title: Plasma T-cadherin negatively associates with coronary lesion severity and acute coronary syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study evaluated associations between plasma T-cadherin levels and severity of atherosclerotic disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three hundred and ninety patients undergoing coronary angiography were divided into three groups based on clinical and angiographic presentation: a group (n=40) with normal coronary arteries, a group (n=250) with chronic coronary artery disease and a group (n=100) with acute coronary syndrome. Plasma T-cadherin levels were measured by double sandwich ELISA. Intravascular ultrasound data of the left-anterior descending artery were acquired in a subgroup of 284 patients. T-cadherin levels were lower in patients with acute coronary syndrome than in normal patients (p=0.007) and patients with chronic coronary artery disease (p=0.002). Levels were lower in males (p=0.002), in patients with hypertension (p=0.002) and inpatients with diabetes (p=0.008), and negatively correlated with systolic blood pressure (p=0.014), body mass index (p=0.001) and total number of risk factors (p=0.001). T-cadherin negatively associated with angiographic severity of disease (p=0.001) and with quantitative intravascular ultrasound measures of lesion severity (p<0.001 for plaque, necrotic core and dense calcium volumes). Significant associations between T-cadherin and intravascular ultrasound measurements persisted even if the regression model was adjusted for the presence of acute coronary syndrome. Multivariate analysis identified a strong (p=0.002) negative association of T-cadherin with acute coronary syndrome, and lower T-cadherin levels significantly (p=0.002) associated with a higher risk of acute coronary syndrome independently of age, gender and cardiovascular risk factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A reduction in plasma T-cadherin levels is associated with increasing severity of coronary artery disease and a higher risk for acute coronary syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedicine, Laboratory for Signal Transduction, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pfaff
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatrics, Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Andreas W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Schoenenberger
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedicine, Laboratory for Signal Transduction, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dasen
authors.affiliation: Hirslanden Klinik St Anna, Lucerne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Erne
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedicine, Laboratory for Signal Transduction, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Switzerland Therese-J.Resink@unibas.ch.
authors.forename: Therese J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Resink
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedicine, Laboratory for Signal Transduction, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Philippova
mesh_terms: D054058:Acute Coronary Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015820:Cadherins / Q000097:blood*; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; C099972:H-cadherin
keywords: Circulating T-cadherin; ELISA; acute coronary syndrome; coronary artery disease severity; intravascular ultrasound