Allen N, et al. - In this study including healthy subjects and in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), researchers investigated whether monocyte-platelet aggregates (MPA) could be reproducible over time in circulating blood samples from healthy controls. They also assessed the impact of aspirin, as well as the link between MPA and platelet activity and monocyte subtype, and how MPA and CVD phenotype (coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease [PAD], abdominal aortic aneurysm, and carotid artery stenosis) are related. Among study participants, they identified MPA via CD14+ monocytes positive for CD61+ platelets. Healthy controls did not exhibit significantly varied MPA over time. Overall, circulating MPA were identified as a strong marker of platelet activity and monocyte inflammation and were found to be unaltered by low-dose aspirin. Subjects with CVD, especially those with PAD, were had significantly elevated circulating MPA. Among PAD subjects, those with critical limb ischemia had higher MPA, and significance endured after multivariable adjustment.