Highlighted Articles
By Sarah Leigh (Editorial Assistant) and Steve Humphries (Editor–in-Chief)
In a meta-analysis of 54,336 patients, Inaba et al. compared the relative accuracy of carotid plaque and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) measurements for the prediction of coronary artery disease (CAD) events. They show that ultrasound assessment of carotid plaque gives a higher diagnostic accuracy for the prediction of future CAD events than did CIMT. David Spence commends this study in his invited commentary and emphasises the value of measuring total plaque area, he concludes that “Trying to treat arteries without measuring plaque would be like treating hypertension without measuring blood pressure”.
Using a prospective cohort study Rubin et al. have demonstrated an independent association between raised resting heart rate and the incidence and progression of atherosclerosis. Raul Santos welcomes these observations in his invited commentary, and in agreement with Rubin et al points out that further studies are required to reveal the mechanisms underlying this association.
Zambon et al. set out to assess the utility of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and proteinuria for predicting all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in an elderly Italian population. They found that while proteinuria is predictive of all cause and cardiovascular mortality, low eGFR is only nominally associated with cardiovascular risk. In their invited commentary Bögera & Kronenberg put the work of Zambon et al into context and outline progress in the establishment of a Chronic Kidney Disease classification system. Bögera & Kronenberg conclude that simple and inexpensive tests such as outlined by Zambon et al may ultimately enable the identification of many more “at risk” individuals.
Review Articles
In their article Gao et al. present a review of the mechanisms and effects of Tanshinone IIA (TS), a pharmacologically active component from the rhizome of the Chinese herb Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, focussing on its actions in the cardiovascular system.
The emerging role of high density lipoproteins in the immune system is discussed in the review article by Norata et al. However, they conclude that many questions need to be answered in order to fully explain these interactions.
Using the data from three prospective studies, Jackson et al. provide an overview of the etiological basis for the association between postprandial triglycerides and cardiovascular disease.
Papers in this issue include:
Vascular Biology, Hemostasis & Oxidative Stress
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Local Delivery of IL-2 Reduces Atherosclerosis via Expansion of Regulatory T Cells.
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Characteristics of TAV- & BAV-Associated Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms -Smooth Muscle Cell Biology, Expression Profiling, & Histological Analyses.
Metabolism: Lipids, Lipoproteins, Carbohydrates, Homocysteine & Cholesterol
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Hepatocyte-specific IKK expression aggravates atherosclerosis development in APOE*3-Leiden mice.
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Resveratrol increases expression & activity of LDLR in hepatocytes by proteolytic activation of the SREBPs.
Imaging and Measurement of Vessel Health
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Arterial PWV in Relation to Carotid IMT, Brachial FMD & Carotid Artery Distensibility: The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study & the Health 2000 Survey.
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Low Ankle-Brachial Index predicts early risk of recurrent stroke in patients with acute cerebral ischemia.
Genetics
Intervention
Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Nutrition
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Interaction of Apo E genotype with smoking & physical inactivity on CHD risk in men & women.
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Increased plasma levels of NGAL, a marker of neutrophil activation in patients with AAA.