The QW/NQW distinction is useful, but it is determined by the total size rather than transmural extent of underlying MI.

A lymph node ratio >or=0.25 was an independent prognostic factor in Stage III colon adenocarcinoma regardless of the number positive nodes. It modified outcomes predicted by the current staging system.

on behalf of the ASSERT (Aortic Stentless versus Stented valve assessed by Echocardiography Randomized Trial) InvestigatorsBackground-Aortic valve replacement (AVR) is the established treatment for severe aortic stenosis. In response to the long-term results of aortic homografts, stentless porcine valves were introduced as an alternative low-resistance valve.We conducted a randomized trial comparing a stentless with a stented porcine valve in adults with severe aortic stenosis. Methods and Results-The primary outcome was change in left ventricular mass index (LVMI) measured by transthoracic echocardiography and, in a subset, by cardiovascular MR. Measurements were taken before valve replacement and at 6 and 12 months. Patients undergoing AVR with an aortic annulus Յ25 mm in diameter were randomly allocated to a stentless (nϭ93) or a stented supra-annular (nϭ97) valve. There were no significant differences in mean LVMI between the stentless versus stented groups at baseline (176Ϯ62 and 182Ϯ63 g/m 2 , respectively) or at 6 months (142Ϯ49 and 131Ϯ45 g/m 2 , respectively), although within-group changes from baseline to 6 months were highly significant. Changes in LVMI measured by cardiovascular MR (nϭ38) were consistent with the echo findings. There was a greater reduction in peak aortic velocity (PϽ0.001) and a greater increase in indexed effective orifice area (PϽ0.001) in the stentless group than in the stented group. There were no differences in clinical outcomes between the 2 valve groups. Conclusions-Despite significant differences in indexed effective orifice area and peak flow velocity in favor of the stentless valve, there were similar reductions in left ventricular mass at 6 months with both stented and stentless valves, which persisted at 12 months. (Circulation. 2005;112:2696-2702.)

The 6MWT is safe and feasible to carry out in patients with severe aortic stenosis before AVR, and provides potentially important functional and prognostic information to clinical assessment and the Euroscore risk score.