Duration of Supervised Exercise Necessary for Meaningful Improvement in Peripheral Artery Disease.

Background: Supervised treadmill exercise improves walking performance in people with lower extremity peripheral artery disease, but benefits are not immediate. This study identified the time course of attaining meaningful improvement in 6-minute walk distance and patient-reported outcome measures during a 6-month supervised exercise intervention in people with peripheral artery disease.

Methods: Participants with peripheral artery disease were randomized to supervised treadmill exercise 3 time weekly or a nonexercise control group for 6 months.

Toward Sex Inclusivity: Perspectives on Sex as a Biological Variable.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) policy on sex as a biological variable (SABV) was implemented in 2016 to encourage researchers to consider both sexes within their study design. However, there continues to be ongoing debate regarding the utility of this initiative. This study aimed to evaluate opinions of the SABV policy among study section members and how these varied by self-reported sex.

Apolipoprotein E Deficiency Produces an Inflammatory Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in a Rat Calcium Chloride-Induced Model.

Introduction: The goal of this work is to characterize a novel model of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in Apolipoprotein E-knockout (ApoE) rats. We hypothesize that ApoE rats will exhibit an increased inflammatory response and exacerbated AAA compared to wild-type (WT) rats.

Materials And Methods: AAA was induced in male and female Lean Zucker ApoE and WT rats via periadventitial calcium chloride exposure.

An Open-architecture AI Model for CPT Coding in Breast Surgery: Development, Validation, and Prospective Testing.

Objective: To develop, validate, and prospectively test an open-architecture, transformer-based artificial Intelligence (AI) model to extract procedure codes from free-text breast surgery operative notes.

Background: Operative note coding is time-intensive and error-prone, leading to lost revenue and compliance risks. Although AI offers potential solutions, adoption has been limited due to proprietary, closed-source systems lacking transparency and standardized validation.

Hepatocyte growth factor for walking performance in peripheral artery disease.

Background: VM202 is a plasmid encoding two isoforms of hepatocyte growth factor. In preclinical studies, hepatocyte growth factor stimulated angiogenesis and muscle regeneration. This preliminary clinical trial tested the hypothesis that VM202 injections in gastrocnemius muscle would improve walking performance in people with mild to moderate and symptomatic lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD).

The ankle-brachial index, gastrocnemius mitochondrial respirometry, and walking performance in people with and without peripheral artery disease.

Background: Mitochondrial abnormalities exist in lower-extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD), yet the association of the ankle-brachial index (ABI) with mitochondrial respiration in gastrocnemius muscle is unknown. The association of gastrocnemius mitochondrial respiration with 6-minute walk distance in PAD is unknown. This objective of this study was to describe associations of the ABI with mitochondrial respiratory function in gastrocnemius muscle biopsies and associations of gastrocnemius mitochondrial respirometry with 6-minute walk distance in people with and without PAD.

Reporting and analysis of sex in vascular surgery research.

Objective: To examine sex in human vascular surgery research by quantifying the inclusion and analysis of sex-based data in high-impact vascular surgery journals.

Methods: A bibliographic review of original articles published in the European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Journal of Vascular Surgery, JVS: Venous and Lymphatic Disorders, Journal of Endovascular Therapy, and Annals of Vascular Surgery from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2020, and from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023, was conducted. Abstracted data included sex-based data analysis, inclusion of sex as a variable in multivariable analysis, inclusion of sex as an independent variable, and a discussion of sex-based results.

Nicotinamide riboside for peripheral artery disease: the NICE randomized clinical trial.

People with lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) have increased oxidative stress, impaired mitochondrial activity, and poor walking performance. NAD+ reduces oxidative stress and is an essential cofactor for mitochondrial respiration. Oral nicotinamide riboside (NR) increases bioavailability of NAD+ in humans.

Paradoxical Changes: EMMPRIN Tissue and Plasma Levels in Marfan Syndrome-Related Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms.

Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAAs) associated with Marfan syndrome (MFS) are unique in that extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) levels do not behave the way they do in other cardiovascular pathologies. EMMPRIN is shed into the circulation through the secretion of extracellular vesicles. This has been demonstrated to be dependent upon the Membrane Type-1 MMP (MT1-MMP).

Discordance of patient-reported outcome measures with objectively assessed walking decline in peripheral artery disease.

Objective: Among people with peripheral artery disease (PAD), perceived change in walking difficulty over time, compared with people without PAD, is unclear. Among people reporting no change in walking difficulty over time, differences in objectively measured change in walking performance between people with and without PAD are unknown.

Methods: A total of 1289 participants were included.

Systemic peptide amphiphile nanofiber delivery following subcutaneous injection.

Peptide amphiphile (PA) nanofibers have been shown to target and deliver drugs when administered via an intravenous (IV) injection. Subcutaneous administration can broaden the applicability of PA nanofibers in the medical field. The ability of PA nanofibers to be absorbed into systemic circulation after subcutaneous administration was investigated.

Home-Based Walking Exercise and Supervised Treadmill Exercise in Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease: An Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis.

Importance: Few people with lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) participate in supervised treadmill exercise covered by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In people with PAD, the benefits of home-based walking exercise, relative to supervised exercise, remain unclear.

Objective: To study whether home-based walking exercise improves 6-minute walk (6MW) more than supervised treadmill exercise in people with PAD (defined as Ankle Brachial Index ≤0.

Gender Bias in Clinical Trial Enrollment: Female Authorship Matters.

Background: Despite initiatives to promote equal enrollment of human subjects in clinical trials, females continue to be underrepresented. The goal of this work is to determine if female enrollment in human clinical trials published in 3 high-impact journals from 2015 to 2019 is correlated with gender of first and/or senior authors.

Methods: Clinical trials published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), The Lancet, and the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2019, were reviewed.