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Introduction: Thyroid hormones affect the cardiovascular system, but the precise mechanisms of their effects on the development of atherosclerosis are not entirely clear. The relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism, dyslipidemia and carotid atherosclerosis has been widely investigated, but the findings were controversial. The aim of the present study was to determine whether female subjects with subclinical hypothyroidism (SHypo) have increased carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) compared with euthyroid subjects, as well as to examine the association of SHypo, carotid atherosclerosis and dyslipidemia.

Atherosclerosis is a life-threatening disease associated with morbidity and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study aimed to characterize a salivary signature of atherosclerosis based on evaluation of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) to develop a non-invasive predictive tool for diagnosis and disease follow-up. Metabolites in saliva and plasma samples collected at admission and after treatment from 25 T2D patients hospitalized for 2 weeks to undergo medical treatment for diabetes were comprehensively profiled using metabolomic profiling with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Orthogonal partial least squares analysis, used to explore the relationships of IMT with clinical markers and plasma and salivary metabolites, showed that the top predictors for IMT included salivary allantoin and 1,5-anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG) at both the baseline examination at admission and after treatment. Furthermore, though treatment induced alterations in salivary levels of allantoin and 1,5-AG, it did not modify the association between IMT and these metabolites (pinteraction > 0.05), and models with these metabolites combined yielded satisfactory diagnostic accuracy for the high IMT group even after treatment (area under curve = 0.819). Collectively, this salivary metabolite combination may be useful for non-invasive identification of T2D patients with a higher atherosclerotic burden in clinical settings.

Background and Purpose: Existing metabolic disorders, such as dyslipidemia and impaired glucose metabolism, place diabetic patients at a greater risk for atherogenesis. Knowing the factors associated with this issue can significantly improve patients' long-term prognoses and reduce mortality and morbidity. One of the issues raised in this field is vitamin D serum concentration. This study aimed to examine the association between vitamin D deficiency and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in type 1 diabetic patients. Method: In this descriptive-analytic cross-sectional observational study, 197 patients with type 1 diabetes referred to hospitals affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University in 2016 and 2017 were selected randomly. Patients' carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) was measured using real-time B mode ultrasonography, and the severity of their vitamin D deficiency was determined using the RIA method. The amount of IMT in various vitamin D groups, including adequate and inadequate vitamin D, was then compared. Results: Serum vitamin D levels were deficient in 26.4% of patients, insufficient in 48.2%, and sufficient in 25.5%. The average IMT of the patients studied was 0.71, and the standard deviation was 0.25. Patients with vitamin D deficiency had an average IMT of 1.01, while those with insufficient vitamin D had an average IMT of 0.65, and those with sufficient vitamin D had an average IMT of 0.51, indicating a statistically significant difference in the three groups (P = 0.0001). Discussion and Conclusion: Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that vitamin D deficiency is related to carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in type 1 diabetic patients in three-quarters of the cases where vitamin D levels are deficient or insufficient. In other words, the carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is bigger in people who don't get enough vitamin D. To lower the risk of atherosclerosis in these people, vitamin D supplements are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this review, we describe how technological advances in ultrasound imaging related to transducer construction and image processing fundamentally alter generation of ultrasound images to produce better quality images with higher resolution. However, carotid intima–media thickness (IMT) measurements made from images acquired on modern ultrasound systems are not comparable to historical population nomograms that were used to determine wall thickness thresholds that inform atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk. Because it is nearly impossible to replicate instrumentation settings that were used to create the reference carotid IMT nomograms and to place an individual's carotid IMT value in or above a clinically relevant percentile, carotid IMT measurements have a very limited role in clinical medicine, but remain a useful research tool when instrumentation, presets, image acquisition, and measurements can be standardized. In addition to new validation studies, it would be useful for the ultrasound imaging community to reach a consensus regarding technical