Deeper S Wave in Lead V5 and Broader Extent of T Wave Inversions in the Precordial Leads are Clinically Useful Electrocardiographic Parameters for Predicting Pulmonary Hypertension.

Electrocardiography (ECG) is used to screen for pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, it is unclear which parameters of ECG are the most useful for screening.ECG parameters related to right ventricular hypertrophy criteria were examined in 145 ECGs of subjects who were suspected to have PH and underwent right heart catheterization (RHC) (age 58.

The Histological Features of a Myocardial Biopsy Specimen in a Patient in the Acute Phase of Reversible Catecholamine-induced Cardiomyopathy due to Pheochromocytoma.

A 63-year-old Japanese woman with an adrenal tumor was transferred to our hospital due to cardiogenic shock. Right and left ventriculography showed severe hypokinesis of the middle segment and the apex in both ventricles, and an endomyocardial biopsy demonstrated a small number of necrotic myocytes and cellular infiltration. She was diagnosed with pheochromocytoma and quickly recovered after treatment with an α-blocker.

Prescription Factors Associated with Medication Non-adherence in Japan Assessed from Leftover Drugs in the SETSUYAKU-BAG Campaign: Focus on Oral Antidiabetic Drugs.

Background: Medication adherence has an important influence on health outcomes in patients with chronic diseases. However, few studies have been performed in Japan to determine factors related to medication non-adherence.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify prescription factors related to medication non-adherence by investigating patient characteristics, all prescriptions, and prescriptions for oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs).

Relationships Between Clinical Characteristics and Decreased Plakoglobin and Connexin 43 Expressions in Myocardial Biopsies From Patients With Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy.

Reduced expressions of plakoglobin and connexin 43 have been reported in the myocardium of patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). However, the relationships between these expression abnormalities and the clinical features of ARVC remain unknown.The expressions of plakoglobin and connexin 43 in myocardial biopsy specimens from 10 patients with confirmed ARVC, and 13 control patients without ARVC (non-ARVC; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, n = 7; dilated cardiomyopathy, n = 6), were examined by immunostaining to evaluate the relationships between these expressions and the clinical characteristics of ARVC.

Coronary Artery Pseudoaneurysm due to Medial Mucoid Degeneration Mimicking an Intra-atrial Mass.

Coronary artery aneurysms are frequently asymptomatic and may be difficult to diagnose by cardiac imaging. We herein present a case of a coronary artery aneurysm of the right coronary artery due to medial mucoid degeneration mimicking an intra-atrial mass on echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging, with the cause being diagnosed after surgery.

Impact of Catheter Sheath Insertion into the Radial Artery on Vascular Endothelial Function Assessed by Reactive Hyperemia Peripheral Arterial Tonometry.

The transradial approach has been used for coronary procedures, but this procedure carries a risk of injury to the endothelium of the radial artery. In this study, the vascular dysfunction caused by transradial catheterization was examined using reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometry (RH-PAT), a recently developed technique for assessing endothelial function in digits, and the differences in injuries were compared according to the size of sheath.Forty-three patients undergoing transradial catheterization with 6-Fr sheaths (n = 17) or 4-Fr/5-Fr (non-6-Fr; n = 26) sheaths underwent RH-PAT using an Endo-PAT2000 before, the day after, and 6 months after catheterization.

iMap-Intravascular Ultrasound Radiofrequency Signal Analysis Reflects Plaque Components of Optical Coherence Tomography-Derived Thin-Cap Fibroatheroma.

Background: The ability of iMap-intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) tissue characterization to detect thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) identified on optical coherence tomography (OCT) has not yet been fully elucidated.

Methods and results: We evaluated 86 coronary lesions from 73 patients with stable angina pectoris using iMap-IVUS and OCT. We defined OCT-derived TCFA (OCT-TCFA) as lipid-rich plaque with a <65-μm-thick fibrous cap.

Longitudinal strain of right ventricular free wall by 2-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography is useful for detecting pulmonary hypertension.

Aims: Echocardiography is widely used for screening pulmonary hypertension (PH). More recently developed two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) can assess regional deformation of the myocardium and is useful for detecting left ventricular dysfunction. However, its usefulness to assess right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is not clear.

Plasma pentraxin 3 is a more potent predictor of endothelial dysfunction than high-sensitive C-reactive protein.

An inflammatory response is a key event for endothelial dysfunction. Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is an inflammatory protein produced at inflammation sites such as leukocytes and vascular endothelial cells. Here, we compared the relationships between endothelial function assessed by flow-mediated dilation (FMD), and the levels of plasma PTX3 and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), another inflammatory protein of the pentraxin family.

[SETSUYAKU-BAG Campaign--investigation of outpatient's leftover drugs and promotion of proper reuse of leftover drugs to reduce medical expenses].

Pharmacists, being compensated through the new dispensing fee, are required to educate patients on their adhesion to the use of prescribed drugs, and to inventory the levels of leftover drugs in outpatients. Recently, Fukuoka City Pharmaceutical Association started a campaign for regulating leftover drugs (Setsuyaku Bag Campaign). Thirty-one pharmacies joined the campaign.

Elevated levels of systemic pentraxin 3 are associated with thin-cap fibroatheroma in coronary culprit lesions: assessment by optical coherence tomography and intravascular ultrasound.

Objectives: This study sought to determine whether systemic levels of pentraxin 3 (PTX3), a novel inflammatory marker, are associated with thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA).

Background: Biomarkers predicting the presence of TCFA in vivo have not been established.

Methods: We evaluated 75 patients (stable angina pectoris, n = 47; acute coronary syndrome, n = 28) with de novo culprit lesions who were examined by optical coherence tomography and intravascular ultrasound.

Very late stent thrombosis caused by rupture of lipid-laden neointima in a self-expanding coronary stent.

A 60-year-old man was admitted to our hospital due to acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. He had a history of self-expanding stent implantation in the proximal left anterior descending artery due to stable angina pectoris 7 years earlier. Emergent coronary angiography on admission showed occlusion in the distal portion of the previously stented segment, in which observation by optical coherence tomography revealed the existence of a remarkable proliferation of lipid-laden neointimal tissues with rupture and thrombus.