Clinical predictors of cardiac syncope in patients with unexplained syncope after the implantation of an insertable cardiac monitor.

Syncope prognosis is related to both its etiology and comorbidities, with cardiac syncope (CS) having higher risks for mortality and cardiovascular events than syncope of non-cardiac causes. Although a novel insertable cardiac monitor (ICM) is an effective diagnostic tool for unexplained syncope, decision regarding ICM implantation with a high pre-test likelihood of CS should contribute to economic cost reduction and avoidance of unnecessary complications. This study aimed to investigate clinical factors associated with CS after ICM implantation in patients with unexplained syncope.

Differential expression of serum amyloid A1 and A3 in bovine epithelia.

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is both an amyloidogenic protein of amyloid A amyloidosis and an acute phase protein in most animal species. Although SAA isoforms, such as SAA1, 2, 3, and 4, have been identified in cattle, their biological functions are not completely understood. Previous studies using mice indicated that SAA3 mRNA expression increased by stimulation with Escherichia coli and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in colonic epithelial cells, and subsequently the SAA3 protein enhanced the expression of mucin2 (MUC2) mRNA, which is the major component of the colonic mucus layer.

False-Positive Elevation of CK-MB Levels with Chest Pain in Lung Adenocarcinoma.

The creatinine kinase (CK)-MB assay can be used for the early diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. We describe the case of an 82-year-old male with lung adenocarcinoma who presented with chest pain. While laboratory findings showed elevated CK-MB levels, there was no cardiac injury.

BLM is an early responder to DNA double-strand breaks.

Bloom syndrome (BS) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a marked predisposition to cancer and elevated genomic instability. The defective protein in BS, BLM, is a member of the RecQ helicase family and is believed to function in various DNA transactions, including in replication, repair, and recombination. Here, we show that both endogenous and overexpressed human BLM accumulates at sites of laser light-induced DNA double-strand breaks within 10s and colocalizes with gammaH2AX and ATM.

Cut-off value of coronary flow velocity reserve by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography for the assessment of significant donor left anterior descending artery stenosis in patients with spontaneously visible collaterals.

We evaluated the influence of collateral circulation on a donor left anterior descending artery and an appropriate cut-off value of coronary flow velocity reserve for the diagnosis of significant donor left anterior descending artery stenosis. Measurement of coronary flow velocity reserve by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography provides noninvasive assessment of significant left anterior descending artery stenosis. The cut-off value of coronary flow velocity reserve for the diagnosis of significant donor left anterior descending artery stenosis has not been well studied.

Coronary flow velocity reserve measurement in three major coronary arteries using transthoracic Doppler echocardiography.

Background: Measurement of the coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTDE) has been reported to be useful for the noninvasive assessment of significant coronary artery stenosis or myocardial ischemia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of this method in three major coronary arteries for detecting myocardial ischemia in the clinical setting.

Methods: We studied 89 consecutive patients who were referred to our outpatient clinic because of chest pain.