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Aims: To evaluate whether myocardial fibrosis predicts cardiovascular events (CVEs) and mortality in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis., Methods and Results: Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) T1 mapping with gadolinium administration for assessment of extracellular volume fraction (ECV) was performed in 1326 participants, in whom myocardial scar was assessed by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). The clinical outcomes were defined as all-cause mortality, atherosclerotic CVEs, and incident heart failure (HF) during an average of 8 years of follow-up after the scan. Participants' mean native T1 time was 971 ms [standard deviation (SD) 45.5], ECV was 27 (SD 2.9), and 117 (8.8%) of them had LGE. At the time of the CMR exam, participant age was 68 years (SD 9) and 48% of them were women. Ideal cut-offs were identified using classification and regression trees accounting for time-to-event outcomes for ECV (30%) and native T1 time (954 ms). Over the follow-up period, 106 participants died, 78 developed CVE, and 23 developed HF. After adjustment for risk factors, ECV >30% was associated with death [hazard ratio (HR): 1.67, P < 0.05], incident CVE (HR: 2.02, P < 0.05), and incident HF (HR: 2.85, P < 0.05). After adjustments, native T1 >954 ms was associated with incident CVE (HR: 2.09, P < 0.05). Myocardial scar by LGE was not predictive of clinical outcomes after adjustments., Conclusion: ECV is an independent prognostic marker of incident HF, atherosclerotic CVEs, and all-cause mortality. ECV, with its ability to characterize both diffuse and focal fibrosis processes, better predicted incident events than regional myocardial abnormalities as visualized by LGE imaging in a large multi-ethnic population., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: none declared., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author(s) 2022. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Majority of previous studies showed no association between a single health behavior and arterial stiffness, but the benefit of simultaneously having multiple healthy behaviors (optimal lifestyle) on the progression of arterial stiffness is unknown. Among 2810 individuals (age 60.0 ± 9.4, 46.5% male), optimal lifestyle marker (yes/no) on four health behaviors (ie, BMI < 25 kg/m 2 , never or former smoker, never or moderate drinker, exercised > 500 METS min/week) across four visits (≈ 5 years) were summed to create an optimal lifestyle score. Carotid arterial stiffness was measured using distensibility coefficient (DC) and Young's elastic modulus (YEM) at visit 1 and after a mean of 9.5 years (visit 5). The association of optimal lifestyle with 10-year percent change in DC and YEM was assessed using multiple linear regression. DC decreased by 5.3% and YEM increased by 24.4% over 10 years. Mean optimal lifestyle score was 9.4 ± 3.1 (range: 0-16). Individuals in quintiles 2-5 of optimal lifestyle score compared to quintile 1 (with the least optimal lifestyle score) did not show slower deceleration of DC [Q2, -0.3% (95% CI: -6.0, 5.4); Q3, -0.01% (-4.5, 4.5); Q4, -0.6% (-5.2, 3.9); Q5, -0.4% (-5.3, 4.4)], trend p-value = .82] or slower progression of YEM [Q2, 0.1% (-7.1, 7.3); Q3, -0.8% (-8.0, 6.5); Q4, 4.5% (-2.3, 11.3); Q5, -0.2% (-8.3, 7.9)], trend p-value = .49] after adjusting for risk factors. The association remained non-significant when stratified by categories of age, sex, race, BP control, and diabetes. Our findings indicate that optimal score on multiple health behaviors may not independently slow arterial stiffness progression., (© 2022 The Authors. The Journal of Clinical Hypertension published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Introduction: Physical activity (PA) is inversely associated with risk of heart failure and cardiovascular disease (CVD), whereas increased left ventricular (LV) mass and mass to volume (m:v) ratio are unfavorable CVD risk factors. We assessed whether changes in leisure time PA were associated with longitudinal changes in cardiac structure in a community-based population., Methods: We included 2779 Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis participants, free of baseline CVD, who had available data on PA and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at examinations 1 (2000-2002) and 5 (2010-2012). Physical activity was measured by a Typical Week PA Survey and converted to MET-minutes per week of moderate+vigorous activity. We used linear mixed effect models to estimate the associations of baseline and change in PA with baseline and change in cardiac structure, adjusting for CVD risk factors and body size., Results: At baseline, the mean age was 59 yr, 53% were women, and 58% of nonwhite race/ethnicity. During average 10-yr follow-up, and after accounting for baseline PA levels, the highest quintiles of PA increase were significantly associated with increases in LV mass (2.3 g; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.4-4.2), LV end-diastolic volume (4.7 mL; 95% CI, 2.4-7.0), and stroke volume (3.3 mL; 95% CI, 1.6-5.1), but lower M:V ratio (-2.9; 95% CI, -5.0 to -0.8) compared with the lowest quintiles. Increasing exercise PA was associated with increases in LV diameter and reductions in M:V ratio, whereas occupational PA was associated with increases in m:v ratio. Increasing PA over 10 yr was also associated with greater risk of eccentric dilated LV hypertrophy at examination 5., Conclusions: After accounting for baseline PA, greater positive changes in leisure-time PA levels were associated with a more eccentric-type of LV remodeling pattern over 10 yr. The clinical implications of such findings remain to be determined.

