OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between apolipoprotein (a) isoforms and early atherosclerosis, assessed by carotid artery intima-media thickness in a sample of adults of the general population of Burgos, a city in the north of Spain. DESIGN AND METHODS Lipids, lipoprotein (a), number of carotid atherosclerotic plaques, if any, and the intima-media thicknes...

BACKGROUND We tested the hypothesis that higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness are inversely associated with carotid artery intima media thickness in 746 (age 53 ± 7 yrs) men with type 2 diabetes. METHODS We measured common carotid intima media thickness and defined carotid atherosclerosis as a carotid intima media thickness > 1.0 mm. Cardiorespiratory fitness was directly measured by pe...

Diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for atherosclerosis/cardiovascular diseases. Atherosclerosis in diabetic patients has been linked to increased oxidative stress and intima-media thickness is used to detect its presence. Catalase is involved in hydrogen peroxide catabolism and is important in defense against oxidative stress, which contributes significantly to atherosclerotic processes. There ...

Although hyperhomocysteinemia is considered to be a key risk factor for atherosclerosis, especially in Western countries, its role in the Asian population is still controversial. In this study, we evaluated the determinants of homocysteine and carotid intima-media thickness, a clinical marker for the detection of atherosclerosis, in Japanese. In 289 Japanese adults (age 37-86 yrs), we screened ...

OBJECTIVE(S) Atherosclerosis is a chronic immune-inflammatory disease that generally leads to ischemic heart disease. Ghrelin has several modulatory effects on cardiovascular system. In this study, we investigated the effect of ghrelin on aortic intima-media thickness, size and the number of adipocyte cells in obese and control mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was conducted on 24 male C...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Several measures of atherosclerosis predict the risk of stroke. However, a comparison between various measures of atherosclerosis is lacking, and limited information exists on the added value of individual measures of atherosclerosis to cardiovascular risk factors. We compared different measures of atherosclerosis in relation to stroke. METHODS The study was based on th...

AIMS Patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus have greater carotid intima media thickness and they are at risk for generalized atherosclerosis. This study aimed to compare the thickness of carotid artery intima media in type-2 diabetes mellitus patients with and without nonblood pressure component metabolic syndrome. SETTINGS AND DESIGN This was a comparative observational study conducted in th...

BACKGROUND Several previous epidemiologic studies have shown that high blood levels of carotenoids may be protective against early atherosclerosis, but results have been inconsistent. We assessed the association between atherosclerotic progression, measured by intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery wall, and serum levels of carotenoids. METHODS We studied the effect of carotenoid...