Retrograde Use of Frontrunner Catheter in Superficial Femoral Artery for Flushing Long Segment Occlusions Involving Distal Common Femoral Artery.

We present the case of an 81-year-old female with flush occlusion of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Initially, the antegrade approach failed due to flush occlusion without stump. Hard, round surfaced, calcific, and eccentric plaque of the ostium of SFA was also present, which involved distal common femoral artery (CFA). Thus, we successfully used a Frontrunner catheter for retrograde reentry at the lower position of the CFA. Various treatment strategies involving Frontrunner and atherectomy devices could make percutaneous procedures possible in femoropopliteal occlusive disease, involving the CFA.

Jetstream XC Device for Treatment of Long Viabahn Stents Occlusions in the Superficial Femoral Artery: A Report of Two Cases.

Repeated restenotic events are common in superficial femoral artery and as of late, Viabahn stent grafts have been FDA (U.S. Food & Drug Administration) approved. Viabahn have been particularly attractive given that they provided a physical barrier for the development of neointimal hyperplasia. This particular feature however, also underscores one of the main limitations of the therapy; providing a physical barrier of collateral circulation and predisposing to acute limb ischemia. Viabahn endograft thrombosis is characterized by stent edge stenosis and endograft thrombosis. Here we present 2 cases of Viabahn graft thrombosis successfully treated with the Jetstream atherectomy device, a rotational cutter with aspiration capacity.

PERSISTENT ELEVATION OF NEUTROPHIL/LYMPHOCYTE RATIO ASSOCIATED WITH NEW ONSET ATRIAL FIBRILLATION FOLLOWING PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION FOR ACUTE ST SEGMENT ELEVATION MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence suggests that inflammation plays an important role in initiation and maintaining of atrial fibrillation (AF). The Neutrophil to Lymphocyte (N/L) Ratio is an easily derived and readily available parameter that has emerged as marker of inflammation with predictive and prognostic value. We investigated the association between N/L ratio and incidence of atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization for acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI. METHODS: This cross sectional descriptive study was carried out at New York Hospital Queens. We retrospectively analysed clinical, hematologic and angiographic data of 290 patients who underwent coronary angiography with stent placement for acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction between 2008-2011. RESULTS: Study cohort of 290 patients had mean age 63.3 +/- 13.0 years consisting of 81.4% male. The N/L ratio was measured at time points: <6 hours precatheterization, <12, 48 and 96 hours post catheterization. Patients who developed AF (n=40, 13.8%), had higher post catheterization N/L ratios at 48 hours (median 5.23 vs. 3.00, p=0.05) and 96 hours (median 4.67 vs. 3.56, p=0.03), with no differences in the immediate pre and post procedural measurements, <6 hours pre catheterization (median 2.49 vs. 2.82, p=0.467) and <12 hours post catheterization (median 5.93 vs. 5.03, p=0.741) respectively. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, these findings support an inflammatory aetiology contributing to new onset AF following percutaneous coronary intervention for acute STEMI. Further studies are warranted to elucidate these findings.

Increased levels of retinol binding protein 4 in patients with advanced heart failure correct after hemodynamic improvement through ventricular assist device placement.

BACKGROUND: Chronic heart failure is associated with higher risk for developing diabetes mellitus. Secretory products from adipocytes may contribute to the deterioration in glycemic control and increased insulin resistance (IR). Retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) is an adipose tissue-derived protein with pro-diabetogenic effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship of RBP4 in patients with heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS: Serum levels of RBP4, insulin, and fasting glucose were assessed in 58 patients with severe heart failure at the time of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation and in 44 patients at the time of explantation, as well as in 10 normal control subjects. Serum RBP4 levels were measured by specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and IR was assessed using the homeostatic model of IR (HOMA-IR). Fasting glucose, insulin and HOMA-IR were significantly higher in patients at the time of LVAD implantation compared to controls (all P<0.01). RBP-4 and HOMA-IR significantly decreased after LVAD implantation (21.7 ± 8.8 mg/dl to 16.0 ± 3.8 mg/dl, P<0.05; 4.2 ± 2.7 to 2.5 ± 2.0, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with advanced heart failure have increased levels of RBP4, and LVAD implantation reduces RBP4. These findings implicate RBP4 in the cascade of reversible metabolic derangements in advanced heart failure.

Epicardial fat volume in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

Epicardial adipose tissue has been linked to cardiovascular metabolism and inflammation and has been shown to predict prevalence and progression of coronary artery disease. Only limited data are available on the role of epicardial fat in patients with heart failure (HF). We analyzed cardiac adiposity and its relation to markers of morbidity and clinical outcome in patients with normal and impaired left ventricular (LV) function. Epicardial fat volume (EFV) and coronary artery calcium were measured in 381 patients (210 women and 171 men, mean age 55 ± 10 years) who underwent low-dose computed tomography. HF was defined by LV ejection fraction (EF) <55%. Three hundred twenty-one patients had an EF >55% (mean 63 ± 6) and 60 patients had an EF <55% (mean 41 ± 12). Subgroup analysis was performed according to degree of LV dysfunction in patients with HF (LVEF 35% to 55% or <35%). Mean EFVs were 114.5 ± 98.5 cm(3) in patients with normal EF and 83.5 ± 67.1 cm(3) in those with decreased EF (p <0.05). Mean EFVs were 96.1 ± 73.9 cm(3) in patients with moderate HF and 52.2 ± 29.7 cm(3) in patients with severe HF (p <0.05). Subgroup analysis revealed a persistently smaller EFV in patients with HF regardless of coronary artery calcium scores, markers of renal function, lipid metabolism, fasting blood glucose, or body mass index. In conclusion, our data demonstrate a stepwise decrease in EFV in patients with impaired cardiac function.

Modulating metastasis by a lymphangiogenic switch in prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer dissemination is difficult to detect in the clinic, and few treatment options exist for patients with advanced-stage disease. Our aim was to investigate the role of tumor lymphangiogenesis during metastasis. Further, we implemented a noninvasive molecular imaging technique to facilitate the assessment of the metastatic process. The metastatic potentials of several human prostate cancer xenograft models, LAPC-4, LAPC-9, PC3 and CWR22Rv-1 were compared. The cells were labeled with luciferase, a bioluminescence imaging reporter gene, to enable optical imaging. After tumor implantation the animals were examined weekly during several months for the appearance of metastases. Metastatic lesions were confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Additionally, the angiogenic and lymphangiogenic profiles of the tumors were characterized. To confirm the role of lymphangiogenesis in mediating metastasis, the low-metastatic LAPC-9 tumor cells were engineered to overexpress VEGF-C, and the development of metastases was evaluated. Our results show CWR22Rv-1 and PC3 tumor cell lines to be more metastatic than LAPC-4, which in turn disseminates more readily than LAPC-9. The difference in metastatic potential correlated with the endogenous production levels of lymphangiogenic growth factor VEGF-C and the presence of tumor lymphatics. In agreement, induced overexpression of VEGF-C in LAPC-9 enhanced tumor lymphangiogenesis leading to the development of metastatic lesions. Taken together, our studies, based on a molecular imaging approach for semiquantitative detection of micrometastases, point to an important role of tumor lymphatics in the metastatic process of human prostate cancer. In particular, VEGF-C seems to play a key role in prostate cancer metastasis.