Aims: We used contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) to evaluate differences in myocardial fibrosis measured at the year-10 examination between participants with and without cardiovascular (CV) events accrued in a large population based study over the preceding 10-year follow-up period in this retrospective study., Methods and Results: The MESA study enrolled 6814 participants free of CV disease at baseline (2000-2002). We included MESA participants who underwent contrast-enhanced CMR at the MESA year-10 exam (N = 1840). We defined a composite CV endpoint of coronary heart disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, stroke, and peripheral artery disease. Using CMR, we characterized myocardial fibrosis with late-gadolinium enhancement for scar and T1 mapping indices of diffuse fibrosis. Demographic and CV-risk adjusted logistic (presence of scar) and linear regression (pre-contrast T1, T1 at 12 and 25 min post-contrast, and extracellular volume fraction or ECV) models were used to assess the relationship between fibrosis and events. The mean values of T1 indices were-pre-contrast T1: 977 ± 45 ms; T1 at 12': 456 ± 40 ms; T1 at 25': 519 ± 41 ms; ECV: 27.1 ± 3.2%. One-hundred and forty-six (7.9%) participants had myocardial scar. The presence of scar was strongly associated with prior CV events (adjusted coeff: 1.36, P < 0.001). Lower post-contrast T1 times and higher ECV, indicative of greater diffuse fibrosis were strongly associated with CV events (T1 at 12': coeff = -10.0 ms, P = 0.004; T1 at 25': coeff =-9.2 ms, P = 0.008; ECV: coeff = 1.31%, P < 0.001)., Conclusion: Individuals who suffered prior CV events have greater likelihood of diffuse myocardial fibrosis when compared with event-free individuals living in the same community.

Purpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and particularly emphysema are characterized by stiffness of the aorta, due in part to accelerated elastin degradation in the lungs and aorta. Stiffness of the pulmonary arteries (PAs) may also be increased in COPD and emphysema, but data are lacking. We assessed PA stiffness using MRI in patients with COPD and related these measurements to COPD severity and percent emphysema., Materials and Methods: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) COPD Study recruited 290 participants, age 50-79 years with 10 or more packyears and free of clinical cardiovascular disease. COPD severity were defined on postbronchodilator spirometry by ATS/ERS criteria. Percent emphysema was defined as the percentage of regions of the lung < -950 Hounsfield units on full-lung computed tomography (CT). PA stain was defined by the percent change in cross-sectional PA area between systole and diastole on MRI. Blood flow across the tricuspid and mitral valves was assessed by phase-contrast MRI for determination of the ventricular diastolic dysfunction (E/A ratio)., Results: PA strain was reduced in COPD compared with controls (P = 0.002) and was inversely correlated with COPD severity (P = 0.004). PA strain was inversely associated to percent emphysema (P = 0.01). PA strain was also markedly correlated with right ventricular diastolic dysfunction measured by E/A ratios in the fully adjusted mix models (P = 0.02)., Conclusion: PA strain is reduced in COPD, related in part to percent emphysema on CT scan, which may have implications for pulmonary small vessel flow and right ventricular function., Level of Evidence: 2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 1 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:262-271., (© 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.)

