title: High-density lipoprotein particle concentration and subclinical atherosclerosis of the carotid arteries in Japanese men.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The association of high-density lipoprotein particle (HDL-P) with atherosclerosis may be stronger than that of HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and independent of conventional cardiovascular risk factors. Whether associations persist in populations at low risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) remains unclear. This study examines the associations of HDL-P and HDL-C with carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and plaque counts among Japanese men, who characteristically have higher HDL-C levels and a lower CHD burden than those in men of Western populations.
  
  
  METHODS
  We cross-sectionally examined a community-based sample of 870 Japanese men aged 40-79 years, free of known clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) and not on lipid-lowering medication. Participants were randomly selected among Japanese living in Kusatsu City in Shiga, Japan.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both HDL-P and HDL-C were inversely and independently associated with cIMT in models adjusted for conventional CHD risk factors, including low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and diabetes. HDL-P maintained an association with cIMT after further adjustment for HDL-C (P < 0.01), whereas the association of HDL-C with cIMT was noticeably absent after inclusion of HDL-P in the model. In plaque counts of the carotid arteries, HDL-P was significantly associated with a reduction in plaque count, whereas HDL-C was not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HDL-P, in comparison to HDL-C, is more strongly associated with measures of carotid atherosclerosis in a cross-sectional study of Japanese men. Findings demonstrate that, HDL-P is a strong correlate of subclinical atherosclerosis even in a population at low risk for CHD.
authors: Department of Public Health, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan.
authors: Maryam
authors: M
authors: Zaid
authors: Department of Public Health, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan. Electronic address: afujiy@belle.shiga-med.ac.jp.
authors: Akira
authors: A
authors: Fujiyoshi
authors: Department of Public Health, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan; Center for Epidemiologic Research in Asia, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan.
authors: Katsuyuki
authors: K
authors: Miura
authors: Center for Epidemiologic Research in Asia, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan.
authors: Robert D
authors: RD
authors: Abbott
authors: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Keio University, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan.
authors: Tomonori
authors: T
authors: Okamura
authors: Department of Public Health, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan.
authors: Naoyuki
authors: N
authors: Takashima
authors: Department of Public Health, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan.
authors: Sayuki
authors: S
authors: Torii
authors: Department of Public Health, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan.
authors: Yoshino
authors: Y
authors: Saito
authors: Department of Public Health, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan; Center for Epidemiologic Research in Asia, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan.
authors: Takashi
authors: T
authors: Hisamatsu
authors: Department of Public Health, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan.
authors: Naoko
authors: N
authors: Miyagawa
authors: Department of Public Health, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan; Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1 Kaga Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8605, Japan.
authors: Takayoshi
authors: T
authors: Ohkubo
authors: Center for Epidemiologic Research in Asia, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan.
authors: Aya
authors: A
authors: Kadota
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, 130 De Soto Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA.
authors: Akira
authors: A
authors: Sekikawa
authors: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, Japan.
authors: Hiroshi
authors: H
authors: Maegawa
authors: Department of Public Health, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan; Department of Cardiovascular Epidemiology, Kyoto Women's University, 35 Kitahiyoshi-cho, Imakumano, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, 605-8501, Japan.
authors: Yasuyuki
authors: Y
authors: Nakamura
authors: Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan.
authors: Kenichi
authors: K
authors: Mitsunami
authors: Department of Public Health, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan; Center for Epidemiologic Research in Asia, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan.
authors: Hirotsugu
authors: H
authors: Ueshima
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000208:ethnology; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL
keywords: Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT); High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol; High-density lipoprotein (HDL) particle; Plaque count; Subclinical atherosclerosis