Farias-Itao DS, Pasqualucci CA, Nishizawa A, et al. - Given that macrophages and T lymphocytes in the perivascular adipose tissue (PvAT) were earlier associated with coronary artery disease, however, no inquiry on the role of these cells and B lymphocytes in the human PvAT adjacent to unstable atherosclerotic plaques has been undertaken, and moreover, prior investigations were inconclusive about whether PvAT inflammation was restricted to the surroundings of the atheroma plaque, therefore, researchers undertook this study wherein they freshly dissected coronary arteries with the surrounding PvAT, and grouped atherosclerotic plaques applying internationally accepted anatomopathological criteria. They used immunohistochemistry to detect immune cells in the PvAT, which were also quantified later on. Adjusted for likely confounding factors, linear and logistic regressions with robust standard errors were employed. Findings revealed a rise in the density of CD20⁺ B lymphocytes and CD68⁺ macrophages in periplaque PvAT with plaque size. They also identified greater CD68⁺ macrophages near unstable atherosclerotic plaques as compared with near stable lesions. They noted that in the periplaque PvAT, this inflammation was more intense as compared with that in the PvAT distal to the atherosclerotic plaques.