title: The activity of pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) as expressed by immunohistochemistry in atherothrombotic plaques obtained by aspiration thrombectomy in patients presenting with a ST-elevation myocardial infarction: a brief communication.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The expression of pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) was identified by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in culprit atherothrombotic plaque specimens harvested from patients admitted with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).
  
  
  METHODS
  The atherothrombotic samples were collected from a consecutive cohort consisting of 20 individuals admitted with STEMI to Stavanger University Hospital, Norway, from 2005-2006, presenting angiographically with an acute thrombotic occlusion of a coronary artery characterized by TIMI flow 0. The atherothrombotic plaques were obtained by aspiration thrombectomy during percutaneous coronary intervention within 12 hours from the onset of symptoms and prepared for IHC analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the IHC analysis staining for PAPP-A occurred in the extracellular matrix of the plaques and no evidence of staining for PAPP-A was found in the thrombi.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that in vivo PAPP-A is strongly expressed in atherothrombotic plaques harvested from patients admitted with STEMI, as documented by IHC.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  biobankregisteret@fhi.no1846.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway. hagerman@online.no.
authors.forename: Trygve
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brügger-Andersen
authors.forename: Leif
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bostad
authors.forename: Dagny Ann
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Sandnes
authors.forename: Alf Inge
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: Vernon Vs
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Bonarjee
authors.forename: Ståle
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barvik
authors.forename: Tor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Melberg
authors.forename: Dennis Wt
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Nilsen