Internal medicine
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Homocysteine (Hcy) is a sulfhydryl amino acid. Its precursor, the essential amino acid methionine, is derived from dietary protein; recently a number of studies have suggested its relation to atherosclerosis. The present study was performed to clarify the relation between the plasma Hcy concentration and sclerotic lesions of the common carotid arteries. ⋯ The findings of this study confirmed that observations of an association between plasma Hcy concentration and common carotid atherosclerosis in Western populations is also present among the elderly Japanese.