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Background: Aspirin is the only antiplatelet agent with a Class I recommendation for long-term prevention of cardiovascular events in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). There is inconsistent evidence on how it compares with alternative antiplatelet agents., Objectives: This study compared P2Y 12 inhibitor monotherapy vs aspirin in patients with CAD., Methods: We conducted a patient-level meta-analysis of randomized trials comparing P2Y 12 inhibitor monotherapy vs aspirin monotherapy for the prevention of cardiovascular events in patients with established CAD. The primary outcome was the composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Prespecified key secondary outcomes were major bleeding and net adverse clinical events (the composite of the primary outcome and major bleeding). Data were pooled in a 1-step meta-analysis., Results: Patient-level data were obtained from 7 trials. Overall, 24,325 participants were available for analysis, including 12,178 patients assigned to receive P2Y 12 inhibitor monotherapy (clopidogrel in 7,545 [62.0%], ticagrelor in 4,633 [38.0%]) and 12,147 assigned to receive aspirin. Risk of the primary outcome was lower with P2Y 12 inhibitor monotherapy compared with aspirin over 2 years (HR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.79-0.97; P = 0.012), mainly owing to less myocardial infarction (HR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.66-0.90; P < 0.001). Major bleeding was similar (HR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.70-1.09; P = 0.23) and net adverse clinical events were lower (HR: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.81-0.98; P = 0.020) with P2Y 12 inhibitors. The treatment effect was consistent across prespecified subgroups and types of P2Y 12 inhibitors., Conclusions: Given its superior efficacy and similar overall safety, P2Y 12 inhibitor monotherapy might be preferred over aspirin monotherapy for long-term secondary prevention in patients with established CAD. (P2Y 12 Inhibitor or Aspirin Monotherapy as Secondary Prevention in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease: An Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials [PANTHER collaborative initiative]; CRD42021290774)., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures This study was funded by institutional support of the Cardiocentro Ticino Institute, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, and the Department of Cardiology at Bern University Hospital, which had no role in the data analysis, interpretation, or writing of the report. There was no industry involvement in the design, analysis, or funding of this study. Dr Valgimigli has received personal fees from AstraZeneca; has received grants and personal fees from Terumo; and has received personal fees from Alvimedica/CID, Abbott Vascular, Daiichi-Sankyo, Bayer, CoreFLOW, Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Departement Klinische Forschung of Universität Basel, Bristol Myers Squibb SA, Medscape, Biotronik, and Novartis, outside the submitted work. Dr Windecker has received research and educational grants to the institution from Abbott, Abiomed, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Biotronik, Boehringer Ingelheim, Boston Scientific, Bristol Myers Squibb, Cardinal Health, CardioValve, Corflow Therapeutics, CSL Behring, Daiichi-Sankyo, Edwards Lifesciences, Guerbet, Infraredx, Janssen-Cilag, Johnson & Johnson, Medicure, Medtronic, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Miracor Medical, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Organon, OrPha Swiss, Pfizer, Polares, Regeneron, Sanofi, Servier, Sinomed, Terumo, Vifor, and V-Wave; serves as an unpaid advisory board member and/or unpaid member of the steering/executive group of trials funded by Abbott, Abiomed, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boston Scientific, Biotronik, Bristol Myers Squibb, Edwards Lifesciences, Janssen, MedAlliance, Medtronic, Novartis, Polares, Recardio, Sinomed, Terumo, V-Wave, and Xeltis but has not received personal payments by pharmaceutical companies or device manufacturers; is a member of the steering/executive committee group of several investigator-initiated trials that receive funding by industry without impact on his personal remuneration; is an unpaid member of the Pfizer Research Award selection committee in Switzerland and of the Women as One Awards Committee; is a member of the Clinical Study Group of the Deutsches Zentrum für Herz Kreislauf-Forschung and of the Advisory Board of the Australian Victorian Heart Institute; and