Poor cardiovascular health status among Chinese women.

BACKGROUND: Systematic investigation and analysis of cardiovascular health status (CVHS) of Chinese women is rare. This study aimed to assess CVHS and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) burden in the Chinese women physicians (CWP) and community-based non-physician cohort (NPC). METHODS: In this prospective, multicenter, observational study, CVHS using the American Heart Association (AHA) defined 7 metrics (such as smoking and fasting glucose) and ASCVD risk factors including hypertension, hyperlipidemia and type-2 diabetes were evaluated in CWP compared with NPC. RESULTS: Of 5832 CWP with a mean age of 44 ± 7 years, only 1.2% achieved the ideal CVHS and 90.1% showed at least 1 of the 7 AHA CVHS metrics at a poor level. Total CVHS score was significantly decreased and ASCVD risk burden was increased in postmenopausal subjects in CWP although ideal CVHS was not significantly influenced by menopause. Compared to 2596 NPC, fewer CWP had ≥ 2 risk factors (8% vs. 27%, P < 0.001); CWP scored significantly higher on healthy factors, a composite of total cholesterol, blood pressure, fasting glucose (P < 0.001), but, poorly on healthy behaviors (P < 0.001), specifically in the physical activity component; CWP also showed significantly higher levels of awareness and rates of treatment for hypertension and hyperlipidemia, but, not for type-2 diabetes. CONCLUSION: Chinese women's cardiovascular health is far from ideal and risk intervention is sub-optimal. Women physicians had lower ASCVD burden, scored higher in healthy factors, but, took part in less physical activity than the non-physician cohort. These results call for population-specific early and improved risk intervention.

Residual platelet reactivity is preferred over platelet inhibition rate in monitoring antiplatelet efficacy: insights using thrombelastography.

Although thrombelastography (TEG) has been widely implemented in the clinical setting of endovascular intervention, consensus on the optimal parameter for defining high ischemic risk patients is lacking due to the limited data about the relationship between various TEG parameters and clinical outcomes. In this article, we report a post hoc analysis of a prospective, single-center cohort study, including 447 patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Arachidonic acid (AA)- or adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet-fibrin clot strength (MAAA or MAADP) was indicative of the net residual platelet reactivity after the treatment with aspirin or clopidogrel, respectively. AA% or ADP% was indices of the relative platelet inhibition rate on AA or ADP pathway. We found that each parameter alone was predictive of the risk of 6-month ischemic event, even after adjusting for confounding factors. However, the association between AA% and clinical outcome disappeared when further adjusted for MAAA. Likewise, inclusion of MAADP changed the significant relation between ADP% and clinical outcome. MAADP > 47.0 mm and MAAA > 15.1 mm were identified as the optimal cutoffs by receiver operating characteristic analysis. High MAAA (HR = 3.963; 95% CI: 1.152-13.632; P = 0.029) and high MAADP (HR = 5.185; 95% CI: 2.228-12.062; P < 0.001) were independent predictors when both were included in multivariable Cox regression hazards model. Interestingly, an even higher risk was found for the coexisting high MAAA and high MAADP (HR = 7.870; 95% CI: 3.462-17.899; P < 0.001). We conclude that when performing TEG to predict clinical efficacy, residual platelet reactivity has superiority over platelet inhibition rate as a measure of thrombotic risk in patients treated with aspirin and clopidogrel after ACS.

Impact of multi-vessel therapy to the risk of periprocedural myocardial injury after elective coronary intervention: exploratory study.

