Objectives To characterize the morphological features of plaque erosion and calcified nodule in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Background Plaque erosion and calcified nodule have not been systematically investigated in vivo. Methods One hundred and twenty-six patients with ACS who had undergone pre-intervention OCT imaging were included. The culprit lesions were classified as plaque rupture (PR), erosion (OCT-erosion), calcified nodule (OCT-CN), or others using a new set of diagnostic criteria for OCT. Results The incidences of PR, OCT-erosion, and OCT-CN were 43.7%, 31.0%, and 7.9%, respectively. Patients with OCT-erosion were the youngest compared with those with PR and OCT-CN (53.8±13.1 years vs. 60.6±11.5 years, 65.1±5.0 years, p=0.005). Compared with patients with PR, presentation with non-ST-segment elevation ACS (NSTE-ACS) was more common in patients with OCT-erosion (61.5% vs. 29.1%, p=0.008) and OCT-CN (100% vs. 29.1%, p<0.001). OCT-erosion had a lower frequency of lipid plaque (43.6% vs. 100%, p<0.001), thicker fibrous cap (169.3±99.1 μm vs. 60.4±16.6 μm, p<0.001), and smaller lipid arc (202.8±73.6° vs. 275.8±60.4°, p<0.001) than PR. The diameter stenosis was least severe in OCT-erosion followed by OCT-CN and PR (55.4±14.7% vs. 66.1±13.5% vs. 68.8±12.9%, p<0.001). Conclusions OCT is a promising modality for identifying OCT-erosion and OCT-CN in vivo. OCT-erosion is a frequent finding in patients with ACS, especially in those with NSTE-ACS and younger patients. OCT-CN is the least common etiology for ACS and is more common in older patients.

The accumulation of advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs) has been linked to vascular lesions in diabetes, chronic renal insufficiency, and atherosclerosis. However, the signaling pathway involved in AOPPs-induced endothelial cells (ECs) perturbation is unknown and was investigated. AOPPs modified human serum albumin (AOPPs-HSA) bound to the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) in a dose-dependent and saturable manner. AOPPs-HSA competitively inhibited the binding of soluble RAGE (sRAGE) with its preferential ligands advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Incubation of AOPPs, either prepared in vitro or isolated from uremic serum, with human umbilical vein ECs induced superoxide generation, activation of NAD(P)H oxidase, ERK 1/2 and p38, and nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB. Activation of signaling pathway by AOPPs-ECs interaction resulted in overexpression of VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 at both gene and protein levels. This AOPPs-triggered biochemical cascade in ECs was prevented by blocking RAGE with either anti-RAGE IgG or excess sRAGE, but was not affected by the neutralizing anti-AGEs IgG. These data suggested that AOPPs might be new ligands of endothelial RAGE. AOPPs-HSA activates vascular ECs via RAGE-mediated signals.

Purpose Intermediate-risk rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) includes patients with either nonmetastatic, unresected embryonal RMS (ERMS) with an unfavorable primary site or nonmetastatic alveolar RMS (ARMS). The primary aim of this study was to improve the outcome of patients with intermediate-risk RMS by substituting vincristine and irinotecan (VI) for half of vincristine, dactinomycin, and cyclophosphamide (VAC) courses. All patients received a lower dose of cyclophosphamide and earlier radiation therapy than in previous trials. Patients and Methods Patients were randomly assigned at study entry to either VAC (cumulative cyclophosphamide dose, 16.8 g/m) or VAC/VI (cumulative cyclophosphamide dose, 8.4 g/m) for 42 weeks of therapy. Radiation therapy started at week 4, with individualized local control plans permitted for patients younger than 24 months. The primary study end point was event-free survival (EFS). The study design had an 80% power (5% one-sided α-level) to detect an improved long-term EFS from 65% (with VAC) to 76% (with VAC/VI). Results A total of 448 eligible patients were enrolled in the study. At a median follow-up of 4.8 years, the 4-year EFS was 63% with VAC and 59% with VAC/VI ( P = .51), and 4-year overall survival was 73% for VAC and 72% for VAC/VI ( P = .80). Within the ARMS and ERMS subgroups, no difference in outcome by treatment arm was found. Severe hematologic toxicity was less common with VAC/VI therapy. Conclusion The addition of VI to VAC did not improve EFS or OS for patients with intermediate-risk RMS. VAC/VI had less hematologic toxicity and a lower cumulative cyclophosphamide dose, making VAC/VI an alternative standard therapy for intermediate-risk RMS.

Exosomes (Exo) hold great promise as endogenous nanocarriers that can deliver biological information between cells. However, Exo are limited in terms of their abilities to target specific recipient cell types. We developed a strategy to isolate Exo exhibiting increased binding to integrin α v β 3 . Binding occurred through a modified version of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 15 (A15) expressed on exosomal membranes (A15-Exo), which facilitated co-delivery of therapeutic quantities of doxorubicin (Dox) and cholesterol-modified miRNA 159 (Cho-miR159) to triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells, both in vitro and in vivo. The targeted A15-Exo were derived from continuous protein kinase C activation in monocyte-derived macrophages. These cell-derived Exo displayed targeting properties and had a 2.97-fold higher production yield. In vitro, A15-Exo co-loaded with Dox and Cho-miR159 induced synergistic therapeutic effects in MDA-MB-231 cells. In vivo, miR159 and Dox delivery in a vesicular system effectively silenced the TCF-7 gene and exhibited improved anticancer effects, without adverse effects. Therefore, our data demonstrate the synergistic efficacy of co-delivering miR159 and Dox by targeted Exo for TNBC therapy.