We examined whether coronary risk factors and atherosclerotic lesions in the study artery were associated with impaired endothelium-dependent dilation of coronary resistance arteries. Acetylcholine (ACH) at graded doses (1, 3, 10 and 30 micrograms/min) and papaverine (10 mg) were selectively infused into the left anterior descending coronary artery of 28 patients, in whom the study artery was a...

AIM We evaluated the validity of circumferential carotid artery strain as a marker for subclinical atherosclerosis and its benefit in addition to carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) to detect high-risk groups. METHODS The study was a cross-sectional study. From April 2007 to July 2008, 1057 patients who had undergone both echocardiography and carotid ultrasonography were consecutively enroll...

Accelerated atherosclerotic vascular disease (ASVD) is a major cause of death in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Although many authorities are calling for aggressive assessment and management of cardiac risk factors in patients with SLE, both theoretical and practical barriers to this approach exist. It seems that SLE and/or its treatment are themselves strong risk factors for the developme...

The ideal way to prevent and cure atherosclerosis and the subsequent end organ damage is to restore and rejuvenate the dysfunctional vasculature and the damaged organs. Various studies have underlined the important role of bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in vasculogenesis and angiogenesis of ischemic tissue, but only a few studies have concentrated on the role of EPCs in...

the incidence of brain neoplasm has been progressively increasing in recent years in the industrialized countries. one of the reasons for this increased incidence could be better access to health care and improved diagnosis in the industrialized countries. it also appears that caucasians have a higher incidence than blacks or hispanics or asians. a number of risk factors have been identified an...

BACKGROUND Cigarette smoking has been recognized as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease in men and women. Whether the increased risk results from an atherogenic effect of smoking is still debated. We examined the relation between cigarette smoking and atherosclerotic changes in the abdominal aorta. METHODS AND RESULTS The association between cigarette smoking and atherosclerot...

AIMS It is widely thought that ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is more likely to occur without warning (i.e. an unanticipated event in a previously healthy person) than non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), but no large study has evaluated this using prospectively collected data. The aim of this study was to compare the evolution of atherosclerotic disease and cardiovascul...

The ideal way to prevent and cure atherosclerosis and the subsequent end organ damage is to restore and rejuvenate the dysfunctional vasculature and the damaged organs. Various studies have underlined the important role of bone marrow–derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in vasculogenesis and angiogenesis of ischemic tissue, but only a few studies have concentrated on the role of EPCs in...

AIMS To determine whether mitral annular calcification and aortic valve calcification, with or without stenosis, are expressions of atherosclerotic disease. METHODS The incidence of atherosclerotic risk factors was analysed in patients with mitral annular calcification and aortic valve calcification and in control patients from a prospective echocardiographic database of 8160 consecutive pati...

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death and disability in the United States. While multiple studies have demonstrated that modification of atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) significantly reduces morbidity and mortality rates, clinical control of CVDs and CVRFs remains poor. By 2010, the American Heart Association seeks to reduce coronary h...