XXXX expression in atherosclerotic carotid plaques and its relationship with plaque characteristics.

@entity1 @entity32 @entity10094 @entity532 @entity2791 @entity216 @entity460 @entity731 @entity543
OBJECTIVE: @entity216 , a @entity460 and phospholipid-binding protein, is an important endogenous modulator of @entity32 . Whether this regulatory role extends to @entity731 is unknown. The aim of this study is to investigate the genetic and protein expression of @entity216 in carotid endarterectomy specimens from @entity1 with significant @entity543 . MATERIALS AND METHODS: The echogenicity of @entity731 was determined by ultrasound prior to carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in 34 consecutively recruited @entity1 with @entity543 exceeding 70%. The @entity216 messenger RNA and protein expression of the corresponding plaques obtained from those @entity1 were analyzed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the immunohistochemical method respectively. Results were analyzed with respect to plaque characteristics and symptomatic disease. RESULTS: There were 25 males and 9 females, with a mean age of 68.8. Ten @entity1 were asymptomatic. The symptomatic @entity1 ' plaques were more echolucent (mean grey scale median (GSM) of 103) than those of asymptomatic @entity1 (mean GSM = 126, p = 0.022). The @entity216 protein was constitutively expressed in all plaques, and @entity216 gene expression was statistically higher in @entity1 with @entity10094 compared with those with neurological symptoms (87    4% vs. 42    6.2%; p < 0.001, unpaired t-test). The GSM score was positively correlated with @entity216 levels in @entity1 with high-grade carotid @entity2791 (r = 0.501, p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to suggest that high @entity216 expression may have a stabilising effect in asymptomatic @entity1 with less echolucent @entity731 . Since @entity731 is an inflammatory process, we further postulate that @entity216 may play an essential role in preventing @entity532 or disease progression.
