Heparin-Calibrated Anti-Factor Xa Assay for the Measurement of Direct Anticoagulants such as Apixaban, Rivaroxaban, and Edoxaban.

BACKGROUND: The first purpose of this study was to determine whether a measurement of the level of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) was possible with heparin-calibrated chromogenic anti-factor Xa activity (AXA). The second purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the antidote treatment decision level (30 or 50 ng/mL of DOAC) can be determined by unfractionated heparin (UHF)/low molecular weight heparin (LMWH)-calibrated AXA. METHODS: AXA was measured by using two reagents and dedicated analyzers (Sysmex CS-5100 analyzer and STA R Max3). Four types of calibrators were used: 1) Stago DOAC (rivaroxaban, edoxaban, and apixaban)-specific calibrator, 2) Stago LMWH calibrator, 3) Sysmex UHF calibrator, and 4) Sysmex LMWH calibrator. Regression analysis was used between assays. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were performed, and the concordance rate was calculated. RESULTS: The correlation coefficients were in the range of 0.75 - 0.91 for rivaroxaban and 0.81 - 0.94 for apixaban. The correlation coefficient between edoxaban-calibrated AXA and Sysmex LMWH/Sysmex UHF calibrator-calibrated AXA was low (r = 0.47). Overall correlation between DOAC-calibrated AXA and Stago LMWH-calibrated AXA was linear, at only low concentration in all three DOACs. The concordance rate (89.3 - 100%) is good for de-termining the antidote management level by UFH/LMWH-calibrated AXA, compared with those of DOAC-calibrated AXA in rivaroxaban and apixaban. The concordance rate ranged from 63% to 67% between Sysmex UFH/ LMWH-calibrated AXA and edoxaban-calibrated AXA. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of our study suggest limitations in calculating accurate concentrations, when using UFH/LMWH-calibrated AXA to measure DOAC. This study demonstrates that UFH/LMWH-calibrated AXA may be useful in determining the presence of DOACs at the cutoff level for the antidote treatment in rivarovaban and apixaban. However, in edoxaban, UFH/LMWH-calibrated AXA could not accurately measure the presence of DOACs at the cutoff for antidote treatment.

Intravascular Imaging and Angiography Guidance in Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Among Patients With Diabetes: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Data are limited regarding the effects of intravascular imaging guidance during complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with diabetes. Objective: To compare the clinical outcomes of intravascular imaging-guided vs angiography-guided complex PCI in patients with or without diabetes. Design, Setting, and Participants: This prespecified secondary analysis of a subgroup of patients in RENOVATE-COMPLEX-PCI (Randomized Controlled Trial of Intravascular Imaging Guidance Versus Angiography-Guidance on Clinical Outcomes After Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention), an investigator-initiated, open-label multicenter trial, analyzed enrolled patients who underwent complex PCI at 20 sites in Korea from May 2018 through May 2021. Eligible patients were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to undergo either the intravascular imaging-guided PCI or angiography-guided PCI. Data analyses were performed from June 2023 to April 2024. Interventions: Percutaneous coronary intervention was performed either under the guidance of intravascular imaging or angiography alone. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was target vessel failure (TVF), defined as a composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization. Results: Among the 1639 patients included in the analysis (mean [SD] age, 65.6 [10.2] years; 1300 males [79.3%]), 617 (37.6%) had diabetes. The incidence of TVF was significantly higher in patients with diabetes than patients without diabetes (hazard ratio [HR], 1.86; 95% CI, 1.33-2.60; P < .001). Among patients without diabetes, the intravascular imaging-guided PCI group had a significantly lower incidence of TVF compared with the angiography-guided PCI group (4.7% vs 12.2%; HR, 0.41 [95% CI, 0.25-0.67]; P < .001). Conversely, in patients with diabetes, the risk of TVF was not significantly different between the 2 groups (12.9% vs 12.3%; HR, 0.97 [95% CI, 0.60-1.57]; P = .90). There was a significant interaction between the use of intravascular imaging and diabetes for the risk of TVF (P for interaction = .02). Among patients with diabetes, only those with good glycemic control (hemoglobin A1c level ≤7.5%) and who achieved stent optimization by intravascular imaging showed a lower risk of future ischemic events (HR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.12-0.82; P = .02). Conclusions and Relevance: In this secondary analysis of a subgroup of patients in the RENOVATE-COMPLEX-PCI trial, intravascular imaging guidance reduced the risk of TVF compared with angiography guidance in patients without diabetes (but not in patients with diabetes) during complex PCI. In patients with diabetes undergoing complex PCI, attention should be paid to stent optimization using intravascular imaging and glycemic control to improve outcomes. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03381872.

