Advances in Journal of Geriatric Cardiology over the course of a decade

The Journal of Geriatric Cardiology(JGC,ISSN 1671-5141/CN 11-5329/R)is a monthly,open-access,international,and peer-reviewed journal sponsored and published by the Institute of Geriatric Cardiology affiliated with Chinese PLA General Hospital.It was created in 2004 by Prof.Shi-Wen WANG,and as the current editor-in-chief,Prof.Yun-Dai CHEN has been involved in JGC for eight years and has achieved impressive advancements.

Journal of Geriatric Cardiology comes to press with a new look

On behalf of all the editors and editorial board members, I would like to announce that the inaugural issue of the Journal of Geriatric Cardiology ( JGC ) was published after over two years of preparation, and the JGC will be continuously published. The JGC was born in accordance with the tough challenge of higher prevalence of cardiac diseases and/or complicated with other organ diseases in the elderly accompanied by the rapid growing number of the aged.

Opening Speech at the 5th Great Wall International Forum on Geriatric Cardiology

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, In the golden autumn of Beijing, on behalf of the Organizing Committee of the Great Wall International Congress of Cardiology, and the Institute of Geriatric Cardiology at Chinese PLA General Hospital, I am very delighted to extend my warmest welcome to the representatives, colleagues and distinguished guests, both domestic and abroad, to the 5th International Forum on Geriatric Cardiology.……

Incidence and in-hospital mortality of acute aortic dissection in China： analysis of China Health Insurance Research （CHIRA） Data 2011

Objective Acute aortic dissection （AAD） is a catastrophic event with high early mortality rate, but to date, no data on the incidence of AAD in China's Mainland is available. This study aimed to estimate the incidence of AAD in China and characterize the clinical profile, management and in-hospital outcomes of this vascular event. Methods We used the China Health Insurance Research Data （the CHIRA Data） 2011 which comprises all inpatient hospital records （300,886） during the period of Jan. 1st 2011 to Dec. 31 2011 of 3,335,000 randomly sampled beneficiaries （1,718,500 men and 1,616,500 women） from 25 cities and counties in different economic-geographic regions of China's Mainland. Patients with acute aortic dissection were identified according to International Classification of Disease 10m Revision （ICD-10） of I71.0, The estimated incidence of AAD was calculated using the equation： estimated incidence = 2.0 × （40% × hospital admission rate） ＋ 60% × hospital admission rate. Results The hospital admission rate was 2.0/100,000 （65/3,325,000, 95% CI： 1.2-2.8）. The estimated annual incidence of AAD was 2.8/100,000 （95% CI： 1.9-3.6） and was higher in male than in female （3.7 vs. 1.5, P 〈 0.001）. The mean age was 58.9 ± 13.4 years. During the mean hospital stay of 23 ±6 days, the overall in-hospital mortality was 13.9% （9/65）. Conclusions Our study showed relatively lower but not negligible incidence and in-hospital mortality of AAD in the mainland of China. The mean age of patients with AAD in Chinese was younger than that reported by researches from west countries, while the male to female incidence ratio is similar to those reported by other studies.

Prognostic performance of interleukin-10 in patients with chest pain and mild to moderate coronary artery lesions an 8-year follow-up study

Background Interleukin （IL）-10, IL-6 and their ratio （IL-6/IL-10） play an important role in the risk of developing coronary artery disease, and may correlate with its outcomes. Few clinical trials have investigated the prognostic impact of these factors on long-term car- diovascular events in patients presented with chest pain. Methods A prospective study was performed on 566 patients admitted with chest pain and identified mild to moderate coronary artery lesions. 1L-10, IL-6 and IL-6/IL-10 were measured. Results A total of 511 patients com- pleted the follow-up. The median follow-up time was 74 months. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated a clear increase of the incidence of major adverse cardiac events during the follow-up period in patients with below-median levels of IL-10 （P = 0.006） and above-median levels of IL-6/IL-10 （P = 0.012）. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis indicated the IL-10 levels to be strong independent predictors after adjustment for underlying confounders. Conclusions Elevated IL-10 levels are associated with a more favorable long-term prognosis in patients with chest pain and mild to moderate coronary artery lesions. IL-10 could be used for early risk assessment of long-term prognosis.

