Cardiopoietic cell therapy for advanced ischemic heart failure: results at 39 weeks of the prospective, randomized, double blind, sham-controlled CHART-1 clinical trial

Cardiopoietic cells, produced through cardiogenic conditioning of patients' mesenchymal stem cells, have shown preliminary efficacy. The Congestive Heart Failure Cardiopoietic Regenerative Therapy (CHART-1) trial aimed to validate cardiopoiesis-based biotherapy in a larger heart failure cohort

Towards low-temperature deposition of piezoelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O3: Influence of pressure and temperature on the properties of pulsed laser deposited Pb(Zr,Ti)O3

Control of the structural and electrical properties of piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate (Pb(Zrx,Ti1−x)O3 -PZT) thin films is a prerequisite for successful implementation of PZT in sensor and actuator devices in microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS). In this work, 900 nm thick PZT thin films are grown on platinized silicon wafers by pulsed laser deposition. The influence of deposition pressure and temperature on structural properties as well as on dielectric and piezoelectric properties is investigated. It is observed that PZT thin films which possess a columnar microstructure with smooth grain boundaries, e.g. deposited at low temperature and low pressure or at high temperature and high pressure, also have high lead content. These PZT thin films exhibit higher dielectric permittivity 4r and transverse piezoelectric coefficient e31,f than films with coarse grain boundaries. We show that an e31,f of (−12.5±0.7) C/m2 can be obtained for PZT Deposition temperatures as low as 445 ◦C which can be sufficient for deposition of PZT thin films on complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) wafers for MEMS actuator applications. These results provide a better understanding of the growth of PZT via pulsed laser deposition and a route to low temperature, i.e. post-CMOS, deposition of piezoelectric PZT thin films

Incremental Value of Adenosine-induced Stress Myocardial Perfusion Imaging with Dual-Source CT at Cardiac CT Angiography1

A combined dual-source CT protocol for assessment of myocardial perfusion and coronary anatomy is feasible, with acceptable contrast material and radiation doses; moreover, the addition of myocardial stress perfusion CT improves the diagnostic accuracy of cardiac CT angiography and enables simultaneous assessment of anatomy and perfusion in a single examination

Adenosine-Induced Stress Myocardial Perfusion Imaging Using Dual-Source Cardiac Computed Tomography

ObjectivesThis study sought to determine the feasibility of performing a comprehensive cardiac computed tomographic (CT) examination incorporating stress and rest myocardial perfusion imaging together with coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA).BackgroundAlthough cardiac CT can identify coronary stenosis, very little data exist on the ability to detect stress-induced myocardial perfusion defects in humans.MethodsThirty-four patients who had a nuclear stress test and invasive angiography were included in the study. Dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) was performed as follows: 1) stress CT: contrast-enhanced scan during adenosine infusion; 2) rest CT: contrast-enhanced scan using prospective triggering; and 3) delayed scan: acquired 7 min after rest CT. Images for CTA, computed tomography perfusion (CTP), and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) were each read by 2 independent blinded readers.ResultsThe DSCT protocol was successfully completed for 33 of 34 subjects (average age 61.4 ± 10.7 years; 82% male; body mass index 30.4 ± 5 kg/m2) with an average radiation dose of 12.7 mSv. On a per-vessel basis, CTP alone had a sensitivity of 79% and a specificity of 80% for the detection of stenosis ≥50%, whereas SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging had a sensitivity of 67% and a specificity of 83%. For the detection of vessels with ≥50% stenosis with a corresponding SPECT perfusion abnormality, CTP had a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 74%. The CTA during adenosine infusion had a per-vessel sensitivity of 96%, specificity of 73%, and negative predictive value of 98% for the detection of stenosis ≥70%.ConclusionsAdenosine stress CT can identify stress-induced myocardial perfusion defects with diagnostic accuracy comparable to SPECT, with similar radiation dose and with the advantage of providing information on coronary stenosis