Impact of Blood Pressure Self-Management on Vascular Remodeling After Hypertensive Pregnancy.

Background: Hypertensive pregnancy disorders are associated with long-term adverse cardiac and vascular remodeling postindex pregnancy. The POP-HT trial (Physician Optimised Postpartum Hypertension Treatment) demonstrated that improved puerperal blood pressure control leads to reduced blood pressure and beneficial cardiac remodeling during the first year postpartum. This study describes the impact on postpartum vascular remodeling.

Exercise Improves Myocardial Deformation But Not Cardiac Structure in Preterm-Born Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: People born preterm (<37 weeks' gestation) have a potentially adverse cardiac phenotype that progresses with blood pressure elevation.

Objectives: The authors investigated whether preterm-born and term-born adults exhibit similar cardiac structural and functional remodeling following a 16-week aerobic exercise intervention.

Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial in 203 adults (aged 18-35 years) with elevated blood pressure or stage 1 hypertension.

The association between adverse childhood experiences and adult cardiac function in the UK Biobank.

Aims: The importance of early life factors in determining health in later adulthood is increasingly recognized. This study evaluated the association of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) phenotypes.

Methods And Results: UK Biobank participants who had completed CMR and the self-reported questionnaire on traumatic childhood experiences were included.

Effect of evolocumab on carotid plaque composition in asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis (EVOCAR-1) using magnetic resonance imaging.

Background And Aims: To determine the effect of evolocumab treatment in patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis ≥50% on carotid plaque morphology and composition, as determined by magnetic resonance imaging.

Methods: We conducted a double-blind randomized controlled trial in patients with asymptomatic carotid artery plaque with ≥50% stenosis and low-density lipoprotein-associated cholesterol (LDL-C) ≥1.8 mmol/L, despite standard lipid-lowering therapy, with 12 months of evolocumab or placebo injection every two weeks.

10-channel phased-array coil for carotid wall MRI at 3T.

Background: Accurate assessment of plaque accumulation near the carotid bifurcation is important for the effective prevention and treatment of stroke. However, vessel and plaque delineation using MRI can be limited by low contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and long acquisition times. In this work, a 10-channel phased-array receive coil design for bilateral imaging of the carotid bifurcation using 3T MRI is proposed.

Emerging artificial intelligence applications in liver magnetic resonance imaging.

Chronic liver diseases (CLDs) are becoming increasingly more prevalent in modern society. The use of imaging techniques for early detection, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is crucial in reducing the impact of these diseases on healthcare systems. Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms have been shown over the past decade to excel at image-based analysis tasks such as detection and segmentation.

Associations of Meat and Fish Consumption With Conventional and Radiomics Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Phenotypes in the UK Biobank.

Greater red and processed meat consumption has been linked to adverse cardiovascular outcomes. However, the impact of these exposures on cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) phenotypes has not been adequately studied. We describe novel associations of meat intake with cardiovascular phenotypes and investigate underlying mechanisms through consideration of a range of covariates.

Associations of cognitive performance with cardiovascular magnetic resonance phenotypes in the UK Biobank.

Aims: Existing evidence suggests links between brain and cardiovascular health. We investigated associations between cognitive performance and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) phenotypes in the UK Biobank, considering a range of potential confounders.

Methods And Results: We studied 29 763 participants with CMR and cognitive testing, specifically, fluid intelligence (FI, 13 verbal-numeric reasoning questions), and reaction time (RT, a timed pairs matching exercise); both were considered continuous variables for modelling.

Adverse cardiovascular magnetic resonance phenotypes are associated with greater likelihood of incident coronavirus disease 2019: findings from the UK Biobank.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disproportionately affects older people. Observational studies suggest indolent cardiovascular involvement after recovery from acute COVID-19. However, these findings may reflect pre-existing cardiac phenotypes.

Cardiovascular Effects of Unilateral Nephrectomy in Living Kidney Donors at 5 Years.

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Quality assurance of quantitative cardiac T1-mapping in multicenter clinical trials - A T1 phantom program from the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy registry (HCMR) study.

Background: Quantitative cardiovascular magnetic resonance T1-mapping is increasingly used for myocardial tissue characterization. However, the lack of standardization limits direct comparability between centers and wider roll-out for clinical use or trials.

Purpose: To develop a quality assurance (QA) program assuring standardized T1 measurements for clinical use.

Poor Bone Quality is Associated With Greater Arterial Stiffness: Insights From the UK Biobank.

Osteoporosis and ischemic heart disease (IHD) represent important public health problems. Existing research suggests an association between the two conditions beyond that attributable to shared risk factors, with a potentially causal relationship. In this study, we tested the association of bone speed of sound (SOS) from quantitative heel ultrasound with (i) measures of arterial compliance from cardiovascular magnetic resonance (aortic distensibility [AD]); (ii) finger photoplethysmography (arterial stiffness index [ASI]); and (iii) incident myocardial infarction and IHD mortality in the UK Biobank cohort.

Defining Myocardial Abnormalities Across the Stages of Chronic Kidney Disease: A Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

Objectives: A proof of concept cross-sectional study investigating changes in myocardial abnormalities across stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Characterizing noninvasive markers of myocardial fibrosis on cardiac magnetic resonance, echocardiography, and correlating with biomarkers of fibrosis, myocardial injury, and functional correlates including exercise tolerance.

