Safety and Efficacy of Simultaneous Inoculations of Pneumococcal and Influenza Vaccines in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease.

Aim: Pneumococcal and influenza infections can cause serious morbidity and mortality in patients with cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of simultaneous inoculations of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) and trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods: This was a prospective, randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Disease duration and severity impacts on long-term cardiovascular events in Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) increases the mortality and morbidity of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the relationship between RA and the risk of CVD in the Japanese population remains unclear.

Methods And Results: This study comprised 571 RA patients who were admitted to Juntendo University Hospital from January 1990 to December 2000.

High hexacosanoic acid levels are associated with coronary artery disease.

Aims: Levels of saturated very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) are associated with coronary risk factors, including metabolic syndrome (MS), atherogenic lipoproteins, and systemic inflammation. However, the relationship between circulating levels of saturated VLCFA and coronary artery disease (CAD) remains unclear.

Method: We enrolled 100 consecutive CAD patients and 40 age-, gender-, and body mass index (BMI)-matched healthy control subjects.

The high molecular weight adiponectin level is associated with the atherogenic lipoprotein profiles in healthy Japanese males.

Aim: Circulating adiponectin comprises high, medium and low molecular weight (HMW, MMW, and LMW) forms. Decreased adiponectin levels have been demonstrated to correlate with the atherogenic lipoprotein profile in patients with metabolic syndrome(MS). However, the associations of these isoforms with the atherogenic lipoprotein profiles in the healthy population remain unclear.

High levels of very long-chain saturated fatty acid in erythrocytes correlates with atherogenic lipoprotein profiles in subjects with metabolic syndrome.

Aim: Very long chain saturated fatty acid (VLCFA) levels in erythrocytes are associated with metabolic syndrome (MS). However, the relationship between levels of the VLCFA ligonoceric acid (C24:0) in erythrocytes and the atherogenic lipoprotein profiles and inflammatory state in MS remain unclear.

Methods: Based on the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition of MS, 195 apparently healthy males were assigned to either an MS group (n=38) or a non-MS group (n=157).

Clinical significance of the measurements of urinary liver-type fatty acid binding protein levels in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Background: Recently, much attention has been focused on cardio-renal interaction. Urinary liver-type fatty acid binding protein (U-L-FABP), which is produced in the proximal tubule by renal hypoxia and oxidative stress, has been identified as a useful marker for diagnosis of acute kidney disease and a predictor of future events in chronic kidney disease. However, the clinical significance of U-L-FABP measurements in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has not been completely evaluated.

Effects of calcium channel blockers on glucose tolerance, inflammatory state, and circulating progenitor cells in non-diabetic patients with essential hypertension: a comparative study between azelnidipine and amlodipine on glucose tolerance and endothelial function--a crossover trial (AGENT).

Background: Hypertension is associated with impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance. Medical treatment that interferes with various steps in the renin-angiotensin system improves glucose tolerance and insulin resistance. However, it remains unclear if long-acting calcium channel blockers (CCBs) such as azelnidipine and amlodipine affect glucose tolerance and insulin resistance in clinical practice.

Clinical significance of the measurements of plasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels in patients with coronary artery disease who have undergone elective drug-eluting stent implantation.

Background: N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a diagnostic biomarker for patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). However, the clinical significance of measurements of NT-proBNP levels in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) who have undergone drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation has not been fully elucidated.

Methods And Results: We recruited 280 patients with documented CAD who were scheduled for elective coronary intervention and also age- and gender-matched 140 healthy subjects.

Involvement of cholesterol-enriched microdomains in class A scavenger receptor-mediated responses in human macrophages.

Objective: Lipid rafts are cholesterol-enriched microdomains on cell membranes. We hypothesized that these microdomains could involve modified low-density lipoprotein (LDL) uptake.

Methods And Results: Co-localizations of cholesterol-enriched microdomains and CD204 during the uptake of acetyl LDL (AcLDL) and oxidized LDL were observed using Alexa488-labeled polyethylene glycol cholesteryl ester, which is a sensitive probe used to analyze the dynamics of cholesterol-rich lipid microdomains in living cells.

Different responses to oxidized low-density lipoproteins in human polarized macrophages.

Background: Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) uptake by macrophages plays an important role in foam cell formation. It has been suggested the presence of heterogeneous subsets of macrophage, such as M1 and M2, in human atherosclerotic lesions. To evaluate which types of macrophages contribute to atherogenesis, we performed cDNA microarray analysis to determine oxLDL-induced transcriptional alterations of each subset of macrophages.

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).

