Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology
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Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. · Jan 2003
Comparative StudySoluble CD40 ligand levels indicate lipid accumulation in carotid atheroma: an in vivo study with high-resolution MRI.
The CD40/CD40 ligand pathway mediates inflammatory processes important in atherogenesis and the formation of the intraplaque lipid pool. We tested the hypothesis that plasma levels of soluble CD40 ligand are elevated in patients with evidence of a lipid pool on high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of carotid stenoses. ⋯ Plasma levels of soluble CD40 ligand may predict patients with features of high-risk atherosclerotic lesions. These data provide novel insight into the mechanism through which elevated levels of soluble CD40 ligand may reflect cardiovascular risk in humans and illustrate the potential value of interfacing high-resolution MRI with studies of vascular inflammation.