Evaluation of the brachial artery endothelial function in chronic alcohol consumption among males by high-frequency ultrasonography

Reactive Oxygen Species Are Central Mediators of Vascular Dysfunction and Hypertension Induced by Ethanol Consumption

Consumption of high amounts of ethanol is a risk factor for development of cardiovascular diseases such as arterial hypertension. The hypertensive state induced by ethanol is a complex multi-factorial event, and oxidative stress is a pathophysiological hallmark of vascular dysfunction associated with ethanol consumption. Increasing levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the vasculature trigger important processes underlying vascular injury, including accumulation of intracellular Ca2+ ions, reduced bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO), activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), endothelial dysfunction, and loss of the anticontractile effect of perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT). The enzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase plays a central role in vascular ROS generation in response to ethanol. Activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is an upstream mechanism which contributes to NADPH oxidase stimulation, overproduction of ROS, and vascular dysfunction. This review discusses the mechanisms of vascular dysfunction induced by ethanol, detailing the contribution of ROS to these processes. Data examining the association between neuroendocrine changes and vascular oxidative stress induced by ethanol are also reviewed and discussed. These issues are of paramount interest to public health as ethanol contributes to blood pressure elevation in the general population, and it is linked to cardiovascular conditions and diseases.

Novel use of structural equation modelling to examine diet and metabolic traits associated with microvascular endothelial dysfunction in middle-aged Chinese males: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The present study aims to use structural equation modelling (SEM) with multiple regression pathways to examine direct and indirect links from diet and metabolic traits to microvascular endothelial dysfunction (ED) among middle-aged Chinese males.

METHODS

The study was conducted in middle-aged Chinese males, who underwent a health check-up between 2018 and 2019. Data on lifestyle behaviour factors (physical activity, diet pattern, sleep quality and diet data underwent factor analysis in advance) and metabolic risk factors referring to metabolic traits were introduced into the SEM to examine inter-relationship among these factors and their association with ED, as evaluated by the reactive hyperaemia index (RHI).

RESULTS

Both exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis identified two major dietary patterns: 'prudent pattern' and 'western pattern'. The univariate test suggested that only triglycerides (TGs) and prudent dietary pattern were directly associated with RHI. Furthermore, prudent dietary pattern had an indirect association with RHI via TG (prudent diet→TG: β=-0.15, p<0.05; TG→RHI: β=-0.17, p<0.001). As to confirming the hypothesised association between variables apart, physical activity frequency was correlated to the decrease in TG (β=-0.29, p<0.001), but had no direct correlation to RHI.

CONCLUSION

The network of direct and indirect associations among diet pattern and cardiometabolic risk factors with RHI measured ED among middle-aged males. The most significant modifiable factors identified were TG and prudent diet pattern, which needs to be targeted as preventive strategies for early microvascular impairment.

The effects of alcohol consumption on flow-mediated dilation in humans: A systematic review

Changes in endothelial function may contribute to the positive and negative effects of alcohol consumption on cardiovascular conditions, such as hypertension and coronary artery disease. Numerous studies have used brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) to examine the effects of alcohol consumption on endothelial function in humans. However, the findings are inconsistent and may be due to multiple factors such as heterogeneity in subject characteristics, the alcohol use pattern, and amount/dose of alcohol consumed. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to investigate the effect of alcohol consumption on brachial artery FMD in humans considering the above-mentioned factors. This review found that while light to moderate alcohol consumption may have minimal effects on FMD, heavy alcohol consumption was associated with a decrease in FMD. However, most of the published studies included healthy, younger, and male individuals, limiting generalizability to other populations. Future studies should include more women, older subjects, and those from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds.

Sleep duration regularity, but not sleep duration, is associated with microvascular function in college students

STUDY OBJECTIVES

Vascular dysfunction is a hypothesized mechanism linking poor sleep habits to an increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, the vascular profile associated with free-living sleep duration and sleep regularity has not been well elucidated, particularly in young adults. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the associations between mean sleep duration, regularity in sleep duration, and peripheral vascular function in young adult college students.

