Immunoglobulin G4-Related Myocarditis with Eosinophilic Infiltration: A Case Report.

Immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a fibroinflammatory disorder that can involve any organ system; however, myocarditis is extremely rare. A 52-year-old male with dyspnea and chest discomfort underwent cardiac MRI that revealed edema and nodular, patchy, mesocardial and subendoardial delayed enhancement of left ventricle, suggesting myocarditis. Laboratory findings revealed elevated serum IgG4 and eosinophilia.

Prevalence and Prognostic Implications of Worsening Renal Function After Acute Myocardial Infarction.

We sought to investigate the relation between worsening renal function (WRF) at 1-year follow-up and clinical outcomes at 3 years after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We analyzed data from 13,104 patients enrolled in the national AMI registry from November 2011 to December 2015. Patients with all-cause death, recurrent myocardial infarction (re-MI), and rehospitalization for heart failure at 1-year follow-up after AMI were excluded.

SIRT1 Activation Attenuates the Cardiac Dysfunction Induced by Endothelial Cell-Specific Deletion of CRIF1.

The CR6-interacting factor1 (CRIF1) mitochondrial protein is indispensable for peptide synthesis and oxidative phosphorylation. Cardiomyocyte-specific deletion of CRIF1 showed impaired mitochondrial function and cardiomyopathy. We developed an endothelial cell-specific CRIF1 deletion mouse to ascertain whether dysfunctional endothelial CRIF1 influences cardiac function and is mediated by the antioxidant protein sirtuin 1 (SIRT1).

Impact of Thrombus Aspiration on Clinical Outcomes in Korean Patients with ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

We evaluated whether thrombus aspiration (TA) during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) reduces adverse clinical outcomes within 30-days and 1-year periods. There is no well-designed, Korean data about the clinical impact of intracoronary TA during primary PCI in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). From the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry-National Institute of Health, 3749 patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI within 12 hours (60.

Elevation of Serum APE1/Ref-1 in Experimental Murine Myocarditis.

Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium that causes cardiogenic shock and death. However, endomyocardial biopsy that is, the gold standard for a diagnosis is limited. Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1/redox effector factor-1 (APE1/Ref-1) is a multifunctional protein, which is involved in DNA-based excision repair pathway, and in redox signaling, its changes are observed in various cardiovascular diseases including hypertension and coronary artery disease.

Brachial-ankle PWV for predicting clinical outcomes in patients with acute stroke.

Background: Although brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is well-known for predicting the cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, its anticipated value is not demonstrated well concerning acute stroke.

Methods: Total 1557 patients with acute stroke who performed baPWV were enrolled. We evaluated the prognostic value of baPWV predicting all-cause death and vascular death in patients with acute stroke Results: Highest quartile of baPWV was ≥23.

CR6-Interacting Factor 1 Deficiency Impairs Vascular Function by Inhibiting the Sirt1-Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Pathway.

Aims: Mitochondrial dysfunction has emerged as a major contributing factor to endothelial dysfunction and vascular disease, but the key mechanisms underlying mitochondrial dysfunction-induced endothelial dysfunction remain to be elucidated. In this study, we aim at determining whether mitochondrial dysfunction in endothelial cells plays a key role in vascular disease, by examining the phenotype of endothelial-specific CR6-interacting factor 1 (CRIF1) knockout mice. We also used siRNA-mediated downregulation of CRIF1 gene in the endothelial cells to study about the in vitro pathophysiological underlying mechanisms.

The Curves Exercise Suppresses Endotoxemia in Korean Women with Obesity.

Obesity and metabolic syndrome is a worldwide pandemic and associated with high cardiovascular risk. Metabolic endotoxemia (ME) is thought to be an underlying molecular mechanism. It triggers toll-like receptor 4-mediated inflammatory adipokines and causes a chronic low grade inflammatory status, which results in cardiovascular risk increase.

Incidence and Clinical Course of Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction in Patients with Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.

Background And Objectives: Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning can cause tissue hypoxia and left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) requiring intensive medical management. Our objectives were to find incidence and clinical course of LVSD CO intoxicated patients and make a clinical scoring to predict LVSD.

Subjects And Methods: We included all consecutive patients with CO exposure in the emergency room.

Heterogeneous Electrocatalyst of Palladium-Cobalt-Phosphorus on Carbon Support for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells.

Palladium-cobalt-phosphorus (PdCoP) catalysts supported on carbon (Ketjen Black) were investigated as a cathode catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs). The PdCoP catalyst was synthesized via a modified polyol process in teflon-sealed reactor by microwave-heating. From X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopic analysis, the PdCoP catalyst exhibits a face-centered cubic structure, similar to palladium (Pd), which is attributed to form a good solid solution of Co atoms and P atoms in the Pd lattice.

