The relationship between epicardial fat thickness and gestational diabetes mellitus

Aim: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with cardiovascular diseases; however, the relationship between epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and GDM remains unclear. The present study evaluates and compares EFT using transthoracic echocardiography in pregnant women with GDM. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study included 129 pregnant women in the third trimester: 65 with GDM (GDM group) and 64 with uncomplicated pregnancies (control group). As defined by the World Health Organization, the diagnosis of GDM was based on an abnormal 2-h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) results. We used echocardiography to measure EFT in blood samples for all the participants. Results: The postprandial blood glucose level was significantly higher in the GDM group than in the control group (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in BMI, heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure or lipid parameters between the groups. In the GDM group, isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) parameters were significantly higher than in the control group. EFT was significantly higher in the GDM group (P < 0.001) and was correlated with postprandial glucose, BMI, age, and heart rate in both the groups. Only postprandial glucose and BMI remained significantly associated with EFT after multiple stepwise regression analysis. Conclusion: Echocardiographically measured EFT was significantly higher in the patients with GDM. The findings show that EFT was strongly correlated with postprandial glucose. © 2014 Nar et al

Monocyte-to-HDL-cholesterol ratio is associated with Ascending Aorta Dilatation in Patients with Bicuspid Aortic Valve

Background: The importance of monocyte count-to-HDL-cholesterol ratio (MHR) in cardio- vascular diseases has been shown in various studies. Ascending aortic dilatation (AAD) is a common complication in the patients with bicuspid aortic valve. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between MHR and the presence of aortic dilatation in the patients with bicuspid aortic valve. Methods: The study population included totally 347 patients with bicuspid aortic valve.169 patients with aortic dilatation (ascending aorta diameter 65 4.0 cm) and 178 patients with no aortic dilatation. Echocardiographic and laboratory measurement was done and compared between groups. Results: The mean age of the participants was 44.7 \ub1 15.4 years and average ascending aorta diameter was 3.2 \ub1 0.3 cm in dilatation negative group and 4.4 \ub1 0.4 cm in positive group. MHR was significantly increased in in patients with aortic dilatation. MHR and uric acid level was independently associated with the presence of aortic dilatation in the patients with bicuspid aortic valve. Conclusion: We found a significant relationship between MHR and aortic dilatation in the patients with bicuspid aortic valve

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements