http://repub.eur.nl/res/aut/806/ List of Publications en http://repub.eur.nl/static-eur/img/logo.png http://repub.eur.nl http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/26572/ 2011-07-01T00:00:00Z Chromosomal rearrangements that result in high expression levels of the ETS-related gene (ERG) present in approximately 50% of prostate cancer (PCa) patients, making this one of the most common oncogenic alterations in PCa. However, ERG overexpression at the protein level has not been rigorously evaluated in Japanese PCa patients. In this study, we evaluated ERG expression using antibody-based detection in 230 prostate specimens in a Japanese PCa cohort. Overall, we identified 20.1% ERG-positive PCa cases. ERG was not detected in benign glands. The specificity of ERG staining for detecting PCa was almost 100%; all of the ERG-positive samples were also diagnosed as PCa. The expression level of the ERG protein correlated with clinicopathological variables, including grade (P= 0.038), stage (P= 0.005), and metastatic status (P= 0.014). No correlation was observed with age (P= 0.196) or with preoperative prostate-specific antigen level (P= 0.322). Although the frequency of ERG-positive cases in Japanese PCa patients (20.1%) was lower than that reported in a PCa cohort in Western countries (approximately 50%), our study demonstrates that the clinical utility of ERG detection at the protein level can serve as an ancillary tool for diagnosing PCa in the Japanese population. © 2011 The Authors. Pathology International http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/28013/ 2010-10-19T00:00:00Z Intense investigation continues on the pathobiology of stent thrombosis (ST) because of its morbidity and mortality. Because little advance has been made in outcomes following ST, ongoing research is focused on further understanding predictive factors as well as ST frequency and timing in various patient subsets, depending upon whether a drug-eluting stent or bare-metal stent has been implanted. Although the preventive role of antiplatelet therapies remains unchallenged, new data on genomics and variability in response to antiplatelet therapy, as well as the effects of novel therapeutic agents and duration of therapy, have become available. The goal remains identification of patients at particularly increased risk of ST so that optimal prevention strategies can be developed and employed. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/36193/ 2007-07-10T00:00:00Z Stent thrombosis (ST) after percutaneous coronary intervention has been the focus of intense interest because of its attendant morbidity and mortality. There is controversy about several facets of the problem. These include the frequency of ST with drug-eluting stents (DES) versus bare-metal stents (BMS), the timing of the event, clinical consequences, risk factors, adjunctive therapy, and new preventive approaches. Information has accrued rapidly from several sources, including randomized controlled clinical trials of DES versus BMS in carefully selected subsets of patients and registry experiences in larger patient groups, which provide a more universal real-world picture. The results from these different data sets are not completely concordant. However, several general conclusions can be made: 1) ST is an infrequent but very severe complication of both BMS and DES; 2) at the present time, during 4 years of follow-up from randomized controlled trials that compared DES and BMS, there is no apparent difference in overall ST frequency, although the time course for occurrence appears to differ, with a relative numeric excess of ST late after DES implant; 3) despite this relative imbalance, no differences in the end points of death or death and infarction between DES and BMS are observed; 4) longer-term follow-up of these patients as well as larger angiographic and clinical subsets of patients who receive this technology outside of randomized trials are required to fully study this issue; and 5) advances in stent platforms for drug elution as well as adjunctive pharmacologic therapy are being evaluated to enhance long-term safety. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/8320/ 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z AIMS: To classify atherosclerotic coronary lesions on the basis of adequate or inadequate compensatory vascular enlargement, and to examine changes in lumen, plaque, and vessel volumes during balloon optimised directional coronary atherectomy procedures in relation to the state of adaptive remodelling before the intervention. DESIGN: 29 lesion segments in 29 patients were examined with intravascular ultrasound before and after successful balloon optimised directional coronary atherectomy procedures, and a validated volumetric intravascular ultrasound analysis was performed off-line to assess the atherosclerotic lesion remodelling and changes in plaque and vessel volumes that occurred during the intervention. Based on the intravascular ultrasound data, lesions were classified according to whether there was inadequate (group I) or adequate (group II) compensatory enlargement. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in patient and lesion characteristics between groups I and II (n = 10 and 19), including lesion length and details of the intervention. Quantitative coronary angiographic data were similar for both groups. However, plaque and vessel volumes were significantly smaller in group I than in II. In group I, 9 (4)% (mean (SD)) of the plaque volume was ablated, while in group II 16 (11)% was ablated (p = 0.01). This difference was reflected in a lower lumen volume gain in group I than in group II (46 (18) mm(3) v 80 (49) mm(3) (p < 0.02)). CONCLUSIONS: Preintervention lesion remodelling has an impact on the operative mechanisms of balloon optimised directional coronary atherectomy procedures. Plaque ablation was found to be particularly low in lesions with inadequate compensatory vascular enlargement. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/4961/ 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z OBJECTIVE: To compare vessel, lumen, and plaque volumes in atherosclerotic coronary lesions with inadequate compensatory enlargement versus lesions with adequate compensatory enlargement. DESIGN: 35 angiographically significant coronary lesions were examined by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) during motorised transducer pullback. Segments 20 mm in length were analysed using a validated automated three dimensional analysis system. IVUS was used to classify lesions as having inadequate (group I) or adequate (group II) compensatory enlargement. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in quantitative angiographic measurements and the IVUS minimum lumen cross sectional area between groups I (n = 15) and II (n = 20). In group I, the vessel cross sectional area was 13.3 (3.0) mm2 at the lesion site and 14.4 (3.6) mm2 at the distal reference (p < 0.01), whereas in group II it was 17.5 (5.6) mm2 at the lesion site and 14.0 (6.0) mm2 at the distal reference (p < 0.001). Vessel and plaque cross sectional areas were significantly smaller in group I than in group II (13.3 (3.0) v 17.5 (5.6) mm2, p < 0.01; and 10.9 (2.8) v 15.2 (4.9) mm2; p < 0.005). Similarly, vessel and plaque volume were smaller in group I (291.0 (61.0) v 353.7 (110.0) mm3, and 177.5 (48.4) v 228.0 (92.8) mm3, p < 0.05 for both). Lumen areas and volumes were similar. CONCLUSIONS: In lesions with inadequate compensatory enlargement, both vessel and plaque volume appear to be smaller than in lesions with adequate compensatory enlargement. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/4968/ 1997-12-15T00:00:00Z Recent histopathologic and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) data indicate that inadequate compensatory enlargement of atherosclerotic lesions contributes to the development of significant arterial stenoses. Such lesions may contain less plaque, which may have implications for atheroablative interventions. In this study, we compared lesions with (group A, n = 16) and without inadequate compensatory enlargement (group B, n = 30) as determined by IVUS. The acute results and the follow-up lumen dimensions of angiographically successful directional coronary atherectomy procedures were compared. Inadequate compensatory enlargement was considered present when the preintervention arterial cross-sectional area at the target lesion site was smaller than that at the (distal) reference site. Three-dimensional IVUS analysis and quantitative angiography were performed in 46 patients before and after intervention. IVUS measurements included the arterial, lumen, and plaque (arterial minus lumen) cross-sectional areas at the target lesion site (i.e., smallest lumen site) and the (distal) reference site. Angiographic follow-up was performed in 42 patients. Preintervention and postintervention angiographic measurements and IVUS lumen cross-sectional area measurements were similar in both groups. However, at follow-up, the angiographic minimum lumen and reference diameters were significantly smaller in group A compared with group B (1.71 +/- 0.47 mm vs 2.14 +/- 0.73 mm, p <0.03, and 2.97 +/- 0.29 mm vs 3.39 +/- 0.76 mm, p <0.02; group A vs B). The data of this observational study suggest that lesions with inadequate compensatory enlargement, as determined by IVUS before intervention, may have less favorable long-term lumen dimensions after directional coronary atherectomy procedures.