Background: Serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is considered a marker that is expressed in response to myocardial strain and possibly fibrosis. However, the relationship to myocardial fibrosis in a community-based population is unknown., Objectives: The authors evaluated the relationship between cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) measures of fibrosis and NT-proBNP levels in the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) study., Methods: A total of 1,334 participants (52% white, 23% black, 11% Chinese, 14% Hispanic, and 52% men with a mean age of 67.6 years) at 6 sites had both serum NT-proBNP measurements and CMR with T1 mapping of indices of fibrosis at 1.5 T. Univariate and multivariable regression analyses adjusting for demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, and left ventricular (LV) mass were performed to examine the association of log NT-proBNP with CMR T1 mapping indices., Results: In the fully adjusted model, each 1-SD increment (0.44 pg/ml) of log NT-proBNP was associated with a 0.62% increment in extracellular volume fraction (p < 0.001), 0.011 increment in partition coefficient (p < 0.001), and 4.7-ms increment in native T1 (p = 0.001). Results remained unchanged after excluding individuals with clinical cardiovascular disease or late gadolinium enhancement (n = 167), and after replacing LV mass by LV end-diastolic volume in the regression models., Conclusions: Elevated NT-proBNP is related to subclinical fibrosis in a community-based setting. (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis [MESA]; NCT00005487)., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The predictive value of aortic arch pulse wave velocity (PWV) assessed by magnetic resonance imaging for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events has not been fully established. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association of arch PWV with incident CVD events in MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis). Aortic arch PWV was measured using magnetic resonance imaging at baseline in 3527 MESA participants (mean age, 62±10 years at baseline; 47% men) free of overt CVD. Cox regression was used to evaluate the risk of incident CVD (coronary heart disease, stroke, transient ischemic attack, or heart failure) in relation to arch PWV adjusted for age, sex, race, and CVD risk factors. The median value of arch PWV was 7.4 m/s (interquartile range, 5.6-10.2). There was significant interaction between arch PWV and age for outcomes, so analysis was stratified by age categories (45-54 and >54 years). There were 456 CVD events during the 10-year follow-up. Forty-five to 54-year-old participants had significant association of arch PWV with incident CVD independent of CVD risk factors (hazard ratio, 1.44; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-1.95; P =0.018; per 1-SD increase for logarithmically transformed PWV), whereas >54-year group did not ( P =0.93). Aortic arch PWV assessed by magnetic resonance imaging is a significant predictor of CVD events among middle-aged (45-54 years old) individuals, whereas arch PWV is not associated with CVD among an elderly in a large multiethnic population., (© 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.)

Purpose To determine if excess greater left ventricle (LV) trabeculation is associated with decreased average regional myocardial function, diffuse fibrosis, or both. Materials and Methods This was a HIPAA-compliant institutional board approved multicenter study, and all participants provided written informed consent. Participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) underwent a comprehensive cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) examination. LV trabeculation was measured with the maximal apical fractal dimension (FD), which is a marker of endocardial complexity. Demographic covariates, cardiovascular risk factors, and cardiac MR measurements were compared across quartiles of FD. Associations between FD and peak regional systolic circumferential strain (Ecc) and T1 time, a surrogate for diffuse myocardial fibrosis, were assessed with multivariable linear regression models. Results A total of 1123 subjects (593 [52.8%] female; mean age, 67.1 years ± 8.7 [standard deviation]) underwent FD and Ecc measurement, and 992 (521 [52.5%] female; mean age, 67.1 years ± 8.7) underwent FD and T1 measurement. Mean FD was 1.2 ± 0.07 in both groups, and mean Ecc was -18.3 ± 2.27 in the subjects who underwent FD and Ecc measurement. Global volumes and ejection fraction showed no differences between FD quartiles. However, with increasing FD quartile, Ecc was greater (indicating worse average regional function) (P < .001). After adjustment, greater trabeculation was associated with 21% worse myocardial strain (relative to the mean) per unit change in FD (regression coefficient = 4.0%; P < .001). There was no association between the degree of trabeculation and diffuse fibrosis measured with T1 mapping. Conclusion Average regional LV function was worse in individuals with greater LV trabeculation, supporting the concept of hypertrabeculation being an epiphenomenon of disease. © RSNA, 2017.

