Acute Coronary Syndrome Management in Cancer Patients.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Coronary artery disease and cancer often co-exist. Patients with cancer have been excluded by most major cardiology trials and registries and their management remains largely empiric. Cancer patients experience an approximately 10-times increased mortality compared to the general population. Conservative therapy of ACS in cancer therapy results in 1-year mortality of 74%. This review article aims to describe the mechanisms of acute coronary syndromes in cancer patients, their clinical presentation, and their management. RECENT FINDINGS: Newer studies have shed light on the mechanisms of ACS in cancer patients, which are different and related to the type of malignancy and its associated therapy. Medication-specific coronary effects (vasospasm, endothelial dysfunction, spontaneous thrombosis, accelerated atherosclerosis), radiation vasculitis, cancer cell coronary embolism, and coronary compression from thoracic malignancies are unique ACS mechanisms in cancer patients. Close collaboration between oncologists and cardiologists for thoughtful patient selection and decision making strategies is necessary to provide optimal medical care.

Radiation Toxicity to the Cardiovascular System.

Radiation therapy is an important component of cancer treatment, and today, it is applied to approximately 50% of malignancies, including valvular, myocardial, pericardial, coronary or peripheral vascular disease, and arrhythmias. An increased clinical suspicion and knowledge of those mechanisms is important to initiate appropriate screening for the optimal diagnosis and treatment. As the number of cancer survivors has been steadily increasing over the last decades, cardio-oncology, an evolving subspecialty of cardiology, will soon play a pivotal role in raising awareness of the increased cardiovascular risk and formulate strategies to optimally manage patients in this unique population.

Regional patterning and regulation of melanin pigmentation in insects.

Insects display an immense diversity in melanin pigmentation, which is generated by the interplay between the regulatory genes (that provide general patterning information) and effector genes (that provide coloration of the pattern). However, recent studies encompassing several different orders (Hemiptera, Blattodea, Coleoptera, and Lepidoptera) have shown that knockdowns of melanin producing genes alone can generate distinct region-specific patterns. This review surveys the most recent studies to further document the regional patterning of effector genes, and highlights the new advances and their implications for future research.

Safety and Efficacy of Stent Retrievers for the Management of Acute Ischemic Stroke: Comprehensive Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of stent retriever for the management of acute ischemic stroke. BACKGROUND: Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the most common cause of disability in the United States. Early reperfusion has been associated with favorable outcomes. Stent retrievers are novel endovascular devices that provide vessel recanalization via thrombus retrieval mechanical thrombectomy. METHODS: The authors performed a literature search using PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from May 2005 to May 2015. Randomized controlled trails (RCTs) comparing endovascular therapy (ET) with the use of retrievable stents against standard therapy (ST) for the management of acute stroke were included. RESULTS: Five RCTs (the MR CLEAN, ESCAPE, EXTEND-IA, SWIFT-PRIME, and REVASCAT studies) with 634 patients in the ET group and 653 patients in the ST group met inclusion criteria. The frequency of a low 90-day modified Rankin Score (0 to 2) in the intervention group was 42.6% compared with 26.1% in the control group (odds ratio: 2.43; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.9 to 3.09; p < 0.0001). The frequency of intracranial bleeding was 4.2% in the ET group compared with 4.3% in the ST group (risk ratio: 1.08; 95% CI: 0.64 to 1.82; p = 0.78). 90-day mortality was 15.1% in the ET group compared with 18.7% in the ST group (risk ratio: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.58 to 1.12; p = 0.19). There was no evidence of significant heterogeneity or publication bias for any of the endpoints. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of the results of this meta-analysis of RCTs, ET with stent retrievers appears as a safe and effective therapeutic option for acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion.