INS and atherosclerosis: Taken together, this suggests that there is a contradiction between a condition involving vascular inflammation (e.g. overt atherosclerosis, large-vessel vasculitis, and pre-eclampsia) and its association with metabolic variables (lipid profiles, insulin resistance and β-cell function, BMI) and, as mentioned above, in a vascular inflammatory condition PTX3 might be enhance a protective feedback mechanism activated by inflammation and vascular injuries.