Statins are thought to reduce vascular inflammation through lipid independent mechanisms. Evaluation of such an effect in atherosclerotic disease is complicated by simultaneous effects on lipid metabolism. Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are part of the atherosclerotic spectrum of diseases. Unlike atherosclerotic occlusive disease, AAA is not lipid driven, thus allowing direct evaluation of putative anti-inflammatory effects. The anti-inflammatory potency of increasing doses (0, 20 or 40 mg/day) simvastatin or atorvastatin was evaluated in 63 patients that were at least 6 weeks on statin therapy and who underwent open AAA repair. A comprehensive analysis using immunohistochemistry, mRNA and protein analyses was applied on aortic wall samples collected during surgery. The effect of statins on AAA growth was analyzed in a separate prospective study in incorporating 142 patients. Both statins equally effectively and dose-dependently reduced aortic wall expression of NFκB regulated mediators (i.e. IL-6 (P<0.001) and MCP-1 (P<0.001)); shifted macrophage polarization towards a M2 phenotype (P<0.0003); selectively reduced macrophage-related markers such as cathepsin K and S (P<0.009 and 0.0027 respectively), and ALOX5 (P<0.0009), and reduced vascular wall NFκB activity (40 mg/day group, P<0.016). No effect was found on other cell types. Evaluation of the clinical efficacy of statins to reduce AAA progression did not indicate an effect of statins on aneurysm growth (P<0.337). Hence, in the context of AAA the clinical relevance of statins pleiotropy appears minimal.
Background: Type D personality refers to the tendency to experience negative emotions and to inhibit selfexpression in social interaction and has been shown to be an independent predictor of mortality in cardiac disease. Information about the effects of psychological traits on prognosis is lacking in cases of peripheral arterial disease (PAD).Objective: To examine whether type D personality predicts all-cause mortality in PAD.Design: Pilot follow-up study.Setting: Vascular surgery department of a teaching hospital.Patients: A total of 184 patients with symptomatic PAD (mean [SD] age, 64.8 [9.8] years) were followed up for 4 years (interquartile range, 3.5-4.5 years).
Main Outcome Measures:Patients completed the type D Scale-14 measure of type D personality at baseline. Information about all-cause mortality was obtained from patient medical files.
Apoptosis occurs during acute cardiac allograft rejection and disappears after treatment of rejection. 99mTc-annexin V can be used to detect and monitor cardiac allograft rejection.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.