Based on the findings of retrospective studies, there has been growing interest in the potential therapeutic benefits of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor (statin) therapy in patients with heart failure. The first published prospective randomized study of statins in heart failure patients did not demonstrate improved clinical outcomes (death and ...

A personal account of the diet-cholesterol-heart hypothesis during the last sixty years, from its start with Jeremiah Stamler and Ancel Keys, its rapid rise and progressive fall during the last years. It is pointed out that the clinical picture of a heart attack is not synonymous with atherosclerotic changes in ...

OBJECTIVE: In the present study, we attempted to analyze the coronary artery lesion characteristics of acute ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in young patients (aged less than 35 years). METHODS: We retrospectively surveyed 25 038 coronary angiography procedures, which were carried out at The Baskent University Adana Hospital from 1998 ...

In contrast to the plethora of vasculopathies to which oxidized low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (ox-LDL) can be linked, there are no data linking ox-LDL to myocardial (dys)function in the community. We tested whether ox-LDL, a marker of oxidative stress, was linked to early cardiac structural and functional damage in the general ...

Although smoking and hypertension are classic risk factors for atherothrombotic diseases, the relationship of dyslipidemia and vascular diseases, other than myocardial infarction, is less clearly established, especially in young subjects. In the current study, a detailed analysis of the lipid and apolipoprotein profiles was conducted in young patients of ischemic ...

BACKGROUND: Focal vasospasm is reportedly involved in a high incidence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) as compared with diffuse vasospasm. No adequate studies have been conducted on the mechanism underlying the higher incidence of ACS involving focal vasospasm than of those involving diffuse vasospasm in patients with coronary spastic angina. ...

Managing dyslipidemia is an important part of the primary and secondary prevention of coronary heart disease. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reduction remains the primary lipid goal. Patients who have experienced an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are at very high risk of recurrent adverse cardiovascular events. A growing body of literature supports ...

Atherosclerosis is a chronic, progressive, inflammatory disease with a long asymptomatic phase. Disease progression can lead eventually to the occurrence of acute cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction, unstable angina pectoris and sudden cardiac death. While the disease is still in a subclinical stage, however, the presence of atherosclerosis can ...

HMG-CoA (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A) reductase inhibitors, or 'statins', have revolutionized the management of patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease. Following 2 large acute coronary syndrome trials, additional clinical benefit outside their effect of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) lowering was proposed. This concept was introduced following the observation of cardiovascular event rate reduction, ...

BACKGROUND: Previous study has demonstrated that metabolic syndrome (MetS) can predict cardiovascular mortality in men, but the prediction was weak for women. In the present study predictors for multiple complex coronary lesions were investigated to clarify the impact of MetS in Japanese women with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS AND ...

OBJECTIVE: Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The frequency of both subclinical and clinically evident atherosclerosis is greatly increased over healthy controls. We assessed cardiovascular risk factors present in patients with SLE at the baseline visit in a statin intervention trial ...

A recent study suggested that statin therapy may prevent contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) following primary angioplasty. Our aim was to assess the effect of statins in this setting in a larger population. We evaluated 589 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction who underwent primary angioplasty at our institution. Contrast-induced nephropathy was ...

Coenzyme Q(10) (CoQ(10)) is an essential cofactor in the mitochondrial electron transport pathway, and is also a lipid-soluble antioxidant. It is endogenously synthesised via the mevalonate pathway, and some is obtained from the diet. CoQ(10) supplements are available over the counter from health food shops and pharmacies. CoQ(10) deficiency has ...

With the advent of effective antiatherosclerotic therapies, especially lipid lowering agents, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality rates associated with coronary atherosclerosis can be reduced. A growing body of evidence suggests such therapies can retard the progression of coronary atherosclerosis and with aggressive treatment regimens can cause regression. Antiatherosclerotic, and especially lipid ...

BACKGROUND: Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) is a strong risk predictor of cardiovascular events, and tissue factor (TF) plays a central role in thrombus formation of advanced atherosclerotic plaques. Aim of the present study was to quantify in situ CRP and TF in coronary atherectomy specimens associated with acute coronary syndromes ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Inhibition of squalene synthesis could transform unstable, macrophage/lipid-rich coronary plaques into stable, fibromuscular plaques. We have here treated WHHLMI rabbits, a model for coronary atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction, with a novel squalene synthase inhibitor, lapaquistat acetate (TAK-475). EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Young male WHHLMI rabbits were fed a diet ...

