Electronic Structures of Cr(III) and V(II) Polypyridyl Systems: Undertones in an Isoelectronic Analogy.

A recently reported description of the photophysical properties of V2+ polypyridyl systems has highlighted several distinctions between isoelectronic, d3, Cr3+, and V2+ tris-homoleptic polypyridyl complexes of 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen). Here, we combine theory and experimental data to elucidate the differences in electronic structures. We provide the first crystallographic structures of the V2+ complexes [V(bpy)3](BPh4)2 (V-1B) and [V(phen)3](OTf)2 (V2) and observe pronounced trigonal distortion relative to analogous Cr3+ complexes. We use electronic absorption spectroscopy in tandem with TD-DFT computations to assign metal-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) properties of V-1B and V2 that are unique from the intraligand transitions, 4(3IL), solely observed in Cr3+ analogues. Our newly developed natural transition spin density (NTρα,ß) plots characterize both the Cr3+ and V2+ absorbance properties. A multideterminant approach to DFT assigns the energy of the 2E state of V-1B as stabilized through electron delocalization. We find that the profound differences in excited state lifetimes for Cr3+ and V2+ polypyridyls arise from differences in the characters of their lowest doublet states and pathways for intersystem crossing, both of which stem from trigonal structural distortion and metal-ligand π-covalency.

Bilateral remote ischemic conditioning in children: A two-center, double-blind, randomized controlled trial in young children undergoing cardiac surgery.

Objective: The study objective was to determine whether adequately delivered bilateral remote ischemic preconditioning is cardioprotective in young children undergoing surgery for 2 common congenital heart defects with or without cyanosis. Methods: We performed a prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial at 2 centers in the United Kingdom. Children aged 3 to 36 months undergoing tetralogy of Fallot repair or ventricular septal defect closure were randomized 1:1 to receive bilateral preconditioning or sham intervention. Participants were followed up until hospital discharge or 30 days. The primary outcome was area under the curve for high-sensitivity troponin-T in the first 24 hours after surgery, analyzed by intention-to-treat. Right atrial biopsies were obtained in selected participants. Results: Between October 2016 and December 2020, 120 eligible children were randomized to receive bilateral preconditioning (n = 60) or sham intervention (n = 60). The primary outcome, area under the curve for high-sensitivity troponin-T, was higher in the preconditioning group (mean: 70.0 ± 50.9 µg/L/h, n = 56) than in controls (mean: 55.6 ± 30.1 µg/L/h, n = 58) (mean difference, 13.2 µg/L/h; 95% CI, 0.5-25.8; P = .04). Subgroup analyses did not show a differential treatment effect by oxygen saturations (pinteraction = .25), but there was evidence of a differential effect by underlying defect (pinteraction = .04). Secondary outcomes and myocardial metabolism, quantified in atrial biopsies, were not different between randomized groups. Conclusions: Bilateral remote ischemic preconditioning does not attenuate myocardial injury in children undergoing surgical repair for congenital heart defects, and there was evidence of potential harm in unstented tetralogy of Fallot. The routine use of remote ischemic preconditioning cannot be recommended for myocardial protection during pediatric cardiac surgery.

Quantifying the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer center clinical trial operations.

BACKGROUND: Oncology clinical trials are complex, and the COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruptions in 2020. METHODS: Using its networking and sharing of best practices, the Association of American Cancer Institutes, comprising 105 cancer centers, solicited a longitudinal series of voluntary surveys from members to assess how clinical trial office operations were affected. The surveys showed that centers were able to keep oncology trials available to patients while maintaining safety. Data were collected regarding interventional clinical trial accruals for the calendar years 2019, 2020, and 2021. RESULTS: Data demonstrated a sizeable decrease in interventional treatment trial accruals in both 2020 and 2021 compared with prepandemic figures in 2019. No cancer center reported an increase in interventional treatment trial accruals in 2020 compared with 2019, with most centers reporting a moderate decrease. In mid-2022, 15% of respondents reported an increasing trend, 31% reported no significant change, and 54% continued to report a decrease. CONCLUSIONS: The pandemic necessitated rapid adoption of trial operations, with the emergence of several best practices, including remote monitoring, remote consenting, electronic research charts, and work-from-home strategies for staff. The national infrastructure to conduct trials was significantly affected by the pandemic, with noteworthy resiliency, evidenced by improvements in efficiencies and patient-centered care delivery but with residual capacity challenges that will be evident for the foreseeable future.

Breath Stable Isotope Analysis Serves as a Non-invasive Analytical Tool to Demonstrate Dietary Changes in Adolescent Students Over Time.

Concern about adolescent diets, obesity, and the associated health risks have been growing in the United States. This inspired former First Lady Michelle Obama to spearhead the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA), which made changes to the national school lunch program by increasing servings of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Our study examined the variability of student carbohydrate sources throughout the day and before and after the implementation of HHFKA using a stable isotope dietary biomarker. This method uses carbon stable isotope values of exhaled CO2 breath (δ13Cbreath) and provides a quantitative, non-invasive measure. δ13Cbreath samples were collected throughout the day from students (n = 31) that attended a public high school in Salt Lake City, UT. δ13Cbreath measurements reflected the short-term carbohydrate inputs from the previous meal. Carbohydrate sources were not consistent throughout the day; most students had their lowest inputs of corn/sugar-based carbohydrates after lunch. We compared our results with an earlier study that had been conducted pre-HHFKA. After-lunch δ13Cbreath values decreased significantly between the two time points, suggesting an increase in whole grain, fruit, and vegetable carbohydrates in the lunch program. Our results demonstrated that δ13Cbreath measurements provide a valuable tool to examine carbohydrate sources in an individual's diet throughout the day. We believe that this tool could be beneficial to studies examining the relationship between sugar sweetened beverages, added sugars, and refined carbohydrates and health outcomes like diabetes and obesity in both adolescent and adult populations.

Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementia Resources: Perspectives of African American and Caucasian Family Caregivers in Northwest Louisiana.

We examined knowledge of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), resources, and research opportunities among older African American (AA) and Caucasian caregivers. A mixed methods design integrated qualitative (focus group) and quantitative (survey) data from Northwest Louisiana. Eight focus groups (59 adults, 92% female, 78% AA, 25% rural) revealed limited knowledge. Quantitative findings from 117 ADRD caregivers (83% female, 72% AA, 30% limited heath literacy, 27% low income) indicated participants obtained information from providers (54%), friends and relatives (32%), and the internet (37%). Barriers to care were cost (24%) and lack of family agreement (17%). Few families used adult daycare (8%) or support groups (28%). Concerns about research participation were violation of privacy (30%) and fear of patient distress (27%). Distrust of doctors was minimal (3%). Findings did not vary by race. There is a need for clear, literacy-appropriate information about ADRD, caregiver resources, and clinical trials.

Immunization milestones: a more comprehensive picture of age-appropriate vaccination.

A challenge facing immunization registries is developing measures of childhood immunization coverage that contain more information for setting policy than present vaccine series up-to-date (UTD) rates. This study combined milestone analysis with provider encounter data to determine when children either do not receive indicated immunizations during medical encounters or fail to visit providers. Milestone analysis measures immunization status at key times between birth and age 2, when recommended immunizations first become late. The immunization status of a large population of children in the Oregon ALERT immunization registry and in the Oregon Health Plan was tracked across milestone ages. Findings indicate that the majority of children went back and forth with regard to having complete age-appropriate immunizations over time. We also found that immunization UTD rates when used alone are biased towards relating non-UTD status to a lack of visits to providers, instead of to provider visits on which recommended immunizations are not given.

