Induction of fetal meiotic oocytes from embryonic stem cells in cynomolgus monkeys.

Human in vitro oogenesis provides a framework for clarifying the mechanism of human oogenesis. To create its benchmark, it is vital to promote in vitro oogenesis using a model physiologically close to humans. Here, we establish a foundation for in vitro oogenesis in cynomolgus (cy) monkeys (Macaca fascicularis): cy female embryonic stem cells harboring one active and one inactive X chromosome (Xa and Xi, respectively) differentiate robustly into primordial germ cell-like cells, which in xenogeneic reconstituted ovaries develop efficiently into oogonia and, remarkably, further into meiotic oocytes at the zygotene stage. This differentiation entails comprehensive epigenetic reprogramming, including Xi reprogramming, yet Xa and Xi remain epigenetically asymmetric with, as partly observed in vivo, incomplete Xi reactivation. In humans and monkeys, the Xi epigenome in pluripotent stem cells functions as an Xi-reprogramming determinant. We further show that developmental pathway over-activations with suboptimal up-regulation of relevant meiotic genes impede in vitro meiotic progression. Cy in vitro oogenesis exhibits critical homology with the human system, including with respect to bottlenecks, providing a salient model for advancing human in vitro oogenesis.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Artificial Intelligence-Based Angiography-Derived Fractional Flow Reserve Using Pressure Wire-Based Fractional Flow Reserve as a Reference.

BACKGROUND: Angiographic fractional flow reserve (angioFFR) is a novel artificial intelligence (AI)-based angiography-derived fractional flow reserve (FFR) application. We investigated the diagnostic accuracy of angioFFR to detect hemodynamically relevant coronary artery disease.Methods and Results: Consecutive patients with 30-90% angiographic stenoses and invasive FFR measurements were included in this prospective, single-center study conducted between November 2018 and February 2020. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed using invasive FFR as the reference standard. In patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, gradients of invasive FFR and angioFFR in the pre-senting segments were compared. We assessed 253 vessels (200 patients). The accuracy of angioFFR was 87.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 83.1-91.5%), with a sensitivity of 76.8% (95% CI 67.1-84.9%), specificity of 94.3% (95% CI 89.5-97.4%), and area under the curve of 0.90 (95% CI 0.86-0.93%). AngioFFR was well correlated with invasive FFR (r=0.76; 95% CI 0.71-0.81; P<0.001). The agreement was 0.003 (limits of agreement: -0.13, 0.14). The FFR gradients of angioFFR and invasive FFR were comparable (n=51; mean [±SD] 0.22±0.10 vs. 0.22±0.11, respectively; P=0.87). CONCLUSIONS: AI-based angioFFR showed good diagnostic accuracy for detecting hemodynamically relevant stenosis using invasive FFR as the reference standard. The gradients of invasive FFR and angioFFR in the pre-stenting segments were comparable.

Observation of plaque behavior and tissue characterization of coronary plaque using speckle tracking intravascular ultrasound (ST-IVUS) and iMap imaging system.

Tissue characterization plays an important role in the development of acute coronary syndromes. iMap is an intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) tissue characterization system that provides useful information by reconstructing color-coded maps. Mechanical properties due to dynamic mechanical stress during a cardiac cycle may also trigger vulnerable plaque. Speckle tracking IVUS (ST-IVUS) has been introduced to observe plaque behavior in relation to mechanical properties. We report the case of an 84-year-old woman with stable coronary artery disease who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention, at which time IVUS demonstrated mainly three low echoic areas like lipid pools with thick fibrous caps. Pathological evaluation with iMap revealed that one low echoic area was occupied with necrotic tissue and that the other two areas occupied fibrotic. Although those tissue characterizations were different, they showed similar stretching behavior at systole by ST-IVUS which depicted plaque behavior from IVUS images using a color mapping. The mechanical properties of individual coronary plaques may differ depending on the tissue disposition. It is necessary to consider mechanical properties using ST-IVUS as well as to evaluate tissue characterization in plaque risk stratification.

