Plaque Height Research Articles

Socioeconomic status and progression of carotid atherosclerosis. Prospective evidence from the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study.

Socioeconomic status (SES) is importantly associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, but no information exists on the relationship between SES and progression of atherosclerotic vascular disease. We investigated the association between education and income and the 4-year progression of carotid atherosclerosis in a population-based sample of Finnish men. Data from the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study were used to estimate changes in maximum and mean intima-media thickness (IMT) and maximum plaque height across levels of SES in 1022 men. Associations between SES and atherosclerotic progression were examined in relation to risk factors and stratified by baseline levels of atherosclerosis and prevalent ischemic heart disease (IHD). There were significant, inverse, graded relationships between levels of education and income for all three progression measures, which were largely unaffected by risk factor adjustment. For education, the age- and baseline IMT-adjusted maximum progression for those with primary schooling or less was 0.28 mm and for those who graduated from high school, 0.24 mm (P = .05). Compared with the lowest SES group, men with the highest SES had 14% to 29% less atherosclerotic progression, depending on the measure used. Associations of the same magnitude were evident in subgroups without advanced baseline IMT and in men who were free of IHD. These results show that men with poor education and low income have significantly greater progression of carotid atherosclerosis than men with more advantages. The findings strengthen the contention that SES plays a significant role early in the atherosclerotic disease process and that reducing the burden of atherosclerotic vascular disease associated with lower SES will require approaches that focus on all stages of the life course.

Interaction of workplace demands and cardiovascular reactivity in progression of carotid atherosclerosis: population based study

Objective: To examine the combined influence of workplace demands and changes in blood pressure induced by stress on the progression of carotid atherosclerosis.Design: Population based follow up study of unestablished...

Long term effects of vasectomy on experimental atherosclerosis in rhesus monkeys.

Five groups of male rhesus monkeys, Gp. I--sham-vasectomized stock diet-fed (SVS), Gp. II--vasectomized stock diet-fed (VS), Gp. III--sham-vasectomized atherogenic diet-fed (SVA), Gp. IV--vasectomized atherogenic diet-fed (VA) and Gp. V--atherogenic diet-fed vasectomized monkeys (AV) were observed for a period of 1 1/2 years. Vasectomy per se had no effect on the level of serum or tissue lipids either alone or in combination with atherogenic diet feeding. Following vasectomy the involvement of aorta by fatty lesions was significantly increased and this occurred in animals of all four experimental groups when compared with the control animals. The maximum increase was noted in group IV. Again, there was a significant increase in the frequency of aortic plaques in groups II, III and IV while it was increased in coronary arteries of all the experimental animals (Gps. II, III, IV and V). Group IV monkeys showed higher frequency of plaques as compared to group V animals. Although the plaque height was increased in all the vessels of the experimental animals, significant differences were observed only in the coronary arteries of group II monkeys and in intra-cranial cerebral vessels of group III animals. This study shows that vasectomy per se tends to increase atherosclerosis in rhesus monkeys.

Clinical evaluation of Spiramycin and Erythromycin in control of periodontal disease

Two studies are reported. Each was double-blind in which Spiramycin was compared to Erythromycin and a placebo, to determine the value of Spiramycin as a therapeutic agent in the control of periodontal disease. In Study 1, 48 adults with varying degrees of periodontal disease were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. Assessments of gingival index, plaque height, pocket depth, crevicular fluid volume and wet plaque weight were made. During this 4-week clinical trial, the patients maintained their usual oral hygiene. The medication was administered systemically for 5 days, starting at the conclusion of week 2. Spiramycin significantly reduced the scores for the five parameters recorded. When comparison were made, the greatest recorded effect with Spiramycin treatment was found in patients with advanced periodontal disease. The indication of this trend favouring Spiramycin led to an extension of this clinical trial involving only patients with advanced periodontal lesions. This second study comprised 54 adults. The same parameters were measured over the same time period as in Study 1. Spiramycin again was responsible for the greatest reduction in the recorded scores. For example, average pocket depth was decreased by approximately 30%, whereas Erythromycin produced a reduction of 15%. It would appear that Spiramycin is of definite benefit in the management of periodontal disease, especially in the more advanced cases.

Atherosclerosis in Macaca mulatta: Histopathological, morphometric, and histochemical studies in aorta and coronary arteries of spontaneous and induced atherosclerosis

A comparative study of morphology, size, and histochemistry of the intimal lesions in aorta and coronary arteries of spontaneously occurring and cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis in rhesus monkeys has been carried out. A group of 30 normal monkeys was also investigated. Spontaneous atherosclerosis was noted in 10 of 55 adult monkeys autopsied serially; fatty streaks or atheroma in the aorta was noted in seven, fibrous plaque was noted in two, and diffuse intimal thickening was observed on one animal only. The coronary arteries showed fibrous intimal thickening without lipid in 8 of these 10 monkeys. There was fair to heavy deposition of acid mucopolysaccharides in the thickened intima along with proliferation of myointimal cells and collagen fibers. In the seven monkeys which were fed an atherogenic diet for 6 months, the aorta showed fatty streaking and atheroma in all animals. The coronary arteries also showed a variable degree of atherosclerosis but the lipid in the thickened intima was not marked. The atherosclerotic plaque height was not significantly greater than that in the spontaneous disease. These differences between spontaneously occurring and cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis in monkeys tend to indicate that the basic mechanism of lesion formation in the two states may be different.