-
Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine 2021Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic vascular inflammatory disease, in which the lipid accumulation in the intima of the arteries shows yellow atheromatous appearance,...
Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic vascular inflammatory disease, in which the lipid accumulation in the intima of the arteries shows yellow atheromatous appearance, which is the pathological basis of many diseases, such as coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease and cerebrovascular disease. In recent years, it has become the main cause of death in the global aging society, which seriously endangers human health. As a result, research on AS is increasing. Lesions of atherosclerosis contain macrophages, T cells and other cells of the immune response, together with cholesterol that infiltrates from the blood. Recent studies have shown that chronic stress plays an important role in the occurrence and development of AS. From the etiology of disease, social, environmental and genetic factors jointly determine the occurrence of disease. Atherosclerotic cardio-cerebrovascular disease (ASCVD) is often caused by chronic stress (CS). If it cannot be effectively prevented, there will be biological changes in the body environment successively, and then the morphological changes of the corresponding organs. If the patient has a genetic predisposition and a combination of environmental factors triggers the pathogenesis, then chronic stress can eventually lead to AS. Therefore, this paper discusses the influence of chronic stress on AS in the aspects of inflammation, lipid metabolism, endothelial dysfunction, hemodynamics and blood pressure, plaque stability, autophagy, ferroptosis, and cholesterol efflux.
PubMed: 34988123
DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2021.738654 -
PloS One 2014The predictive value of plaque characteristics assessed by virtual histology-intravascular ultrasound (VH-IVUS) including fibrous tissue (FT), fibrofatty (FF), necrotic... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Association between tissue characteristics of coronary plaque and distal embolization after coronary intervention in acute coronary syndrome patients: insights from a meta-analysis of virtual histology-intravascular ultrasound studies.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
The predictive value of plaque characteristics assessed by virtual histology-intravascular ultrasound (VH-IVUS) including fibrous tissue (FT), fibrofatty (FF), necrotic core (NC) and dense calcium (DC) in identifying distal embolization after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is still controversial. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize the association of pre-PCI plaque composition and post-PCI distal embolization in acute coronary syndrome patients.
METHODS
Studies were identified in PubMed, OVID, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, the Current Controlled Trials Register, reviews, and reference lists of relevant articles. A meta-analysis using both fixed and random effects models with assessment of study heterogeneity and publication bias was performed.
RESULTS
Of the 388 articles screened, 10 studies with a total of 872 subjects (199 with distal embolization and 673 with normal flow) met the eligibility of our study. Compared with normal flow groups, significant higher absolute volume of NC [weighted mean differences (WMD): 5.79 mm3, 95% CI: 3.02 to 8.55 mm3; p<0.001] and DC (WMD: 2.55 mm3, 95% CI: 0.22 to 4.88 mm3; p = 0.03) were found in acute coronary syndrome patients with distal embolization. Further subgroup analysis demonstrated that the predictive value of tissue characteristics in determining distal embolization was correlated to clinical scenario of the patients, definition of distal embolization, and whether the percutaneous aspiration thrombectomy was applied.
CONCLUSION
Our study that pooled current evidence showed that plaque components were closely related to the distal embolization after PCI, especially the absolute volume of NC and DC, supporting further studies with larger sample size and high-methodological quality.
Topics: Acute Coronary Syndrome; Coronary Vessels; Embolization, Therapeutic; Humans; Plaque, Atherosclerotic; Risk Assessment; Ultrasonography, Interventional
PubMed: 25375841
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0106583 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Mar 2019A possible strategy for increasing smoking cessation rates could be to provide smokers with feedback on the current or potential future biomedical effects of smoking... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
A possible strategy for increasing smoking cessation rates could be to provide smokers with feedback on the current or potential future biomedical effects of smoking using, for example, measurement of exhaled carbon monoxide (CO), lung function, or genetic susceptibility to lung cancer or other diseases.
OBJECTIVES
The main objective was to determine the efficacy of providing smokers with feedback on their exhaled CO measurement, spirometry results, atherosclerotic plaque imaging, and genetic susceptibility to smoking-related diseases in helping them to quit smoking.
SEARCH METHODS
For the most recent update, we searched the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group Specialized Register in March 2018 and ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO ICTRP in September 2018 for studies added since the last update in 2012.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Inclusion criteria for the review were: a randomised controlled trial design; participants being current smokers; interventions based on a biomedical test to increase smoking cessation rates; control groups receiving all other components of intervention; and an outcome of smoking cessation rate at least six months after the start of the intervention.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. We expressed results as a risk ratio (RR) for smoking cessation with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Where appropriate, we pooled studies using a Mantel-Haenszel random-effects method.
