Abstract: . . .  hypercholesterolemia, free radicals induced by smoking, hypertension, diabetes or a combination of these (Ross, 1993). Fatty streaks are the earliest lesions in conventional atherosclerosis consisting of lipid-laden macrophages and of T cells. Later they are joined by various numbers of SMC. Initially T cells and monocytes are recruited from circulation into the vessel wall by chemoattractants derived from damaged endothelium. T cells and macrophages recruited to the site of inflammation secrete in turn cytokines and growth factors inducing endothelial cells to express adhesion . . .
. . .  arterial intimal thickening and proliferation, disruption of internal elastic lamina, some foam or vacuolated endothelial cells may be present; grade 2; <50% occlusion of the lumen; grade 3, >50% but <100% occlusion of lumen; and grade 4, 100% vessel occlusion of lumen. Lesions in proximal ascending aorta, the site of early arteriosclerotic lesion involvement in cholesterol-fed rabbits, were also analyzed. Histological changes were quantitated using a microscope ocular grid at 400 times magnification. The intima/media ratio was quantitated using a Macintosh . . .
. . .  immunosuppression. The respective roles of these risk factors vary considerably from patient to patient. Clinical trials indicate that HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors are beneficial in the reduction of TxCAD (Kobashigawa et al., 1995; Wenke et al., 2003). Elimination of other classical cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood glucose levels, high blood pressure, and smoking, is considered important among heart transplant patients although no clear-cut evidence for their influence on TxCAD has been established so far. Hypertension develops in 60-80% of heart transplant . . .
. . .  primer, antisense primer, and AmpliTaq Gold (Perkin Elmer). After 33-37 cycles in a 96- well PCR apparatus (GenAmp PCR System 9600 apparatus; Perkin Elmer), the samples were electrophoresed through 2% agarose. The gel was dried (LKB 2003 Slab Gel Dryer, LKB, Bromma, Sweden), exposed to imaging plate (Fuji Photo Film Co., Tokyo, Japan) and the gels were quantified using a Fuji BAS1500 phosphoimager. The mean values of three determinations were used for final analysis and the normalized mRNA levels were Page 31 31 derived by dividing . . .
. . .  intimal mass is cell-rich consisting mainly of SMC and extracellular matrix. There are also a few T lymphocytes and macrophages as well as rare lipid deposits in the intima, while calcifications are virtually nonexistent (Johnson et al., 1991). In contrast to conventional coronary artery disease (CAD), the nature of the lesions in TxCAD is diffuse and concentric rather than focal and eccentric. Internal elastic lamina is almost intact with occasional breaks (Johnson et al., 1991). Neointimal SMC are thought to be of medial origin. However, recent clinical and experimental . . .
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