1. Sacks F.M., Pfeffer M.A., Moye L.A., et al. The effect of pravastatin on coronary events after myocardial infarction in patients with average cholesterol levels. Cholesterol and Recurrent Events Trial investigators. N Engl J Med 1996;335(14):1001-9.
2. Liao J.K., Laufs U. Pleiotropic effects of statins. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 2005;45:89-118.
3. Salonen J.R., Salonen R. Ultrasonographicaly assessed carotid morphology and the risk of coronary heart disease. Arterioscler Thromb 1991;11(5):1245-9.
4. Jashnani K.D., Kulkarni R.R., Deshpande J.R. Role of carotid intimamedia thickness in assessment of atherosclerosis: an autopsy study. Indian Heart J 2005;57(4):319-23.
5. Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults. Executive summary of the third report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) (Adult Treatment Panel III). JAMA 2001; 285(19):2486-97.
6. Devereux R.B., Alonso D.R., Lutas E.M., et al. Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular hypertrophy: comparison to necropsy findings. Am J Cardiol 1986;57:450-458.
7. European Carotid Surgery Trialists` Collaborative Group. MRC – European Carotid Surgery Trial: interim results for symptomatic patients with severe (70 – 99%) or with mild (0 – 29%) carotid stenosis. Lancet 1991; 337(8752):1235-43.
8. Downs J.R., Clearfield M., Tyroler H.A., et al. Air Force/Texas Coronary Atherosclerosis Prevention Study (AFCAPS/TEXCAPS): additional perspectives on tolerability of long-term treatment with lovastatin. Am J Cardiol 2001;87:1074-9.
9. Nissen S.E., Tuzcu E.M., Schoenhagen P., et al. Effect of Intensive Compared With Moderate Lipid-Lowering Therapy on Progression of Coronary Atherosclerosis. JAMA 2004;291:1071-80.
10. Grundy S.M., Cleeman J.I., Merz C.N.B., et al. for the Coordinating Committee of the National Cholesterol Education Program. Implications of recent clinical trials for the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III Guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol 2004;44:720-32.
11. Lorenz M.W., von Kegler S., Steinmetz H., et al. Carotid intima-media thickening indicates a higher vascular risk across a wide age range: prospective data from the Carotid Atherosclerosis Progression Study (CAPS). Stroke 2006;37:87-92.
12. Ferrier K.E., Muhlmann M.H., Baguet J.P., et al. Intensive cholesterol reduction lowers blood pressure and large artery stiffness in isolated systolic hypertension. J Am Coll Cardiol 2002; 39(6):1020-5.
13. Mital S., Liao J.K. Statins and the myocardium. Semin Vasc Med 2004;4:377-84.
14. Hasegawa H., Yamamoto R., Takano H., et al. 3-Hydroxy-3- methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors prevent the development of cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure in rats. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2003;35(8):953–960.
15. Nishikawa H., Miura S., Zhang B., et al. Statins induce the regression of left ventricular mass in patients with angina. Circ J 2004;68(2):121- 5.
16. Sola S., Mir M.Q., Lerakis S., et al. Atorvastatin improves left ventricular systolic function and serum markers of inflammation in nonischemic heart failure. J Am Coll Cardiol 2006;47:332-7.