Risk and Determinants of Dementia in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Brain Subcortical Vascular Changes: A Study of Clinical, Neuroimaging, and Biological Markers—The VMCI-Tuscany Study: Rationale, Design, and Methodology

Table 3

Plasma biomarkers under investigation in the VMCI-Tuscany Study.

Markers of endothelial function	von Willebrand factor, tissue factor, tissue factor pathway inhibitor, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and count of the number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells by cytofluorimetric method using monoclonal antibodies anti-staminal cells markers (CD34 and AC133) and anti-endothelial cell markers (VEGFR2)
Polymorphisms associated with cerebral small vessels disease	Genes coding metalloproteases and their inhibitors, renin-angiotensin system components, genes coding endothelial nitroxide synthase
Pro- and anti-inflammatory molecules	interleukin-6, interleukin-1-RA, interleukin-8, interleukin-10, interleukin-18, and C-reactive protein