scholarly journals Thoracic Aorta Diameter Calculation by Artificial Intelligence Can Predict the Degree of Arterial Stiffness

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaoling Wang ◽  
Jinrong Yang ◽  
Yichen Lu ◽  
Wenliang Fan ◽  
Lijuan Bai ◽  
...  

Background: Arterial aging is characterized by decreased vascular function, caused by arterial stiffness (AS), and vascular morphological changes, caused by arterial dilatation. We analyzed the relationship of pre-AS and AS, as assessed by cardio ankle vascular index (CAVI), with arterial diameters (AD) at nine levels, from the aortic sinus to the abdominal aorta, as measured by artificial intelligence (AI) on non-enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) images.Methods: Overall, 801 patients who underwent both chest CT scan and arterial elasticity test were enrolled. Nine horizontal diameters of the thoracic aorta (from the aortic sinuses of Valsalva to the abdominal aorta at the celiac axis origin) were measured by AI using CT. Patients were divided into non-AS (mean value of the left and right CAVIs [M.CAVI] < 8), pre-AS (8 ≤ M.CAVI < 9), and AS (M.CAVI ≥ 9) groups. We compared AD differences among groups, analyzed the correlation of age, ADs, and M.CAVI or the mean pressure-independent CAVI (M.CAVI0), Furthermore, we evaluated the risk predictors and the diagnostic value of the nine ADs for pre-AS and AS.Results: The AD at mid descending aorta (MD) correlated strongest with CAVI (r = 0.46, p < 0.001) or M.CAVI0 (r = 0.42, p < 0.001). M.CAVI was most affected by the MD AD and by age. An increase in the MD AD independently predicted the occurrence of pre-AS or AS. For MD AD, every 4.37 mm increase caused a 14% increase in the pre-AS and AS risk and a 13% increase in the AS risk. With a cut-off value of 26.95 mm for the MD AD, the area under the curve (AUC) for identifying the risk of AS was 0.743. With a cut-off value of 25.15 mm, the AUC for identifying the risk of the stage after the prophase of AS is 0.739.Conclusions: Aging is associated with an increase in AD and a decrease in arterial elasticity. An increase in AD, particularly at the MD level is an independent predictor of AS development.

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1003
Author(s):  
Elena Vega-Martín ◽  
Marta Gil-Ortega ◽  
Raquel González-Blázquez ◽  
Sara Benedito ◽  
Jesús Fernández-Felipe ◽  
...  

Vegetable oils such as palm oil (enriched in saturated fatty acids, SFA) and high-oleic-acid sunflower oil (HOSO, containing mainly monounsaturated fatty acids, MUFA) have emerged as the most common replacements for trans-fats in the food industry. The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of SFA and MUFA-enriched high-fat (HF) diets on endothelial function, vascular remodeling, and arterial stiffness compared to commercial HF diets. Five-week-old male C57BL6J mice were fed a standard (SD), a HF diet enriched with SFA (saturated oil-enriched Food, SOLF), a HF diet enriched with MUFA (unsaturated oil-enriched Food, UOLF), or a commercial HF diet for 8 weeks. Vascular function was analyzed in the thoracic aorta. Structural and mechanical parameters were assessed in mesenteric arteries by pressure myography. SOLF, UOLF, and HF diet reduced contractile responses to phenylephrine and induced endothelial dysfunction in the thoracic aorta. A significant increase in the β-index, and thus in arterial stiffness, was also detected in mesenteric arteries from the three HF groups, due to enhanced deposition of collagen in the vascular wall. SOLF also induced hypotrophic inward remodeling. In conclusion, these data demonstrate a deleterious effect of HF feeding on obesity-related vascular alterations that is exacerbated by SFA.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel González-Blázquez ◽  
Martín Alcalá ◽  
José Miguel Cárdenas ◽  
Marta Viana ◽  
Ulrike Muscha Steckelings ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Compound 21 (C21), a selective AT2R agonist, on the prevention of endothelial dysfunction, extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and arterial stiffness associated with diet-induced obesity (DIO).  5-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were fed a standard (Chow) or high-fat diet (HF) for 6 weeks. Half of the animals of each group were simultaneously treated with C21 (1mg/kg/day, in the drinking water), generating 4 groups: Chow C, Chow C21, HF C, HF C21. Vascular function and mechanical properties were determined in the abdominal aorta. To evaluate ECM remodeling, collagen deposition, activity of metalloproteinases (MMP) 2 and 9 and TGF-b1 concentration were analyzed in the plasma. Abdominal aortas from HF C mice showed endothelial dysfunction as well as enhanced contractile but reduced relaxant responses to Ang II. This effect was abrogated with C21 treatment by preserving NO availability. A left-shift in the tension-stretch relationship, paralleled by an augmented β-index (marker of intrinsic arterial stiffness), and enhanced collagen deposition and MMP-2/-9 activities were also detected in HF mice. However, when treated with C21, HF mice exhibited lower TGF-b1 levels in abdominal aortas together with reduced MMP activities and collagen deposition compared with HF C mice.</p>  In conclusion, these data demonstrate that AT2R stimulation by C21 in obesity preserves NO availability and prevents unhealthy vascular remodeling, thus protecting the abdominal aorta in HF mice against the development of endothelial dysfunction, ECM remodeling and arterial stiffness.