BACKGROUNDS: Periprocedural myocardial injury (PMI) after elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) significantly influences the prognosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, it was unclear whether the occurrence of PMI was associated with a series of controllable factors, such as PCI strategy or severity of CAD. METHODS: A total of 544 consecutive stable CAD patients underwent elective PCI were enrolled. The main outcome is PMI, defined as troponin T after PCI was at least one value above the 99th percentile upper reference limit. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE), including all-cause death, repeat myocardial infarction and target vessel revascularization were record in the period of follow-up. Univariate and multivariate analysis was applied to assess predictors for the occurrence of PMI. RESULTS: The incidence of PMI was 38.8% in the study. Compared with non-PMI patients (n = 333), PMI patients (n = 211) had more diseased vessels, higher Gensini and Syntax score. Meanwhile, there were higher incidence of MACE in PMI groups (9.5% vs. 3.2%, P < 0.01). We found that PMI patients underwent higher proportion of multi-vessel PCI simultaneously (32.2% vs. 10.5%, P < 0.01) and had more stents implanted (1.8 ± 0.8 vs. 1.4 ± 0.6, P < 0.01). Importantly, after simultaneously adjusted by other factors (such as age, diabetes, total cholesterol, number of diseased vessels, Gensini score and stent length), the risk of PMI was still increased 84% by multi-vessel PCI independently (OR = 1.654, 95% CI = 1.004-2.720, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The phenomenon of PMI occurred more commonly in stable CAD patients underwent multi-vessel PCI. Multi-vessel international therapy could increase the risk of PMI in elective PCI.

Myocardial extracellular volume fraction measurement in chronic total coronary occlusion: Association with myocardial injury, angiographic collateral flow, and functional recovery.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether myocardial extracellular volume fraction (ECV) measurement by cardiac MR is indicative of myocardial injury, angiographic collateral flow, and functional recovery in patients with chronic total coronary occlusion (CTO). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 50 CTO patients undergoing 1.5 Tesla MR were prospectively enrolled, and 28 underwent a second MR 6 months after revascularization. T1-mapping based indices, including pre- and postcontrast T1 values and ECV, were obtained from infarcted and non-infarcted myocardium, myocardial segments, and coronary territory. The severity of myocardial injury was rated by transmurality extent of infarction (TEI) and regional wall motion abnormalities (RWMA) score. Angiographic collateral flow was evaluated using Rentrop classification. Improvement in segmental wall motion at 6 months was also assessed. RESULTS: ECV and postcontrast T1 value significantly outperformed precontrast T1 value for identifying myocardial infarction (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC]: 0.998 and 0.953 versus 0.824, all P < 0.02). Myocardial ECV was strongly correlated with TEI (P = 0.000), RWMA score (P = 0.000), and collateral classification (P = 0.007 for left anterior descending artery [LAD] territory, P = 0.001 for non-LAD territory). Furthermore, the likelihood of functional recovery was better predicted by ECV than by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) (AUC: 0.76 versus 0.68, P < 0.02). CONCLUSION: Myocardial ECV may be a useful surrogate to assess myocardial injury and angiographic collateral flow in CTO, and ECV provides incremental value to LGE in assessing functional recovery after revascularization. J. MAGN. RESON. IMAGING 2016;44:972-982.

Rapid predictors for the occurrence of reduced left ventricular ejection fraction between LAD and non-LAD related ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUNDS: Reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), which implies the occurrence of cardiac dysfunction, impacts cardiac prognosis, even after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This study was designed to clarify the difference of clinical and angiographic predictors for reduced LVEF in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients with left anterior descending artery (LAD) or non-LAD vessel as culprit artery. METHODS: This was a retrospective study to review a total of 553 patients of STEMI underwent primary PCI in our hospital. All patients underwent echocardiography. Univariate analysis, multivariate analysis and classification and regression tree (CART) were performed between LAD related AMI and non-LAD related STEMI. The primary outcome was the occurrence of reduced LVEF 4-6 days after PCI. RESULTS: In this study, culprit arteries of STEMI were 315 in LAD system (6 in left main artery, 309 in LAD) and 238 in non-LAD system (63 in left circumflex and 175 in right coronary artery). Compared with non-LAD group, post-MI LVEF was significantly reduced in LAD related STEMI group (52.4 ± 9.3% vs. 57.1 ± 7.8%, P < 0.01). Multivariate analysis indicated that elder (>65 years), time to hospital and proximal occlusion were associated with reduced LVEF (<55%) in LAD related STEMI patients. However, in non-LAD patients, time to hospital, multivessel stenosis and post-PCI blood pressure predicted the occurrence of reduced LVEF. Furthermore, CART analysis also obtained similar findings. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with LAD or non-LAD related STEMI could suffer reduced LVEF, while the clinical and angiographic predictors for the occurrence were different.

