Longitudinal Trajectories of Left Ventricular Myocardial Remodelling: Associations with Cardiovascular Risk Factors in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Background: Understanding the influence of cardiovascular risk factors on longitudinal cardiac remodelling requires three-dimensional analysis of longitudinal shape changes beyond scalar indicators such as mass and volumes. The aim of this study is to determine trajectories of cardiovascular risk factor-related remodelling in a large cohort imaging study.

Methods: We examined 2,521 participants (54% female, aged 60±9y) of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) at baseline and after 10 years.

Left-to-Right Chamber Volume Ratios at Cardiac MRI Predict Cardiac Events: A Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis Secondary Analysis.

Background The clinical significance of relative left-to-right chamber volume imbalances, even when individual chamber volumes are within "normal" ranges, remains inadequately established. Purpose To assess whether volumetric imbalance between the left and right ventricles and atria assessed with cardiac MRI is associated with cardiac events in individuals without cardiovascular disease (CVD) history. Materials and Methods This secondary analysis of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) included participants free of CVD at baseline (July 2000-July 2002) who underwent cardiac MRI.

Clinical and molecular features of immunodeficiency in patients with telomere biology disorders.

Immunodeficiency in telomere biology disorders (TBDs) has been described in pediatric patients with severe phenotypes, but is less characterized within the broader TBD spectrum. We collected complete blood counts, lymphocyte subsets, and infection history from 88 consecutive patients with TBD with a median age of 38 years (range, 6-76). Most patients were >18 years old (80/88; 90%) and harbored either a TERT (45%) or TERC germ line mutation (32%).

Association of Race With Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Disease, Coronary Heart Disease, Heart Failure, and Stroke.

Background: In prior studies of cumulative risk factor exposure, self-identified race was independently associated with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD). A recent study suggests clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic factors explain racial differences. We used propensity score matching to study race as an independent incident CVD risk factor.

Aortic valve calcium as a novel risk marker for kidney function deterioration: The MESA study.

Background: Aortic valve calcium (AVC) is associated with increased risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD), non-CVD such as dementia. Traditional atherosclerotic CVD risk factors are associated with both AVC and chronic kidney disease (CKD), but whether there is an association between AVC and CKD is unknown.

Objectives: To ascertain whether AVC quantified by cardiac CT scanning is independently associated with the long-term risk of incident CKD among individuals without a previous history of CVD.

Urban imperviousness and carotid intima-medial thickness: Evidence from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study.

Background: Urbanization has increased impervious cover - surfaces that cannot absorb or filter water - which may raise cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks through reduced walkability, increased heat, and pollution. However, the relationship between imperviousness and subclinical CVD indicators, specifically carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), remains unexplored, especially across diverse populations. This study aims to investigate whether impervious cover in residential communities is associated with CIMT, and whether these associations differ by race and sex.

Estimation of global average treatment effect in National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Growth and Health Study.

We propose a procedure to estimate the "time-specific average treatment effect" and "global average treatment effect" for observational studies with outcomes and covariates repeatedly measured over time. This research is motivated by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study (NGHS), a longitudinal cohort study that aims to evaluate the influences of race and other risk factors on the levels of blood pressure for children and adolescents. As with most longitudinal cohort studies, we do not have a known propensity score model to further discuss the average treatment effects in the NGHS.

Longitudinal changes in circulating cyclic guanosine monophosphate in women over the menopause transition compared to men: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study.

Objective: The menopause transition is a period of accelerated cardiovascular disease (CVD) development in women, and sex differences in CVD incidence are reduced after menopause. Higher plasma cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels are also associated with greater CVD risk. Thus, we examined the changes in cGMP levels associated with the menopause transition.

Impact of HLA alloimmunization on clinical outcomes of severe aplastic anemia treated with immunosuppressive therapy.

Immune aplastic anemia (iAA) frequently results in transfusion dependence on platelets and packed red blood cells, increasing the risk for complications. The most common immune-mediated cause for platelet-transfusion refractoriness is alloimmunization with HLA antibody (Ab) to nonself class I antigens. The clinical impact of the HLA alloimmunization has not been well studied in patients with iAA.

Evaluating Incident Atrial Fibrillation and Incident Heart Failure as Time-varying Covariates for Time-to-Event Analysis Among Adults 55 Years and Older in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Objectives: Heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF) frequently coexist, exacerbate each other and are associated with increased morbidity and mortality rates. However, no previous study has specifically calculated the risk of experiencing either event following the occurrence of the other and also considered competing risks. The aim of this study was to examine the bidirectional relationship of AF and HF in a multiethnic population, taking competing risks into account.

Relationship between left ventricular shape and cardiovascular risk factors: comparison between the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and UK Biobank.

Background: Statistical shape atlases have been used in large-cohort studies to investigate relationships between heart shape and risk factors. The generalisability of these relationships between cohorts is unknown. The aims of this study were to compare left ventricular (LV) shapes in patients with differing cardiovascular risk factor profiles from two cohorts and to investigate whether LV shape scores generated with respect to a reference cohort can be directly used to study shape differences in another cohort.

Clonal landscape and clinical outcomes of telomere biology disorders: somatic rescue and cancer mutations.

Telomere biology disorders (TBDs), caused by pathogenic germ line variants in telomere-related genes, present with multiorgan disease and a predisposition to cancer. Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) as a marker of cancer development and survival in TBDs is poorly understood. Here, we characterized the clonal landscape of a large cohort of 207 patients with TBD with a broad range of age and phenotype.

Association between Left Atrial Late Gadolinium Enhancement and Atrial Fibrillation: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Purpose: To determine the prevalence and correlates of left atrial (LA) late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) at cardiac MRI and its association with atrial fibrillation (AF) in a population-based sample from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Materials And Methods: In this secondary post hoc analysis of the MESA cohort (ClinicalTrials.gov no.

Association between Biomarkers of Inflammation and 10-Year Changes in Aortic Stiffness: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

. Chronic inflammation is associated with incident cardiovascular events. We study the association between biomarkers of inflammation and subclinical vascular dysfunction measured as proximal aortic stiffness.

DYNAMIC RISK PREDICTION TRIGGERED BY INTERMEDIATE EVENTS USING SURVIVAL TREE ENSEMBLES.

With the availability of massive amounts of data from electronic health records and registry databases, incorporating time-varying patient information to improve risk prediction has attracted great attention. To exploit the growing amount of predictor information over time, we develop a unified framework for landmark prediction using survival tree ensembles, where an updated prediction can be performed when new information becomes available. Compared to conventional landmark prediction with fixed landmark times, our methods allow the landmark times to be subject-specific and triggered by an intermediate clinical event.