0001) that was mainly due to neointimal hyperplasia with chronic stent recoil (defined as a >15% decrease in minimum stent area) in only 2 lesions and stent fracture in only 5 lesions. Calcified neointima appeared in 12 lesions, mostly in the form of macrocalcification, and was associated with increased calcium both behind the stent and in the reference segment. In conclusion, late drug-eluting stent restenosis showed neointimal calcification in 20% of cases, and chronic stent recoil was rare. (c) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. (Am J Cardiol 2013;111:695-699)”
“Background: The aim
of the present study was to characterize the heart rate dynamics of sinus bradycardia (SB) from sinus node dysfunction (SND) using non-linear selleck chemical dynamical system analysis. No data are yet available on how the dynamics change in the presence of SND.\n\nMethods and Results: Conventional time and frequency domain analysis, the short- (DFA(alpha 1)) and intermediate-term fractal scaling exponent (DFA(alpha 2)), approximate entropy (ApEn) and sample entropy (SampEn) were calculated in 60-min sinus RR interval data Compound Library research buy of SB from 24-h ambulatory electrocardiograms of 110 patients: 44 SND patients, 44 age-matched controls, and 22 younger controls. All of the time and frequency domain parameters, ApEn and SampEn, were significantly reduced in
the age-matched control group, compared with the young control group. DFA(alpha 1) and DFA(alpha 2) increased with aging. Both the DFA(alpha 1) and DFA(alpha 2) of SND patients were paradoxically reduced, which was not appropriate for their age. Only the percentage of consecutive RR intervals with absolute differences >50 ms (pNN(50)), low-frequency power, and DFA(alpha 2) made a significant contribution
to prediction of SND on logistic regression analysis. BTSA1 inhibitor Among them, DFA(alpha 2) was the most significant variable for prediction of SND (odds ratio, 0.927; 95% confidence interval: 0.888-0.969, P=0.001). DFA(alpha 2) remained as a significant variable for prediction of SND, when compared with overall control patients, combining the 2 control groups.\n\nConclusions: Inappropriate reduction of DFA(alpha 2) is a robust measure and could be an adjunctive tool for improvement of diagnostic performance in detection of SND. (Circ J 2011; 75: 2775-2780)”
“Objectives To evaluate the presence of lymphocyte aggregates in synovial tissue of patients with early arthritis in relationship to clinical outcome and to determine whether this is a stable feature over time.\n\nMethods Arthroscopic synovial biopsy samples were collected in a prospective cohort of disease-modifying antirheumatic drug-naive patients with early arthritis (< 1 year’s disease duration) at baseline (n=93) and, if rheumatoid arthritis was suspected, after 6 months of follow-up (n=17). After 2 years of follow-up, definitive diagnosis and clinical outcome were assessed. Size of synovial lymphocyte aggregates was graded (score 1-3).