In-vivo, cardiac-cycle related intimal displacement of coronary plaques assessed by 3-D ECG-gated intravascular ultrasound: Exploring its correlate with tissue deformability identified by palpography

Background: ECG-gated image acquisition of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) has been shown to provide more accurate measurements at different phases of the cardiac cycle. Objective: We sought to explore the ability dynamic assessment of ECG-gated 3-D IVUS to identify deformable regions of coronary plaques, by testing the hypothesis that at a given pressure and region, a faster displacement of the intima would correspond to high strain (soft tissue) regions assessed by palpography. Methods: ECG-gated 3-D IVUS and palpograms were acquired using 30 and 20 MHz IVUS imaging catheters respectively. Frames with high and/or low strain spots identified by palpography were randomly selected and the spots were assigned to a respective quadrant within the cross section. A color-blinded side-by-side view was performed to enable the co-localization of the same region. Subsequently, the pressure driven displacement of the intima was established for each quadrant and a binary score (significant displacement or no displacement) was decided. Results: One hundred and twenty-four quadrants were studied and the prevalence of highly deformable quadrants was low (n=7, 5.6% of the total). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 3-D ECG-gated IVUS to detect deformable quadrants as assessed by palpography were 42.9, 87.2, 16.7, and 96.2% respectively. Conclusion: In this pilot in vivo study, the intimal displacement velocity in the radial direction assessed by gray-scale 3-D ECG-gated IVUS failed to correlate with highly deformable regions. However, these preliminary findings suggest that the absence of significant displacement of the intima might be accurate to predict the absence of deformable tissue

Reproducibility of computed tomography angiography data analysis using semiautomated plaque quantification software: Implications for the design of longitudinal studies

Reproducibility of the quantitative assessment of atherosclerosis by computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) is paramount for the design of longitudinal studies. The purpose of this study was to assess the inter- and intra-observer reproducibility using semiautomated CT plaque analysis software in symptomatic individuals. CTCA was performed in 10 symptomatic patients after percutaneous treatment of the culprit lesions and was repeated after 3 years. The plaque quantitative analysis was performed in untreated vessels with mild-tomoderate atherosclerosis and included geometrical and compositional characteristics using semiautomated CT plaque analysis software. A total of 945 matched crosssections from 21 segments were analyzed independently by a second reviewer to assess inter-observer variability; the first observer repeated all the analyses after 3 months to assess intra-observer variability. The observer variability was also compared to the absolute plaque changes detected over time. Agreement was evaluated by Bland-Altman analysis and co

Reproducibility of intravascular ultrasound radiofrequency data analysis: Implications for the design of longitudinal studies

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess in vivo the reproducibility of tissue characterization using spectral analysis of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) radiofrequency data (IVUS-VH). Background: Despite the need for reproducibility data to design longitudinal studies, such information remains unexplored. Methods and results: IVUS-VH (Volcano Corp., Rancho Cordova, USA) was performed in patients referred for elective percutaneous intervention and in whom a non-intervened vessel was judged suitable for a safe IVUS interrogation. The IVUS catheters used were commercially available catheters (20 MHz, Volcano Corp., Rancho Cordova, USA). Following IVUS-VH acquisition, and after the disengagement and re-engagement of the guiding catheter, an additional acquisition was performed using a new IVUS catheter. Fifteen patients with 16 non-significant lesions were assessed by 2 independent observers. The relative inter-catheter differences regarding geometrical measurements were negligible for both observers. The inter-catheter relative difference in plaque cross-sectional area (CSA) was 3.2% for observer 1 and 0.5% for observer 2. The limits of agreement for (observer 1 measurements) lumen, vessel, plaque and plaque burden measurements were 0.82, -1.10 mm 2;0.80, -0.66 mm2;1.08, -0.66 mm2; and 5.83, -3.89%; respectively. Limits of agreement for calcium, fibrous, fibrolipidic and necrotic core CSA measurements were 0.22, -0.25 mm2;1.02, -0.71 mm2;0.61, -0.65 mm2; and 0.43, -0.38 mm2 respectively. Regarding the inter-observer agreement, the limits of agreement for lumen, vessel, plaque and plaque burden measurements were 2.61, -2.09 mm2;2.20-3.03 mm2;1.70, -3.04 mm2; and 9.16, -16.41%; respectively, and for calcium, fibrous, fibrolipidic and necrotic core measurements of 0.08, -0.09 mm2;0.89, -1.28 mm2;0.74, -1.06 mm2; and 0.16, -0.20 mm2; respectively. Conclusions: The present study demonstrates that the geometrical and compositional output of IVUS-VH is acceptably reproducible

