Circulating Irisin Level as a Biomarker for Pure Aortic Stenosis and Aortic Valve Calcification.

Irisin, a myokine mainly secreted by skeletal and cardiac muscles, is actively involved in cardiovascular diseases. However, whether irisin is associated with aortic stenosis remains unknown. Two hundred ninety-three severe AS patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation were enrolled and followed-up for 35 months on average. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was applied to measure circulating irisin levels. Patients were divided into two groups based on the median plasma irisin level. We found that high plasma irisin levels were independently associated with pure aortic stenosis (PAS) after adjusting for age, body mass index, history of peripheral vascular disease, and creatinine (OR = 3.015, 95% CI 1.775-5.119, P < 0.001). ROC curve analysis showed a significant predictive value of irisin for PAS (AUC = 0.647, 95% CI 0.583-0.711, P < 0.001). The severity of aortic valve calcification was negatively associated with plasma irisin levels (P < 0.05). In conclusion, irisin is an independent predictor for PAS and is negatively associated with the severity of aortic valve calcification.

Elevated N-terminal pro C-type natriuretic peptide is associated with mortality in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

BACKGROUND: Unlike N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), which have been extensively studied, little is known about the role of N-terminal pro-C-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proCNP) for predicting survival post transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). METHODS: A total of 309 patients were included in the analysis. Patients were grouped into quartiles (Q1-4) according to the baseline NT-proCNP value. Blood for NT-proCNP analysis was obtained prior to TAVR procedure. The primary endpoint was mortality after a median follow-up of 32 months. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models analyzed prognostic factors. The predictive capability was compared between NT-proBNP and NT-proCNP using receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis. RESULTS: A total of 309 subjects with the mean age of 76.8 ± 6.3 years, among whom 58.6% were male, were included in the analysis. A total of 58 (18.8%) patients died during follow-up. Cox multivariable analyses indicated society of thoracic surgeons (STS)-score was a strong independent predictor for mortality (hazard ratio (HR) 1.08, 95% confidential interval (CI) 1.05-1.12, P < 0.001). Elevated NT-proCNP was associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular mortality (HR 1.02, 95% CI 1.00-1.03, P = 0.025) and All-cause mortality (HR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00-1.03, P = 0.027), whereas NT-proBNP showed a small effect size on mortality. ROC analysis indicated that NT-proCNP was superior to NT-proBNP for TAVR risk evaluation in patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 50% [(Area under the curve (AUC)-values of 0.79 (0.69; 0.87) vs. 0.59 (0.48; 0.69), P = 0.0453]. CONCLUSIONS: NT-proCNP and STS-Score were the independent prognostic factors of mortality among TAVR patients. Furthermore, NT-proCNP was superior to NT-proBNP for TAVR risk evaluation in patients with LVEF < 50%. Trial registration NCT02803294, 16/06/2016.

Anemia and risk of periprocedural cerebral injury detected by diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

BACKGROUND: Anemia is prevalent in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and has been linked to impaired outcomes after the procedure. Few studies have evaluated the impact of anemia and new ischemic lesions post TAVR. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 158 patients who received TAVR in our center. Anemia was defined according to the World Health Organization criteria as hemoglobin <12 g/dL in women and <13 g/dL in men. All patients underwent diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) procedure before and within 4-7 days after TAVR. RESULTS: Anemia was present in 85 (53.8%) patients who underwent TAVR, and 126 (79.7%) patients had 718 new DW-MRI positive lesions with a mean of 4.54±5.26 lesions per patient. The incidence of new ischemic lesions was 81.2% in patients with anemia versus 78.1% in patients without anemia (P=0.629). Moreover, anemic patients had bigger total volume/lesions in the anterior cerebral artery/middle cerebral artery (ACA/MCA) and MCA regions compared to the non-anemic patients (31.89±55.78 mm3 vs. 17.08±37.39 mm3, P=0.049; and 54.54±74.72 mm3 vs. 33.75±46.03 mm3, P=0.034). Anemia was independently associated with the volume/lesion in the ACA/MCA (ß=16.796, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 2.001 to 31.591, P=0.026) and in the MCA zone (ß=0.020, 95% CI 0.001 to 0.040, P=0.041). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with pre-procedural anemia may have bigger total volume/lesions in the ACA/MCA and MCA regions compared to the non-anemic patients. Whether the consequences of bigger total volume/lesions impact neurological and cognitive outcomes remains to be investigated.