The Third Nationwide Korean Heart Failure III Registry (KorHF III): The Study Design Paper.

With advancements in both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments, significant changes have occurred in heart failure (HF) management. The previous Korean HF registries, namely the Korea Heart Failure Registry (KorHF-registry) and Korean Acute Heart Failure Registry (KorAHF-registry), no longer accurately reflect contemporary acute heart failure (AHF) patients. Our objective is to assess contemporary AHF patients through a nationwide registry encompassing various aspects, such as clinical characteristics, management approaches, hospital course, and long-term outcomes of individuals hospitalized for AHF in Korea. This prospective observational multicenter cohort study (KorHF III) is organized by the Korean Society of Heart Failure. We aim to prospectively enroll 7,000 or more patients hospitalized for AHF at 47 tertiary hospitals in Korea starting from March 2018. Eligible patients exhibit signs and symptoms of HF and demonstrate either lung congestion or objective evidence of structural or functional cardiac abnormalities in echocardiography, or isolated right-sided HF. Patients will be followed up for up to 5 years after enrollment in the registry to evaluate long-term clinical outcomes. KorHF III represents the nationwide AHF registry that will elucidate the clinical characteristics, management strategies, and outcomes of contemporary AHF patients in Korea. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04329234.

Impact of Intravascular Imaging-Guided Stent Optimization According to Clinical Presentation in Patients Undergoing Complex PCI.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether the beneficial effects of intravascular imaging-guided stent optimization vary by clinical presentation during complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). OBJECTIVES: In this prespecified, stratified subgroup analysis from RENOVATE-COMPLEX-PCI (Randomized Controlled Trial of Intravascular Imaging Guidance versus Angiography-Guidance on Clinical Outcomes After Complex PCI), we sought to compare the outcomes between intravascular imaging vs angiography guidance according to clinical presentation. METHODS: Patients with complex coronary artery lesions were randomly assigned to undergo either intravascular imaging-guided PCI or angiography-guided PCI in a 2:1 ratio. The primary endpoint was target vessel failure (TVF), which is a composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, or clinically driven target vessel revascularization. RESULTS: Of 1,639 patients, 832 (50.8%) presented with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and 807 (49.2%) with chronic coronary syndrome. During a median follow-up of 2.1 years (Q1-Q3: 1.4-3.0 years), there was no significant interaction between the treatment effect of intravascular imaging and clinical presentation (P for interaction = 0.19). Among patients with ACS, the incidences of TVF were 10.4% in the intravascular imaging group and 14.6% in the angiography group (HR: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.48-1.15; P = 0.18). Among patients with CCS, the incidences of TVF were 5.0% in the intravascular imaging group and 10.4% in the angiography group (HR: 0.46; 95% CI: 0.27-0.80; P = 0.006). Achieving stent optimization by intravascular imaging resulted in a reduced risk of TVF among patients with ACS who were randomly assigned to intravascular imaging-guided PCI for complex coronary lesions (optimized vs unoptimized, 6.5% vs 14.1%; HR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.27-0.87; P = 0.02) but not those with CCS (5.4% vs 4.7%, HR: 1.18; 95% CI: 0.53-2.59; P = 0.69). CONCLUSIONS: No significant interaction was observed between the benefits of intravascular imaging and clinical presentation in the risk of TVF. Stent optimization by intravascular imaging was particularly important for ACS patients. (Intravascular Imaging- Versus Angiography-Guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention For Complex Coronary Artery Disease [RENOVATE]; NCT03381872).

