The New England journal of medicine
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Lipoprotein lipase is an important regulator of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. It also contributes to the lipid and energy metabolism of different tissues in varying ways. ⋯ The actual molecular events that determine this tissue specificity are not yet understood. In the future, however, it may be possible to stimulate or inhibit the activity of lipoprotein lipase in specific tissues and to alter metabolic processes so as to improve the quality and length of life in patients with metabolic diseases such as hypertriglyceridemia, HDL2 deficiency, and obesity.
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We examined the relation between the serum total cholesterol level and the risk of death from stroke during six years of follow-up in 350,977 men, 35 to 57 years of age, who had no history of heart attack and were not currently being treated for diabetes mellitus. The diagnosis of stroke and the type of stroke were obtained from death certificates. ⋯ The inverse association of the serum cholesterol level with the risk of death from intracranial hemorrhage was confined to men with diastolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 90 mm Hg, in whom death from intracranial hemorrhage is relatively common. We conclude that there is an inverse relation between the serum cholesterol level and the risk of death from hemorrhagic stroke in middle-aged American men, but that its public health impact is overwhelmed by the positive association of higher serum cholesterol levels with death from nonhemorrhagic stroke and total cardiovascular disease (ICD-9 categories 390 through 459).