In collaborative studies, we continued studying atherogenic plasma constituents and markers with respect to their analytic and diagnostic performance and clinical utility. Since analysis of serum lipid and lipoprotein constituents is not always possible in freshly collected specimens, we further investigated the effect of various storage conditions and repeated freezing-thawing on the analytic recoveries of total cholesterol, glycerol-blanked triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoprotein(a), and lipoprotein(a)-cholesterol. Using a variety of analytic methods, we found that most of these constituents are stable in serum when stored frozen at -70oC and freeze-thawed only once.We also studied the effect of prolonged oral L-arginine administration on endothelium-dependent vasodilatation and markers of inflammation (including C-reactive protein [CRP]) in healthy postmenopausal women and in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) on medical management. In addition, we studied the effect of oral L-arginine supplementation on the plasma amino acid composition in healthy postmenopausal women and in men with established CAD. In collaborative studies, we investigated the hormonal, lipoprotein, and vascular effects of the selective estrogen receptor modulator raloxifene in hypercholesterolemic men and the effects of estrogen and raloxifene on markers of inflammation in postmenopausal women. In other studies, we continued studying the clinical significance of various viral (e.g., hepatitis A, cytomegalovirus) and bacterial infections (e.g., Helicobacter pylori) with respect to the development and progression of atherosclerotic disease, the effect of various interleukins (IL-6, IL-10) on plasma lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins, and the possible benefit of frequent blood donations on atherosclerosis.
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