Elevated TyG Index Predicts Progression of Coronary Artery Calcification.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index association with coronary artery calcification (CAC) progression in adult Koreans. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Various cardiovascular risk factors and anthropometric profiles were assessed in 1,175 subjects who previously had a CAC evaluation at least twice by multidetector computed tomography in a health care center. The TyG index was determined using ln(fasting triglycerides [mg/dL] × fasting glucose [mg/dL]/2). The CAC progression was defined as either incident CAC in a CAC-free population at baseline or an increase of ≥2.5 units between the square roots of the baseline and follow-up coronary artery calcium scores (CACSs) of subjects with detectable CAC at baseline. RESULTS: CAC progression was seen in 312 subjects (27%) during 4.2 years follow-up. On the basis of the TyG index, subjects were stratified into three groups. Follow-up CACS and incidence of CAC progression were markedly elevated with rising TyG index tertile. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for various risk factors revealed an odds ratio for CAC progression of 1.82 (95% CI 1.20-2.77; P ≤ 0.01) when the highest and lowest TyG index tertiles were compared. CONCLUSIONS: The TyG index is an independent predictor of CAC progression.

The Value of Big Endothelin-1 in the Assessment of the Severity of Coronary Artery Calcification.

Progression of coronary artery calcification (CAC) was significantly associated with all-cause mortality, and high coronary artery calcium score (CACS) portends a particularly high risk of cardiovascular events. But how often one should rescan is still an unanswered question. Preliminary screening by testing circulating biomarker may be an alternative before repeat computed tomography (CT) scan. The aim of this study was to investigate the value of big endothelin-1 (bigET-1), the precursor of endothelin-1 (ET-1), in predicting the severity of CAC. A total of 428 consecutively patients who performed coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) due to chest pain in Fuwai Hospital were included in the study. The clinical characteristics, CACS, and laboratory data were collected, and plasma bigET-1 was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The bigET-1 was positively correlated with the CACS ( r = .232, P < .001), and the prevalence of CACS >400 increased significantly in the highest bigET-1 tertile than the lowest tertile. Multivariate analysis showed that bigET-1was the independent predictor of the presence of CACS >400 (odds ratio [OR] = 1.721, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.002-2.956, P = .049). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the optimal cutoff value of bigET-1 for predicting CACS >400 was 0.38 pmol/L, with a sensitivity of 59% and specificity of 68% (area under curve [AUC] = 0.65, 95% CI, 0.58-0.72, P < .001). The present study demonstrated that the circulating bigET-1 was valuable in the assessment of the severity of CAC.

Assessment of abdominal aortic calcification in predialysis chronic kidney disease and maintenance hemodialysis patients.

Vascular calcification is associated with increased morbidity and mortality among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. The aim of the study was to assess the abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) in predialysis CKD patients and patients on hemodialysis (HD) and to study the risk factors associated with it. In this prospective study, 205 patients were including 104 patients with predialysis CKD and 101 patients were on maintenance hemodialysis. AAC was assessed using lateral lumbar radiography. Blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, albumin, calcium, phosphorus, highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and total cholesterol were analyzed. AAC was observed in 26 % of predialysis CKD patients and 34% in HD patients. Using multivariate analysis, the age (P = 0.001) was identified as independent predictor for the presence of AAC in predialysis patients, and for HD, the predictors were age (P = 0.025), time on dialysis (P = 0.001), hsCRP (P = 0.002), and corrected calcium (P = 0.030). In conclusion, the prevalence of AAC varies mainly with age and glomerular filtration rate levels in predialysis CKD patients. Advanced age, time on dialysis, and inflammation may be associated with presence and extent of AAC in HD patients. Further research into the risk factors and outcome for AAC is warranted.

Inflammatory Obesity Phenotypes, Gender Effects, and Subclinical Atherosclerosis in African Americans: The Jackson Heart Study.

OBJECTIVE: Reasons for variations in atherosclerotic burden among individuals with similar levels of obesity are poorly understood, especially in African Americans. This study examines whether high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is useful for discriminating between benign and high-risk obesity phenotypes for subclinical atherosclerosis in African Americans. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Participants from the Jackson Heart Study (n=4682) were stratified into 4 phenotypes based on the presence of National Heart and Lung and Blood Institute definition of obesity or obesity-equivalent (body mass index ≥30 or body mass index 25-30 with waist circumference >102 cm in men and >88 cm in women) and inflammation by hsCRP ≥2 mg/L. Using multivariate regression models, we conducted cross-sectional analyses of the association between inflammatory obesity phenotypes and subclinical atherosclerosis determined by carotid intima-media thickness or coronary artery calcium scores. Sex-specific analyses were conducted given significant interaction for gender (P=0.03). The prevalence of obesity or equivalent was 65%, of which 30% did not have inflammation. Conversely, 37% of nonobese individuals had inflammation. Among nonobese men, hsCRP ≥2 mg/L identified a subset of individuals with higher carotid intima-media thickness (adjusted mean difference =0.05, 95% confidence interval 0.02, 0.08 mm) compared with their noninflammatory counterparts. Among obese men, hsCRP <2 mg/L identified a subset of individuals with lower coronary artery calcium compared with their inflammatory counterparts. Among women, associations between hsCRP and carotid intima-media thickness or coronary artery calcium were not found. CONCLUSIONS: In the largest African American population-based cohort to date, hsCRP was useful in identifying a subset of nonobese men with higher carotid intima-media thickness, but not in women. hsCRP did not identify a subset of obese individuals with less subclinical atherosclerosis.

