Il calcio coronarico come marker precoce di aterosclerosi

Non-invasive diagnostic techniques such as electron beam computed tomography and multislice spiral computed tomography are able to detect and quantify coronary calcifications. Several clinical studies have shown how the amount of coronary calcifications correlates to the coronary plaque burden. The detection of coronary calcium therefore provides a unique opportunity to identify and quantify coronary atherosclerosis in a subclinical stage. Measures of subclinical atherosclerosis may also help in recognizing factors related to atherosclerosis in asymptomatic populations. In addition, a significant proportion of subjects who develop premature clinical disease are not identified as being at high risk by current strategies. A scan negative for coronary calcium has a high negative predictive value indicating the absence of stenotic coronary artery disease. The aim of this review was to describe the potentials of coronary calcium detection and to summarize its clinical relevance. © 2005 CEPI Srl

Virtual Surgical Planning, 3D-Printing and Customized Bone Allograft for Acute Correction of Severe Genu Varum in Children

Complex deformities of lower limbs are frequent in children with genetic or metabolic skeletal disorders. Early correction is frequently required, but it is technically difficult and burdened by complications and recurrence. Herein, we described the case of a 7-year-old girl affected by severe bilateral genu varum due to spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia. The patient was treated by patient-specific osteotomies and customized structural wedge allograft using Virtual Surgical Planning (VSP) and 3D-printed patient-specific instrumentation (PSI). The entire process was performed through an in-hospital 3D-printing Point-of-Care (POC). VSP and 3D-printing applied to pediatric orthopedic surgery may allow personalization of corrective osteotomies and customization of structural allografts by using low-cost in-hospital POC. However, optimal and definitive alignment is rarely achieved in such severe deformities in growing skeleton through a single operation

Aldosterone inhibition limits collagen synthesis and progressive left ventricular enlargement after anterior myocardial infarction

Background The reparative process after myocardia[ infarction is related to active collagen synthesis. Previous experimental studies demonstrated that cardiac fibrosis is mediated by angiotensin II and aldosterone; this mechanism is not clearly confirmed in patients who have had a myocardial infarction. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the suppression of aldosterone may be helpful in reducing postinfarction collagen synthesis land progressive left ventricular dilation) in patients treated with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor for a recent myocardial infarction. Methods We enrolled 46 patients (ages 60 +/- 11 years, 34 males) with a first episode of anterior transmural thrombolized myocardial infarction. At hospital discharge patients were randomized to receive potassium canrenoate, an oral aldosterone inhibitor, 50 mg once daily (group 1, n = 24) or placebo (group 2, n = 22). All enrolled patients were on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor therapy. The serum concentration of the aminoterminal propeptide of type III procollagen was used to measure the collagen synthesis rate; dosage was obtained before enrollment, at hospital discharge, and after 3, 6, and 12 months of follow-up. Results After 3, 6, and 1 2 months of treatment, the aminoterminal propeptide of type III procollagen serum levels was significantly higher in the placebo group compared with the aldosterone inhibitor group; after 6 and 12 months we observed significantly smaller left ventricular volumes in the active treatment group. Conclusion Potassium canrenoate, combined with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, may reduce postinfarction collagen synthesis and progressive left ventricular dilation

Three-Tesla cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in a Marfan patient with asymptomatic aortic dissection.

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Follow-up of coronary artery bypass graft patency by multislice computed tomography

Fifty-two consecutive asymptomatic patients with a total of 166 bypass grafts were investigated by 16-slice computed tomography (CT) 15 +/- 5 days before invasive coronary angiography. Overall, 165 grafts (99.40%) were assessable with multislice CT (MSCT). Coronary angiography showed that 111 grafts (67%) were patent and 54 (33%) were occluded. of the patent grafts, 22 had high-grade stenoses. MSCT correctly classified 1 grafts as patent and 54 as occluded. Of the patent grafts, 16-slice CT correctly detected 21 bypass stenoses (95%). These results yielded 100% sensitivity and specificity of 16-slice CT for detecting bypass grafts occlusion and 96% sensitivity and 100% specificity for detecting high-grade stenoses in patent grafts

Growth morphology and electronic structure of 2D ordered pentacene on the Au(110)-(1 x 2) surface

High-quality ordered growth and characterization of organic systems is an important requirement to understand the physical properties underlying the new organic-molecule based electronic devices. In this work, pentacene (C22H14) is ultra-high-vacuum deposited in situ on the (1 x 2)-reconstructed surface of Au(110), at different substrate temperatures. Low-energy electron diffraction reveals a two-dimensional (2D) ordered phase, showing the presence of a (1 x 3) pentacene-induced long-range periodicity, for room-temperature deposition. High-resolution UV photoelectron spectroscopy investigations for pentacene adsorption at room- and low- (80 K) temperature, bring to light the new interface electronic levels and the molecular orbital evolution. Higher substrate temperature (370 K) during adsorption induces higher pentacene mobility, thus improving long-range ordering. Atomic force microscopy images at higher coverage show the presence of pentacene stripes, grown on top of the first 2D ordered layer, with a preferred orientation perpendicular to the substrate [1-10] direction. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved