Atherosclerosis, inflammation and Chlamydia pneumoniae.

Coronary heart disease is the single most common cause of illness and death in the developed world. Coronary atherosclerosis is by far the most frequent cause of ischemic heart disease, and plaque disruption with superimposed thrombosis is the main cause of the acute coronary syndromes of unstable angina, myocardial infarction, and sudden death. Atherosclerosis is the result of a complex interaction between blood elements, disturbed flow, and vessel wall abnormality, involving several pathological processes: inflammation, with increased endothelial permeability, endothelial activation, and monocyte recruitment; growth, with smooth muscle cell proliferation, migration, and matrix synthesis; degeneration, with lipid accumulation; necrosis, possibly related to the cytotoxic effect of oxidized lipid; calcification/ossification, which may represent an active rather than a dystrophic process; and thrombosis, with platelet recruitment and fibrin formation.

Protrhombotic effects of contraceptives.

The use of oral contraceptives first became widespread some 40 years ago, and reports of an excess risk of cardiovascular disease among women who used these agents soon followed. Few drugs have been the object of such intensive epidemiological research, the outcome of which has provided clinicians with detailed information about risks not only of specific thrombotic diseases but also important non-contraceptive benefits from the pill. Recently, oral contraceptives have been classified by some according to "generation" (first, second, third, and most recently, fourth generation): first-generation formulations containing lynestrenol or norethindrone, second-generation formulations containing levonorgestrel, third-generation formulations containing desogestrel or gestodene, and oral contraceptives containing an estrogen and other progestagens (cyproterone or norgestimate) or a progestagen alone.

The PFO anatomy evaluation as possible tool to stratify the associated risks and the benefits arising from the closure.

Aims: According to the current guidelines, the patent foramen ovale (PFO) is still considered a qualitative factor and, as a consequence, its closure is recommended just on the basis of its 'presence'.

Methods And Results: In the year 2008, we evaluated 25 patients (mean age 62.7) with acute cerebrovascular event and 92 patients (mean age 27.