Serum Immune Mediators Independently Associate with Atherosclerosis in the Left (But Not Right) Carotid Territory of Older Individuals.

Background And Aim: Disturbance in the carotid arteries strongly predicts cerebrovascular events and correlates with a systemic inflammatory milieu. We investigated the relationship of a profile of 10 circulating inflammatory mediators with measures of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in elderly subjects, taking traditional risk factors into account.

Methods: Clinical inspection for present and past chronic conditions and events, as well as biochemical and anthropometric measurements, was performed for patients in ambulatory setting.

Vitamin D and skin repair: a prospective, double-blind and placebo controlled study in the healing of leg ulcers.

Objective: To analyze the relation between vitamin D insufficiency and wound healing in patients with venous ulcers; to correlate vitamin D insufficiency with characteristics of the ulcer (size and pain) and to evaluate if reposition of vitamin D in these subjects expedites ulcer healing.

Methods: We selected 26 patients with leg ulcers, and 26 control patients without ulcers, matched for gender, age, systemic arterial hypertension and tobacco use. The venous ulcer group was divided in two subgroups: one that received placebo (nine patients) and other receiving vitamin D, 50.