Bone health and coronary artery calcification: The Rotterdam Study.

OBJECTIVES: Vascular calcification has been associated inconsistently to low bone mineral density and fractures. The aims of the present study were to investigate the associations between coronary artery calcification (CAC) and BMD change, BMD and fracture risk in elderly subjects of the population-based Rotterdam Study. METHODS: BMD was assessed through dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and CAC through Electron-Beam Computed Tomography in 582 men and 694 women. We investigated the associations between BMD change (6.4 years follow-up) and CAC at follow-up and between BMD and CAC (measured simultaneously). In sensitivity analyses we stratified analyses for estradiol levels in women. The association between CAC and fracture risk (9 years follow-up) was tested through competing-risks models. Models were sex-stratified and adjusted for age, body mass index, smoking, bisphosphonate use and age at menopause. RESULTS: There was no association between BMD change and CAC in men. In women, each 1% increase in annual BMD loss was significantly associated with higher follow-up CAC [ß = 0.22 (0.06-0.38), p=0.006; prevalence ratio: 4%]. Stratified analyses showed significant associations between BMD loss and follow-up CAC only in women with lower estradiol levels. We found no association between CAC and fracture risk and no association between BMD and CAC cross-sectionally. CONCLUSIONS: BMD loss was associated with higher follow-up CAC in women, which might be related to low estrogen levels. No association between CAC and BMD or fracture risk was found. Further studies are required to elucidate the mechanisms that might underlie the association between BMD change and coronary calcification in women.

Association of a favorable cardiovascular health profile with the presence of coronary artery calcification.

BACKGROUND: To examine the association between the American Heart Association's 7 metrics of ideal cardiovascular health (ICH) and the presence of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis as assessed by coronary artery calcification (CAC) using electron-beam computed tomography. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study is a cross-sectional analysis of data obtained on 3121 male and female patients evaluated at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas, between 1997 and 2007. We included men aged ≥45 and women aged ≥55 without known cardiovascular disease and for whom information on all ICH metrics and a CAC score were available. Patients were grouped into 3 categories according to their number of ICH metrics: favorable (4-7 ICH metrics), intermediate (3 metrics), and unfavorable (0-2 metrics). Patients with favorable ICH profiles had a lower prevalence and severity of subclinical atherosclerosis than those with unfavorable or intermediate ICH profiles as estimated by CAC. This inverse association of CAC with ICH metrics was evident whether the presence of coronary calcium was defined as CAC score>0, CAC score>100, or CAC score>400. Patients with favorable ICH profiles had odds of coronary calcium (CAC>0) less than half of those for patients with unfavorable profiles (odds ratio 0.41; 95% confidence interval, 0.34-0.50) and patients with intermediate ICH profiles had odds of detectable CAC 32% lower (odds ratio 0.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.57-0.82). CONCLUSIONS: A statistically significant association was found between a favorable level of ICH metrics and less or absent subclinical atherosclerosis as measured by CAC underscoring the importance of primordial prevention.

Trends of elevated parathormone serum titers in hemodialysis patients on intensive therapy for bone disease: a multicenter study.

To determine the prevalence of controlled parathyroid hormone (PTH) serum levels with intensified therapy for chronic kidney disease mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) in the dialysis population, we studied 563 chronic hemodialysis patients recruited from three different dialysis centers from three different major cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The trend of the routine monthly chemistries related to CKD-MBD was evaluated besides the whole-molecule PTH serum levels over 28 months (January 2011 to April 2013). The cost ratios of the medications to the estimated dialysis total cost were calculated. There were 323 (57.4%) males in the study, and the mean age of the patients was 50.2±15.2 years; 371 (65.9%) patients were initiated on dialysis before 2011. The causes of the original kidney disease included diabetes mellitus in 163 (29%) patients. Parathyroidectomy was performed in 23 (4.1%) patients and only six (23%) patients underwent the operation during the study period; most of the parathyroidectomies (69%) were performed before 2011. The trend of the medians of monthly serum levels of calcium, phosphorus, albumin, bicarbonate, alkaline phosphatase, serum levels of PTH and vitamin D25 assays showed better control of the levels with time. The added cost of cinacalcet was more significant than the other drugs, including vitamin D and phosphate binders, but the cost was minimal in comparison with the whole dialysis bill. The ratios of the discontinuation rates to the total patient-months of treatment for the different drugs were in the range of 3-4% and mostly due to transient overdosing of medications. We conclude that the trends of the median serum levels of PTH and related minerals in the CKD patients in our dialysis patients suggested a good inclination toward control and prevention of the vascular calcifications prevalent in the CKD-MBD. The popularity of use of new drugs such as cinacalcet is promising and does not seem to add much to the current out-patient cost of chronic dialysis.