BACKGROUND Coronary tortuosity (CT) is a common coronary angiography finding. The exact pathogenesis, clinical implication and long-term prognosis of CT are not fully understood. The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical characteristics of CT in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) in a Chinese population. METHODS A total of 1010 consecutive patients underwent ...

N Engl J Med 2005;352:1685-95. Copyright © 2005 Massachusetts Medical Society. ecent research has shown that inflammation plays a key role in coronary artery disease (CAD) and other manifestations of atherosclerosis. Immune cells dominate early atherosclerotic lesions, their effector molecules accelerate progression of the lesions, and activation of inflammation can elicit acute coronary syndro...

The components and claddings of low-rise building are usually destroyed first during typhoon disasters in coastal areas. Roof accessory structures can change the flow pattern on the roof, thus effectively reducing the wind load on the roof surface and the damage to the low rise buildings. Two types of aerodynamic mitigation plates, i.e., (1) 0.3 m high full length roof-edge plate, and (2) 0.3 m...

Platelets may contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD), and platelet reactivity may be activated by exercise. Fourteen men with CAD participated in a double-blind, crossover study of aspirin (ASA), dipyridamole (DPY), ASA-DPY, and placebo. The ASA therapy increased platelet survival time (autologous labelling with 51Cr), but had no effect on either the dur...

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The pathogenesis of CAD relates to the presence of atherosclerotic plaques in the coronary arteries, which are most frequently treated today by percutaneous coronary intervention. Small vessel disease treatment represents one-third of all percutaneous coronary interventions with higher rates of restenosis a...

BACKGROUND Adipokines, including adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein (A-FABP), have been demonstrated to be involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. In the present study, we investigated the association of circulating A-FABP level with severity of myocardial perfusion abnormalities analyzed by Tl-201 dipyridamole single-photon emission computed tomography. METHODS A total of 170 pati...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Celiac disease (CD), a chronic autoimmune condition, is associated with systemic inflammation capable of causing extra intestinal manifestations. Chronic inflammatory process has been implicated in the pathogenesis of accelerated atherosclerosis. Studies examining the burden of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with CD are lacking. We evaluated the prevalence of CAD in p...

BACKGROUND Several microorganisms have been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. We hypothesized that infections may predispose to atherosclerosis by inflicting endothelial injury. METHODS AND RESULTS Of 375 patients undergoing coronary angiography, 218 had assessment of endothelial function using intracoronary acetylcholine (ACH) and of endothelium-independent function with sod...

OBJECTIVE Transsignaling of interleukin (IL)-6 is a central pathway in the pathogenesis of disorders associated with chronic inflammation, such as Crohn disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory colon cancer. Notably, IL-6 also represents an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) in humans and is crucially involved in vascular inflammatory processes. METHODS AND RESUL...