ultrasound-assessment-aortic-carotid-artery-intima-media-thickness

Ultrasound Assessment of Aortic and Carotid Artery Intima-media Thickness in Children and Adolescents

Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), measured using high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography, is a widely utilized surrogate marker of subclinical ...

University of Sydney

Most methods for assessing dietary intake have considerable measurement error. Dietary biomarkers are objective tools for dietary assessment. Dietary biomarkers of dietary patterns have not been well described, despite modern dietary guidelines endorsing dietary patterns.

Biomarkers of dietary patterns: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

The luminal uterine epithelial cells are the first point of contact with the implanting blastocyst. Dramatic changes occur in the structure and function of these cells at the time of receptivity including changes in the lateral junctional complex. While these morphological changes are important for uterine receptivity, currently there is no known mechanism of regulation of the lateral junctional complexes. Rab13, a member of the Rab (Ras-related in the brain) family of GTPases has a critical role in endosomal trafficking to the lateral plasma membrane and is involved in modulation of the tight junction in several cell types. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of Rab13 in changes to the lateral junctional complex at the time of receptivity. Immunofluorescence microscopy demonstrated no association between Rab13 and ZO-1 (a tight junction protein) or Rab13 and E-cadherin (an integral component of adherens junctions). Co-localisation was demonstrated between Rab 13 and desmoglein-2 at the time of fertilization and also at receptivity suggesting involvement of Rab13 in relocalisation of desmoglein-2 and formation of giant desmosomes in the apical part of the lateral plasma membrane at the time of uterine receptivity. We suggest that despite the loss of the adherens junction at the time of receptivity, the presently reported redistribution of desmosomes regulated by Rab13 allows the uterine epithelium to maintain structural integrity.

Rab13 and Desmosome Redistribution in Uterine Epithelial Cells During Early Pregnancy.

Evidence from animal models indicates that maternal diet during pregnancy affects offspring cardiometabolic health. Improving carbohydrate quality during high-risk pregnancies reduces aortic intima-medial thickness; a marker for early atherosclerosis; in the infant offspring. We sought to determine whether maternal carbohydrate quantity and quality are associated with newborn aortic intima-medial thickness in healthy pregnancies. Maternal diet throughout pregnancy was evaluated in 139 mother-child dyads using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Carbohydrate intake was expressed as quantity (% total energy), quality (fibre, glycaemic index), and glycaemic burden (glycaemic load). Aortic intima-medial thickness was measured by high-frequency ultrasound of the neonatal abdominal aorta. Neither quantity nor quality of maternal carbohydrate intake during pregnancy was associated with meaningful differences in offspring maximum aortic intima-medial thickness with the exception of fibre intake in women with overweight or obesity which was inversely associated (-8 μm [95% CI -14, -1] per g fibre,  = 0.04). In healthy pregnancy, the quantity and quality of maternal carbohydrate intake is likely not a meaningful modifiable lifestyle factor for influencing offspring vascular health. The effect of carbohydrate quality may only be evident in high-risk pregnancies, consistent with previous findings. These findings may be confirmed in prospective dietary trials in pregnancy.

Maternal Dietary Carbohydrate Intake and Newborn Aortic Wall Thickness.

Greater aortic intima media thickness (aIMT), a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, can identify individuals at risk of CVD. This systematic review with meta-analysis compared aIMT in youth with type 1 diabetes and healthy controls.

Aortic intima media thickness in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes: A systematic review.

Certain exposures and risk factors during the first 1,000 days of life are known to influence future cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a measure of arterial stiffness and a recognised surrogate marker of CVD. We performed a systematic review and meta-analyses to investigate whether early life exposures were associated with increased PWV compared with controls in youth.

Early life determinants of arterial stiffness in neonates, infants, children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

To investigate the association between early life exposures during the first 1000 days (conception to age 24 months) and aortic intima-media thickness (aIMT), an early indicator of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, in youths.

