BACKGROUND/AIM Low levels of vitamin D play a role progression of cardiovascular diseases. Knowledge lacks whether a relationship exists between vitamin D levels and subclinical carotid atherosclerosis in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). PATIENTS AND METHODS We evaluated vitamin D levels and subclinical carotid atherosclerosis in 25 patients with pSS compared to 22 mild ostheoa...

Individuals with metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) are at relatively low risk for the development of metabolic abnormalities and subclinical atherosclerosis. This study aims to examine whether hepatic fat accumulation determines metabolic phenotype of obesity and associated with subclinical atherosclerosis. A total of 485 obese adults (aged 40-65 years) who received magnetic resonance spectro...

BACKGROUND Optimal dose of physical activity in the prevention of atherosclerosis remains unclear. The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) on selected indices of atherosclerosis in the working-age population of men. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was carried out in a cohort of asymptomatic men participating in follow-up examinations ...

BACKGROUND Data on the influence of obesity on atherosclerosis in Hispanics are inconsistent, possibly related to varying cardiometabolic risk among obese individuals. We aimed to determine the association of obesity and cardiometabolic risk with subclinical atherosclerosis in Mexican-Americans. METHODS AND RESULTS Participants (n=503) were drawn from the Cameron County Hispanic Cohort. Metab...

BACKGROUND Factor VII plays a pivotal role in coagulation. Factor VIIc levels were reported to be a risk factor for fatal coronary heart disease (CHD). Factor VIIc and VIIag levels were noted to be positively associated with plasma triglyceride (TG) levels and influenced by a VII gene polymorphism. The purpose of this study is to determine whether these associations are related to activated fac...

PURPOSE We investigated the influence of the CYP2C9 polymorphism on the lipid profile, insulin resistance, and subclinical atherosclerosis in young epileptic patients. METHODS We performed a cross-sectional study to evaluate the association between CYP2C9 polymorphism and lipid profile, glucose homeostasis, and subclinical atherosclerosis in young epileptic patients via the ankle brachial ind...

BACKGROUND Bone-marrow derived progenitor cells (PCs) may play a role in maintaining vascular health by actively repairing damaged endothelium. The purpose of this study in asymptomatic Old Order Amish men (n = 90) without hypertension or diabetes was to determine if PC count, as determined by CD34+ cell count in peripheral blood, was associated with 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)...

BACKGROUND Certain bone marrow-derived cell populations, called endothelial progenitor cells, have been reported to possess angiogenic activity. Experimental data suggest that depletion of these angiogenic cell populations may promote atherogenesis, but limited data are available on their relation to subclinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in humans. METHODS AND RESULTS We studied ...

Carotid Intima-media thickness (CIMT) and plaque are well established markers of subclinical atherosclerosis and are widely used for identifying subclinical atherosclerotic disease. We performed association analyses using Metabochip array to identify genetic variants that influence variation in CIMT and plaque, measured using B-mode ultrasonography, in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Data o...

Association between elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) serum levels and subclinical atherosclerosis and cardiovascular (CV) events was described in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). CRP, HNF1A, LEPR, GCKR, NLRP3, IL1F10, PPP1R3B, ASCL1, HNF4A and SALL1 exert an influence on elevated CRP serum levels in non-rheumatic Caucasians. Consequently, we evaluated the potential role of these genes in the develop...