Acetylsalicylic acid use and development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy: A national prospective study using highly automated 3-D optical coherence tomography analysis.

Background: There is conflicting evidence on the role of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) use in the development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV).

Methods: A nationwide prospective two-center study investigated changes in the coronary artery vasculature by highly automated 3-D optical coherence tomography (OCT) analysis at 1 month and 12 months after heart transplant (HTx). The influence of ASA use on coronary artery microvascular changes was analyzed in the overall study cohort and after propensity score matching for selected clinical CAV risk factors.

Metals and Trace Elements in Calcified Valves in Patients with Acquired Severe Aortic Valve Stenosis: Is There a Connection with the Degeneration Process?

Background: Acquired calcified aortic valve stenosis is the most common valve disease in adulthood. In the etiopathogenesis of this complex pathology, the importance of inflammation is mentioned, in which non-infectious influences represented by the biological effects of metal pollutants may participate. The main goal of the study was to determine the concentration of 21 metals and trace elements-aluminium (Al), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), calcium (Ca), chrome (Cr), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), gold (Au), lead (Pb), magnesium (Mg), mercury (Hg), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), phosphorus (P), selenium (Se), strontium (Sr), sulfur (S), tin (Sn), titanium (Ti), vanadium (V) and zinc (Zn)-in the tissue of calcified aortic valves and to compare them with the concentrations of the same elements in the tissue of healthy aortic valves in the control group.

Role of genetics in the development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy.

Background: The association between genetic polymorphisms and early cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) development is relatively unexplored. Identification of genes involved in the CAV process may offer new insights into pathophysiology and lead to a wider range of therapeutic options.

Methods: This prospective study of 109 patients investigated 44 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the susceptibility loci potentially related to coronary artery disease, carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT), and in nitric oxide synthase gene.

Donor specific anti-HLA antibodies and cardiac allograft vasculopathy: A prospective study using highly automated 3-D optical coherence tomography analysis.

Introduction: Recent studies suggested potential positive correlations between HLA-specific antibodies and development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV).

Methods: This prospective two-center study investigated early progression of CAV by coronary optical coherence tomography in 1 month and 12 months after heart transplantation (HTx) in 104 patients. Detection and characterization of donor specific (DSA) and MHC class-I polypeptide-related sequence A (MICA) antibodies were performed before, 1, 6 and 12 months after transplantation.

Heart rate and early progression of cardiac allograft vasculopathy: A prospective study using highly automated 3-D optical coherence tomography analysis.

Introduction: Heart rate slowing agents are frequently prescribed to manage heart transplant (HTx) patients with the assumption that higher heart rate is a risk factor in cardiovascular disease.

Patients And Methods: This prospective two-center study investigated early progression of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) in 116 HTx patients. Examinations by coronary optical coherence tomography and 24-hour ambulatory ECG monitoring were performed both at baseline (1 month after HTx) and during follow-up (12 months after HTx).

Early detection of cardiac allograft vasculopathy using highly automated 3-dimensional optical coherence tomography analysis.

Background: Optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based studies of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) published thus far have focused mainly on frame-based qualitative analysis of the vascular wall. Full capabilities of this inherently 3-dimensional (3D) imaging modality to quantify CAV have not been fully exploited.

Methods: Coronary OCT imaging was performed at 1 month and 12 months after heart transplant (HTx) during routine surveillance cardiac catheterization.