Teng-Hung Yu

Increased epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) volume in type 2 diabetes mellitus and association with metabolic syndrome and severity of coronary atherosclerosis.

Objective  Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is a part of visceral fat deposited around the heart between the pericardium and myocardium along the distribution of coronary arteries. EAT thickness is reported to be associated with coronary atherosclerosis; however, no study has measured EAT volume in patients with type 2 diabetes or investigate its association with coronary artery disease.

Left Atrial Platelet Activity With Rheumatic Mitral Stenosis: Correlation Study of Severity and Platelet P-Selectin Expression by Flow Cytometry

BACKGROUND Previous studies have demonstrated that platelet activation, evaluated by measuring the secretory substances of platelets (ie, platelet factor 4 and beta-thromboglobulin), occurs in the peripheral blood of patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS). However, the differences in platelet activation between peripheral and atrial blood, and the relationship between regional left atrial platelet P-selectin expression and the severity of MS have never been investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 16 patients with symptomatic MS undergoing percutaneous transluminal mitral valvuloplasty were studied (group 1). The fractions of platelets expressing P selectin in the prevalvuloplasty left atrial, right atrial, peripheral venous, and arterial blood were determined by flow cytometry. The mitral valve area was calculated by means of the Doppler pressure half-time method. Peripheral venous platelet activity also was evaluated in 23 control patients (including 15 healthy volunteers who were in sinus rhythm [group 2] and 8 patients who had chronic lone atrial fibrillation [group 3]). The fraction of peripheral venous platelets expressing P selectin among group 1 patients was significantly higher than that of group 2 or 3 patients (p = 0.008). In group 1 patients, the fraction of platelets expressing P selectin in the left atrium was significantly higher than that in the right atrium, the femoral vein, or the femoral artery (p < 0.01). Correlation analysis demonstrated that there was a significantly direct relationship between the severity of MS and the fraction of left atrial platelets expressing P selectin (p = 0.01; r = -0.620). The fraction of peripheral venous platelets expressing P selectin among group 2 patients did not differ from that of group 3 patients CONCLUSIONS In patients with rheumatic MS, increased regional left atrial platelet P-selectin expression had a significantly direct relationship with the severity of MS. The increased regional left atrial platelet P-selectin expression was not reflected in peripheral venous blood samples.

Clinical InvestigationsCARDIOLOGYLeft Atrial Platelet Activity With Rheumatic Mitral Stenosis*: Correlation Study of Severity and Platelet P-Selectin Expression by Flow Cytometry

BACKGROUND Previous studies have demonstrated that platelet activation, evaluated by measuring the secretory substances of platelets (ie, platelet factor 4 and beta-thromboglobulin), occurs in the peripheral blood of patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS). However, the differences in platelet activation between peripheral and atrial blood, and the relationship between regional left atrial platelet P-selectin expression and the severity of MS have never been investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 16 patients with symptomatic MS undergoing percutaneous transluminal mitral valvuloplasty were studied (group 1). The fractions of platelets expressing P selectin in the prevalvuloplasty left atrial, right atrial, peripheral venous, and arterial blood were determined by flow cytometry. The mitral valve area was calculated by means of the Doppler pressure half-time method. Peripheral venous platelet activity also was evaluated in 23 control patients (including 15 healthy volunteers who were in sinus rhythm [group 2] and 8 patients who had chronic lone atrial fibrillation [group 3]). The fraction of peripheral venous platelets expressing P selectin among group 1 patients was significantly higher than that of group 2 or 3 patients (p = 0.008). In group 1 patients, the fraction of platelets expressing P selectin in the left atrium was significantly higher than that in the right atrium, the femoral vein, or the femoral artery (p < 0.01). Correlation analysis demonstrated that there was a significantly direct relationship between the severity of MS and the fraction of left atrial platelets expressing P selectin (p = 0.01; r = -0.620). The fraction of peripheral venous platelets expressing P selectin among group 2 patients did not differ from that of group 3 patients CONCLUSIONS In patients with rheumatic MS, increased regional left atrial platelet P-selectin expression had a significantly direct relationship with the severity of MS. The increased regional left atrial platelet P-selectin expression was not reflected in peripheral venous blood samples.

Balance between plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-10 in rheumatic mitral stenosis

The study population consisted of 16 patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis undergoing percutaneous transluminal mitral valvuloplasty (group 1). The plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the femoral vein and the right and left atria before valvuloplasty were determined by ELISA. Additionally, we measured plasma concentrations of TNF-α and IL-10 in the venous blood obtained from 19 control patients, including 12 healthy volunteers in sinus rhythm (group 2) and 7 patients in permanent lone atrial fibrillation (group 3). The venous plasma levels of TNF-α were significantly elevated in group 1 patients compared with group 2 patients (p < 0.002). Correlation analysis demonstrated that there was a significantly direct relationship between the plasma TNF-α and IL-10 concentrations in the left atrial, right atrial and peripheral venous blood (p < 0.008, r = 0.640; p < 0.04, r = 0.538; p< 0.03, r = 0.571, respectively). In conclusion, the plasma concentrations of TNF-α of patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis were significantly higher than those of healthy volunteers. In addition, there was a significantly direct relationship between the soluble TNF-α and IL-10 concentrations in the atrial and peripheral venous blood, indicating a balance between circulating TNF-α and IL-10 levels in patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis.

Effects and safety of intracoronary thrombectomy using transradial application of the percusurge distal balloon protection system in patients with early or recent myocardial infarction

Background: Distal embolization and no reflow are likely during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on the large infarct-related artery (IRA), which mostly contains high-burden thrombus formation (HBTF) and plaque burden. Mechanical devices to prevent distal atheroembolism may be of importance for preserving reperfusion and microvascular integrity in IRA. Methods and Results: Between May 2002 and December 2002, transradial application (TRA) of the PercuSurge GuardWire™ device with 7-french arterial sheath was performed in 39 consecutive patients who experienced early (>12 h and ≤7 days) or recent (>7 days and <14 days) myocardial infarction (MI) associated with large IRA (vessel size ≧3.5 mm with HBTF; group 1). Between January 2001 and April 2002, 64 consecutive patients who had early or recent MI associated with HBTF in IRA of a vessel size ≧3.5 mm received TRA of PCI with adjunctive tirofiban therapy but without using the adjunctive PercuSurge GuardWire device (group 2). The angiographic and clinical outcomes of both groups were compared in a chronologically consecutive manner. The procedural success rate and post-PCI myocardial blush grades were significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2 patients (all p values <0.05), whereas a combined incidence of vascular and bleeding complications and 30-day major adverse cardiac events (defined as death, reinfarction and repeated PCI of IRA) were significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1 patients (all p values <0.05). Conclusions: Our data suggested that TRA using the PercuSurge GuardWire device during PCI for patients with early or recent MI and HBTF in IRA was safe and feasible. This mechanical device provided more additional benefit to patients in this clinical setting than a combination of conventional PCI and tirofiban therapy.