EFFECT OF PERINDOPRIL ON CORONARY REMODELLING: INSIGHTS FROM A MULTICENTRE, RANDOMIZED STUDY.

Aims This study sought to evaluate the effect of perindopril in coronary remodelling. Methods and results In this sub-study of a double-blind, multicentre trial, patients without clinical evidence of heart failure were randomized to perindopril 8 mg/day or placebo for at least 3 years and IVUS investigation was performed at both time-points. Positive and negative remodelling were defined as a relative increase (positive remodelling) or decrease (negative remodelling) of the mean vessel crosssectional area (CSA) .2 SD of the mean intra-observer difference. A total of 118 matched evaluable IVUS (711 matched 5 mm segments) were available at follow-up. After a median follow-up of 3.0 (inter-quartile range 1.9, 4.1) years, there was no significant difference in the change of plaque CSA between perindopril (360 segments) and placebo (351 segments) groups, P ¼ 0.27. Conversely, the change in vessel CSA was significantly different between groups (perindopril 20.18+2.4 mm2 vs. placebo 0.19+2.4, P ¼ 0.04). Negative remodelling occurred more frequently in the perindopril than in the placebo group (34 vs. 25%, P ¼ 0.01). In addition, the placebo group showed a larger, although not significant, mean remodelling index (RI) than the perindopril group (1.03+0.2 vs. 1.00+0.2, P ¼ 0.06). The temporal change in vessel dimensions assessed by the RI was significantly correlated with the change in plaque dimensions (r ¼ 0.48, P , 0.0001). Conclusion In this sub-analysis of a multicentre, controlled study, long-term administration of perindopril was associated with a constrictive remodelling pattern without affecting the lumen

The effect of coronary bifurcation and haemodynamics in prediction of atherosclerotic plaque development: a serial computed tomographic coronary angiographic study

Cardiovascular Aspects of Radiolog

Transcription profiling by array of skeletal muscle in TypeII diabetes patients

Skeletal muscle mitochondrial dysfunction is secondary to T2DM and can be improved by long-term regular exercise training Mitochondrial dysfunction has long been implicated to play a causative role in development of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, a growing number of recent studies provide data that mitochondrial dysfunction is a consequence of T2DM development. The aim of our study is to clarify in further detail the causal role of mitochondrial dysfunction in T2DM by a comprehensive ex vivo analysis of mitochondrial function combined with global gene expression analysis in muscle of pre-diabetic newly diagnosed untreated T2DM subjects and long-standing insulin treated T2DM subjects compared with age- and BMI-matched controls. In addition, we assessed the impact of long-term interval exercise training on physical activity performance, mitochondrial function and glycemic control in long-standing insulin-treated T2DM subjects. Ex vivo mitochondrial density, quality and functioning was comparable between pre-diabetic subjects and matched controls, however, gene expression analysis showed a switch from carbohydrate toward lipids as energy source in pre-diabetes subjects. In contrast, long-term insulin treated T2DM subjects had slightly decreased mitochondrial density and ex vivo function. Expression of Krebs cycle and OXPHOS related genes were decreased, indicating a decreased capacity to use lipids as an energy source. The insulin-treated T2DM subjects had a lower physical activity level than pre-diabetic and normoglycemic subjects. A 52 weeks exercise training of these subjects increased submaximal oxidative efficiency, increased in vivo PCr recovery rate, as well as mildly increased in vitro mitochondrial function. Gene expression of β-oxidation, Krebs cycle and OXPHOS-related genes was increased. Our data demonstrate that mitochondrial dysfunction is rather a consequence than a causative factor in T2DM development as it was only detected in overt diabetes and not in early diabetes. Regular exercise training stabilized exogenous insulin requirement and improved mitochondrial functioning, fatty acid oxidation and general physical work load capacity in long-standing insulin-treated T2DM subjects. As such, the present study shows for the first time that long-term exercise interventions are beneficial in this group of complex diabetes patient and may prevent further metabolic deterioration. Insulin-treated T2DM subjects before and after 52 weeks of exercise training (T2DM_0 and T2DM_52), normoglycemic controls (NGT) and pre-diabetes subjects (IGT) and were selected. RNA was extracted from skeletal muscle biopsies and hybridized on Affymetrix microarrays