METHODS

Fifty-one healthy undergraduate students (20 ± 1 years) completed 14 days of 24-hour wrist actigraphy and subsequent vascular assessments. Macrovascular function was measured using brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) while microvascular function was measured via passive leg movement (PLM).

RESULTS

Mean sleep duration was unrelated to FMD and PLM. Conversely, more irregular sleep duration (14-day sleep duration standard deviation [SD]) was unfavorably associated with all three measures of PLM-induced hyperemia (peak leg blood flow [LBF], p = 0.01; change in LBF from baseline to peak, p < 0.01; LBF area under the curve, p < 0.01), and remained significant in regression models which adjusted for sex, body mass index, blood pressure, physical activity, alcohol and caffeine consumption, and sleep duration (all p < 0.05). When using a median split to dichotomize "low" and "high" sleep duration SD groups, those demonstrating high variability in sleep duration exhibited ~45% lower PLM responses compared with those demonstrating low variability.

CONCLUSIONS

Irregular sleep duration is associated with poorer microvascular function as early as young adulthood. These findings support the growing body of evidence that irregular sleep patterns may be an independent and modifiable risk factor for CVD.

Association between alcohol intake and incident hypertension in the Korean population

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Alcohol consumption is generally associated with increased risk of hypertension. However, the effect of alcohol intake on the incidence of hypertension remains controversial due to inconsistent results across studies. We investigated the association between alcohol intake and hypertension in a Korean population.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The two studies that we evaluated herein, the CAVAS study (N = 6259) and the Ansan-Ansung study (N = 2461), were part of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology study on participants aged between 40 and 69 years who underwent community-based health checkups (2 years for the CAVAS study follow-up and 12 years for the Ansan-Ansung study follow-up). We categorized the participants into four groups based on baseline and follow-up period measurements. We found that baseline alcohol consumption increased the risk of incident hypertension in the CAVAS study [HR (95% CI), low: 1.094 (0.848-1.411); intermediate: 1.661 (1.227-2.141); high: 1.723 (1.274-2.330)]. Intermediate and high alcohol consumption were associated with increased risk of incident hypertension in men [2.086 (1.438-3.027) for intermediate, and 1.952 (1.294-2.944) for high], but only women had increased risk of incident hypertension with high consumption [1.950 (1.100-3.455)]. In addition, we found a positive association between the alcohol consumption pattern (over 10 years) and the risk of incident hypertension in the Ansan-Ansung study [HR (95% CI), light: 1.316 (1.126-1.539); moderate: 1.445 (1.193-1.750); heavy: 1.897 (1.488-2.419)]. Moderate and heavy consumption patterns carried higher risks of incident hypertension compared with never-drinking in men [moderate: 1.292 (1.033-1.617); heavy: 1.703 (1.293-2.242)], but women with light consumption patterns were at increased risk of incident hypertension [1.572 (1.302-1.899)].

CONCLUSIONS

This large prospective cohort study revealed a linear association between baseline alcohol consumption, subsequent alcohol consumption patterns (over more than 10 years), and hypertension risk in the Korean population.

Research progress in ultrasound use for the diagnosis and treatment of cerebrovascular diseases

Cerebrovascular diseases pose a serious threat to human survival and quality of life and represent a major cause of human death and disability. Recently, the incidence of cerebrovascular diseases has increased yearly. Rapid and accurate diagnosis and evaluation of cerebrovascular diseases are of great importance to reduce the incidence, morbidity and mortality of cerebrovascular diseases. With the rapid development of medical ultrasound, the clinical relationship between ultrasound imaging technology and the diagnosis and treatment of cerebrovascular diseases has become increasingly close. Ultrasound techniques such as transcranial acoustic angiography, doppler energy imaging, three-dimensional craniocerebral imaging and ultrasound thrombolysis are novel and valuable techniques in the study of cerebrovascular diseases. In this review, we introduce some of the new ultrasound techniques from both published studies and ongoing trials that have been confirmed to be convenient and effective methods. However, additional evidence from future studies will be required before some of these techniques can be widely applied or recommended as alternatives.