Tissue macrophages induce and perpetuate proinflammatory responses, thereby promoting metabolic and cardiovascular disease. Lipoprotein lipase (LpL), the rate-limiting enzyme in blood triglyceride catabolism, is expressed by macrophages in atherosclerotic plaques. We questioned whether LpL, which is also expressed in the bone marrow (BM), affects circulating white blood cells and BM proliferati...

Cardiac myocyte membranes contain lipids which remodel dramatically in response to heart growth and remodeling. Lipid species have both structural and functional roles. Physiological and pathological cardiac remodeling have very distinct phenotypes, and the identification of molecular differences represent avenues for therapeutic interventions. Whether the abundance of specific lipid classes is...

To investigate how risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) among patients with type 1 diabetes has changed over time and further how the risk is affected by age, sex, and time period of diagnosis of diabetes.A cohort including all patients <30 years old diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in Finland in 1965-2011 was followed until start of renal replacement therapy, death, or end of follow-up at the ...

Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) for echocardiography were developed in 2007 to facilitate decision-making, reduce variability in test utilization, and encourage rational use of imaging. However, there is little evidence that the AUC have favourably influenced ordering behaviour. This study explores the factors that contribute to clinicians requesting echocardiograms with a focus on appropriate u...

To examine mild cognitive impairment and its associations with subclinical cardiac dysfunction in patients with chronic heart disease yet to develop the clinical syndrome of chronic heart failure (CHF).Patients from the Nurse-led Intervention for Less Chronic Heart Failure Study (n = 373 with chronic heart disease other than CHF; 64 ± 11 years, 69% men) were screened for mild cognitive impairme...

To examine the role of high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin and its relationship to sympathetic activity in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).Cross sectional study using biobanked samples.Not applicable.Premenopausal women with PCOS (n = 46, Rotterdam diagnostic criteria) and without PCOS (n = 22).None.High-molecular-weight adiponectin levels with secondary outcomes of sympathetic ...

Most cardiovascular disease (CVD) occurs in patients over the age of 60. However, most evidence-based current cardiovascular guidelines lack evidence in an older population, due to the under-representation of older patients in randomised trials. Blood pressure rises with age due to increasing arterial stiffness, and stricter control results in improved outcomes. Myocardial ischaemia is also mor...

Left ventricular remodelling (LVr) occurs post myocardial infarction (MI), predisposing people to heart failure (HF). LV mechanics and morphology are important in this process. We hence sort to characterize LV mechanics and geometry in a post-MI rodent model. Thirty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats (150-200 g) sustained MI (n = 24) or sham (Sham; n = 8) surgery. In another six sham rats invasive bl...

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a systemic autoimmune disorder of young adults associated with devastating pregnancy complications (recurrent miscarriages, preeclampsia and low birth weight) and vascular complications including thrombosis. The key components implicated in pathogenesis of APS are the complement cascade and tissue factor (TF) activity causing inflammation and coagulation. Puri...

It has long been known from microneurographic recordings in human subjects that the activity of postganglionic sympathetic axons occurs as spontaneous bursts, with muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) exhibiting strong cardiac rhythmicity via the baroreflex and skin sympathetic nerve activity showing much weaker cardiac modulation. Here we review the firing properties of single sympathetic ...

To explore the impact of uninterrupted sitting versus sitting with resistance-type activity breaks on adolescents' postprandial glucose responses while consuming a diet varying in energy.Cross-over randomised trial.Thirteen healthy participants (16.4±1.3years) completed a four-treatment cross-over trial: (1) uninterrupted sitting+high-energy diet; (2) sitting with breaks+high-energy diet; (3) u...

Antiplatelet drugs, such as aspirin, P2Y antagonists, and glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitors, have proved to be successful in reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with arterial thrombosis. These agents are, therefore, the cornerstone of therapy for patients with acute coronary syndromes. However, these drugs all carry an inherent risk of bleeding, which is associated with adverse ...

The aim of this study was to examine, in a community setting, whether trajectory of weight change over twelve years is associated with glucose and insulin metabolism at twelve years.Participants were 532 community-living middle-aged and elderly adults from the Personality and Total Health (PATH) Through Life study. They spanned the full weight range (underweight/normal/overweight/obese). Latent...

Following myocardial infarction (MI), cardiomyocytes and infarct size are the focus of our attention when evaluating the extent of cardiac injury, efficacy of therapies or success in repairing the damaged heart by stem cell therapy. Numerous interventions have been shown by pre-clinical studies to be effective in limiting infarct size, and yet clinical trials designed accordingly have yielded d...

To assess the relationship between excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), disability, mortality, and life expectancy (with and without disability) in a cohort of middle-aged American adults.The Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, a life-course study on 10,317 high school graduates from Wisconsin, was used to assess the odds ratio (OR) between EDS in 2004 for prevalent and incident disability to 2011 thr...