Nutrition assessment as a predictor of clinical outcomes for infants with cardiac surgery: using the prognostic nutritional index.

Background: The aim of the present study was to determine whether nutrition assessment helps predict clinical outcomes (COs) in infants who have undergone cardiac surgery.

Methods: Study subjects were infants, aged less than 18 months, who had undergone cardiac surgery between April 2007 and August 2008. The nutrition parameters assessed include Onodera's prognostic nutritional index (PNI), height for age, weight for height, and weight for age.

Augmentation of vascular remodeling by uncoupled endothelial nitric oxide synthase in a mouse model of diabetes mellitus.

Objective: Diabetes mellitus is associated with increased oxidative stress, which induces oxidation of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) in vessel wall. Without enough BH4, eNOS is uncoupled to L-arginine and produces superoxide rather than NO. We examined the role of uncoupled eNOS in vascular remodeling in diabetes.

A specific role for eNOS-derived reactive oxygen species in atherosclerosis progression.

Objective: When the availability of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is deficient, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) produces superoxide rather than NO (uncoupled eNOS). We have shown that the atherosclerotic lesion size was augmented in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-KO) mice overexpressing eNOS because of the enhanced superoxide production. In this study, we addressed the specific importance of uncoupled eNOS in atherosclerosis, and the potential mechanistic role for specific versus nonspecific antioxidant strategies in restoring eNOS coupling.

Possible usefulness of apocynin, an NADPH oxidase inhibitor, for nitrate tolerance: prevention of NO donor-induced endothelial cell abnormalities.

The long-term benefits of nitroglycerin therapy are limited by tolerance development. Understanding the precise nature of mechanisms underlying nitroglycerin-induced endothelial cell dysfunction may provide new strategies to prevent tolerance development. In this line, we tested interventions to prevent endothelial dysfunction in the setting of nitrate tolerance.

beta1 antagonist and beta2 agonist, celiprolol, restores the impaired endothelial dependent and independent responses and decreased TNFalpha in rat with type II diabetes.

Unlabelled: The effect of beta antagonists in the diabetic vascular lesion is controversial. We investigated the effect of celiprolol hydrochloride, a beta1 antagonist and mild beta2 agonist, on the lesions and function in type II male Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) diabetic rats. OLETF rats were fed regular chow with or without atenolol (25 mg/kg/day) or celiprolol (100 mg/kg/day) treatment (group DM, no treatment; group DM-a, atenolol treatment; group DM-c, celiprolol treatment), and treatment was continued for 31 days.

Endothelial cellular senescence is inhibited by nitric oxide: implications in atherosclerosis associated with menopause and diabetes.

Senescence may contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Although the bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO) is limited in senescence, the effect of NO on senescence and its relationship to cardiovascular risk factors have not been investigated fully. We studied these factors by investigating senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-beta-gal) and human telomerase activity in human umbilical venous endothelial cells (HUVECs).

Selective iNOS inhibitor, ONO1714 successfully retards the development of high-cholesterol diet induced atherosclerosis by novel mechanism.

Objective: We have reported that inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is present only in deep areas of plaque in atherosclerosis. However, the role of iNOS in the development of atherosclerosis is not well known. We therefore investigated the relevance of iNOS inhibition.

l-Citrulline and l-arginine supplementation retards the progression of high-cholesterol-diet-induced atherosclerosis in rabbits.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of ingested l-arginine, l-citrulline, and antioxidants (vitamins C and E) on the progression of atherosclerosis in rabbits fed a high-cholesterol diet. The fatty diet caused a marked impairment of endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation in isolated thoracic aorta and blood flow in rabbit ear artery in vivo, the development of atheromatous lesions and increased superoxide anion production in thoracic aorta, and increased oxidation-sensitive gene expression [Elk-1 and phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein]. Rabbits were treated orally for 12 weeks with l-arginine, l-citrulline, and/or antioxidants.

The effect of high glucose on NO and O2- through endothelial GTPCH1 and NADPH oxidase.

Although endothelial dysfunction deteriorates diabetic angiopathy, the mechanisms are obscure. We revealed that high glucose augmented eNOS through stimulation of eNOS mRNA in cultured BAECs. NO was decreased and O2- was increased simultaneously.

A new HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, pitavastatin remarkably retards the progression of high cholesterol induced atherosclerosis in rabbits.

Background: The remarkable anti-atherosclerotic effects of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitor have not been demonstrated in diet induced severe hyperlipidemia in rabbit model.

Objective: We have investigated the effect of pitavastatin, a newly developed statin, on atherosclerosis in rabbits.

Methods And Results: Oophorectomized female NZW rabbits were fed 0.

Combined effect of testosterone and apocynin on nitric oxide and superoxide production in PMA-differentiated THP-1 cells.

Human inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is most readily observed in macrophages from patients with inflammatory diseases like atherosclerosis. The aim of the present study was to find out the combined effect of male sex hormone; testosterone and apocynin (NADPH oxidase inhibitor) on cytokine-induced iNOS production. THP-1 cells were differentiated into macrophages by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA).

Gene transfer of endothelial NO synthase, but not eNOS plus inducible NOS, regressed atherosclerosis in rabbits.

The effects of in vivo gene transfer of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and inducible NOS (iNOS) genes on severe atherosclerosis were investigated in rabbits. The recombinant adenoviruses, Ad.eNOS and Ad.

Sarpogrelate HCl, a selective 5-HT2A antagonist, retards the progression of atherosclerosis through a novel mechanism.

Although sarpogrelate HCl is widely used for the prevention of arterial thrombosis, its effect on atherosclerosis is unknown. Accordingly, we here investigated the effects of sarpogrelate HCl on a rabbit model of atherosclerosis. Male rabbits were fed a 0.

Plasma adiponectin plays an important role in improving insulin resistance with glimepiride in elderly type 2 diabetic subjects.

Objective: We investigated the effect of glimepiride, a third-generation sulfonylurea hypoglycemic agent, on insulin resistance in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes, in connection with plasma adiponectin and 8-epi-prostagrandin F2alpha (8-epi-PGF2alpha), an oxidative stress marker.

Research Design And Methods: A total of 17 elderly patients with type 2 diabetes received 12 weeks of treatment with glimepiride. Homeostasis assessment model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), homeostasis assessment model of beta-cell function, HbA(1c), C-peptide in 24-h pooled urine (urine CPR), and plasma concentrations of 8-epi-PGF2alpha, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1, and adiponectin were measured at various times.