IL6 and atherosclerosis: Unlike in myocardial infarction models, our model showed persistent vascular inflammation up to 12 weeks following aortic injury, characterized by increased monocyte infiltration at the site of injury and at the remote atheroma with an associated increase in systemic inflammatory blood monocytes and serum IL-6, that could contribute to both, the development of focal vascular remodeling and remote atherosclerosis progression.