MAIN RESULTS
We included 20 trials using a variety of biomedical tests interventions; one trial included two interventions, for a total of 21 interventions. We included a total of 9262 participants, all of whom were adult smokers. All studies included both men and women adult smokers at different stages of change and motivation for smoking cessation. We judged all but three studies to be at high or unclear risk of bias in at least one domain. We pooled trials in three categories according to the type of biofeedback provided: feedback on risk exposure (five studies); feedback on smoking-related disease risk (five studies); and feedback on smoking-related harm (11 studies). There was no evidence of increased cessation rates from feedback on risk exposure, consisting mainly of feedback on CO measurement, in five pooled trials (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.21; I = 0%; n = 2368). Feedback on smoking-related disease risk, including four studies testing feedback on genetic markers for cancer risk and one study with feedback on genetic markers for risk of Crohn's disease, did not show a benefit in smoking cessation (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.63 to 1.01; I = 0%; n = 2064). Feedback on smoking-related harm, including nine studies testing spirometry with or without feedback on lung age and two studies on feedback on carotid ultrasound, also did not show a benefit (RR 1.26, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.61; I = 34%; n = 3314). Only one study directly compared multiple forms of measurement with a single form of measurement, and did not detect a significant difference in effect between measurement of CO plus genetic susceptibility to lung cancer and measurement of CO only (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.43 to 1.56; n = 189).
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
There is little evidence about the effects of biomedical risk assessment as an aid for smoking cessation. The most promising results relate to spirometry and carotid ultrasound, where moderate-certainty evidence, limited by imprecision and risk of bias, did not detect a statistically significant benefit, but confidence intervals very narrowly missed one, and the point estimate favoured the intervention. A sensitivity analysis removing those studies at high risk of bias did detect a benefit. Moderate-certainty evidence limited by risk of bias did not detect an effect of feedback on smoking exposure by CO monitoring. Low-certainty evidence, limited by risk of bias and imprecision, did not detect a benefit from feedback on smoking-related risk by genetic marker testing. There is insufficient evidence with which to evaluate the hypothesis that multiple types of assessment are more effective than single forms of assessment.
Topics: Adult; Biofeedback, Psychology; Breath Tests; Carbon Monoxide; Female; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Humans; Male; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Risk Assessment; Smoking; Smoking Cessation; Spirometry
PubMed: 30912847
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004705.pub5 -
Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy Oct 2023Atherosclerotic plaques can cause carotid artery stenosis, and "vulnerable plaques" can even lead to ischemic stroke. The objective of this study was to assess the...
BACKGROUND
Atherosclerotic plaques can cause carotid artery stenosis, and "vulnerable plaques" can even lead to ischemic stroke. The objective of this study was to assess the accuracy of superb microvascular imaging (SMI) for the detection of carotid intraplaque neovascularization (IPN) in patients with atherosclerotic plaques.
METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline, and Wanfang databases until January 17, 2023. We included original studies with information on diagnostic accuracy of SMI for the evaluation of carotid IPN. The primary outcome was the accuracy of SMI for detecting carotid IPN. A meta-analysis was performed to estimate the accuracy of each parameter. We used the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) to assess the risk of bias for each included article. Meta-regression was performed to determine items that may have contributed to heterogeneity in the sensitivity or specificity of the test.
RESULTS
This meta-analysis included 20 studies with 1,589 carotid plaques in 1,225 patients. The analysis showed a sensitivity and specificity of SMI for detecting IPN of 93% [95% confidence interval (CI): 87-96%] and 80% (95% CI: 71-87%), respectively. The risk of bias across the QUADAS-2 domains was low. Only the proportion of dyslipidemia influenced the estimates of sensitivity and specificity.
CONCLUSIONS
This review suggests that SMI has a good diagnostic performance for detecting carotid IPN. The very high sensitivity with excellent post-test probability indicated that SMI can be recommended to screen for carotid IPN among patients with carotid plaques.
PubMed: 37941846
DOI: 10.21037/cdt-23-202 -
Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and... Apr 2021[Figure: see text]. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
[Figure: see text].
Topics: Carotid Arteries; Carotid Stenosis; Coronary Artery Disease; Coronary Stenosis; Coronary Vessels; Humans; Plaque, Atherosclerotic; Prognosis; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Severity of Illness Index; Vascular Calcification
PubMed: 33626907
DOI: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.120.315747 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... May 2020An increasing body of evidence suggests that inflammation plays a key role in stroke, in particular stroke of atherosclerotic origin. Anti-inflammatory medications are a...