Relationship between tissue characteristics and mechanical properties of coronary plaques: a comparison between integrated backscatter intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and speckle-tracking IVUS.

High-risk coronary plaques have certain morphological characteristics. Thus, comprehensive assessment is needed for the risk stratification of plaques in patients with coronary artery disease. Integrated backscatter intravascular ultrasound (IB-IVUS) has been used successfully used to evaluate the tissue characteristics of coronary plaques; however, the mechanical properties of plaques have been rarely assessed. Therefore, we developed Speckle-tracking IVUS (ST-IVUS) to evaluate the mechanical properties of coronary plaque. This study aimed to evaluate the relation between the tissue characteristics of coronary plaques using IB-IVUS and their mechanical properties using ST-IVUS. We evaluated 95 non-targeted plaques in 95 patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention to the left anterior descending artery. We set regions of interest (ROIs) in the cross-sectional images of coronary plaques where we divided 120 degree plaques into four quadrants (every 30 degrees), with the center at the area of maximum atheroma thickness. We measured relative calcification area (%CA, relative fibrous area (%FI) and relative lipid pool area (%LP) in a total of 380 ROIs. In ST-IVUS analysis, we measured strain in the circumferential direction of the lumen area (LA strain: %), the external elastic membrane area strain (EEM strain: %), and strain in the radial direction (radial strain: %). On global cross-sectional area IB-IVUS analysis, the %CA was 1.2 ± 1.2%; the %FI was 49.0 ± 15.9%, and the %LP was 49.7 ± 16.5%. In ST-IVUS analysis, the LA strain was 0.67 ± 0.43%; the EEM strain was 0.49 ± 0.33%, and the radial strain was 2.02 ± 1.66%. On regional analysis, the %LP was not associated with the LA strain (r = - 0.002 p = 0.97), the EEM strain (r = - 0.05 p = 0.35), or with the radial strain (r = - 0.04 p = 0.45). These trends were seen between the %FI and the LA strain (r = 0.02 p = 0.74), the %FI and the EEM strain (r = 0.05 p = 0.35), and the %FI and the radial strain (r = 0.04 p = 0.50). A significant correlation was only observed between the %CA and the LA strain (r = - 0.15 p = 0.0038). Our findings indicate that the associations between mechanical properties and tissue characteristics lacked statistical significance, more often than not, and that it is necessary to evaluate the mechanical properties as well as plaque characteristics for risk stratification of coronary plaques.

Development of 60 MHz integrated backscatter intravascular ultrasound and tissue characterization of attenuated signal coronary plaques that cause myocardial injury after percutaneous coronary intervention.

The purpose of the present study was to develop a 60 MHz integrated backscatter intravascular ultrasound (IB-IVUS) and to evaluate its usefulness for the detection of lipid area with backward attenuation of ultrasound signal (AT) that for the prediction of post-procedural myocardial injury (PMI) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In a pathological study, images were acquired from 221 cross-sections of 18 coronary arteries from 13 cadavers obtained at autopsy. In the clinical training study, we compared non-targeted plaques in 38 patients by a previous IB-IVUS system (38 MHz) and a new IB-IVUS system (60 MHz). In the clinical testing study, we included 70 consecutive patients who underwent PCI. Serum troponin-I was measured just before and 24 h after PCI to evaluate PMI. As the % microcalcification + % cholesterol cleft area increased, the attenuation of IB values increased (r = 0.56, p < 0.001). The slopes of regression lines of the area of each tissue component between 38 and 60 MHz IB-IVUS were excellent. The lipid pool area with AT tended to be more useful than that of the conventional lipid pool area for the prediction of PMI (p = 0.11). We developed a 60 MHz IB-IVUS imaging system for tissue characterization of coronary plaques. Cutoff value of purple color was the most reliable value for the prediction of PMI.

