RANTES/CCL5 and risk for coronary events: Results from the MONICA/KORA Augsburg case-cohort, Athero-express and CARDIoGRAM studies

Background: The chemokine RANTES (regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted)/CCL5 is involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease in mice, whereas less is known in humans. We hypothesised that its relevance for atherosclerosis should be reflected by associations between CCL5 gene variants, RANTES serum concentrations and protein levels in atherosclerotic plaques and risk for coronary events. Methods and Findings: We conducted a case-cohort study within the population-based MONICA/KORA Augsburg studies. Baseline RANTES serum levels were measured in 363 individuals with incident coronary events and 1,908 non-cases (mean follow-up: 10.2±

The dissent over dissent over descent

I am grateful to my four critics who together attack nearly everything that is attackable in my Dissent over Descent, thereby retaining the original spiritedness of their live presentations at Lund University, Campus Helsingborg, in June 2009.i Their responses have forced me to delve into some matters more deeply and draw connections that may not have been so obvious from the book. Several of the criticisms overlap, and they are addressed in the main body of this text, often without mentioning the critics’ names. However, criticisms unique to particular individuals are addressed in the notes, which are sometimes quite lengthy. Considering the highly charged nature of the topic and approach of Dissent over Descent, a special thanks goes the critics’ civility. Even my most hostile opponent, Birgitta Forsman, manages to pay me an unwitting compliment by drawing attention to my alleged ‘story-telling’ ways, which of course is normally the sense in which Darwin’s own scientific modus operandi was supposed to have broken decisively with Newton’s (Mayr 1991)