Michael E Farkouh

..This algorithm, when applied in the ED, affords an excellent opportunity to identify patients who might benefit from a more aggressive cardiovascular risk factor management strategy...

..The purpose of this study was to determine if patients with traditional risk factors and prior MACE had increased cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) plaque burden measures compared to patients with risk factors but no prior events...

..However, evidence from prospective studies of currently available COX-2 inhibitors and non-selective NSAIDs is lacking in patients at high cardiovascular risk who are taking aspirin...

..0001) and +0.43 with lumiracoxib compared with +1.80 mm Hg with naproxen (P<.0001). In conclusion, the use of lumiracoxib and traditional NSAIDs results in differing BP changes; these might be of clinical relevance...

..The FREEDOM Trial is designed to determine whether CABG or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is the superior approach for revascularization of diabetic patients...

..DM should be included as a high-risk variable in national acute coronary syndrome guidelines...

..The role of diabetes mellitus (DM) in cardiogenic shock (CS) complicating an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is not well understood. Previous studies have reported an in-hospital mortality rate for patients with DM and CS of about 60%...

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..In this study, the impact of noninsulin-dependent type 2 diabetes mellitus on carotid wall (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in patients with documented or suspected cardiovascular disease was evaluated...

..Few published data are available on the benefits of aspirin use in patients with unstable angina (UA)...

..dal-PLAQUE is the first multicentre study using novel non-invasive multimodality imaging to assess structural and inflammatory indices of atherosclerosis as primary endpoints...

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..There is potential for their use in the early discharge of low-risk patients after clinical risk stratification...

..We investigated the prevalence and clinical risk factors of carotid vessel wall inflammation by means of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in a population consisting of coronary artery disease (CAD) patients...

..Pilot trials suggest that the thrombin-specific anticoagulant bivalirudin may improve clinical outcomes in ACS...

..Use of diagnostic and therapeutic modalities may also differ. There is controversy regarding whether female sex is an independent risk factor for death and/or bleeding...

..Few data are available on the association of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and mortality independent of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)...

..Patients not suitable for ETT are likely to have abnormal stress imaging results. They represent a higher-risk cohort that could be routinely admitted to the hospital without reducing the effectiveness of the CPU strategy...

..In cardiogenic shock, causes of death usually are cardiac. However, a systemic inflammatory response syndrome may influence outcome...

..In conclusion, appearance of LBBB or RBBB in patients presenting with angina predicts adverse long-term cardiovascular outcomes compared to patients without BBB...

..Results are expected in 2011...

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..67 (95% CI 1.52 to 8.86), respectively, for patients on dialysis. In conclusion, the TIMI risk score for UAP/non-ST elevation myocardial infarction discriminates mortality risk across the full range of CKD, including patients on dialysis...

..High troponin-I adds significant (p < 0.001) prognostic value in the patients at AHCPR intermediate risk and should be evaluated further in larger trials of such patients...

..We sought to discover whether aggressive medical therapy and the use of drug-eluting stents could alter the revascularization approach for patients with diabetes and multivessel coronary artery disease...

..Limited data exist on the long-term outcomes of patients who undergo evaluation in a chest pain unit (CPU)...

..Given the demonstrated benefits of statin therapy, cost of measuring CRP, and large percentage of older US adults with high CRP, universal statin therapy for older US adults warrants investigation...

..58 to 0.79). In conclusion, in patients with LDL cholesterol levels <70 mg/dl who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention, a strong inverse association was present between HDL cholesterol level and all-cause mortality...

..In this review, we highlight significant concepts in the diagnosis, prognosis, and clinical impact of periprocedural myocardial enzyme elevation...

..In this article, we assess the evidence accumulated to date and discuss ongoing studies that will help better inform this intricate decision-making process...

..Plasma levels of ZK-807834 show a strong linear correlation with PT ratio. This direct factor-Xa inhibitor may reduce the need for additional potent glycoprotein IIbIIIa inhibition...

..Further studies are needed to clarify the association between hyperhomocysteinemia and coronary risk in patients with ESRD...

