TLRs are receptors involved in the recognition of pathogens by the innate immune system, and TLR2 and TLR4 play important roles in the activation of monocytes. A total of 105 consecutive patients who underwent coronary angiography comprised of 46 with stable effort angina (SA), 41 with unstable angina (UA), and 18 with no significant CAD (CNT) were enrolled. The baseline expression levels of TLR2 and TLR4 on monocytes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were determined by flowcytometric analysis. Since TLR2 expression has been reported to be regulated by TLR4 signaling, we cultured PBMCs with or without lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 1 µ µ µ µ µg/ ml). At baseline, TLR4 levels (mean of fluorescence intensity ) in SA (145 ± ± ± ± ± 58, p < 0.05) and UA (164 ± ± ± ± ± 65, p < 0.01) were higher than those in CNT (107 ± ± ± ± ± 37). As for TLR2, levels were higher in UA (108 ± ± ± ± ± 36, p < 0.05) than in SA (94 ± ± ± ± ± 18) and CNT (87 ± ± ± ± ± 22). After stimulation with LPS, TLR2 levels increased in SA but decreased in UA. In conclusions, TLR4 levels increased in both SA and UA. Monocytes in UA were characterized by elevated TLR2 levels and unresponsiveness of the TLR2 levels to TLR4 stimulation. J Atheroscler Thromb, 2005; 12: 53-60.

We found EES mechanical complications, often followed by longitudinal deformation or fracture leading to excessive neointimal hyperplasia, in-stent restenosis, and repeat revascularisation.

AimsFew studies have reported the impact of high‐dose loop diuretics at discharge on prognosis in Japanese patients with heart failure (HF). Our purpose was to assess the relationship between the dose of loop diuretics at discharge and cardiovascular mortality in patients with HF.Methods and resultsWe enrolled decompensated HF patients who were admitted to our hospital between March 2010 and March 2015, and compared HF patients who received high‐dose loop diuretics at discharge (HD group) with low‐dose loop diuretics at discharge (LD group) with regard to risk of cardiovascular mortality, and all‐cause mortality. High‐dose loop diuretic was defined as ≥40 mg/day of oral furosemide at discharge. A total of 215 patients were enrolled to the study. The median follow‐up duration was 641 days. All‐cause and cardiovascular mortality were significantly lower in the LD group than in the HD group (10.4% vs. 31.6%, P < 0.001; 2.2% vs. 24.6%, P < 0.001, respectively). High‐dose loop diuretics were associated with cardiovascular mortality in multivariate Cox proportional hazards model (hazard ratio, 16.06, 95% confidence interval 3.457 to 116.8; P < 0.001). The largest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.85) for cardiovascular death was obtained with a threshold of 40 mg furosemide.ConclusionsHigh‐dose loop diuretic use at discharge was one of the predictors of cardiovascular mortality in patients with HF. An oral furosemide dose of 40 mg daily may be defined as ‘high‐dose’ loop diuretics in Japanese patients with chronic HF.

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Objectives Using optical coherence tomography (OCT), we evaluated the effect of a cutting balloon (CB) compared with a conventional balloon after rotational atherectomy (RA) and before stenting in severely calcified coronary lesions. Background A CB is designed to create discrete incisions to facilitate fracture of severely calcified plaque. Methods OCT was performed preintervention (if possible), post‐RA, and poststent implantation. RA modification of calcium was defined as a polished, concave, round‐shaped surface. Calcium fracture was defined as a break in the calcium plate. The effects of calcium modification and stent expansion between CB (n = 18) versus conventional balloon (n = 23) following RA were compared. Results Median patient age was 72 years with 24% on hemodialysis. The amount of calcium and the length of RA modification were comparable between the CB and conventional balloon groups. Final poststent OCT showed that the number and thickness of calcium fracture were greater after CB versus conventional balloon, resulting better stent expansion (78.9% [IQR: 72.4–88.1] vs. 66.7% [IQR: 55.0–76.7], p < 0.01). In the multivariable model, after adjusting for the amount of calcium, CB use was an independent predictor of the presence of calcium fracture (odds ratio 30.0; 95% confidence interval 2.7–994.1, p = 0.004) and an independent predictor for greater stent expansion (regression coefficient 7.4; 95% confidence interval 0.5–14.3, p = 0.04). Conclusion In severely calcified lesions calcium fracture was more often associated with RA followed by CB compared with RA followed by conventional balloon predilation before stenting. CB use was also a determinant of greater stent expansion.