is chairperson of the ESC Congress Program Committee and Deputy Editor of JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions. Dr Mehran has served on the scientific advisory boards of the American Medical Association, the American College of Cardiology (Board of Trustees Member), the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (Women in Innovations Committee Member), JAMA Cardiology (Associate Editor), and the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (Faculty) (no fee). Dr Woodward is a consultant for Freeline; and has recently been a consultant to Amgen. Dr Schunkert has received personal fees from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer Vital GmbH, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Daiichi-Sankyo, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Sanofi, Servier, and SYNLAB. Dr Franzone has received payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, Speaker Bureaus, manuscript writing, or educational events from Edwards Lifesciences and Boehringer Ingelheim. Dr Bhatt discloses the following relationships—advisory board: AngioWave, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cardax, CellProthera, Cereno Scientific, Elsevier Practice Update Cardiology, High Enroll, Janssen, Level Ex, McKinsey, Medscape Cardiology, Merck, MyoKardia, NirvaMed, Novo Nordisk, PhaseBio, PLx Pharma, Regado Biosciences, and Stasys; board of directors: AngioWave (stock options), Boston VA Research Institute, Bristol Myers Squibb (stock), DRS.LINQ (stock options), High Enroll (stock), Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care, and TobeSoft; Chair: Inaugural Chair, American Heart Association Quality Oversight Committee; consultant: Broadview Ventures; data monitoring committees: Acesion Pharma, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Baim Institute for Clinical Research (formerly Harvard Clinical Research Institute, for the PORTICO trial, funded by St. Jude Medical, now Abbott), Boston Scientific (Chair, PEITHO trial), Cleveland Clinic (including for the ExCEED trial, funded by Edwards), Contego Medical (Chair, PERFORMANCE 2), Duke Clinical Research Institute, Mayo Clinic, Mount Sinai School of Medicine (for the ENVISAGE trial, funded by Daiichi Sankyo; for the ABILITY-DM trial, funded by Concept Medical), Novartis, Population Health Research Institute; Rutgers University (for the National Institutes of Health–funded MINT Trial); Honoraria: American College of Cardiology (Senior Associate Editor, Clinical Trials and News, ACC.org; Chair, ACC Accreditation Oversight Committee), Arnold and Porter law firm (work related to Sanofi/Bristol Myers Squibb clopidogrel litigation), Baim Institute for Clinical Research (formerly Harvard Clinical Research Institute; RE-DUAL PCI clinical trial steering committee funded by Boehringer Ingelheim; AEGIS-II executive committee funded by CSL Behring), Belvoir Publications (Editor-in-Chief, Harvard Heart Letter), Canadian Medical and Surgical Knowledge Translation Research Group (clinical trial steering committees), Cowen and Company, Duke Clinical Research Institute (clinical trial steering committees, including for the PRONOUNCE trial, funded by Ferring Pharmaceuticals), HMP Global (Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Invasive Cardiology), Journal of the American College of Cardiology (Guest Editor; Associate Editor), K2P (Co-Chair, interdisciplinary curriculum), Level Ex, Medtelligence/ReachMD (CME steering committees), MJH Life Sciences, Oakstone CME (Course Director, Comprehensive Review of Interventional Cardiology), Piper Sandler, Population Health Research Institute (for the COMPASS operations committee, publications committee, steering committee, and USA national co-leader, funded by Bayer), Slack Publications (Chief Medical Editor, Cardiology Today’s Intervention), Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (Secretary/Treasurer), WebMD (CME steering committees), Wiley (steering committee); other: Clinical Cardiology (Deputy Editor), NCDR-ACTION Registry Steering Committee (Chair), and VA CART Research and Publications Committee (Chair); patent: Sotagliflozin (named on a patent for sotagliflozin assigned to Brigham and Women's Hospital who assigned to Lexicon; neither Dr Bhatt nor Brigham and Women’s Hospital receive any income from this patent); research funding: Abbott, Acesion Pharma, Afimmune, Aker Biomarine, Amarin, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Beren, Boehringer Ingelheim, Boston Scientific, Bristol Myers Squibb, Cardax, CellProthera, Cereno Scientific, Chiesi, CinCor, CSL Behring, Eisai, Ethicon, Faraday