At 6 months, most of the SES were covered with thin neointima, but few showed full coverage.

In 56 patients with angina, 126 plaques identified by IVUS findings were analysed using both VH-IVUS and OCT. IVUS-derived TCFA was defined as an abundant necrotic core (>10% of the cross-sectional area) in contact with the lumen (NCCL) and %plaque-volume >40%. OCT-derived TCFA was defined as a fibrous cap thickness of <65 microm overlying a low-intensity area with an unclear border. Plaque meeting both TCFA criteria was defined as definite-TCFA. Sixty-one plaques were diagnosed as IVUS-derived TCFA and 36 plaques as OCT-derived TCFA. Twenty-eight plaques were diagnosed as definite-TCFA; the remaining 33 IVUS-derived TCFA had a non-thin-cap and eight OCT-derived TCFA had a non-NCCL (in discord with NCCL visualized by VH-IVUS, mainly due to misreading caused by dense calcium). Based on IVUS findings, definite-TCFA showed a larger plaque and vessel volume, %plaque-volume, higher vessel remodelling index, and greater angle occupied by the NCCL in the lumen circumference than non-thin-cap IVUS-derived TCFA. Conclusion Neither modality alone is sufficient for detecting TCFA. The combined use of OCT and VH-IVUS might be a feasible approach for evaluating TCFA.

AimsWe performed this study to clarify natural consequences of abnormal structures (stent malapposition, thrombus, tissue prolapse, and stent edge dissection) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).Methods and resultsThirty-five patients treated with 40 drug-eluting stents underwent serial optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging immediately after PCI and at the 8-month follow-up. Among a total of 73 929 struts in every frame, 431 struts (26 stents) showed malapposition immediately after PCI. Among these, 49 remained malapposed at the follow-up examination. The mean distance between the strut and vessel wall (S–V distance) of persistent malapposed struts on post-stenting OCT images was significantly longer than that of resolved malapposed struts (342 ± 99 vs. 210 ± 49 μm; P <0.01). Based on receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, an S–V distance ≤260 µm on post-stenting OCT images was the corresponding cut-off point for resolved malapposed struts (sensitivity: 89.3%, specificity: 83.7%, area under the curve = 0.884). Additionally, 108 newly appearing malapposed struts were observed on follow-up OCT, probably due to thrombus dissolution or plaque regression. Thrombus was observed in 15 stents post-PCI. Serial OCT analysis revealed persistent thrombus in 1 stent, resolved thrombus in 14 stents, and late-acquired thrombus in 8 stents. Tissue prolapse observed in 38 stents had disappeared at the follow-up. All eight stent edge dissections were repaired at the follow-up.ConclusionMost cases of stent malapposition with a short S–V distance, thrombus, tissue prolapse, or minor stent edge dissection improved during the follow-up. These OCT-detected minor abnormalities may not require additional treatment.

BackgroundNo standardised method has been adopted for measuring toe-grip strength (TGS), and no reference values have been established for evaluating it. The present study investigated age-related changes in TGS and the association of TGS with various descriptive characteristics.MethodsTGS was measured in both feet of 1842 community-dwelling individuals aged 20–79 years using a toe-grip dynamometer. The participants were classified by decade into six age groups: 20–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69, and 70–79 years. Correlations for TGS between the dominant and non-dominant sides were analysed according to decade and sex using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The mean TGS and TGS-to-weight ratio (TGS/Wt%) were compared between sexes by each decade and among all decades by sex using two-way analysis of variance with post-hoc tests. To assess relationships between mean TGS and various descriptive characteristics, we determined Pearson’s correlation coefficient by sex and performed a stepwise multiple-regression analysis. Significance was set at 5%.ResultsCorrelations for TGS between the dominant and non-dominant sides were significant in all decades by sex, ranging from 0.73 for men in their 70s to 0.91 for women in their 50s. Mean TGS and TGS/Wt% significantly differed between the sexes in all decades and in all decades except the 40s, respectively. In men, the mean TGS and TGS/Wt% significantly decreased with aging after the 50s and 60s, respectively. In women, both the mean TGS and TGS/Wt% significantly decreased between the 40s and 50s and between the 60s and 70s. TGS significantly correlated with age, height, and weight in both sexes. The stepwise multiple-regression analysis revealed TGS was significantly associated with sex, age, height, and weight (adjusted R2 = 0.31).ConclusionsTGS was closely correlated between the dominant and non-dominant sides. TGS and TGS/Wt were significantly reduced with aging after the 50s in men and significantly reduced between the 40s and 50s and between the 60s and 70s in women. Age, sex, height, and weight accounted for only 30.8% of the variance in TGS. Therefore, other factors (e.g. toe flexibility, structural characteristics) should be considered for improving the accuracy of predicting TGS.

Abstract.[Purpose] The aim of this study was to evaluate the intrarater and interrater reliabilities of a toe grip dynamometer.[Subjects] The subjects were 180 community-dwelling people and 20 university students. [Methods] We assigned 180 individuals to three groups based on age to determine the intrarater reliability. The groups consisted of young (age, 20 to 39 y), middle-aged (age, 40 to 59 y) and older adults (age, 60 to 79 y). Interrater reliability was investigated using 20 university students as subjects. We calculated intraclass correlation coefficients to assess the intrarater and the interrater reliability. The intrarater reliability was assessed for each group by gender. We calculated intraclass correlation coefficients for the interrater reliability by comparing the first measurements made by two testers. The Bland-Altman analysis was used to assess fixed and proportional bias.[Results] The intrarater reliability showed a substantial to almost perfect agreement in male and almost perfect agreement in female subjects. For the intrarater reliability, a fixed bias was found in most measurements, but proportional bias was not found at all. The interrater reliability showed almost perfect agreement. Fixed bias and proportional bias were not found for the interrater reliability.[Conclusion] The intrarater and the interrater reliabilities of the toe grip dynamometer were substantial, indicating its suitability for clinical use.