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HomeCirculationVol. 111, No. 2Issue Highlights Free AccessIn BriefPDF/EPUBAboutView PDFView EPUBSections ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload citationsTrack citationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InMendeleyReddit Jump toFree AccessIn BriefPDF/EPUBIssue Highlights Originally published18 Jan 2005https://doi.org/10.1161/circ.111.2.119Circulation. 2005;111:119CLINICAL PROGRESSION OF INCIDENTAL, ASYMPTOMATIC LESIONS DISCOVERED DURING CULPRIT VESSEL CORONARY INTERVENTION, by Glaser et al.“To intervene or not to intervene” remains one of the outstanding questions for the interventional cardiologist when incidental nontarget lesions are identified during coronary angiography. Recent advances in vascular biology have contributed to our understanding of the vulnerable plaque and suggest that early intervention of these lesions may improve long-term outcomes. Furthermore, in the drug-eluting stent era, restenosis rates have declined to the single digits, and data now exist to demonstrate that these results remain durable over several years. In this issue of Circulation, Glaser et al provide the final piece of the puzzle: Data from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Dynamic Registry are used to determine how many patients annually have progression of nontarget lesions resulting in clinical events. See p 143.MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS DIFFERENTIATE INTO AN ENDOTHELIAL PHENOTYPE, ENHANCE VASCULAR DENSITY, AND IMPROVE HEART FUNCTION IN A CANINE CHRONIC ISCHEMIA MODEL, by Silva et al.Bone marrow–derived stem cells have been carefully studied for use as potential regenerative therapy for myocardial infarction. Cell populations generally have been heterogeneous, and most studies have been performed in the setting of acute myocardial infarction or in the early post–myocardial infarction phase. In this issue, Silva and colleagues advance the field by isolating mesenchymal stem cells for intramyocardial injection, and use a canine model of chronic ischemia, representing hibernation and chronic ischemic cardiomyopathy. They report that the cell therapy reversed the progressive decline in left ventricular function at rest and during stress, and that the cells differentiated into smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells rather than myocytes, resulting in increased vascularity. These data advance our understanding of the fate of injected stem cells and extend the potential therapeutic indications to the chronic ischemic state. See p 150.CARDIOVASCULAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE IN CARDIAC AMYLOIDOSIS, by Maceira et al.Detection of cardiac involvement in amyloidosis can be a vexing clinical challenge and often relies on combinations of signs from ECG and echocardiography or on invasive myocardial biopsy. In this issue, Maceira and colleagues report on the use of cardiovascular magnetic resonance to define patterns of gadolinium enhancement and gadolinum kinetics in patients with cardiac amyloidosis. They report that diffuse subendocardial enhancement is commonly seen. Moreover, relaxation times were distinct in amyloid patients compared with those with nonamyloid hypertrophy, and were correlated with markers of amyloid burden. These data set the stage for wider investigations of cardiovascular magnetic resonance in populations with suspected amyloid heart disease, as well as serial follow-up of disease burden and potential response to therapy. See p 186.Visit www.circ.ahajournals.org:Cardiology Patient PageRed Wine and Your Heart. See p e10.Images in Cardiovascular MedicineSingular Coronary Artery Aneurysm: Imaging With Coronary Angiography Versus 16-Slice Computed Tomography, Transesophageal Echocardiography, and Magnetic Resonance Tomography. See p e12.False Aneurysm of the Ascending Aorta Caused by a Sternal Wire. See p e14. Download figureDownload PowerPointCorrespondenceSee p e15. Previous Back to top Next FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails January 18, 2005Vol 111, Issue 2 Advertisement Article InformationMetrics https://doi.org/10.1161/circ.111.2.119 Originally publishedJanuary 18, 2005 PDF download Advertisement