Circulation. 2007;115:1823
doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.182499
(Circulation. 2007;115:1823.)
© 2007 American Heart Association, Inc.
Issue Highlights
 |
COMPARISON OF INTRAVASCULAR ULTRASOUND AND QUANTITATIVE CORONARY ANGIOGRAPHY FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE PROGRESSION, by Berry et al.
|
|---|
The assessment of coronary artery disease severity, progression,
and regression has historically been performed using quantitative
coronary angiography (QCA); it is well known, however, that
the degree of atherosclerotic plaque is underestimated by QCA.
In contrast, intravascular ultrasound has been shown to define
the plaque and its composition more accurately. It is not clear
how well serial intravascular ultrasound measurements compare
to serial QCA measurements. The study by Berry et al in this
issue of
Circulation compared intravascular ultrasound and QCA
at baseline and after 24 months in 525 and 432 patients, respectively.
A significant correlation was seen between baseline measures
of lumen dimensions using the 2 techniques, but weak correlations
between plaque volume and luminal narrowing were observed over
time. Disease progression by QCA was associated with a significant
increase in plaque volume on intravascular ultrasound, however.
While these techniques correlate with each other, the relationship
is not strong enough to consider them as equivalent. See p 1851
(editorial p
1824).
|
A PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF TRANS FATTY ACIDS IN ERYTHROCYTES AND RISK OF CORONARY HEART DISEASE, by Sun et al.
|
|---|
Studies have suggested that the type of fat consumed can contribute
to cardiovascular disease; specifically, intake of
trans fats
leads to increased vascular risk. Is it possible to measure
this risk from a blood-derived marker? In the current issue
of
Circulation, Sun and colleagues measured
trans fatty acids
from erythrocytes in selected participants from the Women’s
Health Study. They found that higher total
trans fatty acid
content in erythrocytes was associated with an elevated risk
of developing coronary heart disease even after adjusting for
covariates. It will be interesting to determine in future studies
if modification of this marker is associated with decreased
cardiovascular risk. See p
1858.
|
A RANDOMIZED, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED, DOUBLE-BLIND TRIAL OF THE EFFECT OF COMBINED THERAPY WITH DEFEROXAMINE AND DEFERIPRONE ON MYOCARDIAL IRON IN THALASSEMIA MAJOR USING CARDIOVASCULAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE, by Tanner et al.
|
|---|
Recent studies have documented that cardiovascular magnetic
resonance using a T2* acquisition sequence can provide an index
that quantifies myocardial and hepatic iron content in patients
with ß-thalassemia major, an important advance allowing
for a noninvasive marker that can reflect treatment effect of
chelating agents. In this issue of
Circulation, Tanner et al
take advantage of this technique by conducting a clinical trial
that examines the effect of adding the oral iron chelator deferiprone
on a group of ß-thalassemia major patients with cardiovascular
magnetic resonance evidence of myocardial iron, despite standard
maintenance subcutaneous deferoxamine chelation therapy. In
a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled setting, the
authors report that the addition of deferiprone was associated
with a reduction in myocardial iron, an increase in ejection
fraction, improved endothelial function, and reduction in serum
ferritin. As myocardial dysfunction from iron overload in ß-thalassemia
major contributes substantially to long-term morbidity and mortality
in ß-thalassemia major, these data have substantial
treatment implications for this challenging group of patients.
See p
1876.
Visit http://circ.ahajournals.org:
|
Images in Cardiovascular Medicine
|
|---|
An Unusual Case of Embolic Stroke After Permanent Pacing. See
p
e386.
Electron Microscopic Insights Into the Vascular Biology of Atherosclerosis: Study of Coronary Endarterectomy Specimens. See p e388.
Rib Perforation From a Right Ventricular Pacemaker Lead. See p e391.
|
Correspondence
|
|---|
See p
e393.
Related Articles:
-
A Direct Comparison of Intravascular Ultrasound and Quantitative Coronary Arteriography: Implications for Measures of Atherosclerosis as Clinical Surrogates
- B. Greg Brown
Circulation 2007 115: 1824-1826.
[Full Text]
-
An Unusual Case of Embolic Stroke After Permanent Pacing
- Tim Lockie, Azad Ghuran, and David Hildick-Smith
Circulation 2007 115: e386-e387.
[Full Text]
-
Electron Microscopic Insights Into the Vascular Biology of Atherosclerosis: Study of Coronary Endarterectomy Specimens
- Komarakshi R. Balakrishnan, Sarah Kuruvilla, Aishwarya Srinivasan, and Praveen Kumar Sehgal
Circulation 2007 115: e388-e390.
[Full Text]
-
Rib Perforation From a Right Ventricular Pacemaker Lead
- Sunil Singhal, Joshua M. Cooper, Albert T. Cheung, and Michael A. Acker
Circulation 2007 115: e391-e392.
[Full Text]
-
Letter by Xia Regarding Article, "High-Density Lipoproteins and Their Constituent, Sphingosine-1-Phosphate, Directly Protect the Heart Against Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury In Vivo via the S1P3 Lysophospholipid Receptor"
- Pu Xia
Circulation 2007 115: e393.
[Full Text]
-
A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Trial of the Effect of Combined Therapy With Deferoxamine and Deferiprone on Myocardial Iron in Thalassemia Major Using Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance
- M.A. Tanner, R. Galanello, C. Dessi, G.C. Smith, M.A. Westwood, A. Agus, M. Roughton, R. Assomull, S.V. Nair, J.M. Walker, and D.J. Pennell
Circulation 2007 115: 1876-1884.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
A Prospective Study of Trans Fatty Acids in Erythrocytes and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease
- Qi Sun, Jing Ma, Hannia Campos, Susan E. Hankinson, JoAnn E. Manson, Meir J. Stampfer, Kathryn M. Rexrode, Walter C. Willett, and Frank B. Hu
Circulation 2007 115: 1858-1865.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
Top
COMPARISON OF INTRAVASCULAR...
A PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF...