). Calibration was reported in only six studies. Model performance was highest for the surgical outcome risk tool (SORT) and its external validations. Clinical usability was highest for the surgical risk pre-operative assessment system. The SORT and risk quantification index also scored high on clinical usability. We found unclear or high risk of bias in the development of all models. The SORT showed the best combination of predictive performance and clinical usability and has been externally validated in several heterogeneous cohorts. To improve clinical uptake, full integration of reliable models with sufficient face validity within the electronic health record is imperative

Clustering of cardiovascular risk factors and carotid intima-media thickness : The USE-IMT study

Background The relation of a single risk factor with atherosclerosis is established. Clinically we know of risk factor clustering within individuals. Yet, studies into the magnitude of the relation of risk factor clusters with atherosclerosis are limited. Here, we assessed that relation. Methods Individual participant data from 14 cohorts, involving 59,025 individuals were used in this cross-sectional analysis. We made 15 clusters of four risk factors (current smoking, overweight, elevated blood pressure, elevated total cholesterol). Multilevel age and sex adjusted linear regression models were applied to estimate mean differences in common carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) between clusters using those without any of the four risk factors as reference group. Results Compared to the reference, those with 1, 2, 3 or 4 risk factors had a significantly higher common CIMT: mean difference of 0.026 mm, 0.052 mm, 0.074 mm and 0.114 mm, respectively. These findings were the same in men and in women, and across ethnic groups. Within each risk factor cluster (1, 2, 3 risk factors), groups with elevated blood pressure had the largest CIMT and those with elevated cholesterol the lowest CIMT, a pattern similar for men and women. Conclusion Clusters of risk factors relate to increased common CIMT in a graded manner, similar in men, women and across race-ethnic groups. Some clusters seemed more atherogenic than others. Our findings support the notion that cardiovascular prevention should focus on sets of risk factors rather than individual levels alone, but may prioritize within clusters.Peer reviewe