Author(s):  
Stephen M. Ratchford ◽  
Jonathon Lee Stickford ◽  
Valesha M Province ◽  
Nina Stute ◽  
Marc Andrew Augenreich ◽  
...  

Background: While SARS-CoV-2 primarily affects the lungs, the virus may be inflicting detriments to the cardiovascular system, both directly through angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptor as well as initiating systemic inflammation. Persistent systemic inflammation may be provoking vascular dysfunction, an early indication of cardiovascular disease risk. Methods: In order to establish the potential effects of SARS-CoV-2 on the systemic vasculature in the arms and legs, we performed a cross-sectional analysis of young healthy adults (Control: 5M/15F, 23.0±1.3y, 167±9cm, 63.0±7.4kg) and young adults who, 3-4 weeks prior to testing, had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (SARS-CoV-2: 4M/7F, 20.2±1.1y, 172±12cm, 69.5±12.4kg) (mean±SD). Using Doppler ultrasound, brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in the arm and single passive limb movement (sPLM) in the leg were assessed as markers of vascular function. Pulse wave velocity (PWVcf) was assessed as a marker of arterial stiffness. Results: FMD was lower in the SARS-CoV-2 group (2.71±1.21%) compared to the Control group (8.81±2.96%) (P<0.01) and when made relative to the shear stimulus (SARS-CoV-2: 0.04±0.02AU, Control: 0.13±0.06AU, P<0.01). The femoral artery blood flow response, as evidenced by the area under the curve, from the sPLM was lower in the SARS-CoV-2 group (-3±91ml) compared with the Control group (118±114ml) (P<0.01). PWVcf was higher in the SARS-CoV-2 group (5.83±0.62m/s) compared with the Control group (5.17±0.66m/s) (P<0.01). Conclusions: Significantly lower systemic vascular function and higher arterial stiffness are evident weeks after testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 among young adults compared to controls.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Mestres-Arenas ◽  
Joan Villarroya ◽  
Marta Giralt ◽  
Francesc Villarroya ◽  
Marion Peyrou

Depending on its anatomical placement, perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) has been found to possess features more (e.g., aortic thoracic) or less (e.g., aortic abdominal) similar to brown/beige adipose tissue in mice, whereas PVAT surrounding the mesenteric arteries and the caudal part of abdominal aorta is similar to white fat. PVAT is thought to influence vascular function through the effects of adipose-secreted molecules on vessels. Brown adipose tissue was recently shown to play differential secretory role via secretion of the so-called batokines but the involvement of differential batokine production in PVAT brown/beige plasticity was unclear. The current study characterizes for the first time the expression of batokines at aortic thoracic PVAT (tPVAT) and aortic abdominal PVAT (aPVAT) in comparison with typical brown and white adipose depots, in basal and thermogenically activated conditions. We found that both PVAT depots increased their expression of genes encoding the batokines bone morphogenetic protein-8b (BMP8B), fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21), and kininogen-2 (KNG2) in response to cold, indicating that, under cold-induced thermogenic activation, both thoracic aorta and abdominal aorta would experience intense local exposure to these PVAT-secreted batokines. In contrast, the gene expression levels of growth/differentiation factor-15 and vascular endothelial growth factor-A were induced only in tPVAT. Under short-term high-fat diet-induced thermogenic activation, the thoracic aorta would be specifically exposed to a local increase in PVAT-originating BMP8B, FGF21, and KNG2. Our data support the notion that acquisition of a brown/beige phenotype in PVAT is associated with upregulation of batokines, mainly BMP8B, FGF21, and KNG2, that can differentially target the vascular system.