Results of well-controlled prospective clinical trials showed the efficacy of lipid-lowering therapies in the reduction of cardiovascular (CV) events in western populations, but they were not reported with a Chinese population. This multicenter study was conducted to determine the effects of Xuezhikang (XZK), a partially purified extract of red yeast ...

The syndrome of heart failure is characterized by increased levels of circulating inflammatory mediators, which have been implicated in the pathogenesis of heart failure. Recently, a number of studies have suggested that statins may exert salutary effects in patients who have heart failure by virtue of their pleiotropic (non-lipid lowering) ...

Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) represent an enormous disease burden, especially in the Western world, where they are one of the largest causes of mortality and morbidity. Patients suffering an acute coronary event are at very high risk of further coronary events, and although improvements in medical therapy over the past ...

Statin therapy has reduced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality across the spectrum of atherosclerosis. The administration of statins has been demonstrated to be effective in primary and secondary prevention clinical trials evaluating patients with high and low risk-factor profiles. The presumed mechanism of benefit of hypolipidemic therapy in the prevention of ...

This article reviews the available evidence from observational studies concerning the effect of statin therapy in patients who have heart failure and a preserved ejection fraction (diastolic heart failure). Observational studies suggest that statin therapy is associated with lower mortality in patients who have diastolic heart failure. These results emphasize ...

Adherence to cardiovascular disease standards of care is critically important for minimizing the risk of mortality and morbidity for individuals with coronary heart disease (CHD) and heart failure (HF). The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of cardiac disease management (DM) programs to assist members with their ...

BACKGROUND: The benefits of coronary risk modification through medication and other methods have been shown in many clinical studies. Recently, aggressive lowering of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) has been shown to confer additive benefits in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, it has not been shown in Japanese patients with ...

In vitro heart failure models indicate that statins may be antiarrhythmic, but the mechanisms by which statins are antiarrhythmic are not completely understood. Several retrospective and post hoc analysis studies also indicate that statins can be antiarrhythmic in heart failure populations, but this was not confirmed by a recent large ...

Patients who have acute coronary syndrome complicated by heart failure have increased short- and long-term morbidity and mortality. Besides the proven action in reducing cardiovascular events and mortality, statins also reduce the risk of developing heart failure after acute coronary syndrome. The pathways responsible for this benefit are likely a ...

BACKGROUND: Previous studies using quantitative coronary angiography have demonstrated that statin therapy slows the progression of coronary stenoses in proportion to average low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels during therapy. However, no major statin monotherapy study has demonstrated either halted progression or regression of angiographic disease. A Study to Evaluate the Effect ...

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have revealed that pretreatment with statin is effective in preventing arrhythmia, but its electrophysiological mechanism is unclear. This study was conducted to investigate the cardioprotective effects of simvastatin on reversing electrical remodeling in left ventricular myocytes of rabbit heart undergoing ischemia-reperfusion, so as to explore the ionic ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Circulating lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2) (Lp-PLA(2)) has emerged as a novel biomarker for cardiovascular diseases. However, the correlation between the plaque expression of Lp-PLA(2) and plaque oxidative stress, inflammation, and stability as well as the clinical presentation remains poorly defined, especially for cerebrovascular disease. Therefore, this study was ...

Statins are widely used in the prevention of atheromatous disease and its complications. While their lipid lowering effects are very important, there is increasing emphasis on the other effects of statins described as pleiotropic. These include atheromatous plaque stabilisation generally ascribed to their anti-inflammatory properties. It is increasingly clear that ...

BACKGROUND: In retrospective studies, statin therapy has been related to decreased incidence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in heart failure. We sought to prospectively investigate a relation between atorvastatin therapy and SCD in patients with advanced chronic heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS: We enrolled 110 patients with heart failure with ...

The most widely used mouse models for atherosclerosis are LDL receptor knockout (KO) mice and apolipoprotein E (apoE) KO mice fed standard chow diets or lipid-supplemented diets. Unfortunately, these do not usually exhibit myocardial infarction or other features of human cardiovascular disease such as occlusive coronary artery disease, cardiac dysfunction ...

BACKGROUND: Recent lipid guidelines recommend aggressive low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol lowering in patients with coronary artery disease. To clarify the evidence for this recommendation, we conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that compared different intensities of statin therapy. METHODS: We searched electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Registery of ...

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that the peripheral blood leukocyte count could be used as a marker of the progression of atherosclerosis. Few data exist regarding the relationship between inhibition of the progression of coronary atherosclerosis and the anti-inflammatory effects of statins, especially the drugs' effects on the leukocyte count in ...

