Modeling methylation dynamics with simultaneous changes in CpG islands.

Background: In vertebrate genomes, CpG sites can be clustered into CpG islands, and the amount of methylation in a CpG island can change due to gene regulation processes. Thus, single regulatory events can simultaneously change the methylation states of many CpG sites within a CpG island. This should be taken into account when quantifying the amount of change in methylation, for example in form of a branch length in a phylogeny of cell types.

Unexplained acute coronary occlusion causing anterior myocardial infarction.

We present a diagnostic conundrum with a case of a young woman presenting with an acute myocardial infarction in cardiogenic shock who was found to have an occluded left main stem (LMS). Despite ballooning the LMS, multiple re-occlusions in the same area warranted stent deployment. There was a filling defect in the left aortic sinus which was evaluated further with a CT scan and transoesophageal echocardiogram, confirming a mass consistent with a papillary fibroelastoma.

Chasing the ACE of hearts.

A case study of a patient presenting with acute pulmonary oedema, dynamic ECG changes and a rise in cardiac biomarkers with no evidence of myocardial infarction. The clinical course followed a dynamic and inflammatory disease process with evidence of sarcoidosis on tissue histology. The patient had an excellent clinical response to corticosteroid therapy with minimal evidence of hyperenhancement (focal fibrosis) on cardiac MRI at 6 months.