Intravascular Imaging-Guided Optimization of Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention by Sex: A Subgroup Analysis of the RENOVATE-COMPLEX-PCI Trial.

Importance: There have been heterogeneous results related to sex differences in prognosis after percutaneous coronary artery intervention (PCI) for complex coronary artery lesions. Objective: To evaluate potential differences in outcomes with intravascular imaging-guided PCI of complex coronary artery lesions between women and men. Design, Setting, and Participants: This prespecified substudy evaluates the interaction of sex in the investigator-initiated, open-label, multicenter RENOVATE-COMPLEX-PCI randomized clinical trial, which demonstrated the superiority of intravascular imaging-guided PCI compared with angiography-guided PCI in patients with complex coronary artery lesions. The trial was conducted at 20 sites in Korea. Patients with complex coronary artery lesions undergoing PCI were enrolled between May 2018 and May 2021, and the median (IQR) follow-up period was 2.1 (1.4-3.0) years. Data were analyzed from December 2022 to December 2023. Interventions: After diagnostic coronary angiography, eligible patients were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive intravascular imaging-guided PCI or angiography-guided PCI. The choice and timing of the intravascular imaging device were left to the operators' discretion. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was target vessel failure, defined as a composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, or clinically driven target vessel revascularization. Secondary end points included individual components of the primary end point. Results: Of 1639 included patients, 339 (20.7%) were women, and the mean (SD) age was 65.6 (10.2) years. There was no difference in the risk of the primary end point between women and men (9.4% vs 8.3%; adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.39; 95% CI, 0.89-2.18; P = .15). Intravascular imaging-guided PCI tended to have lower incidence of the primary end point than angiography-guided PCI in both women (5.2% vs 14.5%; adjusted HR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.15-0.78; P = .01) and men (8.3% vs 11.7%; adjusted HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.49-1.05; P = .09) without significant interaction (P for interaction = .86). Conclusions and Relevance: In patients undergoing complex PCI, compared with angiographic guidance, intravascular imaging guidance was associated with similar reduction in the risk of target vessel failure among women and men. The treatment benefit of intravascular imaging-guided PCI showed no significant interaction between treatment strategy and sex. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03381872.

Cost-Effectiveness of Intravascular Imaging-Guided Complex PCI: Prespecified Analysis of RENOVATE-COMPLEX-PCI Trial.

BACKGROUND: Although clinical benefits of intravascular imaging-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with complex coronary artery lesions have been observed in previous trials, the cost-effectiveness of this strategy is uncertain. METHODS: RENOVATE-COMPLEX-PCI (Randomized Controlled Trial of Intravascular Imaging Guidance vs Angiography-Guidance on Clinical Outcomes After Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) was conducted in Korea between May 2018 and May 2021. This prespecified cost-effectiveness substudy was conducted using Markov model that simulated 3 states: (1) post-PCI, (2) spontaneous myocardial infarction, and (3) death. A simulated cohort was derived from the intention-to-treat population, and input parameters were extracted from either the trial data or previous publications. Cost-effectiveness was evaluated using time horizon of 3 years (within trial) and lifetime. The primary outcome was incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), an indicator of incremental cost on additional quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained, in intravascular imaging-guided PCI compared with angiography-guided PCI. The current analysis was performed using the Korean health care sector perspective with reporting the results in US dollar (1200 Korean Won, ₩=1 dollar, $). Willingness to pay threshold was $35 000 per QALY gained. RESULTS: A total of 1639 patients were included in the trial. During 3-year follow-up, medical costs ($8661 versus $7236; incremental cost, $1426) and QALY (2.34 versus 2.31; incremental QALY, 0.025) were both higher in intravascular imaging-guided PCI than angiography-guided PCI, resulting incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $57 040 per QALY gained within trial data. Conversely, lifetime simulation showed total cumulative medical cost was reversed between the 2 groups ($40 455 versus $49 519; incremental cost, -$9063) with consistently higher QALY (8.24 versus 7.89; incremental QALY, 0.910) in intravascular imaging-guided PCI than angiography-guided PCI, resulting in a dominant incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Consistently, 70% of probabilistic iterations showed cost-effectiveness of intravascular imaging-guided PCI in probabilistic sensitivity analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The current cost-effectiveness analysis suggests that imaging-guided PCI is more cost-effective than angiography-guided PCI by reducing medical cost and increasing quality-of-life in complex coronary artery lesions in long-term follow-up. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03381872.

Intravascular Imaging-Guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Before and After Standardized Optimization Protocols.

BACKGROUND: Although benefits of intravascular imaging (IVI) in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have been observed in previous studies, it is not known whether changes in contemporary practice, especially with application of standardized optimization protocols, have improved clinical outcomes. OBJECTIVES: The authors sought to investigate whether clinical outcomes of IVI-guided PCI are different before and after the application of standardized optimization protocols in using IVI. METHODS: 2,972 patients from an institutional registry (2008-2015, before application of standardized optimization protocols, the past group) and 1,639 patients from a recently published trial (2018-2021 after application of standardized optimization protocols, the present group) were divided into 2 groups according to use of IVI. The primary outcome was 3-year target vessel failure (TVF), a composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization. RESULTS: Significant reduction of TVF was observed in the IVI-guided PCI group compared with the angiography-guided PCI group (10.0% vs 6.7%; HR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.61-0.97; P = 0.027), mainly driven by reduced cardiac death or myocardial infarction in both past and present IVI-guided PCI groups. When comparing past IVI and present IVI groups, TVF was significantly lower in the present IVI group (8.5% vs 5.1%; HR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.42-0.94; P = 0.025), with the difference being driven by reduced target vessel revascularization in the present IVI group. Consistent results were observed in inverse-probability-weighting adjusted analysis. CONCLUSIONS: IVI-guided PCI improved clinical outcomes more than angiography-guided PCI. In addition, application of standardized optimization protocols when using IVI further improved clinical outcomes after PCI. (Intravascular Imaging- Versus Angiography-Guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention For Complex Coronary Artery Disease [RENOVATE-COMPLEX-PCI]; NCT03381872; and the institutional cardiovascular catheterization database of Samsung Medical Center: Long-Term Outcomes and Prognostic Factors in Patient Undergoing CABG or PCI; NCT03870815).

Post-COVID-19 Vaccination Myocarditis: A Histopathologic Study on a Monocentric Series of Six Cases.

Many reports on the development of myocarditis following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination (PCVM) have emerged. However, only a few case studies have investigated endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) results. This study describes the clinicopathologic features of PCVM. We surveyed all hospitalized patients in a single university hospital in Korea and identified six cases of PCVM. All six patients underwent EMB, five of whom were men aged 15-85 years. All patients developed cardiac dysfunction. Among these patients, two had mild disease without sequelae, whereas the other four had dilated cardiomyopathy with depressed cardiac function. All six cases demonstrated lymphohistiocytic myocarditis. Two of our cases fulfilled the criterion of CD3+ T lymphocytes > 7 cells/mm2 (Case nos. 3 and 6), while the remaining four cases did not fulfill the Dallas criteria. In conclusion, most PCVM cases showed mild degree inflammation histopathologically, and some cases could not fulfill the Dallas criteria and were classified as borderline myocarditis.

Intravascular Imaging in Patients With Complex Coronary Lesions and Chronic Kidney Disease.