Background: CKD is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular death.

Implementation and validation of real-time algorithms for atrial fibrillation detection on a wearable ECG device.

Background: Due to the growing epidemic of atrial fibrillation (AF), new strategies for AF screening, diagnosis, and monitoring are required. Wearable devices with on-board AF detection algorithms may improve early diagnosis and therapy outcomes. In this work, we implemented optimized algorithms for AF detection on a wearable ECG monitoring device and assessed their performance.

Navigator-based reacquisition and estimation of motion-corrupted data: Application to multi-echo spin echo for carotid wall MRI.

Purpose: To assess whether artifacts in multi-slice multi-echo spin echo neck imaging, thought to be caused by brief motion events such as swallowing, can be corrected by reacquiring corrupted central k-space data and estimating the remainder with parallel imaging.

Methods: A single phase-encode line (k = 0, phase-encode direction anteroposterior) navigator echo was used to identify motion-corrupted data and guide the online reacquisition. If motion corruption was detected in the 7 central k-space lines, they were replaced with reacquired data.

Differential Gene Expression in Macrophages From Human Atherosclerotic Plaques Shows Convergence on Pathways Implicated by Genome-Wide Association Study Risk Variants.

Objective- Plaque macrophages are intricately involved in atherogenesis and plaque destabilization. We sought to identify functional pathways in human plaque macrophages that are differentially regulated in respect of (1) plaque stability and (2) lipid content. We hypothesized that differentially regulated macrophage gene sets would relate to genome-wide association study variants associated with risk of acute complications of atherosclerosis.

T2 mapping MRI technique quantifies carotid plaque lipid, and its depletion after statin initiation, following acute myocardial infarction.

Background & Aims: A recently-validated, highly-sensitive T2 mapping magnetic resonance (MRI) technique accurately quantifies carotid plaque lipid. The aims of this study were to determine: (i) the extent of carotid plaque lipid in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS); (ii) the effects of initiation of high-intensity statin on plaque lipid content and (iii) whether plaque lipid content is related to standard or 'functional' blood lipid measurements.

Methods: Statin naïve subjects presenting with ACS underwent carotid artery MRI at 3 T scanner to quantify plaque lipid.

OXSA: An open-source magnetic resonance spectroscopy analysis toolbox in MATLAB.

In vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy provides insight into metabolism in the human body. New acquisition protocols are often proposed to improve the quality or efficiency of data collection. Processing pipelines must also be developed to use these data optimally.

Quantification of carotid plaque lipid content with magnetic resonance T2 mapping in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy.

Background And Purpose: Techniques to stratify subgroups of patients with asymptomatic carotid artery disease are urgently needed to guide decisions on optimal treatment. Reliance on estimates of % luminal stenosis has not been effective, perhaps because that approach entirely disregards potentially important information on the pathological process in the wall of the artery.

Methods: Since plaque lipid is a key determinant of plaque behaviour we used a newly validated, high-sensitivity T2-mapping MR technique for a systematic survey of the quantity and distribution of plaque lipid in patients undergoing endarterectomy.

Quantification of Lipid-Rich Core in Carotid Atherosclerosis Using Magnetic Resonance T Mapping: Relation to Clinical Presentation.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to: 1) provide tissue validation of quantitative T mapping to measure plaque lipid content; and 2) investigate whether this technique could discern differences in plaque characteristics between symptom-related and non-symptom-related carotid plaques.

Background: Noninvasive plaque lipid quantification is appealing both for stratification in treatment selection and as a possible predictor of future plaque rupture. However, current cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) methods are insensitive, require a coalesced mass of lipid core, and rely on multicontrast acquisition with contrast media and extensive post-processing.

Arterial Effects of Canakinumab in Patients With Atherosclerosis and Type 2 Diabetes or Glucose Intolerance.

Background: Evidence suggests that interleukin (IL)-1β is important in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and its complications and that inhibiting IL-1β may favorably affect vascular disease progression.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of IL-1β inhibition with canakinumab versus placebo on arterial structure and function, determined by magnetic resonance imaging.

Methods: Patients (N = 189) with atherosclerotic disease and either type 2 diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose tolerance were randomized to receive placebo (n = 94) or canakinumab 150 mg monthly (n = 95) for 12 months.

Black-blood multicontrast imaging of carotid arteries with DANTE-prepared 2D and 3D MR imaging.

Purpose: To prospectively compare the black-blood ( BB black blood ) imaging efficiency of a delay alternating with nutation for tailored excitation ( DANTE delay alternating with nutation for tailored excitation ) preparation module with conventional double inversion-recovery ( DIR double inversion recovery ) and motion-sensitive driven equilibrium ( MSDE motion-sensitive driven equilibrium ) preparation modules and to introduce a new three-dimensional ( 3D three-dimensional ) T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging sequence.

Materials And Methods: Carotid artery wall imaging was performed in 10 healthy volunteers and 15 patients in accordance with an institutional review board-approved protocol. Two-dimensional ( 2D two-dimensional ) turbo spin-echo ( TSE turbo spin echo ) and 3D three-dimensional fast low-angle shot ( FLASH fast low-angle shot ) sequences served as readout modules.