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We aimed to evaluate the relationship between post-stent fractional flow reserve (FFR) and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) parameters for stent optimization. IVUS and FFR measurements were performed in 101 coronary lesions after successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Quantitative IVUS parameters for stent optimization such as minimal intra-stent cross sectional area (CSA), proximal, and distal reference lumen CSA, and plaque burden (PB) at both edges of the stent related to the post-stent FFR. Mean post-stent FFR was 0.91 ± 0.06. Post-stent FFR ≤ 0.90 was observed in 46 (45.5%) lesions. The 55 lesions with post-stent FFR > 0.9 had larger proximal CSA (9.2 ± 2.9 mm2 vs. 7.4 ± 2.3 mm2, p = 0.001), distal reference lumen CSA (7.4 ± 2.7 mm2 vs. 6.3 ± 2.1 mm2, p = 0.017), minimum intra-stent lumen CSA (7.4 ± 2.5 mm2 vs. 6.1 ± 1.7 mm2, p = 0.004), and lower proximal reference PB (45 ± 8.2% vs. 50 ± 11%, p = 0.017) than did those with post-stent FFR ≤ 0.90. Post-stent FFR had an inverse correlation with age, left anterior descending artery (LAD) against non-LAD, and proximal reference PB and a positive correlation with pre-stent FFR, proximal and distal reference lumen CSA, and minimum intra-stent lumen CSA. Meanwhile, no correlation was found between post-stent FFR and stent length. Pre-stent FFR (β = 0.544), proximal reference lumen CSA (β = 0.530) and age (β = − 0.251) were found to be independently associated with the post-stent FFR. Post-procedural FFR might partly reflect the appropriateness of PCI results in terms of the adequate expansion of the stent and full lesion coverage on IVUS.

A 56-year-old woman, who underwent cardiac surgery 3 months previously, presented to the emergency room with pulmonary artery rupture due to the cytotoxic effects of BioGlue (CryoLife Inc., Kennesaw, GA, USA). She was successfully treated with surgical management. Although surgical glue can be effectively used for hemostasis, it can induce delayed vascular complications. Therefore, surgical glue should be used cautiously.

Herein, we report the surface plasmon resonance of plasmonic multi-shell nanoparticles compared to bimetallic Ag/Au hollow nanospheres of similar final size, shape, and percent composition. The surface plasmon resonance of solid and hollow nanoparticles exhibited a quadrupole mode that was particularly prominent around the 100 nm size regime, while multi-shell nanoparticles did not show a quadrupole mode at a similar size. In the latter case, the quadrupole mode of the outermost nanoshell was suppressed by the dipole modes of the inner shells, and the suppression of the quadrupole mode was not affected by the shape of the inner nanostructures. Light interaction of the multi-shell nanoparticle was investigated through simulated electromagnetic field distribution obtained by finite-difference time domain (FDTD) calculations which were in a good agreement with the results of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS).

During ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury of the heart, Ca(2+) overload occurs, leading to cardiomyocyte dysfunction and eventual cell death by apoptosis. Since preventing Ca(2+) overload during IR injury has been reported to protect cardiomyocytes, interrupting Ca(2+) signaling cascades leading to Ca(2+) overload may exert protective effect on cardiomyocytes under hypoxic condition. One of the key regulators of the intracellular Ca(2+) level during IR injury is Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger 1 (NCX1), whose down-regulation during IR injury conferred protection of heart. In the present study, we examined whether down-regulation of NCX1 using exogenous microRNA ameliorates apoptosis of cardiomyocytes under hypoxic condition. Here, we identified miR-132 as a novel microRNA targeting the NCX1, whose expression increased during hypoxia. Delivery of miR-132 suppressed the increase of intracellular Ca(2+) in cardiomyocytes under hypoxia, and the expressions of apoptotic molecules, such as Bax, cytochrome C, and caspase 3, and the number of apoptotic cells were also decreased by exogenous miR-132 treatment. These results suggest the potential of miR-132 as an effective therapeutic agent against IR damage to heart by preventing Ca(2+) overload during hypoxic condition and warrant further studies to validate its anti-apoptotic effect in vivo.

