Predictive Factors of Late Venous Aortocoronary Graft Failure: Ultrastructural Studies

Abstract

BackgroundVenous aortocoronary graft arterialization may precede a preterm occlusion in some coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients. The aim of the present study was to identify ultrastructural variations in the saphenous vein wall that may have an impact on the development of venous graft disease in CABG patients.MethodsThe study involved 365 consecutive patients with a mean age of 62.9±9.4 years who underwent isolated CABG. The thickness and area of the whole venous wall, the tunica intima, the tunica media and the adventitia and the number and shape (length, thickness and length/thickness ratio) of the nuclei in the medial smooth muscle cells nuclei in the distal saphenous vein segments were evaluated by ultrastructural studies. Patients were followed up for 41 to 50 months (mean 45.1±5.1). Saphenous vein graft patency was assessed by follow-up coronary angiography. Logistic regression models were used to identify independent risk factors for late graft failure.ResultsIn 71 patients significant lesions in the saphenous vein grafts were observed. The whole venous wall thickness (437.5 µm vs. 405.5 µm), tunica media thickness (257.2 µm vs. 211.5 µm), whole venous wall area (2.23 mm2 vs. 2.02 mm2) and tunica media area (1.09 mm2 vs. 0.93 mm2) were significantly larger for this group of patients than for those without graft disease. In the latter group more elongated smooth muscle cell nuclei (higher length/thickness ratio) were found in the tunica media of the saphenous vein segments. Thickening of the saphenous vein tunica media and chunky smooth muscle cell nuclei were identified as independent risk factors for graft disease development.ConclusionsSaphenous vein tunica media hypertrophy (resulting in wall thickening) and chunky smooth muscle cell nuclei might predict the development of venous graft disease.

Potentially positive ageing-related variations of medial smooth muscle cells in the saphenous veins used as aortocoronary bypass grafts

“…As mentioned before, neointima formation is a result of many active processes and any form of preexisting degeneration or impaired ability of SMCs to react to different local and systemic stimuli may be considered as protective [22]. This finding supports, at least partially, a marked decrease in rate of post-discharge SV graft failure in the elderly, defined as 70 years or older [14,23].…”

Genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation in hepatoblastoma tissues

“…5A). The correlations between AFP mRNA expression and DNA methylation percentage were tested using the linear Pearson's R correlation coefficients, which were interpreted using the scale provided by Salkin (R=1-0.8, very strong; R=0.8-0.6, strong; R=0.6-0.4, moderate; R=0.4-0.2, weak; and R=0.2-0.0, very weak or not correlated) (17) (Fig. 5B), and were observed to be negatively correlated (R=0.89; P<0.05).…”

Amplification of MPZL1/PZR promotes tumor cell migration through Src-mediated phosphorylation of cortactin in hepatocellular carcinoma

“…The correlations between DNA dosage and mRNA expression of MPZL1 gene were tested using the linear Pearson's R correlation coefficients. The Pearson correlation coefficients were interpreted using the scale provided by Salkin, where an R between 0.8 and 1.0 is defined as very strong, between 0.6 and 0.8 as strong, between 0.4 and 0.6 as moderate, between 0.2 and 0.4 as weak and between 0.0 and 0.2 as very weak or no relationship [56]. In this study, the criteria employed to define the intrahepatic metastasis was as follows: (1) Whether they represent portal-vein tumor thrombi or grew contiguously with vascular thrombi, (2) whether they are small compared to the tumor that they surround, (3) whether a single tumor is present near the main tumor but is much smaller in size and exhibits the same histology [57].…”