Phase II trial of fenretinide (NSC 374551) in patients with recurrent small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Alterations in retinoid signaling appear to be involved in the pathogenesis of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Fenretinide [N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide], a synthetic retinoid, inhibits the growth of SCLC cells in vitro via the induction of apoptosis. Since these data suggested that SCLC is the adult solid tumor that is most susceptible to fenretinide, a trial to evaluate the clinical activity of fenretinide in patients with SCLC was considered the definitive test of its clinical potential in adult oncology. METHODS: Patients with progressive SCLC after one or two prior chemotherapy regimens and a performance status of 0-2 were eligible for the study. Patients with stable, treated brain metastases were eligible. Fenretinide 900 mg/m(2) twice daily was administered orally on days 1-7 of each 21-day cycle. Blood and saliva were collected pre-treatment and on day 7 of cycle 1 to measure fenretinide and retinol levels by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). RESULTS: Nineteen patients were enrolled. Fifteen patients had one prior chemotherapy regimen and four patients had two prior regimens. The median time from diagnosis to enrollment was 10 months. A median of two cycles of fenretinide was administered. There were no objective responses, but four of 17 evaluable patients (24%) had stable disease after 2-17 cycles. The median time to treatment failure was 5.7 weeks overall, while the four patients with stable disease demonstrated treatment failure at 11, 13, 19, and 52 weeks. Median survival was 25 weeks, with one patient alive 22 months after the start of treatment. The 1-year survival rate was 29%. Toxicity included mild, reversible visual changes (haziness, altered night vision), grade 1-3 nausea/vomiting, and grade 1-2 diarrhea. The mean day 7 plasma fenretinide level was 2.90 +/- 1.66 µg/ml (7.40 +/- 4.25 muM; n = 14). The mean pre-treatment and day 7 plasma retinol levels were 0.47 +/- 0.16 µg/ml and 0.05 +/- 0.07 µg/ml (n = 8), respectively. The mean day 7 salivary fenretinide level was 0.08 +/- 0.18 µg/ml, with no correlation between salivary and plasma drug levels. CONCLUSIONS: Fenretinide is well tolerated in patients with SCLC and stabilization of disease was noted in 24% of patients with this aggressive disease. However, after the first stage of enrollment, the response rate did not meet criteria to proceed with full trial accrual. Plasma concentrations of fenretinide that induce cytotoxicity in vitro in SCLC cell lines are clinically achievable, but there were no objective responses. Non-invasive drug monitoring using saliva underestimates systemic exposure.

Demonstrating the persistent antibacterial efficacy of a hand sanitizer containing benzalkonium chloride on human skin at 1, 2, and 4 hours after application.

BACKGROUND: Use of hand sanitizers has become a cornerstone in clinical practice for the prevention of disease transmission between practitioners and patients. Traditionally, these preparations have relied on ethanol (60%-70%) for bactericidal action. METHODS: This study was conducted to measure the persistence of antibacterial activity of 2 preparations. One was a non-alcohol-based formulation using benzalkonium chloride (BK) (0.12%) and the other was an ethanol-based formulation (63%) (comparator product). The persistence of antibacterial activity was measured against Staphylococcus aureus using a technique modification prescribed in American Society for Testing and Materials protocol E2752-10 at up to 4 hours after application. RESULTS: The test product (BK) produced a marked reduction in colony-forming units at each of the 3 time points tested (3.75-4.16-log10 reductions), whereas the comparator produced less than 1-log10 reduction over the same time. The differences were highly significant. DISCUSSION: In the course of patient care or examination, there are instances where opportunities exist for the practitioner's hands to become contaminated (eg, key boards and tables). Persistent antibacterial activity would reduce the chances of transfer to the patient. CONCLUSIONS: These results show a major improvement in persistent antibacterial activity for the BK formulation compared to the comparator ethanol-based formulation.

Long Term Surveillance of Renal Cell Carcinoma Recurrence Following Ablation using 2D and 3D Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate efficacy of using 2D and 3D contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for surveillance of RCC recurrence in patients post-ablation and identify imaging hallmarks of recurrence. METHODS: 53 patients >8 months post ablation of RCC provided informed consent for this IRB approved study. Patients received 2D and 3D CEUS examinations with Optison (GE Healthcare). Three radiologists of varying CEUS experience described enhancement characteristics, made a diagnosis of recurrence/no-recurrence, and quantified their diagnostic confidence levels. RESULTS: Cases of RCC recurrence showed full ablation cavity enhancement with equal arrival times and intensity compared to the renal cortex. Lack of recurrence was characterized as a complete lack of enhancement within the cavity, or delayed enhancement stemming from the periphery of the ablation cavity. Sensitivity for detecting RCC recurrence was 100% for all readers and specificity was 90%-94%. Reader agreement ranged from 88% to 96%. No significant improvements were achieved with the addition of 3D CEUS, and its inclusion resulted in decreased reader confidence. CONCLUSION: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound successfully identified all cases of RCC recurrence in this study. Importantly, some patients with complete response to treatment developed delayed enhancement at the periphery of the ablation cavity over time, corresponding to fat necrosis, scarring or granulation tissue within the ablation cavity.

