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

It is shown that sodium nucleinate applied in a complex with the generally accepted nonoperative therapy corrects the immune status of patients with atherosclerosis of the lower limb arteries in stage IIB circulatory disorders. The number of T-lymphocytes (45.2 +/- 1.22 before and 68.4 +/- 1.85 after treatment) and the percentage of B-lymphocytes (25.3 +/- 0.66 before and 19.3 +/- 0.66 after treatment) were normalized. The percentage of O-lymphocytes reduced 2.4 times, the number of T-lymphocytes sensitized to the arterial intima dropped to normal. The indices of humoral immunity improved: IgG reduced to the level encountered in healthy individuals, the level of circulating immune complexes reduced 2.23 times, the IgA concentration, however, remained just as low as before treatment. The indices of nonspecific immunity became normal: complement increased, the number of NST+ neutrophils reduced by half, the number and phagocytic activity of neutrophils significantly increased. In the group of patients who were given sodium nucleinate 18 had a good clinical effect.
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PMID:[Correction by sodium nucleinate of immunologic disorders in patients with atherosclerotic lesions of the arteries of the lower limbs]. 206 42

The precise pathogenesis of human diabetic kidney disease and the factors responsible for the susceptibility to it remain to be established. However, there is now evidence that renal disease clusters in families and that genetic factors are of central importance in determining liability. A predisposition to arterial hypertension has been suggested as playing a contributory role in the development of kidney disease. Genetically controlled hypertrophic processes may be implicated in the susceptibility to arterial wall damage and glomerular injury in diabetes. This suggestion derives from the observation that the fibroblasts of patients with diabetic nephropathy show a higher Na+/H+ antiport activity and a greater 3H-thymidine incorporation into DNA than fibroblasts of diabetic patients without nephropathy. The first sign of renal damage is the appearance of microalbuminuria and of a small elevation in arterial pressure, changes associated with significant mesangial expansion. Microalbuminuria is associated with abnormalities of lipoprotein profiles possibly as a consequence of insulin-resistance-induced hyperinsulinemia. It could be postulated that the environmental changes brought about by diabetes lead in susceptible individuals to increased systemic and intraglomerular pressure on the one hand and mesangial expansion on the other. These two processes would cause proteinuria and glomerulosclerosis. Lipid abnormalities would further aggravate the renal histological damage and, in combination with hypertension, contribute to the accelerated atherosclerosis typical of patients with diabetic kidney disease. A vicious circle would thus be triggered of reduction in renal function, more hypertension, more proteinuria, more glomerular obsolence, more hyperlipidemia and eventually end-stage renal failure or premature cardiovascular death.
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PMID:Mechanisms of diabetic renal and cardiovascular disease. 207 90

The frequent concurrence of other cardiovascular risk factors in hypertensive patients, such as obesity and diabetes mellitus, suggests that overlapping genetic and environmental factors may contribute to the common metabolic and cardiovascular derangements observed in these populations. Hypertension and hyperglycemia accelerate atherosclerosis in diabetics, and play an important role in associated morbidity and mortality. Several abnormalities in blood pressure regulatory systems such as the renin-angiotensin system, the sympathetic nervous system, and sodium/volume control have been described in diabetes mellitus. Sodium retention and cardiovascular hyperreactivity appear to occur early in the course of diabetes mellitus, even at normal blood pressure levels and before onset of renal failure, and could set the stage for the development of hypertension. The relationship between obesity and hypertension is also well-established, and may reflect metabolic and cardiovascular adaptations in obese subjects which predispose to blood pressure elevations. Obese subjects display changes in sympathetic nervous system activity, sodium metabolism, and vascular hemodynamics. Sodium-sensitive blood pressure responses in the obese may be secondary to increased cardiac output or fluid volume, and are directly related to circulating insulin levels. Certain metabolic and vascular characteristics of obesity and diabetes mellitus are found in patients with essential hypertension. It has been suggested that insulin and insulin resistance may be the common link between these risk factors. Improved understanding of metabolic considerations in the treatment of obese and diabetic hypertensives should lead to more careful selection of medications that avoid metabolic complications. Although diuretics and beta-blockers may be useful in some patients, there are several reasons not to recommend their use as initial therapy in obese and diabetic hypertensives. On the other hand, calcium channel blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors are highly effective, with minimal effects on metabolic parameters, and are well-suited as first-line therapy in the treatment of obese and diabetic hypertensives.
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PMID:Metabolic considerations in hypertension. 207 23

