Correlation of peripheral Th17 cells and Th17-associated cytokines to the severity of carotid artery plaque and its clinical implication

Objective Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease regulated by T lymphocyte subsets. Th17 cells reportedly play important roles in the development of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. In this study, we investigated the contributions of circulating Th17 cells and plasma Th17-associated cytokines to carotid artery plaques. Methods Based on carotid artery ultrasonography, 280 atherosclerosis patients were categorized both by: (1) 4...