Atherosclerosis and Lipoproteins |
From the Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology (S.K., A.S., Y.K., K.T.), Medical Sciences Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu University, the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism (N.T., H.S.), Murakami Memorial Hospital, Asahi University, and the Department of Internal Medicine (M.H., N.Y., K.Y.), Matsunami General Hospital, Gifu, Japan.
Correspondence to Shin-ichi Kawachi, Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Medical Sciences Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1194, Japan. E-mail kawachi{at}cc.gifu-u.ac.jp
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Methods and Results We assessed the association of circulating levels of IGF-1 and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) with early carotid atherosclerosis and atherosclerotic risk factors in 330 Japanese men (age 51.6±8.6 years, range 29 to 77, body mass index [BMI] 23.6±2.9 kg/m2). Intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery was measured by ultrasound. Abdominal visceral adipose and subcutaneous adipose tissue area by computer-assisted tomographic scan were determined. Correlation coefficients were calculated by partial correlation analysis. BMI and plasma insulin showed positive associations with circulating IGF-1 and IGFBP-3. Subcutaneous adipose tissue was correlated with IGF-1. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol was inversely associated with IGF-1. Blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and visceral adipose tissue were positively associated with IGFBP-3. IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 were associated with carotid IMT independent of age, BMI, blood pressure, and insulin. Insulin was associated with carotid IMT in univariate analysis. However, it was not correlated with carotid IMT in the multivariate analyses which included IGF-1 or IGFBP-3 as a covariate.
Conclusion Increased circulating IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 may be stimulators of atherosclerosis.
The role of growth hormoneinsulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 axis in cardiovascular disease is controversial. We have found that IGF-1 and IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-3 were associated with carotid intima-media thickness independent of age, body mass index, blood pressure, and insulin in 330 apparently healthy Japanese men. Circulating IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 may be stimulators of atherosclerosis.
Key Words: insulin-like growth factor-1 insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 atherosclerosis cardiovascular disease metabolic syndrome
| Introduction |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Patients with GH deficiency are known to share many if not all features of insulin resistance syndrome, which is a constellation of potentially atherogenic abnormalities, such as hyperinsulinemia, glucose intolerance, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and coagulation abnormalities.6 The syndrome is a well-established precursor of cardiovascular disease. Recently, recombinant human GH administration has been shown to improve metabolic abnormalities and reverse early atherosclerotic changes in patients with GH deficiency.7 It may well be hypothesized that decreased activity of the GHIGF-1 axis promotes atherosclerosis either by decreased effects of these hormones on vascular cells or by mediating atherogenic metabolic abnormalities. In fact, most811 but not all12,13 previous studies demonstrated that circulating levels of IGF-1 and/or IGF binding proteins (IGFBP) were decreased in patients with manifest coronary artery disease. This study was designed to examine the role of the IGF-1 axis in early atherosclerosis before overt clinical disease. To this end we measured circulating IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 in 330 Japanese men and assessed their associations with carotid arterial intima-media thickness (IMT), which is known to predict future incidence of coronary artery disease.14 We included IGFBP-3 in our study, because it has been reported not only to modulate IGF-1 effects but also to possess IGF-1 independent growth inhibitory action.15 Moreover, epidemiological studies have demonstrated that circulating levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 have opposite predictive roles in the risk of several types of cancer.16 It would be interesting to see whether this is the case also for atherosclerosis.
| Methods |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Data Collection and Measurements
The subjects came to the hospital in the morning and stayed there for 36 hours until they had completed all scheduled medical examinations. The health check program that they attended, as previously reported,17,18 included blood chemistry, a standard oral 75g glucose tolerance test, ECG, chest X-ray, barium examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract, and computer-assisted tomographic scan of the abdomen. Plasma glucose and insulin were measured by a glucose oxidase method and a double antibody radioimmunoassay, respectively. Area under the curve of plasma glucose in oral glucose tolerance test (AUC-PG) was calculated as a measure of glucose tolerance. A parameter of insulin resistance was calculated from a pair of values of fasting plasma glucose and insulin based on a homeostasis model (HOMA-R).19 Serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were measured by methods described elsewhere.17 Serum IGF-1 was measured by an immunoradiometric assay using a commercially available kit (Yuka Medias). The limit of detection was 0.3 ng/mL. Intra- and interassay coefficients of variation (CVs) were 5.2% and 7.7%, respectively. Serum IGFBP-3 was measured by an immunoradiometric assay kit (Diagnostic Systems Laboratories Inc; detection limit 1 ng/mL, intra-assay CV 2.6%, interassay CV 6.9%).
