Background: Coronary artery disease is mainly caused by atherosclerosis and its complications. Platelets and their activity have an important role in initiation of atherosclerotic lesions and coronary thrombus formation. Larger platelets are enzymatically and metabolically more active and have a higher potential thrombotic ability as compared with smaller platelets. Aim: To compare platelet vol...

BACKGROUND Because plaque inflammation may modulate coronary vasomotion, the association between systemic levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and coronary vasoreactivity was assessed in patients with stable or unstable angina. METHODS AND RESULTS In 31 patients with stable angina and 23 patients with unstable angina undergoing coronary angiography, minimal luminal diameter (MLD) of the culprit...

There is considerable controversy about what is the most appropriate treatment for patients with unstable angina. Some workers suggest that a conservative approach is all that is necessary1; others support the early use of investigative techniques, angioplasty, and operation.2 Much of this conflict stems from difficulty with the exact definition of unstable angina. Ambulatory monitoring in pati...

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was the investigation of the in vivo role of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] and inflammatory infiltrates in the human coronary atherosclerotic plaque and their correlation with the clinical syndrome of presentation. BACKGROUND Lipoprotein(a) is an atherogenic and thrombogenic lipoprotein, and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of acute coronary syndromes. Lip...

C oronary artery disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States despite an encouraging 48% reduction in age-adjusted mortality since the epidemic peaked in 1963.1 Coronary artery disease results in approximately 500,000 deaths each year with about 750,000 hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction and probably an equal number of admissions for unstable angina. ...

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) represents a heterogenous spectrum of conditions. The Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) describes the epidemiology, management, and outcomes of patients with ACS. Data were collected from 11,543 patients enrolled in 14 countries. Of these patients, 30% had ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), 25% had non-ST-segment elevation myocardial...