Silver nanoparticles (NPs) ranging in size from 40 to 100 nm were prepared in high yield by using an improved seed-mediated method. The homogeneous Ag NPs were used as building blocks for 2D assembled Ag NP arrays by using an oil/water interface. A close-packed 2D array of Ag NPs was fabricated by using packing molecules (3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane) to control the interparticle spacing. The homogeneous 2D Ag NP array exhibited a strong quadrupolar cooperative plasmon mode resonance and a dipolar red-shift relative to individual Ag NPs suspended in solution. A well-arranged 2D Ag NP array was embedded in polydimethylsiloxane film and, with biaxial stretching to control the interparticle distance, concomitant variations of the quadrupolar and dipolar couplings were observed. As the interparticle distance increased, the intensity of the quadrupolar cooperative plasmon mode resonance decreased and dipolar coupling completely disappeared. The local electric field of the 2D Ag NP array was calculated by using finite difference time domain simulation and qualitatively showed agreement with the experimental measurements.

Background/Aims: Acute hepatic dysfunction combined with alcoholic hepatitis (AH) in alcoholic cirrhosis is related to hepatic hypo-perfusion secondary to intrahepatic necroinflammation, neoangiogenesis, and shunt. The hepatic vein arrival time (HVAT) assessed by microbubble contrastenhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) is closely correlated with the severity of intrahepatic changes. We investigated the usefulness of HVAT to predict short-term mortality of AH in cirrhosis. Methods: Thirty-nine patients with alcoholic cirrhosis (27 males) and AH were prospectively enrolled. HVAT study was performed within 3 days after admission using ultrasonic contrast (SonoVue®). The primary outcome was 12- week mortality. Results: Twelve-week mortality developed in nine patients. HVAT was significantly different between the mortality and survival groups (9.3±2.0 seconds vs 12.6±3.5 seconds, p=0.002). The odds ratio of a shortened HVAT for 12-week mortality was 1.481 (95% confidence interval, 1.050-2.090; p=0.025). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of HVAT for 12-week mortality was 0.787 (p=0.010). The combination of MDF and HVAT ≥11.0 seconds resulted in an 87.5% survival rate even if the MDF score ≥32; however, HVAT

Surface plasmonics of nanomaterials has been one of the main research themes in nanoscience. Spherical and elongated nanoparticles show their corresponding unique optical features mainly depending on the physical dimensions. Here we successfully synthesized Au nanorings having Pt framework (Pt@Au nanorings) with high uniformity through wet-chemistry. The synthetic strategy consisted of serial reactions involving site-selective growth of Pt on the rim of Au nanoplates, subsequent etching of Au nanoplates, followed by regrowth of Au on the Pt rim. In this synthetic method, Au(3+) ions exhibited dual functionality as an etchant and a metal precursor. The resultant product, Pt@Au nanorings, exhibited unique localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) bands originating from the Au shell. The inner Pt skeleton turns out to be important to hold structural stability.

Au nanodisk-core multishell nanoparticles (NDCMS-NPs) were synthesized using a Au nanodisk core as a seed to deposit a controlled number of surrounding Ag layers, followed by galvanic replacement reactions with Au ions in water. Uniform Au NDCMS-NPs with controllable shell numbers and intershell distances exhibited unique surface plasmon mode shifts, which were found to be dependent on the thickness of the Ag layer. The number of shells was tuned by controlling the multistep reactions from one to five. The Au core played a critical role in terms of holding the multishell structure during the experimental procedures. We systematically followed their shape evolution by monitoring the surface plasmon resonance bands, as well as by viewing these physical changes with electron microscopy.

