Our Publications

Published Papers

Our Publications

Staged Surgically Created Type B Aortic Dissection Model with Endovascular Re-intervention for Different Morphological Features. (Journal article)

Guo, B., Akhtar, R., Liu, H., Yan, C., Guo, D., Patterson, B., & Fu, W. (2023). Staged Surgically Created Type B Aortic Dissection Model with Endovascular Re-intervention for Different Morphological Features.. Interdisciplinary cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, ivad133.

doi:10.1093/icvts/ivad133

Read More

Arterial stiffness and atrial fibrillation: shared mechanisms, clinical implications and therapeutic options

Vio, R., Giordani, A. S., Stefil, M., Madine, J., Fairbairn, T., Themistoclakis, S., . . . Proietti, R. (2022). Arterial stiffness and atrial fibrillation: shared mechanisms, clinical implications and therapeutic options.. Journal of hypertension, 40(9), 1639-1646.

doi:10.1097/hjh.0000000000003223

Read More

Is There Enough Evidence to Support the Role of Glycosaminoglycans and Proteoglycans in Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm and Dissection?—A Systematic Review

Rai, P., Robinson, L., Davies, H. A., Akhtar, R., Field, M., & Madine, J. (2022). Is There Enough Evidence to Support the Role of Glycosaminoglycans and Proteoglycans in Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm and Dissection?—A Systematic Review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(16), 9200.

doi:10.3390/ijms23169200

Read More

Microcalcification and Thoracic Aortopathy: A Window Into Disease Severity

Fletcher, A. J., Nash, J., Syed, M. B. J., Macaskill, M. G., Tavares, A. A. S., Walker, N., . . . Sellers, S. L. (2022). Microcalcification and Thoracic Aortopathy: A Window Into Disease Severity. ARTERIOSCLEROSIS THROMBOSIS AND VASCULAR BIOLOGY, 42(8), 1048-1059.

doi:10.1161/ATVBAHA.122.317111

Read More

Thoracic aortic aneurysms and atrial fibrillation: commonality in pathophysiological pathways

Proietti, R., Lip, G. Y. H., Akhtar, R., & Field, M. (2022). Thoracic aortic aneurysms and atrial fibrillation: commonality in pathophysiological pathways. CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH, 118(4), E32-E35.

doi:10.1093/cvr/cvac016

Read More

Micromechanical and Ultrastructural Properties of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Hossack, M., Fisher, R., Torella, F., Madine, J., Field, M., & Akhtar, R. (2022). Micromechanical and Ultrastructural Properties of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms. Artery Research.

doi:10.1007/s44200-022-00011-3

Read More

Time-dependent mechanical behaviour of the aortic chronic dissection flap

Panpho, P., Yang, Y., Davies, H. A., Nawaytou, O., Harky, A., Torella, F., . . . Akhtar, R. (2022). Time-dependent mechanical behaviour of the aortic chronic dissection flap.. Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery.

doi:10.1093/icvts/ivac029

Read More

Rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry (intelligent knife) for point-of-care testing in acute aortic dissection surgery

Davies, H. A., Caamano-Gutierrez, E., Sarsby, J., Chim, Y. H., Barrett, S., Nawaytou, O., . . . Madine, J. (2022). Rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry (intelligent knife) for point-of-care testing in acute aortic dissection surgery. Interactive CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery.

doi:10.1093/icvts/ivac019

Read More

Exploring the potential of rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry (Intelligent Knife) for point-of-care testing in aortic surgery

Davies, H. A., Caamano-Gutierrez, E., Sarsby, J., Nawaytou, O., Harky, A., Akhtar, R., . . . Madine, J. (n.d.). Exploring the potential of rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry (Intelligent Knife) for point-of-care testing in aortic surgery. European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery.

doi:10.1093/ejcts/ezab166

Read More

Bicuspid valve aortopathy is associated with distinct patterns of matrix degradation

Chim, Y. H., Davies, H., Mason, D., Nawaytou, O., Field, M., Madine, J., & Akhtar, R. (2019). Bicuspid valve aortopathy is associated with distinct patterns of matrix degradation. The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, 160(6), E239-E257.

doi:10.1016/j.jtcvs.2019.08.094

Read More

Idiopathic degenerative thoracic aneurysms are associated with increased aortic medial amyloid

Davies, H. A., Caamano-Gutierrez, E., Chim, Y. H., Field, M., Nawaytou, O., Ressel, L., . . . Madine, J. (n.d.). Idiopathic degenerative thoracic aneurysms are associated with increased aortic medial amyloid. Amyloid: international journal of experimental and clinical investigation, 26(3), 148-155.