Pharmaceuticals, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Forest Laboratories, Fractyl, Garmin, HLS Therapeutics, Idorsia, Ironwood, Ischemix, Janssen, Javelin, Lexicon, Lilly, Medtronic, Merck, Moderna, MyoKardia, NirvaMed, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Owkin, Pfizer, PhaseBio, PLx Pharma, Recardio, Regeneron, Reid Hoffman Foundation, Roche, Sanofi, Stasys, Synaptic, The Medicines Company, Youngene, and 89Bio; royalties: Elsevier (Editor, Braunwald’s Heart Disease); site co-investigator: Abbott, Biotronik, Boston Scientific, CSI, Endotronix, St. Jude Medical (now Abbott), Philips, SpectraWAVE, Svelte, and Vascular Solutions; trustee: American College of Cardiology; and unfunded research: FlowCo and Takeda. Dr Steg has received grants, personal fees, and nonfinancial support from Sanofi; has received grants and personal fees from Amarin, Servier, and Bayer; has received personal fees from Amgen, AstraZeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Idorsia, Pfizer, and Novartis; and has a patent on the use of alirocumab to reduce risk after acute coronary syndrome (royalties to Sanofi) pending. Dr Szarek has served as a consultant or on advisory boards (or both) for CiVi, Resverlogix, Baxter, Esperion, Sanofi, and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent complication in patients with severe respiratory failure receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). However, little is known of long-term kidney function in ECMO survivors. We aimed to assess the long-term mortality and kidney outcomes in adult patients treated with veno-venous ECMO (VV-ECMO)., Methods: This was a single-centre retrospective study of adult patients (≥ 18 years old) who were treated with VV-ECMO at a commissioned ECMO centre in the UK between 1st September 2010, and 30th November 2016. AKI was defined and staged using the serum creatinine and urine output criteria of the Kidney Diseases: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) classification. The primary outcome was 1-year mortality. Secondary outcomes were long-term mortality (up to March 2020), 1-year incidence of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) or chronic kidney disease (CKD) among AKI patients who received renal replacement therapy (AKI-RRT), AKI patients who did not receive RRT (AKI-no RRT) and patients without AKI (non-AKI)., Results: A total of 300 patients [57% male; median age 44.5; interquartile range (IQR) 34-54] were included in the final analysis. Past medical histories included diabetes (12%), hypertension (17%), and CKD (2.3%). The main cause of severe respiratory failure was pulmonary infection (72%). AKI occurred in 230 patients (76.7%) and 59.3% received renal replacement therapy (RRT). One-year mortality was 32% in AKI-RRT patients vs. 21.4% in non-AKI patients (p = 0.014). The median follow-up time was 4.35 years. Patients who received RRT had a higher risk of 1-year mortality than those who did not receive RRT (adjusted HR 1.80, 95% CI 1.06, 3.06; p = 0.029). ESKD occurred in 3 patients, all of whom were in the AKI-RRT group. At 1-year, 41.2% of survivors had serum creatinine results available. Among these, CKD was prevalent in 33.3% of AKI-RRT patients vs. 4.3% in non-AKI patients (p = 0.004)., Conclusions: VV-EMCO patients with AKI-RRT had high long-term mortality. Monitoring of kidney function after hospital discharge was poor. In patients with follow-up creatinine results available, the CKD prevalence was high at 1 year, especially in AKI-RRT patients. More awareness about this serious long-term complication and appropriate follow-up interventions are required., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Socioeconomic deprivation is associated with higher cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Whether deprivation status should be incorporated in more cardiovascular risk estimation scores remains unclear. This study evaluates how socioeconomic deprivation status affects the performance of 3 primary prevention cardiovascular risk scores., Methods: The Generation Scotland Scottish Family Health Study was used to evaluate the performance of 3 cardiovascular risk scores with (ASSIGN [Assessing cardiovascular risk using SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network) guidelines to ASSIGN preventive treatment]) and without (SCORE2 [Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation 2 algorithm], Pooled Cohort Equations) socioeconomic deprivation as a covariate in the risk prediction model. Deprivation was defined by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation score. The predicted 10-year risk was evaluated