Comparison of human amniotic fluid-derived and umbilical cord Wharton＇s Jelly-derived mesenchymal stromal cells： Characterization and myocardial differentiation capacity

Objective To compare the characterization and myocardial differentiation capacity of arnniotic fluid-derived mesenchymal stromal cells （AF MSCs） and umbilical cord Wharton＇s Jelly-derived mesenchymal stromal cells （WJ MSCs）. Methods The human AF MSCs were cultured from amniotic fluid samples obtained by amniocentesis. The umbilical cord WJ MSCs were obtained from Wharton＇s Jelly of umbilical cords of infants delivered full-term by normal labor. The morphology, growth curves, and analyses by flow cytometry of cell surface markers were compared between the two types of cells. Myocardial genes （GATA-4, c-TnT, a-actin, and Cx43） were detected by real-time PCR and the corresponding protein expressions were detected by Western blot analysis after myocardial induced in AF MSCs and WJ MSCs. Results Our findings revealed AF MSCs and WJ MSCs shared similar morphological characteristics of the fibroblastoid shape. The AF MSCs were easily obtained than the WJ MSCs and had a shorter time to reach adherence of 2.7 ± 1.6 days to WJ MSCs of 6.5 ± 1.8 days. The growth curves by MTT cytotoxic assay showed the AF MSCs had a similar proliferative capacity at passage 5 and passage 10. However, the proliferative capacities ofWJ MSCs were decreased at 5 passage relative to 10 passage. Both AF stem cells and WJ stem cells had the characteristics of mesenchymal stromal cells with some characteristics of embryonic stem cells. They express CD29 and CD105, but not CD34. They were positive for Class I major histocompatibility （MHC I） antigens （HLA-ABC）, and were negative, or mildly positive, for MHC Class II （HLA-DR） antigen. Oct-4 was positive in all the two cells types. Both AF MSCs and WJ MSCs could differentiate along myocardium. The differentiation capacities were detected by the expression of GATA-4, c-TnT, a-actin, Cx43 after myocardial induction. Conclusions Both AF MSCs and WJ MSCs have the potential clinical application for myogenesis in cardiac regenerative therapy.

Metabolic syndrome vs. its components for prediction of cardiovascular mortality： A cohort study in Chinese elderly adults

Objective The predictive value of the metabolic syndrome （MetS） for mortality from all-cause and cardiovascular disease （CVD） in the Chinese population is unclear. The aim of this present study was to compare MetS with its individual components as predictors of mortality in Chinese elderly adults. Methods A cohort of 1,535 subjects （994 men and 541 women） aged 50 years or older was selected from employees of a machinery factory in 1994 and followed until 2009. Cox models were used to estimate the hazard ratios （HRs） predicted by MetS according to the harmonized defmition and by its individual components. Results The baseline prevalence of MetS was 28.0% in men and 48.4% in women. During a median follow-up of 15 years, 414 deaths occurred, of these, 153 participants died from CVD. Adjusted for age and gender, the HRs of mortality from all-cause and CVD in participants with MetS were 1.47 （95% confidence interval （CI）： 1.20-1.80） and 1.96 （95%CI： 1.42-2.72）, respectively, compared with those without MetS. Non-significant higher risk of CVD mortality was seen in those with one or two individual components （HR = 1.22, 95%CI： 0.59-2.50; fir = 1.82, 95%CI： 0.91-3.64, respectively）, while a substantially higher risk of CVD mortality only appeared in those with 3, 4, or 5 components （H_R = 2.81-3.72）, compared with those with no components. On evaluating the MetS components individually, we found that, independent of MetS, only hypertension and impaired glucose predicted higher mortality. Conclusions The number of positive MetS components seems no more informative than classifying （dichotomous） MetS for CVD risks assessment in this Chinese cohort.

Evaluation of coronary plaque and stent deployment by intravascular optical coherence tomography in elderly patients with unstable angina and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Objective To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of intravascular optical coherence tomography(OCT)in the assessment of plaque characteristics and drug eluting stent deployment quality in the elderly patients with unstable angina(UA)and non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction(NSTEMI).Methods OCT was used in elderly patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions.Fifteen patients,9 males and 6 females with mean age of 72.6±5.3 years(range 67-92 years)were enrolled in the study.Images were obtained before initial balloon dilatation and following stent deployment.The plaque characteristics before dilation,vessel dissection,tissue prolapse,stent apposition and strut distribution after stent implantation were evaluated.Results Fifteen lesions were selected from 32 angiographic lesions as study lesions for OCT imaging after diagnostic coronary angiography.There were 7 lesions in the left anterior descending artery,5 lesions in the right coronary artery and 3 lesions in the left circumflex coronary artery.Among them,12(80.0%)were lipid-rich plaques,and 10(66.7%)were vulnerable plaques with fibrous cap thickness 54.2±7.3μm.Seven ruptured culprit plaques(46.7%)were found;4 in UA patients and 3 in NSTEMI patients.Tissue prolapse was observed in 11 lesions(73.3%).Irregular stent strut distribution was detected in 8 lesions(53.3%).Vessel dissections were found in 5 lesions(33.3%).Incomplete stent apposition was observed in 3 stents(20%)with mean spacing between the struts and the vessel wall 172±96 mm(range 117-436 mm).Conclusions 1)It is safe and feasible to perform intravascular OCT to differentiate vulnerable coronary plaque and monitor stent deployment in elderly patients with UA and USTEMI.2)Coronary plaques in elderly patients with UA and USTEMI could be divided into acute ruptured plaque,vulnerable plaque,lipid-rich plaque,and stable plaque.3)Minor or critical plaque rupture is one of the mechanisms of UA in elderly patients.4)Present drug eluting stent implantation is complicated with multiple tissue prolapses which are associated with irregular strut distributions.5)The action and significance of tissue prolapse on acute vessel flow and in-stent thrombus and restenosis need to be further studied.

Animal model of non-bacterial multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in the elderly

Objective To establish a model of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in the elderly (MODSE) by intraperitoneal injection of different doses of zymosan, and to compare the multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in adult and in the elderly rats. Methods Adult and senile rats, injected with different doses of zymosan intraperitoneally were examined for the changes in the function and morphology of the vital organs, including heart, liver, brain, lungs, and kidneys using blood gas and biochemistry analysis and histopathological examination methods. Results Compared with the normal controls of the adult and the elderly rats, the blood gas and blood biochemistry changed in different degrees in the different dosed zymosan groups. Pathological changes were also found in the vital organs including lungs, heart, liver, brain, kidneys, erc in the experimental groups. Under the same concentrations of zymosan, the reductions in respiratory, cardiac and renal functions in the senile groups were much more severe than those in the corresponding adult group. In the similar degree of model duplication, the senile rats had the tendency to die later than the adult rats. Conclusions Zymosan can be used in both elderly and adult rats to induce MODS model, and the best dosage for MODSE was 0.Sg/kg injected peritoneally. The model would hopefully be used in the study of mechanisms and the therapeutics on MODSE.

Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity is an independent predictor of carotid artery atherosclerosis in the elderly

Objective Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity （baPWV） is widely used as a simple noninvasive measure of arterial softness. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of baPWV as a predictor of the carotid artery atherosclerosis in the elderly. Methods A total of 721 elderly participants （mean ~ SD age, 70.3 -4- 5.6years） were enrolled in the current study. All participant underwent both baPWV measurement and B-mode ultrasound for the intima-media thickness. Carotid atherosclerosis （CAS） was defined as the present of carotid plaque or and/or intima media thickness for at least 1.1 mm. Results A multivariate logistic regression analysis reveals that age, sex, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity, smoking and LDL-C level showed a significant correlation with the presence of CAS. The odds ratios of CAS associated with a 500cm/s increase of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity were 2.378 [95% confidence interval, 1.36 to 4.00, P〈0.05], 3.733 [95% confidence interval, 1.729 to 8.058, P〈0.01], 4.438 [95% confidence interval, 1.659 to 11.803, P〈0.01]. The baPWV significantly correlated with IMT by bivariate correlation analysis （r=-0.39; p=0.001）. After adjusting for factors influencing, baPWV all the same correlated with IMT （r=-0.35; p=0.001）.Conclusion These results indicate that brachial-ankle PWV is an independent predictor of CAS in the elderly.It also means that the direct measurement of arterial stiffness by this simple method may be of great help for the evaluation of carotid artherosclerosis, at least in the elderly

