Objective:To investigate the effect of serum cystatin C level on the occurrence and its long-term prognosis of contrast agent-induced acute kidney injury(CI-AKI)after percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)in elderly patients.Methods:A total of 848 elderly patients(≥60 years)undergoing PCI in our department between Mar 2015 and Dec 2017 were enrolled in a prospective cohort.The CI-AKI was defined as the increase of serum creatinine ≥44.2 μmol/L within 48-72 h after using iodine contrast agent or more than 25 % higher than base level within 48-72 h after PCI.A receiver operating characteristic curve was used to analyze the optimal cut-off value of Cystatin C for predicting CI-AKI after PCI.Patients were divided into 2 groups based on the optimal cut-off value of Cystatin C: the high Cystatin C group(Cystatin C ≥1.3 mg/L, n=178)and the control group(Cystatin C<1.3 mg/L, n=670). The differences in the incidence of CI-AKI after PCI and major adverse cardiac events(MACE)at 1 year follow-up were compared between the two groups.The Cox regression model was further used to analyze the predictors of the long-term prognosis after PCI.Results:Of 848 patients receiving PCI, the incidence of CI-AKI was 9.4%.The incidence of MACE at 1 year after PCI was higher in the high Cystatin C group than in the control group(15.7% vs.9.3%, χ2=6.524, P=0.011). Cox regression analysis confirmed that the high baseline level of Cystatin C was the most independent predictive factor for MACE at 1 year of follow-up( HR=16.244, P<0.001). Conclusions:The high baseline level of Cystatin C(≥1.3 mg/L)is an independent risk factor for CI-AKI and is also the most important predictor for the occurrence of long-term MACE in elderly patients undergoing PCI.

【Objective】 To develop a simple and practical diagnostic protocol to optimize patient screening for fractional flow reserve（FFR）. 【Methods】 Consecutive patients who underwent both invasive coronary angiography and lesion-specific FFR measurement from July 2013 to August 2018 were retrospectively screened， resulting in a total of 372 patients（390 lesions） for inclusion. Visual estimation（VE） of stenosis was obtained from experts while percent diameter stenosis（DS%）， percent area stenosis（AS%）， lesion length（LL）， minimal lumen diameter（MLD）， and the ratio of LL to the fourth power of MLD（LL/MLD⁴） were recorded by quantitative software. An FFR value of ≤0.80 was considered to indicate the physiological significance of stenosis. 【Results】 The median age（25^th-75^th percentiles） of the included patients was 66 years（59-74 years） and positive FFR results were identified in 77 lesions（19.7%）. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve was revealed as 0.711（95% CI 0.663-0.755） for VE， significantly greater than DS%（0.605）， AS%（0.608）， and LL（0.612； P<0.05 for all）， but without significant difference from that of MLD（0.667） and LL/MLD⁴（0.702）. The combination of VE with LL/MLD⁴ yielded a high sensitivity of 89.6%（95% confidence interval ［CI］， 80.6-95.4） and a negative predictive value of 94.4%（95% CI， 89.2-97.5）. 【Conclusion】 Overall， the combination of VE with LL/MLD⁴ can effectively identify those low-risk lesions for ischemia to avoid unnecessary FFR measurement， thus optimizing the use of pressure wire as well as reducing total medical expenditure and potential complications.

Objective To explore the impact of Enalapril-folic acid tablet on development of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in elderly patients with coronary heart diseases(CHD) complicated with mild renal insufficiency. Methods A total of 935 old patients (≥60 years) undergoing selective PCI at our hospital from January 2013 to June 2016 were enrolled in this retrospective study.Based on treatments during the perioperative phase ,the 935 patients were divided into Enalapril-folic acid tablet intervention group (n= 296 ,31.7％ ) ,and other RAS blocker control group with Angiotensin eonverting-enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) or Angiotensin Ⅱreceptor blocker (ARB) (n=639 ,68.3％ ). The levels of serum creatinine for 72 hours after operation were monitored and evaluated.Baseline data and CIN incidence were compared between two groups.The clinical events within 1 month after contrast media application were recorded.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze independent risk factors for CIN after PCI. Results The incidence of CIN after PCI was lower in the intervention group than in the control group with no statistical significance[7.1％ (21/296) vs.11.1％ (71/639) ,χ2 = 3.679 ,P= 0.059].Multivariate regression analysis showed that age (OR=1.103 ,P=0.001) ,hypertension (OR=3.362 ,P=0.017) , and hyper-homocysteinemia (OR=3.528 ,P=0.003) were independent risk factors ,but the treatment with Enalapril-folic acid tablet might be a protective factor for development of CIN after PCI (OR=0.443 ,P=0.042).During the 1-month follow-up ,the rate of recurrent angina pectoris was lower in the intervention group than in the control group ( P < 0.05 ) ,while there were no statistically significant differences between two groups in the rates of rehospitalization due to worsening renal dysfunction ,dialysis/hemofiltration ,acute heart failure ,and new myocardial infarction (all P>0.05). Conclusions The treatment with enalapril-folic acid tablet may prevent the occurrence of CIN after PCI in elderly patients with coronary heart disease and mild renal insufficiency.

