Evaluation of a new chromogenic agar medium for Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris.

Spoilage of fruit juices by a thermoacidophilic spore-forming bacterium, Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris, is a big problem for fruit juice industries worldwide. We have developed a novel chromogenic selective agar medium (EAATSM) for the isolation and enumeration of A. acidoterrestris.

Evaluation of pharmacogenetic algorithm for warfarin dose requirements in Japanese patients.

Background: Warfarin dosing is difficult to establish because of considerable interindividual variation. Thus, warfarin pharmacogenetics have attracted particular interest in relation to appropriate control of anticoagulation.

Methods And Results: The 200 eligible subjects were chosen from participants in a hospital cohort.

11C-methionine PET of acute myocardial infarction.

Unlabelled: Tissue uptake of l-[methyl-(11)C]-methionine ((11)C-methionine) has been used to monitor amino acid metabolism and protein synthesis. We examined whether (11)C-methionine was retained in areas of myocardial infarction after successful reperfusion.

Methods: Nine patients with infarction in the left anterior descendent region underwent percutaneous transluminal coronary artery intervention within 24 h and (201)Tl SPECT, (18)F-FDG PET, and (11)C-methionine PET within 2 wk of infarction onset.

A survival case of acute mitral regurgitation and cardiogenic shock caused by subtotal occlusion of the first diagonal branch.

An 80-year-old woman was admitted with cardiogenic shock; she arrived in a deep coma with systolic blood pressure of 44 mmHg. An electrocardiogram showed ST elevation in I, aVL, V5 and V6, suggesting myocardial infarction in the lateral area of the left ventricle. A chest roentgenogram showed right pulmonary edema without cardiomegaly.

Myopericarditis caused by cyclophosphamide used to mobilize peripheral blood stem cells in a myeloma patient with renal failure.

Cyclophosphamide (CPA) is widely used for peripheral blood stem cell mobilization, and a dose adjustment of CPA in the presence of renal failure has not been suggested. However, we describe a myeloma patient with renal failure (serum creatinine 4.2 mg/dl, creatinine clearance 11.

Possible mechanism of ECG features in patients with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation studied by heart model and computer simulation.

The possible contribution of localized conduction delay and abnormal action potentials to ventricular fibrillation (VF) was studied by applying an anisotropic cardiac computer model to clinical cases of the Brugada-type electrocardiogram (ECG), which shows right bundle branch block (RBBB), a normal QT interval, ST-segment elevation, and late r' in leads V1 and V2. The anisotropic heart model was composed of 50,000 discrete units with a spatial resolution of 1.5 mm and was mounted in a human torso model.

Correlations between resting regional wall motion and regional myocardial blood flow (at rest and during exercise) in infarct-related myocardium--a study with [13N]ammonia positron emission tomography.

We evaluated quantitatively the correlations between resting wall motion and regional myocardial blood flow (RMBF; at rest and during exercise) in infarct-related myocardium. The study was performed in 28 subjects: 21 patients who had previously suffered myocardial infarction of the anteroseptal wall, and 7 normal individuals. Positron emission tomography (PET) with [13N]ammonia was performed at rest and during low-grade exercise (bicycle ergometer fixed at 25 W for 6.

Functional role of coronary collaterals with exercise in infarct-related myocardium.

We evaluated the regional myocardial blood flow in collateral dependent infarct-related areas to examine the functional role of coronary collaterals. Regional myocardial blood flow was measured by positron emission tomography with 13N-ammonia at rest and during low-grade exercise (bicycle ergometer fixed at 25 W for 6.5 min).

Diffuse spasm of a free gastroepiploic artery graft during percutaneous balloon angioplasty.

Percutaneous transluminal balloon dilation of an 8-month-old free graft of the gastroepiploic artery was followed by diffuse and profound graft spasm. Because free arterial grafts are more prone to spasm, suitable precautions, such as administration of calcium channel antagonists, should be taken before attempting any interventions on these vessels.

Determination of regional myocardial blood flow with 13N-ammonia positron emission tomography during low-grade exercise for evaluating coronary artery stenosis.

We measured regional myocardial blood flow (RMBF) by positron emission tomography (PET) with 13N-ammonia at rest and during low-grade exercise using a bicycle ergometer fixed at 25 watts for 6.5 min. The ischemic area with severe coronary artery stenosis was evaluated in terms of quantitative RMBF.

[A case report of left ventricular-right atrial communication with tricuspid regurgitation due to infective endocarditis].

A case of 58-year-old man with a left ventricular-right atrial communication with tricuspid regurgitation due to infective endocarditis was reported. Surgical treatment was performed following intensive chemotherapy. The communication was found in the center of a vegetation on the septal leaflet.

Detection of cholera toxin by a highly sensitive bead-enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.

A bead-enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (bead-ELISA) for detection and quantification of cholera toxin (CT) in broth cultures of Vibrio cholerae O1 has been developed. Under optimal buffer and pH conditions the bead-ELISA could consistently detect 40 pg/ml of CT. None of the ingredients of commonly used media for in vitro culture of V.

[Long-term prognosis in patients with echocardiographic left ventricular dysfunction masquerading as dilated cardiomyopathy].

