Aim:Previous meta-analyses have demonstrated an increased risk of adverse events in aspirin-resistant patients. In this meta-analysis, we aimed to update clinical evidence regarding the relationship between aspirin resistance and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) on confirmed aspirin adherence. Methods: An electronic literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library and a hand search of bibliographies through April 2013 were conducted. Studies were included if they prospectively investigated the association between aspirin resistance and the risk of adverse cardiovascular events during follow-up in CHD patients, mentioned confirmed compliance and provided adequate data for a statistical analysis. Results: Nine prospective studies with a total 1,889 CHD patients who were followed for one month to 2.5 years and study sample sizes ranging from 86 to 496 patients were identified. Overall, 622 of the 1,889 CHD patients (33.0%) were classified as being aspirin resistant with confirmed aspirin adherence. The aspirin-resistant patients exhibited a significantly higher risk of adverse events than the aspirin-sensitive patients (odds ratio 2.44, 95% confidence interval 1.81 to 3.30; p＜0.00001). Conclusions: Among CHD patients, approximately one in three individuals can be diagnosed as aspirin resistant on confirmed aspirin adherence. Patients identified as having laboratory aspirin resistance exhibit a 2.4-fold increased risk of MACE compared with aspirin-sensitive patients.

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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between apolipoprotein A-IV (apoA-IV) plasma concentrations and acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: Plasma apoA-IV concentrations were measured in 115 patients with different types of ACS and in 68 gender- and age-matched control subjects using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kits. The clinical data were collected by an internist, who was blinded to plasma apoA-IV concentrations. Results: Plasma apoA-IV levels in ACS patients were significantly decreased compared to the levels in control subjects (437.0 ± 157.5 μg/mL vs. 590.2 ± 183.7 μg/mL, P < 0.001). An statistically significant decreasing trend of plasma apoA-IV levels from the control subjects, to patients with unstable angina pectoris (UAP) (457.3 ± 152.9 μg/mL), to patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (311.7 ± 127.8 μg/mL), was observed. Moreover, plasma apoA-IV level was negatively associated with New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class. NYHA class II (467.2 ± 142.1 μg/mL, P < 0.001) and class III/IV (368.1 ± 170.8 μg/mL, P < 0.001) patients had statistically decreased levels of plasma apoA-IV when compared to the control subjects. A stepwise multivariate regression analysis identified types of ACS, NYHA classes, and plasma fibrinogen levels as the most important determinants of plasma apoA-IV levels in ACS patients. Conclusions: Low plasma apoA-IV levels are associated with ACS, and plasma apoA-IV levels may be a potential treatment target for ACS patients.

It is essential to establish simple, sensitive and accurate quantitative approaches for microRNAs (miRNAs) identification due to its crucial roles in a variety of physiological and pathological processes. Herein, we propose a novel RCA-based colorimetric method for sensitive and reliable miRNA analysis. In this approach, cyclization of the padlock sequence by miRNA-21 initiates the RCA to produce numerous G-rich sequences. The generated G-rich sequences fold to G-quadruplex DNAzyme that is capable of catalyzing cysteine to cystine which could mediate the gold nanoparticle-based color reaction, outputting results that can be observed directly by naked eyes. Based on this, the approach exhibits a wide detection range with a low limit of detection of 4 fM. In addition, the dual target recognition endows the method a greatly improved selectivity.