against the observed event rate for the cardiovascular outcome of each risk score. The comparison was made across 3 groups defined by the deprivation index score consisting of group 1 defined as most deprived, group 3 defined as least deprived, and group 2, which consisted of individuals in the middle deprivation categories., Results: The study population consisted of 15 506 individuals (60.0% female, median age of 51). Across the population, 1808 (12%) individuals were assigned to group 1 (most deprived), 8119 (52%) to group 2, and 4708 (30%) to group 3 (least deprived), and 871 (6%) individuals had a missing deprivation score. Risk scores based on models that did not include deprivation status significantly under predicted risk in the most deprived (6.43% observed versus 4.63% predicted for SCORE2 [ P =0.001] and 6.69% observed versus 4.66% predicted for Pooled Cohort Equations [ P <0.001]). Both risk scores also significantly overpredicted the risk in the least deprived group (3.97% observed versus 4.72% predicted for SCORE2 [ P =0.007] and 4.22% observed versus 4.85% predicted for Pooled Cohort Equations [ P =0.028]). In contrast, no significant difference was demonstrated in the observed versus predicted risk when using the ASSIGN risk score, which included socioeconomic deprivation status in the risk model., Conclusions: Socioeconomic status is a largely unrecognized risk factor in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Risk scores that exclude socioeconomic deprivation as a covariate under- and overestimate the risk in the most and least deprived individuals, respectively. This study highlights the importance of incorporating socioeconomic deprivation status in risk estimation systems to ultimately reduce inequalities in health care provision for cardiovascular disease.

In randomized controlled trials, patient characteristics are expected to be well balanced between treatment groups; however, adjustment for characteristics that are prognostic can still be beneficial with a modest gain in statistical power. Nevertheless, previous reviews show that many trials use unadjusted analyses. In this article, we review current practice regarding covariate adjustment in cardiovascular trials among all 84 randomized controlled trials relating to cardiovascular disease published in the New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, and the Journal of the American Medical Association during 2019. We identify trials in which use of covariate adjustment led to a change in the trial conclusions. By using these trials as case studies, along with data from the CHARM trial and simulation studies, we demonstrate some of the potential benefits and pitfalls of covariate adjustment. We discuss some of the complexities of using covariate adjustment, including how many covariates to choose, how covariates should be modeled, how to handle missing data for baseline covariates, and how adjusted analyses are viewed by regulators. We conclude that contemporary cardiovascular trials do not make best use of covariate adjustment and that more frequent use could lead to improvements in the efficiency of future trials., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Dr Gregson has received consultancy fees from Boehringer Ingelheim. Prof Pocock has received research grants from AstraZeneca and Merck and consultancy fees from Boehringer Ingelheim. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: There are limited data on acute kidney injury (AKI) progression and long-term outcomes in critically ill patients with coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). We aimed to describe the prevalence and risk factors for development of AKI, its subsequent clinical course and AKI progression, as well as renal recovery or dialysis dependence and survival in this group of patients., Methods: This was a retrospective observational study in an expanded tertiary care intensive care unit in London, United Kingdom. Critically ill patients admitted to ICU between 1st March 2020 and 31st July 2020 with confirmed SARS-COV2 infection were included. Analysis of baseline characteristics, organ support, COVID-19 associated therapies and their association with mortality and outcomes at 90 days was performed., Results: Of 313 patients (70% male, mean age 54.5 ± 13.9 years), 240 (76.7%) developed AKI within 14 days after ICU admission: 63 (20.1%) stage 1, 41 (13.1%) stage 2, 136 (43.5%) stage 3. 