Disclaimer:The ESC Guidelines represent the views of the ESC and were produced after careful consideration of the scientific and medical knowledge and the evidence available at the time of their publication. The ESC is not responsible in the event of any contradiction, discrepancy, and/or ambiguity between the ESC Guidelines and any other official recommendations or guidelines issued by the relevant public health authorities, in particular in relation to good use of healthcare or therapeutic strategies. Health professionals are encouraged to take the ESC Guidelines fully into account when exercising their clinical judgement, as well as in the determination and the implementation of preventive, diagnostic, or therapeutic medical strategies; however, the ESC Guidelines do not override, in any way whatsoever, the individual responsibility of health professionals to make appropriate and accurate decisions in consideration of each patient's health condition and in consultation with that patient and, where appropriate and/or necessary, the patient's caregiver. Nor do the ESC Guidelines exempt health professionals from taking into full and careful consideration the relevant official updated recommendations or guidelines issued by the competent public health authorities, in order to manage each patient's case in light of the scientifically accepted data pursuant to their respective ethical and professional obligations. It is also the health professional's responsibility to verify the applicable rules and regulations relating to drugs and medical devices at the time of prescription.

No abstract

The formation of new blood vessels, or angiogenesis, is a complex process that plays important roles in growth and development, tissue and organ regeneration, as well as numerous pathological conditions. Angiogenesis undergoes multiple discrete steps that can be individually evaluated and quantified by a large number of bioassays. These independent assessments hold advantages but also have limitations. This article describes in vivo, ex vivo, and in vitro bioassays that are available for the evaluation of angiogenesis and highlights critical aspects that are relevant for their execution and proper interpretation. As such, this collaborative work is the first edition of consensus guidelines on angiogenesis bioassays to serve for current and future reference.

Abstract-There is increasing evidence that complement activation may play a role in atherogenesis. Complement proteins have been demonstrated to be present in early atherosclerotic lesions of animals and humans, and cholesterol-induced atherosclerotic lesion formation is reduced in complement-deficient animals. Potential complement activators in atherosclerotic lesions are now a subject matter of debate. C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute-phase protein that is involved in inflammatory processes in numerous ways. It binds to lipoproteins and activates the complement system via the classic pathway. In this study we have investigated early atherosclerotic lesions of human coronary arteries by means of immunohistochemical staining. We demonstrate here that CRP deposits in the arterial wall in early atherosclerotic lesions with 2 predominant manifestations. First, there is a diffuse rather than a focal deposition in the deep fibroelastic layer and in the fibromuscular layer of the intima adjacent to the media. In this location, CRP frequently colocalizes with the terminal complement complex. Second, the majority of foam cells below the endothelium show positive staining for CRP. In this location, no colocalization with the terminal complement proteins can be observed. Our data suggest that CRP may promote atherosclerotic lesion formation by activating the complement system and being involved in foam cell formation. (Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1998;18:1386-1392.)