Small- and large-plaque variants of a Florida strain (Fe 3-7c) of Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus were studied in vivo and in vitro. The small-plaque variant was less virulent in mice, hamsters, and guinea pigs than the large-plaque variant. The variants could be distinguished by calcium phosphate chromatography. The implications of plaque variants within a mixed virus population are ...

This update of coronary calcium imaging discusses methods of detecting and measuring coronary artery calcium and their correlation to coronary artery disease risk. The value of EBCT to traditional non-invasive cardiovascular tests is compared. A negative EBCT test makes the presence of atherosclerotic plaque, including unstable plaque, very unlikely. Negative EBCT may be consistent with low ris...

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM Dental caries is one of the most common chronic diseases in children. The balance between demineralization and remineralization of the decayed teeth depends on the calcium and phosphate content of the tooth surface. Therefore, if a product such as casein phospho peptides - amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP- ACP) which can significantly increase the availability of calcium an...

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is capable of distinguishing between atherosclerotic plaque components solely on the basis of biochemical differences. However, to date, the majority of plaque characterization has been performed by using high-field strength units or special coils, which are not clinically applicable. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate MRI properties in histo...

AIM Low levels of soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products (sRAGE) have been reported to be associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) and peripheral atherosclerosis. This study explored the relationship between circulating levels of sRAGE and the characteristics of coronary vessels detected by 64-slice computed tomography angiography (CTA). METHODS In this cross-sectional stud...

OBJECTIVES This study attempted to identify the clinical, angiographic, procedural and intravascular ultrasound predictors of directional atherectomy results assessed by intravascular ultrasound. BACKGROUND Several angiographic and intravascular ultrasound variables have been associated with the outcome of directional coronary atherectomy. No study has incorporated both modalities into a pred...

BACKGROUND To investigate whether intakes of calcium and dairy-servings within-recommendations were associated with plaque score when allowing for vitamin D intakes. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, including 606 older Danish adults, total dietary calcium intake (mg/day) was classified as below vs. within-recommendations and dairy intake as <3 vs. ≥3 servings/ d. Dental plaque, defined ...

BACKGROUND Extremes of wall shear stress (WSS) have been associated with plaque progression and transformation, which has raised interest in the clinical assessment of WSS. We hypothesized that calculated coronary WSS is predicted only partially by luminal geometry and that WSS is related to plaque composition. METHODS AND RESULTS Twenty-seven patients with coronary artery disease underwent v...

Impaired renal function and albuminuria, common among people with type 2 diabetes, are strong predictors of atherosclerotic cardiovascular events. However, the relationships among albuminuria and measures of calcified atherosclerotic plaque are unknown. Coronary and carotid artery calcified plaque were measured using fast-gated helical computed tomography, and B-mode ultrasonography measured co...

BACKGROUND This study characterizes the distribution and components of plaque structure by presenting a three-dimensional blood-vessel modelling with the aim of determining mechanical properties due to the effect of lipid core and calcification within a plaque. Numerical simulation has been used to answer how cap thickness and calcium distribution in lipids influence the biomechanical stress on...