Coronary orbital atherectomy treatment of Hispanic and Latino patients: A real-world comparative analysis.

Objectives: To assess coronary orbital atherectomy (OA) use in Hispanic or Latino (HL) patients compared to non-HL patients.

Background: HL patients are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease mortality compared with Whites with similar coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores. The safety and efficacy of coronary atherectomy in the HL patient population is unknown due to the under-representation of minorities in clinical trial research.

Coronary Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO): A Review.

Coronary artery chronic total occlusions (CTO) are frequently encountered during coronary angiography; however percutaneous recanalization has historically been technically challenging and an important determinant for referral to coronary artery bypass surgery or for medical therapy alone. Recent advances in interventional equipment and innovative approaches to crossing CTO have significantly increased the success rate of percutaneous treatment. Although there is only one relevant randomized control trial (RCT) performed to date, several large, nonrandomized studies have consistently reported improvement in clinical outcomes, including improved survival and relief of angina, when successful percutaneous treatment of CTO was compared with unsuccessful revascularization.

Percutaneous Closure of Two Acquired Aorto-Right Ventricular Fistulae Following Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Surgery.

The present case illustrates the successful transcatheter closure of an unusual double aortic root-to-right ventricular outflow tract fistula utilizing two Amplatzer duct occluders II.

A barrel-related interneuron in layer 4 of rat somatosensory cortex with a high intrabarrel connectivity.

Synaptic connections between identified fast-spiking (FS), parvalbumin (PV)-positive interneurons, and excitatory spiny neurons in layer 4 (L4) of the barrel cortex were investigated using patch-clamp recordings and simultaneous biocytin fillings. Three distinct clusters of FS L4 interneurons were identified based on their axonal morphology relative to the barrel column suggesting that these neurons do not constitute a homogeneous interneuron population. One L4 FS interneuron type had an axonal domain strictly confined to a L4 barrel and was therefore named "barrel-confined inhibitory interneuron" (BIn).

Relationship of plasma galectin-3 to renal function in patients with heart failure: effects of clinical status, pathophysiology of heart failure, and presence or absence of heart failure.

Background: Galectin-3 (GAL-3), a β-galactoside-binding protein, is a new clinical biomarker believed to reflect cardiac remodeling/fibrosis in patients with heart failure (HF). Plasma GAL-3 is inversely related to renal function. It is not known whether the relationship between renal function and GAL-3 is influenced by clinical decompensation, type of HF, or the presence or absence of clinical HF.