Modified Maze lines plus pulmonary vein isolation created by radiofrequency catheter ablation on the atrial wall to treat atrial fibrillation in elderly

Objective To evaluate the effect of modified Maze lines plus pulmonary vein (PV) isolation created by radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) on atrial wall guided by a novel geometry mapping system in the treatment of elderly patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). Methods After regular electrophysiological study, transseptal punctures were achieved twice with Swartz L1 and R1 sheaths. PV angiographies were conducted to evaluate their orifices and branches. A balloon electrode array catheter with 64 electrodes was put in the middle of the left atrium. Atrium geometry was constructed using Ensite 3000 Navx system. Two RFCA lesion loops and three lines (modified Maze) were created on left and right atrial walls. Each lesion point was ablated for 30 seconds with preset temperature 50 (ae) and energy 30W. The disappearance or 80% decrease of the amplitude of target atrial potential and 10 to 20(|), decrease of ablation impedance were used as an index of effective ablation. Results A total of 11 patients (7 male and 4 female, mean age, 68.7±5.1 years) were enrolled. PAF history was 7.9±4.5 years. PAF could not be prevented by mean 3.1±1.6 antiarrhythmic agents in 6.3±3.4 years. None of the patients had complications with structural heart disease or stroke. Left atrial diameter was 41.3±3.6 mm and LVEF was 59.2±3.7% on echocardiography. Two loops and three lines were completed with 67.8±13.1 (73-167) lesion points. Altogether 76-168 (89.4±15.3) lesion points were created in each patient. PAF could not be provoked by rapid burst pacing up to 600 beat per minute delivered from paroxysmal coronary sinus electrode pair.Complete PV electrical isolation was confirmed by three-dimensional activation mapping. Mean procedure time was 2.7±0.6 hours and fluoroscopy time was 17.8±9.4 minutes. Patients were discharged with oral aspirin and without antiarrhythmic agents. During follow up of 6.5±1.8 months, seven patients were PAF symptom free (63.6%). PAF attacks were decreased more than 70% in two patients (18.2%). PAF frequency did not change in another two patients (18.2%). Conclusions Ensite 3000 Navx guided modified Maze lines plus PV isolation on the atrial wall is safe and feasible in the elderly patients. It has the advantages of exact procedural endpoint, shorter X-ray exposure, fewer complications and satisfied long-term effect PAF control.

Six-month results of a biodegradable polymer and rapamycin-coating stent for coronary artery disease

Objective To assess the safety and efficacy of a novel biodegradable polymer and rapamycin-coating stent, the EXCEL stent, in the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD), as compared with the CypherTM stent. Methods In this prospective, non-randomized study, 60 consecutive patients with symptomatic CAD received either an EXCEL stent (n=32), or a CypherTM stent(n=28),according to their respective treatment intention. Follow-up angiography was performed at a mean of 180±40 days. The primary endpoint of the study was the occurrence of a major adverse cardiac event (MACE), including death, myocardial infarction, or target-vessel revascularization during the 6 months after stenting. The secondary end points included the in-stent late luminal loss (LLL), percentage of in-stent stenosis of the luminal diameter, and the rate of restenosis (luminal narrowing of 50 percent or more) at 6 months. Results There were no significant differences between the two groups in baseline characteristics, including the distribution of target vessel and lesion types. During the follow up period of 6 months, there were no occurrences of MACE in either group. Twenty-seven patients(84%) in the EXCEL group and 10 (36 %) in the CypherTM group underwent quantitative coronary angiography at 6 months. For these patients, no restenosis occurred, and there were no differences in the in-stent stenosis of the luminal diameter (5.98±5.52% vs 5.21 ±6.3%,P＞0.05) and the LLL (-0.02±0.09 mm vs -0.01±0.07 mm, P＞0.05). Conclusions Compared with the CypherTM stent, the EXCEL Stent with biodegradable polymer and rapamycin-coating showed similar efficacy in the prevention of neointimal proliferation, restenosis, and associated clinical events in CAD patients.

