Circulating Erythrocyte Microparticles and the Biochemical Extent of Myocardial Injury in ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Objectives: Red blood cell microparticles (RBCm) have potential adverse vascular effects and they have been shown to be elevated in ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The purpose of this study is to investigate their relationship with biochemical infarct size. Methods: RBCm were quantified with flow cytometry in blood drawn from 60 STEMI patients after a primary angioplasty. The creatine kinase-myocardial brain fraction (CK-MB) was measured at predefined time points and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. Results: RBCm count was correlated with CK-MB AUC (Spearman's rho = 0.83, p < 0.001). The CK-MB AUC values per RBCm quartile (lower to upper) were: 3,351 (2,452-3,608), 5,005 (4,450-5,424), 5,903 (4,862-10,594), and 8,406 (6,848-12,782) ng x h/ml, respectively. From lower to upper quartiles, the maximal troponin I values were: 42.2 (23.3-49.3), 49.6 (28.8-54.1), 59.2 (41.4-77.3), and 69.1 (48.0-77.5) ng/ml (p = 0.005). In multivariable analysis, RBCm remained a significant predictor of CK-MB AUC (standardized beta = 0.63, adjusted p = 0.001). Conclusions: Erythrocyte microparticles appear to be related to the total myocardial damage biomarker output. The exact pathophysiologic routes, if any, for this interaction remain to be identified. However, these results suggest that erythrocytes may be a - thus far virtually ignored -player in the pathogenesis of ischemic injury. (C) 2016 S. Karger AG, Base

The EGOIST Overlay Routing System

A foundational issue underlying many overlay network applications ranging from routing to peer-to-peer file sharing is that of connectivity management, i.e., folding new arrivals into an existing overlay, and rewiring to cope with changing network conditions. Previous work has considered the problem from two perspectives: devising practical heuristics for specific applications designed to work well in real deployments, and providing abstractions for the underlying problem that are analytically tractable, especially via game-theoretic analysis. In this paper, we unify these two thrusts by using insights gleaned from novel, realistic theoretic models in the design of Egoist – a distributed overlay routing system that we implemented, deployed, and evaluated on PlanetLab. Using extensive measurements of paths between nodes, we demonstrate that Egoist’s neighbor selection primitives significantly outperform existing heuristics on a variety of performance metrics, including delay, available bandwidth, and node utilization. Moreover, we demonstrate that Egoist is competitive with an optimal, but unscalable full-mesh approach, remains highly effective under significant churn, is robust to cheating, and incurs minimal overhead. Finally, we use a multiplayer peer-to-peer game to demonstrate the value of Egoist to end-user applications

Colchicine in Coronary Artery Disease: An Old Acquaintance in New Attire?

Colchicine has recently gained considerable attention in the field of cardiovascular research, after a number of studies showed that it may be of use in several settings of cardiovascular disease, including chronic coronary artery disease and following stent implantation. Its unique anti-inflammatory mechanism of action makes it safe to use in patients with cardiovascular disease, unlike most - if not all - currently available anti-inflammatory inflammatory agents. While its prophylactic and therapeutic value is well-established in certain conditions involving an acute inflammatory response, e.g. pericarditis, in other conditions, including coronary artery disease and heart failure, which are associated with a chronic low-grade inflammatory state, the evidence regarding its potential use remains sparse. In this concise review, we present key features of this drug and the rationale for colchicine therapy, in the context of acute and chronic coronary artery disease, as well as in ischemic heart failure and critically examine the evidence concerning a possible future role of colchicine treatment in these conditions

The Stem Cell Expression Profile of Odontogenic Tumors and Cysts: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Stem cells have been associated with self-renewing and plasticity and have been investigated in various odontogenic lesions in association with their pathogenesis and biological behavior. We aim to provide a systematic review of stem cell markers’ expression in odontogenic tumors and cysts. Methods: The literature was searched through the MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE via OVID, Web of Science, and CINHAL via EBSCO databases for original studies evaluating stem cell markers’ expression in different odontogenic tumors/cysts, or an odontogenic disease group and a control group. The studies’ risk of bias (RoB) was assessed via a Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tool. Meta-analysis was conducted for markers evaluated in the same pair of odontogenic tumors/cysts in at least two studies. Results: 29 studies reported the expression of stem cell markers, e.g., SOX2, OCT4, NANOG, CD44, ALDH1, BMI1, and CD105, in various odontogenic lesions, through immunohistochemistry/immunofluorescence, polymerase chain reaction, flow cytometry, microarrays, and RNA-sequencing. Low, moderate, and high RoBs were observed in seven, nine, and thirteen studies, respectively. Meta-analysis revealed a remarkable discriminative ability of SOX2 for ameloblastic carcinomas or odontogenic keratocysts over ameloblastomas. Conclusion: Stem cells might be linked to the pathogenesis and clinical behavior of odontogenic pathologies and represent a potential target for future individualized therapies

Calcium Ions in Inherited Cardiomyopathies

Inherited cardiomyopathies are a known cause of heart failure, although the pathways and mechanisms leading from mutation to the heart failure phenotype have not been elucidated. There is strong evidence that this transition is mediated, at least in part, by abnormal intracellular Ca2+ handling, a key ion in ventricular excitation, contraction and relaxation. Studies in human myocytes, animal models and in vitro reconstituted contractile protein complexes have shown consistent correlations between Ca2+ sensitivity and cardiomyopathy phenotype, irrespective of the causal mutation. In this review we present the available data about the connection between mutations linked to familial hypertrophic (HCM), dilated (DCM) and restrictive (RCM) cardiomyopathy, right ventricular arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy/dysplasia (ARVC/D) as well as left ventricular non-compaction and the increase or decrease in Ca2+ sensitivity, together with the results of attempts to reverse the manifestation of heart failure by manipulating Ca2+ homeostasis

Amino-terminal B-natriuretic peptide levels and postablation recurrence in hypertensive patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation

BACKGROUND Amino-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) has been shown to predict postablation recurrences of atrial fibrillation (AF); however, given the associations of natriuretic peptides with various cardiovascular parameters potentially related to AF, whether the observed association with recurrence is truly an independent one is not clear. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this analysis was to assess the association of NT-proBNP levels with AF recurrence after radio-frequency ablation. METHODS This was a post hoc analysis of a prospective study of 296 hypertensive patients with symptomatic paroxysmal AF and no history of heart failure who were scheduled to undergo pulmonary vein isolation. NT-proBNP was measured at baseline, and patients were followed for a median of 13.7 months. RESULTS NT-proBNP Levels at baseline were higher in patients with recurrence (269 pg/mL [199-361 pg/mL) vs those who remained arrhythmia-free (188 pg/mL [146-320 pg/mL, P<.001). In a univariate Cox regression model, each higher quartile of NT-proBNP corresponded to a 47% (95% confidence interval 21.5%-77.9%) increase in the risk of recurrence. However, when baseline clinical AF burden, in terms of the number of clinical AF episodes in the previous year, was added to the model, the association of NT-proBNP lost its significance (adjusted hazard ratio 1.22, 95% confidence interval 0.94-1.57). CONCLUSION This is the largest series to date showing that NT-proBNP is a univariate predictor of postablation AF recurrence. However, it seems that adjustment for other covariates, including the number of AF episodes within the previous year, renders this association nonsignificant