doi:10.1080/13506129.2019.1625323

Read More

Macro- and Micro-mechanical Properties of the Ovine Aorta: Correlation with Regional Variations in Collagen, Elastin and Glycosaminoglycan Levels

Panpho, P., Brendan, G., Chim, Y. H., Davies, H., Field, M., Madine, J., & Akhtar, R. (2019). Macro- and Micro-mechanical Properties of the Ovine Aorta: Correlation with Regional Variations in Collagen, Elastin and Glycosominoglycan Levels. Artery Research, 25(1-2), 27-36.

doi:10.2991/artres.k.191114.003

Read More

Quality of Reporting in Human Aortic Tissue Research – A Systematic Review

Chim, Y. -H., Caamaño-Gutiérrez, E., Birla, R., Madine, J., Field, M., Akhtar, R., & Davies, H. A. (2019). Quality of Reporting in Human Aortic Tissue Research – A Systematic Review. Artery Research.

doi:10.2991/artres.k.191106.003

Read More

Thoracic aortic aneurysm and atrial fibrillation: clinical associations with the risk of stroke from a global federated health network analysis (Journal article)

Proietti, R., Rivera-Caravaca, J. M., Harrison, S. L., Buckley, B. J. R., Lopez-Galvez, R., Marin, F., . . . Lip, G. Y. H. (2023). Thoracic aortic aneurysm and atrial fibrillation: clinical associations with the risk of stroke from a global federated health network analysis. INTERNAL AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE.

doi:10.1007/s11739-022-03184-6

Read More

Published Papers

Our Publications

Dr. Riaz Akhtar Publications

Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) Sandpit: Views on Research Paradigms and the Future of Academia

R Akhtar, E Hill, P Gilbert, M Vassalli, EG Canty‐Laird, LJ White BioEssays 47 (11), e70070, 2025

In this report, we summarize the outcome of a consultation session held in January 2024 appraising adopted attitudes within scientific research. This Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Sandpit was a collaboration between interdisciplinary researchers from the ECMage (Extracellular Matrix [ECM] ageing across the life course interdisciplinary research network) and BLAST (Building Links in Ageing Science...

2025

Micromechanical heterogeneity in abdominal aortic aneurysms is associated with rupture risk

M Hossack, A Bjällmark, A Maerivoet, C Finney, TC Gasser, M Field, ... Acta Biomaterialia, 2025

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are common, especially in men, and associated with a high mortality when ruptured. Clinical guidance for surgical repair is based on the maximum aortic diameter (>5.5 cm in men or 5 cm in women) but this is a poor indicator of clinical risk. Here, we examined micromechanical and biochemical properties of...

2025

Medin and transthyretin: a new amyloid double act in the aortic wall and valves

A Maerivoet, R Price, R Akhtar, M Field, J Madine Amyloid, 1-12, 2025

BackgroundCross-seeding and co-assembly of multiple amyloid species are increasingly recognised in various organs and amyloidoses. Medin and wild-type transthyretin (TTR) both form age-related amyloid deposits and have been identified within the aortic wall. Given the emerging role of amyloid in aortic disease, this study investigates the potential colocalisation of TTR and medin in the aorta.MethodsMedin...

2025

Regional quantification of glycosaminoglycans and their association with collagen fibril ultrastructure in the sclera following enzymatic degradation

A Kazaili, NA Sadek, HM Al-Hindy, B Geraghty, YA Kharaz, E Comerford, ... Journal of the mechanical behavior of biomedical materials, 107169, 2025

Sclera biomechanics play an important role in clear vision. Understanding the biomechanical, composition and ultrastructural topography of the sclera may help provide better insight into eye health. Some prior research has investigated the ultrastructural and biomechanical properties of the sclera in relation to regional variations. However, the complex association between regional variations in collagen fibril...

2025

Radiation-induced modifications in ZrN: effect of micro vs. nano crystallites

C Beer, M Bahri, G Baldinozzi, M Ishimaru, Y Zhang, MK Sharpe, ... Acta materialia, 121391, 2025

ZrN is a model system used to understand the irradiation response of isostructural advanced nuclear fuel, UN. UN possesses desirable material properties, such as improved thermal conductivity and fissile uranium density compared to oxides, but understanding damage accumulation and recovery processes in its rocksalt structure remains limited. Micro-and nanocrystalline ZrN were studied under ion irradiation...