Anti-inflammatory and profibrinolytic effect of tetramethylpyrazine in acute coronary syndromes

Background and Objectives Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) is a herb used widely in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as an antianginal drug. The exact mechanism whereby TMP treat ischemic heart disease is still not fully understood. The purpose of this study is to examine the anti-inflammatory effect of TMP in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Methods Thirty-two patients with acute myocardial infarction or unstable angina were randomly assigned to TMP group or control group. All patients received the same standard treatment. Patients in TMP group received TMP 3mg/kg every 12 hours for 5 days. Plasma concentrations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) were measured at baseline and after 5 days of therapy. Results Both CRP and SAA concentrations increased significantly in control group (P<0.05) whilst in TMP group, only SAA had a significant increase (P<0.05); the absolute increase of CRP, SAA, and PAI-1 were significantly less in TMP group than in control group (P<0.05). Conclusion TMP has an anti-inflammatory and profibrinolytic effect in patients with ACS. These effects may contribute to the clinical benefits of TMP in ischemic heart disease.

Age-related increase of early afterdepolarization in calsequestrin-2 knock-in mouse cardiomycyte

Objective To characterize early afterdepolarizations （EADs） caused triggered activity （TA） among calsequestrin-2 （CASQ2） knock-in （CASQ2 KI） mice and its relationship with aging. Methods Electrophysiological properties of ventricular myocytes from 3- month （mo, young）, 9-mo （adult-l） and 12-too （adult-2） in wild-type （WT） and CASQ2 KI mice were investigated with patch-clamp technique. Results The incidences of EADs and TA in CASQ2 KI cardiomyocytes increased with increasing age. In contrast, WT mice cardiomyocytes showed no significant change in matched-age groups. Compared with that in 3-mo CASQ2 KI mice, the 50% repolarization of action potential （APD50） showed prolongation in both 9-mo and 12-mo ones （9.2±0.9 ms of 9-mo and 10.3 ± 1.2 ms of 12- mo vs. 5.6± 0.3 ms of 3-mo）, while the 90 % repolarization of action potential （APD90） was similar among 3 age groups. Compared with 3-mo mice, the 9-mo and 12-mo CASQ2 KI mice showed markedly reduced transient outward potassium current （Ito） densities but increased L-type calcium current （ICa-L） densities. Conlcusion This study suggested that events of EADs and TA in CASQ2 KI mice increased with increasing age, It might be associated partly with the augment of cellular calcium concentration and the prolongation of APD50 induced by decrease of Ito and increase of ICa-L in adult CASQ2 KI mice

Medical comorbidities at admission is predictive for 30-day in-hospital mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction： analysis of 5161 cases

Background The present study investigated the prognostic value of medical comorbidities at admission for 30-day in-hospital mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction （AMI）. Methods A total of 5161 patients with AMI were admitted in Chinese PLA General Hospital between January 1, 1993 and December 31, 2007. Medical comorbidities including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, previous myocardial infarction, valvular heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD）, renal insufficiency, previous stroke, atrial fibrillation and anemia, were identified at admission. The patients were divided into 4 groups based on the number of medical comorbidities at admission （0, 1, 2, and ≥3）. Cox regression analysis was used to calculate relative risk （RR） and 95% confidence intervals （CI）, with adjustment for age, sex, heart failure and percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI）. Results The mean age of the studied population was 63.9 ± 13.6 years, and 80.1% of the patients were male. In 74.6% of the patients at least one comorbidity were identified. Hypertension （50.7%）, diabetes mellitus （24.0%） and previous myocardial infarction （12%） were the leading common comorbidities at admission. The 30-day in-hospital mortality in patients with 0, 1, 2, and ≥3 comorbidities at admission （7.2%） was 4.9%, 7.2%, 11.1%, and 20.3%, respectively. The presence of 2 or more comorbidities was associated with higher 30-day in-hospital mortality compared with patients without comorbidity （RR： 1.41, 95% CI： 1.13-1.77, P = 0.003, and RR： 1.95, 95% CI： 1.59-2.39, P = 0.000, respectively）. Conclusions Medical comorbidities were frequently found in patients with AMI. AMI patients with more comorbidities had a higher 30-day in-hospital mortality might be predictive of early poor outcome in patients with AMI.

