BACKGROUND Development and validation of novel imaging modalities to assess the composition of human atherosclerotic plaques will improve the understanding of atheroma evolution and could facilitate evaluation of therapeutic strategies for plaque modification. Surface MRI can characterize tissue content of carotid but not deeper arteries. This study evaluated the usefulness of intravascular MRI...

Soluble P-selectin (sP-selectin), a biomarker of inflammatory related pathologies including cardiovascular and peripheral vascular diseases, also has pro-atherosclerotic effects including the ability to increase leukocyte recruitment and modulate thrombotic responses in vivo. The current study explores its role in progressing atherosclerotic plaque disease. Apoe-/- mice placed on a high fat die...

Background and Objectives: Diabetes vascular complications are the principal cause of death in the world. Therefore, we investigated the effect of pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) on the formation of atheromatous plaque formation and renal function in the atherosclerotic rats. Materials and Methods: Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 equal groups (ten rats in each group): normal, ath...

Assessment of the rupture risk of plaque is commonly made via imaging of the lumen reduction. However it is known that this is an imperfect criterion and that other features, such as plaque stiffness, may be more relevant. Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE) estimates the stiffness of tissues using inversion algorithms applied to the displacement of the tissue, measured in response to the ind...

Background The differentiation of atherosclerotic plaque components in the carotid arteries with MRI has been successfully demonstrated. The detection of plaque calcification by MRI, however has been challenging. In addition, few studies have evaluated the ability of MRI to characterize atherosclerotic plaques in human coronary arteries (1). Here we use a combination of T1, T2 and ultrashort TE...

Atherosclerotic plaque rupture and progression have been the focus of intensive investigations in recent years. Plaque rupture is closely related to most severe cardiovascular syndromes such as heart attack and stroke. A computational procedure based on meshless generalized finite difference (MGFD) method and serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data was introduced to quantify patient-specif...

In the 1990s, significant efforts and investments were made in the development of imaging technologies with the objective of visualizing and characterizing the atherosclerotic plaque. Although angiography still is the indisputable first choice for the clinical diagnosis of coronary artery luminal narrowing, new imaging modalities are likely to stay to provide surrogate markers for disease progr...

Noninvasive direct vessel wall (plaque) imaging may provide a good opportunity to study unique aspects of atherosclerotic lesions in different populations. The article published by Esposito et al. provides new insights into our understanding of diabetic atherosclerotic vascular disease by using direct plaque imaging techniques. The findings from this article call for attention to more in vivo i...