Objective To investigate the hemodynamic changes in a tortuous coronary to elucidate the effects of tortuosity on coronary perfusion and wall shear stress (WSS). Methods A single tortuous and non-tortuous patient-specific left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery cases were selected. Two LAD models with and without coronary tortuosity were reconstructed in Mimics software and then transferred to the ANSYS Fluent software for performing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The hemodynamic characteristics of both the LAD models were compared. Results The vessel WSS of the tortuous coronary artery clearly decreased in the bend section where the maximum curvature was larger than 1 mm-1.Such a scenario could led to an inadequate blood supply in the downstream vessels. A low WSS (0-26 Pa) acted on the outer wall of the bend, whereas the inner wall of the bend had a high WSS (>100 Pa). The mean WSS of the non-tortuous and tortuous models was 10.79 Pa and 36.12 Pa, respectively. The overall WSS of the tortuous model was larger compared with that of the non-tortuous model. Conclusions Coronary tortuosity increased the overall WSS, which could delay the progress of coronary atherosclerosis.

Objective To explore the effects of ultrasound-exposed microbubbles (UM) on the expression of CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and the mechanisms involved.Methods Mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from bone marrow taken from male Sprague-Dawley rats.They were divided into a control group,an ultrasound (US) group,an ultrasound-exposed microbubbles (UM) group,a UM plus catalase (UMC) group,a UM plus AMD3100 (UMA) group,and a UM plus anti-CXCR4 antibody (UMCX) group.The control group was not given any treatment.The US group was treated with 1 MHz ultrasound at 1 Watt per square centimetre for 30 seconds.The UM group was treated with ultrasound plus microbubbles.The UMC group was treated with catalase,microbubbles and ultrasound.The UMA group was treated with AMD3100,microbubbles and ultrasound.The UMCX group was treated with anti-CXCR4 antibody,microbubbles and ultrasound.Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Western blotting were performed to determine the levels of CXCR4 mRNA transcription and the expression of BMSCs in the control,US,UM and UMC groups.Immediately,5 minutes and 15 minutes after the intervention,fluorescence intensities were observed in the cells labeled with Fluo-4/AM of the control group,US group and UM group under a fluorescence microscope.Migration assays were conducted to determine the chemotactic ability of the BMSCs with respect to stromal-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) in all six groups.Results No significant differences were found in the levels of CXCR4 mRNA transcription and protein expression between the US and control groups(P＞0.05),but the levels in those groups and the UMC group were lower than those observed in the UM group.Fluorescence intensity in the cells of the US group was not significantly different from that in the control group (P＞0.05),but those levels were both significantly lower than that in the UM group (P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in the number of cells migrating to the SDF-1α between the US (22.4±2.2) and control group (20.5±2.3).However,the number of cells migrating to SDF-1α in the UM group (53.1±3.8) was significantly larger than that in the US group,the control group,the UMC group (35.2+3.1),the UMA group (32.5±2.8) and the UMCX group (30.7+2.9) (P＜ 0.05).Conclusion UM can increase mRNA transcription and the expression of CXCR4 protein in BMSCs,and promote BMSCs migration to SDF-lα.This may in part be mediated by an increase in calcium influx.

