[Initial myocardial uptake and myocardial clearance of 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine in patients with ischemic heart disease of left ventricular dysfunction and dilated cardiomyopathy].

We studied initial myocardial uptake and myocardial clearance of 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) in patients with ischemic heart disease of left ventricular dysfunction and dilated cardiomyopathy. Eleven patients with ischemic heart disease of left ventricular dysfunction (IHD group), 6 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM group) and 7 control cases (control group) were studied. Heart to mediastinum activity ratio (H/M) of early and delayed image was significantly lower in the IHD and DCM groups than in the control group.

Intravenous diltiazem versus isosorbide dinitrate for unstable angina: comparison of coronary angiographic morphology in the unstable and stabilized states.

Background: The efficacy of intravenous infusion of diltiazem was compared with that of isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) for the early treatment of unstable angina.

Methods: Sixty-four patients with at least 70% organic stenosis of the culprit artery and prolonged rest angina were enrolled. Coronary angiography was performed on admission.

Characteristics of aspartate aminotransferase binding immunoglobulin determined by the isotope method.

A woman who had no known underlying diseases showed a persistent elevation (about 300 U/L) of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) without other abnormal laboratory findings. Cellolose gel electrophoresis showed that the AST activity in the patient had an atypical band with slower mobility than normal AST. When the sera from the patient and from a patient with acute hepatitis were mixed, the atypical band increased in density and the band of normal size AST disappeared.

[Large scale multicenter cooperative study for cardiovascular therapy (Japan Multicenter Investigation for Cardiovascular Drugs/Therapies, J-MIC)--results and perspectives].

With rapidly progressing therapeutic methods in the cardiovascular medicine, scientific evaluations for newly developed cardiovascular drugs and therapies have become mandatory. We have launched five large scale multicenter cooperative studies, namely, Japan Multicenter Investigation for Cardiovascular Drugs/Therapies, J-MIC (I), (B), (M), (S), and (K). The aims of studies include to investigate: the best therapeutic approach in patients with acute myocardial infarction who underwent thrombolytic therapy with or without any adjunctive treatment (I), the long-term comparative study (3 years) of nifedipine (extended release tablet) with ACE inhibitor in patients with essential hypertension and ischemic heart disease (B), the long-term effect (3 years) of trapidil and/or ethyl icosapentate in patients with ischemic heart disease with or without arteriosclerotic obstructive disease in terms of progression or regression of atherosclerotic changes in coronary as well as peripheral arteries (M), the efficacy and safety of pravastatin to prevent post-PTCA restenosis (S), and regression of atherosclerotic lesion of coronary arteries in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia by LDL apheresis (K).

Aftereffects of high-intensity DC stimulation on the electromechanical performance of ventricular muscle.

To clarify the mechanisms underlying cardiac dysfunction after electrical defibrillation, we investigated the effects of direct current field stimulation (10 ms, 1-80 V/cm) on isolated guinea pig papillary muscles. Shocks (S2) > 15 V/cm lowered the plateau height of the S2-induced action potential and inhibited its terminal repolarization. Subsequent responses to basic stimuli (S1, 1.

Enteroglucagon. A putative humoral factor inducing pancreatic hyperplasia after proximal small bowel resection.

The present study evaluated pancreatotrophic factors after massive small bowel resection. Specifically, we examined the role of enteroglucagon in compensatory pancreatic hyperplasia after proximal small bowel resection (PSBR) by using rats fed a fiber-free elemental diet or an elemental diet containing pectin. PSBR increased the net pancreatic weight as well as the protein, DNA, RNA, and amylase contents, and elevated plasma enteroglucagon levels.

Serum levels of interleukin-1 beta and interleukin-6 in patients with chronic pancreatitis.

To investigate the role played by cytokines in chronic pancreatitis, we examined serum levels of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 33 patients with definitively diagnosed chronic pancreatitis. All the patients, who had received either no treatment or only digestive enzyme products for their chronic pancreatitis, had significantly elevated serum IL-1 beta levels (38.5 +/- 28.

[Long-term follow-up in patients receiving anticoagulation therapy: potency of therapy and complications].

Many clinical trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of oral anticoagulation for the primary and secondary prevention of venous thromboembolism, myocardial infarction, systemic embolism and stroke. However, the relationship between potency and/or changes in anticoagulation therapy and frequency of complications is not clear. This study retrospectively investigated 157 patients (valvular heart disease 37, artificial valve replacement 19, atrial fibrillation 11, ischemic heart disease 55, post coronary artery bypass grafting 25, others 10: mean age 55 +/- 12 years) who received oral anticoagulation therapy for 4.

[Histopathological findings of coronary artery lesions resected by directional coronary atherectomy].

Eleven directional coronary atherectomy procedures were performed in seven patients with angina pectoris and four patients with myocardial infarction, 10 men and 1 woman aged 41 to 69 years (mean 57 +/- 7 years). The onset of angina pectoris or myocardial infarction had occurred 2 months to 17 years previously. The preoperative mean diameter of stenosis was 80 +/- 8%, and the mean residual diameter of stenosis was 6 +/- 9% (p < 0.

A simple method for predicting the cyclosporin A erythrocyte-to-plasma distribution ratio in blood, and its clinical assessment.

