APOE and atherosclerosis: Since platelet adhesion to an inflamed endothelium is an early step in the development of atherosclerotic plaque formation, and with time, resulting in heart attacks and stroke, we conducted a long-term, study utilizing the atherosclerosis-prone ApoE-/- mice to attempt a blockade of the formation of atherosclerotic plaques by preventing the adhesion of platelets to the inflamed vasculature in vivo.