Feasibility and safety of combined interventional procedures in elderly patients with complex cardiovascular diseases:experience of a single medical center

Objectives:To report the clinical experience of combined interventional procedures in the treatment of elderly patients with coexisting two or more cardiovascular diseases in our medical center,and to assess the feasibility,safety and therapeutic efficacy of this management strategy.Methods:Patients were selected to the study if:1)age>65 years;2)with coexistence of two or more cardiovascular diseases which are indications for interventional therapy;3)patients'general condition and organ functions allow the performance of combined multiple procedures;4)the predicted procedure time is within 150 min;5)the predicted contrast medium dosage is within 300 ml.The criteria we analyzed included procedural type,rocedural time,fluoroscopy time,dosage of contrast medium,success rates of the procedures,complications and in-hospital mortality.All patients were followed up for 30.4±9.3 months,to determine the all-cause mortality,recurrence rates and adverse cardiac events.Results:From January 2000 to December 2004,combined interventional procedures were performed on 136 patients,with 2 procedures on 134 patients and 3 procedures on 2 patients.The mean procedure time was 115.4±11.6 min,the mean fluoroscopy time was 35.7±9.3 min,and the mean dosage of contrast medium used was 183.6±19.4 ml.Procedural success rate was 100%,no procedure related death or major complications occurred.Conclusion:Performed by a competent team,combined interventional procedures in elderly patients with multiple cardiovascular diseases were feasible and relatively safe.

Chinese herbal medicine for treatment of dislipidemia

Prevalence of dislipidemia is increasing rapidly in China and there has been a growing interest in Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of hyperlipidemia both inside and outside China. In this article, lipids regulating effects of 9 herbs or their extracts and 5 herbal formulae which have been published in English-language literature are reviewed. Although evidence from animals and humans consistently supports the therapeutic activities of these Chinese herbal medicines, few multi-center large-scale clinical trials have been conducted to confirm the efficacy and evaluate their safety.

Long-term effect of stenting in unprotected left main coronary artery disease in the elderly

Objective To evaluate the feasibility,safety and efficacy of percutaneous stent implantation for treating left main coronary artery(LMCA)stenosis.Methods Consecutive patients with unprotected left main coronary artery disease treated by stent-based percutaneous intervention(PCI)at 6 medical centers in China were enrolled.Procedural data and clinical outcomes were obtained from all patients.Results From January 2001 to December 2004,138 patients(79 males and 59 females;mean age:69.7±5.8 years)underwent PCI for LMCA stenosis.Bare metal stents(BMS)were implanted in 51 patients with non-bifurcational lesions and in 5 patients with bifurcational lesions from January of 2001 to June of 2003(BMS group);.Drug eluting stents(DES)were used unselectively to cover both bifurcational and non-bifurcational lesions in 86 patients from July of 2003 to December of 2004(DES group).Procedural success rate of the 138 cases was 98%(135/138).One patient(0.7%)with bifurcation lesion who was treated with DES died from severe heart failure 2 weeks after the procedure.During a mean follow up period of 21.3±5.6 months,one patient died from renal failure,one from sudden cardiac death,4 underwent target lesion revascularization(TLR)in the BMS group,which all occurred in patients with bifurcational lesions;whereas in the DES group no deaths occurred and only one patient with bifurcational lesion had TLR.Conclusions(1)PCI is feasible and relatively safe to treat unprotected left main coronary artery disease in elderly patients at medical centers with experienced professionals.(2)BMS and DES have similar immediate and long-term efficacy in the treatment of ostium and shaft lesions of the LMCA.(3)DES are strongly suggested in the therapy of distal bifurcation lesion of unprotected LMCA.