Body mass index (BMI) was calculated as body weight (kg) divided by the square of height (m). Abdominal visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose (SAT) tissue areas were measured by computer-assisted tomographic scan as described elsewhere.17 IMT of the common carotid artery was measured by B-mode ultrasound using a Logiq 500 (General Electric Yokogawa Medical System) according to the method of Pignoli et al20 modified by us.17 A longitudinal 2D ultrasound image of the common carotid artery was scanned with a 10-MHz linear array transducer while patients were in a supine position. The greatest IMT and those measured 1 cm upstream and downstream from the site of the greatest IMT were measured bilaterally. In total, 6 IMT values were obtained for each subject. The average of these measurements was calculated and used for the statistical analyses. The measurement of IMT was performed by a single physician throughout the study, so as to avoid interobserver variation. Smoking status was obtained by a self-administered questionnaire. Smoking status was expressed by the Brinkman index, which is calculated as the number of cigarettes per day multiplied by years of smoking.
Statistical Analysis
The results were expressed as mean±SD. To improve normality of the distribution, triglyceride, insulin, and HOMA-R were transformed to their logarithms before statistical analysis. The median and range were also given for these variables. Statistical analyses were made using the Statistical Analysis System version 6.12 for Windows (SAS Institute Inc). Relations between variables were evaluated by partial correlation analysis. Because we tried to improve skewness in the distribution of the Brinkman index but we could not approximate normality by logarithmic, square root, and other transformations, we used Spearman partial rank correlation test for analyses of correlation between the Brinkman index and other variables after adjustment for age. Adjustment for age was done by regressing the Brinkman index and other variables separately on age. The Spearman correlation coefficients between these residuals were then calculated. P<0.05 was accepted as the significance level.
| Results |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
Associations of the IGF-1 Axis With Adiposity and Metabolic Variables
As shown in Table 2, after adjustment for age, BMI was correlated with circulating IGF-1 and IGFBP-3. SAT was correlated with IGF-1. VAT was correlated with IGFBP-3. Blood pressure was not correlated with IGF-1. However, there was a positive correlation between blood pressure and IGFBP-3. Total cholesterol and log triglyceride were correlated positively with IGFBP-3. HDL-cholesterol was inversely correlated with IGF-1. Both log fasting plasma insulin and log HOMA-R were correlated positively with IGF-1 and IGFBP-3. Fasting plasma glucose and AUC-PG were not associated with IGF-1 or IGFBP-3. Brinkman index was not associated with IGF-1 or IGFBP-3. Although not shown in Table 2, there was a close correlation between IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 (r=0.489, P=0.0001).
|
The IGF-1 Axis and Carotid IMT
Both circulating IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 were associated with carotid IMT after adjustment for age (Table 3). Among the other variables tested, BMI, blood pressure, log fasting plasma insulin, and log HOMA-R showed significant correlations with carotid IMT. Correlation between IMT and Brinkman index was analyzed by Spearman rank correlation test after adjustment for age. Brinkman index was not significantly correlated with IMT.
|
To evaluate the confounding effects of these variables on the association between the IGF-1 axis and carotid IMT, 2 multivariate models were tested (Table 4). Both models contain all variables that showed a significant association with IMT in partial correlation analyses after adjustment for age. Then age, BMI, systolic blood pressure, and log fasting plasma insulin were included as independent variables. In addition, IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 were included in model 1 and 2, respectively. Because there were close correlations between systolic and diastolic blood pressure (r=0.685, P=0.0001), log fasting plasma insulin, and log HOMA-R (r=0.976, P=0.0001), we excluded diastolic blood pressure and log HOMA-R from our multivariate models. Both IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 were positively correlated with carotid IMT in the multivariate analyses. It should be noted that neither log fasting plasma insulin nor BMI was an independent correlate in these multivariate models.
|
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The effect of IGF-1 axis on vascular cells is complex.1,2 IGF-1 stimulates vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation and migration to promote neointimal formation. On the other hand, IGF-1 may serve to protect against plaque instability and rupture by suppressing VSMC apoptosis and increasing VSMC elastogenesis.