Sex differences in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement in Asia.

OBJECTIVES: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is increasingly performed. Physically small Asians have smaller aortic root and peripheral vessel anatomy. The influence of gender of Asian patients undergoing TAVR is unknown and may affect outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess sex differences in Asian patients undergoing TAVR. METHODS: Patients undergoing TAVR from eight countries were enrolled. In this retrospective analysis, we examined differences in characteristics, 30-day clinical outcomes and 1-year survival between female and male Asian patients. RESULTS: Eight hundred and seventy-three patients (54.4% women) were included. Women were older, smaller and had less coronary artery and lung disease but tended to have higher logistic EuroSCOREs. Smaller prostheses were used more often in women. Major vascular complications occurred more frequently in women (5.5% vs 1.8%, p<0.01); however, 30-day stroke and mortality (women vs men: 1.5% vs 1.6%, p=0.95% and 4.3% vs 3.4%, p=0.48) were similar. Functional status improvement was significant and comparable between the sexes. Conduction disturbance and permanent pacemaker requirements (11.2% vs 9.0%, p=0.52) were also similar as was 1-year survival (women vs men: 85.6% vs 88.2%, p=0.25). The only predictors of 30-day mortality were major vascular injury in women and age in men. CONCLUSIONS: Asian women had significantly smaller stature and anatomy with some differences in clinical profiles. Despite more frequent major vascular complications, women had similar 30-day stroke or mortality rates. Functional status improvement was significant and comparable between the sexes. Conduction disturbance and permanent pacemaker requirements were similar as was 1-year survival.

Post-dilatation improves stent apposition in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction receiving primary percutaneous intervention: A multicenter, randomized controlled trial using optical coherence tomography.

BACKGROUND: Stent failure is more likely in the lipid rich and thrombus laden culprit lesions underlying ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). This study assessed the effectiveness of post-dilatation in primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) for acute STEMI. METHODS: The multi-center POST-STEMI trial enrolled 41 consecutive STEMI patients with symptom onset <12 hours undergoing manual thrombus aspiration and Promus Element stent implantation. Patients were randomly assigned to control group (n=20) or post-dilatation group (n=21) in which a non-compliant balloon was inflated to >16 atm pressure. Strut apposition and coverage were evaluated by optical coherence tomography (OCT) after intracoronary verapamil administration via thrombus aspiration catheter, post pPCI and at 7-month follow-up. The primary endpoint was rate of incomplete strut apposition (ISA) at 7 months after pPCI. RESULTS: There were similar baseline characteristics except for stent length (21.9 [SD 6.5] mm vs. 26.0 [SD 5.8] mm, respectively, P=0.03). In post-dilatation vs. control group, ISA rate was lower (2.5% vs. 4.5%, P=0.04) immediately after pPCI without affecting final TIMI flow 3 rate (95.2% vs. 95.0%, P>0.05) or corrected TIMI frame counts (22.6±9.4 vs. 22.0±9.7, P>0.05); and at 7-month follow-up (0.7% vs. 1.8%, P<0.0001), the primary study endpoint, with similar strut coverage (98.5% vs. 98.4%, P=0.63) and 1-year rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). CONCLUSION: In STEMI patients, post-dilatation after stent implantation and thrombus aspiration improved strut apposition up to 7 months without affecting coronary blood flow or 1-year MACE rate. Larger and longer term studies are warranted to further assess safety (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02121223).

The first two cases of transcatheter mitral valve repair with ARTO system in Asia.

BACKGROUND: MAVERIC (Mitral Valve Repair Clinical Trial) validates the safety and efficacy of the ARTO system. We here report the first two successful cases of utilizing the ARTO system in patients with symptomatic heart failure (HF) with functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) in Asia. METHODS: Two patients, aged 70 and 63, had severe HF with FMR. Transesophageal echocardiography confirmed that the left ventricular ejection fractions were less than 50% with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) in both patients. Optimizing drug treatment could not mitigate their symptoms. Therefore, we used the ARTO system to repair the mitral valve for these patients on March 5 and 6, 2019, respectively. RESULTS: Mitral valve repairs using the ARTO system were successfully performed under general anaesthesia for these two patients. MR was decreased immediately after the procedures in both patients. The 30-day and 3-month transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) revealed a moderate to severe MR in both patients, and the New York Heart Association (NYHA) scales were also partially improved. CONCLUSION: The first two cases in Asia indicate that the ARTO system is feasible for patients with heart failure with FMR, and the patient selection appears to be crucial.

