Showing papers by "Kimon Stamatelopoulos published in 2013"
TL;DR: Subclinical atherosclerosis was highly prevalent in postmenopausal women with low to medium Heartscore and should be additionally weighted in risk calculations, regarding primary prevention strategies in this population of women.
42 citations
TL;DR: Arterial stiffness is increased in asymptomatic, nondiabetic women with a putative PCOS phenotype, independently of age, BMI or blood pressure, which might present one mechanism through which PCOS increases the risk of CVD and hypertension later in life.
Abstract: Objective:The metabolic dysfunction accompanying the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may increase the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although menopause per se may be an additional risk factor of CVD, the association between PCOS in postmenopausal women and cardiovascular ris
36 citations
TL;DR: Dysregulation of TNF-like Cytokine 1A-induced signaling may be associated with risk for accelerated atherosclerosis in RA, and a "low TL1A/DcR3" immunophenotype predicted a preserved Atherosclerosis profile in carotid and/or femoral arteries.
31 citations
TL;DR: Findings imply that circulating platelet/CD34+ cell coaggregate levels are increased in ACS, especially in STEMI, which may be a novel mechanism of domiciliation of CD34+ progenitor cells to the injured microvasculature after acute myocardial infarction.
Abstract: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the levels of platelet interaction with circulating CD34 + cells in patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP) and acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and to study the functional consequence of coaggregates formation in vitro and in vivo. Methods and results Platelet binding to circulating progenitor cells was defined by the presence of the platelet-specific marker glycopro- tein Ib (CD42b) on the surface of CD34 + cells using flow cytometry. The percentage of CD34 + /CD42b + cell coag- gregates was increased in patients with ACS (n ¼ 162), and especially in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (n ¼ 44), compared with patients with SAP (n ¼ 116; P , 0.001). In the ANCOVA analysis, plate- let/CD34 + cell coaggregates were independently increased in ACS after adjustment for possible confounders. In a subgroup of our cohort, we also evaluated the levels of CD34 + /CD133 + /CD42b + cell coaggregates, which were also significantly increased in ACS, and especially in STEMI (P , 0.05). Platelet/CD34 + cell coaggregates formation correlated with platelet activation (P ¼ 0.001). In a prospective pilot study of patients with AMI (n ¼ 40) using cardiac MRI, patients with increased baseline platelet/CD34 + cell coaggregates presented with a less myocardial infarct size and better left ventricular function at a 3-month follow-up compared with patients with lower coaggre- gates (P , 0.05 for all). The adhesion of platelet/CD34 + cell coaggregates onto the extracellular matrix and to endo- thelial monolayer was enhanced compared with CD34 + under high shear rates in vitro (P , 0.05) and within the microcirculation in mice after ischaemia/reperfusion injury as assessed by intravital microscopy (P , 0.05). Conclusions These findings imply that circulating platelet/CD34 + cell coaggregate levels are increased in ACS, especially in STEMI, which may be a novel mechanism of domiciliation of CD34 + progenitor cells to the injured microvasculature after acute myocardial infarction.
30 citations
TL;DR: This is the first study to show that sesame oil consumption exerts a beneficial effect on endothelial function and this effect is sustained with long-term daily use.
Abstract: Background: The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of sesame oil on endothelial function and to detect the underlying mechanisms, both in the postprandial state and after long-term con...
29 citations
TL;DR: Although anucleated, platelets contain megakaryocyte-derived messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) which can be translated to produce protein molecules which regulate important functions such as platelet shape change, granules secretion, and platelet activation.
Abstract: Although anucleated, platelets contain megakaryocyte-derived messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) which can be translated to produce protein molecules. Recently, platelets have been found to contain small (∼23 base pair) non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) derived from hairpin-like precursors. MiRNAs can specifically silence their mRNA targets regulating mRNA translation. Platelet miRNAs are reported to bind to important platelet target mRNAs involved in platelet reactivity including P2Y12 ADP receptor, GPIIb receptor, and cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase A. They also regulate important functions such as platelet shape change, granules secretion, and platelet activation. Platelet miRNAs were also proposed as biomarkers of arteriosclerosis, although their role in vascular inflammation needs to be elucidated. Further, the possibility of using miRNAs as therapeutic tools has emerged. Using synthetic oligo-nucleotides that antagonize miRNAs binding to their mRNAs-targets or synthetic miRNAs mimics that enhance endogenous miRNAs function potentially will ultimately lead to the manipulation of platelet miRNAs expression and function with significant effects on specific protein levels and overall platelet reactivity.