Previous studies demonstrated decreased circulating levels of total8 or free IGF-19 or IGFBP-311 in patients with coronary artery disease. In contrast, we found that carotid IMT increased with the levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 in Japanese men. However, our results are not contradictory to the previous studies. The difference in study populations, that is, patients with manifest heart disease versus healthy men, seems to account largely for the discordance between ours and the above-mentioned studies.
Systemic circulatory IGF-1 levels are regulated by complex mechanisms. Nutritional status and physical activity are important determinants of circulating IGF-1 levels.25 There is evidence suggesting that IGF-1 levels can be downregulated by cytokines.26 It is possible that IGF-1 levels in patients with manifest coronary artery disease may be affected by increased production of cytokines which was observed in acute myocardial infarction,27 self-restriction of physical activity to prevent anginal episodes, and poor nutrition during acute illness. In this regard, it is notable that several investigators have demonstrated time-dependent changes in circulating IGF-1 levels in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Conti reported that circulating IGF-1 levels were markedly reduced in the acute phase of myocardial infarction but were normalized after 1 year.10 Furthermore, Lee et al28 found that patients with acute myocardial infarction had higher circulating levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 on day 1 of admission to hospital, with the levels decreasing through day 2 and day 3 and then bouncing back to levels higher than control levels from day 7 to day 21.
We studied subclinical early carotid atherosclerosis by measuring carotid IMT. The study subjects were healthy men without active illness. Those who had a previous history of cardiovascular disease or ischemic ECG changes were excluded. The features of the study probably allowed us to evaluate the association between circulating IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 and carotid atherosclerosis with minimal, if any, effects of cardiovascular disease on levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3. This study suggests that increased circulating IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 may promote atherosclerosis.
The role of the GHIGF-1 axis in atherosclerosis was initially implicated in patients with pituitary disorders. Increase in carotid IMT was reported in patients with GH deficiency29 and also in those with GH excess.30 This study extended these early studies to subjects without pituitary disorders. It is interesting to note that there may be a U-shaped curve between GHIGF-1 axis activity and atherosclerosis. Although metabolic abnormalities associated with both GH deficiency and excess and the direct effect of GHIGF-1 on vascular cells probably contribute to form such a U-shaped curve, the mechanisms underlying such a relationship need to be elucidated.
IGFBP-3 is a member of 6 IGFBPs, which associate with IGF-1 and IGF-II with high affinity. IGFBP-3 is the most abundant IGFBP in the circulation.31 For years, the role of IGFBPs was thought to be confined to preventing IGFs from binding the receptor and activating the cellular signaling pathways. In recent years, however, accumulating evidence indicates that IGFBPs are also able to modulate IGF actions positively. Furthermore, they may exert IGF-independent effects.32 In this study, circulating IGFBP-3 levels were correlated with carotid IMT. Because there was a close correlation between circulating levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3, it is difficult to statistically determine whether either possesses real linkage with carotid IMT. In contrast with negative associations between IGFBP-3 and cancer risk after adjustment for IGF-1,16 the association between IGFBP-3 and carotid IMT was eliminated after adjustment for IGF-1 in our study. The role of IGFBP-3 in atherosclerosis seems different from its role in certain cancers.
Recently, Juul demonstrated that the low IGF-1 and high IGFPP-3 predicted increased risk of ischemic heart disease with a case control study which was conducted in a large prospective study on cardiovascular epidemiology.33 Their results are opposite to ours in terms of IGF-1 but similar for the role of IGFBP-3. However, if we look at their data closely, there were no differences in the levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 between their cases with ischemic heart disease and controls before statistical adjustment. The difference in the levels of IGF-1 emerged after adjustment for IGFBP-3 and vice versa. Interpretation of these analyses is difficult because of colinearity between IGF-1 and IGFBP-3.
Although the correlation coefficients of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 with carotid IMT in our study were rather weak compared with that between age and carotid IMT, they were comparable to that of blood pressure with carotid IMT. Aging influence on carotid IMT was noted in a number of previous studies and is generally attributed to exposure of arterial wall over time to atherogenic effects of various risk factors. However, even in subjects without major cardiovascular risk factors, carotid IMT increased with age.34 Thus it may be possible that increasing IMT with aging may reflect a specific effect of aging on arterial wall other than atherosclerosis.
