Glyoxalase-1 overexpression attenuates arterial wall stiffening in diabetic mice.

Aims: Diabetes is a leading cause of mortality worldwide, primarily due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Arterial stiffness is a CVD predictor and is associated with increased mortality in diabetic individuals. In diabetes, the formation and accumulation of methylglyoxal (MGO), a highly reactive glycolysis by product and a major precursor in advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) formation, has been implicated in CVD.

Loss of wall stress homeostasis in ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm: histomorphometric insights into patient variants.

Histomorphometric differences in cell-matrix properties were analysed between ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (ATAA), dissection (ATAAD) and non-aneurysmal patients, as well as across the circumference of the aneurysms in ATAA cases. Fresh anterior aortic wall samples were collected during surgery. A significant radius-to-intima-media thickness (IMT) ratio variation was observed among ATAA patients, indicating patient-specific adaptive responses.

Plasma reactive dicarbonyls are not independently associated with arterial stiffness: The Maastricht Study.

Background: Arterial stiffness is a strong predictor of cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality. Increased concentrations of highly reactive dicarbonyl compounds - methylglyoxal (MGO), glyoxal (GO), and/or 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG) - may cause arterial stiffening via formation of advanced glycation end products, triggering maladaptive responses in vascular tissue, e.g.

The clinical relevance of the decelerating effect of angiotensin receptor blockers on aortic growth in Marfan patients; a Bayesian perspective.

Background: Marfan Syndrome (MFS) often leads to thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA), for which angiotensin (II) receptor blockers (ARBs) are prescribed to reduce aneurysm growth. Although recent pooled analyses demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in aortic growth with ARBs under a frequentist framework, the clinical relevance of this effect remains uncertain. Moreover, ARB therapy is notably burdensome for patients due to significant side-effects.

The MAASWERP Study: An International, Comparative Case Study on Measuring Biomechanics of the Aged Murine Aorta.

Introduction: Arterial stiffening is a hallmark of vascular ageing, and unravelling its underlying mechanisms has become a central theme in the field of cardiovascular disease. While various techniques and experimental setups are accessible for investigating biomechanics of blood vessels both in vivo and ex vivo, comparing findings across diverse methodologies is challenging.

Methods: Arterial stiffness in the aorta of adult (5 months) and aged (24 months) wild-type C57Bl/6J mice was measured in vivo, after which ex vivo biomechanical evaluation was performed using the Rodent Oscillatory Tension Setup to study Arterial Compliance (ROTSAC; University of Antwerp, Belgium) and the DynamX setup (Maastricht University, The Netherlands).

Beat-to-beat variability of aortic pulse wave velocity: implications for aortic stiffness measurements.

Objectives: Aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) predicts cardiovascular risk. Being the reference method for aortic stiffness evaluation, invasive aPWV is also recommended for validation of noninvasive devices. Because of intrinsic haemodynamic variability and processing issues, aPWV shows beat-to-beat variability.

Association of Objectively Measured Sedentary Behavior With Arterial Stiffness: Findings From the Nijmegen Exercise Study.

Sedentary behavior (SB) may affect arterial stiffness, preceding the development of cardiovascular disease. We investigated the association of objectively measured SB with arterial stiffness. We also investigated factors that affected this association.

Effect of rapid cooling, frozen storage, and thawing on the passive viscoelastic properties and structure of the rat aorta.

Biological tissues decay over time after harvesting, which alters their biomechanical properties. This poses logistical challenges for studies investigating passive arterial biomechanics as tissues need to be characterized shortly after excision. Freezing and cryopreservation methods can help alleviate the need for biomechanical testing of fresh tissue in human ex vivo studies.

Evidence in Clinical Studies for the Role of Wall Thickness in Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms: A Scoping Review.

Background: Ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm is a chronic degenerative pathology characterized by dilatation of this segment of the aorta. Clinical guidelines use aortic diameter and growth rate as predictors of rupture and dissection. However, these guidelines neglect the effects of tissue remodeling, which may affect wall thickness.

The Maastricht Acquisition Platform for Studying Mechanisms of Cell-Matrix Crosstalk (MAPEX): An Interdisciplinary and Systems Approach towards Understanding Thoracic Aortic Disease.

Current management guidelines for ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms (aTAA) recommend intervention once ascending or sinus diameter reaches 5-5.5 cm or shows a growth rate of >0.5 cm/year estimated from echo/CT/MRI.

Central and local arterial stiffness in White Europeans compared to age-, sex-, and BMI-matched South Asians.

Background: Ethnicity impacts cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, and South Asians demonstrate a higher risk than White Europeans. Arterial stiffness is known to contribute to CVD, and differences in arterial stiffness between ethnicities could explain the disparity in CVD risk. We compared central and local arterial stiffness between White Europeans and South Asians and investigated which factors are associated with arterial stiffness.

Capillary rarefaction: a missing link in renal and cardiovascular disease?

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have an increased risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Capillary rarefaction may be both one of the causes as well as a consequence of CKD and cardiovascular disease. We reviewed the published literature on human biopsy studies and conclude that renal capillary rarefaction occurs independently of the cause of renal function decline.

