1 Strategies for vascular disease prevention: The role of lipids and related markers including apolipoproteins, low-density lipoproteins (LDL)- particle size, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A 2 (Lp-PLA 2 ) and lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) Dhayana Dallmeier, MD, Postdoctoral Fellow 1 , Wolfgang Koenig, MD, FRCP, FESC, FACC, FAHA, Professor in Cardiology * University of Ulm Medical Center, Department of Internal Medicine II – Cardiology, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, D-89081 Ulm, Germany Keywords: cardiovascular disease apolipoprotein B apolipoprotein A1 apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A1 non-HDL-C high sensitive C-reactive protein lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A 2 lipoprotein(a) Considerable progress has been achieved in the treatment of dyslipidemias. However, half of cardiovascular events occur in individuals with average or low cholesterol levels and there is still a considerable residual risk with 70% of patients having an event despite statin treatment. In the era of personalized medicine there is increased interest in the incorporation of individual biomarkers in risk score algorithms in order to improve cardiovascular risk stratification followed by the prompt initiation of preventive measures. Since the 2001 third report of the National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation and Treatment on High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (ATP III) several studies have evaluated the prognostic value of lipid related bio- markers such as non-HDL-cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, apolipo- protein B/apolipoprotein A1 ratio, lipoprotein(a), lipoprotein- associated phospholipase A 2 , and C-reactive protein. This article tries to summarize the most recent results in this area. Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ49 731 500 45010; Fax: þ49 731 500 45021. E-mail addresses: dhayana.dallmeier@uni-ulm.de (D. Dallmeier), wolfgang.koenig@uniklinik-ulm.de (W. Koenig). 1 Tel.: þ49 731 500 31058; Fax: þ49 731 50 12 31058. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/beem 1521-690X/$ – see front matter Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.beem.2014.01.003 Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 28 (2014) 281–294