Objective. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with increased rates of cardiovascular disease. Reduced small artery elasticity (SAE) and large artery elasticity (LAE) and increased systemic vascular resistance (SVR) have been found in other high-risk groups. In the present study, we sought to determine whether arterial elasticity was reduced and SVR was increased in RA patients compared with controls matched for coronary artery disease (CAD) status, and to relate the results to vascular disease risk factors, including measures of inflammation.Methods. Arterial elasticity was assessed by pulse wave analysis in RA patients with (n ‫؍‬ 15) and without (n ‫؍‬ 38) CAD, and in controls matched 1:1 for age, sex, and CAD status. Vascular risk factors, including highsensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM-1), and serum amyloid A (SAA) levels, were assessed.Results. SAE and LAE were significantly lower and SVR was significantly higher in RA patients than in controls. RA patients also had higher levels of hsCRP, SAA, and sVCAM-1. SAE and LAE values were inversely correlated with markers of inflammation. Associations of SAE and LAE with RA were independent of conventional risk factors, but were dependent on markers of inflammation.Conclusion. Vascular function is abnormal in RA, with reduced SAE and LAE and increased SVR relative to controls. Arterial elasticity is inversely associated with measures of inflammation. These measures may be clinically useful in the detection and monitoring of vascular disease in RA.

In Type 1 diabetes, serum PEDF levels are associated with microvascular complications, poor vascular health, hyperglycaemia, adiposity and inflammation.

Healthy food subsidy programmes have not been widely implemented in high-income countries apart from the USA and the UK. There is, however, interest being expressed in the potential of healthy food subsidies to complement nutrition promotion initiatives and reduce the social disparities in healthy eating. Herein, we describe the impact of a fruit and vegetable (F&V) subsidy programme on the nutritional status of a cohort of disadvantaged Aboriginal children living in rural Australia. A before-and-after study was used to assess the nutritional impact in 174 children whose families received weekly boxes of subsidised F&V organised through three Aboriginal medical services. The nutritional impact was assessed by comparing 24 h dietary recalls and plasma carotenoid and vitamin C levels at baseline and after 12 months. A general linear model was used to assess the changes in biomarker levels and dietary intake, controlled for age, sex, community and baseline levels. Baseline assessment in 149 children showed low F&V consumption. Significant increases (P,0·05) in b-cryptoxanthin (28·9 nmol/l, 18 %), vitamin C (10·1 mmol/l, 21 %) and lutein -zeaxanthin (39·3 nmol/l, 11 %) levels were observed at the 12-month follow-up in 115 children, although the self-reported F&V intake was unchanged. The improvements in the levels of biomarkers of F&V intake demonstrated in the present study are consistent with increased F&V intake. Such dietary improvements, if sustained, could reduce non-communicable disease rates. A controlled study of healthy food subsidies, together with an economic analysis, would facilitate a thorough assessment of the costs and benefits of subsidising healthy foods for disadvantaged Aboriginal Australians.