The role of an advanced glycation end product/receptor for advanced glycation end product (AGE/RAGE) system in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD) is not fully understood. To clarify whether polymorphisms of the RAGE gene were related to CAD, we performed a case-control study in Chinese Han patients. The allele frequencies and genotype distribution combinations of the À429T/C, 1704G/T and G82S polymorphisms of the RAGE gene were compared in 200 cases of hypertension (HT), 155 cases of CAD combined with HT (CAD&HT), 175 cases of CAD and 170 control subjects. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was used for detection of genotypic variants. The S allele frequency of the G82S polymorphism was higher in the CAD (odds ratio (OR), 2.303, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.553-3.416; Po0.001, P corr o0.003) and CAD&HT (OR, 1.842; 95% CI 1.219-2.785; Po0.003, P corr o0.009) groups when compared with the control group. However, the S allele frequency was not significantly different between the CAD and the CAD&HT patient groups (P¼0.223), and no statistically significant difference of genotype or allele frequency distributions was observed in the HT group (P40.05). Meanwhile, serum CRP was significantly associated with the G82S variant. Haplotype-based logistic regression analysis revealed that haplotype G-Ser-T (OR, 1.670; 95% CI, 1.017-2.740; P¼0.043), compared with the reference haplotype T-Gly-T, was associated with an increased risk of CAD after adjusting for other risk factors. Further analysis limited to nondiabetic participants exhibited similar significant findings. The haplotype carrying the G82S variant of the RAGE gene was significantly associated with an increased risk of CAD, but not with HT patients. Moreover, a remarkable association of the G82S variant with serum CRP levels implied that the prevalence of RAGE 82S allelic variation might influence susceptibility to CAD by affecting vascular inflammation.

Background: There are few recent data to delineate the beyond lipids-decreased effect of statins and the effect of different doses of statins on endothelial-derived microparticles (EMPs) and circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM). Hypothesis: Statins might have the beyond lipids-decreased effect and there were different effects between different doses of statins on EMPs and circulating EPCs in patients with ICM. Methods: One hundred patients with ICM and 100 healthy examined people, who served as the normal control group, were recruited to this study. Patients were randomly divided into 2 groups: 10-mg atorvastatin group (n = 50) and 40-mg atorvastatin group (n = 50). All subjects were followed for 1 year. The levels of serum lipids, oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), circulating EPCs, and EMPs were examined in all subjects. The incidences of adverse reactions in the 2 study groups were determined. Results: At the beginning of this study, there were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the 2 study groups. At the end of this study, the levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, serum hsCRP, oxLDL, and circulating EMPs were significantly decreased; circulating EPCs were significantly increased in the 40-mg atorvastatin group compared to the 10-mg atorvastatin group, P < 0.05. The multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that receiving only 40 mg of atorvastatin had a significant effect on the levels of circulating EPCs (β = 0.252, P = 0.014). There were no significant differences in the adverse reactions between the 2 groups. Conclusions: Use of 40 mg of atorvastatin might decrease the levels of circulating EMPs and increase the number of circulating EPCs in patients with ICM in comparison with 10 mg of atorvastatin, and the effect might be independent of the decrease of lipids, oxLDL, and hsCRP. IntroductionStatins, serving as antiatherosclerosis drugs, can significantly decrease the rates of cardiovascular events in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and have been extensively administered in secondary prevention of CHD.