In this issue of VBWG ReportsTM our editors report on presentations at the 53rd Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology (held March 7-10, 2004 in New Orleans) as well as a VBWG meeting that preceeded the Scientific Session. Obesity: Inflammatory disease of the vascular wall? | Douglas E. Vaughan, MD | | Vanderbilt University School of Medicine | | Nashville, Tennessee | REVERSAL and PROVE IT present compelling case for lower LDL-C targets | Steven E. Nissen, MD | Christopher P. Cannon, MD | | Cleveland Clinic Lerner | Brigham and Women's Hospital | | College of Medicine | Boston, Massachusetts | | Cleveland, Ohio | | CHARM updates provide insight into benefits of RAS manipulation in heart failure | Jeffrey L. Probstfield, MD | Salim Yusuf, MD | Karl Swedberg, MD | | University of Washington | McMaster University | Sahlgrenska University | | School of Medicine | Hamilton, Ontario | Hospital/Östra, | | Seattle , Washington | | Göteborg, Sweden | Update on benefits of RAS manipulation in patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease | Kim Fox, MD | Peter Sleight, MD | | Royal Brompton Hospital | Oxford University | | London, United Kingdom | Oxford , United Kingdom | |