Articles: apolipoproteins-e.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Nov 2008
Apolipoprotein E polymorphism and gender difference in outcome after severe traumatic brain injury.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most common causes of death and dismal outcome among children and young adults. The morbidity and mortality differ but more aggressive monitoring and more designated neuro intensive care units have improved the results. Studies have demonstrated a connection between apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype and outcome after TBI, but few are prospective and none is from northern Europe. APOE has three alleles: epsilon2, epsilon3 and epsilon4. ⋯ APOE epsilon4 correlated to worse outcome in TBI patients. We also found that males with APOE epsilon4 had poor outcome while females did not. Thus, the results indicate that genetic polymorphism may influence outcome after TBI.
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Myriocin, a potent inhibitor of serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT), has been shown to reduce plasma sphingolipids, cholesterol and triglycerides in hyperlipidemic apolipoprotein E knockout (apoE KO) mice. We hypothesized that the inhibition of sphingolipid biosynthesis modulates the composition of atherosclerotic plaque via its lipid-lowering effects. To test this hypothesis, the effect of myriocin on plasma lipids, sphingolipids and atherosclerosis progression, regression and lesion composition was investigated in apoE KO mice. ⋯ Compared to 24- and 36-week controls, atherosclerotic lesion area and macrophage content in the aortic root and brachiocephalic arteries of myriocin-treated ApoE KO mice were reduced but there was only a slight increase in smooth muscle content. However, the content of collagen within aortic root lesions was increased in myriocin-treated apoE KO mice. In summary, the inhibition of SPT lowers plasma sphingolipids and atherogenic plasma lipids leading to the regression of pre-existing atherosclerotic lesions and to the formation of a stable plaque phenotype.
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Subarachnoid hemorrhage due to the rupture of a cerebral aneurysm is a life-threatening disease. Despite this, the detailed mechanisms underlying the initiation and progression of cerebral aneurysm are unclear. The relation of hypercholesterolemia and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) to cerebral aneurysm formation, has been unclear until now. ⋯ The mRNA expression of ApoE in arterial walls was not different between the controls and cerebral aneurysms. Owing to the deficiency of ApoE, mice presented marked hypercholesterolemia, but there was no difference in cerebral aneurysm formation. In the present study, we clarified that ApoE was not responsible for cerebral aneurysm formation.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jan 2008
Genetic factors are important determinants of neurodevelopmental outcome after repair of tetralogy of Fallot.
Adverse neurodevelopmental sequelae are common in children with congenital heart defects. Tetralogy of Fallot is part of the clinical phenotype of many genetic syndromes. We evaluated the determinants of neurodevelopmental outcome in patients with tetralogy of Fallot. ⋯ At 1 year of age after repair of tetralogy of Fallot, most patients had neurodevelopmental scores within the normal range. Genetic syndromes and the apolipoprotein E epsilon2 allele were important risk factors for neurodevelopmental dysfunction and accounted for some interindividual differences in outcome.
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Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and the thienopyridine clopidogrel are established anti-platelet drugs that significantly reduce secondary cardiovascular events in patients with manifest atherosclerosis. However, their impact on atherosclerotic lesion development remains controversial. Four-week-old ApoE-deficient mice were randomly assigned to four groups receiving a cholesterol diet together with either ASA (5 mg/kg), or clopidogrel (25 mg/kg), or a combination of both ASA and clopidogrel, or vehicle for 8-12 weeks. ⋯ However, therapy with ASA or clopidogrel alone, or in combination for a period of 8-12 weeks had no significant effect on adhesion of platelets to dysfunctional endothelial cells or on atherosclerotic lesion formation in the aortic root or the carotid artery. In conclusion, anti-platelet therapy is effective in reducing platelet adhesion and subsequent thrombus formation following rupture of atherosclerotic plaque in vivo. However, our data do not support a role of either drug in the primary prevention of atherosclerosis in ApoE-deficient mice.