Wien Med Wochenschr
January 2004
At the site of atherosclerotic plaque formation, proliferating vascular muscle cells express Matrix-Gla-protein (MGP) which depends on vitamin K and plays a regulatory role in tissue calcification. Measurements of MGP in serum showed significantly higher values in 66 patients with hyperlipidemia compared to healthy controls. MGP correlated with cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein, but not with the adhesion molecule GMP-140.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMacrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha (MIP-1alpha) is an interesting chemokine because in addition to its variety proinflammatory activities including chemotaxis and immunomodulation, it is a potent inhibitor of hematopoetic stem cell proliferation. Inhibition of erythroid progenitor cells due to MIP-1alpha or other cytokines can play a role in the pathogenesis of anemia which is one of the most common extra-articular features of active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In 84 patients with RA, serological and immunological parameters were assessed to detect inflammatory mechanisms and anemia in relation to the serum concentrations of MIP-1alpha.
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