Transcatheter aortic valve replacement for degenerative bioprosthetic surgical valves: results from the global valve-in-valve registry.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve-in-valve implantation is an emerging therapeutic alternative for patients with a failed surgical bioprosthesis and may obviate the need for reoperation. We evaluated the clinical results of this technique using a large, worldwide registry.

Methods And Results: The Global Valve-in-Valve Registry included 202 patients with degenerated bioprosthetic valves (aged 77.

Remission of positive symptoms according to the "remission in Schizophrenia Working Group" criteria: a longitudinal study of cognitive functioning.

Schizophrenia patients in positive symptomatic remission (PSR; n=39) were assessed using a longitudinal research design. The patients were found to exhibit widespread cognitive impairments that were stable over the three-year follow-up period. The findings support a generalized and stable cognitive impairment profile among schizophrenia patients in partial symptomatic remission.

Percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with haemophilia presenting with acute coronary syndrome: an interventional dilemma: case series, review of the literature, and tips for management.

Since the introduction of clotting factor concentrates over 50 years ago the life expectancy of patients with hemophilia (PWH) has increased to over 70 years. Consequently, diseases of the ageing population, including coronary artery disease, are increasingly being encountered. These patients present a unique therapeutic problem due to their greatly increased bleeding risk.

Contemporary use and outcome of percutaneous coronary interventions in patients with acute coronary syndromes: insights from the 2010 ACSIS and ACSIS-PCI surveys.

Aims: In patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is the mainstay of treatment based on current guidelines. In this paper we describe contemporary management and outcomes of patients with ACS treated by PCI in the national ACS Israeli survey (ACSIS) performed in March and April 2010.

Methods And Results: The ACSIS 2010 registry was conducted in all 25 hospitals in Israel and included "all comers" admitted with ACS.

[Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: can successful thrombendarterectomy normalize exercise capacity and gas exchange?].

Introduction: Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, a rare complication of pulmonary embolism is amenable to thrombendarterectomy (TEA) and when successful, improves exercise capacity and normalizes resting pulmonary arterial pressure.

Goal: To test if exercise capacity and exercise gas exchange are also normalized after successful TEA.

Methods: Over a period of 4 years, 5 patients underwent TEA at Sheba Medical Center.

Neurocognitive functioning and cannabis use in schizophrenia.

Cannabis is the most prevalent illicit substance used among schizophrenia patients. The effects of cannabis are mediated through the endocannabinoid system, which is a major regulator of neurotransmission and may be disturbed in schizophrenia. Though cognitive impairment in schizophrenia is well established, the effects of cannabis on cognition in schizophrenia patients are still unclear.

Sublingual Flumazenil for the Residual Effects of Hypnotics: Zolpidem and Brotizolam.

Residual morning drowsiness is a frequent side effect of hypnotics. This study examined the safety and efficacy of sublingual Flumazenil in reversing the residual hypnotic effect. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover study with 20 healthy subjects who slept for 1.

Stenting of the unprotected left main coronary artery in patients with severe aortic stenosis prior to percutaneous valve interventions.

Aims: High-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) who are candidates for transcatheter valve implantation (TAVI) or balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) may additionally require revascularization of the unprotected left main coronary artery (UPLM). We aimed to assess the feasibility and procedural safety of UPLM stenting in such patients.

Methods And Results: Ten cases of UPLM stenting prior to BAV or TAVI at three medical centers over a 2-year period were identified.

Stress hormones receptors in the amygdala mediate the effects of stress on the consolidation, but not the retrieval, of a non aversive spatial task.

This study examined the effects of the arousal level of the rat and exposure to a behavioral stressor on acquisition, consolidation and retrieval of a non-aversive hippocampal-dependent learning paradigm, the object location task. Learning was tested under two arousal conditions: no previous habituation to the experimental context (high novelty stress/arousal level) or extensive prior habituation (reduced novelty stress/arousal level). Results indicated that in the habituated rats, exposure to an out-of-context stressor (i.

Deformation dynamics and mechanical properties of the aortic annulus by 4-dimensional computed tomography: insights into the functional anatomy of the aortic valve complex and implications for transcatheter aortic valve therapy.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess deformation dynamics and in vivo mechanical properties of the aortic annulus throughout the cardiac cycle.

Background: Understanding dynamic aspects of functional aortic valve anatomy is important for beating-heart transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Methods: Thirty-five patients with aortic stenosis and 11 normal subjects underwent 256-slice computed tomography.

The role of oxidized phospholipids, lipoprotein (a) and biomarkers of oxidized lipoproteins in chronically occluded coronary arteries in sudden cardiac death and following successful percutaneous revascularization.

Aims: OxPL are pro-inflammatory and may mediate atherogenesis, thrombosis and endothelial dysfunction. We studied the histological presence and temporal increases in oxidized phospholipids on apolipoprotein B-100 particles (OxPL/apoB), lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] and biomarkers of oxidized lipoproteins in subjects with chronic total coronary occlusions (CTO) with sudden cardiac death (SCD) and following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods: Eight subjects with SCD and CTO and 33 patients with successful PCI of CTO were included.

Non-obstructive coronary artery disease upon multi-detector computed tomography in patients presenting with acute chest pain--results of an intermediate term follow-up.

