Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40031876›Full record

ArticleJournal of vascular research2025

Unstable Coronary Artery Plaque Features in Humans Are Associated with Higher Frequency of Circulating CD56bright Natural Killer Cells.

Micah Hunter-Chang, Christine L Flora, Hema Kothari, Chantel C McSkimming, Sydney D Blimbaum, Corey M Williams, Angela M Taylor, Stefan Bekiranov, Coleen A McNamara

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of vascular research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Micah Hunter-ChangBeirne B. Carter Center for Immunology Research, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA, mjh7zv@virginia.edu.
Christine L FloraBeirne B. Carter Center for Immunology Research, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
Hema KothariBeirne B. Carter Center for Immunology Research, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
Chantel C McSkimmingBeirne B. Carter Center for Immunology Research, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
Sydney D BlimbaumBeirne B. Carter Center for Immunology Research, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
Corey M WilliamsBeirne B. Carter Center for Immunology Research, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
Angela M TaylorRobert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
Stefan BekiranovBeirne B. Carter Center for Immunology Research, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
Coleen A McNamaraBeirne B. Carter Center for Immunology Research, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.

Funding

INTERDISCIPLINARY TRAINING PROGRAM IN IMMUNOLOGYT32AI007496 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CHARLOTTESVILLE · PI Michael G. Brown, Coleen A McNamara · 1995 to 2026
$10.2M
Id3 and VSMC in Murine and Human AtherosclerosisR01HL148109 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · PI MCNAMARA, COLEEN A · 2019 to 2022
$2.7M
CHARACTERIZATION OF NOVEL CHEMOKINE RECEPTORS IN LYMPHOCYTESZ01AI000749 · NIAID · NIAID EXTRAMURAL ACTIVITIES · PI FARBER, JOSHUA M · 1996 to 2008
$1.1M
Intramural NIH HHS Z01 AI000749NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL148109NIAID NIH HHS T32 AI007496
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionUnstable human artery plaques can suddenly rupture, leading to MI or stroke. Identification of blood markers associated with unstable plaque features is clearly needed. Humans with symptomatic carotid atherosclerotic plaques have increased infiltration of CD56bright natural killer (NK) cells into the plaque, yet whether subjects with unstable coronary artery plaque features have increased frequencies of circulating CD56bright NK cells is unknown.

methodsCoronary artery intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) was performed on subjects presenting for medically indicated coronary angiography. Eighteen subjects stratified into high and low percent (%) necrotic core and matched for age, body mass index (BMI), and lipids underwent mass cytometry by time-of-flight analysis on their peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected prior to imaging. Clustering of major immune cell populations was performed on live singlets and CD56 bright and dim NK subsets were quantitated.

resultsSubjects with high necrotic core had a significantly greater frequency of circulating CD56bright NK cells compared to subjects with low necrotic core (p = 0.02). Additionally, the frequency of circulating CD56bright NK cells positively associated with IVUS-VH metrics of total atheroma volume (p = 0.0013), percent (%) atheroma burden (p = 0.0048), % maximum stenosis (p = 0.0021), % necrotic (p = 0.0013), % calcium (p = 0.0016), % fatty (p = 0.0097) and negatively associated with % fibrous (p < 0.0001), an IVUS-VH metric of plaque stability.

conclusionThese findings suggest that the frequency of CD56bright NK cells may be a safe, noninvasive marker of plaque volume and instability.

Indexed as

CD56 AntigenCoronary Artery DiseaseCoronary VesselsKiller Cells, NaturalPlaque, AtheroscleroticAgedCase-Control StudiesCoronary AngiographyFemaleFlow CytometryHumansMaleMiddle AgedNecrosisRupture, SpontaneousUltrasonography, InterventionalCD56 AntigenNCAM1 protein, humanAtherosclerosisIntravascular ultrasoundMass cytometryNatural killer cellsPeripheral blood mononuclear cells

Identifiers

PMID40031876
PMCPMC12324973

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.