Background: Understanding the relationship of cardiovascular structure and function to age is confounded by the high prevalence of traditional risk factors in the United States. The purpose of the study is to compare left ventricular (LV) and aortic structural, and functional parameters in individuals with and without traditional risk factors in a population-based cohort., Methods and Results: 3015 study participants (48% men, age 55-94, mean 69.01±9.17 years) in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging from 2010-2012. Absence of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors (no hypertension, diabetes or impaired fasting glucose, obesity, smoking or hypercholesterolemia) was infrequent, occurring in just 314 (10.4%, 38% men) of 3015 participants. In multivariable analyses adjusting for age, sex and race, individuals with CV risk factors had significantly larger LV mass index (by 17%) and lower LV contractibility (circumference strain, lower by 14%). Indexed LV volumes and stroke volume were inversely associated with age, but such relationships were not statistically significant in risk-free male subjects (p>0.05). Men with CV risk factors showed positive association of CMR T1 indices of myocardial fibrosis with age. Aortic function was similar in individuals with and without risk factors; age was associated with decline of aortic function in both CV and no CV risk factor groups., Conclusion: Our results support that LV structure and function are better preserved in senescent hearts in the absence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors, and such protection is more prominent in men than in women.

Background: This study sought to assess cross-sectional associations of aortic stiffness assessed by magnetic resonance imaging with left ventricular (LV) remodeling and myocardial deformation in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)., Methods and Results: Aortic arch pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measured with phase contrast cine magnetic resonance imaging. LV circumferential strain (Ecc), torsion, and early diastolic strain rate were determined by tagged magnetic resonance imaging. Multivariable linear regression models were used to adjust for demographics and cardiovascular risk factors. Of 2093 participants, multivariable linear regression models demonstrated that higher arch PWV was associated with higher LV mass index (B=0.53 per 1 SD increase for log-transformed PWV, P<0.05) and LV mass to volume ratio (B=0.015, P<0.01), impaired LV ejection fraction (LVEF; B=-0.84; P<0.001), Ecc (B=0.55; P<0.001), torsion (B=-0.11; P<0.001), and early diastolic strain rate (B=-0.003; P<0.05). In sex stratified analysis, higher arch PWV was associated with higher MVR (B=0.02; P<0.05), impaired Ecc (B=0.60; P<0.001), and LVEF (B=-0.45; P<0.05), but with maintained torsion in women. Higher PWV was associated with impaired Ecc (B=0.49; P<0.001) and LVEF (B=-1.21; P<0.001), with lower torsion (B=-0.17; P<0.001) in men., Conclusions: Higher arch PWV is associated with LV remodeling, and reduced LV systolic and diastolic function in a large multiethnic population. Greater aortic arch stiffness is associated with concentric LV remodeling and relatively preserved LVEF with maintained torsion in women, whereas greater aortic arch stiffness is associated with greater LV dysfunction demonstrated as impaired Ecc, torsion, and LVEF, with less concentric LV remodeling in men., (© 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.)

