Evaluation of endothelial function and arterial stiffness in obese individuals with insulin resistance

Association Between Metabolic Syndrome and Asymptomatic Cerebral Arterial Stenosis: A Cross-Sectional Study in Shandong, China

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) can worsen cerebral arterial atherosclerosis stenosis in patients with stroke; however, its effect on patients without stroke remains ambiguous. This study explored the association of MetS and its individual components with asymptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis (aICAS) and asymptomatic extracranial arterial stenosis (aECAS) among older Chinese adults. A total of 1988 participants from the Kongcun Town study aged ≥40 years and without a history of stroke were enrolled. The baseline data were obtained via face-to-face interviews. MetS was defined according to International Diabetes Federation criteria. Detection of aICAS was conducted using transcranial Doppler ultrasound, followed by diagnosis via magnetic resonance angiography. The evaluation of aECAS was performed using bilateral carotid ultrasonography. The aICAS and aECAS groups were 1:1 matched separately to the non-stenosis group by age and sex. The association between MetS and aICAS or aECAS was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. Among the 1988 participants, 909 were diagnosed with MetS. The prevalence of MetS was higher in the aICAS group than in the non-stenosis group (P <0.001), but did not differ significantly between the aECAS and non-stenosis groups. The prevalence of aICAS increased with the number of MetS components from 3.4% in the ≤ 1 component group to 12.7% in the ≥4 components group (P for trend <0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors, MetS components associated with aICAS included central obesity, elevated triglyceride levels, and elevated blood pressure. None of the MetS components was associated with aECAS. MetS was positively associated with aICAS, but not with aECAS. Further, different components play different roles in the pathological process leading to aICAS.

Microvascular Reactivity in Hypertensive Patients with High Body Adiposity

Fundamento:

Diversos índices antropométricos têm sido propostos para determinar a associação entre excesso de peso e fatores de risco cardiovascular.

Objetivo:

Avaliar a relação entre adiposidade corporal e reatividade microvascular em pacientes hipertensos sob terapia anti-hipertensiva.

Métodos:

Pacientes hipertensos tratados de 40 a 70 anos foram submetidos à avaliação de índices antropométricos: conicidade (IC), adiposidade corporal (IAC), adiposidade visceral (IAV) e relação cintura-estatura (RCE). Os participantes foram divididos pelos tercis de percentual de gordura (%G) obtido pela bioimpedância elétrica (BIA) e submetidos a teste de reatividade microvascular (laser speckle contrast image), medida da velocidade da onda de pulso (VOP). O valor de p < 0,05 foi considerado estatisticamente significativo.

Resultados:

A variação da área sob a curva (ASC) da perfusão cutânea foi inferior no tercil superior (97 ± 57% vs. 67 ± 36%; p = 0,027). O %G apresentou correlação significativa com RCE (r = 0,77; p < 0,001), IAV (r = 0,41; p = 0,018), IC (r = 0,60; p < 0,001) e IAC (r = 0,65; p < 0,001) nos homens e somente com RCE (r = 0,55; p < 0,001) e IAC (r = 0,60; p < 0,001) nas mulheres. Na regressão linear, a ASC mostrou associação independente com o %G (β =–3,15; p = 0,04) nas mulheres e com a glicemia (β = –1,15; p = 0,02) nos homens. Não houve diferença nas medidas de VOP.

Conclusão:

Os índices antropométricos de obesidade foram mais associados ao %G nos homens. A maior adiposidade corporal foi relacionada com menor reatividade microvascular, o que foi mais evidente nas mulheres. Não houve diferença na rigidez arterial, o que pode ter sido influenciado pelo tratamento anti-hipertensivo.

CXC chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) in atherosclerosis: An underlying therapeutic target

CXC chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) is a specific chemokine ligand and plays a significant role in cell chemotaxis. Upon binding to CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) or CXCR7, CXCL12 can activate different signaling cascades to regulate cell proliferation, migration, and metabolism. CXCL12 exerts a pro-atherogenic action by aggravating multiple pathogenesis of atherogenesis, including dyslipidemia, inflammation, neointima hyperplasia, angiogenesis, and insulin resistance. Serum CXCL12 levels are also markedly increased in patients with atherosclerosis-associated disease. The present review focuses on recent advances in CXCL12 research in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis together with its clinical values. This may provide insight into potential novel therapies for atherosclerosis.