Mayo Clinic Study Suggests Coronary Stents Not Harmful to Patients with History of Metal Allergy

Cardiologists have long grappled with how to best manage patients with coronary artery disease who report skin hypersensitivity to nickel or other metal components found in stents — small tubes placed in narrowed or weakened arteries to help improve blood flow to the heart. But new Mayo Clinic research, published in the April 16, 2012, issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions, may help allay these concerns.

"Most interventional cardiologists will, at some stage, have to decide whether to place a coronary stent in a patient with a history of skin allergy to one of the metal components, most commonly nickel. Our study found no evidence of an increased risk of heart attack, death or restenosis, which is a recurrent narrowing within a stent, in patients who reported themselves to be allergic to metal prior to implantation," says Rajiv Gulati, M.D., Ph.shoesbrandsD., an interventional cardiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "These findings should provide some reassurance to clinicians and patients who are faced with this clinical issue,shoesale especially as there has been scarce and conflicting information in the literature."

Researchers at Mayo Clinic conducted a retrospective evaluation of early and long-term clinical outcomes in 29 patients with a history of metal allergy who subsequently underwent coronary stent implantation,gemstonebeads and compared them with a closely matched control group of 250 nonallergic patients. Data revealed no significant differences in the rates of heart attack, death at 30 days and four years, or repeat revascularization of the originally treated coronary artery between these groups.

The research team also looked at markers of an allergic response before and after stent placement, and found that white blood cell, eosinophil and lymphocyte counts did not change after the stents were placed. This lends weight to the idea that there is no worrisome systemic immune reaction in those with a history of skin allergy to metal components.

While previous studies have examined metal allergy and stent placement, this earlier research primarily focused on the risk of restenosis. These studies had some limitations in design and yielded conflicting results, according to Dr. Gulati.

Coronary stents used in the United States since 1997 have been constructed using 316L stainless steel, cobalt-chromium alloy, or platinum-chromium alloy platforms. In varying amounts, all stents contain nickel (10 percent to 35 percent) and chromium as chromate (18 percent to 20 percent).

Nickel allergy is one of the most common causes of allergic contact dermatitis and is thought to affect about 8 percent of the population. Nickel allergy is more common in women and is often triggered by exposure to earrings and other nickel-containing jewelry or body piercings. Patients with known or suspected skin allergy usually report a skin rash,airmax2009 itching, redness or dry patches within 12 to 48 hours after initial contact with the metal. In this study, hypersensitivity to nickel was reported in 26 of 29 cases and to chromium in nine of 29 cases. Patch testing performed in 11 of 29 patients was positive in all; the remaining patients were presumed to have allergies by history alone. Still, it is unknown how many patients with coronary artery disease might be affected.

"We do not routinely test for nickel allergy, so we don't know how many people coming to the cath lab have this problem," Dr. Gulati adds.cartierreplicawatches "Still, our findings would suggest that the mechanism of skin reaction to metal exposure might differ from that within the arterial wall."

Real men DO wear nail polish: So should you send your other half for a pedicure?

My feet — which normally only greet the insides of running shoes or stiff office brogues — are today being introduced to designer scrubs, pumice stones and ‘male polish’.

Previously as unloved as the mismatched socks I put on them, my gnarly feet have found a refuge in the gentle hands of a tender therapist. And, my goodness, is she working her magic. I haven’t seen this much power-sanding since I resurfaced the kitchen table and the resulting tickling has me squealing like a piglet. But, surprisingly, I’m loving every moment.

Today, I’m joining the growing army of men investing in pedicures. Thirty per cent more men than last year are seeking help to banish their bunions — and not just effete metrosexuals. The Aveda Institute reports an increase in the numbers of businessmen, bankers and builders slipping off their brogues for a foot overhaul.you will find perfect shoesband to complement your favorite outfit for a night out on the town in our collection.

‘Men don’t want women to recoil in horror when they see their toes,it is completely your wish to either crystalbeads the latest collection,’ says Aveda chiropodist Jess Sproson. ‘They are finally realising their feet deserve more than just standing on.allshoesworld is one of classic Nike shoes.It is the third generation of Air Max and Nike air max 90 is a good running shoe. Men have the same problems as women — dry skin, calluses, ingrown toenails — it’s just they tend to ignore them.’

Men having foot treatments is not new. Babylonian rulers would receive pedicures, while Roman generals were known to have blood-red varnish put on their hands and feet before they rode into battle to show off their wealth. If a bit of polish helped soldiers, I can only hope it might at least improve my performance in a pub quiz.

My feet and I have stood together through marathons and weekly five-a-side football matches, and once avoided serious injury after I accidentally kicked a coffee table in the dark. This, however, has not made them pretty. My feet are a roadmap of ills — hard skin, running blisters and a yellow tinge.

In short, they are ugly and I am self-conscious. So much so that I only ever reveal them on holiday, because I won’t understand mockery in a foreign tongue.

Yet I still do nothing about my feet. My beauty regime — if you can call a slap of moisturiser and a shave a ‘regime’ — is outward facing. If a woman can see it, I improve it. My feet do not come into this category. I had long assumed by the time a woman sees a man barefoot she has already decided she fancies him. A bumpy toe wasn’t going to be a deal breaker.

I am told as soon as I arrive at my local beauty salon in South London that my ‘feet need feeding’. On the menu is a luxurious vanilla-essence treatment, followed by a foot file and an organic walnut scrub, then a lower leg and foot massage. Oh, and a polish of my choice.breguetreplicawatches tube cutting and forming.

‘Many men choose a clear polish to set the look off,’ Jess tells me. Wearing polish on my toenails — even if it is clear — seems absurd.As it's called pumashoes, which is one of the classical style of nike lineup.

It’s odd — though pleasant — to have a glamourous woman soaping my legs. I did worry how my feet would compare to those of other blokes, but the stories chiropodist Jess recalls put me at ease.