Prognostic value of 6-min walk stress echocardiography in patients with interstitial lung disease.

Background: The 6-min walk test (6MWT) provides prognostic information for patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD). Parameter determined by Doppler echocardiography after the 6MWT (6 MW stress echocardiography) is shown to be a predictor of future development of pulmonary hypertension in patients with connective tissue disease. However, the clinical utility of 6 MW stress echocardiography in predicting cardiopulmonary events in patients with ILD remains unknown.

Assessment of prognosis in immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis patients with severe heart failure: a predictive value of right ventricular function.

Although the benefit of updated therapeutic regimens, including bortezomib, on the survival of immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis patients with heart failure (HF) has been reported, predictors of mortality in the patients treated with the updated therapy remain unclear. We retrospectively enrolled AL amyloidosis patients who had severe HF at the time of diagnosis and received the updated therapy, including bortezomib (n = 19, 61 ± 6 years old, 68% male). Severe HF was defined as the presence of both NYHA functional class III or IV and BNP > 200 pg/ml or NT-pro-BNP > 900 pg/ml.

Clinical results of surgical treatment for femoral neck fractures with the Targon FN.

84 cases (male 15 cases, female 69 cases) of intracapsular femoral neck fractures treated with the Targon FN (TFN) were available for review. Mean patient age was 74.0 years (range 36-100 years).

Development of a polarization-modulation spectroscopy system for the temporally resolved measurement of linear polarization in plasma emission.

A system to measure linear polarization in the HeI 2P-3D emission line (667.8 nm) was developed for application to plasma polarization spectroscopy. To verify the system performance, the normalized Stokes parameters were evaluated.

Soleal vein dilatation assessed by ultrasonography is an independent predictor for deep vein thrombosis after major orthopedic surgery.

Background: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) develops after major orthopedic surgery despite the current use of prophylaxis. DVT frequently develops in the soleal vein (SV) and might develop easily at the site of SV dilatation because of blood flow stasis. However, whether preoperative SV dilatation detected by ultrasonography predicts DVT after major orthopedic surgery remains unknown.

Intra- and Inter-rater Agreement on Magnetic Resonance Imaging Evaluation of Rotator Cuff Integrity After Repair.

Purpose: To investigate the intra- and inter-rater agreement of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluations of rotator cuff integrity at 6 and 24 months after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR).

Methods: Three shoulder surgeons reviewed 68 MRI scans from 34 patients who had undergone ARCR and MRI examination at both 6 and 24 months after surgery. Postoperative rotator cuff integrity was investigated by using Owen, Sugaya, and Hayashida classifications to determine whether the rotator cuff was intact or whether there was a partial-thickness retear or full-thickness retear and Burks score to assess tendon appearance.

Pulmonary vascular resistance estimated by Doppler echocardiography predicts mortality in patients with interstitial lung disease.

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a strong predictor of mortality in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD). However, patients with ILD often have poor outcomes even in the absence of PH. Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) assessed by right heart catheterization is a predictor of mortality in patients with ILD.

Pericardial Effusion and Multiple Organ Involvement Are Independent Predictors of Mortality in Patients with Systemic Light Chain Amyloidosis.

Objective: Left ventricular (LV) functions assessed by echocardiography and cardiac biomarkers are strong predictors of mortality in patients with systemic light chain (AL) amyloidosis. However, most previous studies have been conducted in Western countries, and the predictors of mortality in Asian patients with AL amyloidosis have not been characterized. To address this issue, we aimed to determine the predictors of mortality in Asian patients with biopsy-confirmed AL amyloidosis.

Intervendor Variabilities of Left and Right Ventricular Myocardial Velocities among Three Tissue Doppler Echocardiography Systems.

Background: Whether an intervendor discordance of myocardial velocities determined by tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE) can be generalized remains unclear. We compared intervendor variabilities of left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) myocardial velocities among three TDE systems.

