Vascular protection through TIE2 activation is a potential treatment strategy to ameliorate sepsis.

BACKGROUND: Stopping aspirin within 1 month after implantation of a drug-eluting stent for ticagrelor monotherapy has not been exclusively evaluated for patients with acute coronary syndrome. The aim of this study was to investigate whether ticagrelor monotherapy after <1 month of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is noninferior to 12 months of ticagrelor-based DAPT for adverse cardiovascular and bleeding events in patients with acute coronary syndrome. METHODS: In this randomized, open-label, noninferiority trial, 2850 patients with acute coronary syndrome who underwent drug-eluting stent implantation at 24 centers in South Korea were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either ticagrelor monotherapy (90 mg twice daily) after <1 month of DAPT (n=1426) or 12 months of ticagrelor-based DAPT (n=1424) between April 24, 2019, and May 31, 2022. The primary end point was the net clinical benefit as a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, definite or probable stent thrombosis, stroke, and major bleeding at 1 year after the index procedure in the intention-to-treat population. Key secondary end points were the individual components of the primary end point. RESULTS: Among 2850 patients who were randomized (mean age, 61 years; 40% ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction), 2823 (99.0%) completed the trial. Aspirin was discontinued at a median of 16 days (interquartile range, 12–25 days) in the group receiving ticagrelor monotherapy after <1 month of DAPT. The primary end point occurred in 40 patients (2.8%) in the group receiving ticagrelor monotherapy after <1-month DAPT, and in 73 patients (5.2%) in the ticagrelor-based 12-month DAPT group (hazard ratio, 0.54 [95% CI, 0.37–0.80]; P <0.001 for noninferiority; P =0.002 for superiority). This finding was consistent in the per-protocol population as a sensitivity analysis. The occurrence of major bleeding was significantly lower in the ticagrelor monotherapy after <1-month DAPT group compared with the 12-month DAPT group (1.2% versus 3.4%; hazard ratio, 0.35 [95% CI, 0.20–0.61]; P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that stopping aspirin within 1 month for ticagrelor monotherapy is both noninferior and superior to 12-month DAPT for the 1-year composite outcome of death, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, stroke, and major bleeding, primarily because of a significant reduction in major bleeding, among patients with acute coronary syndrome receiving drug-eluting stent implantation. Low event rates, which may suggest enrollment of relatively non–high-risk patients, should be considered in interpreting the trial. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT03797651.

Lee JW, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2014 Jan;29(1):23-31. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2014.29.1.23

Emerging evidence indicates that angiopoietin-2 (Angpt2), a well-recognized vascular destabilizing factor, is a biomarker of poor outcome in ischemic heart disease. However, its precise role in postischemic cardiovascular remodeling is poorly understood. Here, we show that Angpt2 plays multifaceted roles in the exacerbation of cardiac hypoxia and inflammation after myocardial ischemia. Angpt2 was highly expressed in endothelial cells at the infarct border zone after myocardial infarction (MI) or ischemia/reperfusion injury in mice. In the acute phase of MI, endothelial-derived Angpt2 antagonized Angpt1/Tie2 signaling, which was greatly involved in pericyte detachment, vascular leakage, increased adhesion molecular expression, degradation of the glycocalyx and extracellular matrix, and enhanced neutrophil infiltration and hypoxia in the infarct border area. In the chronic remodeling phase after MI, endothelial- and macrophage-derived Angpt2 continuously promoted abnormal vascular remodeling and proinflammatory macrophage polarization through integrin α₅β₁ signaling, worsening cardiac hypoxia and inflammation. Accordingly, inhibition of Angpt2 either by gene deletion or using an anti-Angpt2 blocking antibody substantially alleviated these pathological findings and ameliorated postischemic cardiovascular remodeling. Blockade of Angpt2 thus has potential as a therapeutic option for ischemic heart failure.

This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of the left distal transradial approach (ldTRA) as a default route for coronary angiography (CAG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Between October 2017 and January 2018, 200 consecutive patients were enrolled in a single centre. The left distal radial artery was punctured with a 20-gauge venipuncture catheter needle by three expert left radial approach operators. The success rates of arterial puncture, CAG, and PCI were 95.5% (191/200), 100% (187/187), and 98.9% (86/87), respectively. Four patients scheduled for staged PCI skipped the routine diagnostic CAG. Puncture time and fluoroscopic time were 3.0±2.8 minutes and 11.3±18.4 minutes, respectively. Haemostasis time was 151.8±39.9 minutes. A total of 15 (7.9%) puncture site complications occurred, including 14 (7.4%) minor haematomas and one (0.5%) arterial dissection, in which the artery was patent at one-month follow-up. Two patients complained of left thumb numbness at one-month follow-up. No distal radial artery occlusion, perforation, pseudoaneurysm, or arteriovenous fistula occurred. The success and complication rates of ldTRA support the feasibility and safety of this procedure. Larger randomised comparison studies are needed to support this preliminary evidence.

Korean Circulation Journal 대한심장학회지 순환기 Lee SG, et al. Korean Circ J. 2019 Aug;50:e53. https://doi.org/10.4070/kcj.2019.0296