Clinical relevance of angiographic coronary collaterals during primary coronary intervention for acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Background: Collaterals to occluded infarct-related coronary arteries (IRA) have been observed after the onset of acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We sought to investigate the impact of early coronary collateralization, as evidenced by angiography, on myocardial reperfusion and outcomes after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods: Acute procedural results, ST-segment resolution (STR), enzymatic infarct size, echocardiographic left ventricular function, and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 6-month follow-up were assessed in 389 patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI for occluded IRA (TIMI flow grade 0 or 1) within 12 hours of symptom-onset.

Myelodysplastic syndrome associated with clopidogrel: a case report.

More than 3 million patients around the world have received clopidogrel, an inhibitor of platelet aggregation, which has largely replaced ticlopidine in clinical practice as it was believed to be devoid of the side effects caused by ticlopidine. We herein report the case of a woman who developed myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) after 1 year of treatment with clopidogrel. The absence of other plausible causes suggests that her MDS was induced by clopidogrel.

An infrequent relapse of multiple myeloma predominantly manifesting as light chain escape: clinical experience from two Chinese centers.

Patients with intact immunoglobulin (Ig) multiple myeloma (MM) usually show parallel fluctuations of their intact Ig and light chain (LC) concentrations. Herein we report 11 patients with relapsed, intact Ig MM with a marked increase in urinary LCs in the absence of a parallel rise in serum intact Ig, known as light chain escape (LCE). A major feature accompanying the presentation of LCE was conversion of plasma cell morphology.

Clinical features of multiple myeloma invasion of the central nervous system in Chinese patients.

Background: Although neurologic manifestations often complicate the course of patients with multiple myeloma, direct central nervous system invasion is rare. This study explored the neurologic symptoms, signs, clinical features, therapy and prognosis of Chinese patients with central nervous system myeloma invasion.

Methods: The diagnosis, therapy and prognosis were analyzed retrospectively in 11 Chinese multiple myeloma patients with central nervous system infiltration from a total of 625 patients who have been treated at Changzheng Hospital (Shanghai, China) between January 1993 and May 2009.

Palmitic acid promotes endothelial progenitor cells apoptosis via p38 and JNK mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways.

Objective: Recent studies have demonstrated that palmitic acid (PA) could regulate endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) function (migration, proliferation, survival and angiogenesis) via various signal pathways, but the effect of PA on EPCs apoptosis and associated mechanisms are still elusive.

Methods: The human EPCs were obtained by Ficoll density gradient centrifugation and cultured in M199 medium containing rh-VEGF (30ng/mL), rh-b-FGF (6ng/mL) and 10% fetal bovine serum for 7 days. The adhesive EPCs were harvested, then challenged with different concentrations of PA (ranging from 0 to 800mumol/L) for 48h and 400 micromol/L PA for different time periods (ranging from 0 to 60h) after 12h synchronization with serum-free medium.

AGEs increased migration and inflammatory responses of adventitial fibroblasts via RAGE, MAPK and NF-kappaB pathways.

Objective: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and vascular adventitial fibroblasts (AFs) are involved in diabetes-related vascular complications. However, the effect of AGEs on AFs remains unclear. The aim of this study was to observe the impact of AGEs on cell migration capacity and associated inflammatory responses of AFs.

Rosiglitazone via upregulation of Akt/eNOS pathways attenuates dysfunction of endothelial progenitor cells, induced by advanced glycation end products.

Background And Purpose: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play key roles in pathogenesis of diabetes-related vascular complications. AGEs can induce dysfunction in EPCs. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) agonists are widely used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, and it remains unknown if they could attenuate EPC dysfunction induced by AGEs.