Methods: Examinations with TDE were performed in 41 healthy subjects and 11 patients with cardiovascular risk factors (CVR) using α-7 (V1, Hitachi Aloka Medical), Artida (V2, Toshiba Medical Systems), and Vivid E9 (V3, GE Healthcare) on the same day.

Complications and fixation techniques of trochanteric fractures with the TARGON(®) PF.

The purpose of this study was to analyse clinical results of elderly patients with trochanteric fractures that were treated with use of TARGON(®) PF nail. Overall, 494 patients (113 males) were available for this study. On the basis of Jensen classification, there were 76 cases in type I, 164 cases in type II, 70 in type III, 129 in type IV and 55 in type V.

Detection of QT prolongation through approximation of the T wave on Gaussian mixture modeling.

Background: To establish a simple and accurate method for the automated identification of the end of a T wave, we approximated electrocardiograph (ECG) traces using a Gaussian mixture model in conjunction with a split-and-merge expectation-maximization algorithm.

Methods And Results: A total of 286 ECG traces of heart beats of 50 healthy men were used as control data and ECGs from 15 subjects recorded before and after 400mg oral moxifloxacin as positive controls. An experienced cardiologist determined the reference points by visual inspection of the original ECGs.

Combinational risk factors of metabolic syndrome identified by fuzzy neural network analysis of health-check data.

Background: Lifestyle-related diseases represented by metabolic syndrome develop as results of complex interaction. By using health check-up data from two large studies collected during a long-term follow-up, we searched for risk factors associated with the development of metabolic syndrome.

Methods: In our original study, we selected 77 case subjects who developed metabolic syndrome during the follow-up and 152 healthy control subjects who were free of lifestyle-related risk components from among 1803 Japanese male employees.

A new manual method for assessing elbow valgus laxity.

Background: A screening of ulnar collateral ligament insufficiency is required for overhead throwers, since secondary pathologic changes result from an increased elbow valgus laxity. We developed a new manual method for assessing elbow valgus laxity and investigated the reliability of this method and its correlation with ultrasonographic assessment.

Methods: We defined elbow valgus laxity as the difference between the shoulder external rotation angle (ER angle) measured with the elbow in 90 degrees flexion and that measured with the elbow in extension because ER angle measured with the elbow in 90 degrees flexion includes elbow valgus laxity and ER angle with the elbow in extension does not include it.

Relation of a common variant of the adiponectin gene to serum adiponectin concentration and metabolic traits in an aged Japanese population.

Adiponectin is an adipocyte-derived protein that is down-regulated in obesity-linked disorders. Variants of the adiponectin gene (ADIPOQ) have been shown to affect adiponectin level. We have now examined the relation of polymorphisms of ADIPOQ to adiponectin concentration and to metabolic disorders in the Kita-Nagoya Genomic Epidemiology study, a population-based study of elderly Japanese.

Effects of aldosterone on Cx43 gap junction expression in neonatal rat cultured cardiomyocytes.

Background: The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system affects cellular morphology and function in the heart under a variety of pathologic conditions. In the present study the effects of aldosterone on the expression of connexin (Cx) 43 gap junctions in cardiomyocytes were investigated.

Methods And Results: Cultured rat ventricular myocytes were exposed to aldosterone for 24 h.

Perinatal loss of Nkx2-5 results in rapid conduction and contraction defects.

Homeobox transcription factor Nkx2-5, highly expressed in heart, is a critical factor during early embryonic cardiac development. In this study, using tamoxifen-inducible Nkx2-5 knockout mice, we demonstrate the role of Nkx2-5 in conduction and contraction in neonates within 4 days after perinatal tamoxifen injection. Conduction defect was accompanied by reduction in ventricular expression of the cardiac voltage-gated Na+ channel pore-forming alpha-subunit (Na(v)1.

T-type Ca2+ channel blockers prevent cardiac cell hypertrophy through an inhibition of calcineurin-NFAT3 activation as well as L-type Ca2+ channel blockers.

