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The present study explored the relationship between the ankle-brachial index (ABI) (>.9) and all-cause or cardio-cerebrovascular mortality. Participant details were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2004. The association between baseline ABI and the risk of mortality was evaluated by a priori defined quartile categories and on a continuous scale (per.1-unit change) with Cox regression models adjusted for demographic and traditional risk factors. A total of 7087 individuals (age: 59.6 ± 12.8 years) were included; 3612 (51.0%) were male. After an average follow-up of 12.2 years, 1926 deaths occurred. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that the lowest ABI quartile (<1.06) was associated with the highest risk of all-cause, cardio-cerebrovascular and cancer mortality (all P <.001). However, after adjusting for potential confounders, ABI ranging between 1.06 and 1.12 was associated with the lowest risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio.88, 95% confidence interval.78–1.00, P <.05) compared with the reference group (<1.06). Besides, splines showed the relationship was nonlinear (P <.05) and the inflection point was 1.11. In conclusion, the level of ABI associated with the lowest risk of all-cause mortality was 1.11, under which a lower ABI was independently associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented on the AST to ALT Ratio and Peripheral Arterial Disease in a Hypertensive Population. The article discusses that the association between the aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio and the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in participants of the Chinese Hypertension Registry Study; and Cardiovascular (CV) risk factors (RFs) are associated with an increased risk for the development of arterial disease in vascular beds.

Uric acid (UA) has been reported to be associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) in caucasians. However, it is unclear whether this association remains significant in a Chinese population. The present study aimed to investigate the association between UA and low ankle brachial index (ABI), a measurement of peripheral arterial disease, in Chinese patients. A total of 6262 hospital-based patients with high CVD risk were enrolled. Low ABI was defined as ABI ≤0.9 in either side. Low ABI was detected in 1390 (22.2%) patients. Higher UA was significantly associated with higher risk of low ABI and modified by gender (P = .0045). After adjusting for age, body mass index, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, fasting glucose, hypertension, and smoking, participants in the highest quartile of UA exhibited 37% (odds ratio [OR]:1.37, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03-1.82) higher risk of low ABI compared to those in the lowest quartile in men, while OR (95% CI) was 1.69 (1.29-2.22) for women. However, when kidney function was further adjusted, the associations were attenuated in both men and women and were significant only in women. The results were suggestive of higher UA associating with higher risk of low ABI in women, and the association was largely driven by kidney function, especially in men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assessed the effect of increased serum uric acid (SUA) concentration and hyperuricemia on subclinical organ damage. A cross-sectional examination of 1243 asymptomatic patients aged 55 to 84 years was conducted from September to October 2012. All participants underwent the measurements of SUA and other established cardiovascular (CV) risk factors. A morning spot urine sample was collected to detect microalbuminuria, and carotid plaque was scanned by B-mode ultrasound; the cardioankle vascular index and ankle-brachial index were obtained to evaluate arterial stiffness and peripheral artery disease (PAD), respectively. After adjustment for established CV risk factors, multiple logistic regression analyses showed that the highest quartile of SUA concentration and hyperuricemia had an independent association with PAD (respective odds ratios: 3.86 [1.26-11.83] and 2.33 [1.14-4.77]); this association maintained significantly in males but disappeared in females. Serum uric acid concentration and hyperuricemia are significantly associated with PAD in males. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]