Second-generation drug-eluting stents (DESs) are known to have better safety and clinical outcomes compared with the first-generation DESs. We compared the clinical results of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using second-generation DESs.The study enrolled 1,821 patients with triple-vessel or left main coronary disease, or both, who underwent OPCAB or PCI with second-generation DESs from 2008 to 2011. Major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs), including death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and target vessel revascularization, were retrospectively compared between the two groups in a real-world and in a matched population (n = 1,294). Follow-up duration was 23.0 ± 13.0 months (range, 0 to 56 months).The postprocedural mortality rate was comparable between the two groups (p = 0.384). The overall rate of MAACEs was 7.3% in the PCI group and 3.8% in the OPCAB group (p = 0.001). The 3-year rate of freedom from MACCEs was 88.4% ± 1.5% in the PCI group and 94.9% ± 1.0% in the OPCAB group (p0.001). In a matched population comparison, the 3-year rate of freedom from a MACCE was 87.5% ± 2.0% in the PCI group and 95.3% ± 1.2% in the OPCAB group (p = 0.001). The determining factors were nonfatal myocardial infarction and target vessel revascularization. The OPCAB group showed a superior rate of freedom from MACCEs in the triple-vessel (p = 0.008) and left main subset analysis (p = 0.001).The OPCAB showed superior outcomes in triple-vessel or left main disease, or both, compared with PCI in the second-generation DES era after 23 months of follow-up. Nonfatal myocardial infarction and target vessel revascularization were the determining factors. Longer follow-up with randomization will clarify our results.

Different morphologies of Au@Ag nanocrystals have been successfully synthesized using iodide ions in growth solutions consisting of ascorbic acid, NaOH, and CTAB. Without I − ions in growth solution, there were unnoticeable changes in morphology. On the other hand, with addition of I − ions, remarkable changes were observed including formation of hexagonal bipyramidal nanocrystals. Ag + ions were reduced and deposited on {1 1 1} facets of gold hexagonal nanoplates (GHNs), and hexagonal bipyramidal nanoparticles were formed more quickly in the presence of I − ions than without I − ions. Our studies reveal that I − ion affects the selective growth of Ag onto GHNs. This can be explained by the decrease in the surface redox potential of nanocrystals that occurs by combining with the AgI complex on the metallic surface. These results were confirmed by FESEM images, UV–vis–NIR spectra, and TEM images.

Although surgical revascularization is recommended for the treatment of left main coronary artery (LMCA) disease, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) attempts have increased, especially after the introduction of the drug-eluting stent. The goal of this study was to compare the midterm outcomes between drug-eluting stenting and off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) grafting in LMCA disease.Five hundred twelve consecutive patients with unprotected LMCA disease who underwent OPCAB (N = 269) or drug-eluting stenting (N = 243) were enrolled. We compared major cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) in a real-world cohort and in a matching patient cohort (N = 256). The duration of mean follow-up was 38 ± 20 months, and the follow-up rate was 97.7%.In a real-world comparison, the OPCAB group showed better 5-year freedom from MACCEs compared with the stenting group (71.5% ± 4.4% versus 67.6% ± 4.0%; p = 0.031), despite worse patient characteristics. After patient matching, the OPCAB group showed more distinct benefit in 5-year freedom from MACCEs (75.3% ± 6.6% versus 62.8% ± 5.4; p0.001), including a significantly lower target vessel revascularization (TVR) rate (p0.001). In a subgroup analysis, the benefit of OPCAB regarding 5-year freedom from MACCEs was more clearly defined for lesions of the distal LCMA and in LMCA lesions with multivessel disease (p = 0.015, p = 0.004, respectively).Patients with LMCA disease who were treated with OPCAB showed better 5-year freedom from MACCEs in a real-world practice and in a patient matching cohort compared with the drug-eluting stenting group. TVR was the main factor that made the difference. The benefit of OPCAB was more prominent in distal LMCA lesions and in LMCA lesions with multivessel involvement.

After the introduction of drug-eluting stents (DESs), percutaneous coronary intervention with DESs has challenged coronary artery bypass grafting as the gold standard for the treatment of 3-vessel coronary artery disease. The purpose of this study was to compare the long-term clinical results between percutaneous coronary intervention with DESs and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) in 3-vessel coronary artery disease. Two hundred ninety propensity-score matched patients with 3-vessel coronary artery disease treated by DESs or OPCAB were included. Mean follow-up duration was 58.8 ± 11.5 months (2 to 73) and follow-up rate was 97.9%. Five-year survival rates were 94.8 ± 2.1% in the DES group and 96.5 ± 1.5% in the OPCAB group (p = 0.658). Five-year rates of freedom from major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event were 71.6 ± 4.1% in the DES group and 89.6 ± 2.5% in the OPCAB group (p0.001). Freedom from nonfatal myocardial infarction and target vessel revascularization rates were the determining factors between the 2 groups (p = 0.018 and p0.001, respectively). The OPCAB group showed better clinical outcomes compared to the DES group in 3-vessel coronary artery disease after 5-year follow-up. Freedom from major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event rate was significantly higher in the OPCAB group mainly because of the lower incidence of target vessel revascularization and nonfatal myocardial infarction. Longer follow-up with randomization will clarify our present conclusions.

