In-stent restenosis-prone coronary plaque composition: A retrospective virtual histology-intravascular ultrasound study

  Background: The mechanism of in-stent restenosis (ISR) is multifactorial, which includes biological, mechanical and technical factors. This study hypothesized that increased inflammatory reaction, which is known to be an important atherosclerotic process, at a culprit lesion may lead to higher restenosis rates. Methods: The study population consisted of 241 patients who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention with virtual histology-intravascular ultrasound (VH-IVUS) and a 9-month follow-up coronary angiography. Compared herein is the coronary plaque composition between patients with ISR and those without ISR. Results: Patients with ISR (n = 27) were likely to be older (66.2 ± 9.5 years vs. 58.7 ± 11.7 years, p = 0.002) and have higher levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP, 1.60 ± 3.59 mg/dL vs. 0.31 ± 0.76 mg/dL, p < 0.001) than those without ISR (n = 214). VH-IVUS examination showed that percent necrotic core volume (14.3 ± 8.7% vs. 19.5 ± 9.1%, p = 0.005) was higher in those without ISR than those with ISR. Multivariate analysis revealed that hs-CRP (odds ratio [OR] 3.334, 95% con­fidence interval [CI] 1.158–9.596, p = 0.026) and age (OR 3.557, 95% CI 1.242–10.192, p = 0.018) were associated with ISR. Conclusions: This study suggests that ISR is not associated with baseline coronary plaque composition but is associated with old age and increased expression of the inflammatory marker of hs-CRP. (Cardiol J 2018; 25, 1: 7–13

Clinical Approaches for Understanding the Expression Levels of Pattern Recognition Receptors in Otitis Media with Effusion

Objectives. Bacterial infections in the normally sterile environment of the middle ear cavity usually trigger host immune response, whereby the innate immune system plays a dominant role as the host’s first line of defense. We evaluated the expression levels of Toll-like receptors (TLRs)-2,-4,-5,-9, and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing proteins (NODs)-1 and-2, all of which are related to bacterial infection in pediatric patients with otitis media with effusion (OME). Methods. The study sample consisted of 46 pediatric patients with OME, all of whom had ventilation tubes inserted. The expression levels of TLR-2,-4,-5,-9, NOD-1 and-2 mRNA in middle ear effusion were assessed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Difference of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) expression level by presence of bacteria, ventilation tube insertion rate, and effusion fluid character was assessed. Results. All effusion fluid samples collected from patients with OME showed expression of TLR-2,-4,-5,-9, NOD-1, and-2 mRNA by PCR. However, we found no differences among expression levels of PRRs in relation to characteristics of exudates, presence of bacteria, or frequencies of ventilation tube insertion (P>0.05). Conclusion. Our findings suggest that exudates of OME patients show PRR expressions that are related to the innate immune response regardless of the characteristics of effusion fluid, presence of bacteria in exudates, or frequency o

Perivascular Epithelioid Cell Tumor (PEComa) of Abdominal Cavity from Falciform Ligament: A Case Report

We present a case of perivascular epithelioid cell tumors (PEComas) in the abdominal cavity at the falciform ligament. A 30-yr-old Korean man visited to hospital for the evaluation of a growing, palpable abdominal mass. He had felt the mass growing over 6 months. There was no family or personal history of tuberous sclerosis. The resected specimen showed a mass of 8.0×7.0×5.5 cm in size. Histological examination showed sheets of spindle-to-epithelioid cells with clear-to-eosinophilic cytoplasm. Immunohistochemically, tumor cells were positive for HMB-4 (gp100) and smooth muscle actin. They were also positive for the S-100, which is a marker of neurogenic and melanocytic tumors. Patient was treated with radical resection of tumor without any adjuvant therapy. He is well and on follow-up visits without tumor recurrence

Self-catalytic growth of elementary semiconductor nanowires with controlled morphology and crystallographic orientation

While the orientation-dependent properties of semiconductor nanowires have been theoretically predicted, their study has long been overlooked in many fields owing to the limits to controlling the crystallographic growth direction of nanowires (NWs). We present here the orientation-controlled growth of single-crystalline germanium (Ge) NWs using a self-catalytic low-pressure chemical vapor deposition process. By adjusting the growth temperature, the orientation of growth direction in GeNWs was selectively controlled to the ⟨110⟩, ⟨112⟩, or ⟨111⟩ directions on the same substrate. The NWs with different growth directions exhibit distinct morphological features, allowing control of the NW morphology from uniform NWs to nanoribbon structures. Significantly, the VLS-based self-catalytic growth of the ⟨111⟩ oriented GeNW suggests that NW growth is possible for single elementary materials even without an appropriate external catalyst. Furthermore, these findings could provide opportunities to investigate the orientation-dependent properties of semiconductor NWs