The levels of plasma PTX3 were increased in patients with arterial inflammation, especially UAP. This PTX3 detection system will be useful for the prediction of UAP.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been attracting attention as mediators of various cell-signaling pathways. Nox-family NADPH oxidases have proven to be a major source of ROS production in various cell types and have crucial roles in various physiological and pathological processes. In this study, we show that Nox4, a member of Nox family, is prominently expressed in various neuroepithelial tumors by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemical studies. We quantified Nox4 mRNA expression by real-time PCR in tumor specimens from 58 patients with astrocytomas and found that the expression levels of Nox4 mRNA in glioblastomas (WHO grade IV) were significantly higher than those in other astrocytomas (WHO grade II and III). In addition, we show that specific knockdown of Nox4 expression by RNA interference results in cell-growth inhibition and enhances induction of apoptosis by chemotherapeutic agents, such as cisplatin, in cultured glioma cell lines. Based on these observations, enhanced expression of Nox4 appears to be involved in cell proliferation and survival in glioma cells.

Objective: To investigate the effect of pitavastatin on asymptomatic atherosclerosis in patients with hypercholesterolemia. Methods: Thirty-five outpatients with hypercholesterolemia (61.5 12.8 yr) were administered 2 mg oral pitavastatin daily for 6 months. Plasma pentraxin 3 (PTX3), a novel inflammatory marker of atherosclerosis, was measured together with the serum hsCRP and carotid-artery intima-media thickness (IMT). Results: Significant improvement of the LDL-C/HDL-C and log (TG/HDL-C) ratios began to be observed from 1 month after using pitavastatin. Significant correlation of the initial PTX3 value was observed with the initial plaque score (PS) (p 0.038, r 0.246), but not between the hsCRP and plasma PTX3 or PS. When patients were divided into 3 groups based on the initial PTX3 values, a significant decrease of the plasma PTX3 was obtained in the highest PTX3 group alone (p 0.034). The change in the plasma PTX3 value ( PTX3) was significantly correlated with the mean IMT during the study period (p 0.008, r 0.456). Conclusion: Pitavastatin significantly reduced the elevated plasma levels of PTX3 in patients with hypercholesterolemia by its pleiotropic effect against atherosclerotic inflammation. This study showed for the first time that the plasma PTX3 might be a useful blood parameter for direct detection of active atherosclerotic change.