Atherosclerosis
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To determine the extent to which the risk for incident coronary heart disease (CHD) increases in relation to a genetic risk score (GRS) that additively integrates the influence of high-risk alleles in nine documented single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for CHD, and to examine whether this GRS also predicts incident stroke. ⋯ A GRS relying on nine documented "CHD-specific" SNPs is significantly predictive of CHD but it was not found to be statistically significantly associated with incident stroke.
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Autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia (ADH) is commonly caused by mutations in the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor gene (LDLR), in the apolipoprotein B-100 gene (APOB), or in the proprotein convertase subtilisin kexine 9 gene (PCSK9). ADH subjects carrying a mutation in LDLR present highly variable plasma LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C). This variability might be due to environmental factors or the effect of some modifying genes such as PCSK9 and APOE. ⋯ Genetic variations in PCSK9 and APOE genes could explain only part of the variability observed in the phenotypic expression in Tunisian ADH patients carrying mutations in the LDLR gene. Other genetic variants and environmental factors very probably act to fully explain this phenotypic variability.
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Diabetes has been linked with more severe periodontal disease and with coronary heart disease (CHD). The purpose of this study was to determine if periodontal infection was a significant modifier in the risk that diabetes poses for increased carotid artery intimal-medial wall thickness (IMT) and more advanced atheroma lesions as reflected in atherosclerotic plaque calcification measured by acoustic shadowing. ⋯ Results from this study suggest that among people with diabetes, periodontal disease may increase the likelihood of subclinical atherosclerotic heart disease and CHD.
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Oxidative stress and inflammation are key promoters of atherosclerosis and myocardial damage. When orally administered, the novel astaxanthin prodrug CDX-085 delivers high levels of the xanthophyll antioxidant astaxanthin that protects LDL from oxidation and reduces primary thrombosis. In this study, we analyzed whether delivery of astaxanthin from administration of the CDX-085 prodrug reduces plasma lipoprotein levels and the progression of atherosclerosis in low-density lipoprotein receptor negative (LDLR(-/-)) and apolipoprotein E deficient (ApoE(-/-)) mice. ⋯ Oral administration of the novel astaxanthin prodrug CDX-085 shows that it distributes among lipoproteins. CDX-085 lowers total cholesterol and aortic arch atherosclerosis in LDLR(-/-) mice and triglyceride levels in ApoE(-/-) mice and shows promise for further evaluation in human studies.
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Multicenter Study
Associations of dietary magnesium intake with mortality from cardiovascular disease: the JACC study.
The authors sought to investigate the relationship between dietary magnesium intake and mortality from cardiovascular disease in a population-based sample of Asian adults. Reported findings are based on dietary magnesium intake in 58,615 healthy Japanese aged 40-79 years, in the Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) Study. Dietary magnesium intake was assessed by a validated food frequency questionnaire administered between 1988 and 1990. ⋯ The multivariable hazard ratio (95% CI) for the highest vs. the lowest quintiles of magnesium intake after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factor and sodium intake was 0.49 (0.26-0.95), P for trend = 0.074 for hemorrhagic stroke in men, 0.68 (0.48-0.96), P for trend = 0.010 for total stroke, 0.47 (0.29-0.77), P for trend < 0.001 for ischemic stroke, 0.50 (0.30-0.84), P for trend = 0.005 for coronary heart disease, 0.50 (0.28-0.87), P for trend = 0.002 for heart failure and 0.64 (0.51-0.80), P for trend < 0.001 for total cardiovascular disease in women. The adjustment for calcium and potassium intakes attenuated these associations. In conclusion, dietary magnesium intake was associated with reduced mortality from cardiovascular disease in Japanese, especially for women.