The long-term prognosis and prognostic factors were assessed in patients with left ventricular dilatation with impaired function secondary to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) or to heart diseases of various pathogeneses masquerading as DCM (DCM-like). The echocardiographic criteria for DCM-like disease were 1) left ventricular end-diastolic dimension exceeding 60 mm and 2) fractional shortening less than 15%. Those who showed improvement in either of these 2 parameters within 3 months were excluded from this study.

Angioplasty of stenoses adjacent to aneurysmal coronary artery disease.

We examined the effectiveness and safety of performing angioplasty on stenoses adjacent to aneurysmal coronary artery disease. Out of 386 consecutive lesions (270 patients) on which we performed angioplasty, 13 lesions (13 patients) were within one balloon length of aneurysmal disease (group A) and 373 lesions (257 patients) were not (group NA). Angioplasty had previously been performed on 10 lesions (77%) in group A but only on 112 lesions (30%) in group NA (p less than 0.

[A case of foreign body granuloma after aortic valve replacement].

A patient who developed a foreign body granuloma three years after aortic valve replacement was surgically treated. Oxidized cellulose was suspected of its cause.

[A case of right-sided infective endocarditis in a drug addict].

A 49-year-old man was admitted to Mitsui Memorial Hospital because of fever of unknown origin. Since one year ago, he had often used intravenous narcotic drugs. Ten months before his admission, he had his first experience of fever and a chill.

[Medical treatment of type III dissecting aortic aneurysms: influence of the shape of the false lumen assessed by X-ray CT as a factor in the long-term prognosis].

The future needs of surgical repair for type III dissecting aneurysms among medically-treated patients were estimated according to the influence of the shapes of false lumina assessed by contrast-enhanced CT scans and by the level of blood pressure control at the time of discharge on the long-term prognoses. Thirty-six patients, 30 males and six females, whose mean age was 61 years, underwent enhanced CT scans at their discharge. Events, including deaths and dissection-related surgery were analyzed by a nonparametric actuarial method of Kaplan and Meier.

[Clinical significance of aortic ring dilatation and changes in aortic root configuration in the pathogenesis of non-rheumatic aortic regurgitation].

This study was undertaken to determine the etiology of non-rheumatic aortic regurgitation (AR) by two-dimensional echocardiography. Dimensions of the aortic root at the levels of the surgical aortic ring (ARDs), sinus of Valsalva (AOD), and anatomical aortic ring (ARD) were measured in 23 patients who underwent aortic valve replacement due to AR with idiopathic aortic root dilatation, in 15 hypertensive patients without AR and in 15 normal controls. The 23 patients with AR were classified as annuloaortic ectasia (AAE) (seven cases) and non-AAE (16 cases) groups.

[Dissecting aortic aneurysm of DeBakey type II diagnosed by color Doppler flow imaging and treated by a Bentall surgical procedure: a case report].

A 33-year-old man with known annuloaortic ectasia was admitted to the hospital because of chest pain. A dissecting aortic aneurysm was strongly suspected, but angiography was not performed because of his history of allergic reaction to iodine contrast material. Two-dimensional echocardiography demonstrated a markedly dilated basal aorta.

[Left ventricular diastolic properties before and after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty evaluated by pulsed Doppler echocardiography].

Left ventricular diastolic properties were assessed by pulsed Doppler echocardiography before and after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in 30 patients. Four parameters were measured from records obtained by directing the ultrasonic beam from the cardiac apex to the base and by locating the sample volume at the mitral orifice: 1) the peak velocity of the rapid filling wave (R), 2) the peak velocity of the atrial contraction wave (A), 3) the acceleration half time (Ta: the time from half of the peak velocity to the peak velocity of the R, and 4) deceleration half time (Td: the time from the peak velocity to half of the peak velocity of the R). The ratio of the peak velocity of the atrial contraction to that of the rapid filling wave (A/R) was also calculated.

Right ventricular filling detected by pulsed Doppler echocardiography during the convalescent stage of inferior wall acute myocardial infarction.

To evaluate right ventricular (RV) diastolic function in patients with inferior wall acute myocardial infarction (AMI), flow velocity patterns of the RV inflow tract were studied in patients with anterior AMI (n = 32), inferior AMI (n = 32) and angina pectoris without left ventricular asynergy (n = 10) using pulsed Doppler echocardiography. Doppler examinations were performed at least 4 weeks after the attack. Twenty-seven healthy persons served as control subjects.

[Mitral regurgitation due to abnormal reinsertion of chordae tendineae (looping) of the posterior mitral leaflet: clinical and echocardiographic features].

Two-dimensional (2D) echocardiographic and clinical characteristics of patients with mitral regurgitation (MR) due to abnormal reinsertion of chordae tendineae (looping) in the middle scallop of the posterior leaflet were described and compared with those of patients with chordal rupture of the posterior leaflet. Twenty-five patients with posterior mitral valve prolapse who underwent mitral valve replacement were studied. They were categorized in three groups; 14 patients with MR due to ruptured chordae tendineae (RCT) of the posterior leaflet (RCT group); three patients with looping of the chordae tendineae in the middle scallop of the posterior leaflet (looping group); and eight patients with both RCT and looping (looping + RCT group).

[Metastatic thyroid cancer to the right ventricle causing obstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract and associated with disseminated intravascular coagulopathy: a case report].

A case of thyroid cancer causing right ventricular outflow tract obstruction is described. A 72-year-old woman was admitted because of shortness of breath, some ecchymoses, and marked anasarca. Her liver was palpable four fingerbreadths below her costal margin.