A single infusion of zoledronate prevents bone loss after stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke is a major risk factor for hip fracture. Patients with intermediate rather than severe or mild stroke deficits at the time of hospital discharge have the most fractures. This proof-of-concept study evaluated the efficacy of a single infusion of zoledronate, an intravenous bisphosphonate, in preserving hip bone density after stroke. METHODS: In a 1-year randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial, 27 newly hemiplegic patients (6 females, 21 males) with acute stroke were assigned to receive 4 mg of the intravenous zoledronate (n=14) or placebo (n=13) within 35 days. Strict inclusion criteria were followed-up to ensure recruited patients were likely to have residual functional impairment. Both groups received calcium and vitamin D supplementation. The primary outcome measure was the change in bone mineral density (BMD; Lunar Prodigy) at the hemiplegic hip during the year of investigation. RESULTS: The treatment was generally well tolerated. Mean total hip BMD was unchanged in the hemiplegic hip of the zoledronate group (mean 0.0% change), whereas in the placebo group the total hip BMD changed by -5.5%, with the greatest bone loss observed in the trochanteric subregion (mean, -8.1%). On the unaffected side the mean change in total hip BMD was +1.0% with zoledronate versus a mean change of -2.7% without. Repeated measures ANOVA confirmed the significance of the differences between groups at both hips (hemiplegic, P<0.001; unaffected, P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Stroke patients were protected from the deleterious effects of hemiplegia on hip bone density for at least 1 year after a single infusion of zoledronate.

Animal neuropsychology: validation of the Intra-Dimensional Extra-Dimensional set shifting task for mice.

Research in animal neuropsychology is providing an exciting new generation of behavioral tests for mice that promise to overcome many of the limitations of current high-throughput testing, and provide direct animal homologues of clinically important measures in human research. Set shifting tasks are some of the best understood and widely used human neuropsychological tasks, with clinical relevance to traumatic brain injury, schizophrenia, autism, obsessive compulsive disorder, trichotillomania, and many other disorders. Here we report the first successful modification of a human set shifting neuropsychological task, the Intra-Dimensional Extra-Dimensional (IDED) task, for use with mice. We presented mice with a series of compound discrimination and reversal tasks where one stimulus dimension consistently cued reward. Task performance improved with a new set of compound stimuli, as did reversal performance--indicating the formation of a cognitive-attentional set. We then overtrained a subset of the mice, and presented control and overtrained mice with a new compound discrimination where a novel stimulus dimension cued reward. As is the case in human control subjects, control mice persisted in responding to the now-incorrect stimulus dimension, performing poorly on this extra-dimensional shift compared with the previous intra-dimensional shift, thereby validating the task as a measure of set shifting. Furthermore, overtrained mice were impaired on this extra-dimensional shift compared with controls, further validating the task. The advantages and disadvantages of the IDED task compared to high-throughput approaches are discussed.

Use of claims data to estimate annual cervical cancer screening percentages in Portland metropolitan area, Oregon.

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine should reduce cervical dysplasia before cervical cancer. However, dysplasia diagnosis is screening-dependent. Accurate screening estimates are needed. PURPOSE: To estimate the percentage of women in a geographic population that has had cervical cancer screening. METHODS: We analyzed claims data for (Papanicolau) Pap tests from 2008-2012 to estimate the percentage of insured women aged 18-39 years screened. We estimated screening in uninsured women by dividing the percentage of insured Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey respondents reporting previous-year testing by the percentage of uninsured respondents reporting previous-year testing, and multiplying this ratio by claims-based estimates of insured women with previous-year screening. We calculated a simple weighted average of the two estimates to estimate overall screening percentage. We estimated credible intervals using Monte-Carlo simulations. RESULTS: During 2008-2012, an annual average of 29.6% of women aged 18-39 years were screened. Screening increased from 2008 to 2009 in all age groups. During 2009-2012, the screening percentages decreased for all groups, but declined most in women aged 18-20 years, from 21.5% to 5.4%. Within age groups, compared to 2009, credible intervals did not overlap during 2011 (except age group 21-29 years) and 2012, and credible intervals in the 18-20 year group did not overlap with older groups in any year. CONCLUSIONS: This introduces a novel method to estimate population-level cervical cancer screening. Overall, percentage of women screened in Portland, Oregon fell following changes in screening recommendations released in 2009 and later modified in 2012.