Aims: Multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) has emerged as an efficient tool for detection of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) and assessment of patients with acute chest pain. MDCT may detect premature, non-obstructive atherosclerotic lesions which otherwise would have not been detected upon functional cardiac imaging tests. Currently, there is scarce data regarding the clinical significance of these lesions.

Predictors and course of high-degree atrioventricular block after transcatheter aortic valve implantation using the CoreValve Revalving System.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a novel treatment for high risk or inoperable patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis. However, significant atrioventricular (AV) conduction system abnormalities requiring permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation might complicate this procedure. We used best subsets logistic regression analysis to identify the independent predictors for the development of high-degree AV block (HDAVB) among 70 patients who underwent TAVI at 3 referral centers in Israel from 2008 to 2010.

Neurocognitive functions of heavy cannabis using schizophrenia patients.

This current study assessed neurocognitive functioning in a carefully selected sample of schizophrenia patients with and without heavy cannabis use and healthy controls. All subjects were negative for any other substance use. Schizophrenia subjects had impaired neurocognitive functions across a wide range of tasks compared to healthy controls.

Differential effects of cannabinoid receptor agonist on social discrimination and contextual fear in amygdala and hippocampus.

We examined whether the cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN55,212-2 (WIN; 5 µg/side) microinjected into the hippocampus or the amygdala would differentially affect memory processes in a neutral vs. an aversive task. In the aversive contextual fear task, WIN into the basolateral amygdala impaired fear acquisition/consolidation, but not retrieval.

Percutaneous implantation of the self-expandable CoreValve for high risk patients with severe aortic valve stenosis: early Israeli experience.

Background: The prevalence of aortic stenosis increases with advancing age. Once symptoms occur the prognosis in patients with severe aortic stenosis is poor. The current and recommended treatment of choice for these patients is surgical aortic valve replacement.

Inhibition of intimal hyperplasia after stenting by over-expression of p15: a member of the INK4 family of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors.

We evaluated the role of p15(Ink4), a member of the INK4 family of CDK inhibitors on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) proliferation, cell cycle progression and intimal hyperplasia after stenting. Aortic VSMCs transduced with either adenovirus encoding for p15(Ink4) or β-galactosidase were assessed for DNA synthesis, cell cycle progression, and pRb phosphorylation. Rabbit carotid arteries were stented and treated with peri-adventitial delivery of saline or adenovirus encoding for p15(Ink4) or β-galactosidase.

A perlecan-inducing compound significantly inhibits smooth muscle cell function and in-stent intimal hyperplasia: novel insights into the diverse biological effects of perlecan.

Aims: Perlecan is the major heparan sulfate proteoglycan in the arterial wall. Previous studies have suggested that perlecan is a potent inhibitor of smooth muscle cell (SMC) activity. Therefore, perlecan overexpression may serve as a therapeutic modality to prevent in-stent restenosis (ISR).

Effects of distal embolization on the timing of platelet and inflammatory cell activation in interventional coronary no-reflow.

Introduction: Myocardial hypoperfusion following percutaneous coronary intervention, termed "no-reflow", may be initiated by distal coronary embolization. This study examined the effects of distal embolization on the extent and timing of inflammation and platelet activation in an experimental model of coronary no-reflow.

Material And Methods: A no-reflow model was established in 9 Yorkshire pigs by injecting incremental doses of biologically inert polystyrene microspheres into the left anterior descending artery every 20 minutes via a transit catheter.

Visible angiographic complications predict short and long-term outcomes in patients with post-procedural creatine-phosphokinase elevation.

Objectives: To assess whether visible angiographic complication is related to outcome in patients with elevated creatine phosphokinase (CK-MB) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Background: Elevated biomarkers following PCI are associated with increased incidence of adverse events but the absolute risk of such events is low. A more specific marker of risk is needed.

Determination of polyphenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity in colored chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).

Dry legumes are staple and potentially functional food, being a good source of polyphenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity. The objective of this study was to determine the total polyphenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and their relation with antioxidant capacity in 17 chickpea lines having colored seed coats (black, red, brown, green, rubiginous, gray, yellow, cream, or beige). The seed coat usually contains more than 95% of these compounds.

The incidence and clinical predictors of early stent thrombosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Background: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is associated with activation of platelets and the coagulation system which could influence the incidence of early stent thrombosis (EST). We aimed to determine the incidence and predictors of EST in patients undergoing coronary stenting during ACS.

Methods: The study comprised 1202 consecutive patients, drawn from a nationwide ACS survey, who underwent coronary stenting during ACS and were followed up for 30 days.

D-cycloserine into the BLA reverses the impairing effects of exposure to stress on the extinction of contextual fear, but not conditioned taste aversion.

We investigated whether the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor partial agonist D-cycloserine (DCS, 20 microg/side) microinfused into the basolateral amygdala (BLA) would reverse stress-induced impairment of extinction in two aversive learning paradigms: contextual fear conditioning and conditioned taste aversion (CTA). We found that DCS in the BLA show differential involvement in the extinction of these two paradigms and in its modulation of stress-induced impairment of extinction. This may suggest that the dysfunctional extinction of fear and taste aversion following exposure to a stressful experience may be modulated by different mechanisms.