Ascending aortic dilatation rate after transcatheter aortic valve replacement in patients with bicuspid and tricuspid aortic stenosis: A multidetector computed tomography follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: Current data is lacking about the progression of ascending aortic dilatation after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in aortic stenosis (AS) patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). This study aims to assess the ascending aortic dilatation rate (mm/year) after TAVR in patients with BAV versus TAV using a multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) follow-up and to determine the predictors of ascending aortic dilatation rate. METHODS: Severe AS patients undergoing TAVR from March 2013 to March 2018 at our center with MDCT follow-ups were included. BAV and TAV were identified using baseline MDCT. Baseline and follow-up MDCT images were analyzed, and the diameters of ascending aorta were measured. Study end point is ascending aortic dilatation rate (mm/year). Furthermore, factors predicting ascending aortic dilatation rate were also investigated. RESULTS: Two hundred and eight patients were included, comprised of 86 BAV and 122 TAV patients. Five, 4, 3, 2, and 1-year MDCT follow-ups were achieved in 7, 9, 30, 46, and 116 patients. The ascending aortic diameter was significantly increased after TAVR in both BAV group (43.7±4.4 mm vs. 44.0±4.5 mm; P<0.001) and TAV group (39.1±4.8 mm vs. 39.7±5.1 mm; P<0.001). However, no difference of ascending aortic dilatation rate was found between BAV and TAV group (0.2±0.8 mm/year vs. 0.3±0.8 mm/year, P=0.592). Multivariate linear regression revealed paravalvular leakage (PVL) grade was independently associated with ascending aortic dilatation rate in the whole population and BAV group, but not TAV group. No aortic events occurred during follow-ups. CONCLUSION: Ascending aortic size continues to grow after TAVR in BAV patients, but the dilatation rate is mild and comparable to that of TAV patients. PVL grade is associated with ascending aortic dilatation rate in BAV patients post-TAVR.

The first four cases of successful NeoChord procedure in mainland China.

BACKGROUND: Transapical off-pump NeoChord procedure is a novel minimally invasive surgical repair of degenerative mitral regurgitation (MR). Here, we report the first four cases of NeoChord procedure in patients with mitral valve prolapse in mainland China. METHODS: Four patients, aged 86, 84, 80 and 60 years, with severe MR due to posterior middle scallop prolapse (P2), underwent transapical off-pump artificial chordae implantation on April 9 and 10, 2019. The procedure was performed by left mini-thoracotomy under general anaesthesia and guided by 2D and 3D dimensional transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE). RESULTS: Mitral valve repair via NeoChord procedure was successfully performed with implantation of 3 artificial chordae in the first patient and 3, 2, and 3 artificial chordae in the following patients, respectively. Intraoperative TEE and pre-discharge transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) showed only mild to moderate MR of these four patients and no postoperative complications were noted. There were no changes of TTE finding between one-month follow-up and pre-discharge. CONCLUSION: The successful NeoChord procedures in four Chinese indicate that the valve repair using the NeoChord system for Chinese population is feasible.

Regulation of Vascular Calcification by Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone and Its Agonists.

