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Relationships Between Circulating Lipids, Lipoproteins, and Lymphocyte Subsets in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis Cover

Relationships Between Circulating Lipids, Lipoproteins, and Lymphocyte Subsets in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Open Access
|Feb 2026

Figures & Tables

Created in BioRender. Deconne, T. (2025) https://BioRender.com/rkk95f3.

Abbreviations: LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol; TG, triglycerides; NK, natural killer; LDL-P, low-density lipoprotein particles; HDL-P, high-density lipoprotein-particles; and TRL-P, triglyceride-rich lipoprotein-particles.

Table 1

Participant descriptive characteristics.

MEAN (SD), COUNT (%), OR MEDIAN (IQR)
Total n1,735
Age, years62 (11)
Male, %852 (49%)
Race/Ethnicity
    Black, %480 (28%)
    Chinese, %240 (14%)
    Hispanic, %398 (23%)
    White, %621 (36%)
CVD Risk Factors
    BMI, kg/m228 (5)
    SBP, mmHg128 (22)
    Hypertension medications616 (35%)
    Diabetes227 (13%)
    eGFR, mL/min/1.73 m278 (17)
    Smoking never, %862 (50%)
    Smoking former, %632 (36%)
    Smoking current, %241 (14%)
Blood Lipids (Median (IQR))
    Total cholesterol, mg/dL193 (172, 216)
    LDL-C, mg/dL118 (99, 138)
    HDL-C, mg/dL48 (40, 58)
    Triglycerides, mg/dL111 (78, 166)
Blood Lipoproteins (Median (IQR))
    Total LDL-P, nmol/L1642 (1408, 1918)
    Large LDL-P, nmol/L127 (43, 286)
    Medium LDL-P, nmol/L209 (45, 462)
    Small LDL-P, nmol/L1134 (812, 1522)
    Total HDL-P, μmol/L21 (19, 23)
    Large HDL-P, μmol/L2 (2, 4)
    Medium HDL-P, μmol/L3 (1, 5)
    Small HDL-P, μmol/L15 (13, 17)
    Total TRL-P, nmol/L168 (128, 212)
    Small TRL-P, nmol/L0.1 (0.1, 0.2)
    Very Small TRL-P, nmol/L3 (1, 8)
    Medium TRL-P, nmol/L21 (11, 35)
    Large TRL-P, nmol/L86 (49, 123)
    Very Large TRL-P, nmol/L44 (22, 75)

[i] Participant characteristics at the baseline MESA examination are presented. Data are presented as mean (SD), count (%), or median (interquartile range (IQR)). Abbreviations: CVD, cardiovascular disease; BMI, body mass index; SBP, systolic blood pressure; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol; LDL-P, LDL particles; HDL-P, HDL particles; and TRL-P, triglyceride rich lipoprotein particles.

Figure 1

Associations of blood lipids with T-cell subsets: Weighted linear regression models were used with blood lipids as the independent variable and T-cell subsets as the dependent variable. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, MESA site, cell phenotyping analytical batch, BMI, smoking, hypertensive medications, SBP, diabetes, eGFR, and CMV. Each model represents a single exposure. Results are presented as beta (95% CI), p-value. Abbreviations: Chol, cholesterol; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol; and LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol.

Figure 2

Associations of low-density lipoprotein particle (LDL-P) fractions and T-cell subsets: Weighted linear regression models were used with LDL-P as the independent variable and T-cell subsets as the dependent variable. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, MESA site, cell phenotyping analytical batch, BMI, smoking, hypertensive medications, SBP, diabetes, eGFR, and CMV. Each model represents a single exposure. Results are presented as beta (95% CI), p-value.

Figure 3

Associations of high-density lipoprotein particle (HDL-P) fractions with T-cell subsets: Weighted linear regression models were used with HDL-P as the independent variable and T-cell subsets as the dependent variable. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, MESA site, cell phenotyping analytical batch, BMI, smoking, hypertensive medications, SBP, diabetes, eGFR, and CMV. Results are presented as beta (95% CI), p-value. Each model represents a single exposure.

Figure 4

Associations of triglyceride-rich-lipoprotein-particles (TRL-P) and CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell subsets: Weighted linear regression models were used with TRL-P as the independent variable and T-cell subsets as the dependent variable. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, MESA site, cell phenotyping analytical batch, BMI, smoking, hypertensive medications, SBP, diabetes, eGFR, and CMV. Each model represents a single exposure. Results are presented as beta (95% CI), p-value.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/gh.1521 | Journal eISSN: 2211-8179
Language: English
Submitted on: Sep 2, 2025
Accepted on: Jan 8, 2026
Published on: Feb 3, 2026
Published by: Ubiquity Press
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 1 issue per year

© 2026 Theodore M. DeConne, Colleen M. Sitlani, Joseph A. Delaney, Bruce M. Psaty, Margaret F. Doyle, James D. Otvos, Matthew J. Feinstein, Nels C. Olson, published by Ubiquity Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.