Changes of the glycemic control and therapeutic regimen for diabetes mellitus in the Japanese patients on hemodialysis.

Objectives/methods: Diabetes mellitus (DM) has become important with regard to mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients, so it is necessary to optimize the treatment of these patients. We examined the changes in glycemic control and therapeutic regimen, including insulin and oral hypoglycemic agent (OHA) and the diet/exercise in the HD patients.

Results: Although DM was observed in 42 (32.

Phosphate binders and metabolic acidosis in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis—sevelamer hydrochloride, calcium carbonate, and bixalomer.

The serum bicarbonate (HCO3(-)) levels are decreased in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients treated with sevelamer hydrochloride (SH). We assessed the effects of bixalomer on the chronic metabolic acidosis in these patients. We examined 12 of the 122 consecutive Japanese patients with end-stage renal disease on HD, who orally ingested a dose of SH (≥2250 mg), and an arterial blood gas analysis and biochemical analysis were performed before HD.

Coronary aneurysm associated with coronary perforation after sirolimus-eluting stents implantation: close follow-up exceeding 2 years by coronary 3-dimensional computed tomography.

Both coronary perforation and aneurysms associated with sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) implantations are uncommon complications. We describe an unusual case of a coronary aneurysm associated with a coronary perforation after SES implantation. Although their pathogenesis has not yet been completely elucidated, some technical factors including the use of excessive pressure during the stent deployment, and sirolimus-induced vascular inflammatory reactions and poor healing response at the perforation site may be related to the shape of the aneurismal formation.

Recurrence of pulmonary embolism in young man with retroperitoneal tumor despite insertion of temporary IVC filter.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a fatal disease that is very rare in young people. A 21-year-old man developed PE because of a retroperitoneal tumor. The inferior vena cava (IVC) was obstructed by the tumor, and thrombus existed in the right common iliac vein.

Intracardiac echocardiography-guided cardiac tumor biopsy.

A 63-year-old woman was admitted to hospital with the chief complaint of new onset chest discomfort and pretibial pitting edema. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a large invasive tumor on the heart protruding into the right atrium and right ventricle, which obstructed the outflow tract. She underwent transvenous 9Fr, 9-MHz ultra intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) (EP Technologies, Boston Scientific Corporation, San Jose, CA, USA) guided biopsy, and a diagnosis of malignant lymphoma was established from the specimen obtained.

A third-generation, long-acting, dihydropyridine calcium antagonist, azelnidipine, attenuates stent-associated neointimal formation in non-human primates.

Background: Calcium antagonists have been shown to reduce atherogenesis and improve clinical outcomes in atherosclerotic vascular disease. No study has so far, however, addressed the effects of calcium antagonists on stent-associated neointimal formation. We therefore investigated whether a third-generation calcium antagonist, azelnidipine, attenuates in-stent neointimal formation in non-human primates.

Volume-outcome relation for hospitals performing angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction: results from the Nationwide Japanese Registry.

Background: The purpose of this study was to use a contemporary database to examine the relationship between annual hospital volume and the outcomes of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), given the wide spread use of coronary stents. An inverse relation exists between the number of PCIs and short-term outcome, but PCI practice has been changing with the availability of new devices such as stents.

Methods And Results: Data from the 1997 Japanese nationwide registry were analyzed to determine the relation between the annual hospital volume of PCI procedures for patients with AMI and in-hospital mortality, as well as the need for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.

Comparison of outcomes for patients undergoing balloon angioplasty vs coronary stenting for acute myocardial infarction.

Randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that coronary stenting is more successful than balloon angioplasty in improving short- and long-term outcomes. However, it remains unknown whether those results can be generalized to broad-based practice. This study aimed to determine whether the outcome for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing coronary stent placement would be better than those undergoing balloon angioplasty.

In-hospital and one-year outcomes for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction.

Previous studies have identified risk factors for short- and long-term outcomes for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, it remains unknown whether they can be generalized to current PCI practice for a broader cohort of patients. We analyzed the follow-up information (mortality and revascularization procedures) obtained from a nationwide Japanese registry during 1997 of a total of 2,211 patients with AMI who underwent PCI at 143 facilities.

cAMP signal transduction, a potential compensatory pathway for coronary endothelial NO production after heart failure.

Objective: This study investigated whether cAMP signal transduction regulates coronary microvascular NO production after heart failure (HF), a state in which endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) is downregulated.

Methods And Results: Myocardial microvessels were isolated. Nitrite, the hydration product of NO, from these vessels was quantified by using the Griess reaction.