This paper review the actual knowledges about the physiological role of nitric oxide, sintetized from amino acid L-arginine. The nitric oxide sintetized in the vascular endothelium has a fundamental role in vascular tone, blood flow and arterial pressure control, acting stimulating guanylate cyclase on vascular smooth muscle. Nitric oxide could be considered the endogenous nitrovasodilator. Its action on the cardiovascular system are imitated by nitroglycerine, sodium nitroprusside and related compounds. Probably the disturbance in the synthesis or release of nitric oxide may be involved in the pathophysiology of hypertension, vasospasm and atherosclerosis. Recently has been shown that nitric oxide synthesis from L-arginine also occurs in other different cells like macrophages, central nervous system, liver, neutrophils, adrenal glands, playing different biological effects. Changes in nitric oxide synthesis or action in those systems, could be related to different pathological disorders as inflammation, atherosclerosis and cancer. The found of a substance as simple as nitric oxide, let suppose that we are in the presence of a biological mediator with a very early evolutionary origin, probably widespread in all the animal kingdom, and which represents the universal transduction system for activation of the soluble guanylate cyclase enzyme.
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PMID:[Nitric oxide: from endogenous vasodilator to biologic mediator]. 209 54

As infection and malnutrition are steadily overcome in the developing world, cardiovascular disease loom large in the profile of morbidity and mortality in these societies. Hypertension, rheumatic heart disease and the cardiomyopathies are already taking their toll and atherosclerosis is certain to pose public health problems soon unless steps are taken now, through attention to known risk factors, to pre-empt or at least minimize its consequences. There are populations in developing countries among whom blood pressure does not appear to rise with age and in whom the prevalence of hypertension is very low. Studies of these communities and of migrant groups indicate that salt has an important effect on blood pressure. In spite of these observations, however, it is well known that black communities tend, on the whole, to show a higher prevalence of hypertension and more severe target-organ damage than white communities. Other distinguishing features are lower cholesterol, triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein fractions and a delayed response to a sodium load in black populations. Economic constraints limit the effective application of stepped-care therapy in the management of moderate to severe hypertension. Beta-blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are not so effective in black communities unless combined with diuretics.
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PMID:Epidemiology of cardiovascular disease in developing countries. 209 92

Mononuclear phagocytes adhere to and penetrate the vessel wall endothelium and contact the subendothelial space prior to the development of the atherosclerotic plaque. In an attempt to model the early events of plaque development we used an elastin-rich, multicomponent, cell-derived matrix from neonatal rat aortic smooth muscle cells as a substratum for monocytes. Using this model, we show that human monocyte morphology and metabolism are markedly altered by the matrix substratum. When a mixed mononuclear cell population is seeded on matrix or plastic, only monocytes adhere to the matrix surface. In contrast, lymphocytes as well as monocytes adhere to the plastic surface. The matrix-adherent monocytes develop large intracellular granules and form extensive clusters of individual cells. Metabolically, these cells develop sodium fluoride resistant non-specific esterase activity and their media contain more growth factor activity and PGE2. Although total protein synthesis is equivalent in both cultures, the matrix contact induces an increase in specific proteins in the media. We also show that a purified alpha-elastin substratum induces some, but not all, of the monocyte changes seen when using the matrix substratum. Using the alpha-elastin substratum, there is selective adhesion of monocytes and increased growth factor activity, however, the cells are morphologically different from the matrix-adherent cells. Thus, the use of the smooth muscle cell-derived matrix, in conjunction with purified matrix components, serves as a model that can provide insight into the mechanisms of monocyte adhesion and stimulation by the matrix environment that exists in vivo. Such mechanisms may be particularly important in atherogenesis.
Atherosclerosis 1990 Dec
PMID:Monocyte activation by smooth muscle cell-derived matrices. 210 75