Effects of nerve growth factor on the action potential duration and repolarizing currents in a rabbit model of myocardial infarction

Objectives To investigate the effect of nerve growth factor (NGF) on the action potential and potassium currents of non-infarcted myocardium in the myocardial infarcted rabbit model.Methods Rabbitswith occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary arterywere prepared and allowed to recover for eight weeks (healed myocardial infarction, HMI). During ligation surgery of the left coronary artery, a polyethylene tube was placed near the left stellate ganglion in the subcutis of the neck for the purpose of administering NGF 400 U/d for eight weeks (HMI + NGF group). Cardiomyocytes were isolated from regions of the non-infarcted left ventricular wall and the action potentials and ion currents in these cellswere recorded using whole-cell patch clamps. Results Comparedwith HMI and control cardiomyocytes, significant prolongation of APD50 or APD90 (Action potential duration (APD) measured at 50% and 90% of repolarization) in HMI + NGF cardiomyocytes was found. The results showed that the 4-aminopyridine sensitive transient outward potassium current (Ito), the rapidly activated omponent of delayed rectifier potassium current (IKr), the slowly activated component of delayed rectifier potassium current (IKs), and the L-type calcium current (ICaL) were significantly altered in NGF + HMI cardiomyocytes compared with HMI and control cells. Conclusions Our results suggest thatNGF treatment significantly prolongsAPDinHMI cardiomyocytes and that a decrease in outward potassium currents and an increase of inward Ca2+ current are likely the underlying mechanism of action.

Comparison of coronary DES and BMS in octogenarians: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: Uncertainty exists regarding the relative performance of drug-eluting stents (DES) versus bare-metal stents (BMS) in octogenarians undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)。 We undertook a meta-analysis to assess outcomes for DES and BMS in octogenarians undergoing PCI。 METHODS: Electronic data bases of PubMed, Cochrane, and EMBASE were searched。 We included randomized, controlled clinical trials (RCT) and observational studies comparing DES and BMS in octogenarians receiving PCI。 The methodological qualities of eligible trials were assessed using a 'risk of bias' tool。 The endpoints included all-cause death, major adverse cardiac events (MACE), myocardial infarction (MI), target vessel revascularization (TVR), major bleeding, and stent thrombosis (ST)。 Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated for each endpoint。 RESULTS: A total of one RCT and six observational studies were included and analyzed in this meta-analysis。 All trials were of acceptable quality。 At 30 days, compared with DES-treated patients, BMS-treated patients had a higher incidence of mortality (OR:3.91,95% CI:1.10-13.91; P =0.03)。 The OR for MACE (1.52,95% CI:0.56-4.17; P =0.13), MI (0.81,95% CI:0.37-2.17; P =0.23), TVR (0.75,95% CI:0.17-3.41; P=0.41), major bleeding (0.77,95% CI:0.35-1.68; P =0.43),and ST (1.44,95% CI:0.32-6.45; P =0.33) did not reach statistical significance。 At one year follow-up, the OR did not favor BMS over MACE (MACE, defined as the composite of death, myocardial infarction, and TVR) (1.87,95% CI:1.22-2.87; P <0.01), MI (1.91,95% CI:1.22-2.99; P <0.01), TVR (3.08,95% CI:1.80-5.26; P <0.01) and ST (3.37,95% CI:1.12-10.13; P <0.01)。 The OR for mortality (1.51,95% CI:0.92-2.47; P =0.10) and major bleeding (0.85,95% CI:0.47-1.55; P=0.60) did not reach statistical significance。 At >1 year follow-up, the OR for all endpoints, including mortality, MACE, MI, TVR, major bleeding, and ST, did not reach statistical significance。 CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis suggests that DES is associated with favorable outcomes as compared with BMS in octogenarians receiving PCI。