Lesion progression was categorized to distinct OCT morphologies that were related to changes in plaque mass or vessel remodeling.

To assess the relationship between epicardial adipose tissue volume (EATV) and plaque vulnerability in significant coronary stenosis using a 40-MHz intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging system (iMap-IVUS), we analyzed 130 consecutive patients with coronary stenosis who underwent dual-source computed tomography (CT) and cardiac catheterization. Culprit lesions were imaged by iMap-IVUS before stenting. The iMAP-IVUS system classified coronary plaque components as fibrous, lipid, necrotic, or calcified tissue, based on the radiofrequency spectrum. Epicardial adipose tissue was measured as the tissue ranging from −190 to −30 Hounsfield units. EATV, calculated as the sum of the fat areas on short-axis images, was 85.0 ± 34.0 cm3. There was a positive correlation between EATV and the percentage of necrotic plaque tissue (R2 = 0.34, P < 0.01), while there was a negative correlation between EATV and the percentage of fibrous tissue (R2 = 0.24, P < 0.01). Multivariate analysis revealed that an increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (β = 0.15, P = 0.03) and EATV (β = 0.14, P = 0.02) were independently associated with the percentage of necrotic plaque tissue. An increase in EATV was associated with the development of coronary atherosclerosis and, potentially, with the most dangerous type of plaque.

Aims Our purpose was to investigate the association between the B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) level at discharge, the occurrence of worsening renal function (WRF), and long-term outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF). Methods and results We enrolled hospitalized acute HF patients. We divided patients into four groups on the basis of BNP <250 pg/mL (BNPÀ) or BNP ≥250 pg/mL (BNP+) at discharge and the occurrence of WRF during admission: BNPÀ/WRFÀ, BNPÀ/WRF+, BNP+/WRFÀ, and BNP+/WRF+. We evaluated the association between BNP at discharge, WRF, and cardiovascular/all-cause mortality/hospitalization due to HF. Clinical follow-up was completed in 301 patients. At discharge, percentages of the patients with clinical signs of HF were low and similar among four groups. The median follow-up period was 1206 days (interquartile range, 733-1825 days). The composite endpoint of cardiovascular mortality and HF hospitalization was significantly different between the four groups [12.9% (BNPÀ/WRFÀ), 22.7% (BNPÀ/WRF+), 35.8% (BNP+/WRFÀ), and 55.4% (BNP+/WRF+), P < 0.0001]. All-cause mortality was also different etween the four groups (15.1%, 38.6%, 28.7%, and 39.3%, respectively, P = 0.003). In the multivariate Cox proportional hazards model, the combination of BNP ≥250 pg/mL and WRF showed the highest hazard ratio (HR) for composite endpoint (HR, 5.201; 95% confidence interval, 2.582-11.11; P < 0.0001), and BNPÀ/WRF+ was associated with increased all-cause mortality (HR, 2.286; 95% confidence interval, 1.089-4.875; P = 0.03). Patients in BNP+/WRF+ had a higher cardiovascular mortality (28.6%), and those in BNPÀ/WRF+ had a high non-cardiovascular mortality (29.5%). Conclusions Heart failure patients with BNP ≥250 pg/mL at discharge and in-hospital occurrence of WRF had the highest risk for the composite endpoint (cardiovascular mortality and HF hospitalization) among groups.