Voluntary exercise ameliorates the progression of atherosclerotic lesion formation via anti-inflammatory effects in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

Aim: A sedentary lifestyle with insufficient exercise is associated with cardiovascular disease. Previous studies have demonstrated that endurance exercise benefits atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disorders; however, the mechanisms by which physical activity, such as voluntary exercise (Ex), produces these effects are not fully understood.

Methods And Results: Eight-week-old male apolipoprotein (ApoE)-deficient mice were fed a standard diet (STD) or high fat diet (HFD) for 10 weeks.

Single administration of alpha-glucosidase inhibitors on endothelial function and incretin secretion in diabetic patients with coronary artery disease - Juntendo University trial: effects of miglitol on endothelial vascular reactivity in type 2 diabetic patients with coronary heart disease (J-MACH) -.

Background: Post-prandial hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and endothelial dysfunction play an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Improvement in post-prandial hyperglycemia on alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (alpha-GIs) is associated with a risk reduction of cardiovascular diseases, but the post-prandial effects of alpha-GIs on endothelial function and incretin secretion in type 2 diabetic patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) remain unclear.

Methods And Results: The post-prandial effects of a single administration of miglitol and voglibose on endothelial function and changing levels of glucose, insulin, lipids, glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1, and gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) were compared after a standard meal loading in 11 diabetic patients with CAD, using a placebo-controlled cross-over design.

[Ischemic heart disease].

Numerous studies have demonstrated that insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, and diabetes mellitus closely correlate with cardiovascular disease. Diabetic patients frequently have multi-vessel disease, and their coronary arteries show segmental, narrow and complex stenoses with calcified plaques. The features of diabetes mellitus, such as hyperglycemia, insulin resistance and diabetic nephropathy, induce these complicated pathological conditions.

Polyunsaturated fatty acid levels of serum and red blood cells in apparently healthy Japanese subjects living in an urban area.

Aim: We assessed levels of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in serum and red blood cells (RBCs) among groups stratified by generation and its clinical significance in Japanese subjects living in an urban area.

Methods: We enrolled 200 apparently healthy Japanese (126 males, mean age: 50.3+/-9.

Serum levels of remnant lipoprotein cholesterol and oxidized low-density lipoprotein in patients with coronary artery disease.

Background: Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL) and remnant lipoprotein play a crucial role in the development of atherosclerosis. Recently, a novel method for measuring remnant cholesterol levels (remnant lipoproteins cholesterol homogenous assay: RemL-C) has been established. However, the correlation between OxLDL and remnant lipoprotein, including RemL-C, has not been fully investigated.

Enhanced production of nitric oxide, reactive oxygen species, and pro-inflammatory cytokines in very long chain saturated fatty acid-accumulated macrophages.

Background: Deterioration of peroxisomal beta-oxidation activity causes an accumulation of very long chain saturated fatty acids (VLCSFA) in various organs. We have recently reported that the levels of VLCSFA in the plasma and/or membranes of blood cells were significantly higher in patients with metabolic syndrome and in patients with coronary artery disease than the controls. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of VLCSFA accumulation on inflammatory and oxidative responses in VLCSFA-accumulated macrophages derived from X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) protein (ALDP)-deficient mice.

Deletion of the Fc receptors gamma chain preserves endothelial function affected by hypercholesterolaemia in mice fed on a high-fat diet.

Aims: To clarify the role of Fc receptors (FcR) for immunoglobulin in endothelial dysfunction induced by hypercholesterolaemia, we evaluated the effect of deletion of the FcR gamma chain on endothelium-dependent relaxation and oxidative stress after 10 weeks on a high-fat diet in FcR gamma(-/-) mice compared with that in wild-type mice.

Methods And Results: Plasma cholesterol levels of those on the high-fat diet were significantly increased compared with those on the normal chow diet in both groups of mice. Endothelium-dependent relaxation of the aortic ring with acetylcholine in wild-type mice was significantly reduced by the high-fat diet (ED(50): 0.

High levels of saturated very long-chain fatty acid (hexacosanoic acid; C26:0) in whole blood are associated with metabolic syndrome in Japanese men.

Objective: Hexacosanoic acid (C26:0) is a saturated very long-chain fatty acid and high levels of C26:0 in red blood cells are reported to be closely related with risk factors of atherosclerosis. However, the relationship between absolute levels of C26:0 in whole blood and metabolic syndrome (MS) has not been determined.

Materials And Method: We divided 218 consecutive apparently healthy male subjects into an MS group (n=78) and a non-MS group (n=140) according to the definition of the International Diabetes Federation.