Myeloma cells release soluble interleukin-6Ralpha in relation to disease progression by two distinct mechanisms: alternative splicing and proteolytic cleavage.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma-cell malignancy characterized by the accumulation of malignant plasma cells within the bone marrow. Interleukin (IL)-6 is an essential survival and growth factor for myeloma cells that exerts its activity through a cell surface receptor composed of an 80-kDa ligand binding molecule (IL-6Ralpha) and a 130-kDa signal-transducing molecule. Of major interest, the soluble form of the IL-6Ralpha (sIL-6Ralpha) is an agonistic molecule able to potentiate IL-6 activity and a strong prognostic factor in MM. In the present study, we demonstrate that purified myeloma cells from all of the patients with MM and human myeloma cell lines release sIL-6Ralpha. The level of sIL-6Ralpha release correlates with disease activity and is clearly up-regulated during tumoral expansion in vivo and immortalization in vitro. Of note, this sIL-6Ralpha release is strongly reduced (50%) by a hydroxamate-based metalloproteinase inhibitor underlying the importance of shedding in the production of sIL-6Ralpha by myeloma cells. Using specific IL-6Ralpha primers flanking the transmembrane domain, we demonstrate by PCR the presence of two IL-6R mRNAs corresponding to the membrane IL-6Ralpha and to the sIL-6Ralpha generated through alternative splicing in myeloma cells. In conclusion, we show that: (a) native myeloma cells and human myeloma cell lines release sIL-6Ralpha by two distinct mechanisms: alternative splicing and proteolytic cleavage of the membrane IL-6Ralpha; and (b) the release of the sIL-6Ralpha, which is an agonist of IL-6, correlates with disease progression, explaining in part its strong prognostic value in vivo.

Zoledronate is a potent inhibitor of myeloma cell growth and secretion of IL-6 and MMP-1 by the tumoral environment.

Bisphosphonates have recently been introduced in the therapeutic armamentarium for the long-term treatment of patients with multiple myeloma (MM). These pyrophosphate analogs not only reduce the occurrence of skeletal-related events but also provide patients with a clinical benefit and improve the survival of some of them. We investigated the effects of two bisphosphonates, pamidronate and zoledronate, on both myeloma cells and bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). We show here that both bisphosphonates induce both myeloma cell and BMSC apoptosis. Furthermore, at lower concentrations, they induce a significant inhibition (40% and 60%, respectively) of the constitutive production of interleukin-6 (IL-6) by BMSCs. We have recently shown that BMSCs produce MMP-1, the major metalloproteinase involved in the initiation of bone resorption, production up-regulated by IL-1beta. Here, we demonstrate that zoledronate significantly inhibits MMP-1 production by BMSCs stimulated with IL-1beta more efficiently than pamidronate. However, zoledronate and to a lesser extent pamidronate are responsible for an up-regulation of MMP-2 secretion by BMSCs. MMP-2 is involved both in bone resorption and in the metastatic process. In conclusion, the apoptosis of myeloma cells and BMSCs and the inhibition of both IL-6 and MMP-1 production induced by bisphosphonates, mainly zoledronate, could have antitumoral effects in patients with MM. However, the up-regulation of MMP-2 secretion observed in vitro suggests a putative risk of tumor cell dissemination in vivo when using these new potent bisphosphonates. This potentially deleterious effect could be abolished by combining bisphosphonates with metalloproteinase inhibitors.

Active living in communities: understanding the intention to take up physical activity as an everyday way of life.

The purpose of this study was to identify psychosocial factors influencing the intention to incorporate physical activity into daily routine. The subjects were 353 residents from New Brunswick aged 15 to 80 years. The intention to be active was explained by current physical activity habit (beta = 0.563, p < 0.0001), age (beta = -0.197, p < 0.0001), attitude toward the behaviour (beta = 0.164, p < 0.0001), and the obligation felt to perform the behaviour (beta = 0.155, p < 0.0001). These variables explained 52% of the variability in intention. MANOVAs revealed significant differences between high and low intenders concerning the perceived consequences of carrying out the behaviour (p < 0.0001) and the evaluation of these consequences (p < 0.01). It is suggested that a social marketing program should promote the concept that "walking every day for 15 consecutive minutes is fun and healthy; it will make me feel better, more energetic, and more relaxed, not to mention that it should contribute to the improvement of my physical condition while I enjoy the outdoors".

[Recurrent dislocation of the patella]. / La luxation récidivante de la rotule.

The author describes the origin and the clinical signs of the disease.

Dyslexia and classic pathognomic signs.

The classic pathognomic signs of dyslexia, such as reversals and rotations, appear to be associated with poor reading, not diagnosed developmental dyslexia. 26 8th and 9th grade dyslexia with poor perceptual/attentional ability were matched with 19 reading-retarded subjects with age-equivalent perceptual/attentional test scores for age, IQ, and degree of reading retardation and compared both with each other and with 96 adequate readers for reversals, rotations, insertions, substitutions, omissions, poor handwriting and visual ability on the Gray test, the WRAT Spelling Test, a writing task, and the star-tracing mirror test. On 46 of 49 variables, the dyslexia and retarded readers performed comparably. Together they made more classic errors and had lower achievement scores than the adequate readers on 44 of 49 variables. Classic errors clustered with poor reading but not diagnosed dyslexia. The hypothesis that reading acquisition trains perceptual test-taking ability is advanced.