Stress Myocardial Perfusion Imaging Interpretation From the Viewpoint of Fractional Flow Reserve.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) and fractional flow reserve (FFR) are established approaches to the assessment of myocardial ischemia. Recently, various FFR cutoff values were proposed, but the diagnostic accuracy of MPI in identifying positive FFR using various cutoff values is not well established.Methods and Results:We retrospectively studied 273 patients who underwent stress MPI and FFR within a 3-month period. Results for FFR were obtained from 218 left anterior descending artery (LAD) lesions and 207 non-LAD lesions. Stress MPI and FFR demonstrated a good correlation in the detection of myocardial ischemia. However, the positive predictive value (PPV) of FFR for detecting MPI-positive lesions at the optimal FFR thresholds was insufficient (44% for LAD and 65% for non-LAD lesions). This was caused by a sharp drop in PPV at an FFR threshold of 0.7 or more. Notably, 41% of the lesions with normal MPI demonstrated FFRs <0.80. However, MPI-negative lesions had an extremely low lesion rate with FFR <0.65 (6%). Conversely, 78% and 41% of MPI-positive lesions had FFR <0.80 and <0.65, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The data confirmed that decisions based on MPI are reasonable because MPI-negative patients have an extremely low rate of lesions with a FFR below the cutoff point for a hard event, and MPI-positive lesions include many lesions with FFR <0.65.

Antimalarial proteasome inhibitor reveals collateral sensitivity from intersubunit interactions and fitness cost of resistance.

We describe noncovalent, reversible asparagine ethylenediamine (AsnEDA) inhibitors of the Plasmodium falciparum proteasome (Pf20S) ß5 subunit that spare all active subunits of human constitutive and immuno-proteasomes. The compounds are active against erythrocytic, sexual, and liver-stage parasites, against parasites resistant to current antimalarials, and against P. falciparum strains from patients in Africa. The ß5 inhibitors synergize with a ß2 inhibitor in vitro and in mice and with artemisinin. P. falciparum selected for resistance to an AsnEDA ß5 inhibitor surprisingly harbored a point mutation in the noncatalytic ß6 subunit. The ß6 mutant was resistant to the species-selective Pf20S ß5 inhibitor but remained sensitive to the species-nonselective ß5 inhibitors bortezomib and carfilzomib. Moreover, resistance to the Pf20S ß5 inhibitor was accompanied by increased sensitivity to a Pf20S ß2 inhibitor. Finally, the ß5 inhibitor-resistant mutant had a fitness cost that was exacerbated by irradiation. Thus, used in combination, multistage-active inhibitors of the Pf20S ß5 and ß2 subunits afford synergistic antimalarial activity with a potential to delay the emergence of resistance to artemisinins and each other.

Tissue Protrusion With Attenuation Is Associated With Ischemic Brain Lesions After Carotid Artery Stenting.

Background and Purpose- Tissue protrusion between stent struts is frequently observed on optical frequency domain imaging evaluation after carotid artery stenting, but its clinical relevance is unclear. We aimed to investigate the association between the characteristics of tissue protrusion assessed by optical frequency domain imaging and brain lesions identified by diffusion-weighted imaging after carotid artery stenting. Methods- Sixty-five consecutive patients who underwent optical frequency domain imaging after protected carotid artery stenting were enrolled in the study. Cross-sectional optical frequency domain images within the stented segments were evaluated at 0.125-mm intervals. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed 1 to 10 days after treatment. The characteristics of tissue protrusion were compared between patients with and without new ipsilateral brain lesions on posttreatment magnetic resonance imaging. Results- Tissue protrusion was observed in 62 patients (95%). New brain lesions were observed in 24 patients (37%). In the multivariate analysis, the presence of protrusion with attenuation (odds ratio, 2.94 [95% CI, 1.05-8.68] P=0.04) was associated with new brain lesions after carotid artery stenting. Conclusions- The presence of protrusion with attenuation assessed by optical frequency domain imaging was associated with ipsilateral brain lesions after carotid artery stenting. Prevention or treatment of protrusions with attenuation may reduce ischemic brain lesions after carotid artery stenting.

