David Stephen Celermajer

BACKGROUND: Male sex is an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease. Owing to the importance of monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells in the development of atherosclerosis, we hypothesized that androgens might promote this process. We therefore studied the effects of the nonaromatizable androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT) on human monocyte adhesion to human endothelial cells and on endothelial cell-surface expression of adhesion molecules.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Human umbilical ...

OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate the mechanism whereby a particular deformity of the aortic arch, an angulated Gothic shape, might lead to hypertension late after anatomically successful repair of aortic coarctation.

METHODS: Fifty-five normotensive patients with anatomically successful repair of aortic coarctation and either a Gothic (angulated) or a Romanesque (smooth and rounded) arch were studied with magnetic resonance angiography and flow mapping in both the ascending and ...

OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to assess the effect of oral L-arginine on endothelial or platelet physiology in humans.

BACKGROUND: L-Arginine is the substrate for nitric oxide synthesis, and in cholesterol-fed rabbits, oral L-arginine improves endothelium-dependent dilation, inhibits platelet aggregation and reduces atheroma. In hypercholesterolemic humans, intravenous L-arginine immediately improves endothelium-dependent dilation; however, the vascular effects of oral L-arginine in healthy ...

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to assess the effect of cigarette smoking on adhesion of human monocytes to human endothelial cells and to measure the effect of L-arginine and vitamin C supplementation on this interaction.

BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking has been associated with abnormal endothelial function and increased leukocyte adhesion to endothelium, both key early events in atherogenesis. Supplementation with both oral L-arginine (the physiologic substrate for nitric oxide) and ...

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to examine whether endothelial function is impaired in the large vessels of asymptomatic young adults with insulin-dependent diabetes and whether endothelial dysfunction is related to duration or control of diabetes, small-vessel disease or other vascular risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Endothelial dysfunction is an early event in atherosclerosis, and large-vessel atherosclerotic disease is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetes.

METHODS: We ...

OBJECTIVES: We sought to assess smooth muscle function in adults at risk for atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies in subjects at risk for atherosclerosis have demonstrated arterial endothelial dysfunction, with reduced vasodilator responses after pharmacologic or physiologic stimulation of endothelial nitric oxide (NO). Most have also shown a slight but nonsignificant impairment of vasodilation in response to exogenous sources of NO, such as nitroglycerin (NTG). We hypothesized ...

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the accuracy of 64-slice computed tomography (CT) angiography, as compared to invasive angiography, to evaluate reimplanted coronary arteries in children after arterial switch operation (ASO) for transposition of the great arteries (TGA).

BACKGROUND: Assessment of the integrity of reimplanted coronary arteries is crucial for long-term outcome after ASO for TGA. Noninvasive tests have limited accuracy for detecting significant coronary lesions, and invasive ...

OBJECTIVES: To identify factors associated with hospital and long-term outcomes in a binational cohort of extracardiac conduit (ECC) Fontan recipients.

METHODS: All patients who underwent an ECC Fontan procedure from 1997 to 2010 in Australia and New Zealand were identified, and perioperative, follow-up, echocardiographic and reintervention data collected. Risk factors for early and late mortality, failure and adverse outcomes were analysed.

RESULTS: A total of 570 patients were ...

INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a major cause of mortality in systemic sclerosis. N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) has emerged as a candidate biomarker that may enable the early detection of systemic sclerosis-related pulmonary arterial hypertension (SSc-PAH). The objective of our study was to incorporate NT-proBNP into a screening algorithm for SSc-PAH that could potentially replace transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) as a more convenient and less ...

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the contribution of acute aortic arch angulation and enhanced systolic pulse wave reflection to dilatation of the ascending aorta and aortic regurgitation late after the arterial switch operation for transposition of the great arteries.

METHODS: We performed aortography, radial artery applanation tonometry, and transthoracic echocardiography in 47 children (aged 5-6 years) who underwent the arterial switch operation and in 20 matched healthy controls. The aortic ...

BACKGROUND: Monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells is a key early event in atherogenesis. Because L-arginine has been shown to reduce atheroma and to decrease monocyte-endothelial cell adhesion in an animal model of atherosclerosis, we studied the effects of L-arginine on human monocyte adhesion to human endothelial cells and endothelial expression of cell adhesion molecules.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were grown to confluence, then incubated for ...

Context: Erectile function is important for life satisfaction and often impaired in men with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Uncontrolled studies show that treating OSA with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) improves erectile function. Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (e.g., vardenafil) are the first-line therapy for erectile dysfunction (ED), but may worsen OSA.

Objective: To assess the effects of CPAP and vardenafil on ED.

Design: Sixty-one men with moderate-to-severe OSA ...

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to describe the incidence of ventricular arrhythmia during prospective long-term follow-up in a group of patients who had repair of tetralogy of Fallot during early childhood.

BACKGROUND: Ventricular arrhythmia has been a common finding in patients who have undergone repair of tetralogy of Fallot in late childhood or as adults. Whether earlier repair lowers the incidence of late ventricular arrhythmia or late sudden death is unknown.

METHODS: ...

OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to investigate the effects of reconstituted high-density lipoprotein (rHDL) infusions on plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) anti-inflammatory properties and ex vivo cholesterol efflux in patients with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: The anti-inflammatory effects of HDL contribute to protection from cardiovascular events. Individuals with type 2 diabetes are at elevated risk for cardiovascular disease, and typically have low HDL with reduced anti-inflammatory ...

Reduced fetal growth is associated with increased systolic blood pressure. Recently, we found an inverse association between serum ω-3 fatty acids and systolic blood pressure in young adults born with impaired fetal growth. We investigated the associations of dietary intake in childhood of the long-chain ω-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid with blood pressure parameters in children born with reduced birth weight. We analyzed data from 3457 children aged 8 to 15 ...