Plaque progression assessed by a novel semi-automated quantitative plaque software on coronary computed tomography angiography between diabetes and non-diabetes patients: A propensity-score matching study

Background and aimsWe aimed at investigating whether diabetes is associated with progression in coronary plaque components.MethodsWe identified 142 study subjects undergoing serial coronary computed tomography angiography. The resulting propensity score was applied 1:1 to match diabetic patients to non-diabetic patients for clinical risk factors, prior coronary stenting, coronary artery calcium (CAC) score and the serial scan interval, resulting in the 71 diabetes and 71 non-diabetes patients. Coronary plaque (total, calcified, non-calcified including fibrous, fibrous-fatty and low attenuation plaque [LAP]) volume normalized by total coronary artery length was measured using semi-automated plaque software and its change overtime between diabetic and non-diabetic patients was evaluated.ResultsThe matching was successful without significant differences between the two groups in all matched variables. The baseline volumes in each plaque also did not differ. During a mean scan interval of 3.4 ± 1.8 years, diabetic patients showed a 2-fold greater progression in normalized total plaque volume (TPV) than non-diabetes patients (52.8 mm3vs. 118.3 mm3, p = 0.005). Multivariable linear regression model revealed that diabetes was associated with normalized TPV progression (β 72.3, 95%CI 24.3-120.3). A similar trend was observed for the non-calcified components, but not calcified plaque (β 3.8, 95%CI -27.0-34.7). Higher baseline CAC score was found to be associated with total, non-calcified and calcified plaque progression. However, baseline non-calcified volume but not CAC score was associated with LAP progression.ConclusionsThe current study among matched patients indicates diabetes is associated with a greater plaque progression. Our results show the need for strict adherence of diabetic patients to the current preventive guidelines

Data from: Nonadditive indirect effects of group genetic diversity on larval viability in Drosophila melanogaster imply key role of maternal decision-making

Genetic variation can have important consequences for populations: high population genetic diversity is typically associated with ecological success. Some mechanisms that account for these benefits assume that local social groups with high genetic diversity are more successful than low-diversity groups. At the same time, active decision-making by individuals can influence group genetic diversity, a behavioral process not generally incorporated into discussions of population-level diversity effects. Here, we examine how maternal decisions that determine group genetic diversity influence the viability of Drosophila melanogaster larvae. Our groups contained wildtype larvae, whose genetic diversity we manipulated; and genetically-marked “tester” larvae, whose genotype and frequency were identical in all trials. We measured wildtype and tester viability for each group. Surprisingly, the viability of wildtype larvae did not depend on group genetic diversity. However, the viability of the tester genotype was substantially depressed in large, high-diversity groups. Further, not all high-diversity groups produced this effect: certain combinations of wildtype genotypes were deleterious to tester viability, while other groups of the same diversity—but containing different wildtype genotypes—were not deleterious. These deleterious combinations of wildtype genotypes could not be predicted by observing the performance of the same tester and wildtype genotypes in low-diversity groups. Taken together, these results suggest that non-additive interactions among genotypes, rather than genetic diversity per se, account for between-group differences in viability in D. melanogaster; and that predicting the consequences of genetic diversity at the population level may not be straightforward

data for dryad

The attending spreadsheet contains data from all 3 levels of diversity and 2 group sizes. Data were collected by JBS, ETA, JG, MH, and NM. The “diversity” column refers to the level of wildtype genetic diversity in the group (L= low, M= medium, H= high). “Number of tester survivors” and “number of wildtype survivors” are the number of tester and wildtype individuals, respectively, who eclosed from that group. Groups in which either the number of wildtype or tester survivors was 0 were excluded from the analysis. “Date” is the date the vial was created. “Genotype combination” describes the complement of wildtype genotypes present in the group; information about specific genotype combinations is available in the Supplemental Information to the paper. “Group size” is the number of first-instar larvae originally added to the vial (72 for small groups, 144 for large groups)

Plaque progression assessed by a novel semi-automated quantitative plaque software on coronary computed tomography angiography between diabetes and non-diabetes patients: A propensity-score matching study.

Background and aimsWe aimed at investigating whether diabetes is associated with progression in coronary plaque components.MethodsWe identified 142 study subjects undergoing serial coronary computed tomography angiography. The resulting propensity score was applied 1:1 to match diabetic patients to non-diabetic patients for clinical risk factors, prior coronary stenting, coronary artery calcium (CAC) score and the serial scan interval, resulting in the 71 diabetes and 71 non-diabetes patients. Coronary plaque (total, calcified, non-calcified including fibrous, fibrous-fatty and low attenuation plaque [LAP]) volume normalized by total coronary artery length was measured using semi-automated plaque software and its change overtime between diabetic and non-diabetic patients was evaluated.ResultsThe matching was successful without significant differences between the two groups in all matched variables. The baseline volumes in each plaque also did not differ. During a mean scan interval of 3.4 ± 1.8 years, diabetic patients showed a 2-fold greater progression in normalized total plaque volume (TPV) than non-diabetes patients (52.8 mm3vs. 118.3 mm3, p = 0.005). Multivariable linear regression model revealed that diabetes was associated with normalized TPV progression (β 72.3, 95%CI 24.3-120.3). A similar trend was observed for the non-calcified components, but not calcified plaque (β 3.8, 95%CI -27.0-34.7). Higher baseline CAC score was found to be associated with total, non-calcified and calcified plaque progression. However, baseline non-calcified volume but not CAC score was associated with LAP progression.ConclusionsThe current study among matched patients indicates diabetes is associated with a greater plaque progression. Our results show the need for strict adherence of diabetic patients to the current preventive guidelines

Plaque progression assessed by a novel semi-automated quantitative plaque software on coronary computed tomography angiography between diabetes and non-diabetes patients: A propensity-score matching study.

Background and aimsWe aimed at investigating whether diabetes is associated with progression in coronary plaque components.MethodsWe identified 142 study subjects undergoing serial coronary computed tomography angiography. The resulting propensity score was applied 1:1 to match diabetic patients to non-diabetic patients for clinical risk factors, prior coronary stenting, coronary artery calcium (CAC) score and the serial scan interval, resulting in the 71 diabetes and 71 non-diabetes patients. Coronary plaque (total, calcified, non-calcified including fibrous, fibrous-fatty and low attenuation plaque [LAP]) volume normalized by total coronary artery length was measured using semi-automated plaque software and its change overtime between diabetic and non-diabetic patients was evaluated.ResultsThe matching was successful without significant differences between the two groups in all matched variables. The baseline volumes in each plaque also did not differ. During a mean scan interval of 3.4 ± 1.8 years, diabetic patients showed a 2-fold greater progression in normalized total plaque volume (TPV) than non-diabetes patients (52.8 mm3vs. 118.3 mm3, p = 0.005). Multivariable linear regression model revealed that diabetes was associated with normalized TPV progression (β 72.3, 95%CI 24.3-120.3). A similar trend was observed for the non-calcified components, but not calcified plaque (β 3.8, 95%CI -27.0-34.7). Higher baseline CAC score was found to be associated with total, non-calcified and calcified plaque progression. However, baseline non-calcified volume but not CAC score was associated with LAP progression.ConclusionsThe current study among matched patients indicates diabetes is associated with a greater plaque progression. Our results show the need for strict adherence of diabetic patients to the current preventive guidelines