Adduct Formation of Delamanid with NAD in Mycobacteria.

Delamanid (DLM), a nitro-dihydroimidazooxazole derivative currently approved for pulmonary multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) therapy, is a prodrug activated by mycobacterial 7,8-didemethyl-8-hydroxy 5-deazaflavin electron transfer coenzyme (F420)-dependent nitroreductase (Ddn). Despite inhibiting the biosynthesis of a subclass of mycolic acids, the active DLM metabolite remained unknown. Comparative liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis of DLM metabolites revealed covalent binding of reduced DLM with a nicotinamide ring of NAD derivatives (oxidized form) in DLM-treated Mycobacterium tuberculosis var. Bacille de Calmette et Guérin. Isoniazid-resistant mutations in the type II NADH dehydrogenase gene (ndh) showed a higher intracellular NADH/NAD ratio and cross-resistance to DLM, which were restored by complementation of the mutants with wild-type ndh Our data demonstrated for the first time the adduct formation of reduced DLM with NAD in mycobacterial cells and its importance in the action of DLM.

S1P-S1PR2 Axis Mediates Homing of Muse Cells Into Damaged Heart for Long-Lasting Tissue Repair and Functional Recovery After Acute Myocardial Infarction.

RATIONALE: Multilineage-differentiating stress enduring (Muse) cells, pluripotent marker stage-specific embryonic antigen-3+ cells, are nontumorigenic endogenous pluripotent-like stem cells obtainable from various tissues including the bone marrow. Their therapeutic efficiency has not been validated in acute myocardial infarction. OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study is to clarify the efficiency of intravenously infused rabbit autograft, allograft, and xenograft (human) bone marrow-Muse cells in a rabbit acute myocardial infarction model and their mechanisms of tissue repair. METHODS AND RESULTS: In vivo dynamics of Nano-lantern-labeled Muse cells showed preferential homing of the cells to the postinfarct heart at 3 days and 2 weeks, with ≈14.5% of injected GFP (green fluorescent protein)-Muse cells estimated to be engrafted into the heart at 3 days. The migration and homing of the Muse cells was confirmed pharmacologically (S1PR2 [sphingosine monophosphate receptor 2]-specific antagonist JTE-013 coinjection) and genetically (S1PR2-siRNA [small interfering ribonucleic acid]-introduced Muse cells) to be mediated through the S1P (sphingosine monophosphate)-S1PR2 axis. They spontaneously differentiated into cells positive for cardiac markers, such as cardiac troponin-I, sarcomeric α-actinin, and connexin-43, and vascular markers. GCaMP3 (GFP-based Ca calmodulin probe)-labeled Muse cells that engrafted into the ischemic region exhibited increased GCaMP3 fluorescence during systole and decreased fluorescence during diastole. Infarct size was reduced by ≈52%, and the ejection fraction was increased by ≈38% compared with vehicle injection at 2 months, ≈2.5 and ≈2.1 times higher, respectively, than that induced by mesenchymal stem cells. These effects were partially attenuated by the administration of GATA4-gene-silenced Muse cells. Muse cell allografts and xenografts efficiently engrafted and recovered functions, and allografts remained in the tissue and sustained functional recovery for up to 6 months without immunosuppression. CONCLUSIONS: Muse cells may provide reparative effects and robust functional recovery and may, thus, provide a novel strategy for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction.

Primary Angiosarcoma in the Right Atrium Diagnosed by a Cardiac Tumor Biopsy Using Intracardiac Echocardiography.

