Association of high serum concentration of the third component of complement (C3) with pre-existing severe coronary artery disease and new vascular events in women.

Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease. The complement system plays an important role in the atherosclerotic process. However, lesser data is available on the possible role of C3 as a risk factor for atherosclerosis.

Genetic basis of tobacco smoking: strong association of a specific major histocompatibility complex haplotype on chromosome 6 with smoking behavior.

The genetic basis for addiction to tobacco smoking--particularly that of the perception of olfactory stimuli that may be important in reinforcing smoking addiction--is largely unknown. A cluster of genes for olfactory receptors is in close proximity to the MHC region on chromosome 6. Polymorphisms of MHC class III genes (RCCX modules, TNFA promoter polymorphisms) were determined in 101 healthy subjects and 232 coronary artery disease (CAD) patients from Hungary with defined tobacco smoking habits.

Polymorphism in the promoter region of the apolipoprotein A5 gene is associated with an increased susceptibility for coronary artery disease.

Although triglycerides (TG) are a major risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD), their exact role is still controversial. Recently, a T/C polymorphism in the promoter region of the apoA5 gene at position 1131 has been found that is associated with an increased plasma TG concentration. We investigated the role of this polymorphism in 308 Hungarian patients with CAD referred to coronary bypass surgery, and in 310 controls recruited from the same area.

Antibodies against the human heat shock protein hsp70 in patients with severe coronary artery disease.

Heat shock proteins (hsps) play complex role in the function of the immune system, they can activate both humoral and cellular immune response, as well the complement system. Although autoimmunity to hsp70 was implicated in certain autoimmune diseases and other conditions, the exact role of anti-hsp70 antibodies is not known. It was demonstrated by our previous work and other's findings that antibodies against the 60 kDa hsps are strongly associated with coronary atherosclerosis and carotis disease.

Association of Chlamydia pneumoniae with coronary artery disease and its progression is dependent on the modifying effect of mannose-binding lectin.

Background: The possible association between coronary artery disease (CAD) and Chlamydia pneumoniae (C pneumoniae) infection is controversial. On the basis of the recent suggestion that mannose-binding lectin (MBL) variant alleles are related to an increased risk of severe atherosclerosis, and on the in vitro interaction of MBL with C pneumoniae, we asked whether MBL might contribute to CAD in conjunction with C pneumoniae.

Methods And Results: Antibodies to C pneumoniae were measured by immunofluorescence and MBL alleles were determined by polymerase chain reaction technique in samples from 210 patients with CAD and 257 healthy subjects from Hungary collected between 1995 and 1996.

Heat shock protein 70 is a potent activator of the human complement system.

According to new hypotheses, extracellular heat shock proteins (Hsps) may represent an ancestral danger signal of cellular death or lysis-activating innate immunity. Recent studies demonstrating a dual role for Hsp70 as both a chaperone and cytokine, inducing potent proinflammatory response in human monocytes, provided support for the hypothesis that extracellular Hsp is a messenger of stress. Our previous work focused on the complement-activating ability of human Hsp60.