PURPOSE: To evaluate by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) the characteristics of the culprit
lesion with plaque rupture without significant angiographic stenosis after acute coronary …

Considerable progress has been made recently in understanding the pathobiology of
atherosclerosis. To a significant degree it is an inflammatory disease of the vessel wall …

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are important for resorption of extracellular matrixes and
may degrade the fibrous cap of an atherosclerotic plaque, thus contributing to coronary …

Recent advances in our understanding of cardiovascular disease have revealed that
atherothrombotic events, such as myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke, are the end …

Objectives: We evaluated the axial location of plaque ruptures in native coronary arteries.
Background: It is clinically important to understand the potential sites of plaque rupture …

Neopterin is produced by human and primate monocyte/macrophages upon activation by
pro-inflammatory stimuli like Th1-type cytokine interferon-γ. Neopterin has pro-oxidative …

Early identification of vulnerable, rupture-prone atherosclerotic plaques with the optimal goal
of cardiovascular event prevention is a field of vigorous research. Despite the advances in …

In a vulnerable plaque (VP), rupture often occurs at a site of high stress within the cap. It is
also known that vessels do not become free of stress when all external loads are removed …

Objectives: We sought to determine whether the amount of noncalcified plaque (NCP) in
nonobstructive coronary lesions as detected by multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) …

INTRODUCTION: Current evidence indicates that most plaques classified as vulnerable or
ruptured plaque do not lead to unstable angina or myocardial infarction. Improved methods …