Clinical and angiographic outcomes of coronary drug-eluting stenting in treating vasospastic angina patients with severe organic stenosis / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the clinical and angiographic outcomes of vasospastic angina patients with severe organic stenosis treated by drug-eluting stents.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Between January 2006 and December 2010, severe organic stenosis (diameter stenosis more than 70%) was evidenced in 7 out of 46 vasospastic angina patients and treated with drug-eluting stents. Coronary angiography was repeated at 6 - 18 months after percutaneous coronary intervention and the patients were clinically followed up. The clinical and angiographic outcomes were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Nine drug-eluting stents [mean diameter 2.75 - 3.50 (3.08 ± 0.24) mm, length 24 - 33 (27.3 ± 3.6) mm] were successfully implanted in these 7 patients. Stents were implanted into left anterior descending artery (LAD) in 5 patients (71.4%), right coronary artery (RCA) in 1 patient (14.3%), both LAD and RCA in 1 patient (14.3%). Transient RCA spasm and distal LAD spasm were observed during percutaneous coronary intervention of LAD in 2 patients. Anginal attack at rest with transient ST segment elevation at V(1)-V(3) leads occurred 24 hours after LAD stenting in 1 patient. Follow-up coronary angiography showed significant in-stent restenosis or focal edge restenosis (diameter stenosis more than 50%) in 3 patients (42.9%), mild neointimal proliferation but without significant restenosis in 2 patients (28.6%), and no neointimal proliferation in 2 patients (28.6%). During clinical follow-up of 17 to 50 months after percutaneous coronary intervention, 2 patients (28.6%) remained asymptomatic, while effort angina and/or rest angina was documented in the remaining 5 patients (71.4%).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Our results from this small patient cohort suggest that drug eluting stent implantation for severe organic stenosis in patients with vasospastic angina is linked with high incidence of restenosis and recurrent chest pain. Further observation in larger patient cohort is warranted to clarify the efficacy of this strategy for treating vasospastic angina patients with severe organic stenosis.</p>

Clinical and angiographic characteristics of patients with slow coronary flow / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the clinical and angiographic characteristics of patients with slow coronary flow (SCF).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In this retrospective study, 140 patients with SCF and 140 control subjects without SCF were included. SCF were diagnosed by the combination of TIMI flow grade method and TIMI frame count method. All subjects had angiographically normal coronary arteries. The clinical and laboratory data were obtained from medical records at admission.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared to control group, patients with SCF were younger [(57.8 +/- 10.7) years vs. (59.8 +/- 8.2) years], rate of smokers (59.3% vs. 46.4%) and diabetes mellitus (49.3% vs. 30.7%), fasting blood glucose (FBG) level [(7.8 +/- 2.8) mmol/L vs. (6.2 +/- 2.0) mmol/L, P < 0.05] and triglyceride (TG) level [(2.11 +/- 1.93) mmol/L vs. (1.67 +/- 1.01) mmol/L, P < 0.05] were higher, while high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level [(1.05 +/- 0.35) mmol/L vs. (1.42 +/- 0.74) mmol/L, P < 0.01] and apolipoprotein A1 (apoA1) level [(1.10 +/- 0.19) mmol/L vs. (1.31 +/- 0.31) mmol/L, P < 0.01] were lower. Among the 140 SCF patients, left anterior descending artery (LAD), left circumflex artery (LCX) and right coronary artery (RCA) were involved at the same time in 92 patients. Among the three vessels, RCA is the most frequent involved vessel (n = 119). After adjusting for other risk factors, current smoking (OR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.04 - 3.57, P < 0.05), DM history (OR = 2.44, 95% CI:1.32-4.76, P < 0.01), FBG (OR = 2.13, 95% CI:1.16-3.98, P < 0.05), TG (OR = 1.47, 95% CI:1.03-2.13, P < 0.05), HDL-C (OR = 0.47, 95% CI:0.24-0.85, P < 0.05) and apoA1 (OR = 0.55, 95% CI:0.40 - 0.75, P < 0.01) were independent factors for SCF (all P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Our results demonstrated that patients with SCF were prone to have a significant metabolic disorder compared to the control group. Patients with high levels of FBG, TG and low levels of HDL-C were more likely to suffer from SCF, which maybe explained by the development of coronary endothelium and microvascular dysfunction.</p>

