Comparison of plasma fatty acid binding protein 4 concentration in venous and capillary blood.

Circulating fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) is associated with various diseases and simple and less invasive techniques for assessment of FABP4 concentration are required in clinical research setting. The purpose of the present study was to assess the correlation of plasma FABP4 concentration between venous and capillary blood in healthy young adults. Twenty-eight healthy young adults aged from 20 to 26 years (mean age, 22.

[Clinical usefulness of 201Tl/99mTc-PYP dual myocardial quantitative gated SPECT program using low-dose dobutamine loading in assessment of myocardial viability in patient with acute myocardial infarction--a case report].

An 86-year-old man with chest pain was admitted to our hospital. Coronary angiography revealed 99% stenosis of the mid segment of the left anterior descending coronary artery, therefore, a coronary stent was implanted. Immediately after the stent implantation, 99% stenosis occurred at the proximal site of the 1st diagonal artery because of stent jeal.

[A case of takotsubo cardiomyopathy provoked by taking a new quinolone antibiotic drug and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug].

A 97-year-old woman was provoked a convulsion after taking a new quinolone antibiotic drug Levofloxacin and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug Loxoprofen. At a later time, she was suffered from severe chest pain. An electrocardiogram showed ST segment elevation in leads II, III and aVF, and T-wave inversion in leads V1 to V4.

[Assessment of microcirculation disturbance in patients with coronary ectasia by ATP-loading 99mTc-tetrofosmin myocardial SPECT].

Unlabelled: Patients with coronary ectasia often develop chest pain and reveal ischemic changes on electrocardiograms and reduced left ventricular wall motion on left ventriculography, in the absence of epicardial coronary artery stenotic regions. We examined the disturbances in the coronary microcirculation in patients with coronary ectasia using left ventriculography and ATP loading 99mTc-tetrofosmin myocardial single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) before and after administration of a coronary vasodilator and antiplatelet agents.

Methods: Twenty patients in whom coronary angiography revealed diffuse coronary artery ectasia but no stenotic regions were enrolled in this study.

Circadian variation of cardiac autonomic nervous activity is well preserved in patients with mild to moderate chronic heart failure: effect of patient position.

Background: It remains unclear whether circadian variation (CV) of cardiac autonomic nervous activity (CANA) is preserved in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) as in healthy subjects. We have demonstrated that CANA in CHF patients is largely affected by patient recumbent position.

Methods: We studied eight mild to moderate CHF patients and eight age, sex-matched healthy subjects.

Acute and long-term outcomes of rotational atherectomy in small (< 3.0 mm) coronary arteries.

Conventional balloon angioplasty (BA) of small coronary arteries (SCA) is followed by a high rate of restenosis. Rotational atherectomy may be effective as an alternate treatment of stenoses unsuitable for other devices. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of RA in the treatment of SCA.

Treatment of acute inflammatory cardiomyopathy with intravenous immunoglobulin ameliorates left ventricular function associated with suppression of inflammatory cytokines and decreased oxidative stress.

Although an autoimmune mechanism has been postulated for myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy, immunosuppressive agents had not been shown to be effective. Potential benefits of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) in the therapy of patients with myocarditis and recent onset of dilated cardiomyopathy were reported. Also, experimental studies showed that IVIg is an effective therapy for viral myocarditis by antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects.

Effect of intracoronary nicorandil administration on preventing no-reflow/slow flow phenomenon during rotational atherectomy.

A major limitation of the rotational atherectomy (RA) procedure is the occurrence of the no-reflow/slow flow phenomenon and the optimal strategy is still evolving. Recent clinical studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of nicorandil, an adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive potassium channel opener, on no-reflow in patients with acute myocardial infarction. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of nicorandil on no-reflow/slow flow phenomenon during RA procedures.

Shunt between the ventricular chamber and coronary arteries preserves left ventricular function in acute myocardial infarction.

It is controversial whether newly created channels made by transmyocardial laser revascularization are functionally significant, so the present study evaluated the shunt flow from the left ventricular (LV) cavity to the ischemic myocardium in 51 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) caused by complete occlusion of the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery. All patients underwent left heart catheterization within 24 h of onset and all underwent successful coronary reperfusion using primary coronary angioplasty with no angiographic restenosis on follow-up coronary angiography (CAG). The presence of the LV shunt flow was evaluated by selective left CAG after successful reperfusion.