Enterococcal IE may be more frequent than generally thought. Depending on local prevalence of endocarditis, application of the NOVA score may safely obviate echocardiography in 14%-27% of patients with E-BSI.

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After more than ten years of human research in the field of cardiac regenerative medicine, application of stem cells in different phases of ischemic heart disease has come to age. Randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that stem cell therapy can improve cardiac recovery after the acute phase of myocardial ischemia and in patients with chronic ischemic heart disease, and several efficacy phase III trials with clinical endpoints are on their way. Nevertheless, a complete knowledge on the mechanisms of action of stem cells still remains elusive. Of the three main mechanisms by which stem cells could exert their benefit, paracrine signaling from the administered cells and stimulation of endogenous repair are nowadays the most plausible ones. However, in this review we will define and discuss the concept of stem cell potency and differentiation, will examine the evidence available, and will depict future directions of research.

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Background Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare cause of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Clinical features, angiographic findings, management and outcomes of SCAD in elderly patients remain unknown. Methods The Spanish multicenter prospective SCAD registry included 318 consecutive patients with SCAD diagnosis. Patients were classified according to age in two groups: <65 and ≥65 years old. Results A total of 55 patients (17%) were 65 or older (Table). Elderly patients had more often hypertension (29% vs 76%, p<0.01) and dyslipidemia (30% vs 56%, p<0.01), and less smoking history (51% vs 7%, p<0.01). Previous history of coronary artery disease was also more frequent in older patients (4% vs 11%, p=0.044). Interestingly, an identifiable trigger was more often found among patients under 65. Coronary artery tortuosity (1±0.99 vs 1.4±1, p=0.027) and coronary artery ectasia (9% vs 24%, p<0.01) were both more frequent in elderly patients, who were more often managed conservatively (75% vs 89%, p=0.025). A trend toward a higher mortality rate was found among patients ≥65, with no differences in terms of in hospital stay, new acute myocardial infarction, unplanned coronariography or heart failure. Conclusions Elderly patients with SCAD show different clinical and angiographic characteristics and they receive distinct management. Short-term outcomes do not significantly differ from those seen in younger patients. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None