Importance: As patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are more likely to have complex coronary lesions, intravascular imaging guidance in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for this population could be potentially beneficial. Objectives: To investigate whether the outcomes of intravascular imaging-guided procedural optimization would be different according to the presence of CKD. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a prespecified substudy of RENOVATE-COMPLEX-PCI, a recently published multicenter randomized clinical trial in Korea studying the benefits of intravascular imaging for complex coronary lesions. Patients with complex coronary lesions, with or without CKD, were enrolled between May 2018 and May 2021. Data were analyzed from January to June 2023. Interventions: PCI in each group was done either under the guidance of intravascular imaging or angiography alone. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was target vessel failure (TVF) at the 3-year point, defined as a composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, or clinically driven target vessel revascularization. Results: A total of 1639 patients (1300 male [79.3%]) treated with PCI for complex coronary lesions were stratified into CKD (296 participants) and non-CKD (1343 participants) groups. The mean (SD) age of each group was 70.3 (9.4) and 64.5 (10.1) years, and mean (SD) estimated serum creatinine was 2.9 (5.3) and 0.8 (0.2) mg/dL for CKD and non-CKD groups, respectively. Intravascular imaging-guided revascularization was associated with significantly lower incidence of the primary end point compared with angiography-guided revascularization in both CKD (13.3% vs 23.3%; hazard ratio [HR], 0.51; 95% CI, 0.27-0.93; P = .03) and non-CKD (6.4% vs 9.9%; HR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.44-0.99; P = .05) groups. The significantly lower incidence of the primary end point was mainly associated with the lower risk of cardiac death or target vessel-related myocardial infarction (9.4% vs 22.2%; HR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.20-0.76; P = .006) in the CKD group and by target vessel revascularization (3.0% vs 5.5%; HR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.30-0.99; P = .05) in the non-CKD group. Those with a glomerular filtration rate of at least 30 mL/min/1.73m2 and less than 60 ml/kg/1.73m2 showed the greatest benefit from imaging-guided complex PCI (8.8% vs 21.2%; HR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.11-0.68; P = .02). Conclusions and Relevance: In this prespecified cohort substudy of the Randomized Controlled Trial of Intravascular Imaging Guidance versus Angiography-Guidance on Clinical Outcomes After Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention trial, intravascular imaging guidance showed clinical benefit over angiography guidance in reducing the risk of TVF, regardless of the presence of CKD. The greatest benefits of imaging-guided complex PCI were observed in stage 3 CKD. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03381872.

Clinical Benefit of Intravascular Imaging Compared With Conventional Angiography in Left Main Coronary Artery Intervention.

BACKGROUND: The RENOVATE-COMPLEX-PCI (Randomized Controlled Trial of Intravascular Imaging Guidance Versus Angiography-Guidance on Clinical Outcomes After Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) demonstrated that intravascular imaging-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) improved clinical outcome compared with angiography-guided PCI for patients with complex coronary artery lesions. This study aims to assess whether the prognostic benefit of intravascular imaging-guided procedural optimization persists in patients undergoing PCI for left main coronary artery disease. METHODS: Of 1639 patients enrolled in the RENOVATE-COMPLEX-PCI, 192 patients with left main coronary artery disease were selected for the current prespecified substudy. Selected patients were randomly assigned to either the intravascular imaging-guided PCI group (n=138) or the angiography-guided PCI group (n=54). The primary end point was target vessel failure defined as a composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, or clinically driven target vessel revascularization. RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 2.1 years (interquartile range 1.1 to 3.0 years), intravascular imaging-guided PCI was associated with lower incidence of primary end point compared with angiography-guided PCI (6.8% versus 25.1%; hazard ratio, 0.31 [95% CI, 0.13-0.76]; P=0.010). This significant reduction in primary end point was mainly driven by a lower risk of cardiac death or spontaneous target vessel-related myocardial infarction (1.6% versus 12.7%; hazard ratio, 0.16 [95% CI, 0.03-0.82]; P=0.028). Intravascular imaging-guided PCI was independently associated with a lower risk of primary end point, even after adjusting for various clinical factors (hazard ratio, 0.29 [95% CI, 0.12-0.72]; P=0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Intravascular imaging-guided PCI showed clinical benefit over angiography-guided PCI for left main coronary artery disease in reducing the risk of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03381872.