Core–shell (Au@Ag) bimetallic nanoparticles containing a Au nanodisk in the core were synthesized using Au nanodisks as seeds. The growth direction of the Ag shell on the gold nanodisks could be tuned by the presence of iodide ions. Without the I– ions, the Ag shell was formed homogeneously over the entire surface of the flat Au nanodisks, while the presence of I– induced the selective coating of the Ag shell in the direction perpendicular to the basal plane of the nanodisks. The resulting core–shell (Au@Ag) bimetallic nanoparticles could be further converted to hollow nanostructures containing a central Au nanodisk via galvanic replacement reactions.

This paper reports a methodology for preparing close-packed two dimensional gold nanoprism films and hexagonal nanoplate films at a hexane/water interface. By controlling the concentration of linker molecules in the hexane layer and the temperature of the colloid solution, highly ordered close-packed nanoplate arrays can be fabricated. These films were investigated to compare their corresponding surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) efficiencies. It was demonstrated that the Au nanoprism films resulted in a stronger SERS enhancement than the Au hexagonal nanoplate films. The difference in the SERS enhancement is attributed to the film array difference, demonstrating that Au nanoprism films have a higher line contact density than their Au hexagonal analogues.

Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (DD) causes adverse outcomes after cardiac surgery; however, the effects of DD during off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) are not well understood. We aimed to assess the influence of DD on early mortality and morbidity of patients undergoing OPCAB.This prospective observational study included 1,256 patients scheduled for elective OPCAB. The DD of the patients was assessed by transthoracic echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging. The cohort was classified into four DD groups; normal, mild (relaxation abnormality), moderate (pseudonormal dysfunction), and severe (restrictive abnormality). Study endpoints were major adverse cardiac events and other complications. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the independent effect of DD on surgical outcomes.The 1,256 patients were grouped as follows: normal diastolic function (n=55, 4.4%), mild DD (n=995, 79.2%), moderate DD (n=169, 13.5%), and severe DD (n=37, 2.9%). Operative strategy did not differ among groups. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, renal failure, low ejection fraction (35%), myocardial infarction within 30 days, and European System of Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation score greater than 5 increased significantly with more severe DD. No significant difference was found in 30-day major adverse cardiac events (normal, 1.8%; mild DD, 3.6%; moderate DD, 6.5%; severe DD, 5.4%; p=0.23); however, postoperative renal failure, respiratory complications, respiratory failure, and prolonged hospitalization (more than 12 days: 75th percentile of the study cohort) increased with the severity of DD (p0.01). Multivariate analysis revealed that severe DD independently predicted respiratory complications (odds ratio 3.68, 95% confidence interval: 1.84 to 20.36, p=0.01) and prolonged hospitalization (odds ratio 5.75, 95% confidence interval: 1.81 to 13.23, p0.01).Diastolic dysfunction does not affect 30-day major adverse cardiac events after elective OPCAB. However, severe DD independently predicts respiratory complications and prolonged hospitalization.

We present a process for the phase-transfer of gold nanoparticles from an aqueous to an organic medium with normal alkanethiols. This method can be applied not only to large nanospheres (d ∼ 100 nm) but also to anisotropic nanoparticles like nanorods and nanoplates. It allows the comparison of the nanoparticle optical properties when they are dispersed in both aqueous and organic media.

We report a facile method to synthesize elongated nanoframes consisting of Pt and Au in solution. Pentagonal Au nanorods served as templates and successfully led to an elongated AuPt nanoframe after etching the core Au. Subsequently, the coating of Au around Pt ridges resulted in Pt@Au metal nanoframes. The resulting elongated nanostructure exhibited 5 well-defined ridges continuously connected along the long axis. During the shape evolution from pure Au nanorods to elongated Pt@Au metal nanoframes, their corresponding localized surface plasmon resonance bands were monitored. Especially, unique surface plasmon features were observed for elongated Pt@Au nanoframes where the short-axis oscillation of surface free electrons is strongly coupled but the long-axis oscillation is not coupled among the ridges.