The influence of aortic valve calcification on the risk of periprocedural myocardial injury after elective coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Aortic valve calcification (AVC) is a common progressive condition that involves several inflammatory and atherosclerotic mediators. However, it is unclear whether the occurrence of periprocedural myocardial injury (PMI) after elective coronary intervention is associated with AVC in stable coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. METHODS: A total of 530 stable CAD patients who underwent elective coronary intervention were enrolled in this clinical study. High sensitive cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) was detected before and after the procedure. PMI was defined as hs-cTnT after coronary intervention higher than 99th percentile upper reference limit (URL). All patients underwent echocardiography to detect the occurrence of AVC. Univariate and multivariate analyses were applied to analyze risk factors of PMI. RESULTS: A total of 210 patients (39.6 %) were diagnosed with PMI after elective coronary intervention. Compared with non-AVC patients (n = 386), AVC patients (n = 144) had higher rate of PMI (64.6 vs. 30.3 %, P < 0.01). CAD patients with AVC had higher Gensini score (39.9 ± 26.6 vs. 34.2 ± 22.1, P < 0.05) and more number of implanted stents (1.7 ± 0.8 vs. 1.5 ± 0.7, P < 0.05). After stratification by classic risk factors of CAD (such as age, male gender and diabetes) in subgroup analyses, we found that AVC patients had increased risk of PMI compared with non-AVC patients. Importantly, even after being adjusted by multivariate analysis, AVC still independently increased the risk of PMI (OR = 3.329, 95 % CI = 2.087-5.308, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: AVC significantly increased the risk of PMI after elective coronary intervention. It could be one of the independent predictors for PMI in stable CAD patients.

TNF-α-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis contributes to cardiac dysfunction after coronary microembolization in mini-pigs.

This experimental study was designed to clarify the relationship between cardiomyocyte apoptosis and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) expression, and confirm the effect of TNF-α on cardiac dysfunction after coronary microembolization (CME) in mini-pigs. Nineteen mini-pigs were divided into three groups: sham-operation group (n = 5), CME group (n = 7) and adalimumab pre-treatment group (n = 7; TNF-α antibody, 2 mg/kg intracoronary injection before CME). Magnetic resonance imaging (3.0-T) was performed at baseline, 6th hour and 1 week after procedure. Cardiomyocyte apoptosis was detected by cardiac-TUNEL staining, and caspase-3 and caspase-8 were detected by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, serum TNF-α, IL-6 and troponin T were analysed, while myocardial expressions of TNF-α and IL-6 were detected. Both TNF-α expression (serum level and myocardial expression) and average number of apoptotic cardiomyocyte nuclei were significantly increased in CME group compared with the sham-operation group. Six hours after CME, left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) was increased and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was decreased in CME group. Pre-treatment with adalimumab not only significantly improved LVEF after CME (6th hour: 54.9 ± 2.3% versus 50.4 ± 3.9%, P = 0.036; 1 week: 56.7 ± 4.2% versus 52.7 ± 2.9%, P = 0.041), but also suppressed cardiomyocyte apoptosis and the expression of caspase-3 and caspase-8. Meanwhile, the average number of apoptotic cardiomyocytes nuclei was inversely correlated with LVEF (r = -0.535, P = 0.022). TNF-α-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis is likely involved in cardiac dysfunction after CME. TNF-α antibody therapy suppresses cardiomyocyte apoptosis and improves early cardiac function after CME.

Virtual reality-based cognitive-behavioural therapy for the treatment of anxiety in patients with acute myocardial infarction: a randomised clinical trial.

