Lack of prognostic significance for major adverse cardiac events of soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 levels in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

Background: Elevation of soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) is associated with cardiac fibrosis and hypertrophy. Under investigation herein, was whether sST2 level is associated with major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and left ventricular (LV) remodeling after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods: In total, this study included 184 patients who underwent successful primary PCI. A subsequent guideline-based medical follow-up was included (61.4 ± 11.8 years old, 85% male, 21% with Killip class ≥ I). sST2 concentration correlations with echocardiographic, angiographic, laboratory parameters, and clinical outcomes in STEMI patients were evaluated. Results: The median sST2 level was 60.3 ng/mL; 6 (3.2%) deaths occurred within 1 year. The sST2 level correlated with LV ejection fraction (LVEF) changes from baseline to 6 months (r= –0.273; p = 0.006) after adjustment for echocardiographic parameters including wall motions score index (WMSI). Recovery of LVEF at 6 months was highest in the tertile 1 group (Δ6 months – baseline LVEF; tertile 1, p = 0.001; tertile 2, p = 0.319; tertile 3, p = 0.205). The decrease in WMSI at 6 months was greater in the tertiles 1 and 2 groups than in the tertile 3 group (Δ6 months – baseline WMSI; tertile 1, p = 0.001; tertile 2, p = 0.013; tertile 3, p = 0.055). There was no association between sST2 levels and short-term (log rank p = 0.598) and long-term (p = 0.596) MACE. Conclusions: sST2 concentration have predictive value for LV remodeling on echocardiography in patients with STEMI who underwent primary PCI. However, sST2 concentration was not associated with short-term and long-term MACE

Assessment of the conventional radial artery with optical coherent tomography after the snuffbox approach

Background: This study aimed to evaluate acute injuries of the radial artery (RA) using optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients who underwent coronary intervention via the snuffbox approach. Methods: Forty-six patients, who underwent coronary intervention and assessment of the conventional RA using OCT via the snuffbox approach, were enrolled from two university hospitals between August 2018 and August 2019. Results: The mean age of the patients was 65.1 years. In this study population, 6-French (Fr) sheaths were used. The mean diameter of the conventional RA was 2.89 ± 0.33 mm, and the mean lumen area of the conventional RA was 6.68 ± 1.56 mm2. Acute injuries of the conventional RA, after the snuffbox approach, were observed in 5 (10.9%) patients. Intimal tear was observed in the RA in 1 (2.2%) case. Intraluminal thrombi, without vessel injuries, were detected in the RA in 4 (8.7%) cases. However, medial dissection was not observed in the OCT analysis. Conclusions: This retrospective OCT-based study showed that the diameter of the conventional RA was 2.89 mm and acute vessel injury of the conventional RA was rare in patients who underwent coronary intervention via the snuffbox approach

Erratum: Nation-Wide Korean Breast Cancer Data from 2008 Using the Breast Cancer Registration Program

nation-wide breast cancer data and analyzed the data using their online registration program biannually. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of Korean breast cancer from 2008 and examine chronological based patterns. Methods: Data were collected from 38 medical schools (67 hospitals), 20 general hospitals, and 10 private clinics. The data on the total number, gender, and age distribution were collected through a questionnaire as well as other detailed data analyzed via the online registration program. Results: In 2008, there were 13,908 patients who were newly diagnosed with breast cancer. The crude incidence rate of female breast cancer was 57.3 among 100,000 and the median age was 49 years. The age distribution had not changed since the initial survey; however the proportion of postmenopausal patients had increased and median age was older than the past. In staging distribution, the proportion of early breast cancer (stage 0, I) was 47.2 % with, breast-conserving surgery performed in 58 % and mastectomy in 39.5%. Conclusion: Compared to past data, the incidence of breast cancer in Korea continues to rise. Furthermore, the proportion of those detected by screening and breast conservation surgery has increased remarkably. To understand the patterns of Korean breast cancer, the nation-wide data should continuously investigated

Development of a Spirometry \u3cem\u3eT\u3c/em\u3e-score in the General Population

Background and objective: Spirometry values may be expressed as T-scores in standard deviation units relative to a reference in a young, normal population as an analogy to the T-score for bone mineral density. This study was performed to develop the spirometry T-score. Methods: T-scores were calculated from lambda-mu-sigma-derived Z-scores using a young, normal age reference. Three outcomes of all-cause death, respiratory death, and COPD death were evaluated in 9,101 US subjects followed for 10 years; an outcome of COPD-related health care utilization (COPD utilization) was evaluated in 1,894 Korean subjects followed for 4 years. Results: The probability of all-cause death appeared to remain nearly zero until -1 of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) T-score but increased steeply where FEV1 T-score reached below -2.5. Survival curves for all-cause death, respiratory death, COPD death, and COPD utilization differed significantly among the groups when stratified by FEV1 T-score (P \u3c 0.001). The adjusted hazard ratios of the FEV1 T-score for the four outcomes were 0.54 (95% confidence interval, 0.48–0.60), 0.43 (95% CI: 0.37–0.50), 0.30 (95% CI: 0.24–0.37), and 0.69 (95% CI: 0.59–0.81), respectively, adjusting for covariates (P \u3c 0.001). Conclusion: The spirometry T-score could predict all-cause death, respiratory death, COPD death, and COPD utilization

Switching Magnetism and Superconductivity with Spin-Polarized Current in Iron-Based Superconductor

We have explored a new mechanism for switching magnetism and superconductivity in a magnetically frustrated iron-based superconductor using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (SPSTM). Our SPSTM study on single crystal Sr$_2$VO$_3$FeAs shows that a spin-polarized tunneling current can switch the Fe-layer magnetism into a non-trivial $C_4$ (2$\times$2) order, not achievable by thermal excitation with unpolarized current. Our tunneling spectroscopy study shows that the induced $C_4$ (2$\times$2) order has characteristics of plaquette antiferromagnetic order in Fe layer and strongly suppressed superconductivity. Also, thermal agitation beyond the bulk Fe spin ordering temperature erases the $C_4$ state. These results suggest a new possibility of switching local superconductivity by changing the symmetry of magnetic order with spin-polarized and unpolarized tunneling currents in iron-based superconductors.Comment: 33 pages, 16 figure