RATIONALE: Vascular calcification (VC) is a marker of the severity of atherosclerotic disease. Hormones play important roles in regulating calcification; estrogen and parathyroid hormones exert opposing effects, the former alleviating VC and the latter exacerbating it. To date no treatment strategies have been developed to regulate clinical VC. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) and its agonist (GHRH-A) on the blocking of VC in a mouse model. METHODS AND RESULTS: Young adult osteoprotegerin-deficient mice were given daily subcutaneous injections of GHRH-A (MR409) for 4 weeks. Significant reductions in calcification of the aortas of MR409-treated mice were paralleled by markedly lower alkaline phosphatase activity and a dramatic reduction in the expression of transcription factors, including the osteogenic marker gene Runx2 and its downstream factors, osteonectin and osteocalcin. The mechanism of action of GHRH-A was dissected in smooth muscle cells isolated from human and mouse aortas. Calcification of smooth muscle cells induced by osteogenic medium was inhibited in the presence of GHRH or MR409, as evidenced by reduced alkaline phosphatase activity and Runx2 expression. Inhibition of calcification by MR409 was partially reversed by MIA602, a GHRH antagonist, or a GHRH receptor-selective small interfering RNA. Treatment with MR409 induced elevated cytosolic cAMP and its target, protein kinase A which in turn blocked nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase activity and reduced production of reactive oxygen species, thus blocking the phosphorylation of nuclear factor κB (p65), a key intermediate in the ligand of receptor activator for nuclear factor-κ B-Runx2/alkaline phosphatase osteogenesis program. A protein kinase A-selective small interfering RNA or the chemical inhibitor H89 abolished these beneficial effects of MR409. CONCLUSIONS: GHRH-A controls osteogenesis in smooth muscle cells by targeting cross talk between protein kinase A and nuclear factor κB (p65) and through the suppression of reactive oxygen species production that induces the Runx2 gene and alkaline phosphatase. Inflammation-mediated osteogenesis is thereby blocked. GHRH-A may represent a new pharmacological strategy to regulate VC.

First-in-man implantation of the retrievable and repositionable VenusA-Plus valve.

BACKGROUND: No retrievable and repositionable second generation transcatheter aortic valve is available in China. Here, we report the first-in-man implantation of the retrievable and repositionable VenusA-Plus valve. METHODS: A 76-year-old patient with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis and high surgical risk (STS 13.8%) was recommended for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) by heart valve team. Type 0 bicuspid aortic valve with asymmetric calcification was identified by dual source computed tomography, and the unfavorable anatomies increased the possibility of malposition and paravalvular leakage during TAVR. Therefore, we used the retrievable and repositionable VenusA-Plus valve for the patient. RESULTS: Transfemoral TAVR was performed under local anesthesia with sedation, and a 26mm VenusA-Plus valve was successfully implanted. No transvalvular pressure gradient and trace paravalvular leakage were found. CONCLUSION: The successful first-in-man implantation indicates the retrievable and repositionable VenusA-Plus valve is feasible in complicated TAVR cases such as bicuspid aortic valve.

Effect of corticosteroids on atrial fibrillation after catheter ablation: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this meta-analysis was to explore the effect of corticosteroids on atrial fibrillation (AF) following catheter ablation. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for published articles describing the effect of corticosteroids in preventing AF recurrence after catheter ablation. Data on study and patient were extracted. Risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by use of a random-effect model, and P values of <0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: Two randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and three cohort studies involving 846 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Within one month of catheter ablation, corticosteroid use was associated with a declined risk of recurrence of AF in RCT (RR 0.57, 95% CI 0.39 to 0.85, P=0.005), but without significant effect in cohort studies (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.79 to 1.30, P=0.94). After three months of catheter ablation, corticosteroids did not have a significant effect in the prevention of late recurrence of AF in either RCT (RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.38 to 1.59, P=0.49) or cohort studies (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.70 to 1.31, P=0.78). CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis suggested that periprocedural administration of corticosteroids of catheter ablation was associated with reduction of early but not late recurrence of AF.

Dexmedetomidine mitigates isoflurane-induced neurodegeneration in fetal rats during the second trimester of pregnancy.

Dexmedetomidine has significant neuroprotective effects. However, whether its protective effects can reduce neurotoxicity caused by isoflurane in fetal brain during the second trimester of pregnancy remains unclear. In this study, timed-pregnancy rats at gestational day 14 spontaneously inhaled 1.5% isoflurane for 4 hours, and were intraperitoneally injected with dexmedetomidine at dosages of 5, 10, 20, and 20 µg/kg 15 minutes before inhalation and after inhalation for 2 hours. Our results demonstrate that 4 hours after inhaling isoflurane, 20 µg/kg dexmedetomidine visibly mitigated isoflurane-induced neuronal apoptosis, reversed downregulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression, and lessened decreased spatial learning and memory ability in adulthood in the fetal rats. Altogether, these findings indicate that dexmedetomidine can reduce neurodegeneration induced by isoflurane in fetal rats during the second trimester of pregnancy. Further, brain-derived neurotrophic factor participates in this process.

Bispectral index-guided sedation in transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation: a retrospective control study.

OBJECTIVE: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a minimally invasive therapy for elderly patients with severe aortic valve stenosis who were refused surgical aortic valve replacement because of the high perioperative risk. Traditionally, this procedure has been done under general anesthesia, but more recently local anesthesia and sedation have become popular. This research assessed the effectiveness of transfemoral TAVI under bispectral index (BIS)-guided sedation. METHODS: In this single-center retrospective control analysis, clinical data, including demographic characteristics, echocardiography, periprocedural data, and main complications, were collected and assessed in 113 patients undergoing TAVI through the femoral artery under general anesthesia (GA group, n=36) and under BIS-guided sedation (SED group, n=77). RESULTS: The demographic characteristics and echocardiographic parameters between the two groups were similar (P>0.05). Two (2.6%) of patients were moved from BIS-guided sedation to general anesthesia for surgical reasons. Procedures were significantly shorter in the SED group than in the GA group ((127.10±44.43) min vs. (165.90±71.62) min, P=0.004). Patients in the SED group lost less blood and received significantly fewer red blood cells and catecholamines than those in the GA group (5.19% vs. 22.22%, P=0.017 and 67.53% vs. 97.22%, P<0.001). The length of hospital stay was significantly shorter and there were fewer pulmonary complications in the SED group than in the GA group. Thirty-day mortality was similar between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: BIS-guided sedation is a feasible and safe approach for transfemoral TAVI. The anesthesiologist should choose the best anesthetic method according to the team's experience.

A hospital-based survey of patients with severe valvular heart disease in China.

OBJECTIVES: Due to increasing aging, the epidemiology of VHD may have changed in China. This study aimed to provide contemporary information on the prevalence, distribution patterns, and etiology of severe VHD in China. METHODS: This was a retrospective survey at Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, which included all consecutive patients between 2010 and 2015. RESULTS: In all, 139,496 patients were enrolled. Among severe valve diseases, MR was the most frequent (n=946, 0.68%) followed by MS (n=524, 0.38%), AS (n=392, 0.28%), and AR (n=371, 0.27%). Severe MR and AS prevalence rates increased strikingly with age. Rheumatic heart disease had an prevalence of 1.56% (n=2179), and remained one of the most common causes of severe VHD in patients younger than 65years old (99.5% of MS with rheumatic; 27.6% of MR with rheumatic; 25.7% of AS with rheumatic; 31.6% of AR with rheumatic). Aortic valve calcification was the predominant AS etiology, and its prevalence greatly increased with age. In severe AR, rheumatic fever was the most common etiology in patients below 65; in those above 65, etiology was mostly degenerative. In severe primary MR, mitral valve prolapse was the most common cause. Prevalence of secondary MR increased with age, from 16.4% in 18-44years old to 51.7% in individuals ≥75. CONCLUSIONS: Severe valvular diseases are very common; rheumatic fever and degenerative valvular changes remain predominant causes in patients below 65 and older ones, respectively. Young adults present mainly with primary MR, while secondary MR is more common in elderly ones.

Roles of SIRT3 in heart failure: from bench to bedside.

Heart failure (HF) represents the most common endpoint of most cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) which are the leading causes of death around the world. Despite the advances in treating CVDs, the prevalence of HF continues to increase. It is believed that better results of prognosis are obtained from prevention rather than additional treatment for HF. Therefore, it is reasonable to prevent the development of CVDs or other complications to HF. Most types of HF are attributed to contractile dysfunction, cardiac hypertrophy or remodeling, and ischemic injuries. SIRT3 is a mitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent deacetylase whose substrates vary from metabolic biogenesis-associated proteins to stress-responsive proteins. In recent years, a number of studies have highlighted the cardio-protective role of SIRT3 and, as such, efforts have been made to induce over-expression or increased activity of this protein. In this review, we provide an overview of the roles of SIRT3 in cardiac hypertrophy induced by pressure overload or agonists and cardiomyocytes ischemic injuries. Moreover, we will introduce the application of SIRT3 agonists in the prevention of cardiac hypertrophy and ischemia reperfusion injury.

