Effects of different statins application methods on plaques in patients with coronary atherosclerosis

BACKGROUND Discontinued application of statins may be related to adverse cardiovascular events.However,it is unclear whether different statins administration methods have effects on coronary artery plaques.AIM To evaluate the effects of different statins application methods on plaques in patients with coronary atherosclerosis.METHODS A total of 100 patients diagnosed with atherosclerotic plaque by coronary artery computed tomography were continuously selected and divided into three groups according to different statins administration methods(discontinued application group,n=32;intermittent application group,n=39;sustained application group,n=29).The effects of the different statins application methods on coronary atherosclerotic plaque were assessed.RESULTS The volume change and rate of change of the most severe plaques were significantly reduced in the sustained application group(P≤0.001).The volume change of the most severe plaques correlated positively with low-density lipoprotein(LDL-C)levels only in the sustained application group(R=0.362,P=0.013).There were no changes in plaques or LDL-C levels in the intermittent and discontinued application groups.CONCLUSION Continuous application of statins is effective for controlling plaque progression,whereas discontinued or intermittent administration of statins is not conducive to controlling plaques.Only with continuous statins administration can a reduction in LDL-C levels result in plaque volume shrinkage.

Increased Expression of Serum Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1,Chemokine(C-C motif)Ligand 3,and Interleukins in Patients With Vitiligo

Objective:Vitiligo is a chronic,acquired depigmentation of the skin,which can be divided into active and stable vitiligo.The stable and active stages are not immutable and often alternate.Identification of internal markers would help to diagnose the active stage of vitiligo,and the purpose of this study was to find potential active markers in the progression of vitiligo.Methods:We compared 30 healthy controls to 60 patients with vitiligo(30 with active disease and 30 with stable disease)regarding the expression of serum monocyte chemoattractant protein(MCP)-1,chemokine(C-C motif)ligand(CCL)3,CCL5,CCL21,interleukin(IL)-6,and IL-17.Specimens were collected from May 2017 to December 2018.Serological detection was carried out by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The difference between groups was compared by Kruskal-Wallis H test and Mann-Whitney U test.Results:We found that the serum levels of MCP-1,CCL3,IL-6,and IL-17 were significantly higher in patients with vitiligo than in healthy controls(P<0.01)and that IL-17 was higher in patients with active vitiligo than in those with stable vitiligo(P<0.01).After 3months of treatment,the serum IL-17 level of patients with active vitiligo was not significantly different from that before treatment(P=0.526);after 6months of treatment,however,the serum IL-17 level had significantly decreased(P<0.01).Conclusion:These findings suggest that the serum IL-17 level can be used as a marker of vitiligo disease activity giving it certain guiding significance for clinical treatment.