Acoustical properties of individual liposome-loaded microbubbles.

A comparison between phospholipid-coated microbubbles with and without liposomes attached to the microbubble surface was performed using the ultra-high-speed imaging camera (Brandaris 128). We investigated 73 liposome-loaded microbubbles (loaded microbubbles) and 41 microbubbles without liposome loading (unloaded microbubbles) with a diameter ranging from 3-10 μm at frequencies ranging from 0.6-3.

The ability of high dose rosuvastatin to improve plaque composition in non-intervened coronary arteries: rationale and design of the Integrated Biomarker and Imaging Study-3 (IBIS-3).

Aims: Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are often caused by rupture of non-flow limiting "vulnerable" atherosclerotic plaque, characterised by a large necrotic core pool and a thin, inflamed fibrous cap that are unidentifiable with diagnostic coronary angiography. The implementation of novel invasive imaging modalities, such as intravascular ultrasound-virtual histology (IVUS-VH) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), could help identify high-risk patients who are in need of aggressive medical therapy. The intake of high dose rosuvastatin has been shown to reduce plaque containing necrotic core in the carotid arteries, however it remains unknown whether there is a similar effect in the coronary arteries.