A 47-year-old woman consulted a doctor due to a persistent cough. Computed tomography revealed a 30 mm × 60 mm intracardiac mass in the right atrium. Because of lung metastasis, her respiratory status did not allow a more invasive procedure, such as general anesthesia. Although intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) during percutaneous transcatheter biopsy (PTB) is not covered by medical insurance, we performed PTB under ICE guidance. Pathology and immunohistochemistry revealed primary cardiac angiosarcoma. Primary cardiac angiosarcoma is a rare tumor with a poor prognosis. After seven cycles of chemotherapy, the pulmonary metastasis was clearly improved. The patient is alive 18 months after the first consult, even though the mortality of angiosarcoma is high. ICE during PTB allowed us to choose appropriate chemotherapy and improve her pulmonary metastasis. ICE during PTB reduces the need for a diagnostic open-chest procedure that requires a more invasive approach.

Lipoarabinomannan in sputum to detect bacterial load and treatment response in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis: Analytic validation and evaluation in two cohorts.

BACKGROUND: Lipoarabinomannan (LAM) is a major antigen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). In this report, we evaluated the ability of a novel immunoassay to measure concentrations of LAM in sputum as a biomarker of bacterial load prior to and during treatment in pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Phage display technology was used to isolate monoclonal antibodies binding to epitopes unique in LAM from MTB and slow-growing nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). Using these antibodies, a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (LAM-ELISA) was developed to quantitate LAM concentration. The LAM-ELISA had a lower limit of quantification of 15 pg/mL LAM, corresponding to 121 colony-forming units (CFUs)/mL of MTB strain H37Rv. It detected slow-growing NTMs but without cross-reacting to common oral bacteria. Two clinical studies were performed between the years 2013 and 2016 in Manila, Philippines, in patients without known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection. In a case-control cohort diagnostic study, sputum specimens were collected from 308 patients (aged 17-69 years; 62% male) diagnosed as having pulmonary TB diseases or non-TB diseases, but who could expectorate sputum, and were then evaluated by smear microscopy, BACTEC MGIT 960 Mycobacterial Detection System (MGIT) and Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ) culture, and LAM-ELISA. Some sputum specimens were also examined by Xpert MTB/RIF. The LAM-ELISA detected all smear- and MTB-culture-positive samples (n = 70) and 50% (n = 29) of smear-negative but culture-positive samples (n = 58) (versus 79.3%; 46 positive cases by the Xpert MTB/RIF), but none from non-TB patients (n = 56). Among both LAM and MGIT MTB-culture-positive samples, log10-transformed LAM concentration and MGIT time to detection (TTD) showed a good inverse relationship (r = -0.803, p < 0.0001). In a prospective longitudinal cohort study, 40 drug-susceptible pulmonary TB patients (aged 18-69 years; 60% male) were enrolled during the first 56 days of the standard 4-drug therapy. Declines in sputum LAM concentrations correlated with increases of MGIT TTD in individual patients. There was a 1.29 log10 decrease of sputum LAM concentration, corresponding to an increase of 221 hours for MGIT TTD during the first 14 days of treatment, a treatment duration often used in early bactericidal activity (EBA) trials. Major limitations of this study include a relatively small number of patients, treatment duration up to only 56 days, lack of quantitative sputum culture CFU count data, and no examination of the correlation of sputum LAM to clinical cure. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the LAM-ELISA can determine LAM concentration in sputum, and sputum LAM measured by the assay may be used as a biomarker of bacterial load prior to and during TB treatment. Additional studies are needed to examine the predictive value of this novel biomarker on treatment outcomes.

(Pro)renin Receptor Blockade Ameliorates Heart Failure Caused by Chronic Kidney Disease.