aspects of ultrasound imaging acquisition, processing, and display for blood vessels so standard presets and imaging approaches could reliably yield the same measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both of the carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and mean platelet volume (MPV) may add to the risk of atherosclerosis for predicting cardiovascular events. It is not known, however, whether there is an association between them in diabetes patients. The aim of the study was to detect the relationship between the level of mean platelet volume and the carotid artery intima-media thickness in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and to determine the correlation of MPV with body mass index (BMI), duration of diabetes, glycosylated hemoglobin A1 (HbA1C), fasting blood glucose (FBG), C-reactive protein (CRP), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein (HDL-C), serum uric acid (UA), ankle-brachial index (ABI), history of hypertension, and smoking in diabetic patients, respectively. A total of 128 subjects were enrolled into this study, who admitted consecutively to our clinic from January 1, 2013 to January 30, 2014. They were divided into three groups according to their IMT: normal IMT group (A, IMT ≦1.1 mm, n = 26), IMT thickness group (B, IMT >1.1 mm, n = 45), IMT thickening with plaque group (C, n = 57). A significant difference with respect to BMI, HBA1c, TG, HDL-C, CRP, UA, FBG, ABI, and cigarette use between the study groups was not found ( P > 0.05). MPV was significantly higher in group A as compared to both group B and group C (7.94 ± 0.97 fl, 7.24 ± 0.71 fl, 7.03 ± 0.79 fl, respectively, P〈0.001), MPV had a high positive correlation with IMT ( P〈0.001) and age, as with TC and LDL-C ( P〈0.05). The level of MPV content decreased as the diabetic macroangiopathy progressed. Level of MPV was correlated with IMT in diabetic patients. MPV might be a useful marker for detecting atherosclerosis risk in diabetic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) might be a potential independent risk factor for increased carotid intima-media thickness (IMT). Our aim is to determine whether mild to moderate kidney dysfunction is associated with increased carotid IMT.Methods: We employed 3629 subjects free from clinical cardiovascular diseases at the baseline visit of the Asymptomatic Polyvascular Abnormalities in Community Study. Kidney function was evaluated in terms of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) calculated by the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration China equation. The mean of the maximal internal and common carotid IMT was measured by means of high-resolution B-mode ultrasound. Univariable linear regressions and multivariate logistic regressions were used to evaluate the independent association between kidney function and carotid IMT.Results: In the unadjusted linear analysis, carotid IMT showed a significant negative correlation with eGFR in both male (r = -.346, P < .001) and female (r = -.253, P < .001) subjects. After adjustment for age, traditional vascular risk factors (smoking, diabetes, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, and antihypertensive drug use), and nontraditional risk factors (C-reactive protein and homocysteine), the association remained significant. The odds ratio for increased IMT was 1.299 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.062-1.588) in the group with an eGFR of 60-89 mL/minute/1.73 m(2) and 1.789 (95% CI, 1.203-2.660) in the group with an eGFR of 30-59 mL/minute/1.73 m(2).Conclusions: Increased IMT is associated with early-stage CKD. This association is independent of traditional and nontraditional cardiovascular risk factors. Early detection of kidney dysfunction is important to improve risk stratification of atherosclerotic disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Summary: Background and aims: Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and arterial stiffness parameters, including aortic augmentation index (AIx) and pulse wave velocity (PWV), are independent predictors of stroke and cardiovascular disease. Genetic effects on these traits were never explored in a Mediterranean country. The present study aims to quantify the contribution of genes, environment and age to carotid IMT and aortic Aix and PWV. Methods and results: The twin design was used. A total of 348 adult twins from the Italian Twin Register underwent measurements of carotid IMT and aortic PWV and AIx in three university hospitals located in Rome, Padua and Perugia. Carotid IMT was measured by B-mode ultrasound, aortic PWV and AIx by Arteriograph. Genetic modelling was performed to decompose total variance of traits into genetic, shared and unshared environmental and age components. For each phenotype, the best-fitting model included additive genetic, unshared environmental and age effects. For IMT, heritability was 0.32 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.25–0.38), unshared environmental component was 0.25 (0.18–0.32) and age contribution was 0.44 (0.39–0.49). For AIx and PWV, heritabilities were 0.42 (0.29–0.55) and 0.49 (0.35–0.62), unshared environmental components were 0.31 (0.22–0.44) and 0.37 (0.26–0.51) and age contributions were 0.27 (0.16–0.39) and 0.14 (0.06–0.24), respectively. Conclusion: This study shows substantial genetic and