In our study, it should be noted that circulating IGF-1 levels were correlated with insulin levels. The association between IGF-1 and insulin may reflect the effect of insulin to increase hepatic IGF-1 production,35 or circulating levels of both hormones may be determined by common nutritional and other causal factors. For example, nutritional surfeit which upregulates circulating IGF-125 can lead to increased adiposity, which in turn results in hyperinsulinemia. The association between IGF-1 and insulin raises another important issue. Hyperinsulinemia is an important feature of the insulin resistance syndrome and has been noted to be a predictor of coronary artery disease in several prospective studies.36 In our multivariate models, IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 were independent correlates with carotid IMT, whereas insulin was not. Because IGF-1 is a much more potent mitogenic factor than insulin itself, there is a possibility that IGF-1 mediates at least partly the link between hyperinsulinemia and atherosclerosis.
Because this study is cross-sectional in nature, a causal relationship cannot be established. However, the association between carotid IMT and circulating IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 in an apparently healthy population has important implications for the pathogenesis of early atherosclerosis.
| Acknowledgments |
|---|
| Footnotes |
|---|
Received June 17, 2004; accepted November 30, 2004.
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
2. Bayes-Genis A, Conover CA, Schwartz RS. The insulin-like growth factor axis: A review of atherosclerosis and restenosis. Circ Res. 2000; 86: 125130.
3. Frystyk J, Ledet T, Møller N, Flyvbjerg A, Ørskov H. Cardiovascular disease and insulin-like growth factor I. Circulation. 2002; 106: 893895.
4. Clayton RN. Cardiovascular function in acromegaly. Endocr Rev. 2003; 24: 272277.
5. Rosén T, Bengtsson BÅ. Premature mortality due to cardiovascular disease in hypopituitarism. Lancet. 1990; 336: 285288.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
6. Carroll PV, Christ ER, Bengtsson BÅ, Carlsson L, Christiansen JS, Clemmons D, Hintz R, Ho K, Laron Z, Sizonenko P, Sönksen PH, Tanaka T, Thorner M. Growth hormone deficiency in adulthood and the effects of growth hormone replacement: a review. Growth Hormone Research Society Scientific Committee. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1998; 83: 382395.
7. Pfeifer M, Verhovec R,
i
ek B, Pre
elj J, Poredo
P, Clayton RN. Growth hormone (GH) treatment reverses early atherosclerotic changes in GH-deficient adults. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1999; 84: 453457.
8. Spallarossa P, Brunelli C, Minuto F, Caruso D, Battistini M, Caponnetto S, Cordera R. Insulin-like growth factor-I and angiographically documented coronary artery disease. Am J Cardiol. 1996; 77: 200202.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
9. Janssen JAMJL, Stolk RP, Pols HAP, Grobbee DE, Lamberts SWJ. Serum total IGF-I, free IGF-I, and IGFB-1 levels in an elderly population: relation to cardiovascular risk factors and disease. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1998; 18: 277282.
10. Conti E, Andreotti F, Sciahbasi A, Riccardi P, Marra G, Menini E, Ghirlanda G, Maseri A. Markedly reduced insulin-like growth factor-1 in the acute phase of myocardial infarction. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2001; 38: 2632.
11. Schuler-Lüttmann S, Mönnig G, Enbergs A, Schulte H, Breithardt G, Assmann G, Kerber S, von Eckardstein A. Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 is associated with the presence and extent of coronary arteriosclerosis. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2000; 20: e10e15.
12. Bøtker HE, Skjærbæk C, Eriksen UH, Schmitz O, Ørskov H. Insulin-like growth factor-I, insulin, and angina pectoris secondary to coronary atherosclerosis, vasospasm, and syndrome X. Am J Cardiol. 1997; 79: 961963.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
13. Ruotolo G, Båvenholm P, Brismar K, Eféndic S, Ericsson CG, de Faire U, Nilsson J, Hamsten A. Serum insulin-like growth factor-I level is independently associated with coronary artery disease progression in young male survivors of myocardial infarction: beneficial effects of bezafibrate treatment. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2000; 35: 647654.
14. OLeary DH, Polak JF, Kronmal RA, Manolio TA, Burke GL, Wolfson SK Jr. Carotid-artery intima and media thickness as a risk factor for myocardial infarction and stroke in older adults. Cardiovascular Health Study Collaborative Research Group. N Engl J Med. 1999; 340: 1422.
15. Rechler MM. Growth inhibition by insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding protein-3: whats IGF got to do with it? Endocrinology. 1997; 138: 26452647.