Virtual histology intravascular ultrasound assessment of coronary atherosclerotic plaques in diabetic patients / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the components and characteristics of coronary atherosclerotic plaques in type 2 diabetic patients using virtual histology intravascular ultrasound (VH-IVUS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In vivo atherosclerotic plaques (over 50% angiographic diameter stenosis) of the three main coronary arteries were analyzed by gray-scaled IVUS with planar and volumetric VH-IVUS in consecutive patients examined between September 2008 and March 2009. Patients were divided into two groups: diabetic mellitus (DM) group with 22 patients (39 lesions) and non-DM group with 46 patients (69 lesions).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>At the minimal lumen area (MLA) site, the percentage of NC (necrotic core) area (19.4% +/- 1.2% vs. 15.1% +/- 1.1%, P = 0.015) and dense calcium (DC) area (15.2% +/- 1.6% vs. 10.7% +/- 1.1%, P = 0.016) were significantly larger while fibrotic tissue (FT) area (56.7% +/- 2.3% vs. 64.8% +/- 1.8%, P = 0.007) was smaller in DM group than in non-DM group. Likewise, volumetric VH-IVUS analysis showed that the percentage of NC volume (21.3% +/- 1.3% vs. 16.5% +/- 1.1%, P = 0.008) and DC volume (16.6% +/- 1.4% vs. 11.3% +/- 1.1%, P = 0.003) were significantly larger while FT volume (55.1% +/- 2.1% vs. 63.9% +/- 1.8%, P = 0.003) was significantly smaller in DM group than in non-DM group. Moreover, significantly higher incidence of VH-TCFA (thin-cap fibro atheromas) was evidenced in the DM group than in the non-DM group (69.2% vs. 42.0%, P = 0.009). However, the remodeling index and the positive remodeling frequency were similar between the 2 groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Incidence of necrotic core, dense calcium plaque and vulnerable plaques in stenotic lesions was higher in DM patients than in non-DM patients.</p>

Intracoronary and hypodermic injection of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor improved cardiac function in Swine with chronic myocardial ischemia / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>To compare the efficacy and feasibility between intracoronary and hypodermic injection of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) on improving cardiac function in a Swine model of chronic myocardial ischemia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighteen Swine underwent placement of ameroid constrictor on left circumflex coronary artery. The presence of myocardial ischemia was verified at four weeks after the operation, and the animals were then randomly assigned into three groups (n = 6 each): (1) administration of vehicle (control), (2) hypodermic injection of G-CSF (5 microgxkg(-1)x;d(-1)) for five days (IH), and (3) intracoronary injection of a bonus G-CSF (60 microg/kg) (IC). Coronary angiogram, cardiac MRI, and (18)F-FDG-SPECT/(99m)Tc-SPECT (DISA-SPECT) measurements were performed at pre-administration and at 4 weeks post administration. Global heart function such as left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVSDV) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), myocardial perfusion, myocardial viability and myocardial infarct area were evaluated. Myocardial vWF, Bcl-2 and Bax expressions were detected by Western blot and RT-PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>MRI data showed that left ventricular dilation and dysfunction were similarly prevented in IH and IC G-CSF treated animals at eight weeks after the operation. SPECT revealed that both IH and IC G-CSF equally improved the regional contractility of chronic myocardial ischemia and increased myocardial viability. Myocardial infarct size was also reduced after both G-CSF treatments as detected by MRI. Intracoronary injection of G-CSF did not lead to angiogenesis in other organs. G-CSF treatments were also associated with a significant reduction in myocardial apoptosis and significant increase in angiogenesis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Both intracoronary and hypodermic injection of G-CSF were safe and feasible and could equally improve cardiac function and increase angiogenesis in this Swine model of chronic myocardial ischemia.</p>

