Introduction for National Cholesterol Month

In this issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology , there is a special collection of articles in recognition of National Cholesterol Month. As Brown and Goldstein noted in 1985 in their Nobel Prize lecture, “Cholesterol is the most highly decorated small molecule in biology. Thirteen Nobel Prizes have been awarded to scientists who devoted major parts of their careers to cholesterol. Ever since it was first isolated from gallstones in 1784, almost exactly 200 years ago, cholesterol has exerted a hypnotic fascination for scientists from the most diverse domains of science and medicine.”1The authors and readers of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology remain fascinated by cholesterol, and the range of “domains” remains diverse. The articles in this issue span a wide range of topics, including the effects of oxidized low-density lipoprotein on signal transduction in endothelial …