..In conclusion, BMI levels of 25.0 to 29.9 and 30 to 34.9 kg/m(2) were associated with lower all-cause mortality after PCI. However, an increased number of metabolic abnormalities translated into increased all-cause mortality...

..A trial in which rosiglitazone and glipizide were compared supports earlier findings that rosiglitazone does not have an adverse effect on the progression of coronary atherosclerosis...

..Our aim was to test 2 techniques, black blood dynamic contrast enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) and 18-fluorine-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET, to quantify inflammation expressed as plaque neovessels content in a rabbit model of atherosclerosis...

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..To compare the absorption of 300 mg clopidogrel administered crushed via nasogastric (NG) tube versus whole tablets taken orally in healthy volunteers...

..However, these benefits have not been reproduced in patients with severe renal disease (SRD). This study compared TLR rates in patients with severe renal insufficiency treated with DES vs. BMS...

..We sought to determine whether the noninvasive in vivo visualization of activated platelets was effective when using a target-specific MRI contrast agent to identify thrombi, hallmarks of vulnerable or high-risk atherosclerotic plaques...

..The purpose of this study was to examine arterial remodeling and progression/regression of atherosclerosis in aorta and carotid arteries of individuals at risk for atherosclerosis normalized over a 1-year period...

..Same-day discharge after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) may be safe for some patients. Few data are available on patient-reported outcomes and preferences for same-day discharge after PCI...

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..Efforts to prevent or slow the epidemic of atherothrombotic CVD must focus on the reversal of the disturbances in glucose and lipid homeostasis through the amelioration of IR...

..High levels of procedural anticoagulation with heparin were found to increase hemorrhagic complications without improving clinical or angiographic outcomes...

..We also tested the hypotheses that the degree of local arterial inflammation measured by PET is correlated with the extent of systemic inflammation and presence of risk factors for vascular disease...

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..The use of some of the available imaging modalities for the study of regression and progression of atherothrombosis are described in more detail in the subsequent articles...

..This may aid early intervention (e.g., lipid lowering drug regiments) in both primary and secondary treatment of vascular disease in all arterial beds...

..It possibly will identify asymptomatic patients with subclinical atherosclerosis. This has potential significance for the improvement of strategies in primary and secondary prevention...

..This may aid early intervention (eg, lipid-lowering drug regiments) in both primary and secondary treatment of vascular disease in all arterial beds...

..Finally, we will examine the current limitations and challenges faced by DCE-MRI and briefly discuss its future applications in the context of atherosclerosis...

..By rerouting of HDL away from plaque macrophages, imaging of biological processes in diseases besides atherosclerosis may also be achieved...

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..MDCT and MRI, therefore, may help in selecting appropriate treatments...

..However, targeted disruption of one or more OPN alleles had no effect on embryo number at any gestational age. Thus, MRM may be a powerful noninvasive method for in vivo prenatal developmental study of genetically engineered mice...

..This study evaluated the ability of the novel gadolinium-based MRI contrast agent P947 to target MMPs in atherosclerotic plaques...

..To test whether B-22956/1, a novel intravascular contrast agent with a high affinity to serum albumin (Bracco Imaging SpA.), allowed quantifying neovessel and macrophage density in atherosclerotic plaques of rabbits using MRI...

..These regimens focus on inhibiting thrombin, preventing thrombi generation, blocking the initiation of coagulation, inhibiting platelet activation, and increasing fibrinolysis...

..Although glycemic control and early administration of neurohormonal antagonists remain the cornerstones of therapeutic approaches, newer treatment targets are currently being explored...

..In the future, imaging modalities will be fundamental to research and drug development and an increased emphasis will be placed on the relationship between the results of imaging studies and clinical outcomes...

..06 to 2.56) for myocardial infarction, angina, and stroke, respectively. In conclusion, a graded association exists between higher serum cystatin C and increased CVD prevalence in patients without established chronic kidney disease...

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..The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of shear stress (SS) in plaque regression...