The study was performed to determine age, sex, and time-dependent changes in aortic wall thickness (AWT) and to evaluate cross-sectional associations between AWT and arterial stiffness in older adults. Three hundred seventy-one longitudinal and 426 cross-sectional measurements of AWT from cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging studies conducted within the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis were analyzed at 2 points in time, in 2000 to 2002 and then again from follow-up examinations in 2010 to 2012. Aortic wall thickness was determined from a double inversion recovery black-blood fast spin-echo sequence, and aortic stiffness was measured from a phase-contrast cine gradient echo sequence. The thickness of the midthoracic descending aortic wall was measured and correlated to distensibility of the ascending aorta and aortic pulse wave velocity. The average rate of AWT change was 0.032 mm/y. The increase in AWT was greater for those aged 45 to 54 years relative to individuals older than 55 years (P trend<0.001). Ascending aortic distensibility was lower (P<0.001) and pulse wave velocity was higher (P=0.012) for hypertensive subjects. After adjustment for traditional risk factors, distensibility of the ascending aorta was significantly related to AWT in participants without hypertension. Hypertension was associated with increased aortic stiffness independent of aortic wall thickness., (© 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.)

Background: Tagged cardiac magnetic resonance provides detailed information on regional myocardial function and mechanical behavior. T1 mapping by cardiac magnetic resonance allows noninvasive quantification of myocardial extracellular expansion (ECE), which has been related to interstitial fibrosis in previous clinical and subclinical studies. We assessed sex-associated differences in the relation of ECE to left ventricular (LV) remodeling and myocardial systolic and diastolic deformation in a large community-based multiethnic population., Methods and Results: Midventricular midwall peak circumferential shortening and early diastolic strain rate and LV torsion and torsional recoil rate were determined using cardiac magnetic resonance tagging. Midventricular short-axis T1 maps were acquired in the same examination pre- and postcontrast injection using Modified Look-Locker Inversion-Recovery sequence. Multivariable linear regression (estimated regression coefficient, B) was used to adjust for risk factors and subclinical disease measures. Of 1230 participants, 114 had a visible myocardial scar by late gadolinium enhancement. Participants without a visible myocardial scar (n=1116) had no history of previous clinical events. In the latter group, multivariable linear regression demonstrated that lower postcontrast T1 times, reflecting greater ECE, were associated with lower circumferential shortening (B=-0.1; P=0.0001), lower LV end-diastolic volume index (B=0.6; P=0.0001), and lower LV end-diastolic mass index (B=0.4; P=0.0001). In addition, lower postcontrast T1 times were associated with lower early diastolic strain rate (B=0.01; P=0.03) in women only and lower LV torsion (B=0.005; P=0.03) and lower LV ejection fraction (B=0.2, P=0.01) in men only., Conclusions: Greater ECE is associated with reduced LV end-diastolic volume index and LV end-diastolic mass index in a large multiethnic population without history of previous cardiovascular events. In addition, greater ECE is associated with reduced circumferential shortening, lower early diastolic strain rate, and a preserved ejection fraction in women, whereas in men, greater ECE is associated with greater LV dysfunction manifested as reduced circumferential shortening, reduced LV torsion, and reduced ejection fraction.

Objectives: This study sought to determine the relationship of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) measures of tissue composition to age in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)., Background: Animal and human studies have demonstrated increased collagen deposition in senescent hearts. New CMR indices of tissue composition by using T1 mapping are sensitive to the presence of myocardial fibrosis., Methods: A total of 1,231 study participants (51% women; age range 54 to 93 years) of the MESA cohort were evaluated with T1 mapping by using 1.5-T CMR scanners. None of the participants had focal scar on delayed enhancement CMR. Single-slice T1 mapping was performed at the midventricular level before and at 12- and 25-min delay after administration of gadolinium contrast