Comparison of Antiplatelet Monotherapies After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention According to Clinical, Ischemic, and Bleeding Risks.

BACKGROUND: Clopidogrel was superior to aspirin monotherapy in secondary prevention after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the benefits of clopidogrel across high-risk subgroups METHODS: This was a post hoc analysis of the HOST-EXAM (Harmonizing Optimal Strategy for Treatment of coronary artery diseases-EXtended Antiplatelet Monotherapy) trial that randomly assigned patients who were event free for 6 to 18 months post-PCI on dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) to clopidogrel or aspirin monotherapy. Two clinical risk scores were used for risk stratification: the DAPT score and the Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction Risk Score for Secondary Prevention (TRS 2°P) (the sum of age ≥75 years, diabetes, hypertension, current smoking, peripheral artery disease, stroke, coronary artery bypass grafting, heart failure, and renal dysfunction). The primary composite endpoint was a composite of all-cause death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, stroke, readmission because of acute coronary syndrome, and major bleeding (Bleeding Academic Research Consortium type ≥3) at 2 years after randomization. RESULTS: Among 5,403 patients, clopidogrel monotherapy showed a lower rate of the primary composite endpoint than aspirin monotherapy (HR: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.59-0.90). The benefit of clopidogrel over aspirin was consistent regardless of TRS 2°P (high TRS 2°P [≥3] group: HR: 0.65 [95% CI: 0.44-0.96]; and low TRS 2°P [<3] group: HR: 0.77 [95% CI: 0.60-0.99]) (P for interaction = 0.454) and regardless of DAPT score (high DAPT score [≥2] group: HR: 0.68 [95% CI: 0.46-1.00]; and low DAPT score [<2] group: HR: 0.75 [95% CI: 0.59-0.96]) (P for interaction = 0.662). The association was similar for the individual outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The beneficial effect of clopidogrel over aspirin monotherapy was consistent regardless of clinical risk or relative ischemic and bleeding risks compared with aspirin monotherapy. (Harmonizing Optimal Strategy for Treatment of Coronary Artery Stenosis- EXtended Antiplatelet Monotherapy [HOST-EXAM]; NCT02044250).

Efficacy of γ-linolenic acid, Vitis vinifera extract, and acetyl-L-carnitine combination therapy for improving arterial stiffness in Korean adults: Real-world evidence.

Atherosclerosis is associated with various cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Measurement of arterial stiffness using pulse wave velocity (PWV) enables assessment of atherosclerosis progression in individuals. The authors screened patients with asymptomatic atherosclerosis, based on the PWV findings, to evaluate appropriate early interventions and assess the efficacy of γ-linolenic acid, Vitis vinifera extract, and acetyl-L-carnitine triple combination therapy in atherosclerosis prevention. This retrospective study analyzed the medical records of adult patients between March 2007 and April 2019, with presenting complaints of fatigue and lethargy. Among patients with vascular stiffness beyond their biological age on brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV) testing, those with ≥80% compliance for three drugs were allocated to the experimental group. Those with compliance of <80% for any one drug were allocated to the control group to assess changes in arterial stiffness, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), lipid level, and blood pressure (BP). After 1 year of triple-combination therapy, there were significant decreases in right and left baPWV (1537.16 ± 274.84 and 1519.00 ± 289.32 cm/s, respectively) as compared to baseline (1633.15 ± 271. 20 and 1598.64 ± 267.95 cm/s, respectively; p < .001). There was no difference in baPWV between sexes. Moreover, neither group showed significant changes in FPG and lipid levels. When triple-combination therapy combining γ-linolenic acid, V. vinifera extract, and acetyl-L-carnitine was administered to patients with high arterial stiffness relative to their age, as assessed by baPWV, the experimental group showed a decrease in arterial stiffness in both sexes.

