Cancer-related vulnerable lesions in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) has become a major cause of morbidity and mortality in cancer survivors. It is still unclear whether cancer history influences lesion characteristics. The purpose of this study was to investigate cancer-related lesion morphology in patients with CAD.

Circulating CD14+CD16+ monocyte subsets as biomarkers of the severity of coronary artery disease in patients with stable angina pectoris.

Background: Circulating monocytes can be divided into 2 subsets typically identified by the expression of CD14 and CD16. Although previous studies have shown that circulating monocytes contribute to the progression of coronary atherosclerotic lesions, the relationship between the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) and the 2 distinct monocyte subsets has not previously been evaluated. We investigated the relationship between the monocyte subsets and the severity of CAD assessed by coronary angiography (CAG) in patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP).

Differential expression of Toll-like receptor 4 and human monocyte subsets in acute myocardial infarction.

Objective: To investigate the involvement of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression on two monocyte subsets in the pathologic processes related to acute coronary syndrome. How monocytes, which have recently been shown to comprise two distinct subsets, mediate the process of coronary plaque rupture remains to be fully elucidated. Recent studies have shown that TLR4 is involved in monocyte activation of patients with accelerated forms of atherosclerosis.

Left ventricular apical aneurysm due to unrecognized sarcoidosis.

A 47-year-old woman was hospitalized for syncope. An electrocardiogram showed complete right bundle branch block and T-wave inversion in leads III, aVF, and V2-4. Cardiac catheterization was performed since the echocardiogram demonstrated the existence of a left ventricular apical aneurysm and apical thrombus.