by using a modified Look-Locker inversion recovery sequence. The partition coefficient was determined by the slope of the linear relationship of (1/T1myo vs. 1/T1blood). The extracellular volume fraction (ECV) was derived accounting for the hematocrit level. Multivariable regression analyses were performed, adjusting for traditional risk factors and left ventricular structure., Results: Women had significantly greater partition coefficient, ECV, and precontrast T1 than men, as well as lower post-contrast T1 values (all p < 0.05). In general, linear regression analyses demonstrated that greater partition coefficient, pre-contrast T1 values, and ECV were associated with older age in men (multivariate regression coefficients = 0.01; 5.9 ms; and 1.04% per 10 years' change; all p < 0.05). ECV was also significantly associated with age in women after multivariable adjustments., Conclusions: CMR parameters that have been associated with myocardial fibrosis were related to older age in the MESA study. Women had higher ECV than men but less ECV change over time., (Copyright © 2013 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Left ventricular (LV) mass is an important predictor of heart failure and cardiovascular mortality, yet determinants of LV mass are incompletely understood. Pulmonary hyperinflation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may contribute to changes in intrathoracic pressure that increase LV wall stress. We therefore hypothesized that residual lung volume in COPD would be associated with greater LV mass., Methods and Results: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) COPD Study recruited smokers 50 to 79 years of age who were free of clinical cardiovascular disease. LV mass was measured by cardiac magnetic resonance. Pulmonary function testing was performed according to guidelines. Regression models were used to adjust for age, sex, body size, blood pressure, and other cardiac risk factors. Among 119 MESA COPD Study participants, the mean age was 69±6 years, 55% were male, and 65% had COPD, mostly of mild or moderate severity. Mean LV mass was 128±34 g. Residual lung volume was independently associated with greater LV mass (7.2 g per 1-SD increase in residual volume; 95% confidence interval, 2.2-12; P=0.004) and was similar in magnitude to that of systolic blood pressure (7.6 g per 1-SD increase in systolic blood pressure; 95% confidence interval, 4.3-11; P<0.001). Similar results were observed for the ratio of LV mass to end-diastolic volume (P=0.02) and with hyperinflation measured as residual volume to total lung capacity ratio (P=0.009)., Conclusions: Pulmonary hyperinflation, as measured by residual lung volume or residual lung volume to total lung capacity ratio, is associated with greater LV mass.

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate how torsion is influenced by left ventricular (LV) remodeling associated with age, sex, and hypertension in a large community-based population., Methods and Results: Myocardial shortening and torsion were assessed by tagged cardiac magnetic resonance in 1478 participants without clinically apparent cardiovascular disease in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Torsion was defined as the difference between apical and basal rotation divided by slice distance. In multivariable linear regression models, older age was associated with lower stroke volume (-3.6 mL per decade; P<0.001) and higher LV mass-to-volume ratio (0.03 g/mL per decade; P<0.001), along with lower circumferential shortening (-0.17% per decade; P<0.05). Torsion, however, was greater at older ages (0.14° per decade; P<0.001) and in women (0.37°/cm versus men; P<0.001). Hypertensive participants had higher LV mass and LV mass-to-volume ratio (15.5 g and 0.07 g/mL, respectively; P<0.001 for both). Circumferential shortening was lower in hypertensive (-0.42%; P<0.01), whereas torsion was higher after adjustment for age and sex (0.17°/cm; P<0.05)., Conclusions: Older age is associated with lower LV volumes and greater relative wall thickness and is accompanied by lower circumferential myocardial shortening, whereas torsion is greater with older age. Hypertensive individuals have greater LV volumes and relative wall thickness and lower circumferential shortening. Torsion, however, is greater in hypertension independently of age and sex. Torsion may therefore represent a compensatory mechanism to maintain an adequate stroke volume and cardiac output in the face of the progressively reduced LV volumes and myocardial shortening associated with hypertension and aging.

