Leadless cardiac pacemakers (LPs) have emerged as a safe and effective alternative to conventional transvenous pacemakers for patients with an indication for single-chamber ventricular pacing. In 2 prospective studies with intermediate follow-up, leadless pacemakers exhibited high acute implantation success rates and stable pacing performance at 6 months. Despite these promising results, the ab...

High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are now currently subdivided according either to density and size-HDL2 and HDL3--or to surface apoprotein composition--lipoprotein A-I (LpA-I) without A-II, and LpA-I:A-II. In samples from blood bank donors (60 women, 47 men), we evaluated HDL subclasses, LpA-I particles, and other classic risk factors for atherosclerosis and compared them with each other. We fou...

OBJECTIVE Identification of lipoprotein subfractions in lipoprotein profile by Lipoprint LDL system, where a lipoprotein(a), an independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease, migrates with. The concentration of lipoprotein(a) in serum over 0.3 g/l increases the risk of athero-thrombosis and a brain stroke. The persons with increased levels of lipoprotein(a) and contempor...

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is a major protein component of cholesterol-transporting lipoprotein particles in the central nervous system and in plasma. Polymorphisms of apoE are associated with cardiovascular disease and with a predisposition to Alzheimer's disease and other forms of neurodegeneration. For full biological activity, apoE must be bound to a lipoprotein particle. Complexes of apoE and...

Three immunochemically and electrophoretically distinct lipoproteins, LP-A, LP-B, and LP-X,(1) were isolated from the low density lipoprotein fraction (1.006-1.063 g/ml) in plasma from patients with biliary obstruction by a separation procedure which combines ultracentrifugation, heparin precipitation, and ethanol fractionation. This method, here described, permits the quantitative determinatio...

INTRODUCTION Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is a marker of vascular inflammation associated with coronary heart disease and stroke. We evaluated analytical performance of the PLAC® Activity Test on Siemens Dimension Vista® 1500 analyzer and measured Lp-PLA2 activity in Italian adults to establish reference intervals (RIs) and evaluate correlation with circulating lipids and a...

The saposins are small, membrane-active proteins that exist in both soluble and lipid-bound states. Saposin A has roles in sphingolipid catabolism and transport and is required for the breakdown of galactosylceramide by β-galactosylceramidase. In the absence of lipid, saposin A adopts a closed monomeric apo conformation typical of this family. To study a lipid-bound state of this protein, we de...

BACKGROUND Chronic inflammation represents an essential feature of the atherosclerotic process. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), an enzyme mainly produced by monocytes/macrophages, generates potent proinflammatory products. METHODS AND RESULTS Plasma concentrations of Lp-PLA2 were determined by ELISA in 934 apparently healthy men aged 45 to 64 years sampled from the general ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Darapladib is a lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) inhibitor. This study evaluated the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and safety of darapladib in healthy Chinese subjects. METHODS Twenty-four subjects received darapladib 160 mg orally, approximately 1 hour after a standard breakfast, as a single dose and once daily for 28 days. Non-compartmental me...

T he importance of lipid, lipoprotein, and apolipoprotein risk factors in the prediction, prevention, and regression of atherosclerosis is now well established. The role of elevated low density lipoprotein cholestexol (LDL C) in the development of coronary heart disease (CHD) is supported by evidence from numerous epidemiologic studies, clinical trials, and genetic studies.1-3 High density lipo...