Characterization of Carotid Smooth Muscle Cells during Phenotypic Transition.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are central players in carotid atherosclerosis plaque development. Although the precise mechanisms involved in plaque destabilization are not completely understood, it is known that VSMC proliferation and migration participate in plaque stabilization. In this study, we analyzed expression patterns of genes involved in carotid atherosclerosis development (e.

RNAseq based transcriptomics study of SMCs from carotid atherosclerotic plaque: BMP2 and IDs proteins are crucial regulators of plaque stability.

Carotid artery atherosclerosis is a risk factor to develop cerebrovascular disease. Atheroma plaque can become instable and provoke a cerebrovascular event or else remain stable as asymptomatic type. The exact mechanism involved in plaque destabilization is not known but includes among other events smooth muscle cell (SMC) differentiation.

[Contralateral occlusion of the internal carotid artery in the study of carotid stenosis using Doppler ultrasonography].

Introduction And Aims: The degree of stenosis measured by Doppler ultrasonography in patients with contralateral occlusion of the internal carotid artery (ICA) is assumed to be overestimated. We propose to measure the extent to which this phenomenon affects the capacity of Doppler ultrasonography to classify stenoses.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective study of 47 patients was conducted using Doppler ultrasonography and digital subtraction angiography; all subjects had confirmed unilateral occlusion of the ICA and stenoses of the contralateral ICA.

The use of unenhanced Doppler sonography in the evaluation of solid breast lesions.

Objective: The objectives of our study were to investigate differences in Doppler sonography features between benign and malignant breast lesions and between malignant lesions with different prognostic factors and to propose diagnostic criteria for Doppler sonography of breast lesions.

Subjects And Methods: We performed power and duplex Doppler sonography examinations in 826 breast lesions scheduled for sonographically guided core needle biopsy. Lesion vascularity, pulsatility index (PI), and resistive index (RI) of the vessels detected were analyzed and correlated with histologic results.