..It also can distinguish between different types of plaques as the enhancement obtained is different, depending on plaque composition...

..Serial in vivo MRI will enhance studies of plaque regression in animal models in response to therapeutic interventions...

..CONCLUSIONS: Gadofluorine-enhanced MRI improves atherosclerotic plaque detection. The IR-DIFF-TFL method allows early detection of atherosclerotic plaque within 1 hour after gadofluorine injection...

..Because lesion development is more rapid and exuberant in the aortic arch, a technique of transplantation of the mouse aortic arch was developed...

..The DIR-RARE-GRAPPA multislice sequence showed 8.35-fold time improvement vs. single-slice DIR-2RARE sequence. CONCLUSION: Future MRI atherosclerotic plaque studies can be performed in substantially shorter times using these methods...

..This study tested the near-term reproducibility of (18)fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) imaging of atherosclerosis...

..However, the resolution achievable using surface radiofrequency coils is limited by the signal to noise ratio. We studied the utility of a new intravascular (IV) MRI probe for high-resolution in vivo imaging of atherosclerotic lesions...

..Our observations indicate that lipid-lowering therapy is associated with sustained vascular remodeling and emphasize the need for longer-term treatment...

..0001) to be accommodated entirely by 'positive remodeling', confirming the importance of determining plaque size directly. MRM accurately quantifies mouse aortic atherosclerosis and will enhance studies in this important animal model...

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..To examine the association of cardiovascular events with tumour necrosis factor (TNF) α antagonist use compared with non-biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) utilisation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)...

..This contrast agent may become an important adjunct to the clinical evaluation of coronary arteries with CT...

..Our aim was to monitor changes in burden and composition of atherosclerotic plaques in a rabbit model of complex atherosclerosis using serial noninvasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)...

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..No difference in vessel wall changes was seen between high and conventional doses of simvastatin. Changes in vessel wall parameters are more related to LDL-C reduction rather than to the dose of statin...

..CONCLUSION: Non-gated sequences may be used instead of gated sequences in atherosclerotic vessel wall imaging without compromising image quality. This may shorten examination time and improve patient comfort...

..We also reviewed the literature on quantification methods to determine the optimal measures of arterial 18F-FDG uptake for future studies...

..05). CONCLUSION: MRM detected the differences in aortic size between WT and mutant mice over time, demonstrating a potential for noninvasive technique for the assessment of potential therapies in MFS mice...

..In this study, we tested whether the intensity of enhancement detected with CT in the aortic wall of rabbits injected with N1177 correlated with inflammatory activity evaluated with (18)F-FDG PET/CT and macrophage density on histology...

..We sought to determine whether gadolinium (Gd)-containing lipid-based nanoparticles (NPs) targeting the macrophage scavenger receptor-B (CD36) improve cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) detection and characterization of human atherosclerosis...

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..67 +/- 0.02 to 0.53 +/- 0.02, P < 0.0001). FDG PET can quantify in vivo macrophage content and serially monitor changes in FDG activity in this rabbit model...

..We did a cross-sectional, prospective study to test reproducibility of MRI when imaging arteries, to assess risk of cardiovascular disease and correlations with age and sex...

..Subsequent to the discussion of the above topics, we will describe some examples of molecular imaging agents that successfully detect specific markers in atherosclerotic plaques that are of interest in several stages of this disease...

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..Nevertheless, observational research using large registries has emerged as a promising approach to study the cardiovascular risk of emerging RA biologic therapies...

..Also, the long-term prognostic impact of small increases of perioperative enzyme has not been reported...

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..007) and in combination with avasimibe (p = 0.04) versus controls. In this animal model, the addition of avasimibe to atorvastatin has beneficial effects on both atherosclerotic plaque regression and stabilization...

..It is our expectation that our data will be utilized to evaluate and improve existent treatment and develop effective new therapies to decrease the burden of atherosclerotic disease in diabetes. ..

..It is our expectation that our data will be utilized to evaluate and improve existent treatment and develop effective new therapies to decrease the burden of atherosclerotic disease in diabetes. ..