Objective To study the effectiveness and safety of the side-branch (SB) balloon preimbedding technique on coronary bifurcation lesions (CBLs) in elderly patients.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 111 elderly patients with CBLs in our hospital from January 2011 to January 2013,of whom 59 patients received SB balloon pre-imbedding and 52 patients received SB wire protection.The immediate blood flow of the side-branch after treatment,the performance of the stent,and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) during hospitalization,6 and 12 months after treatment,and coronary angiography 6 months after treatment were compared between the two groups.Results There were no statistical differences between the two groups in clinical characteristics,lesion distribution,length and diameter of MB or SB,bifurcation angle,length and number of main branch(MB) stenting,or MACE during hospitalization and 6 months after treatment (each P＞0.05).There was no statistical difference in immediate postoperative angiography between patients with thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) grade 3,coronary stenosis more than 25％ in the MB (P＞0.05).The percentages of patients with coronary stenosis more than 50 ％ in SB and patients who needed SB stenting were lower in the balloon pre-imbedding group than in the wire protectiongroup[8.5％ (5/59) vs.23.1％ (12/52),42.4％ (25/59) vs.61.5％ (32/52),each P＜0.05].After 6 months of treatment,there was no statistical difference in coronary angiography in TIMI grade 3 of MB and coronary stenosis more than 25％ in MB between the two groups (P＞0.05)Also,the percentage of patients with TIMI grade 3 in SB was higher in the balloon pre-imbedding group than in the wire protection group (37/41 vs.24/34,P＜0.05);the percentage of patients with coronary stenosis more than 50％ in SB was lower in the balloon pre-imbedding group than in the wire protection group (3/41 vs.8/34,P＜0.05);and the degree of stenosis,the late lumen loss and the incidence of stem restenosis in SB were lower in the balloon pre-imbedding group than in the wire protection group (P＜0.01).The incidence of MACE 12 months after PCI was lower in the balloon pre-imbedding group than in the wire protection group (7/59 vs.14/52,P＜0.05).The pre-balloon imbedding group had a lower cost than the wire protection group,but with no statistical significance [(55 113±968) RMB vs.(61 023±1 311) RMB,P＞0.05].Conclusions SB balloon preimbedding is safe for the treatment of CBLs in elderly patients,and its effectiveness in both short-and long-term is better than that of wire protection.

OBJECTIVETo explore the impact of plasma homocysteinemia(Hcy) on contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients.

METHODSConsecutive 684 ACS patients undergoing first PCI in our department between January 2013 and December 2014 were prospectively enrolled.Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the pre-procedural plasma Hcy level: high-Hcy group (Hcy≥10 μmol/L, n=404) and control group (Hcy<10 μmol/L, n=280). The CIN was defined as serum creatinine ≥ 44.2 μmol/L or 25% increase compared to baseline within 48-72 h after PCI.The baseline clinical data and the ratio of CIN were compared between the 2 groups.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to define the independent risk factors for CIN.

RESULTSCIN occurred in 133(19.4%) out of 684 enrolled patients, and the incidence of CIN was significantly higher in high Hcy group than in the control group (22.0%(89/404)vs. 15.7%(44/280), P=0.040). After adjusting the confounding factors, including age, acute myocardial infarction, co-morbidities(hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and old myocardial infarction), laboratory examination (level of cystatin C and uric acid), glomerular filtration rate, left ventricular ejection fraction, angiographic and procedural characteristics (3 diseased vessels, multiple stent implantation), treatment at admission (spironolactone, digoxin), multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that high Hcy was independently associated with the development of CIN (OR=1.70, 95%CI 1.60-2.64, P=0.021).

CONCLUSIONElevated Hcy prior PCI is an independent risk factor of CIN in ACS patients undergoing first PCI.

Acute Coronary Syndrome ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Humans ; Hyperhomocysteinemia ; Incidence ; Kidney Diseases ; Myocardial Infarction ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Risk Factors ; Ventricular Function, Left

Objective To evaluate the incidence and risk factors of postoperative delirium in patients post permanent pacemaker implantation.Methods Patients underwent permanent pacemaker implantation in our department from September 2013 to February 2015 were included in this study.Delirium was measured by the confusion assessment method on the first three postoperative days.All the patients were divided into the postoperative delirium group and the non-delirium control group according to whether new onset delirium was diagnosed.Risk factors significantly associated with postoperative delirium detected by univariate analysis were entered into multivariable analysis to define the independent predictors of postoperative delirium.Results A total of 225 patients were enrolled in this study.The incidence of postoperative delirium was 5.3％.Patients developing postoperative delirium were older ((83 ± 5) years vs.(74 ± 11) years,P =0.002),had a significantly higher incidence of blood pressure fluctuations (58.3％ (7/12) vs.4.7％ (10/213),P＜0.001),hyponatremia (25.0％ (3/12) vs.5.2％ (11/213),P=0.030) and had higher systolic blood pressure ((157 ± 35) mmHg vs.(136 ± 22) mmHg,1 mmHg =0.133 kPa,P =0.007).However,patients developing postoperative delirium had lower preoperative average heart rate ((47 ± 18)bpm vs.(58 ± 15)bpm,P =0.007).Muhiple regression analysis showed that advanced age (OR =2.984,95 ％ CI:1.226-7.624,P =0.016) and blood pressure fluctuations (OR =27.393,95％ CI:6.735-111.417,P ＜0.001) are the independent risk factors for pacemaker patients with postoperative delirium.Conclusion Advanced age and blood pressure fluctuations are independent risk factors of postoperative delirium in patients post permanent pacemaker implantation.