29 citations
TL;DR: BMI was the strongest independent predictor of cIMT among the whole population, and especially in diabetics, suggesting a possible synergistic effect of diabetes and adiposity on atherosclerotic burden.
Abstract: Aims. To evaluate carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and biomarkers of the osteoprotegerin/receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (OPG/RANKL) system in type 1 diabetes (T1DM) children and adolescents and controls. Subjects and Methods. Fifty six T1DM patients (mean ± SD age: 12.0 ± 2.7 years, diabetes duration: 5.42 ± 2.87 years and HbA1c: 8.0 ± 1.5%) and 28 healthy matched controls, were studied with anthropometric and laboratory measurements, including serum OPG, soluble RANKL (sRANKL) and cIMT. Results. Anthropometric, laboratory, and cIMT measurements were similar between T1DM youngsters and controls. However patients with longer diabetes duration (>/7.0 years) had indicatively higher cIMT (cIMT = 0.49 vs 0.44 mm, 0.072) and triglyceride levels than the rest of the patients (93.7 vs 64.6 mg/dl, 0.025). Both in the total study population ( 0.418, 0.027) and among T1DM patients separately ( 0.604, 0.013), BMI was the only factor associated with cIMT. BMI was further associated with OPG in both groups ( −0.335, 0.003 and −0.356, 0.008 respectively), while sRANKL levels were not associated with any factor. Conclusions. BMI was the strongest independent predictor of cIMT among the whole population, and especially in diabetics, suggesting a possible synergistic effect of diabetes and adiposity on atherosclerotic burden. BMI was overall strongly associated with circulating OPG, but the causes of this association remain unclear.
17 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The anaerobic exercise involved in weightlifting correlated with worse endothelial function and increased IMT as compared to exercise in the form of tennis, possibly explaining the elevated cardiovascular risk seen in athletes performing an aerobic training.
16 citations
TL;DR: Increased values of 24-h TR of systolic BP variation are associated independently with formation of edema in acute stroke patients.
Abstract: OBJECTIVES Both brain edema and increased blood pressure (BP) variability are associated with poor outcome after stroke. The aim of the present study was to evaluate a possible association between edema formation and a relatively new index of BP variability defined as time rate (TR) of BP variation. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 128 first-ever acute stroke patients underwent 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring within 24 h from onset of stroke. All patients were imaged with computed tomography scan on admission and after 5 days to determine the presence of brain edema. The TR of BP variation was defined as the first derivative of the BP values against time. Known risk factors and neurological severity on admission were documented. RESULTS The 24-h TR of systolic BP variation was significantly higher (P<0.001) in stroke patients with brain edema (0.69±0.15 mmHg/min) compared with those without edema (0.57±0.12 mmHg/min). The multivariate logistic regression model showed that a 0.1 mmHg/min increase in the TR of 24-h systolic BP variation was associated with a 13.9% increased probability of the presence of brain edema (odds ratio=1.139, 95% confidence interval: 1.058-1.225, P<0.001), after adjusting for history of diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, type of stroke, neurological deficit, and 24-h systolic BP. CONCLUSION Increased values of 24-h TR of systolic BP variation are associated independently with formation of edema in acute stroke patients.
15 citations
TL;DR: There was no association between the PvuII polymorphism and stroke severity and short-term outcome in the studied female stroke population, suggesting that the long-term estrogenic action, reflected by the genetic polymorphism, is not a major determinant of disease severity and prognosis in older age.
Abstract: Several studies have examined the association of the PvuII polymorphism of the estrogen receptor alpha gene with the risk of stroke. Data linking the polymorphism with the severity and outcome of cerebrovascular disease are lacking. In this study, we evaluated 285 postmenopausal Caucasian patients suffering an acute stroke, hospitalized in two tertiary hospitals over a period of 2 years, and searched for associations between the PvuII polymorphism and the one-month outcome and the neurological severity on admission. The prevalence of CC genotype was 21%, CT 50% and TT 29%. Estradiol levels were higher with increasing frequencies of the C allele (p = 0.04). There was no difference in the short-term functional outcome and mortality and the neurological severity on admission among the three genotypes. We did not find a significant association of the PvuII polymorphism with intracerebral hemorrhage and classical stroke risk factors. An association of the CC genotype with venous thromboembolism history...