title: Stabilization of high-risk plaques.
abstract: The prevalence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVDs) is increasing globally and they have become the leading cause of death in most countries. Numerous experimental and clinical studies have been conducted to identify major risk factors and effective control strategies for ASCVDs. The development of imaging modalities with the ability to determine the plaque composition enables us to further identify high-risk plaque and evaluate the effectiveness of different treatment strategies. While intensive lipid-lowering by statins can stabilize or even regress plaque by various mechanisms, such as the reduction of lipid accumulation in a necrotic lipid core, the reduction of inflammation, and improvement of endothelial function, there are still considerable residual risks that need to be understood. We reviewed important findings regarding plaque vulnerability and some encouraging emerging approaches for plaque stabilization.
authors: Department of Cardiology, Fukuoka University School of Medicine, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan.
authors: Kohei
authors: K
authors: Takata
authors: Department of Cardiology, Fukuoka University School of Medicine, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan.
authors: Satoshi
authors: S
authors: Imaizumi
authors: Department of Biochemistry, Fukuoka University School of Medicine, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan.
authors: Bo
authors: B
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Cardiology, Fukuoka University School of Medicine, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan.
authors: Shin-Ichiro
authors: S
authors: Miura
authors: Department of Cardiology, Fukuoka University School of Medicine, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan.
authors: Keijiro
authors: K
authors: Saku
keywords: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVDs); inflammation; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C); statins; thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA)