CCL2 and carotid atherosclerosis: Analysis of the Bruneck study, a population-based study of 826 participants in Italy, reported that carriers of the A allele of rs17514846 had higher levels of circulating monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1; a known inflammatory marker) and greater coronary intima media thickness (CIMT; an important indicator of carotid atherosclerosis) [59].