Regarding strain, all methods were able to recover timing differences between segments, as well as low strain values. On all cases, radial strain was found to have a low accuracy in comparison to longitudinal LY294002 and circumferential components.”
“BackgroundRandomized trials have shown that fractional flow reserve (FFR) guided percutaneous coronary intervention

(PCI) improves clinical outcome and reduces costs compared with visually guided PCI. FFR has been measured during invasive coronary angiography (ICA), but can now be derived noninvasively from coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography (cCTA) images (FFRCT). The potential value of FFRCT in clinical decision making is unknown.

HypothesisUse of FFRCT can reduce costs and improve outcomes among patients with suspected coronary artery disease.

MethodsWe used clinical data from 96 patients in the DISCOVER-FLOW (Diagnosis of Ischemia-Causing Stenoses Obtained Via Noninvasive Fractional Flow Reserve)

study and outcomes data from the literature to project the initial management costs and 1-year death/myocardial infarction rates associated with 5 clinical strategies: (1) ICA with PCI based on visual angiographic LB-100 manufacturer assessment, (2) ICA with FFRICA-guided PCI, (3) cCTA followed by ICA and PCI based on visual assessment, (4) cCTA followed by ICA with FFRICA-guided PCI, and (5) cCTA FFRCT and PCI of lesions with FFRCT 0.80.

ResultsThe projected initial management costs were highest for the ICA/visual strategy ($10702), and lowest for the cCTA/FFRCT/ICA strategy ($7674). The use of FFRCT to select patients for ICA and PCI would result in 30% lower costs and 12% fewer events at 1 year compared with the most commonly used ICA/visual strategy.

ConclusionsA strategy of using FFRCT to guide the selection of patients for ICA and PCI might reduce

costs and improve clinical outcomes in patients with suspected coronary artery disease.”
“Background and aims: Activation of protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) may stimulate various events of importance in inflammatory processes, including release of inflammatory mast cell mediators. PAR-2 is frequently up-regulated during inflammatory conditions, but it is not known if the expression is altered in Crohn’s disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate the ileal mucosal PAR-2 expression in Crohn’s ileitis, with particular emphasis on the expression in ileal AZD9291 in vitro mucosal mast cells.

Methods: Surgical specimens from the distal ileum were collected from patients with Crohn’s ileitis and patients with colonic cancer as controls. The overall expression of PAR-2 was investigated by Western blot, and the presence of PAR-2 expressing mucosal mast cells by immunohistochemistry and cell counting. The effect of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) on the PAR-2 expression in a human mast cell tine (HMC-1) was investigated by RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry.

Results: In Crohn’s specimens, the fraction of PAR-2-expressing mucosal.