Background: The presence of mental health conditions is pervasive in patients who experienced acute myocardial infarction (AMI), significantly disrupting their recovery. Providing timely and easily accessible psychological interventions using virtual reality-based cognitive-behavioural therapy (VR-CBT) could potentially improve both acute and long-term symptoms affecting their mental health. Aims: We aim to examine the effectiveness of VR-CBT on anxiety symptoms in patients with AMI who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) during the acute stage of their illness. Methods: In this single-blind randomised clinical trial, participants with anxiety symptoms who were admitted to the ICU due to AMI were continuously recruited from December 2022 to February 2023. Patients who were Han Chinese aged 18-75 years were randomly assigned (1:1) via block randomisation to either the VR-CBT group to receive VR-CBT in addition to standard mental health support, or the control group to receive standard mental health support only. VR-CBT consisted of four modules and was delivered at the bedside over a 1-week period. Assessments were done at baseline, immediately after treatment and at 3-month follow-up. The intention-to-treat analysis began in June 2023. The primary outcome measure was the changes in anxiety symptoms as assessed by the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A). Results: Among 148 randomised participants, 70 were assigned to the VR-CBT group and 78 to the control group. The 1-week VR-CBT intervention plus standard mental health support significantly reduced the anxiety symptoms compared with standard mental health support alone in terms of HAM-A scores at both post intervention (Cohen's d=-1.27 (95% confidence interval (CI): -1.64 to -0.90, p<0.001) and 3-month follow-up (Cohen's d=-0.37 (95% CI: -0.72 to -0.01, p=0.024). Of the 70 participants who received VR-CBT, 62 (88.6%) completed the entire intervention. Cybersickness was the main reported adverse event (n=5). Conclusions: Our results indicate that VR-CBT can significantly reduce post-AMI anxiety at the acute stage of the illness; the improvement was maintained at the 3-month follow-up. Trial registration number: The trial was registered at www.chictr.org.cn with the identifier: ChiCTR2200066435.

[Intravascular ultrasound assessment of chitosan/heparin layer-by-layer self assembly coating stent on late stent malapposition and vessel remodeling in porcine model].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate late stent malapposition or vessel remodeling post chitosan/heparin layer-by-layer self assembly coating stent (LBL) implantation in porcine. METHODS: A total of 32 stents [bare metal stent (BMS, n = 9), sirolimus-eluting stent (SES, n = 11) and LBL (n = 12)] were implanted into coronary arteries of 16 porcine. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) was performed immediately after stenting and at 1 month after stenting to measure vessel area (VA), stent area (SA) and lumen area (LA). Neointima area (NA) was measured at 1 month post stenting by IVUS to detect signs of stent malapposition and to determine remodeling index (RI). Histopathology was performed at 1 month post stenting to observe vessel wall structure and stent malapposition status. RESULTS: No sign of stent malapposition was detected, VA and SA/LA were similar among groups immediately after stent implantation. At 1 month follow-up, none of three groups showed stent malapposition. VA, SA, NA and LA were (7.30 ± 0.77), (6.83 ± 0.76), (1.40 ± 0.96) and (5.43 ± 0.88) mm(2) in LBL group, (7.13 ± 0.69), (6.63 ± 0.71), (0.28 ± 0.35) and (6.34 ± 0.89) mm(2) in SES group, (7.48 ± 0.70), (7.00 ± 0.52), (2.69 ± 1.58) and (4.31 ± 1.28) mm(2) in BMS group. VA and SA were similar among groups (all P > 0.05). LA in LBL group was smaller than SES group (P < 0.01) and significantly larger than in BMS group (P < 0.05).NA in LBL group was larger than SES group (P < 0.01) and significantly smaller than in BMS group (P < 0.05).RI in LBL, SES and BMS groups was 0.95 ± 0.07, 1.02 ± 0.04 and 0.98 ± 0.04 (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There is no late stent malapposition or abnormal remodeling post LBL, SES and BMS implantation up to 1 month in this porcine model. LA in LBL group is smaller than SES group and larger than BMS group at 1 month after implantation in this porcine model.

[Clinical and angiographic outcomes of coronary drug-eluting stenting in treating vasospastic angina patients with severe organic stenosis].

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

Role of collateral flow in infarct border zone extent and contractile function in patients with chronic coronary total occlusion.

