Kumar A, Kar S, Fay WP. Thrombosis, physical activity, and acute coronary syndromes. J Appl Physiol 111: 599–605, 2011. First published May 19, 2011; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00017.2011.—Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are common, life-threatening cardiac disorders that typically are triggered by rupture or erosion of an atherosclerotic plaque. Platelet deposition and activation of the blood coa...

Despite the well-documented improved survival of coronary heart disease with the use of statins, their effects on atherosclerotic plaques are not yet fully understood. While some studies suggest statins may reduce plaque volume, the reduction is small even with the use of high-dose statins. Due to this small change in plaque volume, other effects of statin therapy on plaques have been proposed....

Computational assessment of atherosclerotic plaque components in MR images Evaluation of the composition of atherosclerotic plaques in images is an important task to determine their pathophysiology. Visual analysis is still as the most basic and often approach to determine the morphology of atherosclerotic plaques. In addition, computeraided methods have also been developed for identi cation of...

The macrophage is exquisitely sensitive to its microenvironment, as demonstrated primarily through in vitro study. Changes in macrophage phenotype and function within the atherosclerotic plaque have profound consequences for plaque biology, including rupture and arterial thrombosis leading to clinical events such as myocardial infarction. We review the evidence for dynamic changes in macrophage...

Local hemodynamic forces, such as wall shear stress (WSS), are thought to trigger cellular and molecular mechanisms that determine atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability to rupture. Magnetic resonance imaging has emerged as a powerful tool to characterize human carotid atherosclerotic plaque composition and morphology, and to identify plaque features shown to be key determinants of plaque vulnera...

Neovascularization occurring in atherosclerotic plaque leads to acceleration of plaque growth through increased leukocyte infiltration and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Sema4D (CD100), a class IV semaphorin, not only plays a crucial role in axon guidance but also functions in the neovascularization process of tumor growth. To clarify the roles of Sema4D in the progression of atheros...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Atherosclerotic carotid plaque ulceration is considered a marker of previous plaque rupture and subsequent thromboembolism. It can be accurately detected with multidetector CTA. We hypothesized that atherosclerotic plaque ulceration is associated with nonlacunar ischemic stroke rather than lacunar stroke. METHODS Prospectively, 750 consecutive patients with transient is...

Background and Aims: Patients with FH showed impaired immunosuppressive response associated increased inflammation. We tested Adoptive Cell Therapy (ACT) Treg engineered to selectively migrate in the atherosclerotic plaque dampen immune-inflammatory arterial wall.

OBJECTIVE The atherosclerotic plaque that is vulnerable to rupture and to superimposed thrombosis is mainly represented by a thin-cap fibroatheroma with or without ulceration/thrombosis and inflammatory infiltrates. Total serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) activity is an independent predictor for cardiovascular events. Four GGT fractions have been identified in plasma and only one of them (b...

BACKGROUND The hallmark of atherosclerosis is the accumulation of plaque in vessel walls. This process is initiated when monocytic cells differentiate into macrophage foam cells under conditions with high levels of atherogenic lipoproteins. Vulnerable plaque can dislodge, enter the blood stream, and result in acute myocardial infarction and stroke. Imaging techniques such as cardiovascular magn...