Amine-assisted catechol-based nanocoating on ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles for high-resolution T1 angiography.

Surface engineered iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) with catecholic ligands have been investigated as alternative T1 contrast agents. However, complex oxidative chemistry of catechol during IONP ligand exchange causes surface etching, heterogeneous hydrodynamic size distribution, and low colloidal stability because of Fe3+ mediated ligand oxidation. Herein, we report highly stable and compact (∼10 nm) Fe3+ rich ultrasmall IONPs functionalized with a multidentate catechol-based polyethylene glycol polymer ligand through amine-assisted catecholic nanocoating. The IONPs exhibit excellent stability over a broad range of pHs and low nonspecific binding in vitro. We also demonstrate that the resultant NPs have a long circulation time (∼80 min), enabling high resolution T1 magnetic resonance angiography in vivo. These results suggest that the amine assisted catechol-based nanocoating opens a new potential of metal oxide NPs to take a step forward in exquisite bio-application fields.

Epigenomic landscape exhibits interferon signaling suppression in the patient of myocarditis after BNT162b2 vaccination.

After the outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, a novel mRNA vaccine (BNT162b2) was developed at an unprecedented speed. Although most countries have achieved widespread immunity from vaccines and infections, yet people, even who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection, are recommended to receive vaccination due to their effectiveness in lowering the risk of recurrent infection. However, the BNT162b2 vaccine has been reported to increase the risk of myocarditis. To our knowledge, for the first time in this study, we tracked changes in the chromatin dynamics of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in the patient who underwent myocarditis after BNT162b2 vaccination. A longitudinal study of chromatin accessibility using concurrent analysis of single-cell assays for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing and single-cell RNA sequencing showed downregulation of interferon signaling and upregulated RUNX2/3 activity in PBMCs. Considering BNT162b2 vaccination increases the level of interferon-α/γ in serum, our data highlight the immune responses different from the conventional responses to the vaccination, which is possibly the key to understanding the side effects of BNT162b2 vaccination.

Intravascular Imaging-Guided or Angiography-Guided Complex PCI.

BACKGROUND: Data regarding clinical outcomes after intravascular imaging-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for complex coronary-artery lesions, as compared with outcomes after angiography-guided PCI, are limited. METHODS: In this prospective, multicenter, open-label trial in South Korea, we randomly assigned patients with complex coronary-artery lesions in a 2:1 ratio to undergo either intravascular imaging-guided PCI or angiography-guided PCI. In the intravascular imaging group, the choice between intravascular ultrasonography and optical coherence tomography was at the operators' discretion. The primary end point was a composite of death from cardiac causes, target-vessel-related myocardial infarction, or clinically driven target-vessel revascularization. Safety was also assessed. RESULTS: A total of 1639 patients underwent randomization, with 1092 assigned to undergo intravascular imaging-guided PCI and 547 assigned to undergo angiography-guided PCI. At a median follow-up of 2.1 years (interquartile range, 1.4 to 3.0), a primary end-point event had occurred in 76 patients (cumulative incidence, 7.7%) in the intravascular imaging group and in 60 patients (cumulative incidence, 12.3%) in the angiography group (hazard ratio, 0.64; 95% confidence interval, 0.45 to 0.89; P = 0.008). Death from cardiac causes occurred in 16 patients (cumulative incidence, 1.7%) in the intravascular imaging group and in 17 patients (cumulative incidence, 3.8%) in the angiography group; target-vessel-related myocardial infarction occurred in 38 (cumulative incidence, 3.7%) and 30 (cumulative incidence, 5.6%), respectively; and clinically driven target-vessel revascularization in 32 (cumulative incidence, 3.4%) and 25 (cumulative incidence, 5.5%), respectively. There were no apparent between-group differences in the incidence of procedure-related safety events. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with complex coronary-artery lesions, intravascular imaging-guided PCI led to a lower risk of a composite of death from cardiac causes, target-vessel-related myocardial infarction, or clinically driven target-vessel revascularization than angiography-guided PCI. (Supported by Abbott Vascular and Boston Scientific; RENOVATE-COMPLEX-PCI ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03381872).