PURPOSE: There is a paucity of data regarding the border zone parameters in patients with chronic coronary total occlusion (CTO). We investigated the border zone extent and contractile function and their associations with collateral flow. METHODS: CTO patients (n = 47) and sex- and age-matched volunteers (n = 15) were prospectively enrolled and underwent cardiac MRI examinations to acquire cine and late-gadolinium enhancement (LGE) images. Myocardial peak strain (PS) and the time to PS were determined at the segmental level and global level. Infarct, border zone, adjacent, and remote regions were defined according to the transmural extent of infarction (TEI) by LGE at each segment. Angiographic collateral flow was evaluated using the Rentrop grading system. RESULTS: CTO patients with well-developed collateral flow had a higher TEI in border zone regions compared to patients with poorly developed collateral flow (p = 0.02). Conversely, CTO patients with poorly developed collaterals showed a higher TEI in infarct regions (p < 0.01). Enhanced border function, characterized by greater PS and earlier time to PS, was noted in well-developed collaterals (all p < 0.05). In the multivariate linear analyses, the level of collateral flow was an independent predictor of the border zone extent (ß = 0.40, p = 0.02) and contractile function (radial: ß = -0.42, p = 0.02; circumferential: ß = 0.39, p = 0.02; and longitudinal: ß = 0.47, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In CTO patients, the presence of well-developed collateral flow was closely linked to a greater extent of LGE and contractile function in border zone regions. Our findings shed light on the cardiac MRI-based pathophysiological underpinning in border zone regions, which could offer complementary and prognostic information in clinical practice.

Prevalence and severity of coronary artery disease in diabetic patients with aortic valve calcification.

OBJECTIVE: Aortic valve calcification (AVC) is common in the elderly and associated with increased cardiovascular mortality, while diabetes is one of the confirmed risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence and severity of CAD in type-2 diabetic patients with AVC. METHODS: From June to December in 2007, a total of 325 consecutive patients with chest pain or chest distress were admitted for coronary angiography. The severity of CAD was evaluated by the Gensini score and the number of stenosed vessels. All patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography for detecting AVC. RESULTS: Compared with the patients without diabetes (n = 221), the type-2 diabetic patients (n = 104) had a similar prevalence of CAD (66.5% vs. 72.1%, P = 0.312). Further classified by the presence of AVC, patients with AVC had a higher prevalence of CAD, average Gensini score and the number of stenosed vessels, both in the group with and without diabetes. It was also demonstrated that the odds ratio (OR) of AVC for CAD in the diabetic patients was higher than in the non-diabetic ones (3.405 vs 2.515) after chi-square analysis (single-variable). However, at multivariable logistic regression analysis for CAD, the OR of AVC was 3.757 (P = 0.03) in diabetic group, while it did not achieve statistical significance in the non-diabetic group (OR = 2.130, P= 0.074). CONCLUSIONS: Type-2 diabetic patients with AVC had a higher prevalence of and more severe CAD.

[Imaging feature of computed tomography angiography in patients with coronary artery fistulas].

OBJECTIVE: To analyzed the computed tomography angiography (CTA) features of the coronary artery fistulas. METHODS: Sixty-six coronary artery fistulas were diagnosed out of 12 717 patients underwent the coronary artery multiple detector CTA examination. The origin and drainage site of the coronary artery fistulas and the plaque and stenosis of the coronary artery were observed by post-processing analysis on various images. Coronary artery angiography was performed in 14 out of 66 coronary artery fistulas patients. RESULTS: Coronary artery fistulas arose from bilateral coronary artery system in 21 cases, from left coronary artery in 26 cases and from right coronary artery in 19 cases. The majority of coronary artery fistulas entered into pulmonary artery (41 cases). The rest drainage sites included left atrium (10 cases), right atrium (8 cases), left ventricle (4 cases), coronary sinus (2 cases) and right ventricle (1 case). The findings of CTA and coronary artery angiography were consistent in 14 patients with DSA examination. Coronary artery plagues were evidenced in 31 cases and stenosis was greater than 50% in 7 coronary artery fistulas patients. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple coronary artery fistulas are not rare, and pulmonary artery is the most frequent drainage site. When suspecting the coronary artery fistulas, coronary artery CTA can be the first choice of diagnose. CTA can supply adequate information for therapy.

