Wall shear stress is lower in the carotid artery responsible for a unilateral ischemic stroke.

According to the focal nature of atherosclerosis, ischemic stroke is frequently unilateral. Atherosclerotic plaques are favoured by local hemodynamic factors as low wall shear stress and/or elevated circumferential wall tension. Aim of the present study was to investigate the possible association between hemodynamic forces and cerebrovascular disease.

Hematocrit is associated with carotid atherosclerosis in men but not in women.

Background: It is known that blood and plasma viscosities are associated with clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis, though evidence is not conclusive particularly in women.

Objective: To verify whether hematocrit and blood and plasma viscosities are independently associated with carotid atherosclerosis and whether their measurement can improve the definition of the global coronary heart disease (CHD) risk.

Method: Eight hundred and ninety-two participants in a cardiovascular disease prevention campaign were examined with regard to conventional CHD risk factors (age, blood pressure, lipids, glucose, body mass index, waist/hip ratio, cigarette smoking and diabetes), hematocrit and blood and plasma viscosities.

Arterial remodeling of the common carotid artery after aortic valve replacement in patients with aortic stenosis.

Background And Purpose: Aortic stenosis, causing flow abnormalities, disturbs the normal hemodynamics in the common carotid arteries. The aim of the present study was to investigate the remodeling process of the common carotid arteries after surgical correction of aortic stenosis.

Methods: Eleven subjects with aortic stenosis were studied before and 1 and 6 months after aortic valve replacement.

The Arg allele in position 192 of PON1 is associated with carotid atherosclerosis in subjects with elevated HDLs.

Human serum paraoxonase (PON1) is an HDL-associated enzyme involved in the protection of lipoproteins from oxidation. A polymorphism at position 192 (Gln/Arg) influences its activity in a substrate-dependent manner. The aim of the present study was to evaluate, in vivo, the contribution of the PON1-192 polymorphism to the protective effect of HDLs.