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Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: OBJECTIVE, BACKGROUND, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Aged, Biomarkers, C-Reactive Protein, Case-Control Studies, Chi-Square Distribution, Coronary Angiography, Coronary Artery Disease, Coronary Vessels, Female, Fibrosis, Humans, Inflammation Mediators, Logistic Models, Male, Middle Aged, Multivariate Analysis, Odds Ratio, Plaque, Atherosclerotic, Predictive Value of Tests, Prognosis, Prospective Studies, Serum Amyloid P-Component, Tomography, Optical Coherence, Ultrasonography, Interventional, Up-Regulation.
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Are elevated levels of systemic pentraxin 3 associated with thin-cap fibroatheroma in coronary culprit lesions : assessment by optical coherence tomography and intravascular ultrasound? Context: This study sought to determine whether systemic levels of pentraxin 3 (PTX3), a novel inflammatory marker, are associated with thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA). Biomarkers predicting the presence of TCFA in vivo have not been established. We evaluated 75 patients (stable angina pectoris, n = 47; acute coronary syndrome, n = 28) with de novo culprit lesions who were examined by optical coherence tomography and intravascular ultrasound. We defined TCFA as lipid-rich plaque with a fibrous cap <65 μm thick. Systemic levels of PTX3 were compared between patients with and without TCFA. Thirty-eight and 37 patients with and without TCFA, respectively, were identified. Levels of PTX3 were significantly higher in patients with than in those without TCFA (p < 0.001) and correlated inversely with fibrous cap thickness (r = -0.71, p = 0.001) and positively with the remodeling index (r = 0.25, p = 0.037). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a higher PTX3 level was the most powerful predictor of TCFA (odds ratio: 3.26, 95% confidence interval: 1.75 to 6.05, p < 0.001). Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed that >3.24 ng/ml of PTX3 could predict TCFA with 84% sensitivity and 86% specificity.
assistant
Higher levels of systemic PTX3 are associated with TCFA. Systemic PTX3 levels comprise a useful inflammatory marker that reflects coronary plaque vulnerability. Final Decision: yes