Transcription profiling by array of skeletal muscle in TypeII diabetes patients

Skeletal muscle mitochondrial dysfunction is secondary to T2DM and can be improved by long-term regular exercise training Mitochondrial dysfunction has long been implicated to play a causative role in development of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, a growing number of recent studies provide data that mitochondrial dysfunction is a consequence of T2DM development. The aim of our study is to clarify in further detail the causal role of mitochondrial dysfunction in T2DM by a comprehensive ex vivo analysis of mitochondrial function combined with global gene expression analysis in muscle of pre-diabetic newly diagnosed untreated T2DM subjects and long-standing insulin treated T2DM subjects compared with age- and BMI-matched controls. In addition, we assessed the impact of long-term interval exercise training on physical activity performance, mitochondrial function and glycemic control in long-standing insulin-treated T2DM subjects. Ex vivo mitochondrial density, quality and functioning was comparable between pre-diabetic subjects and matched controls, however, gene expression analysis showed a switch from carbohydrate toward lipids as energy source in pre-diabetes subjects. In contrast, long-term insulin treated T2DM subjects had slightly decreased mitochondrial density and ex vivo function. Expression of Krebs cycle and OXPHOS related genes were decreased, indicating a decreased capacity to use lipids as an energy source. The insulin-treated T2DM subjects had a lower physical activity level than pre-diabetic and normoglycemic subjects. A 52 weeks exercise training of these subjects increased submaximal oxidative efficiency, increased in vivo PCr recovery rate, as well as mildly increased in vitro mitochondrial function. Gene expression of β-oxidation, Krebs cycle and OXPHOS-related genes was increased. Our data demonstrate that mitochondrial dysfunction is rather a consequence than a causative factor in T2DM development as it was only detected in overt diabetes and not in early diabetes. Regular exercise training stabilized exogenous insulin requirement and improved mitochondrial functioning, fatty acid oxidation and general physical work load capacity in long-standing insulin-treated T2DM subjects. As such, the present study shows for the first time that long-term exercise interventions are beneficial in this group of complex diabetes patient and may prevent further metabolic deterioration. Insulin-treated T2DM subjects before and after 52 weeks of exercise training (T2DM_0 and T2DM_52), normoglycemic controls (NGT) and pre-diabetes subjects (IGT) and were selected. RNA was extracted from skeletal muscle biopsies and hybridized on Affymetrix microarrays

In vivo imaging of cerebral glucose metabolism informs on subacute to chronic post-stroke tissue status - A pilot study combining PET and deuterium metabolic imaging.

Recanalization therapy after acute ischemic stroke enables restoration of cerebral perfusion. However, a significant subset of patients has poor outcome, which may be caused by disruption of cerebral energy metabolism. To assess changes in glucose metabolism subacutely and chronically after recanalization, we applied two complementary imaging techniques, fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and deuterium ((2)H) metabolic imaging (DMI), after 60-minute transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) in C57BL/6 mice. Glucose uptake, measured with FDG PET, was reduced at 48 hours after tMCAO and returned to baseline value after 11 days. DMI revealed effective glucose supply as well as elevated lactate production and reduced glutamate/glutamine synthesis in the lesion area at 48 hours post-tMCAO, of which the extent was dependent on stroke severity. A further decrease in oxidative metabolism was evident after 11 days. Immunohistochemistry revealed significant glial activation in and around the lesion, which may play a role in the observed metabolic profiles. Our findings indicate that imaging (altered) active glucose metabolism in and around reperfused stroke lesions can provide substantial information on (secondary) pathophysiological changes in post-ischemic brain tissue