Exposure to secondhand smoke leads to inflammation and oxidation, representing another pathophysiologic mechanism for the development of atherosclerosis.
Researchers say circulating mononuclear cells (the largest type of white blood cell) and lymphocytes, exist in a proinflammatory state in obese persons known to be at increased risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, or both.
Accumulating evidence supports the hypothesis that chronic low-grade inflammation and activation of the innate immune system are closely involved in the pathogenesis of the type 2 diabetes.
The cellular and extracellular matrix accumulations that comprise the lesions of atherosclerosis are driven by local release of cytokines at sites of predilection for lesion formation, and by the specific attraction and activation of cells expressing rece
Journal of Nutrition, Vol 128 No 2 February 1998 Muredach P Reilly, John A Lawson, and Garret A FitzGerald Center for Experimental Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Philadelphia, PA 19104
We describe how innate and adaptive immune cascades trigger the release of cytokines and chemokines, resulting in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. We discuss how cytokines have direct and indirect effects on myocardial function.