BACKGROUND: The (pro)renin receptor [(P)RR)] is involved in the activation of local renin-angiotensin system and subsequent development of cardiovascular disease. We investigated the therapeutic effect of a (P)RR blocker, handle-region peptide (HRP), on chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS: CKD was induced in C57BL/6J mice by means of five-sixths nephrectomy. Eight weeks later, cardiac dysfunction and cardiac dilatation with hypertension developed. Mice were then assigned to 1 of the 3 following groups: vehicle, low-dose (0.01 mg·kg-1·d-1) HRP, or high-dose (0.3 mg·kg-1·d-1) HRP for 4 weeks. High-dose HRP treatment reversed left ventricular dilation and significantly improved cardiac dysfunction with ameliorated hypertension compared with the vehicle. The hearts with high-dose HRP treatment showed significant attenuation of cardiac fibrosis, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, macrophage infiltration, and oxidative DNA damage. This treatment decreased the myocardial expressions of angiotensin (Ang) II, Ang II type 1 receptor, transforming growth factor ß1, extracellular matrix-related proteins, and lipid peroxidation. Autophagy was activated in the cardiomyocyte from nephrectomized mice, but HRP treatment had no effect on cardiomyocyte autophagy. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that (P)PR blockade is a beneficial strategy by suppressing cardiac fibrosis and hypertrophy to ameliorate heart failure caused by CKD.

Safety and Long-Term Efficacy of Drug-Coated Balloon Angioplasty following Rotational Atherectomy for Severely Calcified Coronary Lesions Compared with New Generation Drug-Eluting Stents.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to assess the safety and long-term efficacy of drug-coated balloons (DCB) following aggressive intracoronary image-guided rotational atherectomy (iRA) for severe coronary artery calcification (CAC), and to compare this strategy with new generation drug-eluting stents (nDES) following iRA. BACKGROUND: Ischemic events following the treatment of CAC is still relatively high. Thus, more innovative strategies are required. METHODS: We evaluated 123 consecutive patients (166 lesions) with de novo CAC undergoing an iRA (burr size; 0.7 of the mean reference diameter by intracoronary imaging) followed by DCB (DCB-iRA; 54 patients, 68 lesions) or nDES (nDES-iRA; 69 patients, 98 lesions). Follow-up angiography was obtained at > 6 months. RESULTS: The target vessels (right coronary and circumflex), bifurcation (67.6% versus 47.9%), reference diameter (2.28mm versus 2.49mm), and lesion length (11.89mm versus 18.78mm) were significantly different between the two groups. The median follow-up was 732 days. TLR and TVR in DCB-iRA and nDES-iRA at 3 years were similar: 15.6% versus 16.3% (P=0.99) and 15.6% versus 23.3% (P=0.38). In 41 well-matched lesion pairs after propensity score analysis, the cumulative incidence of TLR and TVR in DCB-iRA and nDES-iRA at 3 years was 12.9% versus 16.3% (P=0.70) and 12.9% versus 26.1% (P=0.17), respectively. On QCA analysis, although the acute gain was smaller in DCB-iRA (0.85 mm versus 1.53 mm, P<0.001), the minimum lumen diameter at follow-up was similar (1.69 mm versus 1.87 mm, P=0.29). The late lumen loss was lower (0.09 mm versus 0.52 mm, P=0.009) in DCB-iRA. CONCLUSIONS: DCB-iRA is feasible for CAC.

Discovery of novel 4-phenyl-2-(pyrrolidinyl)nicotinamide derivatives as potent Nav1.1 activators.

The voltage-gated sodium channel, Nav1.1, is predominantly expressed in parvalbumin-positive fast spiking interneurons and has been genetically linked to Dravet syndrome. Starting from a high throughput screening hit isoxazole derivative 5, modifications of 5 via combinations of IonWorks and Q-patch assays successfully identified the nicotinamide derivative 4. Its increasing decay time constant (tau) of Nav1.1 currents at 0.03 µM along with significant selectivity against Nav1.2, Nav1.5, and Nav1.6 and acceptable brain exposure in mice was observed. Compound 4 is a promising Nav1.1 activator that can be used to analyze pathophysiological functions of the Nav1.1 channel towards treating various central nervous system diseases.

Increased Plasma Adenosine Concentration in the Subacute Phase May Contribute to Attenuation of Left Ventricular Dilation in the Chronic Phase in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: Changes in the plasma adenosine concentration and the effects on left ventricular (LV) function and remodeling in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remain unclear. Methods and Results: In 58 patients with AMI and 14 subjects without cardiac disease (controls), we measured the plasma adenosine concentration by LC-MS/MS. Blood samples were taken from the antecubital vein on days 0, 1, 7, and 14 after AMI, and from the controls on admission. Cardiac echocardiography was performed in the acute (within 7 days) and chronic (6 months) phases of AMI. There were no significant differences in the plasma adenosine concentrations among days 0 (211.5±150.2 nmol/L), 1 (192.7±141.3 nmol/L), 7 (218.8±154.1 nmol/L), and the controls (136.0±50.9 nmol/L). The plasma adenosine concentration increased significantly on day 14 (321.1±195.4 nmol/L) after AMI as compared with days 0, 1 and 7. AMI patients with a greater increase in the plasma adenosine concentration in the subacute phase showed an attenuation of LV dilation in the chronic phase. The plasma adenosine concentration in the acute phase did not affect the LV ejection fraction in the chronic phase. CONCLUSIONS: The plasma adenosine concentration significantly increased 14 days after AMI, which may contribute to attenuation of LV dilation in the chronic phase.

Impact of neointimal tissue characterization and heterogeneity of bare-metal stents and drug-eluting stents on the time course after stent implantation evaluated by integrated backscatter intravascular ultrasound.

Pathological studies have suggested the different process of in-stent restenosis (ISR) of bare-metal stents (BMS) and drug-eluting stents (DES). Here, we evaluated the components of neointimal tissue using integrated backscatter intravascular ultrasound (IB-IVUS) and focused on the time course after stent implantation and tissue signal distribution. We evaluated 125 lesions of 125 patients who underwent target lesion revascularization for ISR (BMS: n = 73, DES: n = 52). Volume analysis of a 4-mm length centered on a minimum lumen area in every 1-mm cross-sectional area was performed. For IB-IVUS analysis, color-coded maps were constructed from the default setting based on the integrated backscatter (IB) values (middle-IB value, green: fibrous and low-IB value, blue: lipid pool). For the neointimal tissue volume, we evaluated the ratios of the green (%G) and blue (%B) areas. Tissue signal distribution (TD) was also obtained from the default setting based on IB values in each pixel of IB-IVUS imaging. We compared values of neointimal tissues measured by IB-IVUS between the DES and BMS and time course. The observed period was longer after BMS implantation than after DES implantation (BMS: 2545 days, DES: 1233 days, p < 0.001). Overall, %G and %B were similar between the BMS and DES groups (%G: 55% and 51%, respectively, p = 0.10; %B: 36% and 38%, respectively, p = 0.51); however, TD was significantly higher in the DES group than in the BMS group (1091 vs. 1367, p < 0.001). TD in the DES group remained high during the follow-up periods. However, TD in the BMS group was low in the early phase and significantly increased over time (r = 0.56, p < 0.001). When analyzing the ISR within 2 years after stent implantation, the BMS was distinguished with a sensitivity of 66% and a specificity of 90% (cut-off value: TD = 1135, area under the curve 0.83, 95% confidence interval 0.74-0.92). TD could differentiate neointimal tissue after BMS implantation in the early phase. TD can be a useful index in the observation of neoatherosclerosis.

Relationship between electrical conduction and phasic left atrial function: P-wave signal-averaged electrocardiography and time-left atrial volume curve assessments using two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography.