Systematic review on safety of intracoronary autologous bone marrow stem cells transfer in patients with acute myocardial infarction / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To estimate the safety of intracoronary autologous bone marrow stem cells (BMSC) transfer in patients with acute myocardial infarction.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A systematic literature search of PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane EBM, BIOSIS, EMBASE and Chinese Journal Full-text Database between January 1990 and May 2007, was performed. Inclusion criteria required that patients received intracoronary BMSC transfer after coronary reperfusion therapy for primary acute myocardial infarction; study design involved patient randomization and matching placebo group as well as detailed safety data with more than 3 months follow-up results.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 5 trials with 620 patients were available for analysis. The pooled statistics showed similar results between BMSC and placebo groups in terms of occurrence of the individual clinical adverse events and the combined endpoint death, recurrence of myocardial infarction, or revascularization procedures. The combined endpoint death, recurrence of myocardial infarction, revascularization procedures, or rehospitalization for heart failure was significantly reduced in the BMSC group compared with the control group at more than one year follow-up (OR = 0.45, 95%CI 0.28 - 0.74, P = 0.002). Likewise, the occurrence of revascularization and the combined endpoint death, recurrence of myocardial infarction, or revascularization procedures were significantly reduced when BMSC transplantation was performed between 4 and 7 days after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (OR = 0.60, 95%CI 0.37 - 0.97, P = 0.04; OR = 0.58, 95%CI 0.37 - 0.91, P = 0.02, respectively). In contrast, there was a significant increase in the combined endpoint revascularization and recurrence of myocardial infarction when BMSC transplantation was performed within 24 hours after PCI (OR = 2.56, 95%CI 1.03 - 6.34, P = 0.04).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Post PCI intracoronary autologous BMSC transplantation in patients with acute myocardial infarction is safe, especially in patients received BMSC transplantation between 4 and 7 days after primary PCI than patients received BMSC transplantation within 24 hours post PCI.</p>

Coronary artery lesion comparison between Chinese and Australian patients with coronary artery disease / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare coronary lesion characteristics by coronary angiography (CAG) between yellows and whites.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>CAG results of 3021 Chinese patients, defined as yellows, from Nanjing and 3230 Australian patients, defined as whites, from Sydney were analyzed. The coronary artery lesion was evaluated by the number and location of coronary lesion and Gensini scores.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) Coronary stenosis was diagnosed in 69.4% Chinese patients and 75.5% in Australians. The involved coronary arteries were left anterior descending branch, right coronary artery, left circumflex branch and left main coronary artery in a descending order in both Chinese and Australians. (2) The incidences of three-vessel disease and left main disease of yellows were significantly lower than that of whites in both male (29.8% vs. 34.0% and 9.6% vs. 14.2%) and female patients (15.8% vs. 26.2% and 4.9% vs. 11.6%) respectively, all P < 0.05. (3) There was an age-dependent Gensini scores increase in both yellows and whites patients and Gensini scores at age 40 and more of whites were significantly higher than those of yellows in comparable age groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The incidences of three-vessel disease and left main disease as well as Gensini score were significantly higher in Australian patients than those of Chinese patients.</p>

