Association of Chlamydophila pneumoniae DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and IgA antibody with atherosclerotic diseases.

An association has been demonstrated between Chlamydophila pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae) infection and atherosclerosis, but data on the relationship between C. pneumoniae DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and antibodies to this organism are lacking.

[AIDS-related Mycobacterium avium infection dissemination in a patient with endobronchial lesions associated with immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome].

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has dramatically decreased the incidence of HIV-1-associated morbidity and mortality. During the initial months of HAART, immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), an adverse consequence of restoration of the pathogen-specific immune response, often occurred in terminal-stage in patients, with MAC infection the most frequently implicated in IRIS. In August 2004, a 26-year-old Japanese woman with fever and general lymphadenopathy was diagnosed with AIDS (HIV-1 RNA 5.

Association of hyperhomocysteinemia and Chlamydia pneumoniae infection with carotid atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease in Japanese patients.

An elevated plasma level of homocysteine (Hcy) and infection by Chlamydia pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae) have been suggested as independent risk factors for carotid atherosclerosis (CA) and coronary artery disease (CAD), but the mechanisms involved are unclear. We investigated the correlation between positivity for antibody to C.

Effect on carotid atherosclerosis of probucol plus levofloxacin for Chlamydia pneumoniae infection.

To investigate the effect of levofloxacin on carotid atherosclerosis, patients with hypercholesterolemia whose carotid atherosclerosis was not improved by probucol therapy (500 mg/day) for 24 months were enrolled. All patients were seropositive for anti C. pneumoniae IgA and/or IgG.

Pravastatin improves insulin resistance in dyslipidemic patients.

To evaluate the effect of pravastatin on both lipid and glucose metabolism, twenty-two consecutive dyslipidemic patients treated with pravastatin at 10 mg/day for one year were enrolled in this study. The meal test, which consisted of 115 g of cookies (energy 560 kcal; glucose 75 g; protein 7 g; fat 24 g), was conducted before and after one year of treatment. Insulin resistance was assessed by the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), by the area under the IRI curve (AUC-IRI), and by the formula AUC-IRI x AUC-PG.

Association between fast-migrating low-density lipoprotein subfraction as characterized by capillary isotachophoresis and intima-media thickness of carotid artery.

Background: A mildly modified LDL subfraction that is characterized by an increased negative charge exists in plasma. This electronegative LDL separated by ion-exchange chromatography has been shown to be inflammatory and its proportion is increased in patients with hyperlipidemia and diabetes mellitus. The present study examined the association between the level of fast (f)-migrating LDL subfraction characterized by capillary isotachophoresis (cITP) and carotid-artery intima-media thickness (CA-IMT).

The influence of lifestyle modification on carotid artery intima-media thickness in a suburban Japanese population.

To evaluate the influence of lifestyle modification with and without lipid-lowering drug therapy on the carotid arterial wall, we did a 2 year prospective ultrasound study of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in 1390 male and female residents of a suburban Japanese town. According to total cholesterol (TC) level at baseline, subjects were classified into a lifestyle modification alone group (TC >/= 220 mg/dl, n = 437), a lifestyle modification with lipid-lowering drug group (TC >/= 220 mg/dl, n = 159), and a control group (TC < 220 mg/dl, n = 794). After 2 years of follow-up, both sexes of both treatment groups showed significant reductions of TC, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and IMT, although TC continued over 220 mg/dl in some subjects in the lifestyle modification group.

Carotid atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk factors: a comparison of residents of a rural area of Okinawa with residents of a typical suburban area of Fukuoka, Japan.

Areas of Japan are known worldwide for the longevity of their residents. Okinawa has the highest longevity in Japan and a low rate of death due to cardiovascular disease. We investigated carotid atherosclerotic (CA) risk factors in islands of I city in Okinawa prefecture and compared them with K town, a suburban area of Fukuoka prefecture in Kyushu, to determine the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and carotid atherosclerosis.

Association of Chlamydia pneumoniae antibody with the cholesterol-lowering effect of statins.

To investigate the association between Chlamydia pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae) infection and atherosclerosis, we compared the effect of lipid-lowering drugs on carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) between patients who were positive and negative for C. pneumoniae antibodies.

Carotid artery lesions and atherosclerotic risk factors in Japanese hemodialysis patients.

To determine the prevalence and severity of carotid artery lesions and which risk factors might be responsible for atherosclerosis in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, we tested for carotid atherosclerosis (CA) by ultrasonography and compared the CA prevalence with well-known or suspected atherosclerotic risk factors in 226 hemodialysis (HD) patients and 2410 healthy residents of Japan. The CA prevalence was higher in the HD patients than in the healthy residents. Univariate analysis showed that HD patients with CA had a higher frequency of diabetes mellitus and left ventricular hypertrophy, and were significantly older, had significantly higher systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure, and lower albumin levels than those without.

Chlamydia pneumoniae seropositivity and early carotid atherosclerosis in a suburban Japanese population.

To evaluate the association between Chlamydia pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae) infection and carotid atherosclerosis (CA), we investigated CA assessed by carotid B-mode ultrasound and known or suspected atherosclerotic risk factors including C. pneumoniae IgG and IgA antibodies in 2410 residents (mean age 54.

Effects of probucol and pravastatin on common carotid atherosclerosis in patients with asymptomatic hypercholesterolemia. Fukuoka Atherosclerosis Trial (FAST).

Objectives: This study investigated the effect of reducing serum lipids on carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) in asymptomatic patients with hypercholesterolemia from Fukuoka, Japan.

Background: Carotid atherosclerosis is a strong, independent predictor of morbidity and mortality in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD).

Methods: A total of 246 asymptomatic hypercholesterolemic patients (mean age 66 years) were randomized to receive either probucol (500 mg/day, n = 82) or pravastatin (10 mg/day, n = 83) or to enter a control group (diet alone, n = 81); they were followed for two years.