16. Ma J, Pollak MN, Giovannucci E, Chan JM, Tao Y, Hennekens CH, Stampfer MJ. Prospective study of colorectal cancer risk in men and plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and IGF-binding protein-3. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1999; 91: 620625.
17. Takami R, Takeda N, Hayashi M, Sasaki A, Kawachi S, Yoshino K, Takami K, Nakashima K, Akai A, Yamakita N, Yasuda K. Body fatness and fat distribution as predictors of metabolic abnormalities and early carotid atherosclerosis. Diabetes Care. 2001; 24: 12481252.
18. Sato M, Takeda N, Sarui H, Takami R, Takami K, Hayashi M, Sasaki A, Kawachi S, Yoshino K, Yasuda K. Association between serum leptin concentrations and bone mineral density, and biochemical markers of bone turnover in adult men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2001; 86: 52735276.
19. Matthews DR, Hosker JP, Rudenski AS, Naylor BA, Treacher DF, Turner RC. Homeostasis model assessment: insulin resistance and beta-cell function from fasting plasma glucose and insulin concentrations in man. Diabetologia. 1985; 28: 412419.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
20. Pignoli P, Tremoli E, Poli A, Oreste P, Paoletti R. Intimal plus medial thickness of the arterial wall: a direct measurement with ultrasound imaging. Circulation. 1986; 74: 13991406.
21. Yoshiike N, Matsumura Y, Zaman MM, Yamaguchi M. Descriptive epidemiology of body mass index in Japanese adults in a representative sample from the National Nutrition Survey 19901994. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1998; 22: 684687.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
22. The Expert Committee on the Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus. Report of the Expert Committee on the Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus. Diabetes Care. 1997; 20: 11831197.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
23. Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. The sixth report of the Joint National Committee on prevention, detection, evaluation, and treatment of high blood pressure. Arch Intern Med. 1997; 157: 24132446.
24. Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol In Adults. Executive Summary of The Third Report of The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol In Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III). JAMA. 2001; 285: 24862497.
25. Thissen JP, Ketelslegers JM, Underwood LE. Nutritional regulation of the insulin-like growth factors. Endocr Rev. 1994; 15: 80101.
26. Thissen JP, Verniers J. Inhibition by interleukin (IL)-1ß and tumor necrosis factor-
of the insulin-like growth factor I messenger ribonucleic acid response to growth hormone in rat hepatocyte primary culture. Endocrinology. 1997; 138: 10781084.
27. Marx N, Neumann FJ, Ott I, Gawaz M, Koch W, Pinkau T, Schömig A. Induction of cytokine expression in leukocytes in acute myocardial infarction. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1997; 30: 165170.[Abstract]
28. Lee W-L, Chen J-W, Ting C-T, Lin S-J, Wang PH. Changes of the insulin-like growth factor I system during acute myocardial infarction: implications on left ventricular remodeling. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1999; 84: 15751581.
29. Capaldo B, Patti L, Oliviero U, Longobardi S, Pardo F, Vitale F, Fazio S, Di Rella F, Biondi B, Lombardi G, Sacca L. Increased arterial intima-media thickness in childhood-onset growth hormone deficiency. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997; 82: 13781381.
30. Colao A, Spiezia S, Cerbone G, Pivonello R, Marzullo P, Ferone D, Di Somma C, Assanti AP, Lombardi G. Increased arterial intima-media thickness by B-M mode echodoppler ultrasonography in acromegaly. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2001; 54: 515524.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
31. Jones JI, Clemmons DR. Insulin-like growth factors and their binding proteins: biological actions. Endocr Rev. 1995; 16: 334.
32. Baxter RC. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-binding proteins: interactions with IGFs and intrinsic bioactivities. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2000; 278: E967E976.
33. Juul A, Scheike T, Davidsen M, Gyllenborg J, Jørgensen T. Low serum insulin-like growth factor I is associated with increased risk of ischemic heart disease: a population-based case-control study. Circulation. 2002; 106: 939944.
34. Denarié N, Gariepy J, Chironi G, Massonneau M, Laskri F, Salomon J, Levenson J, Simon A. Distribution of ultrasonographically-assessed dimensions of common carotid arteries in healthy adults of both sexes. Atherosclerosis. 2000; 148: 297302.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
35. Scott CD, Baxter RC. Production of insulin-like growth factor I and its binding protein in rat hepatocytes cultured from diabetic and insulin-treated diabetic rats. Endocrinology. 1986; 119: 23462352.