2025

Associations between central and brachial blood pressure in patients with hypertension and aortovascular disease: Implications for clinical practice

A Alsomali, GYH Lip, R Akhtar, M Field, A Grillo, N Tidbury, D Leo, ... Current problems in cardiology 50 (1), 102874, 2025

Central blood pressure (CBP) measurements, compared to brachial blood pressure (bBP), offer a superior predictive accuracy for aortovascular disease outcomes. This emphasises the distinctiveness of central hemodynamic metrics such as CBP, measuring the pressure directly exerted from the cardiac muscle to the major arteries, and provides a more direct assessment of cardiovascular workload than bBP,...

2025

Bone quality in zebrafish vertebrae improves after alendronate administration in a glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis model

FR Bohns, R Akhtar, YJ Chuang, PY Chen Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials 154, 106521, 2024

Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) changes the microarchitecture of bones and often leads to the reduction of bone-mineral density (BMD) and increased fracture rates. Zebrafish has been used as an alternative model for GIOP, however, the interaction of GIOP, and its treatment, with zebrafish bone morphometrics and mechanical properties, remains a challenge. Thus, this study aimed to...

2024

Nitric oxide releasing coatings for the prevention of viral and bacterial infections

J Aveyard, S Richards, M Li, G Pitt, GL Hughes, A Akpan, R Akhtar, ... Biomaterials science 12 (18), 4664-4681, 2024

Healthcare associated infections (HCAI) represent a significant burden worldwide contributing to morbidity and mortality and result in substantial economic consequences equating to billions annually. Although the impacts of HCAI have been felt for many years, the coronavirus pandemic has had a profound effect, escalating rates of HCAI, even with extensive preventative measures such as vaccination,...

2024

Staged surgically created type B aortic dissection model with endovascular reintervention for different morphological features

B Guo, R Akhtar, H Liu, C Yan, D Guo, B Patterson, W Fu Interdisciplinary CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery 37 (5), ivad133, 2023

OBJECTIVES Understanding morphology and how this relates to treatment strategy is critical for achieving remodelling in aortic dissection. A controllable and reproducible large animal model is required for investigating new therapeutic devices and interventions. METHODS Our experimental protocol involved the development of surgically created type B aortic dissection (TBAD) and endovascular reintervention-induced TBAD porcine models....

2023

Thoracic aortic aneurysm and atrial fibrillation: clinical associations with the risk of stroke from a global federated health network analysis

R Proietti, JM Rivera-Caravaca, SL Harrison, BJR Buckley, ... Internal and Emergency Medicine 18 (2), 423-428, 2023

BackgroundAn association with aortic aneurysm has been reported among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of thoracic aorta aneurysm (TAA) among patients with AF and to assess whether the co-presence of TAA is associated with a higher risk of adverse clinical outcomes.Methods and resultsUsing TriNetX, a...

2023

Dr. Jill Madine Publications

Micromechanical heterogeneity in abdominal aortic aneurysms is associated with rupture risk

M Hossack, A Bjällmark, A Maerivoet, C Finney, TC Gasser, M Field, ... Acta Biomaterialia, 2025

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are common, especially in men, and associated with a high mortality when ruptured. Clinical guidance for surgical repair is based on the maximum aortic diameter (>5.5 cm in men or 5 cm in women) but this is a poor indicator of clinical risk. Here, we examined micromechanical and biochemical properties of...

2025

Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Admission Inflammatory Biomarkers for Evaluating Prognosis in Acute Type A Aortic Dissection

S Shirley, A Maerivoet, HL Wright, M Field, J Madine AORTA, 2025

Acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) is traumatic and life-threatening involving a split of the intima media along a variable length of the aorta from aortic root to aortic bifurcation. The pathology results in a local and systemic inflammatory process with elevated inflammatory markers observed at hospital admission. This systematic literature review aimed to compare...

2025

Medin and transthyretin: a new amyloid double act in the aortic wall and valves

A Maerivoet, R Price, R Akhtar, M Field, J Madine Amyloid, 1-12, 2025

BackgroundCross-seeding and co-assembly of multiple amyloid species are increasingly recognised in various organs and amyloidoses. Medin and wild-type transthyretin (TTR) both form age-related amyloid deposits and have been identified within the aortic wall. Given the emerging role of amyloid in aortic disease, this study investigates the potential colocalisation of TTR and medin in the aorta.MethodsMedin...

2025

Medin drives Aβ40 to adopt Aβ42-like fibril polymorphs in vitro

B Pradhan, ST Kumar, J Wagner, R Gallardo, G Orlando, ... bioRxiv, 2025

Medin, a vascular amyloid derived from MFG-E8, is the most prevalent form of localized human amyloid and co-localizes with Aβ in Alzheimer’s disease and, in particular, cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). While it was shown that medin can promote Aβ aggregation, it remains unclear whether this amyloid-amyloid interaction affects the structure of the resulting fibrils. Here,...

