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Query: UMLS:C0004153 (atherosclerosis)
 77,401 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A modified strain of heritable hyperlipidaemic rabbit has been produced by crossing male albino rabbits homozygous for low density lipoprotein receptor deficiency into a coloured commercial colony with strong breeding characteristics. The genetic deficiency has been preserved in the resulting offspring through many generations. Litter numbers, live weight gains and energy intake are similar to normal rabbits. Free and esterified cholesterol in serum, and total cholesterol in very low density plus low density lipoproteins, are markedly increased in homozygote, but only slightly raised in heterozygote, animals. High density lipoprotein-cholesterols show an opposite trend but with less marked differences between the genetic strains. Liver total and esterified cholesterol levels were substantially increased in homozygotes, and the ability of liver membranes to bind human 125I-LDL was markedly reduced, owing to a reduction of the number of high-affinity binding sites. All animals with serum cholesterol values greater than 14 mmol/l at weaning developed extensive aortic atherosclerosis within 16 weeks. The early lesions had the histological appearances of fatty streaks and progressed to complicated disease at 6-12 months. A distinctive pattern of calcific arteriosclerosis, quite different from atherosclerosis, was observed in most aging heterozygote animals and was associated with extensive renal calcium deposition. Corneal arcus developed in some homozygotes but there was no evidence of cerebral atherosclerosis. We conclude that homozygotes of this modified strain can be used for macroscopic studies of the progression of aortic atherosclerosis in the first 4 months after weaning but after this period a combination of macroscopic and microscopic techniques are required. Heterozygotes are unsuitable for studies of this nature.
Atherosclerosis 1988 Jun
PMID:Biochemical and pathological features of a modified strain of Watanabe heritable hyperlipidaemic rabbits. 340 Dec 89

Ophthalmological examination was made for 447 hypercholesterolemic middle-aged Eastern Finnish men participating in the Kuopio Atherosclerosis Prevention Study (KAPS) in order to evaluate the prevalence of corneal arcus, its risk factors, and possible association with atherosclerosis. The degree of atherosclerosis was assessed by ultrasonographic examination of carotid and femoral arteries. Corneal arcus in either eye was observed in 51.4% of the participants. Old age and high LDL cholesterol concentration were associated with the presence of corneal arcus. Corneal arcus had a close relationship with ultrasonographically assessed atherosclerosis.
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PMID:Association of corneal arcus with ultrasonographically assessed arterial wall thickness and serum lipids. 850 Mar 21

Corneal arcus is a lipid-rich and predominantly extracellular deposit that forms at the corneoscleral limbus. It represents the most common peripheral corneal opacity and is not associated with tissue breakdown but rather with the deposition of lipids. The deposition of cholesterol in the peripheral cornea and arterial wall are similar in that both are accelerated by elevated serum levels of atherogenic lipoproteins, such as low-density lipoproteins (LDL). Corneal arcus is more prevalent in men than in women and in Blacks than in Whites. Its prevalence increases with advancing age. It has been associated with hypercholesterolemia, xanthelasmas, alcohol, blood pressure, cigarette smoking, diabetes, age, and coronary heart disease. Nevertheless, it is not clear whether or not corneal arcus is an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). The present systematic review examines the relationship of corneal arcus and CHD to determine if corneal arcus is an independent CHD risk factor. We conclude that there is no consensus that corneal arcus is an independent risk factor. The presence of corneal arcus in a young person should prompt a search for lipid abnormalities. Also, because corneal arcus represents physical evidence of early lipid deposition, its presence suggests the need for aggressive lipid therapy.
Atherosclerosis 2007 Aug
PMID:Corneal arcus as coronary artery disease risk factor. 1704 31

Corneal arcus is a lipid-rich deposit at the corneoscleral limbus that shares some similarities with the lipid deposition of atherosclerosis. Epidemiologic studies examining the association between corneal arcus and coronary artery disease (CAD) have yielded mixed results. This study was conducted to determine if corneal arcus is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CAD. A prospective analysis was performed using Cox proportional-hazards regression models in the Framingham Heart Study Original Cohort and Offspring Cohort database. This cohort included 23,376 patient-examinations, during 3,890 (17%) of which corneal arcus was identified. Corneal arcus was a predictor of CVD and CAD at 4 years (hazard ratios [HRs] 2.28 and 1.99, respectively) and 8 years (HRs 2.52 and 2.35, respectively) of follow-up (p <0.0001 for all). Corneal arcus was no longer predictive of either CVD or CAD, however, after adjustment for age and gender at 4 years (HRs 1.07 and 1.01, respectively) and 8 years (HRs 1.18 and 1.17, respectively) of follow-up (p >0.05 for all). In conclusion, corneal arcus predicted CVD and CAD in the community-based Framingham Heart Study cohort because of the strong association of corneal arcus with increasing age. To date, this is the largest and lengthiest population-based cohort study examining the direct association between corneal arcus and CVD and CAD.
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PMID:Relation of corneal arcus to cardiovascular disease (from the Framingham Heart Study data set). 1910 Dec 31