Gebhard C, et al. - In this multi-center study, researchers investigated the link between plasma lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) mass concentration and plaque burden among 267 patients with angiographically proven coronary artery disease (CAD) who had intravascular ultrasonography (IVUS) imaging. Controls included 96 patients without CAD. In CAD patients, the upregulation of plasma LCAT mass concentration as well as its inverse association with plaque volume was observed, which suggests atheroprotective effects. LCAT mass could be a key variable in atheroprotection, evidenced by the way it outperformed LCAT activity in risk prediction models for atheroma burden.