Introduction: The use of radial artery is gradually increasing because transradial approach have shown less mortality and bleeding complications compared to transfermoral approach. But, there is little known about the differences according to radial access site except for fluoroscopic time and learning curve. Hypothesis: We aimed to compare the success rate, procedural factors and radiation exposure according to radial access site in patients who performed coronary angiography (CAG). Methods: The study population was derived from TRI prospective registry from 20 institutes in Korea from Feb 2013 to Sep 2013. Exclusion criteria were patients with data missing≥30%, invalid data, less than 19-year old patients, patient received interventional treatment, and patient who performed CAG via femoral approach. A total of 3496 among 5779 patients was assessed for data analysis. Success rate for CAG, crossover rate, procedural factors, fluoroscopic time and fluoroscopic dose were compared between right radial (RR) and left radial (LR) approach. Results: Mean age was 62.9±11.6 years and male was 1974 patients (56.5%). The use or EMLA cream was higher in LR group (29.2% vs. 14.0%, p Conclusions: In KOTRI analysis, success rate for CAG was higher in RR group, but radiation time and dose were lower in LR group. Most common cause of crossover was puncture failure.

Purpose Obesity is often associated with better clinical outcomes in heart failure (HF). This so-called obesity paradox remains controversial. The aim of present study was to investigate the prognostic value of obesity in patients hospitalized for systolic HF. Materials and methods We performed a pooled analysis of data from two multicenter, observational HF studies. Patients hospitalized for systolic HF were eligible for the present study. We divided the subjects into two groups, a normal body mass index (BMI) group and a high BMI group. Study endpoints included all-cause mortality and any re-hospitalization within 1 year. Results We enrolled 3145 patients (male, 1824; female, 1321). The high BMI group was significantly associated with lower 1-year mortality rate [odds ratio (OR), 0.543; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.355-0.832] after adjusting for age, hypertension, diabetes, ischemic HF, previous myocardial infarction, serum creatinine level, anemia, and ejection fraction in men. After adjustment for clinical characteristics, high BMI was not significantly associated with 1-year mortality (OR, 0.739; 95% CI, 0.450-1.216) or 1-year re-hospitalization (OR, 0.958; 95% CI, 0.696-1.319) in women. Conclusion In pooled analysis of data from two Korean HF registries, the high BMI group was independently associated with lower 1-year mortality rate from systolic HF, especially in men.

We present a simple synthetic method for hexagonal Au nanoplates. Selective etching of specific facets of triangular nanoplates has led to the shape transformation. Also, the high quality of hexagonal Au nanoplates allows one to identify the higher-order plasmon resonance bands in addition to the dipole mode.

Endovascular repair of inflammatory aortic aneurysms has been reported as an alternative to open surgical treatment. In selective cases, adjunctive bypass surgery may be required to provide an adequate landing zone. We report a case of endovascular repair of an inflammatory aortic aneurysm in a patient with Behcet's disease using a carotid-carotid bypass graft to provide an adequate landing zone. A 45-yr-old man with a voice change was referred to our hospital with the diagnosis of saccular aneurysm of the distal aortic arch resulting from vasculitis. Computed tomography showed a thoracic aortic aneurysm with thrombosis. Right to left carotid-carotid bypass grafting was performed. After 8 days, the patient underwent an endovascular stent graft placement distal to the origin of the innominate artery. The patient was discharged with medication and without postoperative complications after 5 days. Hybrid endovascular treatment may be suitable a complementary modality for repairing inflammatory aortic aneurysms.

In this report, we tune the surface plasmonic behavior of Au nanoplates depending on the morphology of the Pt shell in which Pt is considered as a less optically inactive element. We describe the synthesis of flat Au nanoplates coated with Pt via rim-preferential or uniform growth methods. Depending on the site-selective growth of Pt on core Au nanoplates, the aspect ratio of the resulting Au@Pt nanoplates was tunable and their corresponding surface plasmon resonance (SPR) bands were controlled accordingly. Although Pt is regarded as an optically weak component in visible and near infrared spectral windows, a Pt coating affects the SPR behavior of core Au nanoplates due to effective surface plasmon (SP) coupling between the Au core and the deposited Pt shell. We systematically investigated the optical properties of uniformly grown (Au@Pt(uni)) and rim-preferentially grown (Au@Pt(rim)) Au@Pt nanoplates by observing their SPR band shifts compared to SPR of Au nanoplates. Due to the structural rigidity conferred by the Pt coating, the Au@Pt nanoplates can be easily transferred to the investigated solvents.