Objective To explore the effects of pretreatment of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) by ultrasound-exposed microbubbles (UM) on both homing to ischemic myocardium and cardiac function after acute myocardial infarction (AMI).Methods Rats of AMI model established by ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery were divided into four groups randomized:phospho-buffered saline (PBS) group,stem cells treatment (SCT) group,ultrasound and stem cells treatment (USCT) group,and UM stem cells treatment (UMSCT) group,and each group was injected with PBS,stem cells,US-pretreated stem cells and UM-pretreated stem cells through the caudal veins after AMI respectively.Homing of BMSCs to the ischemic myocardium was examined by confocal microscopy at 48 h after implantation,and cardiac function was examined by ultrasonic cardiogram (UCG) after 4 weeks.Masson staining was used to examine the changes of local ischemic cardiac tissues,and immunohistochemistry was used to detect the density of local neo-capillaries (CD31).Results 1) The numbers of CM-Dil-positive cells counted under confocal microscopy in the ischemic myocardial tissues of each groups 48 hours after implantation were not the same:there was no significant difference of the numbers of positive cells between USCT group (19.67 ±2.08) and SCT group (18.67 ± 2.08).However,the number of positive cells in the UMSCT group (39.33 ±3.06) was larger than that in USCT group and SCT group (P ＜0.05).2) UCG examinations showed that there was no significant difference of left ventricular systole function between the USCT group [LVEF (44.92 ± 2.77)％,LVFS (22.83 ± 1.79)％] and SCT group [LVEF (42.28 ± 2.82)％,LVFS (21.52 ±1.88) ％,P ＞0.05],but both were better than that in PBS group [LVEF (20.52 ± 1.88)％,LVFS (9.55 ±0.85) ％,P ＜0.05].The left ventricular systolic function in UMSCT group [LVEF (61.85 ± 3.15)％,LVFS (32.74± 2.45)％] was significantly higher than that in USCT group and SCT group (P ＜0.05),while which was still significantly lower than that in pseudo-surgery group [LVEF (75.88± 4.52)％,LVFS (42.76 ± 2.88)％,P ＜0.05].3) Pathological examinations showed the percentages of AMI areas in the USCT group (35.9 ± 1.1％) were not different compared with that in SCT group [(36.5 ± 1.3)％,P ＞0.05],while both were significantly smaller than that in PBS group [(45.2± 1.4)％,P ＜0.05].The percentages of AMI areas in the UMSCT group [(25.8 ± 1.0)％] were significantly smaller than that in USCT group and SCT group (P ＜0.05).The density of neo-capillaries (25.9 ± 1.3) in USCT groups had no difference compared with that in SCT group (25.2 ± 1.3),while both were significantly higher than that in PBS group (17.6 ± 1.1,P ＜0.05);the density of neo-capillaries (33.2 ± 1.6) was significantly higher in UMSCT group than that in both USCT group and SCT group (P ＜0.05),which were examined by immunohistochemistry.Conclusions Homing to ischemic myocardium of BMSCs transplanted intravenously could be promoted by UM pretreatment,which stimulates development of capillaries,reduces AMI areas,and improves the cardiac function after AMI.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of CKD in patients underging coronary angiography with suspected coronary heart disease(CHD). Methods A total of 1031patients with suspected CHD undergoing coronary angiography in Zhongda Hospital from December 2008 to October 2009 were enrolled in the study.The prevalence of CKD and associated risk factors were analyzed.GFR Wag estimated with MDRD equation.CKD was deftned as eGFR<60branches of coronary artery was considered as CHD. Results The mean age of patients were (64.37±11.02)years.There were 543 males and 488 females,including 551 patients with CHD and 134 patients with CKD(13%).Patients with CHD had a significantly higher prevalence of CKD compared with patients without CHD(18.33%vs 6.88%,P<0.01).With the increasing number of stenosis coronary vessels(n=0,1,2,3),eGFR was declined[(84.25±19.00),(81.61±23.92),increased(0.42%,0.82%,1.96%,3.25%,P=0.006),and the prevalence of CKD increased (6.88%,13.11%,21.57%,23.38%,P<0.01).Logistic regression analysis indicated that increasing age(OR 1.094,95%C/1.068 to 1.120),increasing number of stenosis coronary vessels(OR 1.288,95%CI 1.074 to 1.543).hypertension(OR 1.974,95%CI 1.082 to 3.603),cardiac systolic insufficiency(OR 3.183,95%CI 1.696 to 5.972),and hyperuricemia(OR 5.366,95%CI 3.224 to 8.9311 were risk factors for CKD. Conclusions The prevalence of CKD in patients with CHD diagnosed by coronary angiography is quite high.Aging,elevated number of stenosis coronary vessels,hypertension,cardiac systolic insufficiency and hyperuricemia are important risk factors for angiographic patients with CKD.