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Background: Acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) is a life-threatening condition that requires surgical intervention. Stroke remains an extremely serious adverse outcome that can occur in ATAAD patients undergoing aortic arch repair, leading to higher rates of patient mortality and decreased postoperative quality of life. In the present study, we sought to determine whether carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) is a reliable predictor of postoperative stroke risk.Materials and Methods: This was a prospective study of 76 patients with ATAAD undergoing aortic arch repair. For all patients, cIMT was determined preoperatively through a Doppler-based method. Incidence of different forms of neurological dysfunction, including temporary neurological dysfunction (TND) and stroke, was monitored in these patients, and the relationship between cIMT and stroke incidence was assessed using a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Prognostic variables associated with stroke risk were further identified through univariate and multivariate analyses.Results: A total of 26/76 (34.2%) patients in the present study suffered from neurological dysfunction, of whom 16 (21.0%) suffered from TND and 10 (13.2%) suffered a stroke. The remaining 50 patients (65.8%) did not suffer from neurological dysfunction. The cIMT values in the stroke, TND, and neurological dysfunction-free patients in this study were 1.12 ± 0.19 (mm), 0.99 ± 0.13 (mm), and 0.87 ± 0.13 (mm), respectively. A total of 4 patients in this cohort died during the study, including 1 in the TND group and 3 in the stroke group. An ROC curve analysis indicated that cIMT could predict stroke with an area under the curve value of 0.844 (95% CI, 0.719-0.969; p < 0.001). A multivariate analysis revealed that cIMT > 0.9 mm was independently associated with stroke risk (p = 0.018).Conclusion: We found that cIMT can be used to predict postoperative stroke risk in ATAAD patients undergoing aortic arch repair, with a cIMT > 0.9 mm coinciding with increased stroke risk in these patients.Trial Registration: ChiCTR1900022289. Date of registration 4 April 2019 retrospectively registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We investigate whether non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) provides a better estimate of cardiovascular risk than other lipid profiles in normotensive and euglycemic middle-aged and elderly adults. Methods: A total of 512 males and 958 females were enrolled from the Changfeng Study. A standard interview, anthropometric measurements and laboratory analyses were performed for each participant. Bilateral carotid intimamedia thicknesses (CIMTs) were measured using ultrasonography, and the presence of carotid plaques was assessed. Results: The mean values of non-HDL-C were 3.4 ± 0.8 mmol/l and 3.6 ± 0.9 mmol/l for male and female subjects, respectively. Compared with female subjects with non-HDL-C in the first quartile, female subjects with non-HDL-C in the fourth quartile had 1.317-fold increased risks for carotid plaques after adjusting for conventional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and increasing quartiles of all lipid levels. Non-HDL-C was positively associated with the CIMT after adjusting for CVD risk factors in female subjects (β = 0.062, P = 0.034). Conclusions: These results suggest that non-HDL-C is independently associated with carotid atherosclerosis in normotensive and euglycemic females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The role of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25 (OH) D) in atherogenesis is unclear. We investigated whether the 25 (OH) D is independently associated with the carotid intimamedia thickness (CIMT) and carotid plaques in normotensive and euglycemic postmenopausal women. Methods: A total of 671 normotensive and euglycemic postmenopausal women (mean age, 58.8 years) were enrolled from the Changfeng Study. A standard interview, anthropometrics measurements and laboratory analyses were performed for each participant. Bilateral CIMTs were measured using ultrasonography, and the presence of carotid plaques was assessed. The serum 25 (OH) D was measured using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Results: Serum 25 (OH) D was 43.6 ± 18.2 nmol/L in the postmenopausal women. Compared with subjects with 25 (OH) D in the first, second and third quartiles, subjects with 25 (OH) D in the fourth quartile had decreased CIMT and prevalence of carotid plaque (0.684 ± 0.009 mm vs 0.719 ± 0.009 mm, 0.708 ± 0.009 mm and 0.709 ± 0.009 mm; 10.8% vs 19.0%, 14.8% and 16.8%, respectively). After adjusting for conventional CVD risk factors, PTH, liver and renal function, postmenopausal women with 25 (OH) D in the fourth quartile still had lower CIMT than those in the first, second and third quartiles (p = 0.039) and the subjects in the fourth quartile had a 0.421-fold decreased risk of carotid plaques relative to those in the lowest quartile (95% confidence interval 0.209 to 0.848). Conclusions: These results suggest serum 25 (OH) D is independently and inversely associated with carotid atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women with normal blood pressure and normal glucose tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We investigate whether non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) provides a better estimate of cardiovascular risk than other lipid profiles in normotensive and euglycemic middle-aged and elderly adults., Methods: A total of 512 males and 958 females were enrolled from the Changfeng Study. A standard interview, anthropometric measurements and laboratory analyses were performed for each participant. Bilateral carotid intima-media thicknesses (CIMTs) were measured using ultrasonography, and the presence of carotid plaques was assessed., Results: The mean values of non-HDL-C were 3.4 ± 0.8 mmol/l and 3.6 ± 0.9 mmol/l for male and female subjects, respectively. Compared with female subjects with non-HDL-C in the first quartile, female subjects with non-HDL-C in the fourth quartile had 1.317-fold increased risks for carotid plaques after adjusting for conventional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and increasing quartiles of all lipid levels. Non-HDL-C was positively associated with the CIMT after adjusting for CVD risk factors in female subjects (β = 0.062, P = 0.034)., Conclusions: These results suggest that non-HDL-C is independently associated with carotid atherosclerosis in normotensive and euglycemic females.