Biobanking in carotid artery disease: translation to clinical practice.

Biobanking of atherosclerotic tissue samples has contributed to our understanding of vascular occlusive disease. The careful examination of atherosclerotic plaques derived during vascular surgery or autopsies helped shape our minds in understanding the underlying substrate of arterial thrombosis. This review will outline concepts of progression of atherosclerotic disease that have been based on descriptions of human plaque pathology.

High reproducibility of histological characterization by whole virtual slide quantification; an example using carotid plaque specimens.

Objective: Tissue biobanks are an important source for discovery and validation studies aiming for new proteins that are causally related with disease development. There is an increasing demand for accurate and reproducible histological characterization, especially for subsequent analysis and interpretation of data in association studies. We assessed reproducibility of one semiquantative and two quantitative methods for histological tissue characterization.

A lipid-poor plaque and asymptomatic status in women are associated with higher peak systolic velocity on duplex ultrasound after carotid endarterectomy.

Objectives: Recurrent stenosis is a drawback of carotid endarterectomy (CEA), and may lead to recurrent symptoms and reintervention. Restenosis can be detected by duplex ultrasound scanning (DUS) with cutoff values based on peak systolic velocity (PSV), which vary among vascular laboratories. On short term, histological carotid plaque characteristics have shown to predict DUS-based restenosis rates.

The impact of female sex on long-term survival of patients with severe atherosclerosis undergoing endarterectomy.

Objectives: Long-term age- and sex-specific mortality data in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and iliac/femoral endarterectomy (FEA) are scarce. We examined long-term mortality in these patient groups, stratified by age and sex.

Methods: Between 2002 and 2012, 1771 patients (1200 men, 571 women) treated by CEA, and 685 patients (495 men, 190 women) who underwent FEA, were included and linked to the national mortality registry of the Netherlands.

Increased platelet reactivity is associated with circulating platelet-monocyte complexes and macrophages in human atherosclerotic plaques.

Objective: Platelet reactivity, platelet binding to monocytes and monocyte infiltration play a detrimental role in atherosclerotic plaque progression. We investigated whether platelet reactivity was associated with levels of circulating platelet-monocyte complexes (PMCs) and macrophages in human atherosclerotic carotid plaques.

Methods: Platelet reactivity was determined by measuring platelet P-selectin expression after platelet stimulation with increasing concentrations of adenosine diphosphate (ADP), in two independent cohorts: the Circulating Cells cohort (n = 244) and the Athero-Express cohort (n = 91).

Stenting versus endarterectomy for restenosis following prior ipsilateral carotid endarterectomy: an individual patient data meta-analysis.

Objective: To study perioperative results and restenosis during follow-up of carotid artery stenting (CAS) versus carotid endarterectomy (CEA) for restenosis after prior ipsilateral CEA in an individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis.

Background: The optimal treatment strategy for patients with restenosis after CEA remains unknown.

Methods: A comprehensive search of electronic databases (Medline, Embase) until July 1, 2013, was performed, supplemented by a review of references.

Time-dependent changes in atherosclerotic plaque composition in patients undergoing carotid surgery.

Background: Time-dependent trends in the incidence of cardiovascular disease have been reported in high-income countries. Because atherosclerosis underlies the majority of cardiovascular diseases, we investigated temporal changes in the composition of atherosclerotic plaques removed from patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy.

Methods And Results: The Athero-Express study is an ongoing, longitudinal, vascular biobank study that includes the collection of atherosclerotic plaques of patients undergoing primary carotid endarterectomy in the province of Utrecht from 2002 to 2011.

Extracellular vesicle-derived CD14 is independently associated with the extent of cardiovascular disease burden in patients with manifest vascular disease.

Background: In patients with established cardiovascular disease, high levels of the extracellular vesicle (EV)-derived proteins cystatin C, CD14, and α2-antiplasmin predict recurrent cardiovascular events. We examined whether these proteins are associated with the extent of vascular disease.

Methods: In 1062 patients from the SMART (Secondary Manifestations in ARTerial disease) study, EVs were isolated from plasma at baseline.

Sex is associated with the presence of atherosclerotic plaque hemorrhage and modifies the relation between plaque hemorrhage and cardiovascular outcome.

Background And Purpose: Plaque hemorrhage (PH) may lead to accelerated progression of atherosclerotic disease. The presence of local PH in the carotid plaque predicts future cardiovascular events in any vascular territory. We investigated the prevalence of local PH and the predictive value of PH for the occurrence of cardiovascular events in men and women separately.

Prognosis of solitary fibrous tumors: a multicenter study.

Background: Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) are rare mesenchymal tumors, and data regarding outcome and prognostic factors are scarce. We report the outcome and analysis of prognostic factors of a retrospective multicenter cohort study for patients treated for SFTs.

Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed of patients treated for SFTs between 1995 and 2012.

Small popliteal artery aneurysms: important clinical consequences and contralateral survey in daily vascular surgery practice.

Objective: The management of small popliteal artery aneurysms remains a matter of debate. The goal of this study was to gain additional knowledge about this pathology, focusing specifically on popliteal arteries smaller than 20 mm in diameter. Furthermore, the need for surveillance of the contralateral popliteal artery in patients with a small aneurysm was studied.

Long-term outcome of popliteal artery aneurysms after ligation and bypass.

Objectives: After exclusion of popliteal artery aneurysms (PAAs) through bypass surgery, there is a risk of persistent flow through collaterals and growth of the excluded aneurysmal sac. This study was conducted to evaluate this risk at long-term follow-up.

Methods: Sixty-five PAAs treated by proximal and distal ligation and bypass grafting with reversed autologous vein in 52 patients (1998-2010) were retrospectively reviewed.

A genetic element present on megaplasmids allows Enterococcus faecium to use raffinose as carbon source.

Enterococcus faecium is a commensal of the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals. Since the 1990s, it has also emerged as a nosocomial pathogen. Little is known about carbon metabolism of E.

Pyrosequencing-based comparative genome analysis of the nosocomial pathogen Enterococcus faecium and identification of a large transferable pathogenicity island.

Background: The Gram-positive bacterium Enterococcus faecium is an important cause of nosocomial infections in immunocompromized patients.

Results: We present a pyrosequencing-based comparative genome analysis of seven E. faecium strains that were isolated from various sources.