Objective: The vitamin D receptor (VDR) has been localized to many tissues in the cardiovascular system including the coronary arteries of female nonhuman primates. The objective of the current study is to determine whether VDR expression in a peripheral artery (common iliac) is associated with atherosclerosis extent and severity in a cohort of postmenopausal cynomologus monkeys. Design: For 32 months, premenopausal cynomolgus monkeys (n=37) consumed an atherogenic diet containing a women’s equivalent of 1,200 mg/day of elemental calcium and 1,000 IU/day of vitamin D. After 32 months, the monkeys were ovariectomized and consumed the diet for an additional 32 months until artery specimens were collected at necropsy. Cross sections of the iliac artery were immunohistochemically stained for the VDR. Atherosclerosis extent was assessed by measuring iliac artery intimal (plaque) area (IA) and maximal intimal plaque thickness (MXIT). Plaque severity was determined using American Heart Association (AHA) atherosclerosis severity grades. Results: In the common iliac artery, a significant 65

POSTER PRESENTATIONS observed compared to controls after cancer treatment. Conclusion: Our results suggest that cancer treatment increase bone loss in postmenopausal women with cervical and endometrial cancer.

Positive correlation was observed between the proportion of VDR negative cells and plaque size (both cross-sectional area [r=0.578, p