Doxorubicin Detoxification in Healthy Organs Improves Tolerability to High Drug Doses for Enhanced Antitumor Therapy.

With its well-documented toxicity, the use of doxorubicin (Dox) for cancer treatment requires trade-offs between safety and effectiveness. This limited use of Dox also hinders its functionality as an immunogenic cell death inducer, thus impeding its usefulness for immunotherapeutic applications. Here, we develop a biomimetic pseudonucleus nanoparticle (BPN-KP) by enclosing GC-rich DNA within erythrocyte membrane modified with a peptide to selectively target healthy tissue.

Two in One: Echocardiographic Features of Right-Ventricular Diverticulum and Left-Ventricular Aneurysm in the Same Patient.

Ventricular diverticulum is a rare congenital heart defect that is usually found incidentally upon imaging, such as 2-dimensional transthoracic echocardiogram. We report a case in which an isolated right-ventricular diverticulum and a left-ventricular aneurysm were both found on transthoracic echocardiogram in the setting of a pulmonary embolism. This case highlights how to distinguish between an aneurysm and a diverticulum based on wall motion on echocardiogram, as well as potential complications that may arise from either anomaly.

purulent pericarditis with cardiac tamponade after coronary artery bypass surgery.

Purulent pericarditis caused by is extremely rare. A 66-year-old man underwent elective coronary artery bypass surgery. This was complicated by sternal wound dehiscence with drainage.

A leaking spontaneous coronary artery pseudoaneurysm.

A 78-year-old man presented with chest pain and ST segment elevation. Coronary angiography showed no significant coronary artery disease. A saccular pocket of contrast material was found outside of the distal right posterior descending coronary artery consistent with a pseudoaneurysm.

Eustachian valve, interatrial shunt, and paradoxical embolism.

Randomized clinical trials demonstrate that percutaneous closure of the patent oval foramen is a safe and effective treatment for secondary prevention of cryptogenic stroke in selected patients. The Eustachian valve is generally considered an incidental finding without any significant pathophysiological consequences in adults. However, a persistent Eustachian valve, particularly a prominent one, is significantly more prevalent in patients with patent oval foramen and cryptogenic stroke, and is associated with adverse outcomes following percutaneous closure.

Three-dimensional echocardiography assessment of carcinoid valvular heart disease: Images of each and all.

A 54-year-old male was found to have neuroendocrine carcinoma with hepatic metastasis. Two-dimensional (2D) transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) demonstrated dilated right ventricle and right atrium, and severe tricuspid and pulmonary regurgitation. Three-dimensional (3D) TTE en-face views showed thickened, retracted, and fixed tricuspid valve and pulmonic valve which remained widely open throughout the cardiac cycle.

[Intervention effects of oral active AdipoRon on liver oxidative stress in type 2 diabetic mice].

Objective: To explore the intervention effects of oral active AdipoRon on liver oxidative stress in type 2 diabetic mice, which provides basic data for clinical application.

Methods: Thirty-two healthy male C57BL/6 mice were divided into 4 groups:normal group (NC, =8), diabetes mellitus group (DM, =8), high dose AdipoRon treatment group (DM + H, =8) and low dose AdipoRon treatment group (DM + L, =8). Following six weeks high fat feed, mice of DM, DM + H and DM + L were intraperitoneally injected with 40 mg/kg streptozocin (STZ), leading to type 2 diabetes.

Left Ventricular Dyssynchrony by Three-Dimensional Echocardiography: Current Understanding and Potential Future Clinical Applications.

Left ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony is an important prognostic factor for patients with symptomatic systolic heart failure and has emerged as a therapeutic target for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). However, approximately one-third of patients fail to improve after CRT based on current guideline recommendations and electrocardiographic criteria. Two-dimensional echocardiography and tissue Doppler-based techniques have shown variable results in assessment of left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony and have limited value in clinical practice.

Multimodality imaging and transcatheter coil embolization of an iatrogenic subclavian artery-internal jugular vein fistula.

A 69-year-old man was found to have a loud continuous bruit in the neck. Duplex carotid ultrasound showed high-velocity turbulent flow in the dilated and pulsatile right internal jugular vein. Computed tomography angiogram demonstrated markedly enlarged right internal jugular vein with a posteriorly located arteriovenous communication.

Coronary artery disease in patients with chronic kidney disease: a clinical update.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with CKD. The outcomes of CAD are poorer in patients with CKD.

Very Late Development of Coronary Artery Aneurysm with Total Occlusion following Sirolimus-Eluting Stent Implantation.

A 41-year-old African American woman presented with chest pain and was found to have non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction with a peak cardiac troponin I of 28.5. Elective cardiac catheterization revealed a 70% ostial left anterior descending (LAD) artery stenosis.

The left bundle-branch block puzzle in the 2013 ST-elevation myocardial infarction guideline: from falsely declaring emergency to denying reperfusion in a high-risk population. Are the Sgarbossa Criteria ready for prime time?

Prompt and accurate identification of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in the presence of left bundle-branch block (LBBB) remains difficult. The 2004 STEMI guideline recommended emergent reperfusion therapy to patients with suspected ischemia and new or presumably new LBBB. These recommendations have led to frequent false catheterization laboratory activation and inappropriate fibrinolytic therapy because most patients with suspected ischemia and new or presumably new LBBB do not have acute coronary artery occlusion on angiography.

