Current Opinion in Pharmacology

Massive overuse or appropriate medical intervention? The modern-day use of antidepressants.

Publication Date: 2012 Jan 27 PMID: 22285393
Authors: Nutt, D.
Journal: Curr Opin Pharmacol

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Nitric oxide and the CABG patient.

Publication Date: 2012 Jan 27 PMID: 22285392
Authors: Suvorava, T. - Dao, V. T. - Bas, M. - Kojda, G.
Journal: Curr Opin Pharmacol

The post surgery success of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is counteracted by thrombosis and de-endothelialization, intimal hyperplasia and, over the long term, atherosclerosis. There are many reasons to assume that in CABG patients vascular bioavailability of NO generated by the endothelium plays an important role for graft function. This holds true for factors such as graft type, harvesting and storage, the type of surgery, non-pharmacologic prevention of risk factors, for example, regular physical activity (if feasible), and drug therapy. Although the precise role of graft endothelial NO bioavailability for graft patency and clinical endpoints is still uncertain, current data rather speak in favor of NO indicating that the potential of vasoprotective activities of NO in the CABG patient deserves further investigation.

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Drug-eluting stent implantation for coronary artery disease: current stents and a comparison with bypass surgery.

Publication Date: 2012 Jan 25 PMID: 22285216
Authors: Head, S. J. - Bogers, A. J. - Kappetein, A. P.
Journal: Curr Opin Pharmacol

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with bare-metal stents (BMS) has been performed increasingly ever since its introduction in the late 1970s. BMS have been replaced by drug-eluting stents (DES), and many interventional cardiologists consider this as a breakthrough therapy that might compete with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) as the standard treatment for coronary artery disease. Several DES are currently used and elute different agents. This review described what these agents are and provides an overview regarding the outcomes and associated adverse events. More importantly, this review compares outcomes of PCI with DES to CABG for patients with left anterior descending coronary artery involvement, left main involvement, or multivessel disease.

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Animal models for studying vein graft failure and therapeutic interventions.

Publication Date: 2012 Jan 24 PMID: 22281067
Authors: Thomas, A. C.
Journal: Curr Opin Pharmacol

Vein grafts have been extensively used to bypass blockages in arteries, but are themselves subject to early closure by thrombosis or later obstruction by vein graft disease (neointimal hyperplasia and remodelling). Animal models are a crucial means of testing potential therapeutic and surgical interventions to prevent graft stenosis and occlusion. This review outlines many of the animal models of vein grafting. Recent studies include targeted gene therapy to prevent acute vein graft thrombosis and the use of folic acid to limit graft failure in diabetic pigs.

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