unshared environmental influences on carotid intima-media thickness and arterial stiffness and confirms the relevant role of age in the aetiology of these traits. Further support is provided for prevention and health promotion strategies based on modifiable factors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Atherosclerosis is a life-threatening disease associated with morbidity and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study aimed to characterize a salivary signature of atherosclerosis based on evaluation of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) to develop a non-invasive predictive tool for diagnosis and disease follow-up. Metabolites in saliva and plasma samples collected at admission and after treatment from 25 T2D patients hospitalized for 2 weeks to undergo medical treatment for diabetes were comprehensively profiled using metabolomic profiling with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Orthogonal partial least squares analysis, used to explore the relationships of IMT with clinical markers and plasma and salivary metabolites, showed that the top predictors for IMT included salivary allantoin and 1,5-anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG) at both the baseline examination at admission and after treatment. Furthermore, though treatment induced alterations in salivary levels of allantoin and 1,5-AG, it did not modify the association between IMT and these metabolites ( p interaction > 0.05), and models with these metabolites combined yielded satisfactory diagnostic accuracy for the high IMT group even after treatment (area under curve = 0.819). Collectively, this salivary metabolite combination may be useful for non-invasive identification of T2D patients with a higher atherosclerotic burden in clinical settings., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Sakanaka, Katakami, Furuno, Nishizawa, Omori, Taya, Ishikawa, Mayumi, Inoue, Tanaka Isomura, Amano, Shimomura, Fukusaki and Kuboniwa.)

Abstract: Objective: Statin pleiotropy is still an evolving concept, and the lack of clarity on this subject is due at least in part to the lack of a definitive biomarker for statin pleiotropy. Using plasma mRNA analysis as a novel research tool for the non-invasive in vivo assessment of gene expression in vascular beds, we hypothesised that atorvastatin lowers the plasma mRNA level from statin pleiotropy-target genes, and the reduction is independent of the reduction of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Design and methods: Forty-four patients with stable angina received atorvastatin therapy (20mg/day, 10weeks). Plasma chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM1) mRNA levels and their protein concentrations (MCP-1, sICAM-1) were analysed before and after the treatment. Plasma vascular adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) concentrations were also analysed. Results: Atorvastatin lowered plasma mRNA levels (CCL2: −31.76%, p=0.037; ICAM1: −34.09%, p<0.001) and MCP-1 protein concentration (−18.88%, p=0.008) but did not lower sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 protein concentrations, and the decreases appeared to be independent from the lowering of LDL-C. The plasma mRNA levels correlated with their protein concentrations following statin treatment only. Conclusion: Our results significantly strengthen the clinical evidence in support of statin pleiotropy. Furthermore, this unique simultaneous measurement of plasma mRNAs and their protein concentrations offers an advanced non-invasive in vivo assessment of the circulation pathology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Epidemiologic investigations have linked the circulating levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), to carotid intima-media thickness (IMT). However, these studies result in various extent of relation between ADMA and IMT, the conclusions were inconsistent, and the precise relationship is therefore under debate. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to provide an overview of the relevant studies evaluating the association of levels of ADMA with carotid IMT and to gain more robust estimate of the relationship. Methods: Studies were identified through PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, reviews, and reference lists of relevant papers. Weighted means of the correlation coefficient (R) and partial correlation coefficient (PR) were calculated for relations by using random-effect models. Results: 22 studies with a total of 6168 subjects were included in our meta-analysis. In an overall pooled estimate of correlation coefficient (R), levels of ADMA were significantly related to carotid IMT (pooled R: 0.29; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.20–0.38, P <0.001). Pooled estimate of partial correlation coefficient (PR) also resulted in a significant association of ADMA with carotid IMT (pooled PR: 0.21; 95% CI: 0.14–0.29; P <0.001). Furthermore, subgroup analysis found that the relation between ADMA and IMT was stronger in patients with chronic kidney diseases (CKDs) than that in subject with normal renal function. Conclusions: Circulating levels of ADMA were positively related to carotid IMT, especially in patients with CKDs. The findings need confirmation in longitudinal and interventional studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]