Calcification arterial

Blacher J, Guerin AP, Pannier B, Marchais SJ, London GM. Arterial calcifications, arterial stiffness, and cardiovascular risk in end-stage renal disease. Hypertension 2001 38 938-42. 

Spronk HM (2006) Vitamin K epoxide reductase complex and vascular calcification is this the important link between vitamin K and the arterial vessel wall Circulation 113 1550-1552... 

Dose of elemental calcium should not exceed 1.5-2 g/d and plasma calcium levels should not exceed 9.5 mg/dL (to avoid coronary artery calcification resulting from excess calcium)... 

The increased serum phosphorus binds to calcium in the serum, which leads to deposition of hydroxyapatite crystals throughout the body. The calcium-phosphorus (Ca-P) product reflects serum solubility. A Ca-P product greater than 75 mg2/dL2 promotes crystal deposition in the joints and eye, leading to arthritis and conjunctivitis, respectively. Soft tissue deposition primarily affects the coronary arteries of the heart, lungs, and vascular tissue and is associated with a Ca-P product greater than 55 mg2/dL2.36 The Ca-P product has been associated with increased mortality37 and is a risk factor for calcification of vascular and soft tissues.35... 

Rattazzi M, Bennett BJ, Bea F, et al. Calcification of advanced atherosclerotic lesions in the innominate arteries of ApoE-deficient mice potential role of chondrocyte-like cells. Arterioscler Thromb Vase Biol 2005 25(7) 1420-1425. 

Valdes AM, Wolfe ML, O Brien EJ, et al. Val64Ile polymorphism in the C-C chemokine receptor 2 is associated with reduced coronary artery calcification. Arterioscler Thromb Vase Biol 2002 22(11) 1924-1928. 

Gross M, Steffes M, Jacobs DR Jr, Yu X, Lewis L, Lewis CE, Loria CM (2005) Plasma F2-isoprostanes and coronary artery calcification the CARDIA study. Clin Chem 51 125-131... 

Atherosclerosis is main cause of cardiovascular deaths. It is characterized by a localised plaque in the intima and is composed of cholesterol esters, deposition of fibrous proteins and calcification. These plaques may narrow the arterial lumen and can cause distalischemia. The coronary and cerebral circulation are main sites of atherosclerosis. Raised levels of VLDL, LDL... 

For nearly half a century the elastic fibre has been considered a primary site of vascular calcification326, 334 336), Calcium deposits in the arterial wall commonly take the form of phosphate salts which are intimately intermeshed with the protein of the elastic fibre327. Much effort has been directed toward identifying the mechanism for the initiation of focal calcification. It has been proposed that the initial step is ionic calcium binding to the uncharged peptide carbonyl oxygens of the elastic fibre protein328, 329. ... 

It has been shown that vascular mineralization is associated with the elastin fibres334 of the components on the major arterial vessels. Elastin isolated from human aortas of varying ages undergoes mineralization in vitro at a faster rate when obtained from older tissues. This increase in the rate of mineralization may be seen in the reduction of what is called the lay period, in the uptake of calcium and phosphate during the in vitro calcification of elastin337. ... 

Dosages exceeding 4000 I.U./day may cause varying degrees of toxicity in humans Symptoms include anorexia, nausea, thirst, and diarrhea. There also may be polyuria, muscular weakness, and joint pains. Scrum calcium increases and calcification of soft (issues (arteries, muscle) may commence. Arterial lesions and kidney injury have been noted in rats. 

VI. Valabhji, J., McColl, A. J., Richmond, W., Schachter, M., Rubens, M. B., and Elkeles, R. S., Total antioxidant status and coronary artery calcification in type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Care 24, 1608-1613 (2001). 

The heart may be enlarged with left ventricular hypertrophy, particularly in cases which have exhibited hypertension during life. Metastatic calcification of the valves and of the myocardium may be present, explaining no doubt the cardiac murmurs which may have been detected clinically in such cases. Occasionally, medullary proliferation of large arteries and, in the smaller arteries, fragmentation of the intimal elastic lamina has been reported, in one case with impregnation with calcium salts. Local calcification of the media of the middle cerebral artery has been described. 

Parhami, F., Tintut, Y., Ballard, A., Fogelman, A. M., and Demer, L. L. 2001. Leptin enhances the calcification of vascular cells artery wall as a target of leptin. Circ. Res. 88 954—960. 

Q13 Arterial emboli, which can block blood vessels and cause ischaemia or infarction in the tissues they affect, tend to originate in the left heart and are associated with valvular disease and dysrhythmias. Mitral stenosis is associated with abnormal atrial rhythm, particularly atrial fibrillation. Fibrillation and other rhythm abnormalities in the atria favour blood coagulation, resulting in production of thromboemboli which can move to distant parts of the circulation, such as the cerebral circulation. Thrombi could also form on surfaces of valves distorted by calcification and other abnormalities. In view of the risks of thromboembolism, it is usual to provide anticoagulant therapy to patients with mitral valve problems and atrial fibrillation. 

Operator dependent so requires training, skill and experience to ensure accuracy of and consistency in measurement of stenosis Plaque or peri-arterial calcification causes difficulty in interpretation... 

Nandalur KR, Baskurt E, Hagspiel KDC et al. (2006). Carotid artery calcification on CT... 

Osteoporosis is a condition involving loss of bone mineral and matrix in elderly people, and may affect 40% of women and 12% of men as they age. The loss of bone mineral is associated with inappropriate calcification of other tissues, especially arteries and the kidneys. This may be more dangerous than the loss of bone, in that the majority of deaths among women suffering from osteoporosis are from cardiovascular disease. 

Luo G, Ducy P, McKee MD, Pinero GJ, Loyer E, Behringer RR, and Karsenty G (1997) Spontaneous calcification of arteries and cartilage in mice lacking matrix GLA protein. Nature 386,78-81. 

Diseases of elastic tissue are few compared with those that affect collagen, and in these destruction of preformed elastic fibers appears to occur only in localized areas, particularly in the walls of blood vessels and in the skin. In arteriosclerosis loss of elasticity and breakdown in the structure of the elastic elements in the media of arteries is accompanied by calcification of the media and the development of calcified plaques in the intima. Since calcification of the media may be seen to occur without the development of atheromata, it is thought that this change may be associated in the first place with age. Other age-related changes looked for have been changes in the gross content of elastin in the media and changes in the amino acid... 

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