113 (36.1%) patients presented with AKI on ICU admission. Progression to AKI stage 2/3 occurred in 36%. Risk factors for AKI progression were mechanical ventilation [HR (hazard ratio) 4.11; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.61-10.49] and positive fluid balance [HR 1.21 (95% CI 1.11-1.31)], while steroid therapy was associated with a reduction in AKI progression (HR 0.73 [95% CI 0.55-0.97]). Kidney replacement therapy (KRT) was initiated in 31.9%. AKI patients had a higher 90-day mortality than non-AKI patients (34% vs. 14%; p < 0.001). Dialysis dependence was 5% at hospital discharge and 4% at 90 days. Renal recovery was identified in 81.6% of survivors at discharge and in 90.9% at 90 days. At 3 months, 16% of all AKI survivors had chronic kidney disease (CKD); among those without renal recovery, the CKD incidence was 44%., Conclusions: During the first COVID-19 wave, AKI was highly prevalent among severely ill COVID-19 patients with a third progressing to severe AKI requiring KRT. The risk of developing CKD was high. This study identifies factors modifying AKI progression, including a potentially protective effect of steroid therapy. Recognition of risk factors and monitoring of renal function post-discharge might help guide future practice and follow-up management strategies. Trial registration NCT04445259., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

The outstanding complexing properties of tetraphosphonate cavitands towards N-methylpyridinium salts were exploited to realise a new class of linear and cyclic AABB supramolecular polymers through host-guest interactions. The effectiveness of the selected self-association processes was tested by (1)H NMR studies, whereas microcalorimetric analyses clarified the binding thermodynamics and revealed the possibility of tuning entropic contributions by acting on the flexibility of the guest linker. Although the formation of linear polymeric chains for a rigid system was demonstrated by X-ray analysis, the presence of a concentration-dependent ring-chain equilibrium was indicated by solution viscosity measurements in the case of a very flexible ditopic BB guest co-monomer.

Phosphonate cavitands are an emerging class of synthetic receptors for supramolecular sensing. The molecular recognition properties of the third-generation tetraphosphonate cavitands toward alcohols and water at the gas-solid interface have been evaluated by means of three complementary techniques and compared to those of the parent mono- and diphosphonate cavitands. The combined use of ESI-MS and X-ray crystallography defined precisely the host-guest association at the interface in terms of type, number, strength, and geometry of interactions. Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurements then validated the predictive value of such information for sensing applications. The importance of energetically equivalent multiple interactions on sensor selectivity and sensitivity has been demonstrated by comparing the molecular recognition properties of tetraphosphonate cavitands with those of their mono- and diphosphonate counterparts.

The phosphorus-bridged cavitand 1 self-assembles very efficiently in CH2Cl2 with either the monopyridinium guest 2+ or the bispyridinium guest 3(2+). In the first case a 1:1 complex is obtained, whereas in the second case both 1:1 and 2:1 host-guest complexes are observed. The association between 1 and either one of the guests causes the quenching of the cavitand fluorescence; in the case of the adduct between 1 and 3(2+), the fluorescence of the latter is also quenched. Cavitand complexation is found to affect the reduction potential values of the electroactive guests. Voltammetric and spectroelectrochemical measurements show that upon one-electron reduction both guests are released from the cavity of 1. Owing to the chemical reversibility of such redox processes, the supramolecular complexes can be re-assembled upon removal of the extra electron from the guest. Systems of this kind are promising for the construction of switchable nanoscale devices and self-assembling supramolecular materials, the structure and properties of which can be reversibly controlled by electrochemical stimuli.

This tutorial review deals with the design of molecular receptors capable of molecular recognition at the gas-solid interface, to be used as selective layers in gas sensors. The key issue of specific versus nonspecific binding in the solid layer is discussed in terms of cavity inclusion and layer morphology. The combined use of mass spectrometry and crystal structure analysis provide accurate information on type, number, geometry and strength of receptor-analyte interactions in the gas phase and in the solid state. From these data, the gas sensing properties of a given receptor toward a single class of analytes can be anticipated.