Clinical Validation of a Wearable Piezoelectric Blood-Pressure Sensor for Continuous Health Monitoring.

Wearable blood-pressure sensors have recently attracted attention as healthcare devices for continuous non-invasive arterial pressure (CNAP) monitoring. However, the accuracy of wearable blood-pressure (BP) monitoring devices has been controversial due to the low signal quality of sensors, the absence of an accurate transfer function to convert the sensor signals into BP values, and the lack of clinical validation regarding measurement precision. Here, a wearable piezoelectric blood-pressure sensor (WPBPS) is reported, which achieves a high normalized sensitivity (0.062 kPa-1 ), and fast response time (23 ms) for CNAP monitoring. The transfer function of a linear regression model is designed, offering a simple solution to convert the flexible piezoelectric sensor signals into BP values. In order to verify the measurement accuracy of WPBPS, clinical trials are performed on 35 subjects aged from 20 to 80 s after screening. The mean difference between the WPBPS and a commercial sphygmomanometer of 175 BP data pairs is -0.89 ± 6.19 and -0.32 ± 5.28 mmHg for systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), respectively. By building a WPBPS-embedded wristwatch, the potentially promising use of a convenient, portable, continuous BP monitoring system for cardiovascular disease diagnosis is demonstrated.

In vitro modeling of liver fibrosis with 3D co-culture system using a novel human hepatic stellate cell line.

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play an important role in liver fibrosis; however, owing to the heterogeneity and limited supply of primary HSCs, the development of in vitro liver fibrosis models has been impeded. In this study, we established and characterized a novel human HSC line (LSC-1), and applied it to various types of three-dimensional (3D) co-culture systems with differentiated HepaRG cells. Furthermore, we compared LSC-1 with a commercially available HSC line on conventional monolayer culture. LSC-1 exhibited an overall upregulation of the expression of fibrogenic genes along with increased levels of matrix and adhesion proteins, suggesting a myofibroblast-like or transdifferentiated state. However, activated states reverted to a quiescent-like phenotype when cultured in different 3D culture formats with a relatively soft microenvironment. Additionally, LSC-1 exerted an overall positive effect on co-cultured differentiated HepaRG, which significantly increased hepatic functionality upon long-term cultivation compared with that achieved with other HSC line. In 3D spheroid culture, LSC-1 exhibited enhanced responsiveness to transforming growth factor beta 1 exposure that is caused by a different matrix-related protein expression mechanism. Therefore, the LSC-1 line developed in this study provides a reliable candidate model that can be used to address unmet needs, such as development of antifibrotic therapies.

Single-cell sequencing of PBMC characterizes the altered transcriptomic landscape of classical monocytes in BNT162b2-induced myocarditis.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been the most dangerous threat to public health worldwide for the last few years, which led to the development of the novel mRNA vaccine (BNT162b2). However, BNT162b2 vaccination is known to be associated with myocarditis. Here, as an attempt to determine the pathogenesis of the disease and to develop biomarkers to determine whether subjects likely proceed to myocarditis after vaccination, we conducted a time series analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of a patient with BNT162b2-induced myocarditis. Single-cell RNA sequence analysis identified monocytes as the cell clusters with the most dynamic changes. To identify distinct gene expression signatures, we compared monocytes of BNT162b2-induced myocarditis with monocytes under various conditions, including SARS-CoV-2 infection, BNT162b2 vaccination, and Kawasaki disease, a disease similar to myocarditis. Representative changes in the transcriptomic profile of classical monocytes include the upregulation of genes related to fatty acid metabolism and downregulation of transcription factor AP-1 activity. This study provides, for the first time, the importance of classical monocytes in the pathogenesis of myocarditis following BNT162b2 vaccination and presents the possibility that vaccination affects monocytes, further inducing their differentiation and infiltration into the heart.