Atherosclerosis defined

Hypertension is the most common cardiovascular disease in fact, nearly 25% of adults in the U.S. are considered hypertensive. Hypertension is defined as a consistent elevation in blood pressure such that systolic/diastolic pressures are >140/90 mmHg. Over time, chronic hypertension can cause pathological changes in the vasculature and in the heart. As a result, hypertensive patients are at increased risk for atherosclerosis, aneurysm, stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and kidney failure. There are several categories of antihypertensive agents ... 

A3. Abe, A., Noma, A., Lee, Y. J., and Yamaguchi, H., Studies on apolipoprotein(a) phenotypes. Part 2. Phenotype frequencies and Lp(a) concentrations in different phenotypes in patients with angiographically defined coronary artery diseases. Atherosclerosis (Shannon. Irel.) 96, 9-15 (1992). 

However, apart from disease states, there is a natural evolution of cytokine production with aging, including decreased T cell proinflammatory IL-2 and interferon-7 (type II pro-inflammatory IFN-7), decreased non-T cell antiinflammatory type I IFN (IFN-a and IFN-/3), and increased non-T cell proinflammatory IL-1, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-o) [90], The IL-6 is one of the pathogenic elements of inflammatory and age-related diseases (AD and atherosclerosis) and has been defined as the cytokine for gerontologists [91]. 

The chemotaxis of mononuclear leukocytes and the migration, growth, and activation of the multiple cell types within atherosclerotic lesions are critical for the chronic inflammatory and fibroproliferative response in atherosclerosis (Ml). Chemokine-mediated attraction of leukocytes to tissues has been shown in atherosclerotic lesions (G8). Studies using knockout and transgenic murine models indicated that chemokine receptor/ligand interactions are crucial in the development of atherosclerosis (P6). Moreover, chemokines may also interfere with smooth muscle cell migration and growth, and platelet activation and other well-defined features of the atherosclerotic process (A2). 

D8. Dogru-Abbasoglu, S., Kanbagli, O., Bulur, H., Babalik, E., Ozturk, S., Aykac-Toker, G., and Uysal, M., Lipid peroxides and antioxidant status in serum of patients with angiographically defined coronary atherosclerosis. Clin. Biochem. 32, 671-672 (1999). 

A recent study [42] compared the titre of autoantibodies to malondialdehyde (MDA)-modified LDL and native LDL in baseline serum samples of 30 Eastern Finish men with accelerated two-year progression of carotid atherosclerosis and 30 age-matched controls without progression. Neither group had specific antibody binding to native LDL. A titre was defined as the ratio of antibody... 

The polyphenols such as anthocyanidins might have a protective effect on atherosclerosis. This concept suggests that the Recommended Optimal Intake (ROI) is a more important factor for the antioxidation than the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). Now, considering the absence of the appropriate methodology to identify anthocyanidins in the plasma, the analysis of the plasma antioxidant capacity might be a suitable index to define the optimal nutritional intake [95]. 

A study of 587 patients with atherosclerosis, and with a diameter of the coronary artery that was half the normal value, monitored the time from initial diagnosis until death. The disease revealed that premature death was correlated with increased homocysteine, where the correlation was especially strong with plasma homocysteine levels of over 15 J M (Nygard ef at., 1997). Again, this study helps define acceptable and undesirable plasma homocysteine concentrations. 

A study of 1401 subjects involved measuring plasma homocysteine and measuring the lesions in the carotid artery, one of the arteries in the body that tends to acquire atherosclerotic lesions. The thickness of the lesions were measured by ultrasonography. Plasma folate, vitamin Bg, and vitamin B12 were also measured. A correlation was found between narrowing of the artery and homocysteine levels at above 15 xM homocysteine. A correlation with narrowing of the artery was also found with folate levels below 2.5 ng/ml, and with vitamin Bg levels below 30 nM (Selhub et al, 1995). A study of 231 normal subjects and 304 patients with atherosclerosis (coronary artery under 30% normal diameter) revealed a striking correlation between plasma homocysteine of 12 pM, or greater, and atherosclerosis (Robinson et al, 1995). These studies help define an upper limit of acceptable plasma homocysteine levels. 

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Hyperlipidemia is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis and CHD. Hyperlipidemia is defined as an elevation in blood cholesterol or triglycerides (TG). Lipids are primarily transported in the body by three major lipoproteins low-density (LDL), very-low-density (VLDL), and high-density lipoproteins (HDL). Cholesteryl esters and TG are carried by the lipoproteins, which vary in size and composition of cholesterol and... 

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