No abstract

Initial reports of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in the elderly (≥: 75 years) showed a significantly lower primary success rate, higher in‐hospital mortality, and a higher risk of emergency or elective coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) compared to younger patients. There are few data concerning acute outcomes and clinical follow‐up after the use of coronary stenting in the elderly compared to < the 75‐year‐old age group. We evaluated 82 elderly patients and 280 younger patients who received Palmaz‐Schatz stents during 1995, at a time when high pressure deployment and antiplatelet therapy was routinely used. The success rate and acute major complications were not significantly different between the elderly and younger patients. Clinical events (death, myocardial infarction [MI], repeat PTCA, or CABG) during 6‐month follow‐up were also not significantly different. Coronary stenting in the elderly can be carried out with a high success rate and low incidence of acute major complications. Thus, short‐term clinical outcomes in elderly patients appear similar to results obtained in younger patients.

Several studies show worse outcome for diabetic patients after percutaneous translurninal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). There are relatively few studies evaluating outcome in the modern era of coronary stenting. We compared the incidence of death, myocardial infarction (MI), and repeat target lesion revascularization (RTLR) by PTCA or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) over a 6-month follow-up in 110 diabetic and 400 nondiabetic patients receiving Palmaz-Schatz stents. All patients received aspiridticlopidine and stents were deployed using highpressure inflations. Seventy -five (68.2%) diabetic patients and 272 (68%) nondiabetic patients had single stents, while 35 (31.8%) diabetic and 128 (32%) nondiabetic patients had multiple stents ( 2 2 stents in the same vessel).The success rate and acute major complications were not significantly different between diabetic and nondiabetic patients. There was also no signifcant difference in death, MI, and repeat PTCA between these two groups. Diabetic patients underwent CABG more frequently than nondiabetic patients (12.7% vs 3.2%, respectively, P =0.001) and diabetic patients also had RTLR more frequently than nondiabetic patients (25.5% vs 12.8%, respectively, P = 0.002) during 6-month follow-up. Multivariate analysis showed that diabetes and multiple stents independently contributed to the 6-month RTLR rate. Coronary stenting in diabetic patients can be carried out with a high success rate and low incidence of acute major complications. The presence of diabetes mellitus and multiple stent placement significantly increase the incidence of repeat target lesion revascularization. ( J Interven Cardiol

y s t a t h i o n i n e and t a u r i n e i n human b r a i n d u r i n g e a rl y f o e t a l development.The d e v e l o p m e n t a l changes i n t h e c o n c e n t r a t i o n of L -c y s t a t h i o n i n e and t a u r i n e i n hunan f o e t a l b r a i n t i ss u e were examined d u r i n c t h e f i r s t and second t r i m e st e r , which i s t h e p e r i o d of i n t e n s i v e n e u r o n a l g r o w t h and m u l t i p l i c a t i o n . B r a i n t i s s u e s a m p l e s were o b t a ined from 14 f o e t u s e s ( crown-rump l e n g t h 2.5-21 cm ) a t l e g a l t h e r a p e u t i c a b o r t i o n s . T i s s u e specimens were i n . o e d i a t e l y p r e p a r e d f o r amino a c i d a n a l y s e s which were performed by a u t o m a t i c column chromatography. There was v i r t u a l l y no L -c y s t a t h i o n i n e i n .ih'ole-brain t i s s u e from t h e s m a l l e s t f o e t u s ( crown-rump l e n g t h 2 . 5 cm ) . Throughout t h e f i r s t and seconu t r i a l e s t e r a s t e a d y i n c r e a s e i n t h e c o n c e n t r a t i o n of L -c y s t a t h i on i n e o c c u r r e d i n f o e t a l b r a i n s . The amount of t a u r i n e was h i g h i n b r a i n t i s s u e from t h e s m a l l e s t f i r s t -t r im e s t e r f o e t u s : some i n c r e a s e o c c u r r e d j u r i n g f i r s t and second t r i m e s t e r . J u r i n g e a r l y f o e t a l development t h e c o n c e r i t r a t i o n of t a u r i n e i n hunan b r a i n was h i g he r t h a n p r e v i o u s l y r e p o r t e d amounts d u r i n g p e r i n a t a l p e r i o d and a d u l t l i f e . The d i s t r i b u t i o n of L -c y s t at h i o n i n e and t a u r i n e i n b r a i n t i s s u e d u r i n g l a t e mi3-t r i m e s t e r d i f f e r e d from t h a t o b s e r v e d i n a d u l t hunans. bv H.K.A. V i s s e r ) . "La F e " C h i l d r e n ' s Hosp i t a l V a l e n c i a , S p a i n .~n t r a u t e r i n e bone growth. At b i r t h , growth and m a t u r a t i o n of t h e newborn a r e u s u a l l y a s s e s s e d by c l i n i c a l , a n t h r o p o m e t r i c and neurol o g i c a l e x a m i n a t i o n s . A new q u a n t i t a t i v e and o b j e c t i v e method i s p r e s e n t e d : t h e l e n g t h of c u b i t u s and r a d i u s . A t o t a l of 156 newborns, 75 m a l e s and 81 f e m a l e s a p p r o p i a t e f o r g e s t a t i o n a l a g e (AGE), from t h e 2 4 t h t h r o u g h t h e 4 0 t h week of g e s t a t i o n w e r e s t u d i e d . Three i n d e p e n d e n t i n v e s t i g a t o r s p a r t i c i p a t e d i n t h e c o l l e c t i o n of t h e d a t a , o n l y one of them, by n e c e s it y , knew t h e d a t e of t h e l a s t m e n s t r u a l p e r i o d . Bone l e n g t h was measured by a "DIAL CALIPER HELIOS" w i t h a s e n s i t i v i t y of m e t e r s . Bone growth i n l e n g t h from t h e 24th t h r o u g h t h e 4 0 t h week i s a li n e a r f u n c t i o n w i t h a p p a r e n t l y two d i f f e r e n t s l o p e s , one between ...