OBJECTIVE In culture studies matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-8 thins the protecting fibrous cap of the atherosclerotic plaque thereby increasing its vulnerability. Results on the association of serum MMP-8 concentrations and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are, however, scarce and contradictory. METHODS AND RESULTS We analyzed the association between CVD or subclinical atherosclerosis and serum ...

BACKGROUND The current screening strategy for subclinical coronary atherosclerosis in asymptomatic diabetic patients is not sufficient in real clinical practice. A new strategy was investigated that uses cardiac multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) and a treadmill test (TMT). METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 445 self-referred asymptomatic diabetic patients underwent cardiac MDCT. The treat...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Recent studies have identified several genetic variants associated with coronary artery disease. Some of these genetic variants are not associated with classical cardiovascular risk factors and the mechanism of such associations is unclear. The aim of the study was to determine whether these genetic variants are related to subclinical atherosclerosis measured by caro...

Traditional risk factors are poor screening tests for coronary heart disease, whereas clinical arterial disease represents its strongest predictor. This raises the question whether subclinical arterial disease may also predict coronary disease. Using published data of prospective studies of subclinical arterial disease, we calculated the incidence of coronary event associated with the absence o...

A genetic component influences the development of atherosclerosis in the general population and also in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, genetic polymorphisms associated with atherosclerosis in the general population are not always involved in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in RA. Accordingly, a study in North-American RA patients did not show the association reported in the...

BACKGROUND Depression is associated with clinical coronary events, but the association between history of major depression and subclinical cardiovascular disease in women is not yet known. We determined the association between lifetime history of major depression and subclinical carotid atherosclerosis in middle-aged women. METHODS Participants included 336 healthy middle-aged women (one thir...

Age-related disruption of microvascular endothelium exacerbates hypertension and sarcopenia; and atherosclerosis is a well-known biological response to vascular endothelial injury. Therefore, prevalence of atherosclerosis among hypertensive elderly subjects may partly indicate the presence of an appropriate response to endothelial injury. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 795 elderly hype...