Fractional Flow Reserve Guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Improves Clinical Outcome with Reduced Cost in Contemporary Clinical Practice.

BACKGROUND: Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is currently considered as the gold standard for evaluating the functional significance of coronary stenosis. However, its potential benefits in real-world practice remain unknown in China. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that the use of FFR is associated with improved outcome and reduced cost in Chinese real-world clinical practice. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was carried out using the database of Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, a tertiary and high-volume center in China. Clinical events were compared using the Cox proportional hazards model during a median follow-up of 13 months. RESULTS: The study cohort consisted of 366 consecutive patients referred for coronary revascularization with adjunct FFR and 366 matched controls, from 2010 to 2014. Major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) (death, myocardial infarction, repeated revascularization, or hospitalization for angina) at 4 years were found in 12.0% of angiography-guided patients and 4.9% in the FFR-guided group (P < 0.001). The mean number of implanted stents was significantly lower in FFR treated subjects (0.52 ± 0.82 stents) compared with the angiography-guided group (0.93 ± 0.96 stents) (P < 0.001). No difference in overall costs at initial hospitalization was observed between angiography-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) compared with FFR-guided PCI (RMB 33,000 Yuan, range: RMB 7393-44,700 Yuan) versus RMB 21,200 Yuan (RMB 19,100-47,100 Yuan) (P = 0.54). However, costs for MACEs during follow-up were significantly reduced in the FFR-guided arm (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In the contemporary clinical practice, FFR-guided PCI is associated with decreased use of stents, improved clinical outcome, and reduced costs, compared with angiography-guided PCI.

Meta-analysis of C242T polymorphism in CYBA genes: risk of acute coronary syndrome is lower in Asians but not in Caucasians.

BACKGROUND: A lot of studies have demonstrated that C242T polymorphism in CYBA genes may play an important role in the pathological process of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, the results are not consistent. To further evaluate this debate, we performed a meta-analysis to determine the relationship between C242T polymorphism and ACS. METHODS AND RESULTS: We screened PubMed/MEDLINE, EBSCIO, and EMBASE research reports until Mar. 2014 and extracted data from 10 studies involving 6102 ACS patients and 8669 controls. Subgroup analysis by ethnicity documented a significant decreased risk of ACS for C242T polymorphism in the Asian population under allelic comparison (odd ratio (OR) 0.73; 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.64-0.83), dominant model (OR 0.71; 95% CI 0.62-0.82), and homozygote comparison (OR 0.57; 95% CI 0.35-0.92). However, in the overall population and especially with Caucasians, no significant association was uncovered. Further meta-regression analysis revealed that the heterogeneity among studies was largely attributed to ethnicity. No publication bias was detected through a funnel plot and an Egger's linear regression test. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results suggest that the C242T polymorphism might be a protective factor against developing ACS in the Asian population. Further researches will be needed to identify the confounding factors which modified the protective effect of T allele among Caucasians.

Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of transcatheter aortic valve implantation in patients with a severe stenotic bicuspid aortic valve in a Chinese population.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in patients with a severe stenotic bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) in a Chinese population. While several groups have reported the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of TAVI for patients with a BAV, worldwide experience of the technique is still limited, especially in China. METHODS: From March 2013 to November 2014, high surgical risk or inoperable patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS) who had undergone TAVI at our institution were selected for inclusion in our study. RESULTS were compared between a BAV group and a tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) group. RESULTS: Forty patients were included in this study, 15 (37.5%) of whom were identified as having a BAV. In the BAV group, the aortic valve area was smaller ((0.47±0.13) vs. (0.59±0.14) cm(2)), the ascending aortic diameter was larger ((40.4±4.4) vs. (36.4±4.3) mm), and the concomitant aortic regurgitation was lower. No significant differences were found between the groups in the other baseline characteristics. No differences were observed either in the choice of access or valve size. The procedural success achieved in this study was 100%. There were no differences between groups in device success (86.7% vs. 88.0%), 30-d mortality (6.7% vs. 8.0%), or 30-d combined end point (13.3% vs. 12.0%). The incidences of new pacemaker implantation, paravalvular regurgitation and other complications, recovery of left ventricle ejection fraction and heart function were similar in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a severely stenotic BAV can be treated with TAVI, and their condition after treatment should be similar to that of people with a TAV.