36. Després JP, Lamarche B, Mauriége P, Cantin B, Dagenais GR, Moorjani S, Lupien PJ. Hyperinsulinemia as an independent risk factor for ischemic heart disease. N Engl J Med. 1996; 334: 952957.
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
M. Mayr, A. Zampetaki, A. Sidibe, U. Mayr, X. Yin, A. I. De Souza, Y.-L. Chung, B. Madhu, P. H. Quax, Y. Hu, et al. Proteomic and Metabolomic Analysis of Smooth Muscle Cells Derived From the Arterial Media and Adventitial Progenitors of Apolipoprotein E-Deficient Mice Circ. Res., May 9, 2008; 102(9): 1046 - 1056. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R. M. Martin, D. Gunnell, E. Whitley, A. Nicolaides, M. Griffin, N. Georgiou, G. Davey Smith, S. Ebrahim, and J. M. P. Holly Associations of Insulin-Like Growth Factor (IGF)-I, IGF-II, IGF Binding Protein (IGFBP)-2 and IGFBP-3 with Ultrasound Measures of Atherosclerosis and Plaque Stability in an Older Adult Population J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., April 1, 2008; 93(4): 1331 - 1338. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. W. Waldo, Y. Li, C. Buono, B. Zhao, E. M. Billings, J. Chang, and H. S. Kruth Heterogeneity of Human Macrophages in Culture and in Atherosclerotic Plaques Am. J. Pathol., April 1, 2008; 172(4): 1112 - 1126. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. L. M. Oliveira, M. H. Aguiar-Oliveira, A. D'Oliveira Jr, R. M. C. Pereira, C. R. P. Oliveira, C. T. Farias, J. A. Barreto-Filho, F. D. Anjos-Andrade, C. Marques-Santos, A. C. Nascimento-Junior, et al. Congenital Growth Hormone (GH) Deficiency and Atherosclerosis: Effects of GH Replacement in GH-Naive Adults J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., December 1, 2007; 92(12): 4664 - 4670. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. Sukhanov, Y. Higashi, S.-Y. Shai, C. Vaughn, J. Mohler, Y. Li, Y.-H. Song, J. Titterington, and P. Delafontaine IGF-1 Reduces Inflammatory Responses, Suppresses Oxidative Stress, and Decreases Atherosclerosis Progression in ApoE-Deficient Mice Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, December 1, 2007; 27(12): 2684 - 2690. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
K. S. Kim, Y. B. Seu, S.-H. Baek, M. J. Kim, K. J. Kim, J. H. Kim, and J.-R. Kim Induction of Cellular Senescence by Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein-5 through a p53-dependent Mechanism Mol. Biol. Cell, November 1, 2007; 18(11): 4543 - 4552. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. A. Lear, K. H. Humphries, S. Kohli, J. J. Frohlich, C. L. Birmingham, and G. B. J. Mancini Visceral Adipose Tissue, a Potential Risk Factor for Carotid Atherosclerosis: Results of the Multicultural Community Health Assessment Trial (M-CHAT) Stroke, September 1, 2007; 38(9): 2422 - 2429. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R. C. Kaplan, A. P. McGinn, M. N. Pollak, L. H. Kuller, H. D. Strickler, T. E. Rohan, A. R. Cappola, X. Xue, and B. M. Psaty Association of Total Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I, Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein-1 (IGFBP-1), and IGFBP-3 Levels with Incident Coronary Events and Ischemic Stroke J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., April 1, 2007; 92(4): 1319 - 1325. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. L. Menezes Oliveira, C. Marques-Santos, J. A. Barreto-Filho, R. Ximenes Filho, A. V. de Oliveira Britto, A. H. Oliveira Souza, C. M. Prado, C. R. Pereira Oliveira, R. M. C. Pereira, T. de Almeida Ribeiro Vicente, et al. Lack of Evidence of Premature Atherosclerosis in Untreated Severe Isolated Growth Hormone (GH) Deficiency due to a GH-Releasing Hormone Receptor Mutation J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., June 1, 2006; 91(6): 2093 - 2099. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
ATVB Home | Subscriptions | Archives | Feedback | Authors | Help | AHA Journals Home | Search Copyright © 2005 American Heart Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited. |