Atherosclerosis
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on markers of platelet and endothelial function in patients with peripheral arterial disease.
Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce platelet and endothelial activation in patients with or at risk of cardiac disease. We aimed to determine if Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in addition to best medical therapy can reduce the increased platelet and endothelial activity that is present in patients with intermittent claudication. ⋯ Supplementation with Omega-3 fatty acids had no affect on platelet and endothelial activation or markers of inflammation in patients with peripheral arterial disease.
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Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), a marker of early atherosclerosis and vascular remodelling, is one of the independent predictors of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, it is unknown whether ultrasonic assessment of carotid atherosclerosis, including CIMT, improves the prediction ability for CAD over and above conventional coronary risk factors in the diabetic patients. ⋯ In type 2 diabetic patients without apparent cardiovascular disease, the addition of max-IMT to conventional risk factors substantially improves the risk stratification for CAD.
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Review Meta Analysis
Effect of omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on endothelial function: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Inverse association was reported between omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) supplementation and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Identifying the effect of omega-3 FAs on endothelial function may contribute to explain the association. We conducted a meta-analysis to assess the effect of omega-3 FAs supplementation on endothelial function, as measured by flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and endothelium-independent vasodilation (EIV). ⋯ Supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids significantly improves the endothelial function without affecting endothelium-independent dilation.
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The ongoing population-based Barcelona-Asymptomatic Intracranial Atherosclerosis (Barcelona-AsIA) study is a prospective study that plans to investigate the natural history of asymptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis (AsIA) in a Caucasian-Mediterranean population, which remains unknown until now. The present study aims to determine the prevalence of AsIA and associated risk factors in the final study cohort. ⋯ The prevalence of AsIA and moderate-severe AsIA in stroke-free Caucasians with a moderate-high vascular risk were 8.6% and 3.3% respectively. Diabetes and age were independently associated with moderate-severe AsIA.
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Animal studies demonstrated that protein malnutrition increases pituitary-adrenorcortical activity and leads to excessive cortisol release. The aim of our study was to determine the association between serum albumin and cortisol level in patients with acute ischemic stroke. ⋯ Low serum albumin level in patients with ischemic stroke is associated with higher serum cortisol level and predisposes to hypercortisolemia.