Ideal cardiovascular health, biomarkers, and coronary artery disease in persons with HIV

OBJECTIVE: To investigate relationships between Life\u27s Simple 7 (LS7), an assessment of cardiovascular health (CVH), and coronary plaque among people with HIV (PWH). DESIGN: Cross-sectional. METHODS: Coronary computed tomography angiography, immune/inflammatory biomarkers, and characterization of LS7 were collected among a subset of ART-treated PWH enrolled in REPRIEVE, a primary prevention trial. Analyses adjusted for cardiovascular disease risk (ASCVD score). RESULTS: Median age of the 735 participants was 51(±6) years, 16% female, and median (Q1-Q3) CVD risk was 4.5% (2.6-6.9). Forty percent had poor (≤2 ideal components), 51% had intermediate (three or four ideal components), and only 9% had ideal CVH (≥5). Coronary plaque was present in 357 (49%); 167 (23%) had one or more vulnerable plaque features, 293 (40%) had noncalcified plaque, and 242 (35%) had a coronary artery calcium score \u3e0. All three phenotypes were increasingly more prevalent with poorer CVH and these relationships remained after adjusting for ASCVD risk. Poor CVH was associated with higher high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, oxidized low-density cholesterol, and interleukin-6. The relationship of LS7 to plaque remained after adjusting for these biomarkers. CONCLUSIONS: Among PWH, poor CVH as measured by LS7 was associated with coronary plaque presence, vulnerable features, and calcification. LS7 was also associated with selected biomarkers; adjustment for these and ASCVD score reduced but did not eliminate LS7\u27s association with plaque, suggesting the possibility of additional protective mechanisms against atherogenesis and plaque remodeling. Clinical use of LS7 and further exploration of its relationships with coronary artery disease may enhance efforts to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in PWH. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT02344290

AI-quantitative CT coronary plaque features associate with a higher relative risk in women: CONFIRM2-Registry

Background: Coronary plaque features are imaging biomarkers of cardiovascular risk, but less is known about sex-specific patterns in their prognostic value. This study aimed to define sex differences in the coronary atherosclerotic phenotypes assessed by artificial intelligence-based quantitative coronary computed tomography (AI-QCT) and the associated risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Methods: Global multicenter registry (CONFIRM2) including symptomatic patients with suspicion of CAD referred for coronary CTA. AI-QCT analyzed 16 CAD features. Primary endpoint was MACE defined as death, myocardial infarction, late revascularization, cerebrovascular events, unstable angina and congestive heart failure. Results: Among 3551 patients (mean age 59±12 years, 49.5% women), MACE occurred in 3.2% of women and 6.1% of men during an average follow-up of 4.8±2.2 years. The AI-QCT features total plaque volume (TPV), noncalcified plaque (NCP), calcified plaque (CP) and percentage atheroma volume (PAV) were significantly higher in men (p<0.001), and high-risk plaque (HRP) was more prevalent (9.2% vs 2.5%, p<0.0001). Independent of age and cardiovascular risk factors, the AI-QCT derived features of TPV, NCP, CP, and PAV conferred a higher relative risk of MACE in women than men. For every 50mm3 increase in TPV, relative risk increased by 17.7% (95% CI 1.12-1.24) in women vs 5.3% (95% CI 1.03-1.07) in men (p-interaction<0.001), for NCP relative risk increased by 27.1% (95% CI 1.17-1.38) vs 11.6% (95% CI 1.08-1.15) (p-interaction = 0.0015), and for CP, by 22.9% (95% CI 1.14-1.33) vs 5.4% (95% CI 1.01-1.10) (p-interaction = 0.0012), respectively. Similarly, for PAV the risk was higher in women. The findings remained unchanged when restricted to a secondary composite endpoint (death and myocardial infarction). Conclusions: The AI-QCT plaque features TPV, NCP, CP and PAV conferred a higher relative MACE risk in women and may prompt more aggressive anti-atherosclerotic therapy and reinforced preventive interventions

Spectroscopic ellipsometry and polarimetry for materials and systems analysis at the nanometer scale: state-of-the-art, potential, and perspectives

This paper discusses the fundamentals, applications, potential, limitations, and future perspectives of polarized light reflection techniques for the characterization of materials and related systems and devices at the nanoscale. These techniques include spectroscopic ellipsometry, polarimetry, and reflectance anisotropy. We give an overview of the various ellipsometry strategies for the measurement and analysis of nanometric films, metal nanoparticles and nanowires, semiconductor nanocrystals, and submicron periodic structures. We show that ellipsometry is capable of more than the determination of thickness and optical properties, and it can be exploited to gain information about process control, geometry factors, anisotropy, defects, and quantum confinement effects of nanostructures