We evaluated the effect of incomplete revascularization (IR) on the long-term outcomes after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.Of 1553 patients with triple-vessel disease who had undergone consecutive off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting, 1351 (87.0%) had complete revascularization (CR) and 202 had IR (13.0%). After propensity score patient matching, we had 200 patients in each group. Cardiac survival and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) were assessed before and after patient matching. Subgroup analysis was performed to evaluate the interaction between the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and the completeness of revascularization. The follow-up duration was 60 mo.In the all-patient analysis, the CR group had a lower incidence of in-hospital mortality, cardiac mortality, and MACCE (P = 0.033, P0.001, and P = 0.003, respectively). The 5-year cardiac survival was 96.5% ± 0.6% in the CR group and 88.9% ± 2.5% in the IR group (P0.001), with a freedom from MACCE rate of 85.4% ± 1.2% and 78.8% ± 3.4%, respectively (P = 0.015). After patient matching, the CR group showed superior 5-year cardiac survival compared with the IR group (96.2% ± 1.4% versus 88.8% ± 2.5%, P = 0.022), with a similar freedom from MACCE rate. IR was identified as an independent predictor of cardiac death (hazard ratio 2.76, 95% confidence interval 1.62-4.70; P0.001). IR predicted cardiac death more distinctly in patients with a low LVEF (hazard ratio 5.29, 95% confidence interval 1.71-16.39; P = 0.004) than in those with a preserved LVEF (hazard ratio 2.04, 95% confidence interval 1.02-4.08; P = 0.045).CR in off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting was related to superior cardiac survival after 5 years of follow-up compared with IR. The benefit of CR was more distinct in those with a low LVEF. CR should be achieved whenever possible, especially in patients with a low LVEF.

This paper describes how the surface roughness and synthetic methods of Au nanorods affect the optical properties that are often associated with localized surface plasmon resonances. We synthesized Au nanorods with different aspect ratios and surface roughness by using two different synthetic strategies to observe surface plasmon resonance bands. One set of nanorods was prepared in high yield by using a seed-mediated dropwise-addition method with a growth-directing surfactant in aqueous solution (Au nanorods in aqueous phase, GNRA). The other set of Au nanorods were synthesized by the electrochemical deposition of Au onto an anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) template (Au nanorods by AAO template, GNRT). The length of the nanorods was controlled by changing the total charge that was passed through the cell and their diameter was monitored by changing the diameter of the template channel. The as-prepared Au nanorods were optimized to observe a quadrupole mode, which is one of the higher-order surface plasmon bands. Our results showed differences between the optical properties of GNRA and GNRT. The roughness and crystal structure of the Au nanorods affected their optical properties. Smooth and single-crystal surface on GNRA had larger and sharper peaks than GNRT. The discrete dipole approximation (DDA) method was used to calculate the optical properties of the Au nanorods and these results were in good agreement with our experimental results.

In this work, hollow Au/Pt alloy nanoparticles (NPs) with porous surfaces were synthesized in a two-step procedure. In the first step, tri-component Ag/Au/Pt alloy NPs were synthesized through the galvanic replacement reaction between Ag NPs and aqueous solutions containing a mixture of HAuCl 4 and H 2 PtCl 4 . In the second step, the Ag component was selectively dealloyed with nitric acid (HNO 3 ), resulting in hollow di-component Au/Pt alloy NPs with a porous surface morphology. The atomic ratio of Au to Pt in the NPs was easily tunable by controlling the molar ratio of the precursor solution (HAuCl 4 and H 2 PtCl 6 ). Hollow, porous Au/Pt alloy NPs showed enhanced catalytic activity toward formic acid electrooxidation compared to the analogous pure Pt NPs. This improved activity can be attributable to the suppression of CO poisoning via the “ensemble” effect.