Atherosclerosis impairs endothelium-dependent relaxation of large conduit arteries. Because coronary resistance vessels are spared from the development of overt atherosclerosis, endothelium-dependent responses were examined in these vascular segments. Malaysian cynomolgus monkeys (n = 6) were made atherosclerotic by being fed a 0.7% cholesterol diet for 18 months. Control monkeys (n = 6) were fed a standard diet. Coronary microvessels (122-220 microns) were studied in a pressurized (20 mm Hg), no-flow state using a video-imaging apparatus. Relaxations of microvessels, preconstricted with the thromboxane analogue U46619, were determined in response to acetylcholine, bradykinin, the calcium ionophore A23187, adenosine, and sodium nitroprusside. Microvascular relaxations to bradykinin and A23187 were reduced in atherosclerotic monkeys compared with controls, whereas acetylcholine produced additional contraction in atherosclerotic monkeys. Responses of preconstricted microvessels to adenosine and sodium nitroprusside were identical in atherosclerotic and control animals. Indomethacin did not alter responses in control or atherosclerotic animals. Histologic examination revealed neither intimal thickening nor plaque formation in microvessels of this size class despite marked changes in conduit arteries. Electron microscopy showed minor alterations of endothelial cell morphology in microvessels of atherosclerotic animals. In conclusion, long-term hypercholesterolemia markedly impairs endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation in the coronary microcirculation where overt atherosclerosis does not develop. These changes in endothelial cell function may significantly alter regulation of myocardial perfusion by neurohumoral stimuli.
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PMID:Endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation is abnormal in the coronary microcirculation of atherosclerotic primates. 211 36

We investigated the possibility that established atherosclerosis and xanthomas in mature WHHL rabbits could be suppressed or even regressed when their serum cholesterol levels were kept extremely low. Ten-month-old WHHL rabbits were divided into 3 groups, i.e. control rabbits, sacrificed at age 10 months, and placebo and treated rabbits, sacrificed at age 18 months. The treated rabbits were given pravastatin sodium (50 mg/kg/day), an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, in combination with cholestyramine (2% in diet), a bile acid sequestrant, for 36 weeks. The serum cholesterol levels and atherogenic lipoproteins in the treated group were markedly reduced, by about 60% (P less than 0.005 and P less than 0.001). Consequently, the degrees of both coronary and aortic atherosclerosis in the treated group were significantly reduced compared with the placebo group, and were almost the same as in the control group. The histopathological findings supported the above results. In addition, the incidence and degree of xanthomas in digital joints in the treated group were significantly reduced. These results suggest that established atherosclerosis and xanthomas in mature WHHL rabbits could be suppressed by keeping their serum cholesterol levels extremely low by the combination drug treatment.
Atherosclerosis 1990 Jul
PMID:Suppression of established atherosclerosis and xanthomas in mature WHHL rabbits by keeping their serum cholesterol levels extremely low. Effect of pravastatin sodium in combination with cholestyramine. 211 30

Nonenzymatic glycosylation of plasma proteins may contribute to the excess risk of developing atherosclerosis in patients with diabetes mellitus. Because high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is believed to protect against atherosclerosis and is glycosylated at increased levels in diabetic individuals, the effects of nonenzymatic glycosylation of HDL3 on binding of HDL3 to cultured fibroblasts and to the candidate HDL-receptor protein were examined. HDL3 was glycosylated in vitro with glucose alone or in combination with sodium cyanoborohydride. With this catalyst, up to 40-50% of the lysine residues could be glycosylated, resulting in a progressive drop to nearly 60% in high-affinity binding to cultured fibroblasts at 4 degrees C. Binding to the 110,000-Mr candidate HDL-receptor protein was reduced by almost 75%. At levels of HDL glycosylation equivalent to the 3-5% observed in diabetes, high-affinity binding to fibroblasts at 4 degrees C was diminished by up to 15-20%. Binding kinetic studies paradoxically suggested that glycosylated HDL3 binds with higher affinity to a reduced number of binding sites. The findings in this study suggest that nonenzymatically glycosylated HDL may be functionally abnormal and might contribute to the development of atherosclerosis in patients with diabetes mellitus.
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PMID:Nonenzymatic glycosylation of HDL resulting in inhibition of high-affinity binding to cultured human fibroblasts. 217 Feb 16

To evaluate the involvement of the complement system in atherogenesis, we investigated the effect of camostat mesilate (CM), C1r, and C1 esterase inhibitor on cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis in rabbits. We also examined the effect of sodium dextran sulfate (DS, molecular weight: 7000), which is reported to be effective in preventing arteriosclerotic diseases and in inhibiting cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis in experimental animals, on complement activation in vitro and in vivo. The administration of CM reduced the formation of atherosclerotic lesions in cholesterol-fed rabbits. DS inhibited complement pathway in vitro, and the administration of DS reduced the C3a level in subjects. These results suggest that complement activation may possibly be involved in the atherosclerotic process.
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PMID:Clinical and experimental approaches to the prevention of atherosclerosis by immunological regulations. 224 58


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