BACKGROUND
An increasing body of evidence suggests that inflammation plays a key role in stroke, in particular stroke of atherosclerotic origin. Anti-inflammatory medications are a widely heterogeneous group of drugs that are used to suppress the innate inflammatory pathway and thus prevent persistent or recurrent inflammation. Anti-inflammatory agents have the potential to stabilise atherosclerotic plaques by impeding the inflammatory pathway. By targeting specific cytokines, the inflammatory pathway may be interrupted at various stages.
OBJECTIVES
To assess the benefits and harms of anti-inflammatory medications plus standard care versus standard care with or without placebo for prevention of vascular events (stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), non-fatal cardiac arrest, unstable angina requiring revascularisation, vascular death) and all-cause mortality in people with a prior history of ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA).
SEARCH METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; last searched 29 May 2019); MEDLINE (1948 to 29 May 2019); Embase (1980 to 29 May 2019); the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL; 1982 to 29 May 2019); and Scopus (1995 to 29 May 2019). In an effort to identify additional published, unpublished, and ongoing trials, we searched several grey literature sources (last searched 30 May 2019). We incorporated all identified studies into the results section. We applied no restrictions with respect to language, date of publication, or study setting.
SELECTION CRITERIA
We considered randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and cluster-randomised controlled trials that evaluated anti-inflammatory medications for prevention of major cardiovascular events following ischaemic stroke or TIA.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors independently assessed for inclusion titles and abstracts of studies identified by the search. Two review authors independently reviewed full-text articles for inclusion in this review. We planned to assess risk of bias and to apply the GRADE method.
MAIN RESULTS
We identified no studies that met the inclusion criteria.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
There is currently a paucity of evidence on the use of anti-inflammatory medications for prevention of major cardiovascular events following ischaemic stroke or TIA. RCTs are needed to assess whether use of anti-inflammatory medications in this setting is beneficial.
Topics: Angina, Unstable; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Heart Arrest; Humans; Ischemic Attack, Transient; Myocardial Infarction; Plaque, Atherosclerotic; Secondary Prevention; Stroke
PubMed: 32392374
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD012825.pub2 -
Frontiers in Medicine 2022Studies using arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD)-PET agents in cardiovascular diseases have been recently published. The aim of this systematic review was to perform an...
Studies using arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD)-PET agents in cardiovascular diseases have been recently published. The aim of this systematic review was to perform an updated, evidence-based summary about the role of RGD-based PET agents in patients with cardiovascular diseases to better address future research in this setting. Original articles within the field of interest reporting the role of RGD-based PET agents in patients with cardiovascular diseases were eligible for inclusion in this systematic review. A systematic literature search of PubMed/MEDLINE and Cochrane library databases was performed until October 26, 2021. Literature shows an increasing role of RGD-based PET agents in patients with cardiovascular diseases. Overall, two main topics emerged: the infarcted myocardium and atherosclerosis. The existing studies support that αβ integrin expression in the infarcted myocardium is well evident in RGD PET/CT scans. RGD-based PET radiotracers accumulate at the site of infarction as early as 3 days and seem to be peaking at 1-3 weeks post myocardial infarction before decreasing, but only 1 study assessed serial changes of myocardial RGD-based PET uptake after ischemic events. RGD-based PET uptake in large vessels showed correlation with CT plaque burden, and increased signal was found in patients with prior cardiovascular events. In human atherosclerotic carotid plaques, increased PET signal was observed in stenotic compared with non-stenotic areas based on MR or CT angiography data. Histopathological analysis found a co-localization between tracer accumulation and areas of αβ expression. Promising applications using RGD-based PET agents are emerging, such as prediction of remodeling processes in the infarcted myocardium or detection of active atherosclerosis, with potentially significant clinical impact.
PubMed: 35602497
DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.887508 -
Stroke and Vascular Neurology May 2024Recently, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been used to simulate blood flow of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (sICAS) and investigate the...
BACKGROUND
Recently, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been used to simulate blood flow of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (sICAS) and investigate the clinical implications of its haemodynamic features, which were systematically reviewed in this study.
METHODS
Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology statements, we searched PubMed and Embase up to March 2024 and screened for articles reporting clinical implications of haemodynamic parameters in sICAS derived from CFD models.
