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This study revealed a high prevalence of newly diagnosed AAA in a group of older men having cardiac evaluation. There was a relationship of increasing age with AAA, and a significant proportion of newly diagnosed subjects were not suitable for AAA repair.

Background:Primary pancreatic lymphoma (PPL) is an extremely rare neoplasm, which may be confused with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. So far only about 150 cases of PPL have been reported.Materials and Methods:We present our experience of 3 cases of PPL over a 4-year period.Results:All the patients presented with vague abdominal pain of duration ranging from 1½ months to 3 months. Two patients had diagnosis confirmed histologically by CT-guided core biopsy or Fine needle aspiration procedure. We were able to avoid unnecessary laparotomy in 2 patients using preoperative guided Fine needle aspiration Cytology, although the third patient did undergo a Whipple′s procedure as the diagnosis of PPL was not considered during the initial workup.Conclusions:There is no significant difference noted with regard to patient′s age or duration of symptoms between patients with either pancreatic adenocarcinoma or PPL. The differential diagnosis of PPL includes pancreatic adenocarcinoma and secondary involvement of pancreas from extra-nodal lymphoma. Combination of two things is suggestive of Pancreatic lymphoma: (1) Bulky localized tumor in pancreatic head (2) Absence of significant dilatation of main pancreatic duct strengthens a diagnosis of pancreatic lymphoma over adenocarcinoma. Majority of patients can be managed with chemotherapy with much better prognosis compared to patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Larger series of patients are needed to evaluate whether chemotherapy, eventually followed by involved-field radiation therapy, is the treatment of choice for PPL.

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Introduction and objective: Target lesion failure continues to limit the efficacy of percutaneous coronary intervention despite advancements in stent design and medical therapy. Identification of biomarkers to risk stratify patients after percutaneous coronary intervention has the potential to focus therapies on cohorts with increased benefits. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 has been identified as a candidate biomarker. Herein, we evaluate biological variables which impact plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 levels and analytical characteristics which impact its utility as a biomarker in humans. Methods: Plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 was measured in 689 patients undergoing coronary angiography. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 levels were measured. Clinical and procedural characteristics were collected in a prospective registry. Results: Plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 analytical ( CVa = 4.1%), intra-individual ( CVi = 44.0%) and inter-individual ( CVg = 118.6%) variations with reference change value of 122.3% were calculated. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 levels were elevated in patients with cardiovascular risk factors, including type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, smokers, obesity, hypertension, and daytime variation in procedure and blood draw. Conclusion: Variation in plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 levels is influenced by multiple biological and procedural characteristics. The performance of plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 is consistent with biomarkers in clinical use (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and C-reactive protein) and its applicability is promising.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of death. Preventative therapies that reduce CVD are most effective when targeted to individuals at high risk. Current risk stratification tools have only modest prognostic capabilities, resulting in over-treatment of low-risk individuals and under-treatment of high-risk individuals. Improved methods of CVD risk stratification are required. Molecular imaging offers a novel approach to CVD risk stratification. In particular, F-sodium fluoride (F-NaF) positron emission tomography (PET) has shown promise in the detection of both high-risk atherosclerotic plaque features and vascular calcification activity, which predicts future development of new vascular calcium deposits. The rate of change of coronary calcium scores, measured by serial computed tomography scans over a 2-year period, is a strong predictor of CVD risk. Vascular calcification activity, as measured with F-NaF PET, has the potential to provide prognostic information similar to consecutive coronary calcium scoring, with a single-time-point convenience. However, owing to the rapid motion and small size of the coronary arteries, new solutions are required to address the traditional limitations of PET imaging. Two different methods of coronary PET analysis have been independently proposed and here we compare their respective strengths, weaknesses, and the potential for clinical translation.

Although the type 2 diabetic heart worked at smaller volumes, the HR and contractile response to β-adrenergic stimulation were unaffected by diabetes. The reduced cardiac reserve observed in uncomplicated T2D was not explained by impaired myocardial sympathetic responsiveness but may reflect changes in the loading conditions or function of the diabetic left ventricle.