Circulation ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 132 (suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgia Siasou ◽  
Gerasimos Siasos ◽  
Marilita M Moschos ◽  
Nikolaos Gouliopoulos ◽  
Evangelos Oikonomou ◽  
...  

Introduction: Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is one of the most prevalent causes of irreversible blindness and is associated with endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness. Pseudoexfoliative glaucoma (PEG) is another type of glaucoma observed in pseudoexfoliation syndrome. It is characterized by the deposition of pseudoexfoliative material not only to the anterior segment of the eye, but also to the vessels, heart and other organs. Hypothesis: Endothelial function and arterial stiffness are impaired in patients with POAG and PEG supporting the significant role of vascular function impairment in the progression of the disease. Methods: Forty four POAG patients, 22 PEG and 38 healthy subjects (Cl) were included in this study. All subjects were free of cardiovascular or inflammatory diseases. Endothelial function was evaluated by flow-mediated dilatation (FMD). Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measured as an index of aortic stiffness and augmentation index (AIx) as a measure of arterial wave reflections Results: Between the three study groups CL, POAG, PEG there was no difference in age (67±10years vs. 70±9years vs. 66±12yeras, p=0.12) or prevalence of male sex (70% vs. 57% vs. 50%, p=0.21). Importantly, there was a linear impairment of FMD (7.35±2.77% vs. 6.58±3.18% vs. 4.88±3.29%, p=0.006), PWV (7.98±1.56m/sec vs. 9.20±1.84m/sec vs. 9.22±2.16m/sec, p=0.004) and AIx (21.29±8.77% vs. 25.14±5.71% vs. 28.20±8.75%, p=0.002) from CL to POAG and PEG. Interestingly post hoc test after Scheffe correction revealed also that PEG subjects had not only significantly impaired FMD, compared to control subjects, but also compared to POAG subjects (4.88±3.29% vs. 6.58±3.18%, p=0.02). Conclusions: Endothelial function and arterial stiffness are significantly impaired in patients with pseudoexfoliative glaucoma. These findings shed some light in the pathophysiology of pseudoexfoliative glaucoma and support the theory that pseudoexfoliative fibrils may also accumulate and damage the arterial wall.


Kybernetes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naurin Farooq Khan ◽  
Naveed Ikram ◽  
Hajra Murtaza ◽  
Muhammad Aslam Asadi

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the cybersecurity awareness manifested as protective behavior to explain self-disclosure in social networking sites. The disclosure of information about oneself is associated with benefits as well as privacy risks. The individuals self-disclose to gain social capital and display protective behaviors to evade privacy risks by careful cost-benefit calculation of disclosing information.Design/methodology/approachThis study explores the role of cyber protection behavior in predicting self-disclosure along with demographics (age and gender) and digital divide (frequency of Internet access) variables by conducting a face-to-face survey. Data were collected from 284 participants. The model is validated by using multiple hierarchal regression along with the artificial intelligence approach.FindingsThe results revealed that cyber protection behavior significantly explains the variance in self-disclosure behavior. The complementary use of five machine learning (ML) algorithms further validated the model. The ML algorithms predicted self-disclosure with an area under the curve of 0.74 and an F1 measure of 0.70.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that costs associated with self-disclosure can be mitigated by educating the individuals to heighten their cybersecurity awareness through cybersecurity training programs.Originality/valueThis study uses a hybrid approach to assess the influence of cyber protection behavior on self-disclosure using expectant valence theory (EVT).


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Merita Rroji (Molla) ◽  
Saimir Seferi ◽  
Majlinda Cafka ◽  
Erjola Likaj ◽  
Vilma Cadri ◽  
...  