Successful device closure of a post-infarction ventricular septal defect.

Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a lethal complication of myocardial infarction. The event occurs 2-8 days after an infarction and patients should undergo emergency surgical treatment. We report on successful device closure of post-infarction VSD.

Comparison of long-term clinical outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention in vasospastic angina patients associated with significant coronary artery stenosis.

Background: Coronary spasm is the major pathophysiology of vasospastic angina (VA). Medical treatment is usually effective in VA patients without significant stenosis. However, there is little information about the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in VA patients with significant coronary artery stenosis (CAS).

Height and sex is strongly associated with radial augmentation index in Korean patients with never-treated hypertension.

Objectives: Central hemodynamics may better represent the load imposed on the coronary and cerebral arteries and thereby bear a stronger relationship to cardiovascular outcomes.

Methods: Patients who had confirmed hypertension as assessed by daytime 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (≥135/85 mmHg) were enrolled. Central blood pressure and radial augmentation index (AIx) corrected for a heart rate of 75 bpm (radial AIx 75) were measured for all patients.

Feasibility of low-concentration iodinated contrast medium with lower-tube-voltage dual-source CT aortography using iterative reconstruction: comparison with automatic exposure control CT aortography.

To evaluate the feasibility of low-concentration contrast medium (CM) for vascular enhancement, image quality, and radiation dose on computed tomography aortography (CTA) using a combined low-tube-voltage and iterative reconstruction (IR) technique. Ninety subjects underwent dual-source CT (DSCT) operating in dual-source, high-pitch mode. DSCT scans were performed using both high-concentration CM (Group A, n = 50; Iomeprol 400) and low-concentration CM (Group B, n = 40; Iodixanol 270).

Elevation of the Serum Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonuclease 1/Redox Factor-1 in Coronary Artery Disease.

Background And Objectives: Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1/redox effector factor-1 (APE1/Ref-1) is a multifunctional protein involved in the DNA base excision repair pathway, inflammation, angiogenesis, and survival pathways. We investigated serum APE1/Ref-1 in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Subjects And Methods: Serum APE1/Ref-1 was measured with a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay from 360 patients who received coronary angiograms.

Endovascular treatment in a patient with left main coronary and pulmonary arterial stenoses as an initial manifestation of Takayasu's arteritis.

Takayasu's arteritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that mainly involves medium to large sized arteries. Although it affects coronary and pulmonary arteries occasionally, physicians should consider the possibility of involvement of coronary or pulmonary arteries in patients with Takayasu's arteritis with chest pain or exertional dyspnoea. We report a case of Takayasu's arteritis who presented with exertional dyspnoea and generalised oedema due to severe bilateral pulmonary and left main coronary arterial stenoses.

Communication: Enhanced oxygen reduction reaction and its underlying mechanism in Pd-Ir-Co trimetallic alloys.

Based on a combined density functional theory and experimental study, we present that the electrochemical activity of Pd3Co alloy catalysts toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) can be enhanced by adding a small amount of Ir. While Ir tends to favorably exist in the subsurface layers, the underlying Ir atoms are found to cause a substantial modification in the surface electronic structure. As a consequence, we find that the activation barriers of O/OH hydrogenation reactions are noticeably lowered, which would be mainly responsible for the enhanced ORR activity.

Flail subaortic membrane mimicking left ventricular outflow tract obstruction in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

A subaortic membrane is an uncommon cause for left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction would mask the presence of the subaortic membrane on transthoracic echocardiography and cause a false diagnosis. We report a patient with subaortic stenosis due to flail subaortic membrane misdiagnosed as obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy on transthoracic echocardiography, identified on transesophageal echocardiography and cardiac catheterization.

Oral sarpogrelate can improve endothelial dysfunction as effectively as oral cilostazol, with fewer headaches, in active young male smokers.

Sarpogrelate and cilostazol are two commonly used adjunctive antiplatelet agents that also can be used to improve endothelial dysfunction. We compared the effects of sarpogrelate and cilostazol on endothelial dysfunction in active male smokers with flow-mediated dilatation (FMD). We enrolled and compared baseline and follow-up FMD in 20 young male smokers without any known cardiovascular diseases.

Successful percutaneous coronary intervention in an anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the ascending aorta above the left sinus of the valsalva.

The anomalous origin of the right coronary artery (RCA) is a rare condition. Most RCA anomalies are usually found incidentally, but these findings have clinical significance because many patients, particularly young ones, present with sudden death, myocardial ischemia and syncope without other symptoms. We describe a case of a 39-year-old male patient that presented with effort chest pain and was diagnosed with anomalous RCA that originated from the ascending aorta with prior history of repairing ruptured sinus valsalva and ventricular septal defect.