Table 4.
Relationships between biomarkers and change in common carotid IMT
| Correlation | p | p adjusted | Regression (n = 181) | No change (n = 379) | Progression (n = 299) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inflammatory | ||||||
| hsCRP (mg/L) | 0.00 | 0.98 | 0.95 | 1.20 (0.66–2.40) | 1.30 (0.62–2.90) | 1.37 (0.70–2.59) |
| IL-6 | 0.01 | 0.84 | 0.74 | 38.6 (24.3–58.7) | 34.3 (23.0–53.0) | 35.8 (24.3–55.4) |
| MCP-1 | 0.00 | 0.92 | 0.85 | 12.7 (9.4–16.3) | 11.5 (8.9–15.1) | 12.0 (9.0–15.5) |
| MIP-1α | 0.04 | 0.25 | 0.34 | 4.86 (3.86–5.80) | 4.76 (4.00–5.74) | 4.69 (3.95–5.82) |
| Matrix proteases | ||||||
| MMP-3 | −0.03 | 0.41 | 0.28 | 2.59 (2.01–3.16) | 2.33 (1.87–3.04) | 2.46 (1.93–3.23) |
| MMP-7 | 0.08 | 0.03 | 0.07 | 413 (256–676) | 434 (305–650) | 448 (309–657) |
| MMP-12 | −0.02 | 0.60 | 0.74 | 133 (98–202) | 140 (101–201) | 137 (94–205) |
| Apoptosis | ||||||
| TNFR-1 | −0.06 | 0.07 | 0.07 | 6,562 (5,349–8,079) | 6,383 (5,113–7,899) | 6,165 (5,113–7,630) |
| TRAILR-2 | −0.12 | 0.001 | 0.004 | 3.76 (2.86–4.87)a | 3.27 (2.22–4.35) | 3.07 (2.45–4.14) |
| Fas | −0.05 | 0.16 | 0.09 | 209 (172–260) | 204 (169–244) | 206 (169–260) |
| SMC growth factors | ||||||
| PDGF | 0.10 | 0.005 | 0.25 | 94.4 (42.6–204.4)a | 145.0 (65.3–249.0) | 146.5 (65.8–240.5) |
| EGF | 0.04 | 0.28 | 0.70 | 47.2 (16.7–108.8) | 54.0 (23.3–111.4) | 53.4 (20.4–104.7) |
| HBEGF | 0.07 | 0.05 | 0.41 | 24.1 (19.0–32.8) | 25.4 (20.9–32.7) | 25.8 (21.0–33.6) |
| EC growth factors | ||||||
| HGF | 0.00 | 0.99 | 0.88 | 111 (89–139) | 108 (87–133) | 107 (87–136) |
| PlGF | −0.06 | 0.07 | 0.06 | 184 (146–232) | 171 (142–211) | 169 (139–219) |
| VEGF | −0.02 | 0.54 | 0.48 | 1,468 (1,193–1,820) | 1,448 (1,123–1,820) | 1,389 (1,105–1,758) |
All biomarkers except hsCRP are expressed as arbitrary units, and values are shown as median and IQR. Correlations are shown as Spearman correlation coefficients. Linear regression models were used to adjust correlations for age, gender, smoking, LDL cholesterol, and baseline CCA IMT (p adjusted). Differences between IMT change categories (regression and progression versus no change) were calculated with one-way ANOVA and Scheffe’s post hoc test. If correcting for multiple comparisons in the present table, the threshold for significance is p < 0.004.
a
p < 0.01.