This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The goal of this research protocol is to improve physicians' ability to detect and measure the severity of artherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Good circulation (blood flow) and elasticity of the blood vessels in the heart are important to continued heart health. As the arteries in the heart get harder and stiffer over time, there are many deleterious physical effects. Impaired vessel flow and contraction, due to a loss of elasticity of the arteries, can be linked to an increased risk of heart attack, hypertension (high blood pressure), and other major health concerns. There are both direct and indirect ways to measure arterial stiffness, however these methods are usually difficult to achieve and display significant variability among measurements. The purpose of this research study is to evaluate the usefulness of a new investigational magnetic resonance (MR) technique for measuring the elastic properties of blood vessels in an noninvasive manner. Men and women will be recruited for this study. These volunteers will be put into three separate classifications: 1) normal sedentary, 2) endurance-trained athletes, and 3) patients with isolated systolic hypertension. These three groups should display normal, successful, and accelerated aging, in terms of arterial health. Subjects who have been consented will have a basic physical, blood tests, exercise test, and pregnancy test (if applicable). The second part of the test will include a MR test. The data gained from this research will be used to calculate a 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease. These results will be compared to other measures of arterical stiffness to determine the accuracy of the measures.
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