Azelnidipine and amlodipine anti-coronary atherosclerosis trial in hypertensive patients undergoing coronary intervention by serial volumetric intravascular ultrasound analysis in Juntendo University (ALPS-J).

Background: A previous study reported that amlodipine retarded coronary plaque progression in patients with coronary artery disease. The goal of this multicenter study was to determine which calcium-channel blockers (CCBs) other than amlodipine attenuated the progression of plaque volume (PV) accessed by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).

Methods And Results: ALPS-J was a prospective, randomized open-label study conducted at 5 centers.

Effects of fenofibrate on lipid profiles, cholesterol ester transfer activity, and in-stent intimal hyperplasia in patients after elective coronary stenting.

Background: The association between modulation of detailed lipoprotein profiles and cholesterol ester transfer (CET) activity by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-a agonists in patients with coronary artery disease remains unclear. We assessed lipid profiles, plasma CET activity, and in-stent intimal hyperplasia after fenofibrate treatment in patients who underwent elective coronary stenting.

Methods: Forty-three consecutive patients who underwent elective coronary stenting were randomized to the fenofibrate group (300 mg/day for 25 weeks, n = 22) or the control group (n = 21).

Azelnidipine and amlodipine anti-coronary atherosclerosis trial in hypertensive patients undergoing coronary intervention by serial volumetric intravascular ultrasound analysis in Juntendo university (ALPS-J).

Purpose: Many trials have shown that calcium channel blockers (CCBs) can reduce the cardiovascular (CV) events in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The mechanisms of this effect could be associated with plaque regression due to the anti-atherosclerotic properties of CCBs. The goal of this study is to determine the effects of CCB on volumetric quantitative changes of coronary plaques accessed by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).

Acute myocardial infarction with myocardial perfusion defect detected by contrast-enhanced computed tomography.

The first case was a 68-year-old woman who had acute migratory pain from back to anterior chest and the second case was 66-year-old man with a cardiac tamponade. Two cases were demonstrated with a low density area of the left ventricular postero-lateral wall with conventional contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) performed to differentiate the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome and acute aortic dissection. Subsequent coronary angiograms showed the lesions of left circumflex.

Long-term (11-year) statin therapy following percutaneous coronary intervention improves clinical outcome and is not associated with increased malignancy.

Background: Statins have been proven to reduce cardiac events and mortality. However, there are few studies dealing with the long-term efficacy of statin therapy following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods: We collected data from 575 consecutive patients who underwent PCI between 1987 and 1992.

Serial angiographic follow-up beyond 10 years after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Background: The long-term prognosis and serial angiographic follow-up beyond 10 years in patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) have not been fully studied in Japan.

Methods And Results: In the present study data from 71 patients who underwent CABG before 1992 were analyzed. Thirty patients had a saphenous vein graft (SVG) only group, and the remaining 41 had a left internal thoracic artery graft to the left anterior descending coronary artery (LITA) group; 6 patients died from malignancy, which was the most common cause of death after CABG.

Promoter polymorphism in the CD14 gene and concentration of soluble CD14 in patients with in-stent restenosis after elective coronary stenting.

Background: Activated monocytes/macrophages, neutrophils, endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells participate in the restenosis processes. Monocytes/macrophages and neutrophils are activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) via CD14. Endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells are also stimulated by soluble CD14 (sCD14)-LPS complexes.

Clinical features of acute pulmonary thromboembolism in younger patients.

The incidence of acute pulmonary thromboembolism (APTE) in younger patients is extremely low compared with older patients, so the clinical features of these younger patients with APTE is unknown. In the present study, 8 patients with APTE who were less than 40 years old (YG) were compared with 40 patients who were more than 41 years of age (OG). All YG patients had coagulopathy compared with 3 patients in the OG (p<0.