Raised serum cholesterol concentration is a well-established risk factor in cardiovascular disease. In addition, genetic load may have an indirect influence on cardiovascular risk. Plant-based sterol-supplemented foods are recommended to help reduce the serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level. The objective was to analyse the influence of different polymorphisms in hypercholesterolemia patients following a dietary treatment with plant sterols. A randomised double-blind cross-over controlled clinical trial was carried out in 45 …

… training in type 2 diabetic patients, and in addition, no previous investigation has combined assessment of … variables such as increased HR and blood pressure, as well as metabolic effects that would … the groups training first or second, it does not appear that the effect of exercise …

The skeletal muscle mass-to-visceral fat area ratio (SVR) has been linked to arterial stiffness in non-diabetic adults. We examined the association between the SVR and arterial stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (252 men and 171 women) aged 40–75 years were enrolled and divided into three groups according to SVR tertiles. Arterial stiffness was measured as brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), with baPWV> 1800 mm/s defined as high. Spearman's partial correlation …

Background: Carotid intima–media thickness (CIMT) has been proposed as a surrogate marker of atherosclerotic disease. In addition, carotid flow velocity (FV) and muscle strength (MS) are reported to be associated with increased CIMT. As there remains insufficient evidence for a complex association of CIMT with FV and MS, the aim of this study was to examine this association in adults. Methods: A total of 426 adults participated in this study. MS in all subjects was measured by hand grip strength. Carotid variables were measured …

Objectives Fluid overload (FO) is frequently present in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients and is associated with markers of malnutrition, inflammation, and atherosclerosis/calcification (MIAC) syndrome. We examined the relationships in stable PD patients between phase angle (PhA) and the spectrum of uremic vasculopathy including vascular calcification and arterial stiffness and between PhA and changes in serum fetuin-A levels. Methods Sixty-one stable adult PD patients were evaluated in a cross-sectional study (ST1). Phase angle was …

Background In hemodialysis patients, fluid overload and malnutrition are accompanied by extracellular fluid (ECF) expansion and intracellular fluid (ICF) depletion, respectively. We investigated the relationship between ECF/ICF ratio (as an integrated marker reflecting both fluid overload and malnutrition) and survival and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the context of malnutrition-inflammation-arteriosclerosis (MIA) complex. Methods Seventy-seven patients from a single hemodialysis unit were prospectively enrolled. The ECF/ICF volume …

Backgrounds and aims Intracranial arterial stenosis (ICAS) is a common cause of ischemic stroke in Asians. Decreased muscle mass is one of the major causes of chronic disease in adults. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between muscle mass and ICAS in Korean adults. Methods For this study, we selected a total of 10,530 participants (mean age, 43.3 years; 8558 men) in a health screening program, for whom transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound was used to detect> 50% ICAS based on criteria modified from …

Aims The present study evaluates the cardio-metabolic profile of subjects with early stages of glucose intolerance and presence of cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction (CAD). Materials and methods 478 subjects, of mean age 49.3±13.7 years and mean BMI 31.0±6.2 kg/m 2, divided according to glucose tolerance: 130 with normal glucose tolerance, 227 with prediabetes, and 121 with newly-diagnosed type 2 diabetes, were enrolled. Glucose tolerance was studied during OGTT applying 2006 WHO criteria. Anthropometric indices …

Purpose: Maintenance and enhancement of vascular endothelial function contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular disease and prolong a healthy life expectancy. Given the reversible nature of vascular endothelial function, interventions to improve this function might prevent arteriosclerosis. Accordingly, we studied the effects of a 6-month static stretching intervention on vascular endothelial function (reactive hyperaemia peripheral arterial tonometry index: RH-PAT index) and arterial stiffness (brachial-ankle pulse wave …

Background: Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), an ultrasonographic marker of cardiovascular risk, is increasingly used in adults and children. The choice of specific images used to quantify CIMT from a cine sequence is often based on image quality rather than on a consistent point in the cardiac cycle. This methodological study quantified the imprecision that may be introduced by variation of CIMT during the cardiac cycle. Probands and methods: Data from four-yearolds, 11 to 12-year-olds, and adults (n= 30 each age …