To adapt the monitoring of cyclosporin A (CyA) to clinical practice, we have developed a model to predict the CyA erythrocyte-to-plasma distribution ratio (CyA-EP), and evaluated its utility in clinical practice. We monitored CyA trough concentrations in whole blood and performed a series of biochemical tests during disease states in patients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy with CyA after transplantation. An estimate of CyA-EP (EPpr) was thus given by the following equation: EPpr = 6.

[Artifactual defect of inferior myocardium on 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine myocardial SPECT: characteristic findings and preventive method on phantom study].

Discordance between planar and SPECT image of inferior myocardial defect on 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine myocardial scintigraphy (MIBG) was occasionally observed in the clinical studies. The purpose of this study is to clarify the existence of artifactual myocardial defect on MIBG SPECT image. Phantom study was performed in various kinds of situation using triple gamma camera.

[Effects of 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E2 on pancreatic exocrine function in vivo and in vitro in rat experiments].

The effects of exogenous and endogenous prostaglandin on rat pancreatic exocrine function were investigated in vivo and in vitro. Under stimulation by endogenous CCK or exogenous caerulein, protein output was significantly reduced by intravenous drip infusion of 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E2 (DMPGE2), and under stimulation by exogenous secretin, volume and bicarbonate output were markedly reduced by DMPGE2. Amylase release from isolated pancreatic acini was significantly reduced by DMPGE2 under stimulation by 10(-11)-3 x 10(-11) M CCK-8, and was not influenced by DMPGE2 under stimulation by secretin or by indomethacin under stimulation by caerulein.

Differential fibrotic stromal responses of host tissue to low- and high-metastatic cloned Lewis lung carcinoma cells.

Background: The relationship between host stromal responses and tumor invasion and metastasis is poorly understood. To gain new insights into this relationship, we compared the stromal response in tumor tissues formed by low- and high-metastatic murine lung carcinoma cell lines.

Experimental Design: Mouse Lewis-lung-carcinoma-derived cloned cell lines with different metastatic potentials (P29, LM12-3, and LM60-D6 cells with low-, medium-, and high-metastatic potentials, respectively) were subcutaneously injected, and the resultant tumor tissue was analyzed immunohistochemically for the localization of type I collagen, fibronectin, and tenascin, and biochemically for the levels of glycosaminoglycans.

Evaluation of diamine oxidase activity (DAO) in the rat intestinal mucosa by measuring expired 14CO2 after oral administration of 14C-putrescine.

This study was performed to investigate whether mucosal diamine oxidase activity could be assessed by measuring expired 14CO2 after oral administration of 14C-putrescine. Immediately after giving 5 mu Ci of 14C-putrescine, the 14CO2 was collected at 1-h intervals for 8 h into a vial containing 1 ml of 10 mM hyamine hydroxide, 2 ml of ethanol, and an appropriate amount of phenolphthalein dye. The expired 14CO2 caused the color to disappear.

Improvement of regional wall motion in medically treated myocardial infarction with single-vessel coronary artery disease.

Long-term changes in regional wall motion (RWM) following acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in 42 patients with uncomplicated single-vessel disease were examined retrospectively by repeat cardiac catheterizations. The first and second cardiac catheterizations were performed at an average of 28 days and 6.6 years after the onset of AMI, respectively.

[Quantitative analysis of 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine myocardial scintigraphy by myocardial uptake using a phantom].

To evaluate the quantitative analysis of 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) myocardial scintigraphy, total injected dose measured by first pass (FP) method (TFP) was compared with that measured by phantom method using an acrylic phantom in 45 patients with cardiac disease. Heart per mediastinum ratio (H/M) was compared to myocardial uptake calculated with TFP. The total injected dose measured using the phantom in which the syringe was set in depth of 3.

[Evaluation of gastric motility using vector analysis of electrogastrography].

The validity of amplitude analysis was studied by means of vector analysis of cutaneous electrogastrography (EGG) recorded from two sets of bipolar electrodes placed at the upper abdomen. In a basic study on the dog, it was found that the vector locus area obtained by vector analysis of EGG expresses contractile activity in the stomach, and that the extreme ellipsoid's long axis of EGG corresponds well to the electrical axis of the stomach. In a clinical study on the healthy male volunteers, vector analysis of EGG in response to gastroprokinetic and cold stress showed potential utility.

Long-term prognosis of medically treated patients with acute myocardial infarction and one-vessel coronary artery disease.

Long-term prognosis was studied in 156 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with 1-vessel coronary artery disease (CAD). During a mean follow-up period of 110 months, 19 patients (14%) had reinfarction, 15 (9.6%) died (including 7 deaths of cardiac origin) and 15 (9.

Purification of cardiac annexin V from the beagle dog heart and changes in its localization in the ischemic rat heart.

We isolated and purified 35 kDa protein from the myocardium of the beagle dog and identified it to be annexin V from partial amino acid sequence determination. It was confirmed that anticanine cardiac annexin V rabbit polyclonal antibody, which was produced using the 35 kDa protein, cross-reacts with annexin V of the myocardium, lung, liver, kidney, and brain of the rat. The localization of cardiac annexin V and the effect of ischemia for 30-180 min in the rat were immunohistochemically studied with the use of the Langendorff perfusion heart.

Biventricular endomyocardial biopsy findings in essential hypertension of graded severity.

We performed endomyocardial biopsies from both ventricles in 29 patients with graded severities of hypertension. The patients (53.8 +/- 8.