[Assessment of early atherosclerosis and decreased arterial elasticity to recognise the cardiovascular dysfunction in high-risk patients has gained importance in the past decade. Since 1990, more than 630 papers have been published in the adult and pediatric literature. Methods of early risk assessment in adults are well determined in international recommendations. The aim of the present work is to review the suggestions of the American Heart Association helping us to find the most appropriate method for the non invasive methods of cardiovascular assessment of young adults and children. Furthermore, multicentric studies should be conducted to create a Framingham like score system for pediatric patients, to render cardiovascular risk assessment much easier for the every day routine.]

[INTRODUCTION - An association of Chlamydia pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae) with coronary heart disease has been found with seroepidemiological methods. This organism was demonstrated in atheromatous plaques by electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and polymerase chain reaction. MATERIAL AND METHODS - To better understand the significance of the presence of C. pneumoniae in atheromatous plaques, we examined coronary artery segments from young adults (15-34 years) with and without atherosclerosis. 74 samples of left anterior descending artery were examined immunohistochemically for the presence of C. pneumoniae by the monoclonal antibody RR402. RESULTS - C. pneumoniae was identified in the atheroma in 11 of 17 cases (65%) and in preatheroma in 6 of 15 cases (40%), in fatty streak in 7 of 23 cases (30%) and in intimal thickening in 1 of 14 cases (7%). C. pneumoniae was not found in the intimal and medial layer of the normal-appearing coronary arteries. C. pneumoniae was detected in the adventitia in 51 cases (67%) of the coronary arteries: in the normal arteries and initial lesions in 27 of 42 cases (63%), and in the advanced lesions in 24 of 32 cases (75%). Correlation was observed between the C. pneumoniae positive cases and cigarette smoking. CONCLUSION - Our results suggest that C. pneumoniae may relate to the severity of atherosclerosis in the youth, thus may initiate atherosclerotic injury or facilitate its progression along with other risk factors.]

[Statins have become crucial components of the therapy of cardiovascular diseases. Beyond their cholesterol-lowering effect, statins turned out to have further beneficial effects on various vascular mechanisms. One of the best known effects is antithrombotic capacity, which is related partly to platelet function and partly to the coagulation cascade. Besides experimental observations, interventional clinical trials have also demonstrated that statins have an antithrombotic effect both in arterial and venous thrombosis. Regarding the effects of statins on dementia, previous studies with relatively small sample sizes had controversial results. Recently, two observational studies of tens of thousands of elderly patients reported that statins reduce the incidence of nonvascular dementia. Evaluation of the data revealed that statins have pleiotropic effects in this case, too. The results discussed here shed light on new benefits of statin therapy used for reducing cardiovascular mortality, namely the prevention of thrombotic events and dementia. These benefits are related to the antithrombotic and anti-inflammatoric capacity of statins.]

[In the fight against atherosclerosis, statin therapy is one of the most important elements. On the basis of data from the past few years the clinical introduction of a more effective statin is not expected, however, in order to improve cardiovascular prevention further development of agents that reduce LDL-cholesterol levels more effectively than currently used statins is warranted. The need for the development of new cholesterol-lowering therapeutic options is also supported by the existence of statin intolerance. The currently available combination therapies do not provide additional mortality benefits compared with statin monotherapy. The new solutions include fourth-generation statin molecules that primarily aim to enhance the NO-donor capacity of statins, and to reduce their muscle toxicity. Certain compounds that affect cholesterol synthesis (squalene synthase inhibitors, MTP inhibitors, ACAT inhibitors) need to be further analysed because of the risk of side effects. The use of an antisense oligonucleotid that blocks the mRNA of apoB, the main protein on the LDL-particle and antibodies that inhibit the protein PCSK9 that promotes the intracellular breakdown of the LDL-receptor seems to be much more promising. Besides the lowering of LDLcholesterol level, studies have focused on the benefits of increasing HDL-cholesterol levels. Unfortunately, recently completed analyses show that new forms of the strong HDL-C increasing nicotinic acid have not provided any additional benefit when added to statin therapy. Similarly, the adverse effects associated with the promising CETP inhibitors and the lack of additional benefit when combined with statins question the significance of this drug class. The necessity for an absolute increase of HDL-cholesterol levels needs to be revised on the basis of new data, in other words, the exact role of the HDL particle in atherosclerosis needs to be further investigated.]

[The authors investigate sociological and psychological factors in the pathogenesis of ischaemic stroke, as a follow up of their earlier study. In the first part of the recent study patients and control subjects are compared in terms of frequency, severity, type and the temporal distribution of life events within the 5 years preceding the stroke. In the second part the importance of coping-style and psychological characteristics are studied. It is shown that the likely factors leading to stroke are: lower life events score in the more distant period, but higher life events score preceding the stroke, poor coping, greater emotional instability, trait-anxiety, hostility, and decreased job involvement. The type of life events, global Type-A behaviour, "speed and impatience", "hard driving and competitiveness” seem indifferent. On the basis of these results a successful stroke-programme should consider the complexity of somatic, sociological and psychological factors.]