SREBF1 and coronary artery disorder: While the down-regulation of SREBP-1 in circulating leukocytes was related with CAD in this population-based study, the expression level of SREBPs in carotid plaques showed no difference to the levels in circulating leukocytes, which might suggested that it is the circulating leucocytes with aberrant SREBP expression accumulating in impaired vascular endothelial cells that build up the fundamental structure of plaque and blood samples could possibly be used as surrogates for plaques and provide prognostic information relating to atherosclerotic disease.