T-type Ca2+ channels (TCCs) are involved in cardiac cell growth and proliferation in cultured cardiomyocytes. Underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, we investigated the role of TCCs in signal transduction in cardiac hypertrophy compared with L-type Ca2+ channels (LCCs).

Prognostic significance of circadian variability of RR and QT intervals and QT dynamicity in patients with chronic heart failure.

Background: In patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), circadian variability of RR and QT intervals may be altered because of neurohumoral activation and functional and structural remodeling of the heart.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of circadian variability of the RR and QT intervals and QT dynamicity (QT/RR slope) in CHF patients.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled 121 patients with stable CHF in sinus rhythm (age 67 +/- 14 years, mean +/- SD; range 34 to 87 years).

Aldosterone modulates I(f) current through gene expression in cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes.

Mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonists decrease the incidence of sudden cardiac death in patients with heart failure, as has been reported in two clinical trials (Randomized Aldactone Evaluation Study and Eplerenone Post-Acute Myocardial Infarction Heart Failure Efficacy and Survival Study). Aldosterone has been shown to increase the propensity to arrhythmias by changing the expression or function of various ion channels. In this study, we investigate the effect of aldosterone on the expression of hyperpolarization-activated current (I(f)) channels in cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes, using the whole cell patch-clamp technique, real-time PCR, and Western blotting.

Upregulation of KCNE1 induces QT interval prolongation in patients with chronic heart failure.

Background: Prolongation of the action potential duration (APD) is observed in ventricular myocytes isolated from the failing heart. The rapid component (I(Kr)) and the slow component (I(Ks)) of the delayed-rectifier potassium current (I(K)) are major determinants of the APD, but less information is available on the genomic modulation of I(K) in the remodeled human heart. The aim of the current study was to examine the relationship between I(K) transcripts and QT interval in surface electrocardiogram in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).

Altered action potential dynamics in electrically remodeled canine atria: evidence for altered intracellular Ca2+ handling.

Background: Electrical instability following sustained rapid excitation has been attributed to altered ion channels. Alterations of Ca(2+) handling could also contribute to abnormal dynamics of action potential, favoring the initiation and perpetuation of arrhythmia.

Methods And Results: Transmembrane action potentials and twitch force (TF) were recorded from normal (n=6) and remodeled (6-week atrial pacing at 400 beats/min, n=6) canine atria.

Heavy ion radiation up-regulates Cx43 and ameliorates arrhythmogenic substrates in hearts after myocardial infarction.

Objective: Radiation has been shown to enhance intercellular communication in the skin and lungs through an increase of connexin43 (Cx43) expression. If analogous Cx43 up-regulation is induced in the diseased heart, it would provide a new perspective in radiation therapy for arrhythmias. The aim of the present study is to test this hypothesis.

Midkine plays a protective role against cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury through a reduction of apoptotic reaction.

Background: Midkine (MK) is a heparin-binding growth factor involved in diverse biological phenomena, eg, neural survival, carcinogenesis, and tissue repair. MK could have a protective action against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in the heart, because MK was shown to have cytoprotective activity in cultured neurons and tumor cells. We investigated this hypothesis in mice with and without genetic MK deletion.

Pathophysiological significance of T-type Ca2+ channels: expression of T-type Ca2+ channels in fetal and diseased heart.

Re-expression of fetal genes has been considered to underlie ionic remodeling in diseased heart. T-type Ca(2+) channels have been reported to be functionally expressed in embryonic hearts. In this review, we summarize developmental changes of T-type Ca(2+) channels in mouse ventricles from 9.

Subtype switching of L-Type Ca 2+ channel from Cav1.3 to Cav1.2 in embryonic murine ventricle.

Background: Embryonic hearts exhibit spontaneous electrical activity, which depends on Ca2+ influx through L-type Ca2+ channels. In this study the expression of the L-type Ca2+ channel alpha1 subunit gene in the developing mouse heart was investigated.

Methods And Results: Mouse cardiac ventricles 9.