Abstract Background and Aims The mortality rate is extremely high in chronic kidney disease (CKD), primarily due to the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Increased pulse pressure (PP), defined as the difference between inappropriately elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) and reduced diastolic blood pressure (DBP) at any value of mean arterial pressure (MAP), is a surrogate measure of increased arterial stiffness of central elastic arteries (aorta and its major branches). CKD-MBD anomalies leading to calcification contribute to increased arterial stiffness and pulse pressure. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship of pulse pressure parameter with valve calcification and abdominal aortic calcification in hemodialysis patients and its impact on cardiovascular mortality. Method We performed a prospective case series study with 3 years follow- up. Plain X-ray images of the lateral lumbar spine from all subjects were studied to obtain images of the lower abdominal aorta using semiquantitative scores as described by Kauppila et al. Cardiac valve calcifications were evaluated by two-dimensional echocardiography with an HDI 5000 Sono CT echocardiographic machine with a 3.3-MHz multiphase array probe in subjects lying in the left decubitus position an according to the recommendations of the European Association of Echocardiography. The patient was evaluated as having vascular calcification if he had the presence of calcification in at least one of the site examined: a mitral valve, aortic valve or abdominal aorta. Results We studied 85 chronic stable hemodialysis patients. Mean age and meantime is therapy was 49.9±12.4 years and 51.5±28.7 months, respectively. Mean pulse pressure was 55.72±14.2 mmHg. Fifty-nine patients (69.4%) were identified with aortic abdominal calcification, and the mean Kauppila score was 4.91 ± 4.05. Sixty patients (70.5%) had at least one valve calcified, while thirty-three patients (38.8%) had both valves calcified. Univariate analysis revealed that every 1 mmHg increase in pulse pressure was associated with increased cardiovascular calcification risk p=0.020. In multivariate analysis, after adjustment for age, gender, diabetes mellitus, cholesterol, and triglyceride serum levels, the association also remained strong, where every increase of 1 mm Hg in pulse pressure was associated with increased risk for cardiovascular calcification (HR 1.02, 95% CI (1.00-1.03), p= 0.038). Besides, pulse pressure was an independent predictor for cardiovascular mortality (HR 1.03, 95% CI (1.02-1.05), p=0.002). Conclusion Pulse pressure may identify hemodialysis patients with subclinical cardiovascular calcification who need further evaluation. Wide pulse pressure is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality.


2021 ◽  
pp. 074823372110316
Author(s):  
Nina L Stute ◽  
Jonathon L Stickford ◽  
Marc A Augenreich ◽  
Kyle C Kimball ◽  
Janet M Cope ◽  
...  

Formaldehyde (FA) is a ubiquitous organic preservative used in several industries and represents an occupational health hazard. Short-term exposure to FA can increase oxidative stress and cause a decrease in conduit vessel function. These decrements in vascular function may extend to the arterial architecture, predisposing individuals to increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of an acute 90-minute FA exposure period (259 ± 95 ppb) on indices of arterial architecture. Arterial stiffness and carotid distensibility as determined by central pressures, augmentation index (AIx), and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) ( n=13F, 24 ± 1 year) as well as carotid stiffness and intima media thickness (IMT) ( n = 9F, 23 ± 1 year) were assessed prior to (Pre-FA) and immediately following (Post-FA) exposure to FA in human cadaver dissection laboratories. Central pressures and cfPWV (Pre-FA: 5.2 ± 0.8 m.s−1, Post-FA: 5.2 ± 1.1 m s−1) were unchanged by acute FA exposure ( p > 0.05). Carotid stiffness parameters and distension were unchanged by acute FA exposure ( p > 0.05), although distensibility (Pre-FA: 33.9 ± 10.5[10–3*kPa−1], Post-FA: 25.9 ± 5.5[10–3*kPa-1], p < 0.05), and IMT (Pre-FA: 0.42 ± 0.05 mm, Post-FA: 0.51 ± 0.11 mm, p < 0.05) decreased and increased, respectively. Individual Pre- to Post-FA changes in these markers of arterial architecture did not correlate with levels of FA exposure ([FA]: 20–473 ppb) ( p > 0.05). Our group previously found vascular function decrements following acute FA exposure in human cadaver laboratories; here we found that carotid distensibility and intima media thickness are altered following FA exposure.


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