[Determinants of success percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with chronic total coronary artery occlusion].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the in-hospital outcome and determinants relating to success rate of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for patients with chronic total occlusion (CTO) using contemporary techniques. METHODS: A total of 1485 patients with total occluded coronary artery were identified from January 2004 to December 2008 in Zhongshan hospital. Of them, 638 patients were affirmed as CTO and 447 patients underwent PCI. The clinical data and the in-hospital outcome of patients underwent PCI were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Procedure success was achieved in 382 patients (85.5%). Coronary perforation (C-F type dissection or coronary perforation) occurred in 27 patients (6.0%), cardiac tamponade developed in 6 out of the 27 patients, 2 patients (0.4%) received in-hospital repeat revascularization. Two patients (0.4%) died post PCI: one died of acute stent thrombosis and the other one died of refractory heart and respiratory failure.Compared with patients of successful recanalization, patients failure to recanalization were more aged [(62.9 ± 10.4)years vs. (65.9 ± 9.9) years, P < 0.05] and excessive tortuosity (16.2% vs. 38.5%, P < 0.01), absence stump (47.1% vs. 80.0%, P < 0.01) and excessive calcification (36.9% vs. 72.3%, P < 0.01) were more common. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that excessive calcification (OR: 3.866, P < 0.01), absence stump (OR: 3.346, P < 0.05) and excessive tortuosity (OR: 3.055, P < 0.01) were independent predictors for the procedural failure. CONCLUSIONS: PCI for patients with CTO is safe and effective. Apart from progress on the equipment development, procedural success rates are closely related with the clinical and angiographic features of CTO.

[Clinical and angiographic characteristics of patients with slow coronary flow].

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

[Effects of intracoronary administration of nitroglycerin and verapamil for treatment of coronary slow flow phenomenon].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of intracoronary nitroglycerin and verapamil for patients with the coronary slow flow phenomenon (CSFP). METHODS: Sixty-four patients with CSFP without stenotic lesions during diagnostic coronary angiography were enrolled and divided into the nitroglycerin group (n = 35) and verapamil group (n = 29), 29 patients with normal coronary flow served as normal control. CSFP was defined when 4 or more heart beats were needed for contrast media to opacify the distal vasculature. Intracoronary injection of 100 - 400 microg nitroglycerin or verapamil through the diagnostic catheter was applied to patients with CSFP to improve coronary flow. The coronary blood flow was evaluated by thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) frame count (TFC) method. RESULTS: Clinical characteristics were similar among the three groups. The basic TFCs of left anterior descending artery (LAD), left circumflex artery (LCX) and right coronary artery (RCA) were 78.3 +/- 19.4, 57.2 +/- 14.6, 56.9 +/- 12.5 in the verapamil group, and were 70.8 +/- 21.7, 55.3 +/- 12.5, 51.1 +/- 15.4 in the nitroglycerin group, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the normal controls (LAD 29.2 +/- 4.4, LCX 23.1 +/- 3.5 and RCA 19.7 +/- 1.8, respectively). After the administration of drugs, the TFCs of LAD, LCX and RCA were 42.3 +/- 8.9, 36.7 +/- 6.8, 30.3 +/- 5.9 respectively (all P < 0.01 vs. baseline) in the nitroglycerin group and 37.7 +/- 9.3, 31.5 +/- 11.3, 24.6 +/- 4.4 respectively (all P < 0.01 vs. baseline) in the verapamil group. The TFCs after drug administration in both therapy groups were significantly higher than that in normal controls (all P < 0.05). The TFCs decrease in the verapamil group were more significant than that in the nitroglycerin group (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Intracoronary administration of verapamil could result in more coronary flow improvement in patients with CSFP than nitroglycerin, although the post therapy coronary flow was still slower than normal.

[Changes of circulating endothelial progenitor cells in patients with coronary heart diseases before and after percutaneous coronary intervention].

