Overview of Percutaneous Coronary Interventions for Chronic Total Occlusions Treated at Brazilian Centers Participating in the LATAM CTO Registry.

Background: Major advances have been seen in techniques and devices for performing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) for chronic total occlusions (CTOs), but there are limited real-world practice data from developing countries.

Objectives: To report clinical and angiographic characteristics, procedural aspects, and clinical outcomes of CTO PCI performed at dedicated centers in Brazil.

Methods: Included patients underwent CTO PCI at centers participating in the LATAM CTO Registry, a Latin American multicenter registry dedicated to prospective collection of these data.

"Catheter Hole Support": A Novel Technique for Increasing Guide Catheter Support.

Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in the setting of tortuosity, calcification, and some types of coronary takeoffs can be challenging. In such cases, the choice of strategies that promote optimal catheter support is essential for the success of the procedure, by facilitating the delivery of the equipment. We have developed a new support technique: "Catheter Hole Support Technique" is a simple, low-cost, and widely available technique that effectively increases catheter support and system stability.

Evaluating the Antifungal Activity of α-Bisabolol in Association with NaCl on Fusarium oxysporum in Maize Grains.

Fusarium infections result in reduced maize grain (Zea mays L.) yields and notable impacts on human and animal health. Research involving natural products to control fungi in food is a promising alternative.

The Sensitivity Modifying Activity of Nerolidol and α-Bisabolol Against spp.

spp. is one of the main causative agents of dermatophytosis such as and . Resistance to antifungal drugs is a significant clinical problem in dermatophytosis.

Very late outcomes of drug-eluting stents coated with biodegradable polymers: insights from the 5-year follow-up of the randomized PAINT trial.

Background: Few studies have examined the very long-term outcomes after implantation of drug-eluting stents (DES) coated with biodegradable polymers (BP). This report presents the 5-year clinical follow-up of patients treated with BP-DES in the randomized PAINT trial.

Methods: The PAINT study is a prospective, multicenter randomized controlled trial that allocated 274 patients for treatment with two BP-DES formulations [paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) or sirolimus-eluting stents (SES)] or bare metal stents (BMS) in a 1:2:2 ratio, respectively.

Late clinical outcomes after implantation of drug-eluting stents coated with biodegradable polymers: 3-year follow-up of the PAINT randomised trial.

Aims: The long-term clinical performance of drug-eluting stents (DES) coated with biodegradable polymers is poorly known.

Methods And Results: A total of 274 coronary patients were randomly allocated to paclitaxel-eluting stents, sirolimus-eluting stents, or bare metal stents (2:2:1 ratio). The two DES used the same biodegradable polymers and were identical except for the drug.

Rationale and design for the PAINT randomized trial.

Background: We describe the rationale and design for the 'PercutAneous INTervention with biodegradable-polymer based paclitaxel-eluting or sirolimus-eluting versus bare stents for de novo coronary lesions - PAINT trial'.

Objectives: To evaluate two novel formulations of paclitaxel-eluting stent and the sirolimus-eluting stent against a stent with the same metallic structure but without polymer coating or drug elution.

Methods: The PAINT is a multicenter 3-arm randomized trial, conducted in Brazilian tertiary institutions, which included 275 patients allocated for the InfinniumR paclitaxel-eluting stent, the SupralimusR sirolimus-eluting stent or the Milennium MatrixR bare metal stent in a 2:2:1 ratio.

Randomized evaluation of two drug-eluting stents with identical metallic platform and biodegradable polymer but different agents (paclitaxel or sirolimus) compared against bare stents: 1-year results of the PAINT trial.

Objectives: We tested two novel drug-eluting stents (DES), covered with a biodegradable-polymer carrier and releasing paclitaxel or sirolimus, which were compared against a bare metal stent (primary objective). The DES differed by the drug, but were identical otherwise, allowing to compare the anti-restenosis effects of sirolimus versus paclitaxel (secondary objective).

Background: The efficacy of novel DES with biodegradable polymers should be tested in the context of randomized trials, even when using drugs known to be effective, such as sirolimus and paclitaxel.