Discussion
Periostin, an ECM protein, was named because of its expression in the periodontal ligament and periosteum of adult mice.30 PN is expressed in tissue growth and remodeling, as in cardiac and valvular development and disease, wound repair, tumor tissues, and inflammation.31-37 PN is also widely expressed in various atherosclerotic vascular lesions: it could be located in the intima, preatheroma regions, and the extracellular matrix of advanced lesions with calcification. PN variants are associated with extent of atherosclerosis in young persons, which suggest the importance of PN in the development of atherosclerosis in the arterial wall.38,39 This study used ...