Background: Evaluation of impaired left ventricular (LV) filling has focused on intrinsic causes of LV dysfunction; however, pulmonary vascular changes may contribute to reduced LV filling and dyspnea. We hypothesized that lower total pulmonary vascular volume (TPVV) on computed tomography (CT) would be associated with dyspnea and decrements in LV end-diastolic volume, particularly among ever-smokers. Methods: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis recruited adults without clinical cardiovascular disease in 2000–02. In 2010–12, TPVV was ascertained as the volume of arteries and veins in the lungs detectable on non-contrast chest CT (vessels ≥1 mm diameter). Cardiac measures were assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Dyspnea was self-reported. Results: Of 2303 participants, 53% had ever smoked cigarettes. Among ever-smokers, a lower TPVV was associated with a lower LV end-diastolic volume (6.9 mL per SD TPVV), stroke volume, and cardiac output and with dyspnea (all P-values <0.001). Findings were similar among those without lung disease and those with 0–10 pack-years but were mostly non-significant among never-smokers. TPVV was associated smaller left atrial volume but not with LV ejection fraction or MRI measures of impaired LV relaxation. In a second sample of ever-smokers, a lower pulmonary microvascular blood volume on contrast-enhanced MRI was also associated with a lower LV end-diastolic volume (P-value = 0.008). Conclusion: Reductions in pulmonary vascular volume were associated with lower LV filling and dyspnea among ever-smokers, including those without lung disease, suggesting that smoking-related pulmonary vascular changes may contribute to symptoms and impair cardiac filling and function without evidence of impaired LV relaxation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The strain relaxation index (SRI), a novel diastolic functional parameter derived from tagged magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is used to assess myocardial deformation during left ventricular relaxation. We investigated whether diastolic function indexed by SRI predicts heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF) over an 8-year follow-up. Methods As a part of the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis, 1544 participants free of known cardiovascular disease (CVD) underwent tagged MRI in 2000–02. Harmonic phase analysis was used to compute circumferential strain. Standard parameters, early diastolic strain rate (EDSR) and the peak torsion recoil rate were calculated. An SRI was calculated as difference between post-systolic and systolic times of the strain peaks, divided by the EDSR peak. It was normalized by the total interval of relaxation. Over an 8-year follow-up period, we defined AF (n = 57) or HF (n = 36) as combined (n = 80) end-points. Cox regression assessed the ability of SRI to predict events adjusted for risk factors and markers of subclinical disease. Integrated discrimination index (IDI) and net reclassification index (NRI) of SRI, compared with conventional indices, were also assessed. Results The hazard ratio for SRI remained significant for the combined HF and AF end-points as well as for HF alone after adjustment. For the combined end-point, IDI was 1.5% (P < 0.05) and NRI was 11.4% (P < 0.05) for SRI. Finally, SRI was more robust than all other existing cardiovascular magnetic resonance diastolic functional parameters. Conclusion SRI predicts HF and AF over an 8-year follow-up period in a large population free of known CVD, independent of established risk factors and markers of subclinical CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives: This study sought to determine the relationship of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) measures of tissue composition to age in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Background: Animal and human studies have demonstrated increased collagen deposition in senescent hearts. New CMR indices of tissue composition by using T1 mapping are sensitive to the presence of myocardial fibrosis. Methods: A total of 1,231 study participants (51% women; age range 54 to 93 years) of the MESA cohort were evaluated with T1 mapping by using 1.5-T CMR scanners. None of the participants had focal scar on delayed enhancement CMR. Single-slice T1 mapping was performed at the midventricular level before and at 12- and 25-min delay after administration of gadolinium contrast by using a modified Look-Locker inversion recovery sequence. The partition coefficient was determined by the slope of the linear relationship of (1/T1myo vs. 1/T1blood). The extracellular volume fraction (ECV) was derived accounting for the hematocrit level. Multivariable regression analyses were performed, adjusting for traditional risk factors and left ventricular structure. Results: Women had significantly greater partition coefficient, ECV, and precontrast T1 than men, as well as lower post-contrast T1 values (all p < 0.05). In general, linear regression analyses demonstrated that greater partition coefficient, pre-contrast T1 values, and ECV were associated with older age in men (multivariate regression coefficients = 0.01; 5.9 ms; and 1.04% per 10 years' change; all p < 0.05). ECV was also significantly associated with age in women after multivariable adjustments. Conclusions: CMR parameters that have been associated with myocardial fibrosis were related to older age in the MESA study. Women had higher ECV than men but less ECV change over time. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An abstract of the conference paper "Aortic size, distensibility, and pulse wave velocity changes with aging: longitudinal analysis from Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)," by Chia-Ying Liu and colleagues is presented.