Atherosclerosis
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Accelerated coronary atherosclerosis of cardiac allograft occurs in 30-40% of cardiac transplant patients and remains an unsolved clinical problem. The etiology is unknown and anti-platelet drugs are used without conspicuous success. The inhibitory effect of the octapeptide, angiopeptin on coronary atherosclerosis was studied in a previously described rabbit heterotopic cardiac transplant model where allograft rejection is prevented by daily administration of cyclosporin A (CsA, 10 mg/kg per day s.c.). ⋯ The intimal hyperplasia is expressed as area of intimal hyperplasia/total vessel area x 100%. A similar inhibition by angiopeptin was seen in lipid deposition in the donor ascending aorta which is transplanted with the heart. Angiopeptin attenuated significantly the hyperplasia and the lipid deposition of the native coronary arteries and aorta but to a lesser extent.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
On the effects of dietary n-3 fatty acids (Maxepa) on plasma lipids and lipoproteins in patients with hyperlipidaemia.
An encapsulated preparation of fish oil (Maxepa) was administered to hyperlipidaemic patients in order to establish the responsiveness of the common lipid phenotypes to dietary supplementation with n-3 fatty acids. 13 patients took 6 g/day of fish oil and 12 patients took 16 g/day in a randomized, double-blind crossover study, whereby each subject took fish oil for 3 months and matching placebo for 3 months. The study was conducted against a background diet restricted in saturated fat and cholesterol. In Types IIa and IIb hyperlipoproteinaemia there was no substantial fall in plasma cholesterol concentration. ⋯ The fall in plasma triglyceride concentration was accompanied by a significant reduction in the concentration of very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (-42%), a significant rise in low density lipoprotein cholesterol (+7%), and a significant rise in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration (+6%), there being no significant change in the ratio of low density to high density lipoprotein cholesterol. There were changes in the fatty acid composition of plasma and platelet lipids which reflected dietary supplementation with n-3 fatty acids, notably an increase in the proportion of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids which occurred in a dose-dependent fashion. Despite these changes there was no significant variation in the bleeding time, platelet count or blood viscosity during the treatment.
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This report describes the distribution of lipoprotein triglyceride and lipoprotein cholesterol in employees of the Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Company. Means, medians, and selected percentiles are presented for very low, low, and high density lipoproteins (VLDL, LDL, and HDL, respectively) in 606 randomly selected white subjects aged 20-59. Results are specific for age decade, sex, and female sex hormone usage. ⋯ Men have the highest average VLDL triglyceride value (85 mg/dl) but their average triglyceride concentrations in the LDL and HDL fractions (18 and 12 mg/dl) approximate those of women not taking hormones. This study in a well-defined population provides references standards for lipoprotein triglyceride concentrations. These results can be used to evaluate the effect of sex hormone treatment on the lipoprotein triglyceride content in VLDL, LDL and HDL, and to assess triglyceride content as a potential risk factor in men and older women.