The controllable switching of suitably bridged resorcin[4]arene cavitands between a "vase" conformation, with a cavity capable of guest inclusion, and a "kite" conformation, featuring an extended flattened surface, provides the basis for ongoing developments of dynamic molecular receptors, sensors, and molecular machines. This paper describes the synthesis, X-ray crystallographic characterization, and NMR analysis of the "vase-kite" switching behavior of a fully pyrazine-bridged cavitand and five other mixed-bridged quinoxaline-bridged cavitands with one methylene, phosphonate, or phosphate bridge. The pyrazine-bridged resorcin[4]arene cavitand displayed an unexpectedly high preference for the kite conformation in nonpolar solvents, relative to the quinoxaline-bridged analogue. This observation led to extensive solvent-dependent switching studies that provide a detailed picture of how solvent affects the thermal vase-kite equilibration. As for any thermodynamic process in the liquid phase, the conformational equilibrium is affected by how the solvent stabilizes the two individual states. Suitably sized solvents (benzene and derivatives) solvate the cavity of the vase form and reduce the propensity for the vase-to-kite transition. Correspondingly, the kite geometry becomes preferred in bulky solvents such as mesitylene, incapable of penetrating the vase cavity. As proposed earlier by Cram, the kite form is preferred at low temperatures due to the more favorable enthalpy of solvation of the enlarged surface. Furthermore, the kite conformation is more preferred in solvents with substantial hydrogen-bonding acidity: weak hydrogen-bonding interactions between the mildly basic quinoxaline and pyrazine nitrogen atoms and solvent molecules are more efficient in the open kite than in the closed vase form. Vase-to-kite conversion is entirely absent in dipolar aprotic solvents lacking any H-bonding acidity. Thermal vase-kite switching requires fully quinoxaline- or pyrazine-bridged cavitands, whereas pH-controlled switching is also applicable to systems incorporating only two or three such bridges.

The interionic structure, kinetic stability, and degree of anion encapsulation of coordination cages 1 were studied by PGSE, NOE, and EXSY NMR techniques. The rate constants for the formation/dissociation processes at 296 K were obtained independently via (1)H-NOESY and (19)F-NOESY experiments giving, respectively, k(obs) = 0.30 +/- 0.04 s(-1) in CDCl(3) and k(obs) = 5.2 +/- 0.8 s(-1) in CD(3)NO(2)/CDC(13) (7.1) mixture with the proton probe, and k(obs) = 0.33 +/- 0.06 s(-1) in CDCl(3) and k(obs) = 5.0 +/- 0.8 s(-1) in CD(3)NO(2)/CDC(13) (7/1 mixture) with the (19)F probe. PGSE experiments showed that in CDCl(3) not only the encapsuled anion but also the external anions translate with the same rate as the cage. (19)F,(1)H-HOESY experiments indicated that an average of five external triflate anions are located in the equatorial sites close to the palladium moieties, while two of them approach the polar pockets formed by the alkyl chains. In a CD(3)NO(2)/CDCl(3) (7/1) mixture only one or two anions are in close proximity with the cage, while the others are solvated. In all the considered solvents (benzene, chloroform, methylene chloride, and nitromethane) the inclusion of a single unsolvated triflate anion in the cage is quantitative. (19)F,(1)H-HOESY experiments indicated that the charged guest head points toward one metal center. Therefore, while the ionic aggregation level and kinetic stability of coordination cages 1 are solvent dependent, anion encapsulation is not.

The self-assembly of a new class of coordination cages formed from two tetrapyridyl-substituted cavitands connected through four square-planar palladium or platinum complexes is reported. The shape of the internal cavity resembles an ellipsoid with a calculated volume of 840 A(3). The four lateral portals have a diameter of about 6 A, large enough to allow the fast entrance/egress of counterions in solution. The platinum cages 3a,e cannot be disassembled using triethylamine as competitive ligand and they are kinetically stable at room temperature, whereas the palladium cages 3b-d, 3f-h are disassembled and kinetically labile under the same conditions. The different solubility properties of the cage components have allowed the extension of this self-assembly protocol to the liquid-liquid interface.