BACKGROUND: Low endothelial shear stress (ESS) promotes the development of atherosclerosis; however, its role in the progression of atherosclerotic plaques and evolution to inflamed high-risk plaques has not been studied. Our hypothesis was that the lowest values of ESS are responsible for the development of high-risk coronary atherosclerotic plaques associated ...

OBJECTIVES: We explored whether the benefit of intensive versus moderate statin therapy would be greater in carriers of KIF6 719Arg than in noncarriers. BACKGROUND: The 719Arg variant of Trp719Arg (rs20455), a polymorphism in kinesin-like protein 6, is associated with greater risk of coronary events and greater benefit from pravastatin versus ...

OBJECTIVE: To review the published literature evaluating the effectiveness of statin therapy for preventing postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. DATA SOURCES: A MEDLINE search was performed (1950-October 2007) using the search terms statins, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, coronary artery bypass graft, cardiac surgery, and atrial ...

Pharmacological studies highlighted pleiotropic effects of statins, that seem to influence atherogenesis not only by increasing atherosclerotic plaque stability but also by modulating endothelial function and inflammation and acting on platelet aggregation and thrombosis. Despite a strong association between increased levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and the incidence of ...

BACKGROUND: The offspring of individuals with a history of premature myocardial infarction are at increased risk of premature coronary attacks. The aim of this study was to determine parent/offspring associations of coronary risk factors in families affected by premature myocardial infarction and to compare these to corresponding control families. METHODS: ...

Severe graft disease occurs in patients at a rate of approximately 15% within the first year of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). In this study, the authors examined predictors of the combined end point of death, nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI), and bypass graft disease at 2-year follow-up after CABG. One ...

This editorial discusses whether measuring C-reactive protein (CRP) levels can be used as a predictor of vascular risk. The agents that reduce CRP levels and the evidence for a possible causative role of CRP in the pathogenesis of coronary events and atherosclerosis are also considered. There is a need to ...

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Myocardial infarction is an important risk factor for HF, increasing risk 2- to 3-fold. Other identified classical risk factors for HF include left ventricular hypertrophy, valvular heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking, obesity, and dyslipidaemia. New mechanisms, such as insulin resistance, inflammation, and oxidative stress, have ...

Familial hypercholesterolemia is a single gene disorder with an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance. Here we report an 18 year old South Indian girl who presented with myocardial infarction. She had xanthomas and an elevated serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Her mother and maternal uncle had died at a ...

The utility of peri-operative statin therapy is currently considered to be inconclusive. To provide a platform for more meaningful peri-operative statin literature in the future, this is the first of two review articles evaluating peri-operative statin therapy. This review examines the predictors of cardiovascular outcome and therapeutic targets which are ...

The aims of this study were to identify levels of total immunoglobulin E (IgE) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 in patients with different stages of coronary artery diseases. IgE, MMP-9, creatine phosphokinase (CPK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and triglyceride (TG) ...

Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) and hepatic lipase (HL) are two HDL modifying proteins that have both pro- and anti-atherogenic properties. We hypothesized that CETP and HL synergistically affect HDL cholesterol and atherosclerotic risk. To test our hypothesis, we analysed the genotype frequencies of CETP Taq1B (rs708272) and LIPC-514C/T (rs1800588) ...

Recent studies emphasized the non-lipid-lowering effects of hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors on endothelial function, inflammation, and platelet activation in patients with stable atherosclerosis. This study sought to evaluate the impact of statin pretreatment in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) on level of systemic inflammation and myocardial perfusion. A ...

It is well recognized that the lowering of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol can substantially reduce coronary artery disease (CAD)-related morbidity and mortality. The prevention and management of CAD has chiefly focused on 1 component of the lipid profile: the reduction of LDL cholesterol. Yet, the majority of patients in both ...

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) creates one of the highest-risk atherosclerotic states that can occur in human beings. The use of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) has gained widespread acceptance in the general population for the purposes of lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and reducing the future risks of myocardial ...

AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease in subjects with metabolic syndrome and to investigate the relationship between atherosclerosis and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. METHODS: We studied 568 ambulatory subjects, referred to our Center for the ...

The aim of the study was to identify incremental values of carotid ultrasound measurements (carotid plaques and stenosis) on the prediction of future coronary revascularization among type 2 diabetic patients. The second objective was to determine the predictive value of the assessment of blood lipids, BMI, abdominal obesity and the ...