The glycoprotein complex Ia/IIa (GP Ia/IIa) is a major collagen receptor on platelets and other cell types. Recently, linked polymorphisms within the coding region of the GP Ia gene (C807T and G873A) were identified that are related to GP Ia/IIa surface expression. The T807/A873 allele is associated with high expression, whereas the C807/G873 allele is associated with low surface expression of ...

CONTEXT In the Enhanced Suppression of the Platelet IIb/IIIa Receptor with Integrilin Therapy (ESPRIT) trial, treatment with eptifibatide, a platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa integrin blocker, was found to reduce the ischemic complications of nonurgent coronary stent implantation at 48 hours and 30 days. OBJECTIVE To determine whether eptifibatide treatment continues to provide durable, long-ter...

An accurate optimal design of laminated composite structures may present considerable difficulties due to the complexity and multi-modality of the functional design space. The Big Bang – Big Crunch (BB-BC) optimization method is a relatively new technique and has already proved to be a valuable tool for structural optimization. In the present study the exceptional efficiency of the method is de...

Simulation for the smooth muscle layer of blood vessel plays a key role in tubular tissue engineering. However, fabrication of biocompatible tube with defined inner nano/micro-structure remains a challenge. Here, we show that a biocompatible polymer tube from poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) can be prepared by using electrospinning technique, with assistance of rotating co...

BACKGROUND Clinical trials of drug-eluting stents (DES) vs bare metal stents (BMS) report a reduced need for target lesion revascularization with no difference in death or myocardial infarction. However, these trials selectively enrolled patients with lower risk, single-vessel coronary artery disease (CAD) and limited the follow-up period to 1 year or less. Thus, it is not known how these short...