2025

The influence of membrane curvature on insulin aggregation

X Ye, J Madine, H Arnolds Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 114914, 2025

Insulin can form fibrils at the injection site in diabetic patients and is often used as a model for understanding protein aggregation properties, particularly the role of membranes. Here, we employ a range of spectroscopies and molecular dynamics simulations to understand differences in aggregation speed and structure of fibrils formed in the absence and presence...

2025

Medin induces pro‐inflammatory activation of human brain vascular smooth muscle cells

N Karamanova, KT Morrow, A Maerivoet, J Madine, M Li, RQ Migrino Physiological reports 13 (11), e70418, 2025

Medin, a common amyloidogenic protein, accumulates in the vasculature with aging. We evaluated the effects of medin on human brain vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) activation. VSMCs were exposed to medin (0.5, 1, and 5 μM) without or with the small molecule nuclear factor‐κB (NFκB) inhibitor RO106‐9920 (10 μM). Polymerase chain reaction, Western blot/enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays were...

2025

Aging-Associated Protein Medin Induces Human Coronary Artery Endothelial Proinflammatory and Prothrombotic Activation

N Karamanova, K Morrow, A Maerivoet, J Madine, M Li, R Migrino Circulation 150 (Suppl_1), A4124039-A4124039, 2024

Background: Age is the most important risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD), independent of traditional risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes (DM), hyperlipidemia and smoking, through poorly understood mechanisms. Medin, a cleavage product of MFGE8 protein that forms the most common human amyloid, accumulates in the vasculature with age, including the coronary arteries. Although...

2024

Amyloidogenic Medin Induces Prothrombotic Activation in Human Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells

K Morrow, N Karamanova, N Nabaty, A Maerivoet, J Madine, M Li, ... Circulation 150 (Suppl_1), A4146706-A4146706, 2024

Background: The endothelium plays a major role in preventing thrombosis. Aging leads to a hypercoagulable state with increased procoagulant factors without accompanying rise in anticoagulant factors, shifting the balance to a prothrombotic profile. This increases the risk for conditions such as stroke or myocardial infarction. The mediator/s of this change remains unknown. Medin is a...

2024

Aging-Associate Peptide Medin Induces Proinflammatory Activation in Human Brain Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

N Karamanova, K Morrow, A Maerivoet, J Madine, M Lozoya, V Weissig, ... Circulation 150 (Suppl_1), A4119913-A4119913, 2024

Background: Medin is one of the most common amyloidogenic proteins and accumulates in the vasculature with aging. Vascular medin accumulation is associated with Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia and aortic aneurysms. In vitro, medin has been shown to induce endothelial proinflammatory activation and in ex vivo human cerebral arterial tissue, medin induces both endothelial and smooth...

2024

Prof. Mark Field Publications

Micromechanical heterogeneity in abdominal aortic aneurysms is associated with rupture risk

M Hossack, A Bjällmark, A Maerivoet, C Finney, TC Gasser, M Field, ... Acta Biomaterialia, 2025

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are common, especially in men, and associated with a high mortality when ruptured. Clinical guidance for surgical repair is based on the maximum aortic diameter (>5.5 cm in men or 5 cm in women) but this is a poor indicator of clinical risk. Here, we examined micromechanical and biochemical properties of...

2025

Risk Profile, and Outcomes of Patients Requiring Coronary Revascularization as Concomitant Procedure to Repair of Type A Aortic Dissection

AM Dell’Aquila, AI Georgevici, K Wisniewski, G Szabó, F Onorati, T Demal, ... The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, 2025

BACKGROUNDThe present study aims to report the early and late clinical outcomes of patients who underwent surgical repair for acute Type A aortic dissection requiring concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and to explore potential risk factors associated with the need for this additional procedure.METHODSData were retrieved from the multicenter European Registry of Type A...

2025

Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Admission Inflammatory Biomarkers for Evaluating Prognosis in Acute Type A Aortic Dissection

S Shirley, A Maerivoet, HL Wright, M Field, J Madine AORTA, 2025

Acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) is traumatic and life-threatening involving a split of the intima media along a variable length of the aorta from aortic root to aortic bifurcation. The pathology results in a local and systemic inflammatory process with elevated inflammatory markers observed at hospital admission. This systematic literature review aimed to compare...

2025

Medin and transthyretin: a new amyloid double act in the aortic wall and valves

A Maerivoet, R Price, R Akhtar, M Field, J Madine Amyloid, 1-12, 2025

BackgroundCross-seeding and co-assembly of multiple amyloid species are increasingly recognised in various organs and amyloidoses. Medin and wild-type transthyretin (TTR) both form age-related amyloid deposits and have been identified within the aortic wall. Given the emerging role of amyloid in aortic disease, this study investigates the potential colocalisation of TTR and medin in the aorta.MethodsMedin...

