Clinical characteristics and coronary features of coronary ectasia and aneurysm in China

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics and coronary features of patients with coronary ectasia and aneurysm (CEA) in China. Methods: This was a single center, retrospective clinical study. Patients with CEA who diagnosed by coronary artery angiography (CAG) from April 2003 to October 2009, were enrolled. All patients were followed up by the call or clinic visit. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality or cardiovascular readmission. Results: A total of 39 patients (27 male, mean age 59.5 ± 12.6 years) diagnosed with CEA, with a prevalence of 0.6% (a total of 6,130 patients underwent CAG during the same period). Thirty-six patients constituted the study population, due to 3 patients lost of follow-up. The median follow-up was 27 months (1 - 76). The single vessel was involved in 11 patients (31%), two vessels were involved in 14 patients (38%) and three or more vessels were involved in 11 patients (31%). The most common involved vessel was left anterior descending branch (n = 27), followed by right coronary artery (n = 23), left circumflex branch (n = 20) and left main branch (n = 9). There was no death during the follow-up. The primary outcome was observed in 8 (22%) patients. The use of clopidogrel and statins were associated with lower rate of cardiovascular readmission. Conclusion The incidence of CEA was low among patients who referred for CAG in China. The majority of patients had the involvement of multiple vessels, and left anterior descending branch was the most common involved vessel. The CEA patients may benefit from clopidogrel and statins.

Characterization of road surfacing aggregates based on their mineralogical fingerprint

To ensure the safety of infrastructure users,the long-term skid resistance is a crucial factor and is determined in large by the mineralogical and morphological characteristics of surfacing aggregate.Most studies have investigated these aggregate properties separately without considering the interrelation between one another.The objective of this study is to consider the morphological characteristics as well as the mineralogical fingerprint of aggregate to develop an innovative approach to optimize the aggregate selection process.The investigations are based on 11 different aggregate types with a broad range of mineralogy,commonly used in Germany.The long-term influence of polishing and wearing on the surface aggregate was simulated by means of the Aachen Polishing Machine and the MicroDeval test respectively.To evaluate the impact of these tests,the aggregate shape was characterized by means of an imaging system called Aggregate Image Measurement System while the skid resistance of aggregates was evaluated with the British Pendulum Test.The test results show that the quartz and calcite are the key crystals to determine the anti-wear resistance of aggregates.A correlation between the skid resistance,morphological properties and mineralogy is derived,which proves the mineralogical fingerprint technology is practical for characterization of aggregates used in pavement surface layers.