BACKGROUND The role of local alterations in endothelial functional integrity in atherosclerosis remains incompletely understood. This study used nanoparticle-enhanced optical molecular imaging to probe in vivo mechanisms involving impaired endothelial barrier function in experimental atherothrombosis. METHODS AND RESULTS Atherosclerosis was induced in rabbits (n=31) using aortic balloon injur...

OBJECTIVES Helicobacter pylori infection has been related to an increased risk of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) possibly by raising plasma fibrinogen. The evidence for this association is conflicting. Furthermore, no attempt has been made to distinguish between an effect on atheroma and thrombosis. We have determined the association of H. pylori status with IHD assessed by coronary angiography....

PURPOSE To determine, in asymptomatic subjects, the inter-study reproducibility of a three-dimensional (3D) volume selective fast spin echo (FSE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance sequence for the assessment of carotid artery wall volume as a measure of atheroma burden. METHODS Inter-study reproducibility was evaluated in 16 asymptomatic volunteers (10 male, 6 female). Both carotid arteries w...

OBJECTIVE Because extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN), a tumor cell-derived protein, induces matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in fibroblasts and because MMPs are important in atheroma formation, we investigated if EMMPRIN was expressed in granulocyte/macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-differentiated human peripheral blood monocytes (HPBM) and macrophage foam cell...

Objective. The purpose of the Study of Coronary Atheroma by Intravascular Ultrasound: Effect of Rosuvastatin Versus Atorvastatin (SATURN) trial was to compare the effects of two intensive statin regimens on the progression of coronary atherosclerosis and to assess their safety and side-effect profiles. Design. Serial intravascular ultrasonography was performed in 1,039 patients with coronary di...