[Role of radiotherapy in the multidisciplinary approach to pancreatic adenocarcinoma]. / Place actuelle de la radiothérapie dans l'approche pluridisciplinaire de l'adénocarcinome pancréatique.

Pancreatic tumors have a very bad prognosis even after complete surgery. Radiotherapy has an important role to play either postoperative with associated chemotherapy or palliative and alone. Presently 5-FU is the most widely used molecule but gemcitabine is getting more and more acceptance. Intraoperative radiotherapy but especially preoperative radiotherapy seem to be two promising techniques.

[Clinical study of the month. Adjuvant radio-chemotherapy and chemotherapy following curative resection of pancreatic cancer: results of the randomized trial ESPAC-1]. / Etude clinique du mois. Radio-chimiothérapie et chimiothérapie adjuvante après résection à visée curative du cancer du pancréas: résultats de l'étude randomisée ESPAC-1.

The prognosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma remains poor, with a 5-year survival rate lower than 5%. Resection, the gold standard treatment, can be performed in less than 15% of patients. Following surgery, the median survival is 12 months for the most favourable cancer patients. Adjuvant treatment have attempted to improve results. However, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and multimodal treatments don't have demonstrated a clear advantage in controlled trials. We will discuss results of the current trials in this topic. The randomised trial of the European Study Group for Pancreatic Cancer (ESPAC) recently published in the Lancet revealed a potential benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy. A critical analysis of the publication showed, however, that definitive conclusions of this trial must be interpreted with caution.

[Regional and peripheral arterial stiffness measured by pOpmetre® in patients with Cvx risk factor, link with carotid plaques]. / Rigidité artérielle mesurée par pOpmètre® chez les patients à risque cardiovasculaire, lien aux plaques d'athérome carotidien.

PURPOSE: Aortic stiffness is a functional and structural consequence of ageing and arteriosclerosis. Regional arterial stiffness can be easily evaluated using pOpmetre(®) (Axelife SAS, France). This new technique assesses the pulse wave transit time (TT) between the finger (TTf) and the toe (TTt). Based on height chart, regional pulse wave velocity (PWV) between the toe and the finger can be estimated (PWVtf). pOpscore(®) index is also calculated as the ratio between PWVtoe and PWVfinger and can be considered as a peripheral vascular stiffness index. The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between pOpmetre(®) indices and the presence of carotid plaques in a population with cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: In 77 consecutive patients recruited for a vascular screening for atherosclerosis (46 men aged 54 ± 2 years; 31 women aged 49 ± 3 years; ns), the difference between TTt and TTf (called Dt-f), the regional pulse wave velocity between the toe and the finger (PWVtf = constant × height/Dt-fm/s) and pOpscore(®) were measured by pOpmetre(®). Presence of carotid plaques was assessed using ultrasound imaging. The local aortic stiffness (AoStiff) was evaluated by the Physioflow(®) system. RESULTS: No difference was found between patients with or without carotid plaques (n=25 versus 52) for Ankle-Brachial Pressure Index (ABPI: 1.15 ± 0.04 versus 1.12 ± 0.03), nor for diastolic or systolic blood pressure (87 ± 3 versus 82 ± 2; 137 ± 3 versus 132 ± 2 mmHg). The first group was older than the second (59 ± 2 versus 49 ± 2 years, P<0.002) with a larger intimae media thickness (0.69 ± 0.02 versus 0.63 ± 0.01 mm, P<0.004), a higher AoStiff (10.4 ± 0.7 versus 8.2 ± 0.5m/s, P<0.02), and PWVtf (14.3 ± 1.0 versus 10.7 ± 0.7 m/s, P<0.004) and a shorter Dt-f (57.9 ± 5.1 versus 73.5 ± 3.5 ms, P<0.01). PWVtf (r(2)=0.49, P<0.0001) and Dt-f (r(2)=0.54, P<0.0001) correlated with age. A significant difference in pOpscore(®) index was observed between both groups (1.51 ± 0.3 versus 1.41 ± 0.2, P<0.006). CONCLUSION: Our results show a significant arterial stiffness indices measured by pOpmetre(®) in patients with and without carotid plaques.