RESULTS
19 articles met the inclusion criteria, all studies recruiting patients from China. Most studies used CT angiography (CTA) as the source image for vessel segmentation, and generic boundary conditions, rigid vessel wall and Newtonian fluid assumptions for CFD modelling, in patients with 50%-99% sICAS. Pressure and wall shear stress (WSS) were quantified in almost all studies, and the translesional changes in pressure and WSS were usually quantified with a poststenotic to prestenotic pressure ratio (PR) and stenotic-throat to prestenotic WSS ratio (WSSR). Lower PR was associated with more severe stenosis, better leptomeningeal collaterals, prolonged perfusion time and internal borderzone infarcts. Higher WSSR and other WSS measures were associated with positive vessel wall remodelling, regression of luminal stenosis and artery-to-artery embolism. Lower PR and higher WSSR were both associated with the presence and severity of cerebral small vessel disease. Moreover, translesional PR and WSSR were promising predictors for stroke recurrence in medically treated patients with sICAS and outcomes after acute reperfusion therapy, which also provided indicators to assess the effects of stenting treatment on focal haemodynamics.
CONCLUSIONS
CFD is a promising tool in investigating the pathophysiology of ICAS and in risk stratification of patients with sICAS. Future studies are warranted for standardisation of the modelling methods and validation of the simulation results in sICAS, for its wider applications in clinical research and practice.
PubMed: 38806205
DOI: 10.1136/svn-2024-003202 -
Circulation Journal : Official Journal... Jan 2018For several decades, most physicians have believed that acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is caused by coronary thrombosis resulting from rupture of vulnerable plaque...
For several decades, most physicians have believed that acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is caused by coronary thrombosis resulting from rupture of vulnerable plaque characterized by a thin fibrous cap overlying a large necrotic core and massive inflammatory cell infiltration. However, nearly one-third of ACS cases are caused by plaque erosion characterized by intact fibrous cap, less or absent necrotic core, less inflammation, and large lumen. Because of the limitations of current imaging modalities, including angiography and intravascular ultrasound, the importance of plaque erosion as a cause of acute coronary events is less well known. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) as an emerging modality with extremely high resolution is the only intravascular imaging modality available for identification of plaque erosion in vivo, which provides new insight into the mechanism of ACS. More importantly, the introduction of OCT to clinical practice enables us to differentiate the patients with ACS caused by plaque erosion from those caused by plaque rupture, thereby providing precise and personalized therapy based on the different underlying mechanisms. We systematically review the morphological characteristics of plaque erosion identified by OCT and its implications for the management of ACS.
Topics: Acute Coronary Syndrome; Disease Management; Humans; Plaque, Atherosclerotic; Tomography, Optical Coherence
PubMed: 29332908
DOI: 10.1253/circj.CJ-17-1373 -
European Journal of Vascular and... Aug 2019Peri-procedural ischaemic brain lesions on diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS) have been related to a...
OBJECTIVES
Peri-procedural ischaemic brain lesions on diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS) have been related to a higher chance of recurrent cerebrovascular events. This systematic review provides an overview of patient characteristics associated with increased risk of new DWI lesions.
METHODS
MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane library databases were systematically searched (update November 2018) for studies reporting post-procedural DWI lesions after CEA or CAS. Data derived from both procedures were analysed separately. Studies reporting predictive features that were present prior to intervention were assigned to 10 categories: age, gender, cardiovascular risk factors, symptomatology, plaque vulnerability, atherosclerotic burden, cerebrovascular haemodynamics, carotid/arch anatomy, inflammatory markers, and markers of coagulation. A semi-quantitative analysis was performed by plotting studies that found an association between the investigated features and DWI lesions against those that did not find an association.
RESULTS
Forty-six studies (5018 patients) were included: 10 reported only CEA, 33 CAS, and three both interventions. 68.0% of 1873 CEA patients and 55.9% of 3145 CAS patients were symptomatic. The weighted prevalence of DWI lesions was 18.1% (95% CI 14.0-22.7%) in CEA patients compared with 40.5% (95% CI 35.4-45.7%) in CAS patients. Studies reporting on CEA patients predominantly found an increased risk in symptomatic patients (two of seven studies, including 848/1661 patients), those with impaired haemodynamics (five of five studies), and increased inflammatory markers (two of three studies). Studies reporting on CAS patients often found a positive association with age (10/26 studies), high plaque vulnerability (25/34 studies), or complex carotid/arch anatomy (three out of five studies).
CONCLUSIONS
For patients undergoing CEA, symptomatic status, impeded cerebral haemodynamics, and increased inflammatory markers are associated with increased susceptibility to peri-operative DWI lesions. In CAS patients, higher age, plaque vulnerability and complex carotid/aortic arch anatomy were identified as risk factors. These clinical predictors may assist with decision making on patient selection for medical treatment, CEA or CAS.
Topics: Brain Ischemia; Carotid Artery Diseases; Clinical Decision-Making; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Endarterectomy, Carotid; Endovascular Procedures; Female; Humans; Male; Patient Selection; Predictive Value of Tests; Prevalence; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Stents; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 31266681
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejvs.2019.04.016