The chemokine RANTES has been implicated in neointimal hyperplasia after arterial injury. We analyzed the differential role of the RANTES receptors CCR1 and CCR5 by genetic deletion in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. Deficiency in CCR5 significantly reduced neointimal area after arterial wire injury, associated with a decrease in macrophages, CD3(+) T lymphocytes, and CCR2(+) cells. In contras...

BACKGROUND The long-term safety of drug-eluting stents (DES) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains uncertain. Using autopsy data, we evaluated the pathological responses of the stented segment in patients treated with DES for AMI and compared with patients with stable angina. METHODS AND RESULTS From the CVPath Registry of 138 DES autopsies, we identified 25 patients who presented wit...

BACKGROUND Stent luminal surface characteristics influence surface endothelialization. We hypothesize that luminal stent microgrooves created in the direction of coronary flow accelerate endothelial cell migration, resulting in lower levels of neointimal formation. METHODS AND RESULTS Surface coverage efficiency was evaluated in vitro by allowing human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC) to migra...

BACKGROUND Previous studies in animal models of angioplasty have suggested a role in neointimal hyperplasia for endothelins (ETs), potent vasoconstricting peptides that also exert growth-promoting effects. The present studies were undertaken to test the hypothesis that endothelin receptor blockade can reduce neointimal thickening in injured porcine coronary arteries. METHODS AND RESULTS An ET...

OBJECTIVE To determine the impact of previous infection with cytomegalovirus, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Helicobacter pylori on neointimal proliferation after coronary angioplasty with stent implantation. DESIGN The study population was made up of 180 patients who had stent implantation in a native coronary artery with systematic angiographic and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) follow up at si...

PURPOSES The serial changes in neointimal tissues were compared between everolimus-eluting stent (EES) and bare-metal stent (BMS) in the porcine coronary artery using optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS Serial (1, 3, and 6 month follow-up after stent implantation) OCT examinations were performed in 15 swine with 15 BMS- and 15 EES-treated lesions in porcine coronary arteries. RESULT...

OBJECTIVE P-selectin-mediated leukocyte-endothelium and leukocyte-platelet interaction has been reported after vascular injury and has been correlated with neointimal hyperplasia, but its role in neointimal formation after arterial injury in diabetes has not been described. METHODS AND RESULTS Using a Zucker diabetic rat balloon injury model, we examined the role of P-selectin in the vascular...

BackgroundIn vascular surgery, neointimal hyperplasia is a significant clinical phenomenon because it reduces the long-term effectiveness of surgical and endovascular procedures. We devised an experimental sonodynamic therapy protocol tested its efficacy on reduction in this study, which diagnostic B-mode ultrasound paired with focused-ultrasound goal greater safety.Methods ResultsGolden Syrian...

OBJECTIVE The risk of in-stent restenosis can be considerably reduced by stents eluting cytostatic compounds. We created a novel drug-eluting stent system that includes several new features in the rapidly evolving field of stent-based drug delivery. METHODS AND RESULTS The aim of the present study was the preclinical evaluation of a stent-coating system permitting individual, on-site coating ...

Optical coherence tomography is a recently developed high-resolution intravascular diagnostic technique. Initially, it was mainly used for characterizing atherosclerotic plaque because it served a number of functions, from identifying plaque with high lipid content to detecting macrophage accumulation, both of which are associated with plaque instability. Currently, there is growing interest in...