Autoimmune Polyglandular Syndrome Type 3 Complicated with IgG4-related Disease.

A 52-year-old Japanese woman developed type 1 diabetes mellitus (type 1 DM) at 41 years old. She became complicated with Hashimoto's disease and showed swelling of both submandibular glands, which was diagnosed as IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD). This is a rare case of a Japanese patient with autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 3A (APS-3A) coexisting with autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) and type 1 DM complicated by IgG4-RD.

[Inflammatory biomarker for diagnosis of coronary diseases].

Acute coronary syndromes are multifactorial and occur in response to inflammation, plaque rupture and subsequent thrombosis, progressive mechanical obstruction, and dynamic obstruction. Among potential biomarkers, much interest has focused on biomarkers of inflammation. The process that leads to eventual plaque erosion or rupture involves a number of inflammatory mechanisms, including endothelial dysfunction, leukocyte migration, extracellular matrix degradation, and platelet activation.

Osteopontin expression of circulating T cells and plasma osteopontin levels are increased in relation to severity of heart failure.

Background: T cells in peripheral blood reflect the systemic inflammatory response in patients with heart failure (HF). In a rat model of HF, osteopontin is dramatically increased in the left ventricular myocardium, so the association between osteopontin and HF was examined in the present study.

Methods And Results: Peripheral blood was collected from 93 patients with heart disease and 38 controls.

IRS-1 transgenic mice show increased epididymal fat mass and insulin resistance.

Insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) is the major substrate of both the insulin receptor and the IGF-1 receptor. In this study, we created IRS-1 transgenic (IRS-1-Tg) mice which express human IRS-1 cDNA under control of the mouse IRS-1 gene promoter. In the IRS-1-Tg mice, IRS-1 mRNA expression was significantly increased in almost all tissues, but its protein expression was increased in very limited tissues (epididymal fat and skeletal muscle).

Elevated plasma osteopontin levels were associated with osteopontin expression of CD4+ T cells in patients with unstable angina.

Background: Plaque instability in patients with unstable angina (UA) is associated with stimulated CD4+ T cells, so the present study investigated whether there is a relationship among plaque instability, osteopontin and CD4+ T cells.

Methods And Results: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected from 51 consecutive patients with UA, 60 patients with stable angina (SA), and 39 patients with chest pain syndrome (CPS). Osteopontin-producing CD4+ T cells were quantified by flow cytometry.

Coronary spastic angina in patients with connective tissue disease.

Background: Connective tissue disease, which is an inflammatory condition represented by C-reactive protein (CRP), is a risk factor for ischemic heart disease. The aim of the present study was to examine if there is a relationship between connective tissue disease and coronary spastic angina, and whether the inflammatory condition was associated with ischemic heart disease, even in patients with connective tissue disease.

Methods And Results: The study group comprised 73 consecutive patients with connective tissue disease who were admitted to the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine between April 2000 and March 2003.

Evaluation of urinary 8-hydroxydeoxy-guanosine as a novel biomarker of macrovascular complications in type 2 diabetes.

Objective: To evaluate urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) as a marker for the progression of diabetic macroangiopathic complications.

Research Design And Methods: The content of urinary 8-OHdG, common carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), the coronary heart disease (CHD) risk score, the severity of diabetic retinopathy, and urinary albumin excretion were examined in 96 patients with type 2 diabetes, including 32 patients who had been nominated for the Kumamoto Study [Shichiri M, et al. Diabetes Care 23 (Suppl 2):B21-B29, 2000].

Increased serum matrix metalloproteinase-1 concentration predicts advanced left ventricular remodeling in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is one of the major prognostic factors after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) is an enzyme responsible for extracellular collagen degradation and remodeling. The present study investigated whether the concentration of serum MMP-1 was associated with the LVEF after AMI. Blood was sampled on admission, and at 24 h, 3 days, 7 days, 2 weeks and 4 weeks in 24 patients with their first AMI.

Undifferentiated carcinoma of the common bile duct: case report and review of the literature.

A 78-year-old Japanese man with undifferentiated carcinoma of the common bile duct is presented. Upon gross examination, the common bile duct was found to be obstructed by a nodule measuring 10 x 10 mm. Microscopically, the nodule was ill-defined and composed of atypical spindle-shaped and pleomorphic tumor cells.