In vivo cardiac magnetic resonance imaging of superparamagnetic iron oxides-labeled mesenchymal stem cells in swines / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the feasibility of magnetic resonance imaging (MR) on detecting transplanted nanometer small superparamagnetic iron oxides (SPIO) labeled mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in swine model with acute myocardial infarction (MI).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>MSCs isolated from swine were incubated with nanometer SPIO for 24 hours and the third-passage MSCs were labeled with DNA dye 4'-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and aliphatic red fluorescent dye PKH(26)-GL. Presence of small particles of SPIO in MSCs was assessed by Prussian Blue staining and electron microscopy. Three animals in each group received SPIO-labeled MSCs (5 x 10(5); 1 x 10(6); 2 x 10(6)) and MSCs without SPIO (1 x 10(6)) injections into the infarcted myocardium approximately 1 hour following left anterior descending coronary artery. MRI (1.5-T) was performed 20 to 24 hours post infarction in all animals and the animals were subsequently sacrificed for histology 1 hour post MRI.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In vitro Prussian Blue staining and electron microscopy examination revealed numerous iron particles in the cytoplasm of MSCs. Low signal intensity spots with the scanning T(2)(*)WI-Flash 2d sequence were detected in all SPIO-MSCs but not in SPIO-negative-MSCs injected myocardial sites in vivo with the clinical 1.5 T scanner. Prussian blue, DAPI and PKH(26) positive cells were detected histologically in sections corresponding to low signal intensity spots area shown on MRI.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Magnetically labeled MSCs transplanted in myocardial ischemia area of swine can be visualized in vivo with a clinical 1.5-T MRI and could be used for tracking SPIO-MSCs clinically.</p>

Risk factor and angiograph comparison of myocardial infarction between Chinese and Australians / 医学研究生学报

Objective:To compare the cardiovascular risk factors and the characteristics of coronary lesion between Chinese and Australian patients with myocardial infarction(MI). Methods:Five hundred and seventy-eight Chinese and 399 Australian MI patients received selective coronary angiography after hospitalization.The cardiovascular risk factors and coronary angiograms were compared and analyzed.Results:Five hundred and fifty Chinese cases(95.16%)and 376 Australian cases(94.24%)showed angiographically coronary stenosis.The comparing results of MI cases between Chinese and Australians were as follows:the percentage of patients below 40 years old,2.08% vs 6.02%(P0.05);the percentage of patients with three vessel disease and total occlusion,32.87% vs 24.31% and 45.50% vs 32.33%,respectively(P

In vitro and in vivo MR imaging of SHU 555A-labelled swine bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells / 介入放射学杂志

Objective To detect the feasibility of magnetically labeled swine bone marrow mesenehymal stem cells(MSCs)with SHU 555A combined with poly-L-arginine(PLL),under MR imaging in vitro and in vivo.Methods Swine mesenehymal stem cells were isolated and culture-expanded 3 passages in vitro,then magnetically labeled by incubation with SHU 555A(25?g Fe/ml,Resovist,Schering)for 24 hours with 750 ng/mL poly-L-lysine(PLL;average MW_275 kDa)added 1 hour before incubation.Cellular iron incorporation and detention at 0 d,4 d,8 d,12 d,16 d,20 d after labeling was qualitatively assessed using Prussian blue and quantified at atomic absorption spectrometry.Cell viability was assessed by trypan-blue exclusion test.Cell suspensions underwent MR imaging with T_1-and T_2-weighted spin-echo and fast field-echo sequences on a clinical 1.5 T MR system.At last,1?10~6 SHU 555A labeled and unlabeled MSCs were transextracardially implanted into the infracted and normal myocardium approximately 2 week following the ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery in 1 swine respectively,and finally performed 1.5-T MRI within 1 week after infarction.Results①Intracytoplasmic particles stained with Prussian blue stain were detected for all cells with mean cellular iron content of(13.13?2.30)pg per cell.With division of stem cells, the stained particles decreased gradually with iron content(0.68?0.20)pg per cell.at 16 days after labeling, approximately to the prelabeled baseline values.(0.21?0.06)pg per cell(P＞0.05).The viability of the labeled cells at various time points were not significantly different with that of nonlabeled cells(P＞0.05).②MR images showed signal intensity changed most obviouly in T2*WI in vitro.The percentage change of signal intensity increased with increasing cell numbers,and decreased with the time.As few as 5?10~4-1?10~5 cells could be detected by using this approach.③Two injected sites containing MR-MSCs were detected in vivo,presentingas low signal intensity areas with the T_2*WI scanning sequence.Conclusion Swine bone marrow MSCs can be labeled with SHU555A-PLL and depicted with a standard 1.5-T MR imager in vitro and in vivo.(J lntervent Radiol,2007,16:115-121)