Background-Carriers of the apolipoprotein A-I Milano (apoA-I M ) mutant present with very low plasma HDL cholesterol and moderate hypertriglyceridemia, apparently not leading to premature coronary heart disease. The objective of this study was to establish whether this high-risk lipid/lipoprotein profile is associated with structural changes in the carotid arteries and heart, indicative of preclinical atherosclerosis. Methods and Results-Twenty-one A-I M carriers were compared with age-and sex-matched control subjects from the same kindred and with 2 series of matched subjects with primary hypoalphalipoproteinemia (HA). Structural changes in the carotid arteries were defined as the intima-media thickness (IMT) measured by B-mode ultrasound. HA subjects, both recruited among patients attending our Lipid Clinic and blood donors, showed significant thickening of the carotids (average IMT, 0.86Ϯ0.25 and 0.88Ϯ0.29 mm, respectively) compared with control subjects (average IMT, 0.64Ϯ0.12 mm); the apoA-I M carriers instead showed normal arterial thickness (average IMT, 0.63Ϯ0.10 mm). Moreover, a significantly higher prevalence of atherosclerotic plaques was found in patients and blood donors with HA (both 57%) compared with apoA-I M carriers (33%) and control subjects (21%). Echocardiographic findings and maximal treadmill ECG did not differ significantly between apoA-I M carriers and control subjects, apart from a slight increase in left ventricular end-diastolic dimension in the carriers. Conclusions-Despite severe HA, carriers of the apoA-I M mutant do not show structural changes in the arteries and heart, in contrast to HA subjects, who are characterized by a marked increase in carotid IMT and increased prevalence of atherosclerotic plaques.

These findings support the presence of a peculiar neuroanatomic dysfunction in patients with AD and MCI that parallels the disease progression. These noninvasive parameters might prove to be powerful predictive tools in the worsening of cognitive function and mortality risk.

IC (%pred.) is a powerful functional predictor of all-cause and respiratory mortality and of exacerbation-related hospital admissions in COPD patients.

Long-term therapy based on lisinopril was associated with a smaller media : lumen ratio in the subcutaneous small resistance arteries of hypertensive patients with left ventricular hypertrophy. Our retrospective study confirms previous findings obtained in prospective studies with other angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. Endothelial function was probably improved by lisinopril therapy.