OBJECTIVE: To compare circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) number between normal controls and patients with coronary heart diseases (CHD), and to explore the influence of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on the number of EPCs in patients with CHD. METHODS: A total of 48 hospitalized patients with CHD were enrolled and divided into three groups, including stable angina pectoris (SAP) group, unstable angina pectoris (UA) group, acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) group. Patients with normal coronary angiography served as controls. The percentage of EPCs in peripheral blood nucleated cells was measured at admission and immediately after and 24 hours after PCI in CHD patients by double-color flow cytometry analysis. EPCs were identified with CD133(+)/VEGFR-2(+). RESULTS: At admission, the percentage of EPCs in peripheral blood nucleated cells was significantly lower in SAP group (0.043% +/- 0.043%), UA group (0.014% +/- 0.018%) and STEMI group (0.040% +/- 0.036%)than that in the control group (0.111% +/- 0.078%, all P < 0.01). The number of EPCs in UA group was significantly lower than that in the SAP group (P < 0.05). In the UA group, the number of EPCs at 24 hours after PCI (0.054% +/- 0.045%) was significantly higher than before operation (0.014% +/- 0.018%, P < 0.01) and tended to be higher than the value immediately after PCI (0.028% +/- 0.041%, P > 0.05). The before and after PCI EPCs numbers were similar in SAP and STEMI groups (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The number of peripheral EPCs in patients with CHD is lower than that in normal subjects and negatively related with severity of coronary heart disease. The number of circulating EPCs increased post PCI in patients with unstable angina pectoris.

[Virtual histology intravascular ultrasound assessment of coronary atherosclerotic plaques in diabetic patients].

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

An unexpected electrocardiogram sign of subacute left ventricular free wall rupture: Its early awareness may be lifesaving.

BACKGROUND: Post-infarct left ventricular free wall rupture (LVFWR) is not always an immediately catastrophic complication. The rupture can be subacute, allowing time for diagnosis and intervention. Accordingly, early recognition of the entity may be lifesaving. METHODS: We present an electrocardiogram (ECG) change pattern in two cases, which was erroneously attributed to ischemia. Two women in their 80s were admitted to our institute after experiencing the sudden onset of chest pain. They were managed as anterior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction without reperfusion treatment. Unfortunately, they experienced a recurrence of severe chest pain with cardiogenic shock during hospitalisation. The ECG recorded at that time showed a ST-segment re-elevation in infract-related leads. RESULTS: The two cases were regrettably received a misjudgement of reinfarction at first, and one of the patients even was administrated with tirofiban. Afterwards the diagnosis of subacute LVFWR was made through antemortem echocardiography. CONCLUSION: New ST-segment elevation (STE) in infarct-associated leads, coupled with recurrence of chest pain and new-onset hypotension, may constitute the premonitory signs of a subacute LVFWR.

[Intravascular ultrasound assessment of sirolimus-eluting stent restenosis or thrombosis after stent implantation].

OBJECTIVE: To identify underlying mechanical risk factors of that developed in-stent restenosis (ISR) or early stent thrombosis in sirolimus-eluting stent (SES)-treated lesions using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). METHODS: IVUS were performed in 60 (ISR, n = 43; early stent thrombosis, n = 17) patients (event group) and in 34 patients without ISR and early stent thrombosis (no-event group) underwent SES implantations. RESULTS: Compared with the no-event group, minimum stent area [MSA, (4.6 +/- 1.6) mm(2) vs. (5.8 +/- 1.6) mm(2), P < 0.01], minimum stent diameter [(2.2 +/- 0.5) mm vs. (2.5 +/- 0.4) mm, P < 0.01], and stent expansion [(69.2 +/- 20.7)% vs. (80.6 +/- 17.2)%, P < 0.01] were significantly smaller, and longitudinal stent symmetry index (MSA/maximum stent area, 2.0 +/- 0.6 vs. 1.7 +/- 0.6, P < 0.05) was significantly larger in the event group. Incidence of MSA < 4.0 mm(2) (43.3% vs. 14.7%, P < 0.01) and stent expansion < 60% (40.7% vs. 11.8%, P < 0.01) were more frequent in the event group than that in no-event group. Furthermore, proximal residual plaque burden was significantly higher compared to the no-event group [(49.0 +/- 15.5)% vs. (38.4 +/- 17.6)%, P < 0.01]. Independent predictors of post SES ISR or early thrombosis were MSA (OR:0.7, 95%CI:0.5 - 0.8, P < 0.01) and proximal residual plaque burden (OR: 280.7, 95%CI: 17.2 - 40 583.6, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Smaller MSA and higher proximal residual plaque burden are independent predictors of ISR or early thrombosis post SES implantations.