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BACKGROUND: Angiopoietin-1 and 2 (Ang1, Ang2) are important mediators of angiogenesis. Angiopoietin levels are perturbed in cardiovascular disease, but it is unclear whether angiopoietin signaling is causative, an adaptive response, or merely epiphenomenon of disease activity. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a cohort free of cardiovascular disease at baseline (MESA), relationships between angiopoietins, cardiac morphology, and subsequent incidence of heart failure or cardiovascular death were evaluated. In cohorts with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) or left heart disease (LHD), associations between angiopoietins, invasive hemodynamics, and adverse clinical outcomes were evaluated. In MESA, Ang2 was associated with a higher incidence of heart failure or cardiovascular death (HR 1.21 per standard deviation, P

Previous benchtop studies have shown that robotic bulldog clamps provide incomplete vascular control of a Penrose drain. We determined the efficacy of robotic and laparoscopic bulldog clamps to ensure hemostasis on the human renal artery. The effect of clamp position on vascular control was also examined.Fresh human cadaveric renal arteries were used to determine the leak point pressure of 7 bulldog clamps from a total of 3 manufacturers. Five trials were performed per clamp at 4 locations, including the fulcrum, proximal, middle and distal positions. Comparison was done using the Kruskal-Wallis test with p0.05 considered significant.None of the bulldog clamps leaked at a pressure less than 215 mm Hg when applied at the proximal, middle or distal position. In general leak point pressure decreased as the artery was positioned more distal along the clamp. The exception was when the vessel was placed at the fulcrum position. At that position 80% to 100% of trials with the Klein laparoscopic, 100% with the Klein robotic (Klein Robotic, San Antonio, Texas) and 60% to 80% with the Scanlan robotic (Scanlan International, Saint Paul, Minnesota) clamp leaked at pressure below 215 mm Hg.Each vascular clamp adequately occluded flow at physiological pressure when placed at the proximal, middle or distal position. Furthermore, these results demonstrate that there is leakage at physiological pressure when the artery is placed at the fulcrum of certain clamp types. These results suggest that applying a bulldog clamp at the fulcrum could potentially lead to inadequate vessel occlusion and intraoperative bleeding.

Purpose Depression poses a significant public health burden, with varying prevalence by race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status (SES). It is unclear whether race/ethnicity and gender modify relationships between SES and depression. The purpose of this study was to investigate such effect modification. Methods A cross-sectional analysis was performed on Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis participants at the baseline ( n = 5559). Multivariable logistic regression models stratified by race/ethnicity and gender were performed to evaluate associations between income, education, occupation, and neighborhood SES with depressive symptoms, defined by Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale values of 16 or greater. Results Depressive symptom odds were lower with increasing income, and this was pronounced in white women, black men, and Hispanic women. Lower odds of depressive symptoms were seen in management/professional occupations for Hispanic men, and in blacks as neighborhood SES increased. Education was not associated with odds of depressive symptoms. Multiplicative interaction terms were significant for gender-income ( P = .028) and race/ethnicity-neighborhood ( P = .010). Race/ethnicity-neighborhood interaction was also observed on the additive scale. Conclusions Associations varied across races/ethnicities and gender, and evidence for effect modification was seen by gender with income, and by race/ethnicity with neighborhood SES. These findings provide a nuanced understanding of race/ethnicity and gender differences in SES related to depressive symptoms.