P-wave signal-averaged electrocardiography (P-SAECG) can detect imperceptible conduction abnormalities, and volume analysis using two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2-DSTE) allows us to easily measure the phasic function of the left atrium (LA). Both conduction abnormalities and functional deformation of the LA may be linked to the clinical outcome; however, the exact relationship is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the phasic function of the LA and electrical conduction using P-SAECG and 2-DSTE. The subjects were 112 male volunteers (age 46.9 ± 13.2 years) with normal cardiac function who underwent P-SAECG and 2-DSTE. The filtered p-wave duration (FPD) and the root-mean-square voltage for the last 20 ms (RMS20) on P-SAECG wave were measured in ms and µV, respectively. Total emptying function (EF) (reservoir function), passive EF (conduit function), and active EF (booster pump function) of the LA were calculated as percentages to evaluate phasic LA function using 2DSTE. The mean FPD was 134.3 ± 11.7 ms and the mean RMS20 was 4.59 ± 2.39 µV. The mean total EF was 60.5 ± 13.1%, mean passive EF was 39.4 ± 13.9%, and mean active EF was 35.1 ± 13.9%. FPD had a negative correlation with passive EF (r = - 0.20, p = 0.039). FPD showed no significant relationship with total EF (r = - 0.03, p = 0.78) or active EF (r = 0.13, p = 0.18). There was a significant association between RMS20 and passive EF (r = 0.19, p = 0.048); however, no there was no correlation between RMS20 and total EF (r = 0.12, p = 0.23), or between RMS20 and passive EF (r = - 0.02, p = 0.86). In multivariate regression analysis, passive EF was an independent factor that influenced FPD duration. This study indicated that FPD was associated with conduit function, which includes phasic LA function. Therefore, electrical conduction of the LA and left ventricular diastolic function are closely related. In the clinical setting, when conduction abnormalities are detected, lifestyle measures or interventions can be applied to reduce cardiovascular risk.

Effect of beta-blockade on quantitative microvolt T-wave alternans in 24-hour continuous 12-lead ECG recordings in patients with long QT syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The aim of study was to investigate effects of beta-blockade on microvolt T-wave alternans (TWA), a precursor of lethal arrhythmia, in patients with long QT syndrome (LQTS). METHODS: Eleven consecutive LQTS patients, types 1 (n = 6), 3 (n = 2), and "non-1, non-2, non-3" (n = 3) were enrolled. All patients underwent 24-hr continuous 12-lead ECG monitoring before and after initiation of beta-blockade therapy. TWA was measured using the modified moving average method. RESULTS: Seven (63.6%) of the 11 patients studied were symptomatic, with history of cardiac arrest or documented Torsade de Pointes (TdP) in 4 and syncope in three patients. After a median follow-up of 34 months, beta-blockade reduced the number of symptomatic patients to 1 with TdP (p < 0.02), in whom TdP frequency decreased from 25 events/60 months (0.42 event/month) to seven events/69 months (0.1 event/month). In association with this reduction in symptoms, peak TWA decreased by 47% in the cohort after a median of eight months of beta-blockade therapy [from 95 (74-130) to 50 (39.5-64.5) µV, p = 0.01]. All patients exhibited TWA ≥42 µV before beta-blockade therapy, which eliminated these episodes in four patients. Daily frequency of TWA ≥42 µV episodes decreased by 87% [from 15 (6-26) to 2 (0-5) episodes/day, p = 0.009]. CONCLUSIONS: This study is limited by the small sample size and is mainly hypothesis generating. TWA monitoring deserves further evaluation as a risk marker and a guide to therapy in LQTS patients in future large-scale studies.

Shift in the retrograde atrial activation sequence after radiofrequency catheter ablation in left variant atypical atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia.

The role of left AV nodal (SVN) connections in the genesis of "left-variant" atypical atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) and those with multiple retrograde pathways remain unclear. We describe an unusual case of "left-variant" atypical AVNRT, where change in the retrograde earliest atrial activation site (REAAS) at the coronary sinus (CS) following radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) was observed. Our observation suggests that the REAAS, that is, the left AVN connections, could participate in the formation of the reentrant circuit of "left-variant" atypical AVNRT. Furthermore, its atrial breakthroughs involved as a circuit of SVT could be (functionally) multiple.