2025

Preoperative Mechanical Ventilation Prior to Surgical Repair for Type A Aortic Dissection: Incidence, Risk, and Outcomes

AM Dell’Aquila, K Wisniewski, AI Georgevici, G Szabó, F Onorati, ... Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease, 2025

Objectives Several conditions associated with type A aortic dissection may require preoperative invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). The current literature lacks data on this subset of patients’ prevalence and postoperative outcomes. This study aims to investigate this unexplored issue in a multicenter European registry. Methods Data from 3735 patients included in the European Registry of Type...

2025

Outcome after day-and nighttime surgery for acute type A aortic dissection

TJ Demal, T Knochenhauer, J Weimann, T Juvonen, T Mäkikallio, A Fiore, ... European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery 67 (6), ezaf192, 2025

OBJECTIVES We aimed to investigate the differences in early and late outcomes after daytime compared to nighttime surgery for type A aortic dissection. METHODS From 2005 to 2021, patients undergoing surgery for type A aortic dissection at 18 European centres participating in the European registry of type A aortic dissection were included in this study....

2025

Kidney protection during surgery on the thoracoabdominal aorta: a systematic review

JT Bennett, S Shirley, P Murray, B Wilm, M Field Interdisciplinary CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery 40 (4), ivaf093, 2025

OBJECTIVES Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common consequence of surgical repair of the thoraco-abdominal aorta (TAA). Perfusion techniques aim to facilitate renal protection through oxygenation or hypothermia. This systematic review assesses renal and mortality outcomes by perfusion techniques to evaluate their ability to provide effective kidney protection. METHODS PubMed, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov and...

2025

Extent of surgical repair and outcomes after surgery for type A aortic dissection

F Biancari, D Fileccia, L Ferrante, T Mäkikallio, T Juvonen, M Jormalainen, ... BJS open 9 (2), zraf003, 2025

Background Acute Stanford type A aortic dissection is a severe emergency condition that, if left untreated, is associated with a high mortality rate. The extent of surgical repair may impact the outcomes of these patients. Method Patients operated for acute type A aortic dissection from a multicentre European registry were included. Patients were categorized based...

2025

Carotid artery dissection and neurological complications after surgery for type 1 aortic dissection

F Biancari, T Mäkikallio, S Rosato, T Juvonen, G Mariscalco, Z El-Dean, ... Open Heart 12 (1), 2025

BackgroundData on the prognostic impact of type A aortic dissection involving the common carotid arteries (CCAs) are scarce.MethodsData on the status of the CCAs were available in 1106 patients who underwent surgery for acute DeBakey type 1 aortic dissection who were recruited in a retrospective, multicentre European registry, that is, the ERTAAD. Postoperative neurological complications...

2025

Associations between central and brachial blood pressure in patients with hypertension and aortovascular disease: Implications for clinical practice

A Alsomali, GYH Lip, R Akhtar, M Field, A Grillo, N Tidbury, D Leo, ... Current problems in cardiology 50 (1), 102874, 2025

Central blood pressure (CBP) measurements, compared to brachial blood pressure (bBP), offer a superior predictive accuracy for aortovascular disease outcomes. This emphasises the distinctiveness of central hemodynamic metrics such as CBP, measuring the pressure directly exerted from the cardiac muscle to the major arteries, and provides a more direct assessment of cardiovascular workload than bBP,...

2025

Our publications

Published Books

About The Book

Exploring the structure and mechanics of aging soft tissues, this edited volume presents authoritative reviews from leading experts on a range of tissues including skin, tendons, vasculature and plantar soft tissues. It provides an overview of in vivo and in vitro measurement techniques including state-of-the-art methodologies, as well as focusing on the structural changes that occur within the main components of these tissues resulting in detrimental mechanical property changes. It also highlights the current challenges of this field, and offers an insight into future developments.

Age-related changes in the mechanical properties of soft tissues have a profound effect on human morbidity and mortality, and with changing global demographics, there is growing interest in this area. There has been increasing interest in robustly characterizing these mechanical changes to develop structure-property relationships, and growing awareness of the need for enhanced predictive models for computational simulations. This book seeks to address the challenges involved in applying these engineering techniques to reliably characterize these tissues.

Focusing on a wide range of tissues and presenting cutting-edge techniques, this book provides an invaluable reference to academics and researchers in a range of disciplines including bio-mechanics, materials science, tissue engineering, life sciences and biomedicine.