Use of impella ventricular assist device in patients with severe coronary artery disease presenting with cardiac arrest.

Impella (Abiomed, Danvers, MA) is a percutaneously inserted ventricular assist device (VAD). It has been increasingly used in patients with severe heart failure, cardiogenic shock, and high-risk percutaneous intervention (PCI). However, the use and efficacy of Impella in patients with severe coronary artery disease (CAD) presenting with cardiac arrest has rarely been reported.

Three-dimensional echocardiography in valvular heart disease.

Two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) with color Doppler has been the standard tool for assessing valvular heart disease. However, this requires conceptualizing three-dimensional (3D) valvular anatomy from individual 2D slices, which is inadequate for complex valvular abnormalities. Similarly, Doppler-based methods are inherently limited by several assumptions and are influenced by hemodynamics and concomitant valvular disease.

Three-dimensional echocardiography in evaluation of left ventricular indices.

Accurate determination of left ventricular mass, volume, ejection fraction, and wall motion is important for clinical decision making. Currently, M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) have been routinely used for this purpose. Although these 1D or 2D modalities provide excellent diagnostic and prognostic information, they have a number of technical limitations including the time required to perform the procedure and operator-dependent image acquisitions.

Molecular characterization and antimicrobial susceptibility of nasal Staphylococcus aureus isolates from a Chinese medical college campus.

Staphylococcus aureus colonization and infection occur more commonly among persons living or working in crowded conditions, but characterization of S. aureus colonization within medical communities in China is lacking. A total of 144 (15.

The use of echocardiography in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Endocardial mapping and radiofrequency catheter ablation are well established modalities for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome associated with tachyarrhythmias. However, the electrophysiologic techniques are invasive, require radiation exposure, and lack spatial resolution of cardiac structures. A variety of echocardiographic techniques have been investigated as a non-invasive alternative for accessory pathway localization.

Cardiac allograft vasculopathy: advances in diagnosis.

Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), characterized by diffuse intimal thickening and luminal narrowing in the arteries of the allograft, is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in cardiac transplant recipients. Many transplant centers perform routine annual surveillance coronary angiography. However, angiography can underdiagnose or miss CAV due to its diffuse nature.

A preoperative echocardiographic predictive model for assessment of cardiovascular outcome after renal transplantation.

Objective: Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) frequently determine the outcome of renal transplantation (RT). Stress testing is advocated for preoperative risk assessment, but limited information is available on the prognostic value of these tests. We aimed to retrospectively assess the value of preoperative dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) in predicting MACE in patients undergoing RT.

Diabetic conditions promote binding of monocytes to vascular smooth muscle cells and their subsequent differentiation.

Diabetes is associated with significantly accelerated rates of atherosclerosis, key features of which include the presence of excessive macrophage-derived foam cells in the subendothelial space. We examined the hypothesis that enhanced monocyte-vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) interactions leading to subendothelial monocyte retention and differentiation to macrophages under diabetic conditions may be underlying mechanisms. Human aortic VSMCs (HVSMCs) treated with diabetic stimuli high glucose (HG) or S100B, a ligand of the receptor for advanced glycation end products, exhibited significantly increased binding of THP-1 monocytic cells.

Predictors of long-term major adverse cardiac events and clinical restenosis following elective percutaneous coronary stenting.

Limited data exist regarding the predictors of long-term clinical outcomes following elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the current era of stenting. The authors investigated the predictors of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and clinical restenosis in 740 consecutive patients who underwent successful elective PCI with bare metal stents (BMSs) or drug-eluting stents (DESs). At 30-month follow-up, compared with BMS recipients, DES recipients had a significantly lower rate of MACE, which was mainly driven by a decreased repeat target vessel PCI.

Predictors of periprocedural creatine kinase-myocardial band elevation complicating elective percutaneous coronary intervention.

Limited data are available regarding the predictors of periprocedural creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) isoenzyme increase after elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the stenting era. We explored the predictors of periprocedural CK-MB increase in 882 consecutive patients with normal preprocedural CK-MB who underwent 919 angiographically successful elective PCIs with (n = 814) or without (n = 105) stenting. Patients were categorized into 3 groups based on their peak CK-MB levels after PCI: (1) normal CK-MB (n = 761), (2) minor CK-MB increase (CK-MB 1 to 3 times normal, n = 112), and (3) major CK-MB increase (CK-MB >3 times normal, n = 46).

Enhanced proatherogenic responses in macrophages and vascular smooth muscle cells derived from diabetic db/db mice.

Diabetes is associated with enhanced inflammatory responses and cardiovascular complications such as atherosclerosis. However, it is unclear whether similar responses are present in cells derived from experimental animal models of diabetes. We examined our hypothesis that macrophages and short-term cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) derived from obese, insulin-resistant, and diabetic db/db mice would exhibit increased proatherogenic responses relative to those from control db/+ mice.

Monocyte retention in the pathology of atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a type of chronic inflammatory disease characterized by the presence of monocyte-derived cells in all stages. Monocytes, macrophages, dendritic and foam cells play important roles in the uptake of oxidized lipids, lesion development, and ultimate plaque disruption. Much is known about the mechanisms of monocyte recruitment in the lumen; however, the fate of monocytes after they enter the artery wall is not well understood.