The Ultrasound Window Into Vascular Ageing: A Technology Review by the VascAgeNet COST Action.

Non-invasive ultrasound (US) imaging enables the assessment of the properties of superficial blood vessels. Various modes can be used for vascular characteristics analysis, ranging from radiofrequency (RF) data, Doppler- and standard B/M-mode imaging, to more recent ultra-high frequency and ultrafast techniques. The aim of the present work was to provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art non-invasive US technologies and corresponding vascular ageing characteristics from a technological perspective.

Constituent-based quasi-linear viscoelasticity: a revised quasi-linear modelling framework to capture nonlinear viscoelasticity in arteries.

Arteries exhibit fully nonlinear viscoelastic behaviours (i.e. both elastically and viscously nonlinear).

Detectable Bias between Vascular Ultrasound Echo-Tracking Systems: Relevance Depends on Application.

The Esaote MyLab70 ultrasound system has been extensively used to evaluate arterial properties. Since it is reaching end-of-service-life, ongoing studies are forced to seek an alternative, with some opting for the Esaote MyLabOne. Biases might exist between the two systems, which, if uncorrected, could potentially lead to the misinterpretation of results.

No accelerated arterial aging in relatively young women after preeclampsia as compared to normotensive pregnancy.

Introduction: Preeclampsia, an endothelial disorder of pregnancy, predisposes to remote cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Whether there is an accelerated effect of aging on endothelial decline in former preeclamptic women is unknown. We investigated if the arterial aging regarding endothelial-dependent and -independent vascular function is more pronounced in women with a history of preeclampsia as compared to women with a history of solely normotensive gestation(s).

Complement factors D and C3 cross-sectionally associate with arterial stiffness, but not independently of metabolic risk factors: The Maastricht Study.

Background: Arterial stiffness predicts cardiovascular outcomes. The complement system, particularly the alternative complement pathway, has been implicated in cardiovascular diseases. We herein investigated the associations of factor D, the rate-limiting protease of the alternative pathway, and C3, the central complement component, with arterial stiffness.

Health burden in type 2 diabetes and prediabetes in The Maastricht Study.

Mortality in type 2 diabetes, is determined not only by classical complications, but also by comorbidities, and is linked to hyperglycaemia and apparent even in prediabetes. We aimed to comprehensively investigate, in a population-based cohort, health burden defined as the presence of comorbidities in addition to classical complications and cardiometabolic risk factors, in not only type 2 diabetes but also prediabetes. Such population-based study has not been performed previously.

Improved Quantification of Cell Density in the Arterial Wall-A Novel Nucleus Splitting Approach Applied to 3D Two-Photon Laser-Scanning Microscopy.

Accurate information on vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) content, orientation, and distribution in blood vessels is indispensable to increase understanding of arterial remodeling and to improve modeling of vascular biomechanics. We have previously proposed an analysis method to automatically characterize VSMC orientation and transmural distribution in murine carotid arteries under well-controlled biomechanical conditions. However, coincident nuclei, erroneously detected as one large nucleus, were excluded from the analysis, hampering accurate VSMC content characterization and distorting transmural distributions.

Single M-Line Is as Reliable as Multiple M-Line Ultrasound for Carotid Artery Screening.

Carotid artery properties can be evaluated with high accuracy and reproducibility using multiple M-line ultrasound. However, the cost of multiple M-line-based imaging modalities and the extensive operator expertise requirements hamper the large-scale application for arterial properties assessment, particularly in resource-constrained settings. This study is aimed to assess the performance of a single M-line approach as an affordable and easy-to-use alternative to multiple M-line imaging for screening purposes.

Wall shear rates in human and mouse arteries: Standardization of hemodynamics for in vitro blood flow assays: Communication from the ISTH SSC subcommittee on biorheology.

Hemodynamics play a central role in hemostasis and thrombosis by affecting all aspects linked to platelet functions and coagulation. In vitro flow devices are extensively used in basic research, pharmacological studies, antiplatelet agent screening, and development of diagnostic tools. Because hemodynamic conditions vary tremendously throughout the vascular tree and among different (patho)physiological processes, it is important to use flow conditions based on relevant biorheological reference ranges.

The Putative Role of Methylglyoxal in Arterial Stiffening: A Review.

Background: Arterial stiffening is a hallmark of vascular ageing and a consequence of many diseases including diabetes mellitus. Methylglyoxal (MGO), a highly reactive α-dicarbonyl mainly formed during glycolysis, has emerged as a potential contributor to the development of arterial stiffness. MGO reacts with arginine and lysine residues in proteins to form stable advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs).

Five years of cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) and CAVI0: how close are we to a pressure-independent index of arterial stiffness?

Pulse wave velocity, a common metric of arterial stiffness, is an established predictor for cardiovascular events and mortality. However, its intrinsic pressure-dependency complicates the discrimination of acute and chronic impacts of increased blood pressure on arterial stiffness. Cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) represented a significant step towards the development of a pressure-independent arterial stiffness metric.