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...

The inhibitory effect of manidipine, a long acting calcium channel blocker, on vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation was investigated in spontaneously diabetic GK rats with balloon catheter-induced denudation of the carotid artery. Treatment with manidipine at doses of 4.6 and 15.1 mg/kg/day inhibited thickening of the neo-intima in the balloon catheter-injured artery without any effect on ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Thromboxane prostaglandin receptors have been implicated to be involved in the atherosclerotic process. We assessed whether Terutroban, a thromboxane prostaglandin receptor antagonist, affects the progression of atherosclerosis, as measured by common carotid intima-media thickness and carotid plaques. METHODS A substudy was performed among 1141 participants of the aspir...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to assess the association of vitamin D deficiency and indices of mineral metabolism with subclinical carotid markers that predict cardiovascular events. METHODS Two hundred three community-dwelling adults (Northern Manhattan Study; age, 68 ± 11; age range, 50 to 93 years) had serum measurements (calcium, phosphorus, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 1,2...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether or not highly active antiretroviral therapy is associated with carotid artery stiffness in human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients in Henan Province, China. METHOD Fifty human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients with at least a 5-year history of highly active antiretroviral therapy use and 50 human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients without a hi...

Increased intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery predicts increased risk of myocardial infarction and stroke. Preliminary evidence suggests that a decrease in blood pressure (BP) is associated with diminished wall thickness. It is not known if all classes of anti-hypertensive agents have similar protective effects. In this double-blind parallel-group clinical trial, 69 previously u...

OBJECTIVE Aberrations in apolipoprotein (apo) metabolism and increased systemic inflammation associate with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and may contribute to its atherogenicity. We examined whether the association between carotid atherosclerosis and MetS in a population of young adults is mediated by apoB and apoA-I and/or by inflammatory markers C-reactive protein and type II secretory phosp...

INTRODUCTION The aim of the study was to investigate the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis and predictors of change in carotid intima-media measures in early rheumatoid arthritis patients (eRA) as compared to chronic RA patients and patients without arthritis. MATERIAL AND METHODS Fifty-five consecutive eRA patients were assessed at the time of diagnosis and after 1 year of therapy. Fif...