Document Classification

Section Type: RESULTS

Text: Compared with diet alone, simvastatin significantly improved the percent flow-mediated dilator response to hyperemia from 3. 37 + / -2. 28 % to 5. 89 + / -2. 35 % (P < 0. 001) and lowered plasma levels of C-reactive protein from 0. 48 to 0. 10 mg/dL (P < 0. 001), TNF-alpha from 3. 38 to 2. 79 pg/mL (P < 0. 001), total matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) -9 from 36 to 28 ng/mL (P = 0. 006), and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 from 80 + / -30 to 74 + / -23 ng/mL (P = 0. 041), and simvastatin lowered to a greater extent MMP-9 activity (from 71 to 52 ng/mL, P = 0. 006) and MMP-9 activity/tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 ratios (P = 0. 018), although this difference did not reach statistical significance.