Early Life Determinants of Vascular Structure in Fetuses, Infants, Children, and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Quantitative rankings of multiple dietary patterns for their effects on non-communicable disease (NCD) biomarkers is lacking and would inform primary prevention strategies. Accordingly, a network meta-analysis (NMA) was conducted to compare and rank the effects of different dietary patterns on NCD biomarkers, and associations of dietary patterns’ underlying macronutrient composition with NCD biomarkers were determined by a nutritional geometry approach. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were eligible for inclusion if they enrolled healthy participants, employed food-based dietary pattern interventions without energy restriction, and reported NCD biomarker outcomes. NCD biomarkers were included as an outcome if ≥10 trials were available. A systematic search of five electronic databases identified 4008 records. Sixty-eight articles from 59 RCTs reporting lipids, glycemic, and inflammatory biomarkers were included for quantitative syntheses. Risk-of-bias was predominantly categorized as low or having some concerns, and confidence-of-evidence low. Relative to western habitual diet, the Mediterranean, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), dietary guidelines-based, plant-based, and low-fat diets reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (mean difference range: −0.29 to −0.17 mmol/L), total cholesterol (−0.36 to −0.24 mmol/L), and apolipoprotein B (−0.11 to −0.07 g/L) (all p < 0.05); the Paleo, plant-based and dietary guidelines-based diets reduced homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (−0.95 to −0.35, all p < 0.05). No dietary pattern ranked consistently highest. The Paleo diet received the highest all-outcomes-combined average Surface Under the Cumulative Ranking Curve value (67%), followed by DASH (62%) and Mediterranean diets (57%), whereas western habitual diet was lowest (36%). Our findings were independent of macronutrient composition, highlighting the significance of dietary pattern-level analysis.

Dietary Patterns and Non-Communicable Disease Biomarkers: A Network Meta-Analysis and Nutritional Geometry Approach.

Objectives To provide insights into the obstacles which pose challenges to the set-up of any National Registry in Australia. Methods An analysis of our experience in executing a Multi-Institutional Agreement (MIA) and obtaining ethics and governance approvals, post-award of a large Medical Research Futures Fund grant in June 2020. Results From July 2020, our timeline to an executed MIA was 283 days, despite full-time staff working towards this goal. Subsequently, after lead site ethics approval, time to site governance approvals ranged from 9 to 291 days. A total of 214 emails were sent during the MIA development and signing. There were 11-71 emails sent to individual governance offices and the number of requested points of additional information ranged from 0 to 31 queries. Conclusions There were considerable time delays in executing the initial (pre-research) stages of a National Federal Government funded Registry project which required substantial time and resources. We report a wide variation in requirements between different states and institutions. We propose several strategies which could be implemented to facilitate a more streamlined approach to research ethics and governance. This centralised approach would allow for better use of funding and facilitate better progress in medical research.

Obstacles in establishing a national disease registry in Australia: lessons from the development of the CHAANZ Congenital Heart Disease Registry.

The health of parents prior to conception, a woman's health during pregnancy and the infant's environment across their first months and years collectively have profound effects on the child's health across the lifespan. Since there are very few cohort studies in early pregnancy, gaps remain in our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning these relationships, and how health may be optimised. 'BABY1000', a pilot prospective longitudinal birth cohort study, aims to (1) identify factors before and during pregnancy and early life that impact longer-term health and (2) assess the feasibility and acceptability of study design to inform future research.

Reeja Nasir

The Boden Initiative,
Charles Perkins Centre,
The Boden Initiative, Charles Perkins Centre

University of Sydney

Ultrasound Assessment of Aortic and Carotid Artery Intima-media Thickness in Children and Adolescents

Reeja Nasir

The Boden Initiative,Charles Perkins Centre,The Boden Initiative, Charles Perkins Centre

University of Sydney

Ultrasound Assessment of Aortic and Carotid Artery Intima-media Thickness in Children and Adolescents

The Boden Initiative,
Charles Perkins Centre,
The Boden Initiative, Charles Perkins Centre