We synthesized hollow Au–Ag nanospheres (NSs) by employing a galvanic replacement reaction between HAuCl4 and Ag NSs. Uniform Ag NSs with controllable sizes were synthesized as sacrificial templates by a seed-mediated strategy. The atomic ratio of Au to Ag in Au–Ag NSs was tunable by controlling the reagent concentration. UV–vis extinction spectra acquired from well-dispersed colloidal NS solutions were used to investigate the optical properties of the solutions. In addition to a common dipole mode exhibited on most transition metal nanoparticles, we observed a quadrupole plasmon resonance mode when the diameters of the Ag and Au–Ag NSs were larger than 100 nm. The quadrupole and dipole peaks both shifted to longer wavelengths with increased Au content in Au–Ag NSs. The experimental observation of optical properties of hollow Au–Ag NSs was compared with the theoretical simulation using DDA calculation, showing a good agreement.

BackgroundThe effect of prosthesis–patient mismatch (PPM) on clinical outcomes after aortic valve replacement remains controversial. We evaluated effect of PPM on long-term clinical outcomes after isolated aortic valve replacement in patients with predominant aortic stenosis.MethodsWe analyzed data from patients with predominant aortic stenosis who underwent isolated aortic valve replacement between January 1995 and July 2010. The indexed effective orifice area, obtained by dividing the in vivo effective orifice area by the patient’s body surface area, was used to define PPM as clinically nonsignificant (group I, 224 patients), mild (group II, 52 patients), moderate (group III, 39 patients), and severe (group IV, 36 patients).ResultsEarly survival was not significantly different among the groups, but overall survival was decreased gradually in group IV. Overall survival at 12 years was lower in group IV than in group I (92.8% ± 2.7% vs 67.0 ± 10.1, respectively; P = .001). Cardiac-related-death-free survival at 12 years was lower in patients with severe PPM. Left ventricular mass index decreased during the follow-up period in all groups. But left ventricular mass index was less decreased in group IV compared with groups I, II, and III. Age, severe PPM, and ejection fraction

We demonstrate that single photovoltaic (PV) nanorods can be readily fabricated by electrochemical processing in solution-phase under ambient conditions. A porous Au nanorod electrode in the core of the PV nanorod was central to both its structural formation and superior performance. We examined an intrinsically conducting polymer (polypyrrole) and an inorganic semiconductor (cadmium selenide) as precursor materials. Through an extremely simple and cost-effective fashioning process (solution-phase, room temperature), unadorned PV nanorods with up to 1.1% power conversion efficiency were obtained.

Plate-like Pt nanoframes were synthesized using Au nanoplates as a template, followed by formation of a Ag layer coating on the Au template, and selective chemical etching of Au and Ag leaving the Pt structure intact. Circular, triangular, and hexagonal Au nanoplates successfully served as templates for fabrication of various Pt nanoframe shapes, which resembled the original Au nanoplate shape. A thin Ag layer was found to play a critical role as an electron-transfer mediator in the galvanic replacement reaction between the thin Ag layer on Au nanoplates and Pt precursors. During the replacement reaction, the Pt layer grew faster at the {112} edges than at the {111} terraces of Au nanoplates. The thicker periphery of the nanoplates survived the chemical etching step, while the thinner center was etched, leading to formation of Pt nanoframes in high yield and good homogeneity.

There is no consensus as to which acute myocardial infarction subtype poses a greater risk after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). We compared the early and the long term results of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) between patients with STEMI (group I, n = 83), and NSTEMI (group II, n = 237). Group I had higher EuroSCORE, prevalence of emergency surgery, preoperative intra-aortic balloon pump use, preoperative emergency percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, and preoperative thrombolytic use than group II. There were no significant differences in 30-day mortality and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event (MACCE) between groups. Overall 8-yr survival was 93% and 87% in groups I and II, respectively. Freedom from MACCE after 8 yr was 92% and 93% in groups I and II, respectively. After propensity score matching analysis, there were no significant differences in preoperative parameters, postoperative in-hospital outcomes, and long-term clinical outcomes. Surgical results of OPCAB in patients with acute myocardial infarction show good results in terms of long-term survival and freedom from MACCE, with no significant differences in clinical outcomes between STEMI and NSTEMI groups.